Morning Meeting Mimosas

This morning, we kicked things off with a little holiday cheer! Mimosas in hand, we chatted about what a great year we'd had together and how far we've come as a team. I am so thankful to work with such extraordinary women. *Cheers* to a successful New Year!

Promised Ya I'd Share!

So I finally got my grubby little paws on a few more pictures from my office holiday party! And since I promised I'd share...

Winning the raffle of $100 to Campanile!

(Check out my friend Graham in the background... haha!)

A moment with a new friend!*

*I met this girl a few weeks prior at an audition

and she sought me out at the party to thank me

for being so nice to her at the audition.

Made my night!

200 SOUTH HOLIDAY PARTY: MAD MEN

Don Draper Ross Lacy and his secretaries!

Now, I don't want to make anyone too jealous, but check out the pictures from my office holiday party. Oh, the benefits of working with artists!

My friends from work, Carinne & Mary Ellen.*

This picture was not staged. Amazing.

(*Mary Ellen made her dress.)

I just get such a kick out of Carinne.

Isn't she a hoot!

The Santa Monica Luskeys at the

200 South Holiday Party!

(All of the drinks were named after casting directors!)

Some of Mel & Liz Casting

Me, Mel, Mary Ellen, Carolyn & Carinne

Mad Men!

The party was a blast! It was so fun to dress up Mad Men style, let loose with work friends and introduce Brian to all of my co-workers. We even won one of the raffles - $100 to Campanile! There is a picture of me winning the raffle that I haven't gotten my hands on yet, but as soon as I do I'll be sure to share. Duh.

Thanksgiving in Saratoga

The Luskey/Lovgren/Wiman Ladies!

This year, the Santa Monica Luskeys spent Thanksgiving in Saratoga. The weekend was full of eating, family time, gift giving, eating, shopping and, of course, more eating! We flew to Saratoga early Thanksgiving morning (we both had to work on Wednesday) and immediately launched into dinner prep-mode. (Well, Shelley and I launched into prep-mode, Brian launched into football-watching-mode.) The Lovgrens joined us for Thanksgiving dinner and we all had a joyous time!

The Spread:

Roasted turkey, 2 kinds of gravy, stuffing,

green bean casserole, cornbake, squash casserole,

home made cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes

with marshmallow, and fresh rolls!

Heirloom tomato salad with feta and olives.

Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow topping*

*Photo by Rich Lovgren

So happy with my Thanksgiving plate!

Doesn't get much better than this!

I mean, my plate is a colorful work of art.*

If I do say so myself...

*Note the bedazzled pumpkin Shelley made...LOVE!

Grandma Rosalie, Shelley, Jackie, Hayley,

Sarah, Maren and I enjoying our mid-shopping lunch!

No rest for the weary! The next morning we were up and at 'em and at the Gilroy Premium Outlets by 9:00am sharp. After a morning of shopping (and about a month's worth of paychecks gladly turned over to Saks, Ann Taylor, JCrew and Banana Republic) we refueled at In-N-Out Burger. Heaven!

Our loot from the outlets!

Not all of this is mine. (Just 15 of the 17 bags.)

Told ya I got a lot of stuff!

I'm trying to incorporate more color in my life.

Can you tell?

About five minutes after returning from our shopping spree, Brian's brother and his fabulous wife arrived! After showing off our greatest finds, and a well deserved post-shopping nap, we went to Red Pepper for dinner where we enjoyed an unnaturally colored margarita and some fine Mexican fare.

The boys with their blue cocktails!

The next morning we celebrated Chanukah with the NorCal Luskeys. Since Chanukah came so early this year (and since my lovely sister-in-law is about to pop) we decided to do our latke fry/gift exchange while we were all together!

Look who decided to put all of the buffet items on his bagel sandwich.

Latke, lox, tuna salad, cream cheese, eggs - you name it, it's on there. Yech!

My Chanukah brunch plate complete with the

Israeli flag courtesy of our beloved Goni.

Our Thanksgiving was amazing. We have so much to be thankful for and know how lucky we truly are. Although we missed the Harbergs, we are looking forward to more fun family time in Houston for New Year's!

Which reminds me... I need to start workin' on my resolutions list...

HAPPY CHANUKAH!

