Merry Christmas one and all!

Are you having deja vu?  Me disappearing shortly after Thanksgiving?  I guess I need to embrace the fact that December is one busy month!  Well, here I am.  Refreshed, renewed, at least five pounds heavier and excited to begin regularly blogging again.

As you all know, this site is as much a photo journal of my adventures as it a cooking blog.  This post will align with the first description more than the second. Sorry if I dissapointed. 

This Christmas marked a couple of firsts: I hosted my very first Christmas, complete with the grocery shopping, decoration hanging, bed making, Christmas wrapping, and all the mayhem associated with hosting nine humans and three canines in one house.  It was remarkable -- everyone got along, no one got overly intoxicated, and I didn't poison anyone with my food.  Merry Christmas one and all! 

Also, the Great Samoan Hunter and I cut down our first Christmas tree.  I imagined the outing would resemble others where we hike into the woods, climb mountains, and return 12 twelve hours later exhausted and starving with a Charlie Brown tree.  Much to my surprise, we found a glorious tree after walking only 50 yards. I think it was the prettiest tree in the whole forest. 

  

Since Heather, AKA Martha Stewart, could not join us for the holiday, I had to step up my wrapping game.  3337 pieces of tied yarn later, not sure the beauty was worth the effort.

My consolation prize for HOURS of wrapping, the Cooking Channel and Food Network.

Before everyone arrived at the river mansion, the temperatures hovered around zero.  When the Great Samoan Hunter decided it would be fun to take his dad duck hunting a few days later, the temperatures dropped to a balmy -14.  My camera frosted shut.  My shutter reluctantly captured a few shots before it retired for a cup of hot coffee.

These ducks were not shot the day my nostrils and eyelids froze shut. 

Nothing moved in those temperatures, less the hunting lunatics.

Thanks to the cold temperatures, we were able to utilize the deck as a walk in refrigerator/freezer, as the kitchen was bursting with delicious food. In fact, I still have enough food stored to host another Christmas.  Don't judge me if I feed you Christmas ham in March.

Christmas Eve buffet table with all things good and holy.

In addition to wonderful food and family, we also were incredibly lucky to receive a special visit from Santa. His visit was complete with crying babies, presents and camouflaged muck boots.

After the family left, I ditched the frigid temperatures and snow.  Four airports, a sunrise, a sunset, and innumerable crying babies, I arrived:

 Saipan!

I packed an extra suitcase filled with Heather and Nick's Christmas presents and got to celebrate all over again!  I couldn't get enough of the fake snowmen and palm trees decorated with lights.  

 We rang in the New Year with true Hodges class.

And danced with the Japanese teenagers who had overrun the hotel.  They couldn't get enough of Heather.

In addition to hopping from beach to beach, happy hour to happy hour, mainly I ate my way through Saipan.  Heather and Nick were the most amazing tour guides. I sure miss them. 

Thursday night street fair = fabulous people watching and cheap and delicious food.

Whole squid, anyone?

 

This is called the Saipanda.  I consumed as many fruity beverages with flowers and/or umbrellas as my wallet and waistline would afford.  Thanks to this trip, I am now actively seeking employment and a personal trainer.

Between the beach lounging, fruity drinks, spicy tuna rolls and snorkeling, we snuck in a tour of a merchant marine ship.

 

 As you can tell from the photos, the past several weeks have not been any fun.  Truly, all I can say is that I am so grateful and feel very blessed for having the opportunity to spend time with family in amazing locales.  2011 went out with tons of love and laughter and 2012 has continued with even more.  I'm looking forward to the great fun that is in store in the coming months.  I hope you and yours also had a wonderful holiday! 

I promise my next post will be food related . . . a recipe even . . . probably a healthy one considering the decadence that has ensued recently.  See you then! xoH