Merry Christmas

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

(Luke 2:10-11)

Naughty or Nice?

Here is my first attempt at publishing a video. 

This is Peanut making friends with Shelby, Holly's new pup!

 

A Griswold Family Christmas!

Don't you sometimes wish there were more than 24 hours in a day? After times like last weekend, I do. This weekend was GREAT. Christmas at Mom & Dad's. What more could you want than family, food and festivities. Too bad we never got around to those board games, Mom...maybe this weekend!

Presenting the Morris family Christmas card!

Happy family!

When have you ever been this excited about anything?

Close up of Coach and wifey...

Mark, the Ultimate Gator Fan, dressed as Brutus Buckeye! And its not even Halloween! Baby #3 is starting to show HIS/HER little noggin!

Finally, a family portrait courtesy of the good old Nikon point-n-shoot and its trusty timer. We got this picture on the first try and everything! Really, it turned out better than a lot of posed shots of our families. All eyes open and Rindler munchkins looking at the camera! Not sure what pose Peanut is making, though...

Merry Christmas, everyone! May your holidays be merry and bright and full of family and friends and faith and food and festivities and FUN. :) 

Best. Cookies. Ever.

Its Christmas cookie time in the Morris house!

Featured above are molasses cookies. I first sampled their deliciosity as goodie bag contents featured at Katie & John's wedding in October...try 'em and see! 

Molasses Cookies

INGREDIENTS

Cream together:

2 cups white sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup Crisco

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

Sift together:

4 1/2 cups flour

5 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Additional Ingredients:

Raw sugar 

One helpful husband with nothing to do after the Bengals game

 

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet. Form into 1 1/2" balls and roll in raw sugar. Bake 10 minutes in 375deg oven. 

Perfect with milk, coffee, tea or Great Lakes Brewery Christmas Ale. 

Special thanks go out to Kristin Flickenger for the recipe, Emily Baran for the cooling rack, and Brandie Boerger for the ice cream scoop that makes perfectly round cookies every time, for the anal-retentive dentist in all of us. 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The Christmas season was kicked off in a major way. After Thanksgiving Day, I tagged along with Mom and Dad to Chicago. It was perfect. Except Jeremy couldn't come...and except for the unnecessary silent treatment I recieived on the drive up. Really, Dad, I was only 35 minutes late for our departure! And I was only late because I was hanging out with this party gal. 

Thanks for lunch, Grandma! Happy Thanksgiving!

Mom and Dad finally forgave me, in enough time for me to play personal shopper and get them ready for their big wedding reception at The Peninsula. 

They clean up nicely, don't you think?

No trip to Chicago would be complete without a visit to my bestie, Meredith. We tried out Zed 451 and Pops For Champagne!

Love this girl.

David and his buddy. Hope you are feeling better, soon!

Okay, as many of you know, champagne is my favorite drink. Well, maybe only second to Slim Fast (of recent recall notoriety, which is REALLY complicating my normal breakfast routine).  Meredith and I had been planning on visiting Pops For Champagne since we finished residency. Unfortunately, the 25-dollar a glass (!) cocktails were a bit of a disappointment. Yikes. I only stayed for one drink, but it was a nice finish to a lovely evening on the town.

Mom and I got plenty of shopping in! I am officially finished with my Christmas list!

I love this tree--its by Bloomingdale's and Williams-Sonoma on Michigan avenue. Lovely.

The MOST wonderful time of the year...and to top it off, tonight is the Nationwide Children's Hospital Medical Staff party! The most wonderful NIGHT of the year! Too bad hubby is on his annual boys' trip HERE and won't be in attendance.

Bummeroonie

Last night, while Jeremy was working late, our home in Ironton was burglarized.

Things we lost in the crime:

1. Laptop computer 

2. $800 in cash and checks

3. Garmin GPS (But! They forgot the charger, so it won't last long!)

4. My wedding jewelry, bought especially for my wedding day by my dear husband

5. Two pairs of men's shoes (seriously, what are they going to do with a size 14?!)

6. One leather carry-on bag

7. Intact screen door

8. Two men's watches

9. Faith in our community

10. Our large change bowl, which we convert to paper money each time we go on a vacation

11. Peace of mind

As you all know, I lose stuff on a regular basis. I should be accustomed to this feeling. But this is much different. I feel like I lost a lot more than stuff last night.

