Christmas in the US

I'm finally feeling back in the swing of things here in Paris, so it's time to update on our most recent trip--the United States!  It feels a bit strange to be writing a blog post about a trip to the US, but here we go!

I was lucky enough to be able to spend a month back, and Nick about 3 weeks.  We did a lot, but it was busy seeing everyone and enjoying all our favorites again!  Be sure to check out all of our pictures from the US trip here.

Christmas Celebrations

Of course, we had many Christmas celebrations with all of our families.  I didn't do a very good job of documenting much of the actual celebrations--
no pictures of all the delicious food or festivities!
At least we have the memories of being with all our family.

French wine & cheese on Xmas Eve courtesy of Mom & Dad
Hanging out with Great Grandma Gust, 96 years old!

We also had some fun playing Minute to Win It games with our parents!

Eating Out

Of course, we visited all of our favorite restaurants while home.  From Mexican to Japanese to good old American pub style food, we had it all!  Sadly, my picture taking skills did not keep up with my stomach.

Time to hit the gym now that I'm back in Paris!

Of course we saved room for some Wisconsin favorites too--brews and deep fried cheese curds, yummm!

Friend Visits

No visit to Wisconsin at Christmas is ever complete without meeting up with friends who live all over the Midwest.  We feel so lucky that we were able to spend so much time and see as many friends as we did this holiday season.  We miss you all...come visit! :)

Also, my photography skills failed again, as I failed to capture my visits with Katie, Andrea, Kim, and Amy.  Next time, ladies!

Baking

Baking, especially holiday baking is one of my favorite things to do.  My mom and I did a lot of it before the holidays.  Lefse is a holiday tradition in my family,
as my mom's side is Norwegian.
My mom and I decided to make it this year, and it was a blast!

I also brought chocolate to make pain au chocolate on Christmas morning, but quickly realized that American baking products do not create equal results in a French recipe.  My family will tell you they were great, but trust me, you should just come to France and buy one.

Houston Visit

We also spent a week in Houston visiting friends from when we lived there, along with shopping up a storm!  Thankfully, we have awesome friends who offered to house us, but it was weird to be living out of a suitcase in Houston.  We are used to it in Wisconsin at Christmas time, but being back in Houston with no house was very strange indeed!

We celebrated New Year's Eve in the downtown/Heights area with some friends, starting at a BYOB pizza place.  Yummmmm!!

By the way, Troy & Melissa, Nick loves his gift if you can't tell! :)

We made our way "up north" to hang out with all of my teaching friends for the weekend and celebrate Treesha's birthday (21st, right? ;))  I miss seeing all these lovely faces on a daily basis!!

Of course, we had to take some of our "awkward family photos".  This has become tradition for us!
Also, I just realized we all color coordinate, haha!!

Cooking Classes

While, I was in Houston, my friend Kristy and I took a cooking class through Viking Cooking School at Hubbell and Hudson in the Woodlands.  The theme was cooking light, and we made a delicious orange wild rice salad and crusted halibut with stir fry.  It was delicious and fun, even if our pepper puree plating didn't go so well, right Kristy? :)

Then, back in Wisconsin, my mom, grandma, and I took a baking class on deserts one afternoon.  It was less formal than other classes I've been to, but we had a ton of fun and made some delicious sweets!

Fun in the Snow

And last, but certainly not least, snow.  This was a winter like I remember as a kid, tons of snow with a fresh layer almost every day!  I got back from Houston right in the middle of the "Polar Vortex" so -20 temps with -50 degree wind chills was pretty common for a few days.  But that didn't stop us from enjoying some snow shoeing and of course playing with Sadie.  She is in heaven in Wisconsin, and I'm pretty sure will never want to leave her new home and friends.

I'll leave you with some pictures of the beautiful snow and trees.  I tried to just pick the very best, but this is much easier said that done.  I think half the pictures we took on this trip were just of snow and scenery!

Our time in the US went fast and was busy, but we enjoyed every minute of it.  Well, maybe not the minutes involving dealing with the airlines, which seemed to be a common issue on this trip.  But all's well that ends well, emergency landing, canceled flights, and everything.  And now I know how much I love Delta!