Archive for December, 2008

Our last day in Kansas was spent enjoying the company of a couple of Andy’s relatives. For breakfast, we met Aunt Susan at IHOP. I have grown fond of their Ham and Cheese Melt, though I’ve been promised that Ethan’s version is better. The evidence to prove that claim has yet to be provided to me, so I’ll continue to enjoy IHOP’s breakfast sandwich.

It was nice to have a long uninterruped conversation with Aunt Susan. We’re thankful to have such a loving aunt that cares so much for her family. Even though we don’t get to see her as often as we’d like (which is becoming a theme as far as Kansas is concerned), she’s always in our thoughts.

Aunt Susan and me enjoying a nice morning filled with coffee.

After breakfast, we went back to the house to pack the rest of our stuff. With Jabber securely napping inside her kennel on the back seat, we headed for Texas.

Jabber, me, Daddy and Mommy Chao being goofy as Chaos should be!

But first, we made a quick stop in Emporia to visit Grandma Rose. It’s always a pleasure to see Grandma Rose. Plus we had Christmas presents to deliver!

Grandma Rose showing off her Christmas packages.

Grandma Rose and Andy spending quality time in Emporia

All too soon, it was time to keep truckin’. We finally reached home late in the evening. I love being on the road, traveling, seeing new things, visiting old places, spending time with family and friends, but in the end, it’s always nicest to be at home. We’re tired and probably won’t be able to recover until our day off on New Year’s Day. I’ve already planned to do absolutely nothing except sleep and laundry! (and no, the gym will most definitely be closed…for those that want to know) Click here for all the photos from our Christmas 2008 album.

Today was the busiest day of our trip. We had every second planned with people to see and places to visit. We wouldn’t have skipped a single gathering for the world. So we took a deep breath, got up as early as our eyes could be pried open, and man did the day whoosh by!  We started our hectic day by meeting Andy’s cousin Debra for a nice morning coffee at Scooter’s. Yesterday was a rather warm day for Kansas in December. Today, however, was back to being cold, wet, and cloudy. So, the hot coffee was very much appreciated. It was nice catching up with Debra and hearing about the things that are going on in her life. Sounds like she’s got some fun and interesting travel planned, and we can’t wait to hear all about it when she gets back. Wishing her a safe journey!!

Debra and Andy getting cafeinated at Scooters.

After coffee, we whisked ourselves away. (Can one do that? Whisk oneself away? I’m not sure what it means, to tell the truth, so I’m uncertain if I can whisk myself…sounds painful.) We were back on the road and headed to the Missouri side to visit my college friends, Sarah and Chris, plus their three adorable kids, Kylie, Abigail, and Eric. Sarah was too sweet and made a delicious meal of egg salad sandwiches and hot beef stew soup (“stoup” if you follow Rachel Ray, which by the way, this also sounds tasty). Lunch was fantastic, but then again, Sarah always was ahead of me in the cooking/baking department.

Andy and Eric sharing their mutual love for legos.

Me giggling the afternoon away with Abigail (in red) and Kylie (in the patterned shirt)

It’s always an absolute hoot being with the Roterts. I feel that Sarah and Chris understand my humor better than most people ever have. Plus, I adore their kids. It’s cute that they ask about Jabber, they chat with us, and they bring us Christmas cookies! What else can you ask for?? I do feel guilty sometimes that we don’t get to see them nearly enough throughout the year. It still shocks me that the girls are about to turn 5!! Oh how the time does pass!

The Rotert Clan plus me, what an honor!

And of course, it was time to say goodbye much too soon. But we found ourselves back on the road towards my parent’s house. After a quick cuddle with Jabber, we were out the door for a delicious dinner with my parents at Lucky Wok. It’s a fantastic Chinese restaurant that my family has been going to for several years. I’ve been dying for some decent Chinese food recently, so my parents decided to treat us to a tasty dinner of authentic Cantonese style Chinese food. YUM!

Cantonese style crunchy pork (I'm not sure what the actual name is...makes it difficult for me to order it on my own, tis a problem!)

Stir Fried Beef and Flat Noodles, so so very tasty!

