New Years Day - headed to Albany to visit with Carrie and Mickie for her birthday!
Perfect drive...Got to Carries, and instantly felt at home...so cozy, so Carrie. Helped decorate for later, and settled in to some catch up time.
Got ready, and drove off to Mick's new residence with her brother to pick her up for dinner.
She had a really bad fall last week before Christmas...threw her back out, and has had a rough time all week. This will be her first time out for fun - very excited to take her to dinner.

Here's a picture of the restaurant - Kudos to Carrie for setting up reservations, and getting directions...
It was a really nice Italian restaurant Mickie's been wanting to go to - Lombardi's

mmmmmm...had some wine with dinner - toasted the New Year, and Mick's bday...and settled in for a really excellent dinner.

Got a quick threesome pic on the way out...what's up with my bangs?

And I couldn't pass up getting them with the snowman...

Back to Carries for cake, presents, and relaxation!

Happy Birthday Heim!

Care got Mick this gorgeous, soft cream colored fleece - so COZY - comforting...perfect. She loved it and is wearing it in this next picture.
I made her a print -
The heading reads
"It's hard to find people who will love you no matter what ... I was lucky enough to find two of them"
(A video clip collage of a scene from Sex and the City)

:)
A night of vegging and Rummikub - all on the Futon together...You can see Mick's cane propped up on the bed...nothing like a cane to make you literally feel older on your birthday...

We goofed off the rest of the night - Care eventually went off to bed, and Mick and I stayed up chatting with "Little Women" playing in the background...
Up and at 'em after sleeping in til 10:30!
Breakfast pancakes and melon and eggs, oh my!

Thanks Carrie ! You make the best breakfasts!

We heard weather warnings on the radio for sleet and rain coming our way...so, we played a quick game of Rummikub after breakfast, and said our goodbyes - I got an early start and was home before I knew it.
Miss you guys already!
The drive back to Rochester - I made it through the storm, and Rochester is just ahead on the horizon... see you soon Bob and Buds!

Early Christmas morning - 2am - Bob and I get back from the family visits to open our presents together...
This is the last time we'll see the tree with presents ...Mom and Peter will be here later today!

This present was from Bob to me - but he addressed it to Sue, From Buddy (Bob helped) - and drew a paw print on it ...very cute Bob..

Bob got me a bunch of scrapbooking goodies, candles, a few frames, and hopefully for the last time - an MP3 car stereo! (I say hopefully for the last time because he gave me one a few years ago, and it got stolen)
:(
AND a tripod too! Perfect because I'm always needing to prop my camera up on something -
Thanks Bob !
Bob doesn't know yet, but he's about to open XBOX!

He was really excited! To go with it, I got him a Blockbuster gift certificate to rent games vs. buying one...this way he can test 'em out first...
I also made him a calendar w/ pictures of him with Buddy...and a few other odd's and ends...
We had fun opening everything that night - but had to get some sleep so we were refreshed for the big day coming up...
As we woke...the morning was filled with anticipation - anxiously awaiting mom and Peter's arrival. The house is spotless, and smells of baking...
We did some minor picking up, and then settled in with the Xbox until they arrived...
We were greeted with flowers, hugs, and smiles...
So nice to welcome them to our home during the holidays.
Mom and I got the food ready in the kitchen - settled in on the appetizers...while Bob and Peter played Xbox...

We had stages of opening gifts - so it lasted all night!
Mom and Peter got us a set of knives as a housewarming gift - SO awesome! Our knives (if you can even call them knives) are horrible...these were really nice and making dinner was a breeze after.
They also gave us a picture frame w/ Bob and I in it - skiing at Sugarbush - SO great...i LOVE getting pictures...thank you both!

After some more games, visiting, and appetizers - Mom and Peter opened their stockings:

Peter found shot bottles of Romano Sambuka (sp?), coffee, snowflake soap, and a wood pen in his, and mom found spruce moose coasters, more soap, ....drawing a blank...can't remember the rest..
Eventually had them open their anniversary present too...though it's the 26th..but we usually open them on Christmas...

It was a champagne bottle filled with bath salts from Parkleigh for when they head up to Sugarbush Vermont over next weekend - they have a jacuzzi up there...

Mom and I prepared the finishing touches on dinner... prime rib roast, smashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and my new salad creation - start fruit raspberry vinegrette...all homemade and festive. Didn't want too much stuff at dinner since we had a few appetizers including shrimp, brie, and bruschetta! It was a really good dinner...relaxing...

After dinner mom insisted on washing the dishes...HUGE help - thank you mom! I hope Bob and I can get a dishwasher soon....
We cleaned up and put everything away...and went back to the presents...before dessert.
Buds got a stocking too - treats and a new toy...

