Thanks Carolyn for the pic!

Christmas festivities began early when Rob and I got together with friends at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant at Knott’s Berry Farm for an all-you-can-eat champagne brunch. The food was ok but the company was great. I can’t believe I have friends who are parents now. !!!

I wanted to see the holiday decorations at Disneyland before our annual passes were blocked out for the year so we made it to the park on the very last day. I love Disneyland every time we go but there’s something extra special about the holiday season…

From the snow-capped turrets of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in the daylight…

…to the huge Christmas tree on Main Street (we tried to take a picture in front of it but the Disney employee obviously didn’t know how to use our camera)…

…to the colorful lights on It’s A Small World…

…and back to the night-time sparkly lights on Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. It’s truly magical.

Diesel got into the Christmas spirit too.

And we took a quick family picture before heading out for Christmas Eve dinner at my cousin’s house. Yes, I’m wearing a candy cane headband. And yes, I did wear the same dress a few days later for a baptism and a birthday party.

My family gets together on Christmas Eve, which is great because it leaves us free to spend Christmas day with Rob’s family. I would hate to shuttle back and forth between families.

As usual, we were super spoiled… a few of our treasured presents are pictured here — an acoustic guitar (!!!), Blu-ray DVD player, and DJ Hero for Rob and a pretty pink carry-on luggage, Cal tee, Starbucks mugs (I started collecting them — I have 9 so far), and an Anthropologie gift card for me. *love*

Rob and I no longer “surprise” each other with presents because let’s face it, I’m not the easiest person to buy presents for (read: I’m picky ). So instead, we normally set a budget and give each other a list. But this year I found a cute ruffle-front coat from JCrew that I wanted and ordered my own Christmas present from Rob. Using his credit card, of course. I guess this is what happens when you’ve been together 10+ years.

And it’s back to work tomorrow (nooooooo). I’m not looking forward to it but I *am* excited for 2010 and what lies ahead (gotta do a New Year’s resolution post next time)…

It’s Christmas Eve and I’m taking care of some last minute errands before launching into the next few days of festivities. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

That’s totally how I feel right now.

I normally love the holidays but I’m feeling like a total Scrooge this year. I’m just not looking forward to the family festivities. Like for Christmas Eve, we always go to my cousin’s house where we have dinner, hang out, open presents at midnight, then end the night with a late night snack. I look forward to this! But in the past few years, our gatherings have felt less intimate and more routine. Maybe it’s just me. I do have a tendency to “read into” things too much.

Also, you know that sinking feeling you get when you realize someone probably doesn’t like you but can’t openly show it because you have mutual friends? I hate that feeling…

Anyway, I was tagged by Ceci for this meme so here we go…

Who sleeps in bed next to you?
My little Diesel! Really. He sandwiches himself right between Rob and me.

What did you last eat?
A piece of white chocolate with peppermint bits. Yum!

What kind of books do you read?
Mostly chick-lit and YA. I also go through phases of reading romance. Sadly, I haven’t read a book since August. Reading more is definitely going to be one of my New Year’s resolutions.

What are you reading right now?
I started reading In the Merde For Love by Stephen Clarke back in March but I must have kicked it under the bed and totally forgot about it (this is what happens when you don’t have a nightstand). I found it recently and should probably start over. I also received the first 3 Sookie Stackhouse books for my birthday and I really want to dig into that series.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?
Disneyland! Like that’s a surprise. Or Paris. *sigh* I love traveling.

What’s really creepy?
All Horror movies. I get scared easily.

What’s your current fandom/obsession/addiction?
This season… Gossip Girl, Glee, So You Think You Can Dance.

What did you really want to do today that you didn’t?
I wanted to finish wrapping all the Christmas presents and clean up a little… I worked late and got lazy.

What are you most excited for?
My holiday break. I have a half day on Wed and then I’m off until Jan 3rd! YES. The love/hate relationship I have with my job is leaning towards the “hate” side right now so I’m excited for the time away.