Black peppered beef, the sauce is delectable!

Cantonese style chicken, apparently it's very famous

Cathy enjoying a particularly tough piece of peppered beef.

Cathy and me with Daddy Chao being goofy

Cathy and Grandma Yao, can't you feel the love?

Though we felt a little bum-ish for eating then leaving, we were off for our next adventure. We dropped Cathy off at the house and picked Jabber up for a night of reminiscing and hilarity at Katie and Cici’s new house. The whole group was there: Shernuk, Scott, Tiff, Matt, Ashley, Brandon, Katie (duh!), and Cici (double duh!). Their new home is so groovy! It has a secret passageway!! How totally awesome it that? I’ve always wanted a secret passageway! I don’t think Pulte thinks it’s such a great idea or very cost effective, but I still think they should look into it. I bet they would sell more houses that way!

What's this? Just an ordinary old built in bookcase, right?

Anyone call for a secret passageway??

I don’t know if it’s odd that we still get together with our high school friends. However, we’re still pretty up to date with each others’ lives. We could probably stand to do a little better, but given the distance, we do the best we can. I think it’s special (and no, not the sitting in the corner eating glue kind of special, just the out of the ordinary kind of special) that we can all still spend a cozy evening together.

Friends together again to celebrate the holidays.

Ashley, me, and Katie and Cici's gorgeous Christmas tree.

We’re finally home, our bags mostly packed, and I’m exhausted. That’s probably why this particular post has turned out a little “quirkier” than normal. Tomorrow will also be a long day, but a lot less of the running back and forth. Thankfully, I can deal with that in…5 hours! Now for the sleep please! I have more pictures that I won’t have room to post. However, they have been uploaded to our gallery, which you can access here.

Have you ever wondered why we always plan gatherings around food? It doesn’t seem to matter what culture, faith, or belief you hold dear, meals are a time for people to come together and celebrate. This fact is never more apparent than when we’re in Kansas City. Way in advance, I always sit down with my calendar, count up the number of meals we have and start matching them with our groups of friends. It takes some planning, but we always manage to see most of the people on our list. It would be nice if we had more time, but isn’t that always the case?

This morning, I got up early and went shopping with my mom. She had several items that she needed from Costco. I was actually really looking forward to stocking up on next year’s Christmas supplies…but was quite taken aback when I discovered Costco did not have any Christmas items left! When they sell out, that’s it till next year. Crazy! Now, I’ll have to scavenge to see what else I can find of any worth. Perhaps I’ll hit a Target when I get back to TX. Afterwards, mom was nice enough to go boot shopping with me at DSW. I’ve been trying to find a nice pair of black boots for awhile now. My old pair is from high school and is starting to make me look a little dated. Plus, I love new shoes!

We slept through breakfast this morning. Why? Ask Jabber, the BAD dog, who spent most of last night whining and bopping her kennel door. She usually loves her kennel, so it was most unusual! So, for the first meal of the day (being lunch), we met Cathy and her friend Chris for lunch at McCoy’s down in Westport. I told Andy that I’ve never liked Westport all that much, I found it lacking in things to do. He gently reminded me that I’ve never really been back to Westport since I’ve been of age. I’m sure I’d have a much better time this time around. Anyhow, lunch was tasty and the company entertaining. We stopped by Chris’s house to meet the famous Georgie dog and Professor Meowenheimer the kitty cat (excuse the spelling, and see? I’m not the only one that thinks of awesome names!).

The whole bunch of us at McCoy's in Westport for a tasty lunch. Can a bunch be just four people? Or four bananas?

Cathy and I posing with the Fluffiest Professor I've ever met, notice I didn't say hairiest?

Chris with his Georgie Puppy, gotta like a man with a dog!

After a short nap, and a Jabber walk, we headed to Ashley’s house to meet her new puppy. I absolutely love all her puppies! Felony, the husky has always been really mellow and sweet. Rosco, the chihuahua is a spunky little doll of a dog. And the newcomer, Benson, the pomeranian-chihuahua mix is a little ball of adorable energy.

Benson cuddling with his buddy Felony, how cute!!

