Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas!
(click me to see all of the Christmas pictures)

After Sarah's wedding, it was home for some last minute Christmas shopping and a mega wrapping frenzy - it was supposed to be a Kristen/Audrey wrapping frenzy, but last minute plans with Mom to see Four Christmases (just the three of us - yay!), which, by the way, was fantastic, combined with other weird things made it so that we were very rarely actually wrapping together.

Christmas Eve ended up being quite sad this year, because Uncle Paul had been having some health problems, and so, for the very first time in my entire life, the Christmas Eve party at Aunt Betty's was canceled. It was SO sad. So we decided to go see the family Christmas movie (we saw Yes, Man) on Christmas Eve, since it was looking like there somehow wouldn't be time on Christmas day.

After dinner chez Dad and Tina, we headed out to Deville. I gave the boys their birthday gifts:


farting gnomes that, for some reason, sadly, don't fart.

and we all (all = Kristen, Russell, Miranda, Donald, Missi, Anthony, Tyrone, and me) packed ourselves into an upstairs room and watched "the Magic Snowman." It was late, so I think I unfortunately slept through quite a bit of it. :-( Kristen actually remembered it this year, though. YAY!!!! I really think that it should be the Christmas movie every year.

Then we woke up the next morning, and it was CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The siblings and I all exchanged gifts!


Have you seen this Killer?

Bob Marley



Then we woke up Mom (we actually woke up kind of late, since Kristen and I had to sleep with Anthony, and he kept crying and waking us up, and so Mom was just getting up when we got up), and it was time for stockings!

We had a great time opening presents, and I think we all LOVED everything we got! Mom also loved all of her presents! YAY! And for afterwards, she had made us a delicious breakfast - a quiche for the people that eat that kind of thing and delicious grits with fruit salad for those that don't (me). It was quite funny, because there were blackberries in the fruit salad, and Anthony kept pointing and thinking he wanted some. So we would give him one, and he would put it in his mouth and go "ew" and spit it out. Over and over again. Cute.


Christmas chez Mom


When we left Mom's, we headed out to Aunt Betty's to meet up with Dad and Tina. It was good to at least get to see her. Especially with all she was going through with Uncle Paul. Then we headed out to Dad's where the Christmas celebrations chez him began!

Dad and Tina modeling their new shirts


As usual, Dad got out the video camera, and he filmed us all being goofy entering. Anthony had a great time playing in Kristen's new boots. We had a fantastic time opening presents, and yet again, I think we were all super psyched about all of our new things! YAY for Christmas!!!!
I'm sad, though, because my camera started acting up towards the end, and so the last pictures are blurry, and there aren't very many of them. :-( Perhaps SOMEONE would like to send me there pictures (since I am being so good about posting all of my pictures so quickly - hm hm!)

After the celebrations around the Christmas tree, Tina had prepared us the most DELICIOUS dinner of beets and brocolli and cauliflower and risotto and asparagus and stuffed mushrooms and I'm sure there were other things as well that I'm just not remembering because of how pleasantly STUFFED I was afterwards.
Food, food, delicious food!

Anyhow, so that was Christmas with the Baker kids this year.
If you didn't click on the picture up top to see all of the pictures, click on on of the trees below!

Long time, no post

Yesterday morning, I made cinnammon rolls with a slight change from
this recipe. I didn't have any margarine, and thus the necessity for change. They were SO delicious - eaten with clementines; delectable! For anyone that hasn't eaten cinnamon rolls in a long time, I highly recommend them.

Anyhow, I know I know, it has been AGES since my last post. You guys had all probably given up on me. It's hard to post when I'm not at home with my own computer and everything. Never fear, though, I am back, and hopefully you can expect lots of posts in the coming future. To make up for my lengthy absence.

I suppose the first thing that I have to write about is Sarah's wedding. I arrived in New Orleans on a Thursday, and Chase picked me up from the airport. It was SOOOO good to see her. It had been AGES, and it was great finally getting to catch up with her and everything. We shared a hotel room, and it really felt like I got an old friend back. Unfortunately, I somehow ended up with no photos of us together. :-(


On Friday, Chase and I hung out and did a bit of shopping, and then Friday night was the rehearsal dinner. Luckily, Sarah had informed them that there would be a vegan, and so I had food. I got to hang out with all the other bridesmaids, and it was actually really cool to see Puja Verma (a girl who was at school with us from kindergarten to 8th grade) and Elizabeth Michelle (one of Sarah's good friends from boarding school with us). The dinner was lovely, in this really OLD New Orleans style restaurants, and lots of speeches were given. Sarah's dad gave this HILARIOUS speech about how Sarah desperately wanted a little sister, and so her mother had Bobby. I gave a speech about how I am sad that my name will no longer rhyme with her last name. It was hard for me, and I was ridiculously over nervous about it. It was especially cool, though, to get to hang out with Shaan and Bobby.

Then on Saturday Chase and I got lunch with Shaan and his girlfriend (whom I absolutely LOVED - I hope I'll get to hang out with her next time I'm home). Afterwards the I hung out with Sarah and the bridesmaids in her hotel room, helping her get ready.

Sarah, Audrey, and the other bridesmaids (Laura and Amanda missing)

Then my Mom arrived, and I was thrilled to discover that my dress looked like all the others (I had to get it special made because she chose a silk dress, and I don't wear silk). My mom did my hair and helped me to get ready (we put the dress on backwards first, and it took AGES to figure out what was wrong with it). I am SO glad that my Mom got to come to the wedding!!!! :-)
The wedding was beautiful, and then the reception was also fantastic. No one had been informed that there would be a vegan there, but I talked to the chef, and he worked something out for me, so I was able to eat. There was lots of dancing to Indian music, and Sarah came out dressed in her Mom's old wedding dress. Unfortunately, no pictures got taken on my camera of the wedding itself or of the reception, so I have none. :-(

The next morning, there was a brunch, and I spent the whole time hanging out with Shaan, Bobby, Bobby's friend, and Sam (Shaan's girlfriend), and I had a great time. Aside from the fact that I was starving because no one had mentioned that there would be a vegan, and even the salad was already covered with non-vegan croutons and bacon.
After the brunch, it was all over, and we headed on up to central Louisiana, and Sarah and Ravi headed off to India.


Mrs. Sarah Chaudhry Sangisetti and Mr. Ravi Sangisetti


So that was Sarah's wedding. Next time I write, I am psyched that it will get to be about CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Christmas!

A couple last pictures to end this entry.



Audrey and Guillaume wearing Tihomir Marinkovic masks