catching up
Bits and pieces of what I've been up to lately ...
Last weekend was cross-country skiing with a bunch of friends. Petey took some pics as well that he posted recently; here are a couple of my faves:
One of my many falls.Erin, Brandon, and Nicole's reactions.
The rest of Petey's album is here.
Two weekends ago, I had a birthday party for Betsy at my house. Nicole helped with pre-party clean-up and prep, and capably manned (or womanned?) the blender to produce a never-ending supply of daiquiris. Erin brought red velvet red wine + cinnamon + chocolate cupcakes, complete with cupcake transportation device and ultra-fancy cupcake display stand. Sandi also brought cupcakes, and everyone else brought booze. Well, except Isaac, who brought a waffle batter recipe.
For food, Erin had suggested fried chicken and waffles, which, being among Betsy's favorite foods, was a stroke of genius. The former was easy: a quick trip to Popeye's filled the bill. For the latter, I figured I could deal with the logistic challenge by setting up a waffle bar on the food table, thanks to a few folks who brought waffle irons. Isaac mixed up a batch of Watson Family Recipe Waffle Mix and volunteered for waffle duty for the evening. Stack up a leg and a thigh on a crispy Belgian, douse with butter pecan syrup, and OM NOM NOM. Betsy was ecstatic. I had a great time, but of course was anxious about being a good host and trying to do everything at once. I think I exhausted Nicole with all of my nervous energy. Everyone enjoyed themselves, though.
The only downside: the Biggie Smalls action figure I ordered for her didn't arrive in time for the party, so I had to give it to her afterward.
Michael took pics most of the night. My faves:
Chillin in the kitchen.ROKKIN in the living room.
And, of course,
The rest of Michael's pics are here.
This weekend started with after-work drinks with a bunch of co-workers at Paddy's on Friday night. Dad had plans for the night with a few of his friends, so Nicole joined me at Paddy's, and then she and I decided to go see Sweeney Todd downtown before heading over to EDW for some drinks with Amanda, who is treating Portland with a visit this weekend.
Dad's convention ended Saturday morning after an early session, so after sending him on his way home afterward, Nicole and I spent the day watching the snow, then watching the snow disappear, then running errands and generally being silly throughout. We eventually found ourselves on Hawthorne in the late afternoon and received an invite from Betsy to come over for a glass of wine and maybe help Steve assemble a new piece of IKEA furniture. During the phone conversation, I heard Steve in the background telling her "Do not presume failure." IKEA furniture always goes together more smoothly when alcohol is involved, I've found.
This morning is about chores and such before heading back over to Betsy and Steve's for Super Bowl with Nicole and other folks. Perhaps in recognition of my limited culinary skills, I have been asked to bring sour cream; this I can do. Hope the commercials are good this year.
Woo!
Last weekend was cross-country skiing with a bunch of friends. Petey took some pics as well that he posted recently; here are a couple of my faves:
One of my many falls.Erin, Brandon, and Nicole's reactions.
The rest of Petey's album is here.
Two weekends ago, I had a birthday party for Betsy at my house. Nicole helped with pre-party clean-up and prep, and capably manned (or womanned?) the blender to produce a never-ending supply of daiquiris. Erin brought red velvet red wine + cinnamon + chocolate cupcakes, complete with cupcake transportation device and ultra-fancy cupcake display stand. Sandi also brought cupcakes, and everyone else brought booze. Well, except Isaac, who brought a waffle batter recipe.
For food, Erin had suggested fried chicken and waffles, which, being among Betsy's favorite foods, was a stroke of genius. The former was easy: a quick trip to Popeye's filled the bill. For the latter, I figured I could deal with the logistic challenge by setting up a waffle bar on the food table, thanks to a few folks who brought waffle irons. Isaac mixed up a batch of Watson Family Recipe Waffle Mix and volunteered for waffle duty for the evening. Stack up a leg and a thigh on a crispy Belgian, douse with butter pecan syrup, and OM NOM NOM. Betsy was ecstatic. I had a great time, but of course was anxious about being a good host and trying to do everything at once. I think I exhausted Nicole with all of my nervous energy. Everyone enjoyed themselves, though.
The only downside: the Biggie Smalls action figure I ordered for her didn't arrive in time for the party, so I had to give it to her afterward.
Michael took pics most of the night. My faves:
Chillin in the kitchen.ROKKIN in the living room.
And, of course,
The rest of Michael's pics are here.
This weekend started with after-work drinks with a bunch of co-workers at Paddy's on Friday night. Dad had plans for the night with a few of his friends, so Nicole joined me at Paddy's, and then she and I decided to go see Sweeney Todd downtown before heading over to EDW for some drinks with Amanda, who is treating Portland with a visit this weekend.
Dad's convention ended Saturday morning after an early session, so after sending him on his way home afterward, Nicole and I spent the day watching the snow, then watching the snow disappear, then running errands and generally being silly throughout. We eventually found ourselves on Hawthorne in the late afternoon and received an invite from Betsy to come over for a glass of wine and maybe help Steve assemble a new piece of IKEA furniture. During the phone conversation, I heard Steve in the background telling her "Do not presume failure." IKEA furniture always goes together more smoothly when alcohol is involved, I've found.
This morning is about chores and such before heading back over to Betsy and Steve's for Super Bowl with Nicole and other folks. Perhaps in recognition of my limited culinary skills, I have been asked to bring sour cream; this I can do. Hope the commercials are good this year.
Woo!