So once a year we a host a huge party. We host Super Bowl for our mutual friends. We have people over often, but Super Bowl is our big one. So yesterday I spent the day cooking, Joe spent the day cleaning and we spent the evening relaxing with friends.
Another perk of my cooking all day? I finished the appetizer section of PW Cookbook! Two sections down, three to go!
All in all it was a good party. Now if only I didn't have to catch up on homework today....
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Monday, February 6, 2012
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Graf Family Traditions
One of my favorite parts of starting a new family with Joe is the holiday traditions we borrow from each other's families and the ones we create on our own. Here are some of our traditions:
Super Bowl- This is our big hosting event of the year. We invite all of our friends over to watch the big game and I spend the day cooking lots of yummy treats.
St. Patrick's Day- Every year I make crock pot Corned Beef and Cabbage and Irish Soda Bread. Last year we shared the meal with a couple of friends. Seeing as there is always an abundance of food, I would like to continue sharing that meal with friends or family. Also, last year all four of us learned the joy of Potato Leek soup.
Easter- In an attempt to fairly split our time between families, we have decided to spend each Easter in Wisconsin with my Mom's family. We don't always get to see everyone we want to, but we try our best.
Memorial Day- My Opa, German for Grandpa, was a World War II vet. Every year my mom, and me if I'm lucky, go to his army reunion. Every Memorial Day, we all go up to the cemetery where he is at for a beautiful service hosted by the cemetery.
Fourth of July- My brother usually hosts a BBQ on the Fourth. So we go over and hang with him and his friends.
Birthdays Day-This is a new tradition my mother and I have started this year. Seeing as all our birthdays are within four months, and we have five people, all with very unique schedules, we have decided to do one big celebration! Our first one is next Sunday.
Election Day: One thing my Dad always felt very strong about was voting. He has voted in every election since I can remember and has instilled the same passion into me. So no matter how cruddy I feel, I make it out the the polls and cast my vote every year. For the last presidential election I had a Returns Viewing Party for my fellow political buffs. I hope to do the same again next year.
Thanksgiving- This holiday we spend with Joe's side of the family. Often we meet with his mother's family and we have a nice dinner with them and then go to his Grandpa's house for desserts.
Anniversaries (yes, plural)- Our dating and wedding anniversaries are two days apart. Since there is a significant amount of time between the years (6 years!) we like to have a big celebration for both. We aren't really big on Sweetest or Valentine's Day, so we make this our big date night or weekend getaway of the year.
Sunday after Thanksgiving-This is the day I am usually able to convince Joe its time to get our Christmas tree. Since our first Christmas together we have been getting real trees...a first for me! If I ignore the needles on my floor, its definitely a tradition I love adopting! And, if I'm real lucky, I can even get Joe to bring up all the Christmas decorations from our storage unit! When we decorate we have adopted the German tradition of hiding a pickle ornament in our tree. Traditionally, when a child finds it they get a piece of candy. Since we are childless, one of us usually just hides it from the other.
St. Nicholas Day-This is a tradition we are taking from my parent's. During the night of December 5th and 6th St. Nick comes and fills our stockings. Even the kitties have one!
Baking Day- This is one of my favorite traditions! My lil sis/cousin comes over and we destroy my kitchen making baked goods for friends and family! Its an all day event with lots of delicious out comes!
Christmas Eve- Usually we both work Christmas Eve, but as I am without a job, I will have the day to get ready for our nighttime festivities. On Christmas Eve we drive up to Wisconsin and spend the night going to church with my Mom's side of the family.
Christmas Day- Christmas Day is a busy one for us. Usually in the morning/early afternoon we head out to Joe's mom's house and spend some time with his side of the family. Then in the late afternoon/evening we go to my aunt's house and celebrate with my dad's side of the family. THEN, my parents and brother come to our place for dessert and a family Christmas.
New Year's Eve- Every New Year's Eve our dear friends host a party, so we always spend the night with them, eating, playing games and welcoming the New Year.
Those are our current traditions, I am sure we will be developing more as the years go on.
Super Bowl- This is our big hosting event of the year. We invite all of our friends over to watch the big game and I spend the day cooking lots of yummy treats.
St. Patrick's Day- Every year I make crock pot Corned Beef and Cabbage and Irish Soda Bread. Last year we shared the meal with a couple of friends. Seeing as there is always an abundance of food, I would like to continue sharing that meal with friends or family. Also, last year all four of us learned the joy of Potato Leek soup.
Easter- In an attempt to fairly split our time between families, we have decided to spend each Easter in Wisconsin with my Mom's family. We don't always get to see everyone we want to, but we try our best.
