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The First Day of the New Year

Posted on January 8, 2017 by under Events, Life, Zumba.    

Brian and I are pretty strategic about what we do on New Year’s Day because we understand how it can set the tone for the entire year. I’ve already mentioned how we never want to stay out too late on NYE and be hung over on NYD. We want to be productive and on our A-game on NYD so we can be productive and on our A-game for the rest of the year.

We start preparing for NYD weeks in advance. Normally, we clean the house top to bottom, clean and stock the fridge, organize the pantry, organize my closet (which means getting rid of a bunch of clothes that no longer fit, etc.), organize the linen closet, clean our cars – all of that stuff to ensure that everything is all set for NYD.

It was so much easier when Brian worked for Viega because they always shut down during the holidays. I would save some of my vacation time so that Brian and I would be off work together at the end of the year and we could tackle all of the tasks that needed to be done. The last couple of years have been a bit more challenging because Brian doesn’t have as much time off so now he has to work between Christmas and New Year (and he didn’t before). I would try to tackle all of the projects by myself but then I would end up completely overwhelmed. Brian has always been the more organized one of the two of us.

Anyway, we just tried to do what we could this year. Both cars were clean on NYD. I managed to get rid of a bunch of Zumba gear and free up some space in the closet. The house was tidy enough. It’s a mess right now, but it was in decent shape for NYD. Clutter is a constant battle and as long as it’s manageable most of the time then we consider it a win.

Brian and I rang in the New Year in our traditional way and went to bed at a decent time (for NYE standards) – about 1 AM. We got up at 5 AM to feed the dogs and let them out to do their business. I usually take my thyroid medicine at that time as well. We went back to bed to catch some more Zs and then eventually got up at a reasonable time to start our day.

We had a very important appointment that day: brunch at Newport Grill and then a WSU men’s basketball game (Wichita State vs. Bradley).

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Here’s a post-brunch picture of me and Brian. It has been a long time since our last visit to Newport Grill. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy their brunch. I’m so glad that April suggested it for before the game.

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April also loaned us her BG parking pass but we didn’t end up needing it. The weather was perfect that day and it was a beautiful day for a walk. We also arrived at the arena super early so we found decent open parking.

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This is April and her husband Nelson. April is the reason we got to go to the game. She works for the Wichita State University Foundation and was kind enough to invite me and Brian along. Thank you, April!

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Though the game wasn’t very exciting (it was a blowout), we had a great time.

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The final score was actually 100-66, Wichita State. Some people actually left with 10 minutes more to go because it was pretty much a forgone conclusion. There was no way for Bradley to recover. However, we stayed for the whole game because (a) we don’t get to go to that many men’s basketball games and (b) I really wanted to see WSU hit triple digits.

What a great way to start the New Year!

Oh, I didn’t realize this before, but on days when the women play after the men you can stay to watch the women’s basketball game for free with your men’s basketball game ticket. I suppose that they don’t sell enough tickets for the women’s basketball so they can afford to give seats aways. We didn’t stay for the women’s basketball game but I kind of wish that we would have. It would have been more exciting.

WSU women lost to UNI but it was a close game (63-61).

I think Nickira and I actually watched the WSU vs. UNI women’s basketball game around this time last year. I can’t remember who won. The women’s basketball team is actually really fun to watch. I wish more people would go to their games.

Since we started our year off with a men’s basketball game, maybe this will be our year of supporting WSU athletics. What you’re doing on the first day of the year is what you’re going to be doing all year long, right?

As far as resolutions go, Brian and I don’t really have new year’s resolutions. However, we do sit down and for our annual budget meeting (which we revisit halfway through the year) and then we also sit down to set goals. Our three main objectives this year are as follows:

  1. Reach our respective goal weights by October so we don’t go on my 40th birthday trip completely disgusting.
  2. Pay off our trip so we can enjoy our trip guilt-free.
  3. Get our house organized so we’re not scrambling in the event we have to sell it.

In addition to our joint goals, I have the following personal goals:

  1. Read 24 books by the end of the year.
  2. Run/walk at least 1 mile everyday.
  3. Complete my 10K Runner app.
  4. Travel to some place I’ve never been.
  5. Eat out less and eat at home more.
  6. Crochet a Zumba Fitness beanie.
  7. Complete 200 volunteer/community service hours.
  8. Stay employed.

