Christmas Eve Dinner

 This year, Kevin and I made a leg of lamb, latkes, champagne risotto, garden peas, and peanut butter strawberry brownies for Christmas Eve Dinner.We enjoyed going to the 5pm Christmas service at our church where we sang in choir.  We also went to the 11pm Christmas service in Ark City to hear our good friend, Ben, preach at St. Paul UMC.  We had a lovely evening!

Hello, Kate

Kevin spoiled me this Christmas with a Kate Spade Stevie purse!

Merry Christmas from The Reynolds Family

Thanks again to our great friend, Britt Bradley, who is an awesome photographer!

Second Annual PVUMC Young Adult Progressive Dinner

Kevin and I hosted the entree of the Young Adult Progressive Dinner this year.  Kevin made short ribs, glazed green beans and mashed potatoes.  I had a ball getting the house all ready for our party of 10!

Cookie Tree

As an engineer's wife, specifically a structural engineer's wife, I'm ashamed of how my cookie tree turned out. 

Yes, that is my doting husband helping the crumbling cookie tree stay upright long enough to get a picture taken.  He had no part in the assembly of the tree, however. 

In my defense, gluten-free cookies are quite different than their gluten counterparts.  I think this would work well about half the size.  Gluten is like the "glue" that holds most bread-like treats together.  Still, I hang my head in shame. :(  It has been a delicious treat all the same, though.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

This is how we took our 8' Frasier home this weekend...

VOTE DAILY!

My sister, Barb McClintock, was nominated this month for Teacher of the Month by at least one of her students for the Manhattan/Junction City area!!  She is one of 12 finalists, and if she has enough votes, she'll win!  PLEASE vote for her every day!  She really deserves it!
 

Vote HERE

Miscellaneous Vacation Post

One of many beautiful spots at the resort

One of the restaurants, the Pallazzina.  We enjoyed all three of the restaurants: Pallazina, Bella Vista, and Casanova

View from one of the cliffs

Dunn's River Falls

On our last full day in Jamaica, Kevin and I did a day trip to Dunn's River Falls where we climbed the waterfall.  I didn't realize ahead of time how large a task that would be!  On many parts of the climb, we had to form a person chain to try to keep our balance. It was a beautiful excursion, and I was so proud when we made it to the top!

Person chain

A small part of the falls

Starlight Gala and Beach Party

The first evening we were in Jamaica, our resort had a beautiful Starlight Gala.  It was a formal, all-white dinner.

View from our room

On Tuesday, there was a fun beach party with great dancers and bands!

Snorkeling

We went snorkeling on our sixth day in Jamaica.  It never dawned on me that I would need to worry about motion sickness.  I grew up on a lake (a big difference from an ocean, but I figured they were close enough), and I've been on my parents' boat too many times and too many years to count, so I was all ready for snorkeling!

Ummm...I enjoyed about the first ten minutes.  The rest of the time was spent throwing up. :(   Thankfully, Kevin dutifully took great pictures!  There is even one of me in the water (prior to being sick, no worries) proving I did it, even if it was only for a few minutes!

A shipwreck

Close up of shipwreck

I did enjoy the time I wasn't sick, so Kevin and I do plan to do this again someday.  I will just remember to find motion sickness medication first. :)

The Beach

Kevin and I spent a good amount of time on the beautiful beach!  We bought Kindles before we left, and we both were able to read to our heart's content!

Couples Sans Souci

Kevin and I spent a week at Couples San Souci resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  We loved our resort!  Our room was gorgeous!

Our room was on the second floor, the second from the left.  We had an incredible view of the ocean, and we were right next door to one of the restaurants.

A towel creation we were greeted with when we checked into our room.

Bedroom

Looking into living room

Shower and vanity

Jacuzzi tub

My surrogate pet for the week.  I called him "Bird Bird." Apparently vacation doesn't make me very creative.  His cage was located right outside our room.

The gift of reading

Kevin and I are participating in the Youthville Christmas ornament program again at our church this year.  We saw an ornament that we just couldn't pass up!  The 15 year-old girl wanted a kindle and the Twilight Series on her kindle.  Kevin and I are both passionate about the importance of reading, especially for youth, so we chose the ornament.  We hope it brings many hours of reading enjoyment!

Chicago and back

I had a great time in Chicago last week! I went to the CAEL conference, and it was a great mix of networking, learning new ideas, and getting time to explore the city!  The conference was at the InterContinental Hotel, and I'm not too proud to say that I took pictures! :) 

Large room all to myself

Loved the modern look of the bathroom

On the second day of the conference

 We went downtown on the second night of the conference.  It was fun having a chance to shop on Michigan Avenue!

I made two really great friends, Amanda and Sally (not pictured)! Amanda is from Ottawa, KS, and Sally is from Syracuse, New York! 

Sadly, C&B was already closed :(

Kevin gave me beautiful flowers when I got home!

I had a great time, and it was even worth all the numerous emails I'm catching up on at work!  Next trip: Jamaica in 10 days!

I mean business

I leave tomorrow morning for Chicago to go to the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning conference.  I'm super excited, although I'm a little sad that Kevin and I will be apart for the longest amount of time since we've been married.  Don't worry, honey, I'll call you often. :)

My boarding pass is printed, and I'm 99% packed.  This is my first business trip by myself, and in some ways I feel like I'm playing dress up.  Will I blend in with all the business travelers?  Will I look like a seasoned professional?  It's fun to know there are still plenty of ways I'm growing in my career that make it feel new often.  

Nickelodeon Flashback

Kevin and I dressed up for our Young Adult Halloween party this evening.  Do you remember Doug from Nickelodeon back in the day?

photo credit

Yep, Quail Man (Doug) and Patti Mayonnaise!

Happy Halloween!