NYE and Swedish Christmas

Since it isn't a Wordless Wednesday post (for once!) I can tell ya what is going on!

New Years Eve

Our New Years was pretty low key. We went and visited my brothers (who live in a house now, they aren't in the trailer anymore which makes me so happy)for awhile. It was great to see them and their new surroundings, right near my grandparents house actually!

After that we went out to dinner with my parents and other brother to a great retaurant for an early seating. It was actually the place my parents got married so it was very sentimental! We had a delicious four course meal that I am dreaming of still! I had an east coast west coast seafood platter (crab claws, shrimp, sashimi, and sushi), a spinach salad with feta and walnuts apples craisins and basalmic vinagrette. Entree was maple roasted duckling breast over a warm pecan tart (YUM) with cranberry sauce. Dessert was stellar... it was called the retro ring ding and they are famous for it. It was vanilla mousse, chocolate mousse, devils food cake, and chocolate ganache with a gold star on top. Oh my God it was amazing. Couple all that with delicious wine and a champagne toast and I was quite content! After we had to go home and nap for an hour to recove! We then went over to our family friends' house, (Fran and Rob!) and hung out with the adults while the kids (ok and my husband) played manhunt in the freezing cold waiting for the ball to drop.

Here are some pictures from Fran and Rob's on... I forgot to bring my camera to dinner!

Rocking the 2011 glasses! How do kids wear that style? It drove me nuts for the 2 minutes I wore them!
Add some hats, champagne, and non annoying glow in the dark glasses for a good time!
30 seconds to go on the Time Square countdown!

My New Years Kiss
Staying warm by the fire. Man oh man I look exhausted in this picture.

Swedish Christmas

A tradition I do with my best friend Sam's family...

The candles at the beginning of dinner.... they melt fast, you'll see!
My place setting. Name tag, antique shot glass... good to go!
Danielle pouring the Aqua Vit. Love the ice encasing with holly and pine!

Oh how quickly those candles melt! I was having fun poking at them with the wax that fell.
Ryan survived his first Swedish Christmas! It was my 9th. I only missed last years since I was in Disney, otherwise I'd been going since I was 13 years old.
Helan gar... the Swedish drinking song that accompanies dinner. And my shot glass.
Some nice couple-y pictures for God Jul! And I didn't get one on Christmas so I made him!
I tried to make it pretty with our new laptop's photo editor... not quite there yet.


As always.... he gets me on the cheek
Then we go and sing Mitch Miller in the basement. Every year this part makes me laugh. We also play drinking games with some of the songs.... (ie 'Must be Santa' taking a drink on every 'Santa' or drinking during the 'Fiiiiiiiiive Gooolden Riiiiiiiings' nonstop for '12 Days of Christmas')
Now we are all tipsy/drunk and in food comas so we exchange presents and do Secret Santa.
This part can be quite entertaining too. The red bag with green stringy stuff is the one I gave!
Debating who gets what....
Then we always start balling up the wrapping paper and throwing it at one another!
INCOMING!
Then Ryan and I got.... the FRUIT THING. Dun dun dunnnn. Sam's parents got it as a gift five years ago and the next year passed it on as a joke. It just kept going! Sam got it last year and passed it on to Ryan and I this year! It was hysterical.
It's also kind of gross. Most of it has turned black, as you can see. Ewww. But I signed our names on it and we left it at the house. Sam didn't expect us to take it with us, but Lord knows where we will be this time next year. With re-enlisting and trying to lat move and most likely pcsing... it is just all up in the air. Plus Ryan wants to do Christmas in SC since we did NJ this year (and do my family for Thanksgiving, switch it up) so the likelihood of being there.... small.

:(

I hope you all enjoyed your New Years celebrations!