Cheers!

I'm blogging a day early this week. Tomkin and I have been planning to go to a 007 party tomorrow night, although now we're feeling more like doing something casual, so we'll probably just go see a movie and finish getting our house ready for Thanksgiving. We're having six guests this year: my dad and Sandy, Phillip, Alex, and Tomkin's parents (Tom and Nancy). But I'll post all about that next week!
This was a pretty quiet week overall, which was nice. The next few weeks will be pretty busy, so I was happy to take it easy this week. Last Thursday we worked and took Chloe for a walk, and then we threw our first Third Thursdays cocktail party--definitely the highlight of the week! Tomkin and I both like to throw parties, and we decided that we'd rather throw a small party once a month than a huge party twice a year. (Though of course we'll be throwing some big parties, too!) This way we get to see our friends more often, plus it's a fun, low-pressure way to bring new friends into the fold. We'll be featuring a different cocktail every month. We decided to start off with a classic: gin & tonics. The party was a rousing success! We had about 20 people all together, and everyone was great about mixing and mingling. There were a few friends of Tomkin's I had never met before, along with various other friends from the neighborhood and around the Cities. Chloe was quite a hit--she spent most of the night securing her spot on the couch and enjoyed getting lots of attention and affection. Our first guest arrived right at 7:00, and people were here until about 11:30. We really had a great time.
We slept in on Friday, ate breakfast about noon, took Chloe for a walk, and then ran some errands. We went to Widmer's Super Market in the Mac-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul. They're known for their excellent meats, and they sure didn't disappoint! In addition to the 13-pound ham we got for Thanksgiving, we got some other meat as well, which we've been enjoying throughout the week. Delicious! That evening we exercised to "Project Runway," and then I talked to my friend Lisa, who's living in Hawaii and is due to have a baby girl in January. It was really fun to catch up with her! She's moving back to the mainland in March, which is good news for those of us who want to see her more often.
Saturday we ended up eating breakfast at noon again (if left to our own devices, I think we'd stay up/sleep in much later). We got some stuff done around the house and ordered a few Christmas gifts online. We walked Chloe down to the camera store and bought a new camera bag. That night we had plans to go see the Minnesota Rollergirls, but I felt like doing something a little more mellow. So Tomkin went with our friend Mark to see the Rollergirls, and I went shopping at Target and Cub. It was nice to get that out of the way before the Thanksgiving craziness. Tomkin had a great time, and he got some fabulous shots with the new camera.

Sunday we continued our cycle of sleeping late and eating breakfast at noon. Then we walked Chloe back to the camera store and got a new lens. Tomkin has really been enjoying our new camera--he's been using it more than I have! He's never really gotten into photography before, but he's having a lot of fun with it now and getting some great shots. Sunday afternoon I chatted with Carrie D. She gave me lots of info about the Vaughan Town program in Spain that Tomkin and I will be attending in February. Carrie went last year, which is where I got the idea about the trip in the first place! She also filled me in on her recent trip to New Orleans, and we talked about the election and all kinds of other stuff. It was great catching up with her.

I actually did some work that evening, and we exercised to "Project Runway."

Monday we dove back into work. We walked Chloe in the afternoon, and then I led a marriage counseling session in the evening. By the end of the day, I was beat, so I happily curled up on the couch with Tomkin and Chloe and watched "Dancing with the Stars."

Today (Tuesday) we had lunch at Pizza Luce with Tomkin's friend John. I've been hearing about him for ages, but this was the first time I'd actually met him. We all had a nice time, and I was happy I had so many WW points left that I could have a slice of pizza in addition to my salad! I did some work this afternoon, and then we took Chloe for a walk. I talked to Mom, and now I'm watching the "Dancing with the Stars" finale while I blog. I'm a huge fan of Lance & Lacey, but I really hope Brooke wins. Anyway, it's going to be a fun and busy week ahead. I'll leave you with a few of the amazing photos Tomkin has gotten of Chloe this week. Have a very happy Thanksgiving!