We are lucky and I am grateful -- what the criminals stole are just things; they are all easily replaceable. And, truly, only a few of them even have sentimental value. 

We are lucky and I am grateful -- some valuable things were left untouched. 

We are lucky and I am grateful -- neither Jeremy nor I were home to be injured, and our home was not damaged or destroyed...Just wish I could say the same for my heart. 

Hallowedding

This Halloween was spent a little differently than in past years. I was lucky to be a bridesmaid in my good friend Katie's wedding to her handsome John.

It was SPOOKTACULAR!

Katie and John met a few years ago. I remember we met him for the first time at Brazenhead pub. I remember him being quiet, like Jeremy, and wondering if they would be able to hold a conversation while Katie and I caught up. I guess I underestimated the male capacity to discuss sports. John has a huge heart, and has done nothing but make Katie happy since I met him. Yay.

I met Katie in dental school, but I think we became much closer afterward, as the last two of our gang still in Columbus. Turns out Katie and I love a lot of the same things: Music, cooking, wine and jewelry...

Katie's dad, Tom, was quite the Master of Ceremonies, taking about ten minutes to gush about Katie and her accomplishments. What a great expression of a father's love!

Lovely autumnal flowers...

For an equally lovely couple!

Best wishes and may God bless you, Katie & John!

Waiting for Jeremy...

I think Peanut and I, both, will be glad when this trial is over and we can see our man again.

Backyard Beauty

Just because. This beauty and its friends are growing, pretty much without any effort from me, in our backyard in Columbus. Nay, winter, nay!

Cute Kids Without Cavities!

This is the American Dream, folks. Enjoy! :)

A Tale of Two Limos

This tragic tale begins back in May of '09, on the night my little sister Kristin's wedding. Late in the evening of their wedding day, the smart, young groom had properly planned for transportation to escort them to their home. As the newly minted couple was readying to leave for their first night as man and wife, an unfortunate thing occured: the arrival of a Limo Bus (GASP!) rather than the sumptuous stretch limo requested...

Unhappily, this sent the new young bride into what can be best described as "hysterics." Despite the happy, happy day, the bride was inconsolable about the arrival of the "Limo Bus" (It was like the vehicle that brings you from the airport parking lot to the airport. Klassy.). Me thinks it was just "a long day" for the bride. 

Flash forward six months....the smart groom secured a COMPLIMENTARY limousine as a result of the wedding night car-tastrophe...and was romantic and thoughtful enought to surprise his wife with a stretch HUMMER limousine, all of her sisters in it, and a great dinner at Mancy's in Toledo, Ohio.

The bride was ecstatic. And surprised. 

We had food...

...and drink....

...and pointy heels...

...and big, big smiles...

Too bad the sweet stretch Hummer never even left the parking lot. 

BATTERY TROUBLE. It wouldn't even start!

Foiled again. (WAH - WAH - WAAAAAAH)

But, this time, the limo company sent a back up stretch limo (not a Hummer, but lovely nonetheless...) and we all made it to Mancy's anyway. (I guess this is a tale of three limos, now that I think about it!) And no one cried at all. In fact, quite the opposite!

Mancy's was one of the best meals of my whole life!! Thanks, Mr. Miller, for including us in all the fun. We are the luckiest.

Cheers!

Mark and Kelly! And Baby #3 on the way!

Birthday girl with birthday cosmo!

Really, this was one of the most special nights ever...hanging out with my sisters and their cool husbands, my cool husband...in a limo! AWESOME

Fun Fall!

Okay, so the Buckeyes lost today...but they won last week!! And Jeremy and I got to see the game firsthand, with our buddies, Meredith and David.

We started out the day with a little tailgating at Riverwatch, which featured the band the "Naked Karate Girls." They were...um...ornery! But really great to watch and hear -- they played a lot of my favorites: "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys, "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey, and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. And interesting combination, I know, but this was a pretty interesting band. 

Look at the enormous beers at Riverwatch!

Self portrait later on at the game...very very sunny!

The Best Band in the Land:

The Friday before the game, Meredith and I attended the 3rd International Symposium on the Oral-Systemic Health Connection in Children (OSHCC), my favorite CE of the year! Its like a reunion for all the past residents of Nationwide Children's Hospital pediatric dental program...here are some of the first years, studying hard! Yes, the CE is very good, too! 

