au revoir

see you next year!

we have arrived..

adam and i just arrived in new york at six pm. we made reservations at Craft (ten blocks south of where we are). dinner was delicious and adam's sister caroline met us for a little bit to catch up.

sn:

foie grae starter

short ribs with a side of potato gratin (everything rich.. i didn't do a good balance)

am:

beet salad to start

monkfish with a side of garlic risotto (soo good)

Joe pointed out to me that this restaurant is Tom Cocclichio of Top Chef fame.

image

Maud

adam and i spent a peaceful afternoon in Maud, Oklahoma with his uncle Butch and Aunt Barb. they always have yummy snacks ready for us. These are photo's of their frozen pond. I walked on it for a second but it started to crack. They have a panther that visit's their property.


we took a walk around their land. Butch and Barb stayed inside because they were cold.

cocktails

heading to miami

on our way to sunny miami from snowy michigan

oh christmas tree

our christmas tree

our mantle (we received quite a collection of holiday card's this year)

we got a package from adam's sister today. wow!

we're off

last minute packing, sorting and we will be off tomorrow morning. merry christmas and happy early birthday to my brother!

scanning

i kind of went crazy with the scanner this morning. it's a good thing that most of my photo's are still in california..

print scan

got a new toy today. a copier, scanner, and photo printer in one!

brunch

saturday: bacon, eggs, hash browns, and english muffin

sunday: whole wheat pancakes

i need's to pack

i better get on packing.. i need clothes for outdoor, warm weather, cold weather, and for fancy dinners.. i would hate to overpack.... wish me luck.

winter garb

what i wore to the co-op to buy milk today.. i feel so mid-western wearing weather boots and so many layers.



this picture doesn't make my outfit look that bad but i felt gross. i wore fleece and a green christmas (snowman) shirt.

ace hotel

i just made our reservations for new york hotel at ace. so excited to be spending new years in the big apple! now i have to look for restaurant's for new year's eve..

package

we received a christmas package from adam's uncle and aunt from Maud. i think she made these peanut brittle from scratch. i had a few but i'm sure adam won't notice. :)

she also sent me some towels that say, "ho ho ho." is she implying something?

it's almost christmas..

our neighbor liz invited us to a trunk show for a local jewelry designer. i was a bit hesitant to go especially because i am so awkward but turns out that one of the lady designer's work part-time at the coop. we purchased some earrings for my mom there. i'm glad i went, it was pretty fun..

adam said we have a total of seven friends in mount pleasant now. haha.

rice cooker

can i tell you that the worst thing that could possibly happen to a japanese person, happened? okay, i might be exaggerating a little but my rice cooker broke!!! my wonderful mom is looking into shipping me a new one.. but only if it doesn't cost too much. until then, i am using our le crueset dutch oven.. not the same though...

mock grandparents

these are adam's grandparents, Haskell and Louise Mock. they are aged 92 and 90. adam hit his grandma with a football thanksgiving weekend.

okc to mi

Maud

We traveled to adam's uncle's house in Maud, Oklahoma during thanksgiving weekend. Maud is a small town east of Oklahoma city. His uncle owns more than 160acres of land which has been in the Merkle family for generations. The place is sooo pretty.caroline's boots.

adam's aunt is driving all of us in their golf cart..


the pond on the land. adam's uncle said there are huge fish that live there


i drank michalob ultra in a beer cozy.

snow!!

it doesn't quite look like this but it is snowing in mount pleasant! weird, but it looks a bit like ash.

christmas flights

adam is currently looking for our flights from michigan to miami to oklahoma to new york to michigan. this is going to be one expensive holiday...

frankenmuth

adam and i decided to take a drive to frankenmuth this weekend. frankenmuth is the little bavaria of mighigan. they have an oktoberfest every year.this is the christmas cookie adam bought at brommers. they are the biggest christmas store in the world! the cookie looks bad but tastes pretty good. combining our total, we spent over $120 on a christmas store. can you imagine?




my michigan guide says that we are supposed to eat at zehnders for chicken dinners or bavarian inn. we chose bavarian inn.
adam waiting for our traditional bavarian food. he's a little hungry= grumpy.
adam and i both tried their beer sampler:


bavarian inn dark beer- brewed exclusively for the bavarian inn. roasted malt produces the rich dark color. a perfect blend of mild hops and full-bodied malt flavor makes this an outstanding dark lager.

blue moon- a belgian-style white beer. crisp and clean, this unfiltered ale is served with the traditional slice of orange.

heidelberg light - a bavarian inn tradition since 1966, a crisp and refreshing american style lager. very light with a smooth finish, a perfect complement to food.

hofbau original - imported from the hofbrau brewery of munich, germany. this is the same german lager served in the world famous hofbrauhaus. enjoy, smile and be German........PROST!


our bavarian meal (it also came with a ton of sides)

man shops globe

addicted to sundance channel's man shop's globe. keith johnson is a buyer for anthropologie and scours the world for the unique furniture/trinkets you see in the stores..


adam usually hates the television i watch but he finds this show pretty entertaining.

want want want want want

the bike shop in mount pleasant doesn't carry the amsterdam becuase it's a bit pricey..