In 2010 I ... babysat.

UPDATE: V and I were able to make up shortly after "the incident." It just took brunch, a cocktail and a nap:


Possibly the solution to any and all problems?
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What was I thinking? I mean who wouldn't see this and run in the opposite direction?

Violet and Silas, faking innocence. Important note: I was not present when this smiling cuteness was taken.

Oh adorable, right? I'm not so sure anymore. Well, I am sure that Silas is adorable. And really a very good baby. However, I want my thoughts on Violet down for the record so that 10 years from now I can remind her of the evening she made noises that made me reconsider one of my personal truths: modern country music is the worst sound in the world. V is capable of sounds that almost trump the sheer horror of country.

Thankfully I didn't have to endure this alone. Beth and I were tag-teaming the twins, although I think we spent more of the night comforting each other than anything else. Although it was truly worth it because Jennie and Eli were able to enjoy a great evening out together and J got a gorgeous necklace out of the deal.

Little does J know I plan to, uh, let's call it "borrow" said necklace asap ...

In 2010 I ... toasted St. Patty's Day

Another holiday, another occasion to drink beer and see live music. Not that a holiday is actually required for either of these acts, but it's nice to have a cover story.

I looked forward to St. Patrick's Day for several weeks this year, not so much for cause to celebrate my Irish heritage, but because Roxie knew that a local favorite, A Night in the Box, was playing at 7th St. Entry the same evening. Joy! It had been at least a year (likely longer) since I'd seen this group play live, and they are simply fantastic. You wouldn't know it from this shot, but they are one of the most high-energy bands I've ever seen - you'd swear they were playing to entertain thousands every time they hit the stage.

I also have a lot of love for the Entry, with it's intimate performance space and, most importantly, $2.50 PBR tallboys. (This instruction post about how to be your own PBR tallboy is pretty humorous ... maybe Halloween 2010?)

A large group gathered at the 501 before the show (and I was promptly late after having made a confusing pit-stop at 508 ... whoops) for beverages, and conveniently, St. Patty's-themed trivia. We even managed to place and someone went home with a Boondock Saints VHS!

The show did not disappoint either, with Travis Hetman (far right) hanging from the Entry's rafters during a harmonica bit and a full-on guitar solo. Seriously entertaining, although I was admittedly biting my nails with concern for his safety a majority of the time.

Hayley & Jess at the show.

Good drinks, good show, good friends - another successful 2010 holiday.

In 2010 I ... escaped to Mexico.

The 10th anniversary of a Mexican family tradition concluded this past Saturday. Well, we're not Mexican. The trip is Mexican. To Mexico. You know. Whatever.

Anyway, it was paradise as usual. Every day looked like the sunny, beachy amazingness we've come to expect from Cancun/Playa del Carmen. Everyone always asks what the fam does during this 7-day retreat, and like the recent cabin trip, it's often a whole lot of nothing. This year was no exception.

There's a lot of brunching. Daily brunching, in fact. There's also quite a considerable amount of tanning/lounging/beaching/pool time. And because that schedule is exhausting, there's a happy hour break before dinner. With all this activity, we did manage to squeeze in a few adventures however.

Like this delicious snack in Playa del Carmen. This trip is really all about doing nothing and eating, and my PdC highlight being a snack is totally fitting.

I also had a ton of Mexican chair envy with gorgeous red and white laser-cut chairs that were jaw-droppingly perfect. Conveniently, they'd all fit into the motif of my kitchen, and my patio ... let's be honest, I'd put them anywhere in my teeny, tiny condo. I'll be stalking these down, weeping when they don't fit in my "budget" and then lying to my dad about contributing to my IRA when I'm really stashing away funds for these babies. Wouldn't you?




Maybe they're an Umbra designer line? Moving on. We also made our second journey to Xcaret, or what I refer to as the Disney World of Mexico. The fam did not approve of this title, however, so we finally settled on a Busch Gardens comparison. It is an amazing place:

We took a quick boat ride down this quaint beauty.

If I could stop killing orchids, maybe this could live on my patio?

Mexico really has no boundaries or safe guards of any kind, as this butterfly was on my mom's arm moments after I snapped this.

