A Merry Christmas with Mom and Eddie

Eddie and I attended Christmas Eve Mass last night followed an entertaining Thai food dinner. The entertainment portion was us trying to test our abilities to tackle the chili sauces and peppers on the table. The endorphin rush was fun, and we couldn't stop laughing, because it was so hot. Upon my mom's arrival on Christmas day, we whisked her away to dim sum, where there was no wait. This could be a future holiday tradition. We opened a ton of gifts. This was my first Christmas meal I prepared since Eddie moved to SD that I'm proud of. Everything turned out great and finished cooking at the same time. Mom and I are off to a workout, massage, and shopping tomorrow. Fortunately, mom brought some food so I'm off from cooking tomorrow. Saturday, we have plans to see Wolf of Wall Street, a movie Eddie's been wanting to see for a long time.

Our Holiday Menu:

• Cheese, Summer Sausage, Red Grapes, Crackers
• Turkey Legs
• Glazed Ham
• Stuffing
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Roasted Celery, Carrots, Onions
• Jasmine Rice
• Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
• Crescent Rolls
• Egg Custard Pie

Drinks:

• De Margerie Grand Cru Brut - a gift from colleague - everyone raved about this champagne
• Martinelli's Apple Cider - my personal favorite

Mom, Eddie, and the Feast

The Story of Our Engagement

It's been really busy, but there's no excuse for not sharing the story of our engagement. Eddie planned a weekend getaway, but wouldn't disclose where we were headed. I had been suffering from bronchitis for a month so I was glad to enjoy some rest and relaxation. While Eddie pretended to get lost, he turned into the Pelican Hill Resort, a luxurious resort I had visited for a work event. I told him it was amazing, and it did not fall short of our expectations. Quiet, exclusive, and pristine, it was a world away from everything - the perfect place for a proposal.


Our first night - little did I know, this is Eddie's first time tasting mochi ice cream but also his last night as a unengaged man.

My Aunt Tina and Aunt Karen with Hercules celebrating St. Patrick's Day the with no idea what was planned. Only my Dad knew and like a gentleman, Eddie asked him in advance. Dad was overjoyed and said "yes" right away.

We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant.

We had a complimentary dessert sampler to end the meal. How grand is this? After dinner, he asked if we could take a walk. Since I was sick, I was reluctant, but somehow he convinced me to go along.

 It was dark outside and it felt like there was no one else outside except for us. We ended up here at the Rotunda. With no one else in sight, Eddie bent down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said "yes"!





We finished an entire bottle of champagne and called our loved ones. First bling shot ever.

As you can see from our balcony the next day, everything looked a little bit brighter. An unforgettable weekend and a new future together never looked better.



Holiday Kick Off

Our holiday kick off began with our company holiday party at the Estancia in La Jolla. We gave the night high marks based on good food, and a great table of friends, plus I won a drawing two years in a row  - this year a $50 gift certificate to Flemings. Score! Eddie hinted that it would be great to kick off the holiday season with a Christmas show. So taking note, I surprised him with tickets to a  local theatre production, Humbug, The Holiday Spectacular, a musical play sure to cheer up any humbuger. There's more to come with a Christmas Eve Mass and Mom arriving in SD on Christmas Day.

Two surprises came early - we received a beautiful flower arrangement from Patricia and Dougie! Thank you - they are perfect on our table! Then I had a visit from my college buddy Khanh. After a fabulous 7.5 mi run with my running coach, we headed to Phil's BBQ and couldn't resist ordering pork AND beef ribs. Another bonus of running besides the endorphin rush is that food just tastes really really good!  I was in BBQ bliss. With Eddie back from his business trip and home for a while, we're looking to hunker down for the holidays. I'm looking forward to making my turkey chili sometime this week, opening gifts, and spending time with Mom.

Before the play...a holiday humbug.



After the play...filled with holiday cheer.

We danced all night - Me, Katrina, Tiffany, Nicole, Sally, Diana (missing in action)

My friend Grace and I at our company Christmas party. Our glamour shot.

That thing in the middle is ONE beef rib. Holy cow!

Can you believe we ate most of this? Check out the onion rings on the right. HUGE!

At Sushi, so glad my Eddie could meet my college buddy.

Beautiful Christmas Centerpiece from Patricia and Dougie! What a nice surprise.

Gifts are looking pretty under the tree...I spy a Tiffany's bag...

An East Coast Thanksgiving

On our many drives, on our way to work, on our way from work, to Eddie's parents, back to Monica's and Jason's, Eddie would remark, "Could you have ever predicted that you would be here on Staten Island with your fiancé?" Nope, not a million years. It was a fast and furious trip as usual, filled with lots of food and laughter of course. Although, it's difficult not to be cracking jokes with Eddie (and that would be x 2 when we're in NY). It was a whirlwind, but such a memorable trip complete with a home cooked meal prepared by Monica and Jason, to a delicious Thanksgiving feast where everyone contributed. Eddie and I basically contributed to the eating part. I guess that's the good thing about visiting from of town. While we had planned on visiting the city on our last day, the cold weather motivated us to watch a movie instead. I always knew Eddie loved me, but on this trip, I must say he proved it again when he agreed to run outside in 25 degree weather. It was rough. Well, this west coast gal learned something on this trip! Go the gym instead on days like this.

We always seem to begin our NY trip at the same place, a bagel shop.

The size of this bagel is unbelievable.



Celebrating at his 75th birthday party, Dad is engaging the crowd with a story.

"And then the cop saw the photo of the bunny, and decided I was harmless...." You had to be there.

A lovely trio.