I wanted to bring Jabber over to meet some new friends, but I wasn’t sure if she had gotten the bad/naughty vibes out of her system yet. Perhaps next time!

Me with Jabber, she's got her "I'm hyper" crazy eyes on...or she REALLY wants those socks on the couch.

For dinner, we met up with Ashley, AJ, Robyn, Brad, Cindy, Wes, and Jin at Figlio’s on the Plaza. I love seeing the twinkly lights on the Plaza this time of year, so I asked Andy to choose a nice restaurant down in that area. He did a good job! The food was excellent, and I had so much fun!

Ashley and AJ wishing everyone peace for the new year!

Jin, me, and Cindy enjoying a nice Mae West (similar to a peach bellini...plus some more fun ingredients).

I miss being with my friends, and it’s so nice to hear about what they’ve been up to in their busy busy lives. It makes me wish we could visit more often! Then, I think about that 8 hour drive…and I wish someone would just invent a site to site transporter already! Get on it science people…oh wait, I’m included in that group, darn!

The group of us enjoying a night on the Plaza under the twinkly Christmas lights.

After dinner, we headed to a nice little dive bar called Twin Cities Tavern back in Westport. Look at how well rounded our day was! (or I guess you could call it a lot of backtracking) We had such a marvelous time! Thank you to everyone that took time out of their busy holiday schedules to hang out with us out-of-towners! We love all of you and can’t wait to see you again soon!! But it’s getting late, and I think the comfy bed is calling my name. It’s going to be another busy day tomorrow…click here for more photos!

Truthfully, it’s been awhile since I’ve spent a Christmas here in Kansas. I’d forgotten all the subtleties of a Chao Christmas. Yes, we used to wake our parents up at the crack of dawn (around 6-7 am) for permission to check our stockings for Santa’s goodies. Yes, we used to take enormous amounts of photos before we were allowed to tear through the packages. Yes, we even used to have a Christmas breakfast of pancakey goodness (Chinese style, of course) with plenty of honey. Since college, however, things have become much more lazy. It’s quite alright, I enjoy laziness, might even say I delight in it!

So keeping with the mellow theme, we woke up around 11 am to chat and lounge around. Eventually, once we had conveniently gathered around the new Christmas tree (the old one was ruined a few years back when the basement flooded, and Mommy Chao finally got around to replacing it last year), the present opening began. My dad likes to say that Christmas is really for little girls. I appreciate the comment because it’s true. Presents are awesome, but the sheer excitement, the waking up at 6 am deal is really non-existent these days. We loved everything we received, but presents have become much more practical. Though if anyone wants to get me a GoGo my walking pup, I’m sure Jabber would enjoy walking alongside it. (on second thought, no, please don’t)

In a moment of inspiration, I thought Jabber might like to wear my Christmas socks...I was gravely mistaken.

Jabber, on the other hand, LOVES helping people open packages. She thinks anything inside must be for her. She did receive a very furry, no stuffing, 5 squeaker bear that we’ve named Jebediah from Cathy. She adores that bear (Jabber, not Cathy). It’s about half her size, making the transport of the bear very difficult for her, but very hilarious for us. She’s curled up with her new buddy now as I finish writing.

Jabber and Jebadiah, long lost friends reunited for Christmas 2008!

After a nice lunch of Mommy Chao’s famous beef soup noodles, Cathy, Andy, and I watched the Muppet Christmas Carol. It is by far one of my favorite holiday movies, an absolute classic. For the rest of the day, we really just moped around and relaxed. It’s not something I really get to do, so I happily embodied pure slothfulness for one afternoon. For Christmas dinner, we pulled together a nice meal of ham with a pineapple sauce, the ever present holiday green bean casserole, corn soup, and a veggie filled pasta primavera of my own creation. Everything was tasty, and we had a pleasant dinner.

Tomorrow, the craziness begins. We’ve got a million and one places to go and people to visit in the next few days. We’ll be running non-stop! So as my usual disclaimer goes, please don’t be offended if you’re not on our list this trip, we’ve just stretched ourselves to the max as it is. We’ll try to get to you the next time we’re in town! Of course, we do love having guests and Texas is so much warmer this time of year…something to think about! Since I’m adding photos (I just don’t have a lot for this day), be sure to check out all the other photos I took for Christmas 2008 and don’t have enough space to post!