I also have ZIN goals:

  1. Add two new songs to the playlist every month.
  2. Learn everybody’s names.
  3. Teach facing class, move around, and teach from different parts of the room more.
  4. Get licensed to teach Strong by Zumba at #ZINCON.
  5. Build and maintain a loud, fun, welcoming class.

So that’s pretty much the our first day of the year. Brunch, basketball game, and goal setting. Oh, I forgot to mention that we also took the dogs out for a nice, leisurely walk. We did about a mile and a half altogether so that actually satisfied my run/walk goal for the day.

We’ve just completed the first week of the New Year. So far, so good.

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The Final Hours of 2016

Posted on January 7, 2017 by under Events, Life.    

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You’ve probably heard me say this a few times before already: Hideki throws the best parties. He does! And I can prove it.

You get the picture. There are several reasons that make parties at Hideki’s great. The key reasons from my point of view:

  • He has the best Rock Band set up.
  • He has more liquor than most bars in town.
  • He is so warm and welcoming; he just has this way of bringing everyone together.

Meader took the photo above and this one below. He takes the best photos!

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This is a picture of Missy, Christina, Holly, Glynda, and me taking a selfie. (Or should this be called a “groupie” since there’s a bunch of us in the selfie? LOL.)

These next photos were taken by me, with my phone, so if they are not the same calibre, that is why.

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Can you believe that the girl sitting next to Missy is one of her children?

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Here’s another photo I took while we were waiting to start games.

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Here’s Hideki and Jake.

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Of course, I had to take a selfie with Todd and his silly hat. 😉

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Shots happened but I did not partake. I drank maybe a glass of wine, if that. I didn’t want to drink too much because Brian couldn’t drink at all. During his last physical examination, our doctor asked Brian to go on a low cholesterol diet and ordered him not to drink any alcohol for a month. Brian, who follows instructions to a tee, didn’t drink at all the entire month despite numerous opportunities and being tempted and taunted by everyone. Seriously. Not drinking during the holidays is a significant feat of self-control.

Anyway, he had his follow up with the doctor yesterday morning and he started drinking as soon as he got home from work. LOL. Must be all of that pent up alcohol craving. Just kidding. I think he had a glass of wine or two.

Brian is not an excessive drinker by any means. His stupid liver just likes to betray him.

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Brian is not really a fan of Central Standard Brewing beer but he is a fan of the 32 oz. cans. We may have to go there and give them another shot.

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Here’s a picture of Hideki enjoying his Harvey Wallbanger in a pineapple cup.

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This next series of pictures is of Missy opening our present for her.

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And a Love Pop card! Who doesn’t love these?

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As usual, we had to leave a little after eleven so we could be home by midnight. Traditions. You know. Brian and I firmly believe that whatever you are doing on NYD is what you will be doing all year. We truly believe this and it works.

For instance, I taught Zumba on NYD last year and I ended up doing a lot of Zumba in 2016.

So there are several things we like to do to wrap up the year like make sure our cars our clean and the house is not too messy (we try to clean top to bottom if we have time). I also like to have a clean and organized closet; though I didn’t quite get that done this year. We never want to wake up hung over on NYD and I also try to do some work (at least a couple of hours worth). Mostly I just clean my email inbox. There was one year that Brian and I worked for eight hours on NYD and I felt completely overworked and exhausted that year. I vowed to never agree to that again. So I will work some on NYD but I won’t put in a full day.

Brian and I got home with just enough time to ring in the new year in our traditional way. I won’t elaborate. You have your traditions. We have ours.

As for the NYD thing… What you’re doing (and the state of your life in general) on NYD really sets the tone for your entire year so we are always conscious about the first day of the year goes for us. Every year we ask ourselves, “What do we want this year to be like?” And then we focus on that. So we never want to wake up hung over, or just veg all day. We want to be somewhat productive.

Next time, when you come back, I’ll tell you what we did on NYD this year. Until then, have wonderful, productive, and happy New Year!

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Starting and Ending the Year with Zumba

Posted on January 1, 2017 by under Events, Life, Zumba.    

Remember how I was so happy that I was able to teach Zumba on January 1, 2016? If not, here’s a short video to refresh your memory.

Guess what, New Year’s Eve 2016 fell on a Saturday so I got to teach a class on NYE also. I love how I had the rare opportunity to start and end the year with a Zumba class. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

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These are just a few of the people who stuck around for a group photo following our NYE Zumba class at Andover YMCA.

