The Complete Package

When Sam arrived on Christmas Eve's Eve, the family unit was finally complete! We celebrated in very traditional fashion way and popped some bubbly! We toasted to the first family reunion since Labor Day 2009.As Sarah and Mom slaved away in the kitchen, I mostly focused on Christmas cookie aesthetics. As you can see above, it was tough work! Once the sugar cookies were sufficiently iced and delicately decorated, we sat down for one of many awesome holiday meals. I took a break from staring at my plate as I scarfed down the deliciousness to take in the scenery. Quite possibly the best view:Holiday traditions continued after dinner with Christmas movie viewing parties downstairs. We stuck to the classics like White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Love Actually, and (of course) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Even Arney joined in on the fun. You know- if you scratch his belly, he will love you till the day you die.

I'll Be Home for Christmas

After completing my four weeks of general surgery at Ben Taub, I hopped on a plane and headed home to the Inland Northwest. Unfortunately, I forgot what it's like to travel with a checked bag during the holidays, and my luggage didn't catch up with me for a couple days. That is the only explanation I can offer for the, above, awesome sweatpants and sweater (circa 7th grade). Sarah has a much more legitimate excuse for her attire- kayaking on beautiful Hayden Lake.There's nothing like spending Christmas in wintry North Idaho with the family to get into the holiday spirit. The lake was gorgeous, fresh white snow hung heavily on the trees, and my nose stayed a bright shade of Rudolph red in the chilly air. In fact, I though I would just about freeze to death after having left Houston's weather in the 70s for the bitter cold of my hometown. Nonetheless, I managed with a few extra layers, Mom's belly-warming culinary feasts, and heartwarming good company and conversation. I knew I was on the most relaxing of vacations when Dad came upstairs with his arms full of boardgames!

A Paula Deen Christmas

Javier hosted a Paula Deen themed Christmas party, which was a great excuse to decorate, cook, and EAT! I cracked open my hope chest and brought out the fancy cloth Christmas napkins. To go with the napkins, I bought a couple nice cloth tablecloths which will be functional for festivities to come. The crafty touch of the night was taking a sharpie to some clothespins to personalize napkins.There was food aplenty. Some of the most sinful, filling fare was available for our group of eight. After stuffing ourselves silly, we took some rather ridiculous pictures recreating some of the highlights from the last year. Below, you can see our group of Coffee Prince watchers (Korean comedy/drama on Hulu) with mugs in hand sipping hot chocolate. All in all, it was a very fun and festive night.

Seasonal Sizzle

On Sunday, December 12, the Scullys and I enjoyed A Very Merry Pops with the Houston Symphony. It was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit! During intermission we took some rather ridiculous pictures by the lobby tree. We especially enjoyed the sing-along portion and a special visit from St. Nick. A couple days later, I received my first Christmas present: an extra ticket to Burn the Floor with Sarah! This traveling Broadway ballroom showcase was sizzlin' hot! The jumping, jiving, and gyrating cast was truly outstanding, keeping a breathless pace throughout the show. The dancers hailed from around the world, featuring father-son notables Corky and Mark Ballas of Dancing with the Stars fame. For the complete review, check out Sarah's expertly-worded review on CultureMap here.

ReunioNy-Ying

There's nothing better than waking up from a post-call nap to see the smiling face of a former Rice roommate! A couple weekends ago, I had the pleasure of Ny-Ying's company. Since it was my "Golden weekend" (both Saturday and Sunday off), we got to spend some quality time together around Houston and with other Rice friends. First we went to Bowl for soup/salad then to Red Lion Pub for drinks and fish and chips. We had tons of fun catching up, enjoying the Christmasy glow of the patio, and taking some ridiculous commemorative photos (above).Ny-Ying, Teresa, and I embraced our inner girlishness and donned our Saturday best. For our visiting Georgian, we had Texas barbecue at Goode Company (above). Then we romped around Rice. We decided that the hedges were worthy of jumping, so we hiked up our dresses and gave the Rice tradition a go. It sure would have been nice if our fourth and final roommate Katherine had been there, but she had learning to do at Yale. Such is life.