View from lunch.

Stunning, right? It's a massive place where you could easily get lost for days. We finished off the day with one of my favorite bits of the entire trip - an hour+ spent floating and tanning in inner tubes. Glorious.

After Xcaret there was more eating, tanning and a bit of shopping (although as far as the fam's trips typically go, shopping was at a concerning, all-time low). We ended the trip at the most stunning restaurant I've ever seen, JC Capitan:




Obviously this trip is a complex formula of: eat, tan, eat, relax, and repeat. After years of practice it seems we finally nailed it.

In 2010 I ... took a Winter Weekend up North

Four girls and a sunny Saturday made for a perfect wintery escape while we could all still fit in one car.

Anne, Jenny, Stacia and I ran off to Stacia's cabin for a quick getaway before Jenny (in April) and Stacia (in June) welcome new additions to their families. For me, it was a pre-vacation before my Mexican hiatus - like practice for the big game - and a needed break after the car accident craziness. (Although the girls did have to listen to me debate buying the Mini all weekend. Sorry again, friends.)

We did what we usually do at the cabin - almost nothing. As little as possible, really. Eating, reading, game playing, and all-around general laziness. It was lovely. I brought 500 Days of Summer (I know, I'm super behind on movies) and just adored it. Gushed about it, honestly, and bought the soundtrack before we even left.

Jen, Stac and Anne busy at work in the kitchen, of course.

That's it. That's all that happened. On a related note:

Dear J and S,
Hurry up and birth these babies so we can get back to doing nothing, please.

Thanks very much for your consideration on this important matter.

Yours truly,
Emily

In 2010 I ... totaled a car, and bought a car.

What a nightmare.

Vitals: No one was hurt. Not my fault. Car was totaled. It was a total pain for about 48 hours.
And then ...


Ta da! A new Mini! Which, oddly enough, made this seemingly nightmarish crash kind of dreamy. This new little wonder is super fun to drive, lowered my insurance payments and the color has managed to brighten the last few weeks worth of gray winter mornings on the drive in to work.

Final ruling: a happy accident.

In 2010 I ... joined a bowling league

My good friend Carissa is extremely talented at asking me to do things when I'm most likely to say yes. Most recently she put this skill to use when asking me to join her bowling league. She asked me seconds before this picture was taken:

(You can even see half of her conniving head in the background.)

A few beers in to a friend's going away party, C mentioned her bowling league (through The Onion, which is great) was in need of a fifth teammate. Stupidly, I said sure.

Don't get me wrong - I like bowling. It's fun. I just wish my skill set matched the enjoyment I get from beer, bar food and bowling.

Yesterday marked the league's first night, and four of our regular five teammates were in attendance (C, Justin, Corey and me) with Patrick subbing for Eric. After knowing P for several years, I was totally unaware of his semi-pro bowling status. We're talking monogrammed bowling ball and personal bowling shoes. Wow.

Probably explains why the evening's best round (or perhaps just my best round) looked like this:


Honestly, I'm pretty okay with that 106. The score has three digits in it. Feeling pretty good about that. Plus, it leaves me little room to go anywhere but up.

In 2010 I ... ate my way through Mardi Gras

There's a major problem with having great cooks for friends: the calories.

Morgan hosted his second (perhaps third?) Mardi Gras party last night, and the food gets better every year. And to take a bit of the burden off M, almost all the party guests brought delicious (homemade) treats as well. My contribution, not surprisingly however, was purchased:


Traditional Mardi Gras king cake was a fun contribution ... my kind of non-cooking fun. Plus it comes complete with a little medallion that gets hidden in the cake - once cut, whoever finds the medallion in their piece is the recipient of a year of good luck or something like that. (I would know more except I didn't find it, Bryan did.)

Beyond my no-make cake, M whipped up amazing shrimp and catfish po' boys, Diana pulled together lovely crab cakes, Carissa and Justin wowed with homemade gumbo, and Alex deep fried benginets on-site. I think the group favorite might have been the benginets, unexpected little bundles of fried, sugar coated dough amazingness. Enough said.

Thanks to this food fest, Mardi Gras is quickly climbing up my list of favorite holidays!