Holiday Cheer!

It's that time of year to gather together with good company and eat lots of food! And believe me, I have been doing just that for the past few weeks. Bring on the holiday fun, and hopefully not the pounds!

Ha!

It started with the Wardrobe Christmas luncheon on Dec. 7th. The wonderful people of the wardrobe department served a yummy array of Polish food. I have to admit that I have never had a meal of Polish food, but I really enjoyed it, and so did everyone else!

Here I am with Lucy, the Wardrobe Mistress..

and with Maureen, the Wardrobe Supervisor. They are a team that run the department, and were so sweet to include me in their party!

The next day, Dec. 8th, was the Technical and Production departments' potluck and white elephant gift give-a-way. I made pulled pork, for the first time with great success. Here we are diving into the food before we open our gifts. :)

That weekend Chicago had a large snow storm, which brought about 8 inches of snow, and blustery winds.

Here are the dogs, during their morning walk.

Here is a view of downtown.

Ruben and I braved the storm to do a little shopping.

On Monday, December 13, our dear friend Sarah O'Neill visited Chicago for a job interview.

It was so wonderful to have her visit! Her interview went so well, that they asked her back for a second! We are praying that she gets the job, and is able to move back to Chicago.

Here we are with some friends of mine and Sarah after dinner. Seated next to me and Sarah, are Matt and Tye, who graduated from Texas Tech.

On Wednesday, Dec. 15th was the Lyric Opera Administrative Party, which the company hosts for the full time admin staff. It's a lot of fun, as we don't all get to see eachother during the workday. It's always good to mingle and make friends with co-workers from other departments, it makes asking for favors so much easier. :)

They have dinner and drinks provided, which helps provide a very festive astmosphere.

Me with some of my fun co-workers. :)

On Friday, Dec 17, Ruben and I took a road trip to Indianapolis, IN to pick up a Christmas gift for Ruben. We love road trips, and it was a great day to travel, as the weather was good!

Of course, we stopped at a few thrift stores in the area. This one was great, and we found all kinds of fun things!

This past Saturday, Dec. 18th, Ruben and I held a Christmas party in our new apartment. It was so fun!

I made a yummy Mexican bean soup, with 3 types of salsa, and baked some cornbread muffins and gingerbread cookies. I also bought some cheeses and some spinach dip.

Here are my friends hanging out in our living room.

Drinks were served in the kitchen. :)

This is the first party we have had at our new apartment, and were so excited that it went so well!

Last night, Sunday December 19th, my friend Tina and Mike hosted their annual cookie decorating party. As usual it's full of sweet cookies and icing and a viewing of "Creature Comforts" Christmas special.

I love the holidays, because it is a wonderful excuse for people to get together and share some memories. I fondly remember the family gatherings and social parties held through out the holidays growing up as a kid. It's nice to be able to include them in my life as an adult.

This week is a quiet week as we get ready to celebrate Christmas. I'm working till Wednesday this week and next, and really looking forward to 2 long weekends in a row!

Hope that everyone is getting excited about their holiday plans! I'm looking forward to spending my Christmas with my wonderful husband and two precious puppies. More pictures and stories to come!

Much love, and Merry Christmas!