Too soon, we had to leave Kareem’s party and start on our way to Kansas. It was a rough night, and I wasn’t even the one driving! I have this odd problem where I can’t sleep in the car (or boat or plane). Yes, I’ll nod off, but only for 5 minutes or so. It makes for very annoying sleep. In general, I try to stay awake and chat with Andy as much as possible. I know it’s a boring drive, even if you have the most amazing ipod mix playing. The weather was perfectly fine until we crossed into Kansas. It was a hostile greeting from the state I show so much pride in!

Andy and I both have some experience with cold weather driving. For the most part, we can handle snow, we can even handle a bit of ice. But both snow and ice, plus a freezing mist made for a whole different mess altogether! The mist was the hardest part. It would freeze on my windshield almost immediately. My wipers couldn’t keep up with all the ice! So, we had to stop and scrape everything down every few miles. On top of all that, we had to drive with the heat on full blast to keep the windshield just clear enough to drive to the next rest stop. Needless to say, it was HOT in our little car. Once the mist dissipated and just the snow was falling, we nearly jumped for joy! We finally pulled into my parent’s driveway around 6 am. We basically watered/fed Jabber, changed into pajamas, and collapsed into bed.

So tired! Even Jabber wanted nothing more but to sleep! Wait, that's nothing out of the ordinary...

Dave, Mary, and Kent stopped by the house this morning to chat and exchange presents. I have to admit, it took a lot to roll out of bed. But I’m glad I got to say hi, even though I was still pretty groggy.

Mary, Dave, Andy, and Kent up early for a gift exchange and friendly chat.

After they left to join their own families for Christmas celebrations, we got ready for a family portrait at Target. I’m not at all impressed with their photo studio. Yes, it’s cheap. However, in the end, you get what you pay for. They were rather rude, didn’t take very many shots, positioned us in strange unnatural poses, AND we can’t even pick the prints up until January 5th! Needless to say, we ended up hating all of them! Yet, we still managed to pick one photo that was passable. My philosophy has always been, the more pictures you take, the more likely you’ll find one that you like. Perhaps they should try it…

We had a lovely lunch at First Watch, then headed back home to relax. In the evening, my parent’s friends came over for a nice hot pot dinner. Hot pot is a chinese tradition, I suppose you can compare it to a broth based fondue. Everyone sits around a big pot of boiling broth and you add different raw items to the soup. Once thoroughly cooked, you pull your dinner directly out of the pot. It’s a nice meal for a cozy gathering.

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Mommy Chao with her friend Mei Shah enjoying a nice holiday dinner.

Here’s how it works via pictures…

You start with raw ingredients, in this picture, shrimp, squid, and scallops...

Add the raw ingredients to the boiling broth...

And once it's all properly cooked, you bring it back to your plate and add sauce. Next step? Eating! No need to show you how to do that!

Plus, as a bonus (not for hot pot), we had some of Grandma Peggy's Christmas cookies! Yum!

Afterwards, Cathy, Andy, and I sat around and watched Christmas themed movies of our childhood. Even though Christmas doesn’t have the same level of excitement as it did when we were kids, it’s still nice being home with family. Wishing everyone the same comfort, love, and happiness this Christmas!! Click here for more Christmas 2008 photos!

For those of you that don't think a post is a post until there are pictures, here's a previously taken photo of Jabber, the Pathetic Reindeer.

The last few days have been extra super crazy. We have been preparing for the holidays, I’ve been working like usual (Mr. Andy has the entire week off), and getting ready for our trip to Kansas. We had planned on leaving for KC as soon as I got off of work on Tuesday. This meant we would leave Dallas-Fort Worth around 4 pm and get to my parent’s house around midnight. It’s a little on the late side, but we’re naturally night owls anyhow, it wasn’t a problem.

