Where have we been?

It has been quite a busy 5 days for us.

Saturday night was the annual Vodka Latke Party that I helped throw. Last year it was at our house with 50+ people and I just couldnt mentally do it again this year with all of the upcoming stuff I had going on in the week. Our rabbi and her husband graciously asked to host and it was a blast. She had always wanted to have a margarita party at her house so we added Margar

itas and Miracles to the title. We had almost 70 people this year which was a record for our group: NextDOR (which means the next generation in Hebrew). Admission for the party was either a bottle of vodka or latkes. We had a latke cook off contest beteween all of the people that brought them. Here are the winners with their prizes (Vodka!).

The best part of the night was when we realized that their started to form a "keg party" on the rabbi's front lawn. One of the participants makes her own homebrew which I have been told is amazing, and we set it up on the porch. Between folks drinking beer on the front porch and the massive blow up Hanukkah Teddy Bear and Driedel the rabbi's front lawn was a sight to be seen that night.

Sunday I got up super early and drove to Raleigh for brunch with my girls from college. Lindsey and Heather hosted and we all had a fantastic time celebrating together. This was probably the first time ALL of us had been together since graduation. It's amazing how much can change in 5-6 years. 

Heather and I are both pregnant and only 4 weeks apart! 

Lindsey gave us both adoreable NC State sippy cups to congratulate us and they will definitely be put to use! We did a dirty gift exchange and had a blast stealing from Sarah as we always seem to do :). Caroline also got engaged after 8 years of dating her boyfriend. We were all in shock and screaming because we could not believe it had finally happened. Her ring is to die for....gorgeous, but then again after all those years of waiting it was worth the wait!

Next stop was Clayton to visit Cassie, Nathan and their new baby Garrett. I had a lovely time with them and it was so great to see the little man. He is quite cute and I got to hold him for awhole. Cassie also gave me some great breast feeding tips that I will definitely be utilizing wh

en my time comes in a few months!

Finally my last stop was Courtney and Josh's to celebrate the First Night of Hanukkah. I was pretty bummed that I couldn't be with Philip to celebrate, but his work schedule wouldnt allow him to leave Charlotte for a day. Philip has been home working like a crazy man because this is his busy time of year at work. Courtney and Josh put together an amazing Hanukkah dinner. Josh's potato latke's were probably THE BEST I have ever had. My camera died (I can't stand this thing and am counting the days till I order my new one) so I have no photos of the rest of the night. I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends who opened their home to me on Hanukkah. By 8:45 I was exhausted. This was such a long day for me. I made my way back to my hotel room and Anne met up with me. She was in for our girls brunch and visiting her sister. I had two beds at the hotel so it was the perfect chance for us to catch and get a little "us" time. I missed her terribly over the past 5 years while she was working for the Republican National Committee and White House. p.s. She was pretty important :).

Monday I went to the office in Raleigh. I could type a novel about my day in the office. I will leave it at... I could never work in the office and do my job. I am so thankful that I work from home. We did a white elephant gift exchange at lunch and I got Catch Phrase which we are looking forward to playing! Monday night was our company holiday dinner at Bogart's. It was lovely and they definitely did it up right. I enjoyed Flank Steak, Mashed Potato's, Asparagus, Salad and Apple Pie.....I was full and exhausted. It was nice to make a visit but I was completely exhausted. Being pregnant has wiped the life out of me in my 2nd trimester.

Tuesday I woke up at 5 and drove home. I was so ready to be back in Charlotte and to see Philip and Bella and to CELEBRATE HANUKKAH!