Mom got Peter a Harley teddy bear for their anniversary - Peter is about to retire, and wants to take motorcycle lessons...we're all nervous about it, but the Harley teddy bear seems to take the edge off:)

We relaxed the rest of the evening w/ more presents, and eventually dessert. A lightly iced lemon bundt. Simple, light, and tasty.
Merry Christmas mom and Peter - see you in the morning.
Bob and I showed them the ferry docked down at the beach....waiting patiently for it to be in service again... and then headed into the city for breakfast. One of my favorite places for breakfast here is Charlies Frog Pond on Park Ave.

I love how they decorated for the holidays!

We settled in to omlettes, overeasy eggs, and Bob livened things up with a major waffle!

We headed over to the Craft Company on University. Thought they'd have fun browsing around in there...

The store was filled top to bottom with these glass ornament balls... somehow they managed to narrow it down to a selection of 5
:)

We browsed around a little longer - got some coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and a steamer at Starbucks on MOnroe and shopped around... and then headed out to the movies - Meet the Fockers....at Tinseltown of course...stadium seating!
very funny movie...
came out of the movie in a major snow storm...and sadly learned that being the day after Christmas - even though it was a weekend - major restaurants were closed. Had a few places I wanted to take them, but everything was closed.
We ended up having dinner at a local Hotel with a 5 star dining room - figuring the hotels must be open...and it was. Very nice dinner, and evening... Headed back to our place, said our goodbyes - safe travels - happy new year, and be in touch soon! Thank you for everything - loved having you here!

Day off!
Bob and I cleaned, and relaxed a bit - prepared some food - and then headed over to his sisters' for an awesome family dinner for the holiday.
As you might imagine, I have a ton of Christmas pictures to post - so I'm going to post them, and them come back to tell the stories...
:)
Arianna helped arrange the veggies in the tray - mastered the tongs instantly!

Lillian and Tony made cornish game hens, and salmon with wine dressed grapes...everything was healthy and so delicious!

The Braccios - Lillian, Tony, Michael, Arianna, and Daniel

After eating, and opening some presents, we took a quick break for desserts! Arianna is wearing hers!
LOL...fudge all around her mouth, and dripping down her shirt..mmmmm pastries...

You can see the chocolate ring around her mouth still here an hour later
:)



Grandma (in Arizona now) sent this book to Arianna...she played with it all night and eventually fell asleep right on top of it !

Bob and Ariana playing Etch - a - Sketch! So cute!


Daniel crawled into the festivities and helped unwrap


He has a thing for white sneakers...we don't know why...but whenever Sam is over, and Daniel is crawling - he goes right to the sneakers...fascinated by them...

Had such a nice time - thanks everyone!

Bob and I headed over to another house to visit for a while... and then eventually back home to open our gifts ...by this time it was 2:00a.m on Christmas morning...

Sunday evening, December 19th.
Met up with Shannon at Hogans on Park
http://www.hoganshideaway.com/
SO CoLD!! wow...snowy afternoon and evening.
Winter wonderland...
:)
Shannon's got a new do! So stylin'! Great to see her and catch up.
Got toasty with tea and cafe au lait...
Was telling a new hard time at work story when she pulled out a present to help me with it.....

And look what was inside !!!

Thank you Shannon!
I LOVE these! I have given one to both Carrie, and little Megan - Michele's daughter...and have always wanted one for myself...
For those that don't know...you squeeze him, and he just starts hysterically laughing....i LOVE IT.
:)
It will definitely help me at work...thanks sweetie
:)
We finished dinner, exchanged some more....


Shannon worked REALLY super hard at school this year...it was also her last hard semester ...next semester is IT - but it's a cake one...and then Graduation!
I wanted her to relax and be pampered - so I got her a certificate to a really nice salon in Pittsford.
:)
Besides my happy guy, Shannon got me some goodies from Archimage...(Monroe Ave stuff store)
a windup sushi toy!, a magnet fish with a smilie face and a floating tail - so cute, a wool purse, and one of the macabre skeletons - mexican heritage...on a bicycle! So neat...Since seeing hers she got for her birthday (Day of the Dead) I've wanted one too...
And check out the bag below - it's a bag made out of a Hebrew newspaper - really neat

Thank you Shannon!
We headed back out into the cold to see the directors cut of Donnie Darko at the Little.
Shannon has a major crush on Jake Gyllenhal...plus it's a totally great movie - and a nice break to see something darker amidst all the fa la la's of Christmas..
Great night - Have fun in Colorado girl - see you when you get back!

Nephew Michael's bowling birthday Party!
Sunday December 19th.
Great time - great bowling...Bob got 3 strikes in a row in the beginning (Turkey) AND again at the end!! 2 sets of Turkeys...awesome Bob!
Will let the pictures speak for themselves:












Happy Bday Mike!