Christmas Eve 2011

Our Christmas Eve was filled with a small breakfast with our friend Karen and her mom, last minute shopping, a hunt for firewood that actually burns (only a little bit of luck here), lots of wrapping, football and some initial prep for Christmas dinner. Pretty action packed day.

We finally got a good fire going; my wife is proving to be the one who is more patient in this matter. It takes about 2 hours for us to get this apparently damp firewood to catch and stay caught. As soon as we succeed, we babysit that flame closely. No way we want that to go out! Here she is wrapping some gifts by the fireplace as her mom does some wrapping in the kitchen.

 

My mom is in town as well - great to be able to spend time with her and she will be here for a whole week! Pretty cool. Jozy has spotted her for someone who just might give in and give her a Christmas cookie or two. As a result, she just sits there and stares with patience.

To be honest, it's tough to resist Jozy sometimes...she's got the sad, begging eyes down to a science.

Making a list...

Had to run out to the liquor store today and stock up on the essentials. I think we are almost officially ready for all 11 family members. The only question is how long until the supply runs out...

Impatient

Jozy has found her stocking...

Hallelujah

I was walking past the Verizon Center tonight doing some Christmas shopping (I find myself unusually inspired to get this done early this year) and this song was being played live by a band on a small stage there. Beautiful night, beautiful song. The only thing missing was someone to share it with so here, I share it with you. This is a  great cover of Cohen's song being performed by 4 performers from Norway. They do this song more than just justice. Enjoy.

Fire

We are welcoming winter this evening with the first fire in our fireplace since we bought the house almost 6 years ago. Jozy is a fan.

Are you kidding me?

Congrats to my nephew! His team won the Western Mass Superbowl yesterday in Gillette Stadium 35-7. During the course of the game, Frankie ran for 123 yards, scored two touchdowns, and completed 5 of 5 passes for 89 yards and a pair of TDs. Somewhere in there was a fumble recovery as well (he played both cornerback and quarterback). Gotta love this quote from his coach:

'[He was] out of this world," said head coach Alex Rotsko of Elder. "Are you kidding me? He's a running back three weeks ago and now he's the starting quarterback at Gillette Stadium.

A Jets fan in Gillette!

Check out this interview below. This is my nephew in Longmeadow, MA - he stepped in as the surprise quarterback for this team two months ago due to injuries and has helped lead his team to the Western Massachusetts Division 1 Super Bowl. Pretty awesome.

Even better. They are playing the Super Bowl in Gillette stadium this Saturday. When asked if he was excited about playing on the same field as Brady he had this to say:

“I am a Jets fan,” he said when asked about playing on the same surface as Tom Brady. “Maybe it will be more like (Jets quarterback) Mark Sanchez.”

Good luck to my nephew Frankie - Go Lancers!