What websites do you always visit when you go online?
I always check out Twitter, LATimes, LJ, and GMail…

What was the last thing you bought?
Bought some Christmas presents at Crate and Barrel last night. Thank goodness the mall was open late on Sunday. We took advantage and finished up our shopping and it wasn’t even crowded.

What do you want right this minute, off the top of your head?
Dinner! I’m hungry. But I’m waiting for the hubs to wake up…

What’s your biggest procrastination method?
Like Ceci, it’s the internet. I can read blogs and window shop online all day.

Are there any bits of childhood that you miss?
Just having my mom around.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter?
Winter! Even though California’s winters are nothing compared to the rest of the country, lol. i just like the cooler weather because I love cool weather clothes, like sweaters, coats, scarves, and boots.

Say something to the person who tagged you.
Have a wonderful holiday Ceci! Hope that 2010 is a better year for you. *hugs*

1. I am SO SICK of Tiger Woods news. I was scrolling through news sites the other day and there were articles that detailed some of the “sex-t” messages he exchanged with his mistresses. I mean, really. Is this necessary? And is it really a surprise that he is a cheating athlete?!

2. I finally started my holiday cards! I sent the first batch out last week. Cards going internationally are going to be late (again)… sorry guys. I went to the post office on Saturday but the line was 30 people deep so I’ll need to try again this week. I didn’t do an official request this year but if there’s anyone else that wants a card, leave me a comment with your email address and I’ll get in touch with you.

3. Speaking of holiday cards, the first one I received this year was from Sarah. Thank you! You’re always so good at getting them out before Christmas.

4. Went to a funeral this past Saturday for Rob’s godmother. I’ve only met her twice so I didn’t anticipate getting emotional. But at the very beginning of the mass, when her family was processing up the aisle with the casket, I totally lost it. Like I couldn’t stop the tears streaming down my face. I think what set me off was the choir singing “Eagle’s Wings,” which was played at my mom’s funeral too. It’s not really a sad song; just more a haunting one that really sticks with you.

5. But on to happier things! Like Christmas! Rob’s been wanting DJ Hero and when I saw that it went on sale for $88 at Target, I went ahead and bought it as part of his Christmas present. Of course, he couldn’t wait and played with it right away. So much that he already has a callous on his finger.

6. If you look at the bigger version of the above pic (just click on it), you’ll see that Diesel’s wearing clothes. It’s a Snuggie! Bwahahahaha. So cute. We picked up a few more to give as presents to all the doggies in our family. No nieces or nephews yet… just doggies.

7. We’re still house hunting and went to another Open House yesterday to take a look at some model homes nearby. There was a *ridiculous* amount of people there. Seriously. You would have no idea that we are in a down economy with the insanity. We ended up not liking any so that was a bust. We’re on the waiting list for a few other communities so hopefully we’ll get one of those (the homes don’t go on sale until early 2010 and there’s a limited quantity and a looooong list of potential buyers).

8. Not a lot of TV to watch right now. Most of my shows had “fall finales” and then aren’t coming back until March/April. Is this a new trend? I actually really like it. I much prefer having back-to-back new episodes in chunks of time over what used to happen before when there would only be a month of new episodes, then 2-3 weeks of reruns, and I never knew when the heck a new episode was going to air.

9. This season of So You Think You Can Dance has been really disappointing. Not because of the dancers; they’re all great. Mostly because I feel like there’s a lot of behind the scenes “stuff” that is killing my enjoyment of the show. First off, I *know* that none of the partnerships or dance styles are “random” so why do they keep billing it as such? Bugs me. Also, the judges need to think about what they’re saying before they say it. I was really upset last week when Adam basically blamed Nathan for Mollee’s lack of “growth” in the first few weeks. WHAT.EVER. I don’t see how that is anyone else’s “fault” but Mollee’s own. I used to think Adam had a lot of constructive criticism for the dancers but now his comments are just like Nigel and Mary’s (ie. useless). I kinda wish they would go back to a rotating third judge because I think the panel desperately needs a non-contemporary voice. Finally, I really really REALLY hate that the final performance show is TOP SIX. Not top 4. WTF. AND it’s only an hour show not 2. I know FOX had a wonky fall schedule with the World Series but maybe they could have done 1 less audition show and then been able to do a proper Top 4? And maybe pushed the Gordon Ramsay special to next week so the final performance show would be 2 hours? The dancers really got the short end of the stick this year. I really hope SYTYCD goes back to being a summer show… along with the old stage.