That night, we joined forces with Teresa's boyfriend Dane and two members of our favorite boy's quad from Lovett College: Andrew (aka Traverso, his last name) and Eric (aka Steve, because he really just looks more like a Steve). Will was stuck in Dallas, and Adam was probably surfing and eating fish tacos in California. Anyway, we whipped up a fancy dinner for ourselves and played an amazing game of Cranium.On Sunday morning I insisted that Ny-Ying join me on my couponing adventures. We stopped by Crave Cupcakes for some free peppermint hot chocolate. Then we went to Sprinkles Cupcakes for free chocolate peppermint cupcakes. Just as our blood sugars peaked in the 300s, we zoomed over to the Landmark River Oaks Theater to watch 127 Hours, featuring James Franco's hand trapped under a boulder.Due to weather problems in Atlanta, Ny-Ying's flight home was canceled and she got to stay an extra night on my pullout couch. On Monday morning she made it safely home to return to med school at Emory and her remaining residency interviews for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Can't wait to see where she ends up!

Santa Belly

As Christmas rolls around the corner, desserts have been rolling around my midsection. Paula Deen and her buttery recipes have dominated the season, but that's a story for later. At Amy and Aaron's we had some yummy cakes which kicked off the baking extravaganza. Then, I assumed the domestic goddess role and made some chocolate peppermint blossoms (recipe compliments of Kami Cope Shaw's blog Everyday Heaven). I also whipped up some banana chocolate chip muffins and tiramisu brownies. Rest assured, these calories were shared among friends and others on my surgery team. Plus, I need the extra padding for the cold winter, right?

Giving Thanks

Right up until the evening of Tuesday, November 23rd, I had resigned myself to the fact that I would be spending Thanksgiving in Houston. I had feelers out with friends and their families for extra seats at the Thanksgiving table, and I even signed up for an early morning 10k turkey trot. Then the clouds parted and the upper-levels on my surgery team gave us the long weekend off (not just Thursday as originally dictated at orientation). Excitedly, I called my sister Sarah, gassed up the car, and headed 560 miles east to Navarre, Florida. I paused in Baton Rouge for the night before arriving at the Brehm's doorstep on 10:30am Thanksgiving morning.I made it in time to catch some of the Macy's Day Parade (apparently, this is actually called the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade- news to me!). Before I knew it, divine smells of deliciousness were wafting from the kitchen and the table was set. A couple of Sarah and Paul's friends from their squadron joined us for a wholesome, filling feast. I'll spare the so-good-it-makes-you-dizzy details of the melt-in-your-mouth stuffing, the sweet butternut squash soup with the zippy red pepper mousse, and the desserts- oh, the desserts! Suffice it to say, my sister is a world class cook and my belly hasn't been that happy in a long time.With our digestive juices tackling the heavy duty job in our stomachs, we put our gaming wits to use and engaged in a boisterous game of Mexican Train. Which reminds me: I need to host some game nights! Anyway, I slept very soundly that night and didn't even feel the urge to hit up Black Friday sales. Spending the day lounging around the house on Friday was a treat. Sarah and Paul's place is impeccably decorated, and I felt like I was staying in a home straight from the pages of a magazine. Relaxation was very easy to come by.On Saturday Sarah, Paul, Paul's mom Sue, and I fueled up on Tropical Smoothies then hit the greens... at Goofy Golf. Much to my delight, we played 36 holes of mini golf! Paul putt-putted his way to victory and Sue managed to pull off a big win at the final hole-in-one challenge for a free game. Speaking of holes-in-one, Sarah captured this awesome action shot of my successful attempt at putting into the frog's mouth so he poops it into the hole. Niiiiice! The weekend drew to a close much too soon, and my only consolation was that I would be seeing Sarah and Paul again in Idaho less than a month later. The drive back to Houston was long and nostalgic, but the memories I brought back with me left me feeling so thankful for my family and the precious time I get to spend with those exceptional people.