Week 52: The End!

The End: The last weekly SP, the end of 2009, and the end of the Colts' perfect season. Hard to believe I've finally reached week 52 and thus my last SP of the year, but here we are!

I ended the year with a short visit to John's hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. We were lucky enough to be able to attend a Colts game at Lucas Oil Stadium, which is a very nice venue, as sports arenas go. We were thankful for its retractable roof since it was a brisk 20 degrees with strong winds and falling snow throughout the day.

Unfortunately, the Colts decided to sit most of their starters for a big chunk of the second half with only a 5 point lead, so I had the disappointing distinction of witnessing their only loss this season, their first regular season loss in 23 games, and the end of their pursuit of perfection, which has been pretty exciting to follow this year. Alas, the playoffs are still ahead so Colts fans needn't dwell for too long.

Either way, it was a great experience and thanks to my new Dallas Clark jersey (received as a Christmas present from the Canganys), I was able to blend right in and support the home team. Don't worry (I'm looking at you, Auddie), I'm no traitor. I was tuned in later to watch the Redskins take on Dallas in their Sunday night game and pretty much seal the deal on a fairly dismal season. I'm already looking forward to 2010 and a fresh start for my hometown team!

Here's to new beginnings and exciting adventures, both in football and in life!

Week 51: SnOMG! It's a Blizzard!

Last weekend, most of the region was snowed in as we all enjoyed what was DC's biggest-ever December snowstorm. The snow started Friday night and continued to fall in big, fat flakes until Sunday morning. We'd had plans to hang out with my parents in Springfield on Saturday, but after waking up to nothing but white, it was clear we had to postpone. The Whole Foods closed at noon, but not before we were able to squeeze in an emergency snow freak-out trip and stock up on plenty of food (and drink!). Metro was also closed, and I heard tales of car accidents, fishtailing buses, and other general stormy chaos, so I was glad to be safely indoors to enjoy the lazy snow day. Hope everyone else in the storm zone did the same. The big storm was really the perfect prelude to Christmas!

Week 50: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It's amazing how quickly the holiday season creeped up this year. It feels like summer just ended yesterday, yet here we are only a week and a half away from Christmas! Alas, I guess this is the same feeling every year -- not enough time to prepare for the weather, the madness of holiday shopping, Christmas decorating, and all the other general chaos that comes with the season. I personally love this time of year -- Christmas music, holiday themes at my favorite retail outlets, lights and decorations everywhere, and generally what I see as more joy and a generally improved spirit among friends and even strangers. I spent this past weekend attending two holiday parties, but managed to squeeze in a little time to wrap some gifts to put under our tiny but adorable tree! Happy Holidays, everyone!

Week 49: Congrats Steph & Ron!

This past weekend my family celebrated the recent engagement of Steph and Ron at Chu Hoan & Co Ti's (Steph's parents) house in Potomac, MD. The party coincided with DC's first snow of the season, which made for an even more eventful and snowy evening! It was great to celebrate with my cousin and her new fiance, who are a couple of my favorite people to hang out with. They're a terrific couple and I can't wait for another fun family wedding!

Week 48: A Shower for Baby Glasser!

To round out the Thanksgiving weekend, we celebrated on Saturday with a baby shower for Kim, who's due to welcome a family addition in January. In addition to toasting the parents-to-be, it was a great chance to see many family & friends and enjoy more delicious food (like thit nguoi tea sandwiches! love 'em). I'm so excited to meet the new little one, change diapers (no, seriously!), have oooh-zhou-boo-boo cute attacks all the time, and generally be Auntie Pouy to another baby. I couldn't be happier for Kim & Natty, who I know will be terrific parents! Many cheers and congrats to the parents-to-be!