These past few months...Back to December...Tara's birthday!

Tara's birthday was actually pretty great. It was my inagural party at my new apartment...oh yeah...I moved into an apartment in the avenues in December...I don't know if I've already mentioned that...anyway...it was a good time at the party...little cake...little white elephant...some pizza...

and most of all...as evident by the picture...good people!

Tara and I have now been friends almost four years! CRAZY. I remember when I met Tara...I had decided I was not going to like her because at the time...I had a crush on a certain gentleman who indicated interest in Tara...so she was my archnemesis...(Alice...you know all about that)...but...it was quickly made clear that Tara was definiely worth getting over my petty girlishness...and thank goodness I did...because she turned out to be none other than the BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD!

A post script: I also was with Tara on her birthday last year...but the only picture I have is a lone picture of Tara waiting to be seated at Spaghetti Factory...but hey...who doesn't love their picture posted all over the internet!!!

These past few months...January.

January was not so much my favorite month this year. It started out promising...and actually on a very exciting note...my best friend got engaged on New Year's Eve! I mean really...talk about starting out the new year with a BANG! They are getting married May 23rd...which when they got engaged was about five months away but now...it's just right around the corner...anyway...this is my blog so I should probably talk about myself...right? ;)

I spent New Year's eve with my friends and family. Dinner was Dad's treat at the Steak Pit in Park City. It was SO A-MAZING...as it always is...but this year...I don't know...I think it was better than most. Then I rang in the new year with some friends and a little kareoke...which is hilarious giving me performance in The Friendly Beasts.

I decided to take the rest of the week off from work, as things had been pretty busy the last few months...that was also a delight...but in hindsight (which is ALWAYS 20/20) not the best move...since I then continued to spend the majority of January fighting...and I seriously mean fighting...BRONCHITIS! It was just evil.

Courtney's birthday was in January...that was pretty exciting. We went to Red Iguana for dinner and of course had a great time...because HELLO...we ALWAYS have a great time.

The oh so adorable birthday girl!

The lovely, well mannered guests...

The truly well mannered guests :)

January really was not my favorite month this year...but Court's birthday did provide for a great month! So thanks Freckles...for being born!

These past few months...December.

I have not been stuck in a ditch somewhere...I just have...been busy. So for those of you who have missed me...I'm back...and hopefully back on a regular basis. :) So I suppose I should give an updated of the last few months...

Well there was Christmas...which is always a joy. Santa provided me with supplies for my kitchen...and what Santa didn't bring was provided by the lovely woman that hit me on Christmas Eve. She ended up going through her insurance instead of paying out of pocket. I took they $800.00 and got new brakes and an alignment...and then bought a few more things for my kitchen. It turned out to be a Christmas present in disguise. Isn't it just a delight to be able to see the silver lining?

So anyway...Christmas was actually pretty cool this time around. When we lived in Chi town it was just us...the Russell's...we had all these great Christmas traditions that we loved...eating steak fondue, Christmas crackers at dinner (not the edible kind of crackers...the British kind), singing Christmas carols around the piano (which is hilarious...since Kelli is the one with the most singing talent...and then a HUGE gap in ability exists between the next talented singer), and most of all...just enjoying the company of one another. So this year, my mother, being the wonderful lady that she is...sent out invitations to myself, Mattie & Scott, Kelli, & Kerri inviting us to a traditional Russell Family Christmas Eve (sans extended family...not that we don't love you...but...well nothing beats a Russell Family Christmas eve)!

So for your viewing pleasure:

What is a holiday meal without a veggie tray?

Kelli wearing her Christmas cracker crown.

And of course there MUST be Christmas J-E-L-L-O!!!

How could you not love him?! (just a side note...playing with the napkin rings like this is a typical Sunday dinner occurrence...it is not just reserved for holidays).

This is the shirt that my mom gave Scottie. It had a picture of all the kids from last Christmas on it and for some reason it was also about three sizes to large for Scott...which is obvious from the picture in which Mattie, Kerri...AND Kelli fit into it! :)

And of course we CANNOT forget the Christmas carols around the piano. Our favorite song is The Friendle Beast and this year we all took a part...and Scott adn I added the animal sounds...the sound on the video is not great...but hopefully you get some idea. This is the performance we did the following night at our regular Christmas Eve festivities with my mom's side of the family. I love my family very much!

VIDEO COMING SOON! TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. IT IS WORTH THE WAIT!!!