More past residency pals!

And then....Friday was Bosses' Day! My fanatastic office manager/therapist/HR department/in-house EMT, Jessi, sent me a surprise fruit basket while I was at work at Children's. *So lucky!*


I have already eaten three of the bananas! Bananas! Just like Rachel Zoe! 

In Support of High School Extracurriculars

Oh the wonder that is high school football! This weekend I finally made it out to see my sister and brother-in-law, Adam & Kristin, at their new digs in Ottawa. Adam is a coach for the Ottawa-Glandorf Titans (I think they are 4-1 right now!! Which is more than the Browns can say. Ick.), so the Schafer family (sans Mom, who is touring St. Louis with her galpals) caught their game! And the Titans won! And it was homecoming! Every girl in their homecoming court wore a crown....I never got tired of Halle and Emi pointing and squealing out, "THERE'S A QUEEN!!" 

(Taken from my iPhone--sorry its a little blurry!)

I had forgotten how much fun school-supported events can be...

What I love about high school sports in Northwest Ohio:

1. Kids demonstrating their skills in sports or musical instruments or dancing or flips just because it makes them happy...after a long, hot summer of practices.

2. 50 - 50 drawings...and then the winner usually donates some or all of their winnings back to the school.

3. High school bands playing the theme from Zelda and Super Mario Brothers.

4. Adults providing grass-roots support to their kids and communities with pats on the back, handshakes and hotdogs.

5.  Character development: Sometimes you drop the baton, sometimes you throw an interception, sometimes you lose the big game...but you keep on keepin' on...

Most of the kids (and adults, ahem: the coaches, referees, and music directors) out there that night were not doing their thing in hopes of getting a full-ride scholarship, or being discovered by a scout in the stands, or for any monetary reward. Just because. 

I hate to see these school programs dissolve when tax levies fail. Vote YES when your school's tax levy comes up.  Support intangible things like teamwork, perseverance, and community values and all the tangible things that happen in the classroom, too.  A failed levy causes families to consider other school districts first, or worse, causes a mass exodus of established families out of the district so their children can have the benefits of all the things I wrote about before. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now and watch the Browns lose AGAIN. 

Honeymoon!

Sometimes when I blog about really great things, the song "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds plays in the backround...

When planning our wedding, we weren't really sure if we could go on a honeymoon...I had already taken a lot of time off of work that month and still needed more time away to take my Oral Board Exam in pediatric dentistry. Its hard to make your staff take almost a 50% paycut because you aren't there! But, after hemming and hawing about mini-trips to Chicago or Niagara Falls, and then taking a bigger trip at Christmas, we said, "what the heck, we're only doing this once, let's do it right!" Here's Jeremy celebrating our good decision on the 2nd floor of the Moana Surfrider hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the most amazing hotel ever! (Except for maybe the Greenbrier of my past posts...) It is the oldest hotel on Oahu, completely open-air, and felt like taking a trip back to the 1900's. Lots of rocking chairs and history. So, so cool.

This is our view from our room at the Moana. You could see Waikiki Beach and Diamondhead perfectly...we didn't want to leave our balcony!

Later in our week, we flew to Maui...we biked down Haleakala, an active volcano great after watching the sunrise from the summit! Great suggestion, Tracy!

 After a freezing cold experience on Haleakala, we spent lots of time at the beach, visited the towns of Lahaina and Paia, and ate at Mama's Fish House. Wonderful food again! They had cool parrots and this cool MC Escher sidewalk...I hope you can see it...

This is an example of the quality of food at Mama's Fish House: The Black Pearl dessert. Yummy chocolate mousse with a ganache coating inside a cookie oyster shell. Amazing. I'll never eat anything so perfect ever again. 

More great eating. (Our sight-seeing pictures are on my yet-to-be-developed disposable cameras...) My bestie, Meredith, who used to live on Maui, recommended the Lahaina Grill for dinner. They were very nice and took a picture of us to celebrate the occasion!  As you can see, Jeremy didn't totally follow my advice on suncreen...

In between all this eating (and I didn't even tell you about the conveyor-belt sushi!!), we toured Pearl Harbor, swam and swam and swam, slept for 12 hours straight every night and drank lots of kona coffee. We were happy as clams...or oysters...whatever, it was spectacular. Hopefully one day we can go back to celebrate our 25th anniversary!