The countdown is over...

HAPPY 2009 everyone!!

OK, so we all know that things don't always go excactly as we've planned. I had all these grand ideas (including a game to play) and great menu foods ready (including cheese fondue and a chocolate fountain)... well, it's a good thing that most of the stuff I was making don't require a lot of prep time, and as a professional procrastinator, nothing had started being prep'd by the time the cancellations starting ringing in. My neighbor Sara got strep throat that day, Trisha wasn't feeling well and went to bed early, and Crystal got sick the night before with a flu bug. So that took 3 couples / 6 people out of the expected guests list.

Our close firends, Brian and Danielle showed up around 7:30, and by that time I had already changed out of my "dressy" clothes, and into something much more comfortable and casual, since I was upset and didn't feel the need to be a "fancy hostess" any longer. So instead of the whole lot of food I had ready to go, we just had a few bites to eat (mini quiches, mini crabcakes, BBQ lil' weenies, cream cheese & pepper jelly dip with pretzels, etc.) About an hour later Mike, Lisa and Vinny (3 yrs. old) showed up and they were able to stay until about 10:00. We entertained Vinny with some Mario Kart Wii and Monsters, Inc. until he just couldn't last any longer!

After Mike & Lisa took off to put Vinny to bed, I brought out some chocolate fondue, since I wasn't doing the fountain. We dipped away with strawberries and bananas, brownie bites, and smores makings... the dish you can't see had pretzels in it. YUM!!!

Paul & Brian

Danielle & Alicia

After our champagne toast and watching [poor] Dick Clark on the New Year's Eve Countdown, the boys went out on the deck and enjoyed some cigars while D and I stayed in and did what we do best - talking and sipping champagne! We also enjoyed a little Wii Fit, and my favorite new Wii game, Animal Crossing!

So all in all, it was a good New Year's. I guess if you're going to have a party and only a few people show up, it is good to have it be your best friends that show up. :P

Posted by: ~A*

Bowling night with the Trans

Recently, we got together with some friends of ours (Trish & Vu) who have just found out that they are pregnant with their first child. (Congrats!) Trish used to be our neighbor, back when we lived in the Irvine Company apartments (Vu was her boyfriend at the time, and later they were engaged & married)... and ever since, we have stayed in touch with them (mostly). I'm glad we have, because we have grown to be good friends - and it is always good to have "couple" friends that all 4 get along.

You can never have too many friends!

Trish & Alicia

Vu & Paul

So Trish wanted to go bowling... First, we enjoyed some Vietnamese food at a local Phŏ restaurant. I could not see anything really appetizing to eat there, so went with the old safe standby - chicken fried rice - and it was really good. :P We then went over to Saddleback Lanes for some friendly bowling competition. The girls beat both guys in the first round, and then the guys starting pulling their Wii bowling "skillz" and kicked our butts the second round. Trish has been thinking about joining a bowling league, and even has her own ball named "Froggy" from a league she was in when she was young. I don't know how well that will work out once her belly gets a little bigger though - especially once it outweighs her bowling ball! ;)

It was a fun night all in all, with friends that we don't get to see all that often. I'm so glad we went, and we need to do it again (or something similar) soon!

Thanks Trans!

Posted by: ~A*

Welcome to PandA-monium!

Welcome!
Well now, somehow you've managed to navigate your way to this beginner blog, hosted by Paul & Alicia. This blogging is all very new to us, so bear with us as we upload, link, html, post, and subsequently blog. Our lives aren't exactly the most interesting, but as most of our family and friends are WA-staters (with the exception of some in Beantown), we've finally felt compelled to post our updates online... so now family and friends can keep up with where we are and what we're doing with our lives. No, that doesn't mean that right now we have "news" to share, but if we do, you will be sure to find it here... please stay tuned and check back often, as we will try to keep it up to date, as best we can.
Welcome to our panda-monium!

~PandA
(get it?)