Much like the previous year, 2016 has been a memorable one. Brian and I went on the first ever Zumba cruise. Here are some of the highlights of the trip:

SIDENOTE: There’s actually a second Zumba cruise coming up which sails in April. If you would like to go, please use my affiliate code (461028) when you book to receive $25 onboard credit.

This truly was the year of Zumba for me, actually. Not only did we get to go on the Zumba cruise, I also got a tour of Zumba Home Office while on a work trip in Florida. And, not only that, I also got to go to ZINCON again!

The significance of last year’s ZINCON is that it was the 10th anniversary of the Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN). However, I am very much looking forward to going to ZINCON again this year because it will be the 10th anniversary of the convention itself. (There was no convention during the first year of the Zumba Instructor Network. The first ZINCON didn’t happen until the year after.)

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One of the highlights of this year’s ZINCON was meeting performer Max Pizzolante and his wife Maritza Bustamante. He is the singer behind a couple of songs in my current Zumba playlist: Quien Quiere Bailar, Vive Y Baila.

I actually plan to add another Max Pizzolante song to the playlist very, very soon. Stay tuned, Zumba pals!

Vive Y Baila is one of my favorite songs to do in Zumba class right now so I’m posting a video of it here for you:

Besides traveling for Zumba, Brian and I got to do some traveling for work as well.

Other trips we’ve made this year include…

Brian and I also had the privilege of attending or helping with several amazing events/benefits this past year:

There are so many worthy causes out there and these organizations need our help. I put a link to the organization that hosts or benefits from the event. I recommend reaching out to someone this year if you would like to help.

Although 2016 was a very busy year, we still managed to squeeze in some fun times with friends: murder mystery party at the Larneng’s, private dinner prepared by Chef Jason (also at the Larnengs), CRC picnic, painting at Pinot’s Palette, Tom’s housewarming party, Holly and Meader’s wedding, Pokemon Party Bus, going to a bunch of Christmas parties, and NYE at Hideki’s which I have yet to even blog about. (I’ll be posting it next so check back.)

Nickira and I got to do a bunch of fun activities as well like watching Willy Wonka at the Orpheum, Fall Fest at City Arts, and Winter Mania at the Wichita Art Museum. We got to spend lots of time with grandma, which we will be able to do even more now that we’ve moved her to Victoria Falls.

This year was also a banner year for us in terms of attending music theatre performances. We only missed one MTW show and even got to see Wicked for the first time. I know it’s unrelated but we also got introduced to a new band that we just love: Jared & the Mill.

Last but not least, I finally made 40 Under 40 and have the commemorative plaques to prove it. LOL. Whew! What a year it has been!

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Gift Cards for Everyone

Posted on December 30, 2016 by under Family.    

Brian and I went to celebrate Christmas Eve at my parents’ home in Derby, as is our tradition. Here are some highlights.

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Mom and dad never ask for anything and, since Brian’s parents asked for gift cards this year, we figured we would just get them the exact same thing. Mom suggested Lowe’s for dad but didn’t tell me which gift card to get for her so I got her a Kohl’s gift card, which is the same thing we got for Brian’s mom.

My parents are so weird and overly pragmatic. Of course, the Lowe’s gift card was good because it was “useful.” Mom’s only reaction to her Kohl’s gift card was, “You know I haven’t really been shopping since I’ve been back.”

They’re supposedly “poor” because dad is in between contracts and mom only works whenever she feels like it. LOL.

“Well, now you can get yourself something and not feel guilty about it.” I mean, what else can I say?

These two. Seriously. I think they’d be happier if we didn’t get them anything because that would be more practical. They always say they don’t “need” anything. I would feel terrible not getting them anything, though. You’re supposed to give presents to your parents, right? Is that not the norm?

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Unlike my parents, Jenni is always a really good giftee. She tells you specifically want she wants, which is super helpful, and if you do guess and get her something random, she always acts like it’s amazing.

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She usually asks for a Passion Planner but she was being really annoying about it and pestering me to get her present early so we gave that to her for her birthday this year. That was both good and bad. Good because then she quit pestering me about her annual Passion Planner and bad in that now we had to figure out what to get her for Christmas.

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When Brian and I were at the Spice Merchant a couple of weeks ago looking for black tea (supposedly good for your cholesterol levels) for Brian, we found this ceramic coffee cup with pandas all over it. Brian immediately thought it would be perfect for Jenni. We decided to just get her that along with a QT gift card so she would have some gas money. We weren’t sure what her job situation was like after her “brief sabbatical.”

