Christmas 2011...

Patrick and I spent Christmas in Michigan again this year with my side of the family. We spent Christmas Eve with them and we ate Chinese food, played games, went on a drive to look at Christmas lights, and watched the Luke 2 video.

Following tradition we slept out by the tree in our living room. Unfortunately we both didn't sleep very well, we decided it was a combination of having the bright tree right by us and being so excited.  But even with a lack of good sleep we of course had a great Christmas morning. We slept in compared to last year and got up a little before 7. We opened gifts and headed out to church at my parents ward.

After church we went to my parents house and finished preparing dinner. Then we opened presents as it finished cooking. My parents gave us a few Hawaiian themed things to celebrate our upcoming family trip to Hawaii this springtime. We spent the rest of the day relaxing, watching movies, eating treats, and playing games.

GMAT...

is done!!! After studying for a long time. Patrick ramped up the studying a few months before the test by taking a prep course in Ann Arbor. This meant that most of his free time went to GMAT studying, he studied everyday and put in extra hours on weekends. He took the test in December and was happy with his score. Instead of going out to dinner to celebrate Patrick wanted to cook. So he cooked salmon, broccolini, pasta, and a cream sauce. It was delicious and we are happy that Patrick did so well!

The Redford Theater...

Patrick took me to an old theater called The Redford Theater when we were first dating. It shows classic movies and is run by volunteers. One of the best things about the theater is it's original pipe organ that gets played before each movie and during intermission. It rises up from the floor and is AMAZING! The theater is also decorated in a Japanese motif with a night sky ceiling, complete with twinkling lights. Ever since we first went and saw the Labyrinth we've wanted to go back. We tried last year with my parents, but dinner ran long and there was traffic. So we made plans to go again, but had a wedding to go to. This Fall we decided that we had to go before the year was over and decided to see Miracle on 34th Street. We forgot all about it until one of the daily deal websites had it featured days before it would be shown. So we were able to grab 2 tickets along with a popcorn and drink to share for $6. We were excited about the deal and excited we finally got to go back to the theater!

Our Christmas Tree...

 This year we went to pick out our tree the day after Thanksgiving. The weather was warm and sunny, perfect for our hunt. After a lot of looking we decided on one!

 I cut down the tree this year!

Patrick put up the lights. We went out and bought a few more strands so it would be extra bright.

 

 We decorated in our pj's.

This is the ornament we picked out for 2011 to help us remember our trip to California.

Thanksgiving...

We spent Thanksgiving at my parents house this year. Originally it was just going to be with them and my brother Taylor. But things changed, Danielle and Chad were there along with my cousin Dustin, his wife Katie, and their daughter Ashlynn (the three of which are the first extended family that Patrick has met).

Most of the cooking was done the day before which made the day more relaxing.

Taylor with the appetizers that included vegetables, stuffed celery, salomi horns, and pinneapple boats.

Patrick carving the turkey. He was very hygienic as he wore latex gloves.

Everyone all together!

October...

We tried some new recipes this month.

Pork chop with watermelon and cucumber salad

Hummus and naan 

Chicken Fatoush Salad

  Danielle and Chad came over to carve pumpkins and make caramel apples.

August and September...

August:

We went putt putt golfing.

Danielle and Chad came with us.

 

We both just happened to get a hole-in-one on the exact same hole!

 Patrick gave me these shoes for my birthday because he new I wanted to try to mod podge them. They turned from this

 to this!

I made this yarn wreath when I was canceled from work one day.

September: 

Us eating tasty tacos and beans in Mexican town.

Us at the Imagination Station. Patrick has always talked about visiting this place. Some people purchased blighted homes in Detroit and have worked to turn them into art.

 Frakenmuth had been calling our names so we went up for a visit. We went with my side of the family and stopped at Tony's or "bacon heaven" on the way. We have never seen so much bacon before. It was insane. Patrick and I split this breakfast and still had some leftover.

 We walked around the outdoor mall and downtown.

Everyone in front of the Cheese Haus. One of our favorite stops.