new york :)

Yes, its true. New York. Twice in one year. Heck yes.

So, Leticia moved to New York in August and I went for a quick visit for her birthday. I wasn't quite sure what the weather would be like, as it was my first trip to the Big Apple in December, but for some reason it did seem to make the holidays more apparent. What is it about cold weather that does that?!

When I landed into JFK I had to put on BOTH of my enormous peacoats (along with scarf and gloves) to feel somewhat warm. Fortunately it warmed up as the weekend progressed, though I guess I wouldn't've minded if it had snowed...

The next day we started the day off right by going to the hole in the wall Dominican restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed chicharrones de pollo, arroz y habichuelas, tostones, y cafe con leche (claro). SO GOOD. Man, I miss the DR. Leti and I were talking about how very few people would have enjoyed that as much as we did. We were the only non-Dominicans in the place, the chef kept yelling out from the kitchen (spitting image and mannerisms of a cobrador, I kid you not), and we were only allowed to pay in cash. Ha!

That afternoon we tried to walk off the comida by doing some shopping. Christmas markets were set up everywhere. Vendors selling everything from knit hats to ornaments to jewelry to vegan hot chocolate (Poof, it was so good!). I may or may not was able to get quite a bit of Christmas shopping done. Check.

That night we went to this really cool restaurant called Burger and Barrel, and devoured gourmet burgers and a bottle of wine. The place had a really cool vibe, and the birthday dessert topped off the night!


The next day, Leti and I met up with my really great friend Daniel for brunch. His girlfriend Kelly met up with us and we walked around the city, taking in more Christmas markets, decorated Christmas trees, and ice skaters. We went up to Daniel's office (as it is in the heart of the city) and got some coffee out of the cold.


Later that afternoon as it started getting dark, we made our way to the tree at Rockefeller Plaza. All we could pretty much do was get a picture and skidattle. There were so many people there it was ridiculous!


We quickly escaped the crowds of tourists (after shooting a few more pictures) and explored more of the city that has become Leti's home. We passed Christmas trees for sale outside of mini-marts, and walked through markets and other groceries and stores off the beaten path. We had dinner in the East Village at this amazing Thai restaurant and after a bit more exploring made it back to her apartment in Queens.


It was a super quick trip, but so good and so worth it! Happy Birthday, Leti!!

dinner party

The other day I went to a dinner party with new friends! You may remember my friend Lindsey, who went with me spur of the moment last year to a John Mayer and Michael Franti and Spearhead concert. She invited me to a dinner party with some of her Houston friends, Heather, Greg, and Bronson. We took a few pictures, unfortunately none of the food which was sad because it was dang good! Enjoy!

chase gets married

My cousin Chase got married over the weekend, and it was definitely a family affair! Below are some highlights of the big night!

Siblings- Mike, Toddy, Larry, Dianne, Kathy, Cheryl

Pictured here with my grandma. man, she had a lot of kids!

Chase and Melina

cutting the cake

a proud father of the groom.
who would not stop filling people's wine glasses, i might add.

my grandparents back in the day

Brace yourself for the next pictures.........

my grandma kissing Evelyn's chest

thinking that it is hysterical

and finally posing for a "normal" picture

no words needed

reliving the glory days!

dynamite

For your viewing enjoyment, here is a video that I found pretty entertaining.

thanksgiving

With my mom being the youngest of six kids, our family gatherings tend to get rather large (as in around 50 people. huge!) Thanksgiving was a smaller group this year. There were twelve of us at the house, but we still had a great time.

My mom made pomegranate martinis. Yum! And what family function doesn't involve some sort of margarita and a plethora of beer?! Unfortunately, my body chose to be sick for four days, up through Thanksgiving. So I watched the fun as I sat with a constant sneeze and pounding headache, exactly what you want when you have off of work right?

My family loves to have a good time, and we've got some pretty darn good chefs as well which is a double bonus. My aunt Dee's homemade broccoli cauliflower (a take on broccoli rice casserole) was by far my favorite side dish this year (sorry, Mom).

Sonny and Dee

deliciousness

Evelyn and Rebecca
(how is it that there was only one cousin this year?!)

My mom's Jack Daniels Pie.
Yes, Jack Daniels. Yes, it is amazing.

Look familiar? See if you see the resemblance.

We played Catch Phrase that afternoon (of which I am a pro, sick or not). I found myself laughing so hard because each time the game got passed to the next person, a pair of glasses got passed as well. We eventually stopped using the timer because it took so long for the word to be read. Below is a clip of my grandma once she got the hang of how to play. Meredith and I could not stop laughing at how long it took her to start going and how slow she went. You may not think it is as funny as I do, but I guess I'm bias. Her word was "nature. " Watch as she tries to quickly describe it.

family time :)

Family get togethers didn't happen over Thanksgiving this year, but actually the week before. Rachel and Greg flew down from Omaha for the Nebraska/A&M game. While Greg covered the game in College Station, Rachel was able to spend the weekend in Houston. With Meredith being home for school for the break, all four sisters were together for the first time since Rachel moved to Omaha.

It was so great having everyone together. We celebrated Meredith's birthday Friday night, and the next morning went over to our Dad's for brunch. Below is a picture of my half brother, Carson. He's at the fun age of thinking his big sisters can do no wrong and will always pose for a picture :)

Rachel got her Mexican food fix at Ninfa's the next night. (Noticing the pattern of how everything seems to be surrounded by food?...) After dinner, we went out and got drinks at Anvil (one day Evelyn will be able to join in!)

me, Meredith, Rachel

It was so great all being together, it makes me long for Christmas already!

riches

It seems as though this topic of conversation has come up more than one recently. The link below let's you know how your wealth compares to that of the rest of the world. It really puts things into perspective. Check it out.

http://www.globalrichlist.com/