Birthday Celebrations

Bergen and I both have birthdays that fall in December. That makes it quite a busy month once you add our birthdays to the holiday celebrations.

I had Bergen's birthday off so while he was at work, I was able to make his birthday preparations. His two birthday requests were a night in and that I make him my version of Noodles and Company's Wisconsin Mac and Cheese. I made him mac and cheese (as the side dish) and also made pork chops suffed with spinach, gouda cheese, and bacon. I found the recipe in Costco's cookbook they give away on Black Friday and it's definitely a new favorite.

Bergen, well both of us actually, loves going to the market so the next morning we got up and drove into downtown Seattle to visit Pike Place. We had a great time looking at all it had to offer and getting into the Christmas spirit with all its decorations.

Sunday we went over to Bergen's parents for dinner. Karen had made pork tenderloin (one of Bergen's favorites) and then he opened presents and sliced up one of Costco's famous chocolate cakes.

My birthday was this past weekend and boy did I feel spoiled! Friday night I got a message from my mom that Pier One was holding a present for me to go pick up the following morning. My parents had gotten me the cutest measuring cups and spoons. They're so cute I can't bear to put them away in a drawer. Later that afternoon Bergen and I went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie. We hadn't been to a movie in a while so that was a nice treat. Afterwards we got a Chicago style pizza for dinner.

All Saturday Bergen kept asking me when I wanted to open his present to me. I told him I could wait till my birthday but I caved and opened it Saturday night. His gifts were sweet. He got me a colorful scarf, a charm necklace and a bottle of bubble bath that smells like warm vanilla.

Sunday we went over to his parents house for dinner. Karen had made beef stroganoff for me. I've had that for my birthday for as long as I can remember! The presents Bergen's family gave me made me feel so spoiled and I love everyone of them! I feel very blessed to have married into such a great family.

One of my favorite things about my birthday was spending time with family-- whether it was in person or on the phone. It's a rare occurrence that I get to hear everyone's voice all in the same day.

WIth both of us turning another year older, I've got a feeling that this upcoming year has a lot of good things in store.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

I have always loved the month of December. In my opinion, it is the best month out of the year. Once you take a step back from all of stress and chaos of holiday preparations you can find that this time of year has a very different feeling about it. Maybe it is just what people call the "Christmas Spirit". Maybe it's all of the excitement in the air. Maybe it's people going out of their way to be kind to others. Maybe it is all the bright and cheery decor. But whatever it is, I like to stop and recognize it when I feel it. Today, I had one of those Christmas moments.

Today Bergen and I went down to Pike Place Market to do a little Christmas shopping. We thought it would be a fun to start the tradition of getting each other a gift from the market each year. Pike Place is one of our top favorite places to visit in Seattle. There are so many unique things to look at and you always learn something new when talking with the artists and vendors.

Before meeting Bergen, I had only ever visited Seattle during the summertime so I had never seen the market all decked out for Christmas. As we pulled up we could see Christmas trees for sale, lights strung, pigs on the roof dressed as reindeer, and even the Pike Place signage looked as if it was part of the Christmas decor. Outside farmers and vendors were selling fresh wreaths and people were bustling in and out of shops to and from the market with all of their gifts in tow.

We split up and once we found what we wanted met back up. Bergen met me with a colorful bouquet of flowers which have now found a home in a vase in our kitchen. I bought a bouquet of flowers with sprigs of evergreen tree and red berries which I thought looked very Christmasy to surprise my grandma with.

It is amazing to me how even the chilly, gray days we have had here can be warmed and brightened with a bit of Christmas cheer. I hope you all are enjoying this Christmas season. Wishing you a merry Christmas.