HOLIDAY RECAP

Hello friends!  As I sit here in my pj's watching a football marathon of bowl games, I thought I'd update you on the high points of the holidays for the Hahm family since we returned from our Milwaukee trip.

MOVE OVER MARTHA STEWART - YOU'VE GOT SOME NEW COMPETITION
Many of you may not know, but I'm sort of a craft geek. I own a Cricuit machine, and am now a proud owner of a sewing machine (thanks, Mom).  Anyway, I'm always looking at decorating/craft blogs and Etsy and finding things I can do myself for my house, or for gifts.  I owe this new geeky habit to my sister, Erin. Thanks sister! Here is one of my latest creations. It's a garden flag I made for our grandparents.  Wooohooo. Don't pee yourself with excitement. You know you like it.

I <3 SURPRISES  (only the good kind)
We got a major surprise at our family Christmas - my cousin, Annette, is expecting (a baby).  She is due 6/27/11 and I couldn't be happier for them!  Our small family is growing fast, but mainly with a lot of testosterone.  My other cousin, Marci, is a baby machine, but she only produces boys. So, my fingers are crossed for a little girl I can spoil with cute clothes and obnoxiously large hair bows.  Annette and Jason are being "THOSE" people....you know THOSE people who know exactly what they are going to name their kid but they refuse to tell anyone, just to be a-holes?  Yeah, that's them.  I really hate it when people do that, mainly because I'm THE nosiest person on the planet and like to know everything about everything.  It's like those people who say "Ohhhh my gosh, I have something SO juicy to tell you. It's a huge secret. No, I can't tell you. I just can't."  I mean reallllly??  Anyway, I'm hoping after we they find out if it's a boy or girl they will finally stop being morons and tell me the name....otherwise, for their baby shower I'm monogramming every outfit with a big ? and under the ? it will say "because my parents are dumb."


FAT JACKS IS A COOL PLACE
I was sooooo happy when 2 of my best friends Rachael and Bekah stopped through Texarkana on their way back to Dallas on Monday.  It was 3:30pm on Monday when they came through town, clearly during normal business hours. Well, I was at work of course, but as we were deciding how we were going to find 30min or so to visit and catch up, I suggested I could take a short lunch and then use the other 30min to walk next door to McDonald's and we could hang out. I told Rachael she could have one of her favorite treats, a McDonald's vanilla ice cream cone (for 5 years or so Rach was 100% convinced that you could have as many McDs vanilla ice cream cones as you wanted, even when you were on a diet because they were fat free).  By the time they got there we had scratched that idea and I took off work early and we headed to Fat Jacks for a cold beer and some nachos.

For years now Rachael has been overly-excited and curious about Fat Jacks. I guess it's because she met a lot of people from Texarkana when we were roommates and during school breaks when we came home we usually ended up at Fat Jacks.  I think in her head she's built it up to be the greatest bar on earth.  Well, needless to say, she was stoked to be going there on Monday (see obnoxious picture below).  Fat Jacks did not disappoint. There was a large crowd for a Monday at 3:30pm, which I still don't understand. Mostly it was packed with people decked out in their finest camouflage attire, a couple of tables of old timers playing cards, a lady in an awesome sweater covered in christmas tree lights, and a group of people who obviously never left from eating lunch there because they were having a goooood time, and really good classic country jukebox songs.  Anyway, we had a great time catching up, and I laughed so hard my side hurt. It makes me miss these crazy chicks so much.

SCIENTISTS SHOULD ACTIVELY BE LOOKING FOR A CURE TO THE STOMACH FLU
As you saw from my last post Nate caught the dreaded stomach flu while we were in Milwaukee. Well, I guess our little family hadn't seen enough puke lately, because I also caught it and was sick Tuesday and Wednesday.  It. was. awful. On the plus side, it came just in time to jump start a new year's diet.

I HAVE CUTE DOGS
I guess until I have kids I'll just be that weirdo who posts pictures of her dogs.  But, I can't help it. They are just so stinkin cute.

NEW YEAR'S EVE WAS A BLAST
I usually hate New Year's Eve.  It's always such a build up to a night that ends up filled with idiots, long lines, and let downs. However, for the second year in a row I have had an awesome time!  This year we decided to lay low and stay local.  We went out to this place I have never heard of - The Smiling Shark.  It's extremely random.  I'm talking $7 all-you-can-eat fish fry dinner, plywood dance floor, bring your 8 year old kid to the bar, and to find the place they give directions like "welllll, get on Hwy 259 and go about 6 miles past Hwy 82 and you can't miss us because we are the only building within a 10 mile radius."  It was definitely my kind of place!

Anyway, the band Red Light Revival was playing, and I must say they are the best local band in this area I've  heard.  They completely shocked me when they played new country, old country, classic rock, Benjy Davis Project songs (which of course I was practically the only person there who also knew the songs), but still....they we really good.  We danced til we couldn't dance anymore, sang loudly, and overall had an amazing time.  Many many thanks to T.J. and Krystal for the invite -- sooo much fun!!

EXCITED FOR NEXT WEEK....
I'm so excited for the upcoming week. Two of Nate's brothers, Phil and Pete, and Pete's wife Jenny are coming to town to visit for the weekend, and it's Alaina's birthday weekend celebration.  Should be fun!  Stay tuned...more to come!