10. Only 7 more days of work until Christmas vacation! WOOT.

*sigh* I just love Christmas time.

This year’s new ornament is one I picked up in Australia during our vacation — I’m not a good photographer at all so hopefully you can make out the Sydney Opera House in the above pic.

Now I just have to get some presents under the tree…

Rob and I are starting our Turkey Day at my cousin’s house for lunch then we’re heading to his parents for dinner. Food and family all day. YUMMY.

We decided to make dessert for the festivities and as soon as I saw these pumpkin pie bites on Bakerella (thanks to Sarah for the link), I knew that’s what we were going to make.

Our effort. Hee hee. DEFINITELY not as pretty as Bakerella’s but OMG! SO. GOOD. I might have eaten 2 or 3 to “test” them. Our apartment smells pretty amazing too.

It’s been a tough few weeks at work so I’m ready for the holiday break. AND! My boss surprised me by giving me Monday off so I have a 5-day weekend.

SCORE!

1. I’m not really a fan of the Twilight series nor did I enjoy the first movie but for some reason, I still want to see New Moon. The clips from the trailers already make it look light years better than the first. Plus, I can’t help that I’m highly amused by the actors off-screen. Kristen Stewart is so uncomfortably awkward in interviews and Robert Pattinson looks high ALL THE TIME. Seriously.

2. I just found out Star Trek is being released on DVD today. I think I’ll have to pick up a copy. Mmmm Chris Pine (GO Bears!).

3. I watched Skate America yesterday (yes, I’m a figure skating fan despite NBC relegating non-Olympics coverage to their lesser network Universal Sports) and I have to say that overall, I’m really disappointed in the (lack of) depth on the US women’s side. Especially with the Winter Olympics coming up! Normally, the US has strong medal contenders but I think whoever makes the team will be fighting for the bronze medal at best. I just don’t think Rachael Flatt, Alissa Czisny, Caroline Zhang, Ashley Wagner, etc. are that good. Technically, they’re ok but they don’t have “it.” I’ll be rooting for Yu-Na Kim all the way.

4. I realized that the reason I can’t watch The Office regularly is because I get second-hand embarrassment. Every episode Michael does or says something ridiculous and I have to look away.

5. Just came back from taking Diesel outside and it is FUH-REEZING out there. I’ve become more and more wimpy to cold weather since moving to Southern CA.

6. I (ok, Rob and I) have been doing a good job at keeping up to date with all our TV. Except for poor Fringe. We’re 3 episodes behind. Argh.

7. I haven’t read a book in months. EEK. So embarrassing. I used to do all my reading during my commute to and from work and now that I work from home, I use that extra time to get more sleep (hehe). I got the first 3 books of the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series for my birthday so hopefully they’ll get me motivated to read again.

8. The Starbucks red cups are back!!! I get my fave Nonfat Peppermint Mocha year-round but there’s just something special about getting it in the official holiday cup.

9. I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving. A little more than a week! Turkey festivities will start off at lunch at my cousin’s house and I can’t wait.

10. Then of course, the day after Thanksgiving is another day I look forward to. BLACK FRIDAY. YAYAYAYAY. Rob and I never really have “big ticket” items that we need to buy… for some reason, we just like checking out the random items that are on sale. Thanks to Black Friday Ads I feel very well-prepared to hit the sales at Best Buy, Target, K-Mart, etc. I’m planning to get some DVDs and also a new wireless mouse for my laptop. ALSO. And possibly more importantly, Black Friday is the day we get our CHRISTMAS TREE. OMGSOEXCITING.

… That’s it for now. Back later.