Christmas day is much more mellow...we go to breakfast, and THEN open presents...since we are all now old enough and have gained the patience to wait to open presents rather than getting up at the crack of dawn. Then its mostly just napping or a movie or relaxing. I love Christmas with the Russell's.

Oh...but I think the best news of Christmas came a few weeks later when Scott and Mattie told me that they are going to have a baby!!! I am going to be an aunt...and that baby is going to be so spoiled...just like I was...it is great to be the first!

OK, OK GEEZ...CALM DOWN!!!

Well...my sister in law...or maybe it is my brother...or both...kind of got on my case...as well as a few other people for not posting recently...in my defense...I did just move 27 days ago...which I suppose does call for a new post...as I do have friends living in other countries who are dying to see my new place...not much to see...but it's home! So this post is my official Thanksgiving post.

This year, Thanksgiving was done Norman Rockwell style. Maybe my family didn't think so...but we had a huge family meal in a small southern Utah town, where EVERYONE knows my dad's family and we all just sat around in the house that he and his five siblings grew up in...one bathroom...seven people! How did they do it?!

Just a brief overview of the experience...it was the first traditional, homecooked, family meal that I have had for Thanksgiving in...I would venture to say...oh...10 years or so?! We had turducken one year (duck stuffed in a chicken stuffed in a turken), but we go out all the time...which I love...but it is fun to get together and eat riediculous amounts of food! So we drove down to Cedar City Wednesday night...oh and that trip is for SURE worth mentioning!!!

The car ride was suppose to consist of myself, Kelli Jean, Scottie, and Mattie. Kerri was going to be riding down earlier with my mother and father. Scott...being the sentimental type...or maybe just mental...thought it would be "fun" if all the kids rode together. That, indeed, might be fun...if we were still driving our Ford Aerostar Van...but alas...we were not...we rode down...in Scott's and MAttie's Sanota! GREAT CAR...don't get me wrong...but for three girls...to be sitting in the back seat...for what is typically of 3.5 hour drive...is just...well let's just say...I love family togetherness (well sometimes) but that was jus a bit too together! Although now it is funny, and frankly I even laughed during the drive down...so did Scott and Mattie who were sitting comfortably in the front seats. Kelli and Kerri, however were NOT laughing...especially Kerri...but we had a good time...playing..."If you were stranded on a deseret island..." yes, deseret...ask Scott. Well if Kelli was stranded on a "deseret island" and she could only have one person with her she would have Jesus! Way to go Kelli...she probably wouldn't really need to worry about anything else...fishes and loaves, water into wine...I'd say she's pretty set. Oh and one more thing about the drive...it was not a 3.5 hour drive...it was more like...5.5 hours! But we made it, and Dad bought us dinner, and Kelli, Kerri, and Mom and I saw Enchanted...my mom said she will never go to a movie again with Kelli and I...we tend to laugh kind of loud when something is funny...and it was.

So here are pictures of the family dinner, and walk around town...it's a very small town...I had pictures, but I can't find them now...anyway...I hope you enjoy...I sure did!!

Dad and his sister Lucinda and her daughter Sydney...Southern Utah is GORGEOUS!!!

Mom and Lucinda decided to be twins this year!

Just a good time.

I know, I know...but it's fun!

Ok so I realize that I have Weekly Random Questions to post, and a trip to Boston, and a Thanksgiving that is right out of a Norman Rockwell painting...but I was reading my friend Erin's blog today and I hadn't read her earlier posts...and I found one...and it was hilarious, and I've spent the last twenty minutes laughing out loud in an empty room...so if you're board at work...here is something fun for you to do...either read mine and get a kick out of my names, or make up your own and post them to my site! Enjoy! I promise I will catch up on WRQ's...and if you have suggestions that would be helpful!! Thanks Erin for the idea!! LOVE YOU MISS YOU!!!


1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car):
Pi Honda

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie):
Half Baked Snicker Doodle (not very menacing)!

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name):
B Rus

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal):
Brown Shark

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born):
Lee Provo (that is LAME...just like soap operas)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first):
Rusbr

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
The Blue Water

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers):
IVon Gene

9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy):
Happy Sweetart (I still think that Maraschino takes the cake...and the pole)!!

10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names):
Ann Eugene

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):
Ladniak London

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower):
Winter Lily (I think this is my favorite...I would like to start going by this name)

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”):
Clementine Hoodie

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree):
Yogurt Birch

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”):
The Writing Rain Tour