It turns out that she’s not that hard up. She told us that her unemployment started immediately and she also got some money from mom for Christmas. She’s doing fine. She will probably continue to make bad life choices but at least she’s neither broke nor starving. LOL.

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We were all starving so I almost forgot to take pictures of the food. I remembered only after we started eating so these probably aren’t the best photos.

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Everything was delicious and, as always, we had way more food than people to eat it. Fine by me because that meant I got to take home leftovers!

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I tried to eat some ham but then decided against it and focused my gorging effort on the menudo and sinigang after I remembered that we would have ham again the next day with grandma.

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We had several dessert options. I took pictures of the two that I liked. Mom also made biko but I don’t really like biko so I didn’t take a picture of it.

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Mom made the leche flan and then this tiramisu was purchased from Costco.

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When the Cannadys finally arrived, we let them open their presents from mom and dad first and then gave them our presents. This is QQ opening his gift.

Brian got a great video of the unboxing.

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I’m so glad Jen (Cannady) told us exactly what to get for QQ.

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As for the older boys, they both wanted money. My challenge was to figure out a way to gift it to them without them realizing they were getting money. In previous years I’d wrapped the money in multiple boxes but that’s obviously been done already. As soon as they see another smaller present within the present and continued to unwrap the next smaller present, the gig would be up.

My idea this year was to put the money inside a book. Of course, as soon as Eli opened his then it wasn’t as much of a surprise for Logan. I think the trick next year will be to gift it in two different ways.

Logan has grown up so much. He is already taller than Brian. It won’t be long before he’s taller than his dad.

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It’s always fun to see the Cannadys. They only live a few minutes away but they might as well live in another state. We rarely ever get to see them anymore. Hopefully we can change that in 2017. Logan will be a senior next year and then after that he’ll be off to college (maybe). He’s pretty laid back about everything and not really as passionate or driven as other kids. I hope he finds his passion and that passion leads him to college.

I purposely selected Success for Teens as the book to hold his Christmas money. I hope he actually reads it.

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We brought grandma over to our house to celebrate Christmas Day. We opened presents after a light breakfast of coffee (or in my case, hot cocoa, because I’m not a coffee drinker) and cinnamon rolls.

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This is grandma opening her first present from us – a large print calendar.

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This is Brian opening the present from Aunt Sandy.

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She got us these beautiful ornaments. That means I really have to do my boozy tree next year. I’ll have to mix all of the ornaments together into my “natural” tree with critters because we gave our fun, colorfully themed tree to Zach and Autumn this year. It made more sense for them to have it because I didn’t put up Christmas decorations this year and, how many trees does one really need? Truly?

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Then it was grandma turn to open a present again.

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This next bag had her fruitcake and nuts. She asked for peanuts and cashews.

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This next bag had the cookies that grandma wanted. We didn’t deviate from her Christmas list at all except for the bag of Lindor truffles that we tossed in there with the cookies. The funniest part is that Brian’s mom and dad got grandma the exact same bag of Lindor truffles in her crate of Christmas goodies that the sent for her. Great minds think alike!

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It looked like the same bag but theirs might have been the smaller bag. We got this one from Costco. That crate they sent her was full of a bunch of other stuff, though. I don’t know what all was in it since I wasn’t present for its unboxing but it was quite heavy. Brian delivered it to grandma after dropping me off at Zumba on Monday night. He didn’t get any pictures of the unboxing her crate of goodies because she wasn’t feeling well.

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This next present is from the Orbases in Alaska.

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They sent us a super cozy, super warm, super soft throw.

Here’s a video of Brian reading the card that came with the present.

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Here’s Brian opening the present from Kevin and Kasey.

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They gave us some super festive wine glasses and a couple of bottles of wine to put in them. Except they gave Brian a rose and they gave me a cab so we decided to trade. We think they might have gotten the labels on the gift boxes mixed up. LOL.

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Here’s a better picture of the etching on the wine glass.

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As is customary whenever we’re not all together during the holidays, we do a video chat with David and Donna in Oklahoma on Christmas Day. Grandma doesn’t see very well anymore but she enjoys it nonetheless. We have to do this every time unless they are here.

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For lunch we had an eight-pound ham and mac ‘n cheese.

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Way more food than the three of us could eat. We’ve been eating leftovers since.

