Happy New Year, it’s what? 2009!?!

Happy New Year everyone.  I had a great 2008 and look forward to an even better 2009.  I hope you all had a good New Year’s Eve and bid a fond farewell to 2008 with beloved friends and family.  I had a great time on Dec. 31st.  We threw a last minute party that included good pizza, great beer and excellent company.  Brooke, M and Jason played a multi-hour game of WizWar with M finally the victor by casting an illusion of sudden death on Brooke. The party friends = Lucy, SLH, Jason, Misty, Greta, Alec, Tavin, Marcelo, Kate, Chaya, Master Bash and lil’ Sylvia, + me & Brooke.  I think it is a good equation, friends + me and Brooke = a great time.

f + tB = GT²

We also played a few games on the Wii.  We made some Mii characters of a several folks so now they are on my system to taunt me from time to time.  I got photos of Master Bash and Chaya next to their Mii characters.  Great job!

I bought some take-away-bake-at-home pizzas from the gourmet grocery, then we all loaded them up with delicious toppings and tossed them in the oven.  I’ve done it a couple of times and it’s a great party food option.  You go out and get a plain cheese take away and bake at home pizza, then set out bowls with a myriad of delicious toppings. The options we had were: pepperoni, canadian bacon, sauteed red onions, basalmic mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, spinach, and kalamata olives.  I also made two big pasta dishes, tortellini with pesto sauce and corkscrew macaroni with marinara and mozzarella.  SLH brought some dessert, we also had a few things I bought at the bakery.  I picked up two growlers from the very awesome Mac and Jack’s Brewery in Redmond, WA.  We had a 1/2 gallon of both Black Cat Porter and African Amber.

** SYLVIA THE CUTE ** SYLVIA THE CHATTY  ** SYLVIA THE DARING ** SYLVIA THE DOLL **

I got to see the lovely Miss Sylvia again yesterday.  She is such a doll.  She was busy wandering around the house with a chaperone in tow (my house isn’t exactly child-proofed by any stretch of the imagination).  She is vocalizing a lot and when appropriate, looks at you and speaks a nonstop singsong of babyspeak that is so danged cute you could just pop her in your mouth and swallow her whole.  <sigh>  It makes me want to scream, “WHERE’S MY TOTALLY CUTE BABY ALREADY?!?!”  Oh well, patience is a virtue, right?  You can see all the photos I took here.

2009 FIREWORKS SHOW AT THE SPACE NEEDLE

When it was coming upon the midnight hour, we broke out a couple bottles of bubbly and another of sparkling apple/grape juice, filled up our glasses and waited for the countdown.  Since we had extra time, a “leap second” this year, I made sure that everyone counted down like this 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…1 – Happy New Year!  We watched the fireworks at the Space Needle on TV.  It was a great show with no delays (last year they had a computer crash that delayed the show).  This year it all went off smoothly and the fireworks and music were both really great.

After wishing everyone a happy new year and enjoying a toast, I got my first smooch of 2009.  Yay!  I am always so happy bringing in the New Year with my sweetie and a small group of friends.  The games were super fun and everyone seemed to have a good time. I enjoyed 2008 and I look forward to what’s to come in 2009.  I wish you all much happiness, tons of love, and good fortune the New Year.
--Traci