Christmas Came Early (for Darcy)

If you read my blog when I still wrote regularly, you will recall our dog Darcy, and her affinity for her chair

 

And also that she is an avid sun worshipper

Like here, lounging in our yard in California

Baby Pictures in Disney World

After Thanksgiving, my mom, sister, nieces, and I drove over to Disney World for a few days. My older niece Claire, entrenched in a Cinderella phase, was especially excited to see the parks and Cinderella Castle. One night we went to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom, which is an awesome opportunity to experience the most festive side of the park during low crowds. My sister asked if Brandon would mind taking some pictures of the girls while they were in the Christmas outfits. These were taken in the lobby of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

We started by letting the girls play with their Chip & Dale dolls

Thanksgiving with the Huffmans

This year, I was excited to host my very first Huffman Thanksgiving. I couldn’t wait to use my wedding china and crystal, all my unusual kitchen gadgets, and my prettiest linens. Even though most members of my family have larger homes and kitchens, I was adamant that Thanksgiving would be at our house.

My mother, sister, and two nieces joined us at our home for turkey day. My mom and I were the chefs, and we spent about 24 hours getting everything prepared. We love to cook together. When the food was ready, we set the table

The turkey, laid out on my Kate Spade china platter

Dogs in Costumes

When I first got my poms, I fell into the trap of thinking that they looked adorable in doggie costumes. The phase was short-lived, as my dogs would rather kill you than wear a costume. Every once in a while, for special occasions, I persuade them to wear costumes just long enough for us to get a picture. The occasion is usually Halloween.

One year Stella was a princess (so fitting)

 

And Pizi was a pirate (also so fitting)

NOLA

To celebrate our first anniversary, we went to New Orleans. We wanted a trip that was new, young, and a touch on the decadent side. Brandon had never been to NOLA before; I had been once, when I was 16, so the experience was a bit different. We stayed in a boutique hotel in the French Quarter. We spent two days basically walking around, seeing everything, eating, and drinking. It was fantastic.

Before we got started in the French Quarter, we drove a few miles west to see an old Southern plantation called Oak Alley. I had researched Oak Alley for a writing project that I worked on this summer, so it was surreal to see it in person.

The main house was built in the early 19th century, but the plantation was used even before that to grow sugar cane. Certain parts of the estate have been beautifully maintained, but with their age allowed to show through.

 

Engagement Photo Redo

Sorry for the hiatus… it’s been a busy time for the Huffmans. Hopefully we will have more to share on that in the future.

Our first wedding anniversary is coming up on Monday. We’re heading to New Orleans to celebrate with lots of food, booze, & jazz. I think it might be my calling.

Last weekend, Brandon surprised me with a dinner out to my favorite restaurant, California Grill at Disney World. My perfect night is watching fireworks from the California Grill balcony, then having a late dinner of Champagne and sushi. Their sushi is phenomenal.

The real reason for the outing was this…

This picture was taken the night we got engaged. Brandon proposed to me on this balcony in May 2010 (preceded by fireworks, followed by Champagne and sushi). We didn’t have a camera with us, but our really sweet waitress took this picture on her phone and sent it to us. I have loved and treasured it even though it’s dark and grainy. I think even through the low quality, the joy on our faces is clear.

So Brandon decided that in celebration of our anniversary, we should go retake the picture. I was crazy excited. He knows me so well. We had a fantastic night– Champagne and sushi for me, whiskey and steak for him, fireworks, watching the show kitchen, dessert and coffee.  And we came home with a great souvenir

Beautiful. Some things get better with time.

The cutest darn baby girl ever

I went browsing through my pictures today, looking for what I wanted to post about next. I stumbled across this really great series of my oldest niece from last Christmas. She was a little over 2 years old at the time, so it was the first Christmas that she got excited to see presents (she still didn’t really get it in advance, but I bet that is different this year). I know it’s not Christmastime yet, but the photos are really about her more so than they are about the holidays. So I’m indulging.

We actually have two beautiful nieces, but the littlest one had not yet graced us with her presence. We are taking a family Disney World trip after Thanksgiving, so I hope to have lots of fantastic baby photos in a few months.

So here we go…

Guys, why are we up so early? This sucks.

WAIT A MINUTE. WOAH. Who is all that stuff for??