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I used some of the leftover Christmas ham to make fried rice the other day. It actually turned out pretty good.

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We also played some Uno in the afternoon. Brian was the big winner this time. Poor grandma, she hasn’t been winning at Uno lately. It might be time to switch to a different card game. LOL.

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On Monday we did a down-and-back to visit Brian’s parents in Oklahoma.

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They took us to this neat restaurant that is right by the Top Golf in Oklahoma City. I will probably write a separate blog about it.

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They got Brian the new Call of Duty game.

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They got me not one but two S’well bottles. They are these amazing bottles that keep hot beverages hot for 12 hours and cold beverages cold for 24 hours. I guess it’s kind of like a thermos but cooler. Ha! I made a pun!

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They also got us some booze and chocolates along with a bunch of other goodies.

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As for our gifts to them, we were lame and got them gift cards. It’s what they asked for, though. We got Cabela’s for David and Kohl’s for Donna. We also know how much they like chocolate so we got a huge tin of chocolate coins for David and chocolate wafer biscuit things for Donna. And then we didn’t want to mail the stuff. Thus, the impromptu trip to Oklahoma.

It worked out well because then we were able to bring their present for grandma back to Wichita so they wouldn’t have to ship it. Mailing that huge crate full of stuff would have been tricky.

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We had our final Christmas celebration yesterday. Zach, Autumn, Brian, and I all talked about watching Rogue One together but we had to wait for them to return from Illinois. They’d never watched a movie at Warren 21 before so Brian decided that we would get the movie tickets as their Christmas present.

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It’s awesome that we were there to pop their Warren 21 cherry and Rogue One was the perfect movie for it. And the best part – Autumn and I got to wear our Christmas pants to the movies.

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Oh, while I was typing up this post today, the mailman delivered a package for us from my half-sister in New Jersey.

She is always so thoughtful and sends the best presents.

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Last year she sent us these beautifully monogrammed mugs. They are one of Brian’s favorites but they are my most favorite of all the mugs we have.

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Her presents are always amazing so Brian and I were both excited to unbox our gifts. Brian and I both got vests.

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They got Brian a cool, reversible one; while mine is a soft fur one. They were absolutely perfect! I was like, “That’s why she asked for our clothes sizes.”

I couldn’t get over how soft mine was.

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Anyway, I think that’s pretty much it for the Christmas recap. I can’t believe I actually got this posted before January. LOL. I’m usually late on these things.

Have a fantastic 2017, everyone!

XOXO,
FLIP + CHING

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Oeno’s Last Day

Posted on December 29, 2016 by under Food and Drink, Things to Do.    

Oeno closed last week after ten years of business. It made us so sad because it’s our favorite place for salsa and Latin dancing.

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Well, we used to go to Suede. I remember when we used to go there religiously on Friday nights, even when it’s cold and snowing outside. That was our regular Friday night thing.

Then Suede closed and there wasn’t a fun place for us to go for dancing (at least the type of dancing we enjoy). That is, until we discovered Oeno. Naturally, we had to go on the final night. We didn’t care if it was just the two of us. We had to go to close out this chapter.

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Whenever we are at Oeno, we usually get the lavash.

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We also like their charcuterie (meat and cheese board).

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They were doing 50% OFF bottles of wine that night and discounted wines by the glass but Brian couldn’t drink (he can’t drink for a few more days – until after his follow up appointment with the doctor) so I ended up getting a pitcher of sangria. I don’t usually drink entire bottles of wine but I’ve been known to put away pitchers of sangria without remorse. LOL.

Anyway, it’s not as fun drinking by yourself. And, Brian gave me a look of disapproval each time he refilled my glass. I was hoping some of our friends would show up and help me finish the pitcher but everyone else either already had plans or they were too tired to come out. Christmas shopping and preparing for Christmas in general can take a lot out of you so it’s completely understandable.

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At least Hideki and Amy came by. They were down the street, having dinner at the Anchor. And then they had a show at Public. They stopped by for a bit, though.

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The rest of the sangria did not go to waste!

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Here’s the four of us on the very last night of Oeno being open. It was so very sad.

On Tuesday, after the holiday, local restaurateur Melad Stephan auctioned off everything. They auctioned off the furniture, plates, barware, everything.

So that’s it then. Now it’s time to look for a new place for salsa night. I sure wish we had a place like Cuba Libre here.

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