Moments 12 25 :: Week 03

We had a little shopping to do last Friday, and stopped at Non-Fiction for some bubbles and chips with creme fraiche and caviar. Delicious.

It was absolutely freezing out last weekend, and this is Gretel's favorite spot. She actually whines for me to turn it on for her. 

Sunday was our annual holiday dinner with Shelly/Andrew, Ali/Scott and Mel/Leif. We've been going to Palmers the past few years, and always look so forward to it. Since it was on a Sunday, we had an early reservation, which was perfect. 

Yes, that is hanging bacon. And it was delicious. 

Now, call me crazy, but I'm typically not a steakhouse fan. It's just so expensive and rich. It's not something I crave - except this one day a year. I had a filet and baked potato. We also shared some yummy sides, like lobster mac and cheese. 

These guys -- and Scott -- even had room for grasshoppers afterwards. I'm not sure how they did it. 

The gang. A tradition since 2008. 

On Monday, Zeus and I went on a field trip. A gym friend had the day off of work, so she and her boyfriend met us out on our adventures too. How sweet is that? Zeus loved the attention. We went to Home Depot, Petco, and even though it was cold, fit in a little walk. 

Oh, we also went to Starbucks for a pup cup. He loved it! 

The sunset after my walk the other day. 

Brian and I signed up to do an Illuminated Hike at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. We didn't know what to expect, but this place is basically in our backyard and we don't use it enough since we can't walk our dogs there. It was really gorgeous. We even did the loop a couple times because we thought it was so beautiful. 

It had been raining earlier in the day, so a lot of the snow melted. We had a perfect little window of calm, mild weather. After the hike, we hung around a fire drinking hot chocolate and talking to really nice strangers. It was such a fun thing to do. 

Thank goodness I found these chickens at Costco again. He's obsessed.

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In other news, Cole is home from college! He arrived super late last night and had to drive through a blizzard. We are so happy to have him home for a bit.