Christmas Day

With all of my food prep complete, getting dinner on the table was easy.  Christopher and I did do some cooking during the day, but a lot of our time was spent milling around and making sure that everything was in place to be cooked once everyone got there. There isn't much to explain. The day was mostly cooking, cooking, and more cooking.  Everything is always crammed into the end so that dishes can be put on the table hot.  After Nick showed up with his parents it was much easier to get things on the table with an extra set of hands.

Every year we make sure to put out salami for my Uncle Tom.

Appetizer table

Boiled prawns (dipping sauce was on the table).

Prime Rib

Making the cioppino.

Spicy clams

The only thing that we managed to burn were the buns.
Christopher had put them in the top oven and we sort of
forgot about them with all the chaos.  We kept commenting
on smelling grilled cheese when I finally realized that the
buns were burning.  Woops, but at least we didn't ruin $50 worth
of prawns. 

I was so excited to get the Tarte makeup kit.  It was sold out
on the Sephora website so I figured that it was completely
sold out in the store.  My Mom got the second to last one.
It's such a good deal with 24 full sized shadows, 8 mini glosses,
an HD powder, mini mascara, mini amazonian clay blush, brush,
giant mirror, and travel case. I. Am. Stoked.  While Nick was
setting up his new TV, I was sitting at my vanity trying out all
of the different colors. 

It' no surprised that I asked for a lot of makeup related items this year.  I'm
trying out the Real Techniques brush line.  I like them, but I still think that my
Sigmas are much nicer.  For the price range (about $20), however, the Real
 Techniques are a really good deal.  I also have been trying to get my hands on
some Beauty Blenders but Sephora is always sold out.  

This is pinkest the Beauty Blenders will ever look.  From all the videos I've
watched, they never totally rinse clean of the foundation color. 

Emmy usually hates to sit on anyone's lap, but she made
her way up onto Nick's.  She must have been feeling
overwhelmed by all the people and noise. 

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

I was up surprisingly early and in not as much pain as I thought I would be from the run.  Emmy needed a bath before our Chew family Christmas dinner so I hopped her in the tub before Nick woke up.  She got a good scrub down and we were out the door to my parents' place by 8:30.  I don't know why I've been waking up so early on weekends because it is certainly difficult for me to wake up on weekdays.  Whatever the case, I get way more done when I wake up early.

Emmy was pretty wet when we were going to my parents' house so I put on
her jacket.  She hates this jacket, but it's better than her getting sick in the cold.
I also blasted the heater in the car on the drive.  

Once we got to the house, I made her get under the blanket.  She didn't stay
there for long as there was much movement going on in the house. 

My Mom and I headed to Costco and then to Ranch 99 to pick up last minute food before I got started on my time sheet.  I posted this on Facebook and a friend commented that this is OCD status.  If you know me well, you'll know that I've been like this since I was a little girl.  Such is life.  Unfortunately for Christopher, he has to deal with it.  I was successful in getting everything on my list done and a couple of Christopher's items too as he had a very large pile of clams and muscles to clean before we went to my cousin's house to celebrate Christmas with the Chin side of the family.  

Every year Christopher is set to cleaning clams, a task that is tedious and he
hates. At least it's only once a year.

All my hard prep work got me this.  My green beans and brussel sprouts were
par-boiled, garlic and bacon sliced, cioppino veggies chopped, prawn dipping
sauce done, and spicy clam mis complete.  All I had to do was throw everything
into the wok to finish off right before dinner. 

Mid-afternoon, we all piled into the Pilot with our gifts and food and headed to Jen Jen's house for Christmas Eve dinner.  

Brandon hard at work carving the roast beast.

The counter was full of food.  Mmm I want more now!

Jonathan brought this awesome smoked sausage.

Korean chicken

My Mom's traditional shrimp platter.

Crab dip mold.

Jello cheese cake.