Happy Chanukah!

Love,

The Santa Monica Luskeys

*The above picture was taken just a few minutes ago after lighting our first Chanukah candle and opening our first Chanukah gift from Aunt Carla and Uncle Michael - a personalized serving tray that says, "Happy Hanukkah, the Luskeys." WE. LOVE. IT. (Thank you!!)

Feelin' Pretty Lucky

This sign was taped above my airplane window.

Today, on this day of thanks, I am lucky to have a moment to stop and realize just how lucky I really am. Lucky to be in love with my husband, lucky to have a job I look forward to, lucky to have a family that loves and supports me and whom I love and adore, lucky to have friends who I'd travel to the ends of the earth to be with, and lucky to have the wherewithal to appreciate it all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Shower for Baby Luskey!

The beautiful Mommy-to-be with her shower cake!

Two weekends ago, I traveled up to Santa Rosa (location of my bachelorette party and various other happy occasions) for my sweet sister-in-law's Baby Shower! I took the morning flight into Oakland where she picked me up and we drove to Santa Rosa for the noon shower. The party was intimate and girlie - everyone was so excited to celebrate the future addition to the Luskey family!

Does it get any cuter than a

black and grey leopard maternity dress??

Everyone grabbed a gift, opened it and shared it with the group!

After the baby shower, I got to be with my darling Ali Rae! We joked that we were fitting an entire day into 4 hours. First, we toured her adorable apartment, then we got coffee and a scone as she showed off her neighborhood, next we got manicures before finally returning to change for dinner.

Drink before dinner at Chez Pannise!

Gold leaf on our "Rothschild" Souffle

A golden tooth. Perfect.

The next morning we ate brunch at Rick & Anne's. Since it was such a popular joint, we enjoyed some Pete's coffee while we waited.

Of course, someone had to order the potato boat. And turn it into a boat. With a fork knife. And Splenda mast.

Rishi with his breakfast.

Makes me want to sing his favorite

Glee mash-up just thinkin' about it.

A wonderful weekend although I had to leave the other half of the Santa Monica Luskeys behind. We have had a busy November (hence the sporadic blogging) and an even busier upcoming holiday season. I promise to do my best to blog as much as humanly possible.

Career update: I am working full time now - WOOHOO! Good for me, bad for blogging.

More to come on that soon!

Office Overhaul

Since November 1st, it's been my personal mission (and my job) to organize the office and finally implement a system that allows the office to run more smoothly and efficiently. So what did I do first? Went to Target! Check my handywork:

Terry's Corner: "Before..."

Terry's Corner: "After!"*

(*It's not finished, but it looks pretty darn good so far!)

My Corner: "Before..."

My Corner: "After!"

Feels awesome to work hard and have fun while you do it! Stay tuned for more workplace transformations....

HALLOWEEN

This year, the Santa Monica Luskeys decided to take it easy for Halloween. The combination of my 55 hour work week with my change-in-the-weather head cold turned out to be the perfect recipe for catching up on the ole DVR instead of playing in traffic and spending waaay too much time and money on a silly an exquisite costume. Yes, we sometimes act like we're in our fifties rather than our twenties, but the thought of spending my limited free hours prepping for a costume I'll wear once somehow fell lower and lower on my priority list as Halloween approached. But I haven't always been such a bore!

Minnie Mouse & Daisy Duck

Halloween, 2008

Check out my yellow "duck bill" visor and Ally's sequined ears!

We channeled the silver screen last year:

Jennifer as Marilyn Monroe and Ally as Dancing with the Stars

Halloween, 2009

The Santa Monica Luskeys as The Biggest Loser contestants.

Brian was "before" and I was "after!"

This year, the Santa Monica Luskeys spent the weekend catching up on house chores, running errands we'd been putting off for weeks and spending some good ole quality time together. There's something about a chill in the air that reminds me of Ann Arbor and instantly transports me to the early days in our relationship. I somehow feel younger, more carefree, a little excited about the change that the weather represents and, believe it or not, a little more in love.

So even though we didn't dress up for Halloween this year, we were definitely a husband and wife reliving the days when we met and fell in love so many years ago. Thankfully, that doesn't require a costume!

