Last Day of 2012 - Thank Goodness!!!!!!!!!

Over the course of this past week or so I have lost my way to the gym but found my way to my kitchen fridge.  Not good.

Back to the gym I go.....that was a tough one today.
Oh how I love my homemade eggnog but sadly so does my ass.

We had a motley fun crew for our holiday dinner. All of us who weren't with family but with friends. We drank, we ate, we laughed.

And Lisa made me laugh the most. Here she is.....

On 2nd glass of eggnog....
I didn't know I liked egg nog.
This is good though.

Appetizers....What are these in this spinach artichoke dip that are crunchy?

Water chestnuts.

Huh. I didn't know I liked water chestnuts.

Salad at dinner....

I don't like peas but I like these peas - who knew?

That just cracked us all up. She's a hoot.

We drank, we ate, we laughed and we unsnapped our pants.

I never did take a photo of the food but here is the cheesecake that Lisa brought and made!
It looked just like a photo of a cheesecake from a magazine.
Sadly I didn't take a photo until we dug into it. It was as good as it looked!

Of course I took photo's after I set up the bar before people came.

Yes, I made the eggnog before people came. We had to make sure it was good enough to serve to our friends. Aren't we thoughtful?

 The bar set up below  - other side of runner was food but not out yet of course. We made them eat appetizers and drink for a few hours to work up the appetite. Or kill it if dinner turned out terribly wrong. I should have taken one of us all at the dinner table but by that time I was a few sheets to the wind. It would not have been clear anyway.

Christina brought a new beau. It's so new they couldn't keep their hands off each other and giving each other goo -goo eyes. He was a cutie I admit. (Christina and Joe on left in gray)

Izzy stares at the food. She never ever licks or touches anything. But she will smell and if she gets too close we just say, "ah ha" and she puts her little head down like she knows she was bad and will walk away. But it is almost like we are torturing her. We are mean human parents.

The one above she is just staring and it cracks me up.  The one below she is smelling. Oh how she would dig into that cheese if she could.

 Finally I had to make that sound so she would back up. She did but was not happy. But she left it all alone the rest of the day.  This is why we call her Izzy the Wonder Dog. Once corrected she is a good dog and we don't know how we got so lucky.

We went to 3 neighborhood parties. 3 Saturdays in a row.
One was so much fun. (first one) Good time had by all and it's a blast each and every year.
Doesn't he look miserable below?  I should have captured him after that party.
Big difference. He was happy, happy, happy. Becasue we could walk to their house and home he took advantage of that for sure. (yes I didn't crop photo to take out heating pad in corner - remember man with broken back here and he was lying on it earlier before the alcohol numbed him)

Second one was military people and it was so boring and the people were so dull and could only talk work. We left quickly and said we had another soiree to attend. I know that wasn't nice but my goodness this was the worst party I have ever attended in my life!
We instead went home and got in our comfy clothes and made fun of all the stiffs at this party. Geez these folks wouldn't know a good time if it hit them. I wanted to scream fire just to see them be animated and move their butts. They all had an air about them of self importance and that alone is enough to make one vomit.  No one really smiled or laughed or was jovial in any way. I felt like running down to my house to bring back a few bottles to loosen these folks up.

All in all they were just really big nerds who had really big ego's and that makes for a very boring party as well as very boring people. The wife of the couple having the party had some  people from her family there.  Like Rick and myself they stuck out.  They were animated, friendly and warm. But I could only talk to them for so long. We just had to leave this place. (they didn't even have music - c'mon not even holiday music! who does that for a holiday party?!) I know that makes us bad but we just couldn't stay for a long time.

The 3rd party was nice enough. Not as much fun as the first one but not as bad as the 2nd one. Somewhere in the middle. We love the woman having it and that was why we went. She is so good to us and a great neighbor. It was a nice diverse group and that makes for a better party. Her grandkids were there as well as her children, some friends and neighbors of hers. It was nice.

In the mean time over the holiday I have continued to play with my camera and discover new buttons and what they are for.  It may take me a couple years it appears for me to grasp this thing. This pic of Izzy below cracks me up because I know I am driving everyone crazy with my new camera and taking photo's constantly. (and mostly deleting them)
Izzy is especially bothered. For some reason she hates having her photo taken. 
She will always look away once I pick up the camera.
This one looks like she's saying to me, "Really is this how it's going to be all the time now?"
Yes I say because you're so friggin' cute, you're my best subject!!

 We both are seriously tired of all the parties, food and liquor.
I know you wonder where you're at. Can't be at SUNC, they never tire of food and liquor. Well believe it or not we have hit that mark now.
Let the dieting begin..... Okay but after tonight's dinner and wine.

And here we are  - New Years Eve.

It is our 19th wedding anniversary today. (and we haven't killed one another)

We are about to hit the 26 year mark of being together here soon.

(living in sin before marriage you know)

Time sure flies when you're having fun.

No parties to attend tonight. Just us.

Dinner and we'll be lucky if we see the ball drop.

We're old - we haven't stayed up to see the ball drop in years.

Pathetic aren't we? Don't much care if I'm being honest.

This is why we got married on this day - well and the big romantic tax reasons.

We both dislike this fake holiday and now we always have an excuse when people ask us to go out with them and get stupid.

"No thanks, it's our anniversary", will stop them from going on and on about it.

Works like a charm.

I am thrilled that 2012 is over.
It was a helluva year for we here at Straight Up No Chaser.
2013 has to be better.

Here's to a year of my house gaining equity so I can move.
Rick's patents and business going global and being wildly successful.
And to me getting a face lift.
Oh sure you thought I was going to say something profound like peace on earth or random acts of kindness - what? You new here?

Happy New Year!!