Memorial Day- My Opa, German for Grandpa, was a World War II vet. Every year my mom, and me if I'm lucky, go to his army reunion. Every Memorial Day, we all go up to the cemetery where he is at for a beautiful service hosted by the cemetery.
Fourth of July- My brother usually hosts a BBQ on the Fourth. So we go over and hang with him and his friends.
Birthdays Day-This is a new tradition my mother and I have started this year. Seeing as all our birthdays are within four months, and we have five people, all with very unique schedules, we have decided to do one big celebration! Our first one is next Sunday.
Election Day: One thing my Dad always felt very strong about was voting. He has voted in every election since I can remember and has instilled the same passion into me. So no matter how cruddy I feel, I make it out the the polls and cast my vote every year. For the last presidential election I had a Returns Viewing Party for my fellow political buffs. I hope to do the same again next year.
Thanksgiving- This holiday we spend with Joe's side of the family. Often we meet with his mother's family and we have a nice dinner with them and then go to his Grandpa's house for desserts.
Anniversaries (yes, plural)- Our dating and wedding anniversaries are two days apart. Since there is a significant amount of time between the years (6 years!) we like to have a big celebration for both. We aren't really big on Sweetest or Valentine's Day, so we make this our big date night or weekend getaway of the year.
Sunday after Thanksgiving-This is the day I am usually able to convince Joe its time to get our Christmas tree. Since our first Christmas together we have been getting real trees...a first for me! If I ignore the needles on my floor, its definitely a tradition I love adopting! And, if I'm real lucky, I can even get Joe to bring up all the Christmas decorations from our storage unit! When we decorate we have adopted the German tradition of hiding a pickle ornament in our tree. Traditionally, when a child finds it they get a piece of candy. Since we are childless, one of us usually just hides it from the other.
St. Nicholas Day-This is a tradition we are taking from my parent's. During the night of December 5th and 6th St. Nick comes and fills our stockings. Even the kitties have one!
Baking Day- This is one of my favorite traditions! My lil sis/cousin comes over and we destroy my kitchen making baked goods for friends and family! Its an all day event with lots of delicious out comes!
Christmas Eve- Usually we both work Christmas Eve, but as I am without a job, I will have the day to get ready for our nighttime festivities. On Christmas Eve we drive up to Wisconsin and spend the night going to church with my Mom's side of the family.
Christmas Day- Christmas Day is a busy one for us. Usually in the morning/early afternoon we head out to Joe's mom's house and spend some time with his side of the family. Then in the late afternoon/evening we go to my aunt's house and celebrate with my dad's side of the family. THEN, my parents and brother come to our place for dessert and a family Christmas.
New Year's Eve- Every New Year's Eve our dear friends host a party, so we always spend the night with them, eating, playing games and welcoming the New Year.
Those are our current traditions, I am sure we will be developing more as the years go on.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Canada 2011
I met some amazing people when I studied abroad in college. We spent an amazing nine days together in London, where we did a literary tour ---have I mentioned how amazing the British Library is?. In the four years since we have had many failed attempts to travel together again. Illness, money and time all stood in our way. This year, however, we decided enough was enough and our passports were lonely and in desperate need of a new stamp. Money still being tight, we decided a road trip was our best bet.. So Friday morning we left Park Ridge at 6am (as in A.M., as in still dark, as in I may again be developing a caffeine addiction) to head towards the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. We spent the first day of Beth's first road trip driving for ten hours. We were lucky, the drive was bearable and we had several highway changes so we were never stuck doing the same thing for too long. When we finally arrived we spent our first night of vacation going out to dinner....raspberry margaritas anyone?....and seeing the falls lit up after dark. It was beautiful!
We then went back to our hotel to relax and indulge in an amazing chocolate cake!
The next day we got up and went to the Butterfly Conservatory. There were so many beautiful butterflies roaming around their green house. It was gorgeous and made for lots of beautiful pictures.
When we finished at the Conservatory, after a long search for that butterfly in the picture (it was a sneaky guy and hard to photograph) we walked around the botanic gardens that played host to the Conservatory.
That afternoon brought us back to the Falls. We did the Journey Behind the Falls which brings people through tunnels to view the falls from inside the waterfall.
We concluded our day with a ride on the Sky Wheel to see the Falls from above!
It was a wonderful vacation, and a very relaxing girl's weekend. We concluded a trip with a morning massage before our ten hour car ride home. I had a wonderful time and was thrilled to share this experience with my girlfriends. Here's to hoping we get another chance to travel together again!
The next day we got up and went to the Butterfly Conservatory. There were so many beautiful butterflies roaming around their green house. It was gorgeous and made for lots of beautiful pictures.
That afternoon brought us back to the Falls. We did the Journey Behind the Falls which brings people through tunnels to view the falls from inside the waterfall.
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