200 SOUTH: A BAKING FACILITY

Today was the first (quarterly) 200 SOUTH BAKE-OFF! Since I was the official organizer, I mandated a non-compete policy. "No judging, only indulging!" Above are some of my co-workers gathering around the treats. Today's theme: favorite homemade childhood treat.

I brought the Hello Dollys pictured above.

These were my all time favorite growing up and still are!

Sweet Melissa whippin' up a fresh batch of whip cream!

Mel's decadent flourless chocolate cake and whipped cream!

Not too shabby for our first Bake-Off!

And yes, those are "Dirt Cups" with a worm garnish.

Whitney's Wonderful Wedding Weekend

This past weekend, the Santa Monica Luskeys were in Dallas for a very special occasion -Whitney and Chris's wedding weekend! (And since I took so many pictures I want to share, I will try to limit this post to pictures and detailed captions.)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22: TRAVEL & REHEARSAL DINNER

We flew into Dallas Friday morning and after my cousin, Mac, picked us up from the airport (and we stopped at Chick-Fil-A for an afternoon snack), we checked into the hotel where we received the above (homemade by the bride and groom) chocolates and itinerary! A fabulous way kick off the weekend!

The rehearsal dinner was so fun - an intimate evening of close friends, family and out of town guests full of heartfelt speeches and fabulous food! The above picture was snapped before we entered the restaurant for the cocktail hour.

The above picture was clearly taken after the cocktail hour had begun. My siblings with our cousin Natalie (who is married to the bride's brother).

Natalie, Brian, Whitney (the bride!!) and me during the cocktail hour.

Our menu and place card -

both designed by our beautiful and talented cousin, Natalie!

The above picture is an example of what I might

look like if I was a cartoon character without a nose.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23: DAY IN DALLAS

Sunday morning was the pre-wedding brunch. The bride was present for the first hour and the groom, the second. Good thing we made it on the bride's way out! I blame the time difference...

What else would a die hard Cowboys fan do on his one day in Dallas? The tours were sold out, but we did get a great view of the parking lot, lobby and gift shop!

What else does one do when you've already driven 20 minutes out of the way? Drive another 20! We went to visit Luskey's Western Store and it was fantastic.

The *Original* Luskey Brothers

This picture is hanging in the main room of Luskey's.

I thought this sign was pretty hilarious.

I love my Dad.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23: THE WEDDING

The wedding ceremony was absolutely breathtaking. Whitney's dress was stunning, she looked perfect and all twelve of her bridesmaids were glowing. It was such a special day, we felt so lucky to witness it all! We took the above picture on the way into the reception.

I love this idea!

The entry table featured wedding portraits of the parents and grandparents of the bride and groom. (My Mimi and Grandaddy's wedding picture is the second one from the left.)

The Groom's Cake:

A replica of Chris's family ranch where the couple got engaged!

The Wedding Cake:

It was as delicious as it was beautiful.

Each layer was a different flavor!

The bride and groom were so adorable. Whitney is such a doll and Chris was the smiliest groom I think I've ever seen. It was such a treat to see how excited and happy they were.

The first dance!

So the band started singing Proud Mary and to get the guests involved, the lead singer (far left) came into the crowd. She held out the microphone for some audience participation and Jamie stepped forward to belt out, "Rollin'! Rollin'! Rollin' on a riv-ah!" Little did she know, Jamie was could actually sing and two choruses and a verse later Jamie was an official member of the band - no really, they made an announcement and the crowd went wild. I think someone caught this on their video camera, so stay tuned for a video post ASAP.

The bouquet toss was precious. Whitney turned around and floated the flowers to her younger sister, Leigh. The below picture was their father's reaction.

Priceless.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24: BRUNCH & FAMILY TIME

After brunch with the Harbergs and Berens, Grandma Rosalie (pictured above), Drew, and Carla & Michael and we went estate sale shopping. This is Grandma sitting in the "Shofar Chair."

After the estate sale and a visit at Grandma's apartment, Drew, Brian and I walked around Uptown before it was time to head to the airport. We did some window shopping and refueled with some fro-yo and on the way to the car I snapped the above picture. Only in Texas...

Whitney's wedding weekend was wonderful. (Say that 3 times fast.) Thank you, Whitney & Chris for including us in your wedding. We love you!