I just wanted to say Happy Holidays to everyone <3

In reply to Amira (msg # 324):

And to you, too.  Hope everyone who observes holidays had happy observations.  We almost didn't get a tree up, but a 75% off LED fake tree from the local drug store filled in at the last minute (Christmas Eve), and the gifts were all wrapped, and the kids seemed pleased.

We had our annual goose dinner; 40 people in all.

Very nice!  We joined our quasi-adopted parents and (by extension) our quasi-adopted extended family.  Turkey, stuffing, ham, salad stuff, potatoes, corn and other veggies, perogies, cabbage rolls, tortiere, buns, other salad stuff, fixings, but no goose.

We will tell them that they need to up their game (cuz geese, fly, ysee)! :p

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We likewise have the LED tree from the drug store, tho our tree is only about 3' high.  Drives the cats that the star on the tree is reachable, but they are not permitted to go on the counters, or they are attacked by water ninja.

No no, you misunderstood. It's a dinner where everyone tries to goose everyone else.

Silly dwarf.

Oooooh.  I thought that was standard at all meals.

40 people? Goodness! Is that all family?

Happy New Year everyone !
This year I engaged in the noble art of Poultry Matrioshka, with an Oie Farcie au Poulet Farci aux Boudins Noirs et Châtaignes (goose stuffed with a chicken stuffed with blood sausage and chestnuts) -- and it was great.

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are ready for 2017.

There were a few blood relatives among the 40 (my sister, brother-in-law, and their kids; the spouse's sister and her kids).  But many of them we think of as "family" despite the lack of any familiar relationship by birth or marriage.



That sounds like a much more elegant version of a turducken, with one less poultry.  Sounds delicious, too.



December 30, 2017.  Put it on your calendar for next year.  it will be the 40th (and the spouse's 51st birthday -- did I mention his birthday coincided with Goose Dinner this year?  Go ahead, tell him he's old.)

As for cats and Christmas trees ...  We're going to be increasing the pet population in our house by one at some point over the next few weeks.  Since the first of November, the Boy has been participating in a weekly "StoryTails" program at the local animal shelter that has him "reading to cats."  The first few sessions at least involved reading to cats (with a couple of sessions of reading to rabbits and guinea pigs), though most of them have been playing with kittens -- to socialize them to people and prepare them for adoption.  Long story short, we're getting a cat, but wanted to wait until after the chaos of the holidays, to put away the tree.

Don't know quite how the dog is going to take it.

With a little ketchup - it's quite good on toast.

Just can't hold it in anymore!

My wife and I are expecting a little bundle of sweetness and innocence, who will sleep wonderfully and smell of flowers and everything nice!  Just a couple months left, although my wife advises me that the return policy is past the time limit :) )

First child, first grandchild on BOTH sides.
Even the kitties in the house have become little protectors of mommy/baby.  Incredibly sweet.
One shepherds her when walking, the other two on overwatch by the tummy when mommy sleeping.


Hope everyone is doing well!  Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Congrats!! I want pictures of the baby.

Glad to see we are all still alive and doing well out there.

Congratulations.  Get plenty of rest now, cause you won't get any when the sweet smelling baby of joy arrives. :)

Woo!

Congrats!

I hear catching up on sleep is the best plan.

But at least sleep isn't *thaaaat* important.

Congratulations!

Enjoy the journey sir.

Yay!  Such happy news!!!  We will, of course, require photos of the sprog when the time comes.

Nudges GM, buddle if sweetness? Wait till it gets there be 3. Hehehehe

In reply to Hamble Setzhammer (msg # 333):
Some great news indeed ! Congratulations, an make sure to invest in a plush d20 asap!

Wife has refused the "level one human" shirt , but was excited to wear riderfan on the way shirt, so that is a wash :p

Isn't it level 0 at this point?

And I find it funny that Hamble announces the impending babe, and then Charan follows up.

Oh Great GM

Will this game ever come back to life?

Precocious.

And didn't want Hamble to have all the fun :)

I confess I do have thoughts of reviving it, at least long enough to finish up some story-lines that were very close to major turning points (yours included).  But for the next 8 months, it's off the table -- I have two major trials coming up -- one in St. Louis, starting mid-October, that is expected to last 6 weeks¹, then after the holidays we move into prep/trial in lovely Martinez, California that is expected to be as long as 16 weeks.  I still have hopes of that latter one settling before trial, but until it happens, I have to assume it will not.

So we know what Hamble/Charan have been up to.  What have the rest of you been up to?  We had the kitchen remodeled, hosted the annual goose dinner (and celebrated the spouse's 50th birthday), I made a fruitcake (and yes, I actually LIKE fruitcake), we adopted a cat, to the annoyance of the dog, I marched in D.C., then chaperoned my daughter's 8th-grade class trip there a few months later, I've been to Nashville and had hot chicken, ran a charity 5k ("ran" -- given how slow I am, we always use air-quotes for my "running" in my house), traveled for business to Boston, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Chicago, Austin, L.A and Orlando (those last three in the same week), and we visited my parents and sister in Tennessee for the eclipse (sister's house was in the path of totality), which the Boy managed to capture on his phone.  Kids just started school (the Girl started high school, the Boy is in 8th grade), and things are pretty okay here in Bensalem, outside Philadelphia.

I also note that among Austin, Nashville, St. Louis and Kansas City, I've had some AWESOME barbecue in the past six months.



__

¹This is a do-over of one that ended in a mistrial two weeks in, in June when the Supreme Court handed down a decision that threw a monkey wrench into the works.  June in St. Louis SUCKS, but I did get to go to the top of the Arch, and at least I didn't have to spend any of July (much less August in St. Louis.

Well. I've drove, and drove, and drove. Left my previous employer because I believed they were going to be bought out or go under, a year and a half later they got bought out, new company better pay and benefits, drove, and, drove, and drove (can you tell I'm a trucker yet?) Now baby girl is in a gifted middle school (sniff) and boy #2 is on his second year at college.

Not much happening here, other than my wife and I took a trip down to northern GA.  We went to see if it looks like a place we'd like to retire to in a few years.  We definitely loved the mountain views, as well as the people we talked to, so most likely will be looking either for a house or some land to build when the time comes.

I currently live in New Jersey (moved here March 2016) and am no longer with the Gnome Illusionist (though the split was amicable and we're still good friends)

My current companion is a big ol' Bronze dragon with Copper tendencies that had almost all his treasure stolen from his ex-wife. But, we're both learning how to be with someone that wants to help just as much as the other and it's been going rather well.

(A picture of us before we were dating and just at a LARP, but it's still a nice picture:
https://www.knightrealms.com/c...nd-illana-24844.html)

I have a nice steady job that I have been in since February and life is pretty comfortable at the moment.

Finished off student loans and pretending I can save up enough money for a house.

Um.. I turn 30 next year?