1. Spending time with friends and family.
Christmas Eve is spent with my family — my cousin and his wife just bought a Wii so they asked us to bring our games so they could try them out. We brought Guitar Hero with us (with our one measly guitar) and my cousin pretty much spent the entire night playing it all by himself. Heh.

Christmas Day is spent with Rob’s family — his parents hosted lunch and there was a constant stream of relatives visiting all day. I was pretty much parked next to the food table. YUM. Rob watched the Lakers crush the Celtics.

Rob and I also hung out with friends — my best friends and I had a yummy dinner and annual gift exchange (where I received the Gossip Girl s1 DVDs and a gorgeous Paris picture book among other FABULOUS presents). And our friends Daniel and Carolyn hosted a potluck where we dined on healthy foods such as fried chicken, spam musubi, and korean bbq and played Rock Band 2 all night. Well, the guys did. I sang “Hungry Like the Wolf” and that was it. I suck at Rock Band.

2. Looking for (and finding!) an apartment.
Rob and I spent all day on the 26th and 27th driving around Orange County visiting various apartment communities. OMG. They were built by the same developer so after seeing 2 places, they all started to look exactly the same. Except for the kitchens. We barely cook at all but for some reason, the look of the kitchens really made a huge difference in how we felt about the apartments. We really liked 2 communities — Option #1 is a new-ish community (6 years) on the border of Tustin and Irvine and very close to a major retail shopping center and lots of “hustle and bustle.” Option #2 is a brand new community a few miles south close to the Irvine Spectrum but in a more quiet, less developed area. After visiting both locations a second time we went with Option #2. The rent was over a $100 less per month and we couldn’t pass up having a brand new apartment with granite kitchen countertops (sooo pretty). We still feel like we’re central to lots of stuff in the OC (South Coast Plaza!) so that’s good. We anticipate moving in sometime the last week of January. CRAZY!

3. Seeing Jorge Garcia (Hurley from Lost!) at South Coast Plaza. Rob spotted him going up an escalator while we were looking around in Crate and Barrel. I didn’t believe it was him at first but it totally was! I wanted to follow him but chickened out.

4. I had Pinkberry!
I snagged a Pinkberry gift card from work (for some reason, a vendor thought it was a good idea to give out gift cards even though there is not a single Pinkberry in the Bay Area) and treated myself to a large. Oink oink. SO GOOD.

5. Going to CA Adventure and Disneyland!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve never been to DCA and it’s been about 5 years since my last trip to DL so I figured it was about time and I begged Rob to go with me. He agreed to 2 whole days! WOOT.

First day was spent at CA Adventure. A rundown of our day with some pics thrown in for good measure…

CLICK to see larger versions of the pics.

Grizzly River Run. Fun but I got SOAKED. ICK.

The Golden Gate Bridge!

Tower of Terror. OMG. I screamed and held on to Rob’s arm for dear life during the entire ride. Looking back the feeling of weightlessness is actually pretty cool.

Taking a quick shopping break and trying on the bride and groom Mickey ears!

Next up we went to the Animation Academy where we learned how to draw Donald Duck. This was definitely our favorite attraction of the trip! My drawing is on the left.

Walking around the Wharf (does not beat the real thing right here in the Bay Area)…

Soarin’ Over California. A simulator ride that takes advantage of scent in addition to sight and sound.

California Screamin’. Awesome wooden roller coaster. Probably my favorite ride at DCA.

Mulholland Madness. Fun little mini-coaster.

At the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, I found the cutest fountain. So here I am with my Sorceror Mickey ears taking a picture with the Sorceror Mickey fountain! I have no idea why I am smiling like that. Dork.

Monsters Inc. Cute kiddie ride that takes you through the movie.

And to close our day at DCA, we went back to the Animation Academy to draw Jack Skeleton. My drawing is on the right.

Last picture of the day – Mickey, the “C”, and me!