The Harr Family - Monica, Snoopy, Jason

Italian subs, caprese salad, mixed salad, pasta salad, mac and cheese, meatballs with Dougie first in line.

 

The Original Mauriellos

Wow, thanks for the Devil's Food cake! What's everyone else having?



Dougie providing his expert advice on turkey carving. Eddie pretending to listen.

Cousin Ava, Dougie, Patrica.

Who knew he was so handy around the kitchen?

 

Sisters Michelle and Monica looking festive for the holidays.

Dad, Aunt Carol, Mom

Somehow Eddie scored first class tickets user saver award miles. I'm still not sure how he was able to do this.

Since we're on an international airplane, this flight had pods as seats that allow you to lie down while you sleep.

 

Two big televisions - Eddie was in absolute bliss.

We returned to a beautiful San Diego sunset and the side of Eddie's face.

Chicken Pot Pie

Because of our jetlag, because it's beginning to feel like winter, because Eddie's leaving again for a business trip tomorrow, I decided to make a chicken pot pie based on a recipe I found on a blog. I ended up adding a little more flour and less butter, but you can tweak this for your preferred thickness. This recipe is Eddie approved!

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

1 pound chicken

1 stalk celery, diced

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup peas

2 pie crusts

1/3 cup light butter

1 small onion chopped

1/3 cup flour

Salt and Pepper

1 3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup skim milk

Directions
1.    Preheat oven to 425.
2.  In pan, saute chicken until fully cooked.  Season with salt and pepper while cooking.
3.  Chop all vegetables if you haven’t done so already.
4.  In sauce pan, melt butter, then add onion to pot.  Stir occasionally for ~3 minutes.
5.  To butter and onion, add flour and stir until thick.
6.  Add broth and milk and stir.  Add salt and pepper to preference.
7.  Once chicken is fully cooked, dice up and add to pot.
8.  Stir in all vegetables and leave on heat for ~2-3 minutes.
9.  In pie pan, lay first crust in the bottom.  Pour all contents of sauce pan into pie crust.  Add top pie crust and pinch seal the edges.
10.  Bake 35 minutes.

Maui Getaway....Sort Of

As a reward for my achievements, our company decided to send us to Maui. Never having gone to vaca with work colleagues, I had no idea what to pack so I did the logical thing, I over packed, but in the end it was just right, because I had great outfits to choose from every night. As soon as we landed, we were off to dinner with the gang. Day 2, we went to the spa and relaxed. Day 3, we went on snorkeling excursion, which was a bit of a disappointment since we didn't see much fish. However, the food was great, fresh baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and shoyu chicken, salad, and rice for lunch. Day 4, we rented a car and drove to Lahaina. It was great to leave the resort to explore, where we grabbed a Hawaiian lunch and visited a museum. In between all of these activities, we hung out at the serenity pool, which was made quite unserene by my raucous work colleagues. It was a trip highlighted with highs and lows. We were exhausted by the end of it but both grateful for having each other to share this experience. I guess you can say we feel like we need to take a vacation from our vacation?

After driving an hour, Eddie spotted this great Hawaiian place right on the beach.

Wo Hing Museum - The first Chinese Temple and Cookhouse in Maui

Cookhouse

It felt peaceful in the temple.

Eddie insisted on a photo by the lion.

Large woks and Eddie watching a movie.

What a great photo opp!

Received another compliment on my ring!

Good-bye Maui! Our last day.



Eddie taking a candid shot of me while we're waiting for our shuttle.

A Fun and Productive Weekend in SF

Let me first start by saying how great it was to spend some time with my family. Not every mom is willing to say yes to doing a 5k at 8am on a Sunday morning while her daughter runs a half marathon. I was proud of my mom for completing her 5k, although she ended up lost on the 5k route so her time was recorded properly. The best part of the race was the end when I saw my mom cheering me enthusiastically at the finish line. We ate breakfast with my Aunt Tina afterwards. My Dad has been a great help with wedding planning. We went to Chinatown to a print shop that's probably been there for 50 yeas, and found our invitations - sorry that will have to be a surprise! It was very nice to have my Dad help me choose. After my half, Dad and I went food shopping and then enjoyed the most best meal ever, hot pot, or in other words, kind of like Chinese fondue, perfect on a cold day. It was better than a meal at any fancy restaurant. We talked, we laughed, we ate. The perfect ending to a great day. Mom found a fantastic make-up artist too. It's all coming together!

Run with the Jets Review:

Pros:
Flat course
Small intimate race
8am start time
Free parking and lots of it
Food offering was decent, bagels (which were super soft and chewy), cookies, bananas, and lots of free drinks, water, flavored water, coconut water
Chiropractor providing complimentary stretching for runners
Clearly marked mile markers

Cons:
Scenery, wire cables, sewage smells every now and then, saw a few planes, but it was foggy and tough to see
Narrow running path, you'll always be running near or next to someone, so if you're next to a couple of chatty cathys like me, bring headsets
Volunteers weren't helpful with information - I asked if there was bag check, the volunteer didn't speak English , but speaking the language should probably be a requirement if you're at the info table. At a water station, I asked where the next bathroom stop was, she didn't know or did she intend to find out was the tone.
No gear check
Couldn't hear the announcer at the start of the race, we still didn't know when the 5k runners were supposed to start
1 porto potty at the 4 mile mark - there should have b
For the 5k, lack of volunteers for the slower racers so some weren't exactly sure where to go
Medals were a flimsy
For such a small race, it would have been great to announce the race finishers' names as they end

A lonely road - a view of my course at the 9 mile mark.

The end of a 13.1 mile journey. Happy as a clam.

Now let's eat!

Me at my makeover - nice lashes, wish they were real.



Love my new purse - what a find.