Ring in the new!

The question inevitably arises: How did you ring in your new year?

Some people will answer that they went to a party. Others will claim they had a fancy dinner. Still more will say they staid home and partied there.

I remember only a few New Year's Eve parties that were worth anything:

I remember hanging out at the Hopkins, making hats and singing "Auld Lang Syne" complete with incorrect lyrics and off key at the stroke of midnight.

I remember making a FANCY dinner and desert with my sister while house sitting for a friend of my mom's- she had an awesome house and her 300 lb. German Shepherd (Max) swore up and down he was a chihuahua.

I remember all those YM/YW dances I went to. 'Nuff said.

Probably my favorite one though was when Jacob and I watched Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail with a bottle of Martinelli's each, and around 12:05 said something along the lines of "oh! hey, happy new year" and went right on getting marti's sloshed.

This last one (08-09) I rang in the New Year 'Ashley style'- I read. And I will now admit it, I read the book Twilight. It was an entertaining and fast read. It DID suck me in and refuse to let go until I hit the last page. Standard literature it is not- and please don't argue with me on that. BUT, it was a good time. Drue is now reading it and when he is done (in 3 months) maybe we can catch the movie at the dollar theater.

The next question then follows: And what did you do on New Years Day?

Answer: nothing! Woo hoo!

I guess thats not really true- I did some laundry, dishes, folding, bed-making, crashing on the couch, movie watching, playing "mommy monster" with James, COOKING, cleaning up... It was, as my father so fondly says, "Just another day in Paradise". And boy did I cook- Dinner tonight was traditional fare for New Years Dinner in Texas:

Corned Beef- for health

Cabbage- for money

Black eyed peas- for luck

cornbread- for James

Martinelli's- for me (and Drue)

I think I'll not be making ALL of that from scratch again. I probably won't do the Beef again- beef sits really heavily in my stomach. I probably will try a different, EASIER, black eyed peas recipie. I will have MORE Martinelli's- one bottle just doesn't cut it.

Good Luck to all my friends, family, casual stoppers-by, rabid readers (if there are some..) and everyone who I left of the list, for this upcoming 2009.