Some random comments:
– Wow, I am SO OLD. We were only at DCA from about 11am to 9pm but my feet were KILLING me. What happened?!?
– I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it but Rob smokes. And I honestly had no idea that there were smoking areas at DCA. So Rob would leave the park every once in awhile to handle his business. Then we happened upon a smoking area in the Condor Flats area across from Soarin’. Isn’t that crazy? The other one is in the Hollywood Pictures area near the Muppet Vision show. (At Disneyland, there’s a smoking area near Big Thunder Ranch and another at Fantasy Gardens, which I dubbed “Smokey Gardens.” )

Overall, I enjoyed DCA but I probably wouldn’t spend another whole day at this park alone… I’d definitely have to mix it up with some time at DL. Still tons of fun, though. I’m sure I’ll be back to draw some more characters at Animation Academy and ride Screamin’!

Our second day was spent at Disneyland. YAYAYAYAYAYAY. I seriously love this place. My face lights up and I get so happy here. *giddy* There was an INSANE amount of people at DL and we missed a lot of the “kiddie” rides due to long lines (and the fact that they don’t have Fast Passes) but we trudged through and still had a great time. Since it was DL day, I forced Rob out of bed at 6am(!) so we could be at the park by the 8am opening. That didn’t happen exactly as planned but we still arrived around 8:30am.

Matterhorn. Always a classic. One of my faves.

Splash Mountain. After agreeing not to ride any water rides (considering how wet we got after GRR the previous day), we still went on SM when we saw that the stand-by line was only 5 minutes. Well, we got UNBELIEVABLY DRENCHED. So soaked that I had to buy a t-shirt and sweatshirt to replace my dripping sweater. I wish I had a picture of us after the ride but I was preoccupied.

Haunted Mansion with the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. Going on this ride totally made me want to see this movie.

After breakfast, we made our way over to DCA to go to the Animation Academy again! This time we drew Winnie the Pooh. My drawing is on the right.

Back at Disneyland sporting our Mickey tees!

Hanging out at the Star Trader store in Tomorrowland. One of my favorite stores because they have Star Wars themed merchandise. Heh.

Rob as Buzz Lightyear.

Me as Goofy.

Rob as Eeyore.

Me with an awesome R2D2 backpack I found.

It may be unbelievably crowded during the holidays but I just LOVE seeing all the decorations. Look how gorgeous Sleeping Beauty’s castle is!

Eating a pineapple dole whip. A MUST HAVE.

Indiana Jones Adventure. Not as crazy and fast as I remember but still a goodie. Thank goodness for Fast Pass — the stand-by line for this ride got up to 2 hours!

Pirates of the Caribbean. A good time to rest our tired feet. Also got to see the holiday decorations in New Orleans Square.

Space Mountain. MY MOST FAVORITE RIDE EVER. The Fast Passes for this ride ran out quickly or I would have tried to get another one so we could ride it a second time. It’s the BEST.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. My first time on this ride! Rob’s score: 63,800. My score: 52,200.

The HUGE Disneyland Christmas tree in the middle of Main Street. We passed it because…

… we were on our way to DCA and the Animation Academy for a second time! This time we drew Minnie Mouse. My drawing is on the left.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Another oldie but goodie.

The castle all lit up!

And Small World too! I took this picture as we were waiting for the Fireworks Spectacular, which were pretty fantastic. I always love the music and the buildup to the Disney “snow” at the end.

Star Tours. Went on this ride because the line was only 10 minutes. It’s ok. I kinda think the video needs to be updated.

And finally, we end our day with another ride on the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Rob’s score: 14,800. My score: 48,500. I WON!!!

And so ends a great day and a fantastic holiday vacation.

Back to real life tomorrow.

I’m down in Southern CA and have been keeping very busy… eating, visiting family, eating, apartment hunting, eating, opening Christmas presents, eating…

I had a very loooong day at Disney’s California Adventure and I have to get some rest for Disneyland tomorrow… but I wanted to say Hi to everyone! I promise a better holiday update after the New Year when I’m back in the Bay.

I then convinced Rob that Diesel *needed* to get his picture taken with Santa!

He’s normally really excited to meet new people but for some reason, he was totally afraid of Santa! He wanted to jump out of Santa’s lap the entire time but it’s still a cute picture.

Just 2 more days of work for the year!