Welcome 2011!

The holidays seemed to fly by this year...or at least they didn't last as long as I wished they would have. Tonight is probably being spent by most getting prepared to go back to work tomorrow. I don't know about you but the holidays were wonderful this year, I will happily return to the office because I had such a fulfilling few days away.

Getting ready for our annual Christmas Eve party

Laughing our heads off while reading our Christmas letter from Uncle Bob

All the girls got matching red slippers to prance around in...we were short one pair but luckily I showed up with my own, not knowing that this was the plan!

We spent some time glancing through our guest book, which goes back as early as 1988. It was fun reminiscing about who our guests were and which ones have attended the longest!

All the "kids" got together for some pictures. Its easy to forget about documenting the night, but as we realized earlier in the day, its so nice to have a record of these memories!

Christmas Morning! Everyone is bright eyed and cheery. By the way - I won the pickle this year! In yo' face sisters! You better bring it to the egg hunt this year!

 After all the gifts were opened, some of us curled up for a nap while others rushed around to prepare Christmas dinner! I was so happy to entertain my family in Philly this year, thanks for coming everyone!

King's first trip to Philly!

The next day bf and I enjoyed a leisurely brunch at Farmicia. As you know, I love this restaurant year 'round, but its especially beautiful during the holidays. And even better, it started snowing while we sipped our coffee. Beautiful, just beautiful.

 Then New Years Eve rolled around. Bf allowed me to take him to my favorite restaurant in Philly - Salt and Pepper. They recently moved their location from literally around my corner to South Philly. We had an interesting experience navigating our way up and down Oregon Avenue and finally we arrived safely at the restaurant. When my sisters visited in the summer, we had dinner here and they both loved it so much, they still talk about it. And I was happy to hear that bf felt the same way. At least I think that's what it means when he says "This is sooo good" over and over.

A New Year's banana split for two!

Bf and I savored every bit of our meal and sip of wine so much that we lost track of time. So we had to rush out of the restaurant and get up to Olde City to enjoy the fireworks at Penn's Landing.

All this fun was followed up by some dancing at Continental, a popular bar around the corner from Penn's Landing. Somehow, even in a room full of dancing/drinking fools, it felt like just the two of us having an amazing time. Hopefully this won't be the last post about his dancing skills - he's the best!

New Year's resolutions? Just to make the most of every day that lies ahead, because as time goes on, I realize how wonderfully easy my life has become. Happy New Year! Here's to an amazing 2011!!