Tonight's dinner: December 23, 2012

It was late and pouring rain after we got out of they symphony.  I figured that I wouldn't be going to the 15k Double Road Race in Pleasanton the next morning.  I hate rain and need a lot of sleep.  I must have really wanted to go, however, as I naturally woke up at 5am to check the weather. After looking out the window, going to the bathroom, checking weather.com, and Facebooking, I got back in bed because the forecast said it was going to be raining all day.  I laid in bed thinking about the race, knowing that come 11am I would be kicking myself for not going.  The race was $45 and I kept thinking, I could have gotten a lot of makeup for that much money.  So I told myself that if I couldn't fall back to sleep in five minutes I would go.  I was out of the house by 5:50am.

I like the set up of this race.  It was a nice stepping stone to see if my body could handle taking on a half marathon.  First you run the 10k portion.  Once that was done, more people showed up to do the Christmas 5k.  With this setup, I was also able to get my 10k time, which is what I've been working towards.  I was so disappointed when I came in 1 minute and 15 seconds slower than my goal of under and hour.  I only walked about a hundred yards, but I was kicking myself.  If I would have run a little faster and not walked that little portion I would have gotten under an hour.  I guess this just means that I have to do another one.  I'm going to blame it on the rain.  The suburban scenery of Pleasanton was much more boring than the Orinda reservoir.  It made the double loop seem really long.

The race started at a middle school gym.  They had stationary bikes, ellipticals,
treadmills, stretching mats, and massage therapists for the runners.  I would have
liked a massage therapist to help stretch out and rub down, but my clothes were
wet and I didn't really feel like having anyone touch me.  There were also a ton of
vendors.  I love getting swag after races, but I left without any because it was so
cold and I wanted to get out of my wet clothes.  By the start of the 5k, my socks were
squishing in my shoes from the rain.

I was able to meet up with a friend during the 5k portion, but promptly left afterwards.  She was going for after-run beers with her boyfriend, but I had to decline. I figured my legs would start to go into shock and I wanted to be planted on my sofa before that happened.  Luckily, I thought ahead and brought a full change of clothes to put on in the car.  When I did get home, I went to pho with my parents because I was starting to feel terrible from lack of food.  I had only had a half a banana and a ton of water.  Usually for races I make a couple of hard boiled eggs the night before to eat for breakfast.  Since I didn't think I was going to the race, I didn't make the eggs.  Post pho, I felt much better and I camped out with a heating pad on my legs on my parent's sofa.  It just so happens that the Ironman Triathlon was being aired that day and made me feel super inadequate for laying on the sofa after only a 9.3 mile combined run.  

My joints were extremely stiff, but I managed to get myself up to have dinner with Nick's sister at a restaurant that is quickly becoming my favorite local datenight spot, Va de Vi.  Melissa was planning on spending Christmas with their extended family while Mr. and Mrs. Fong were planning on spending it with my family so we wanted to do our gift exchange early.  

Melissa and I started off with flights of champagne.

House-made burrata cheese

Garlic fries

Rock shrimp lumpia

Truffle mac and cheese

Black cod

Pork belly ravioli

Dayboat sea scallops

Fried chicken things with kimchi puree

Chocolate souffle

Cheese plate

Melissa got me a whole nail caviar advent calendar set and Clarisonic Mia!

'Twas the Night

I have been waiting for this night for a while.  We planned to go to the SF Symphony as a group to watch 'Twas the Night.  It was not what we expected, but still very good.  I thought that it was going to be the whole symphony performing, but it was only six brass players, a percussionist, organist, and the SF Symphony choir.  Lisa Vroman, who played Christine in the Phantom of the Opera during its long stint in the City, was the main performer.  They also had a guest pianist who happens to be the Ryan family's neighbor and piano teacher.  I had a great time despite the fact that it wasn't what I was expecting.

Having $11 champagne.  We should have  just snuck a bottle in. 

Mrs. Ryan and my Mom

I wanted a family picture since we never dress up unless we're on a cruise, and
who knows when the next time we'll be on a family cruise again.  

Christopher and his friend Patrick.