However, we were invited to a welcome home party for our friend Kareem. He has been in the Peace Corp and stationed in Morocco for the last two years. We’ve missed him and this was a party we simply couldn’t miss! Our late start was well worth the look on his face when he walked in to a house filled with friends and family that wanted to celebrate his return.

We stayed, talked, mingled, and ate delicious food prepared by Livia and Nancy. We’re so happy Kareem is back and can’t wait to meet up with him again after he’s caught up on some sleep!

Welcome Home Kareem!!

For more photos from Kareem’s homecoming party, and of the Christmas season 1008 (now that I’ve finally gotten around to posting them) click here.

On Friday night, we drove down to Georgetown to celebrate what I have deemed “fake” Christmas with the Trommers and Johnsons. As most married couples have probably experienced, the holidays are a tricky time of year when it comes to family. Who gets what holiday? How exactly do you spend enough time with both sides? Someone always ends up getting their feelings hurt during the argument and I have firmly come to believe that it will never be completely fair, as life often refuses to be. Though we love being with each others’ families, it’s never quite the same without your own set of familiar faces, traditions, and customs. We do the best we can on a year to year basis and re-evaluate as situations change. For instance, this year we’ll be in Kansas spending time with my family. Hence our “fake” Christmas celebration this weekend in Texas.

We didn’t get to Georgetown until late Friday night/early Saturday morning. No sleep for the weary though, we were up early on Saturday for a delightful brunch with our friends Kat and Josh. We love spending time with them, though the theme of the season seems to be: we never get as much time as we’d like! Kat made the most scrumptious breakfast for us, crunchy bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, sparkling fruit salad, and a delicious baked french toast, all topped with a nice cranberry mimosa. We were assured that everything was absolutely fat free, calorie free, and sugar free. I choose to believe in the holiday magic!

Our lovely hostess and host, we enjoyed your hospitality and sheer awesomeness!

Any one want a bite of a Santa head? They're wonderfully tasty!

After an exciting gift exchange, (Kat is really very good at predicting what I’ll love, even when I don’t know it myself!) we headed out for the annual Christmas celebration at the Johnsons’ house. It’s nice being with the whole Trommer-Johnson clan. They’re rambunctious, merry, and a lot of fun to be around. The food is always delicious (this year the menu featured a lovely ham, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry jello salad, and a wide assortment of munchies), the mood is festive, and everyone truly enjoys each other’s company.

Mom Trommer with her two devilishly handsome boys.

The family gathered around the dinner table eating a delicious holiday meal. And yes, I'm in the photo too...see my finger at the top?

After dinner, we hurried into the pile of gifts faster than an impatient 9 year old! I’ve discovered I have much less patience as I get older, that can’t possibly be a good thing!

Me, Griffin, and Courtney with our stack of presents!

Andy and me enjoying the festivities. Notice the continuation of the pink and green theme in our clothing instead of the traditional red and green. Yes, I'm probably a little more OCD than is normally acceptable.

All the lovely ladies in the house.

Faster than we could have imagined, the night was over. It was a wonderful get together, and we can’t wait to see everyone again! However, we had puppies to save back at the Trommer house!

Lady Jabberwocky wishes everyone a very Merry "Fake" Christmas!

Early this morning, we treated all the Trommers to a nice breakfast at Monument Cafe in Georgetown. Yum! I love waffles! We shared stories and laughter over coffee, eggs, and bacon. There are certainly much worse ways to start a day!

All of us enjoying breakfast together as a family. I'm not sure why I look so pensive (startled?)...

All too soon, the weekend had come to an end and it was time to head for home. With Jabber packed up in her kennel, we began our trek for Fort Worth. In the end, I have come to the conclusion that though I’ve been calling this weekend, “fake” Christmas, it’s only fake in the date. We still had the most important element of Christmas with us, time with family and friends whom we love. So why does it matter which day we celebrate? As long as we’re together! I will do my best to blog again before Wednesday, but in case I’m too busy in KS (which I have a tendency to be), I’m wishing everyone the very merriest of Christmases! (Click Here for the link to this year’s holiday photos!)

From the Trommer Family to you, Happy Kwanzaa 2008!!