Being a financially responsible adult stinks sometimes. After talking logistics with EJ about him coming up here for the manager party on Monday, we decided that it just didn't make sense and it was too much money just for a dinner. Sigh. Instead, we'll wait a couple of more days and I can see him in Vegas. EJ usually brings the pups with him to Vegas when he goes to visit and stays with his Dad and step-mom. However, apparently it was a little too much at the house for Thanksgiving and the pups weren't invited back. I'll have to wait until the 26th to see them. Luckily my Dad and brother are amazing and are willing to take the pups in for a couple of days until we get back into LA. We're going to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel for Christmas Eve and Christmas so it will be easier to meet up with our friends. We were able to get an amazing price for the rooms (as if you expected anything less from me!) through Vegas.com. It will be kind of odd since this will be the first year I will not go to church either on Christmas Eve or Christmas and it will be the first year that I will wake up in a hotel room in Vegas with no Christmas tree or stockings (I knew I should have packed the Christmas stuff from El Segundo and brought it up North with me and then I could have brought it to Vegas!) I guess there is a firsts for everything and all I have to be grateful for is that I will be with family and friends.
A while back my Dad had given me one of the first avocados off the tree in his backyard. I love the story of this avocado tree (although I don't tell it nearly as well as Dad does). Grossmutter and Grossvater had just moved into their house and a man came to the front door selling avocado trees. Grossmutter didn't want to get it because it was too expensive but Grossvater convinced her that it would be ok. Uncle Gary and Dad buried their old rusty bumpers from cars underneath the tree and there has been a lot of love and time put into the tree becoming as grand as it is today (not to mention protecting the precious avocados with a BB gun from those pesky squirrels...don't call PETA!) I think that's what makes these avocados a "Hess" avocado...not a Hass or Fuerte...because these avocados have an amazing taste and texture unlike any other avocado you have ever eaten. Good job Dad on loving and harvesting this year!
On a side note (pun intended...Mom and Dad aren't you glad that my English degree is coming into use?!), this ice cream sandwich is absolutely delicious! I convinced myself to buy them since they originate from San Francisco and was glad that I did. Although, consequently, I was at Zumba and yoga today to burn off the calories! Anyway, I had a great day off from work today and totally slept in like a lazy bum (I won't even tell you until when for fear of making you extremely jealous!) Since I won't get to see EJ for another week, we've been chatting via FaceTime for Macs. It's kind of like Skype except you don't have to pay and as long as one person has an Iphone (this would be EJ...hopefully me too in February!) you can use FaceTime. He guided me through the process of using the broiler on my stove (hey, bakers don't use broilers, ok?!) and as a result my little studio is filled with smoke but the ultimate result was delicious. No recipe here, other than perhaps a bit of copyright infringement on my previous employer Beach Pizza, but it was a bed of lettuce with a chicken breast sprinkled with mozzarella cheese and ranch dressing. Thank goodness for technology (I'm sure that comment will come back to bite me at some point, but for now, I stand by it!) so I could show EJ the smoke coming out of the oven and to have him reassure me that I wasn't going to burn the place down (although if I DID burn it down, at least I have renter's insurance!) I hope all is well with you my readers and for my family: I love you and miss you and can't wait to see you soon!