family ties

Family weddings are always an interesting time. Every family is crazy and if you disagree, then you must be the crazy one. After all these years, I fully embrace my family and extended group of family friends. They are who they are, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This past Saturday, we gathered together to celebrate my cousin's wedding and it was the first family wedding on my mom's side. So, it was a big deal. I was asked to read and apparently I was huffing into the microphone and sounded like a phone sex operator. If it's any consolation, before I got up to read I was having a coughing attack and was considering telling the alter boy to go get me a glass of water, but I didn't, and ended up sounding like a man in front of a few hundred strangers. Only me.

the couple during the ceremony

with the bf

a little game called tie limbo my brother likes to play at weddings, only this time it didn't work out so well

My camera failed to catch other moments like the best man speech, when my cousin announced that his brother owned a stuff animal named "papa bunny," where, at that point, I thought the groom would jump over the table to grab the mic away from him. I also missed my brother trying to sway not one but three different girls and in the end he went home alone, sleeping in my hotel room because his roommate locked him out of their room. And, finally, I have to give a shout-out to Keith, a faithful reader, who said he likes my posts. And, even has his favorites. So, Keith here's to Bryan, him beating out my brother and to hill billies. After all, we are from Lorain County, right?

dancing machine (or so we think)

Whew. That was one hell of a long week.

After a quick (and very warm) trip out to LA, I knew I had to be relaxed and ready for my cousin's wedding on Saturday night.

Lauren - if you read this - I would like to apologize in advance for a few things.

I'm sorry the videographer followed our table around on the dance floor. (Normally great music can make even the whitest of people think they can dance.)

I'm also sorry my brother (and Jake, Al and Tim) made friends with the DJ and tried to steal the microphone and make shout outs to you, Dave and anyone they knew in the room.)

I'm even more sorry they played Bad Romance by Lady Gaga and that I felt compelled to bust out my pathetic attempt of the video choreography. The only part I got right was the claw. (Please edit that out of the wedding video, it's just better for everyone involved.)

On with the pictures.

My mom, aunts and cousin


Lauren and Dave


my brother, the dancing machine


it's never a bad night with an air guitar or two


don't stop believin'


closing out the night with a bang

i celebrated the holidays

Well, here is my Christmas Eve in pictures. It was a long weekend filled with family time, cocktails, laughter, yelling and beer. Did I mention Christmas ale? For some reason, I only have pictures of Christmas eve and stopped taking them after that, but I assure you I had a blast in the boyfriend's neck of the woods. He took me as his date to an annual Christmas party, consisting of several graduating classes of his Alma mater.

My standard line, "Hi, I'm Allison, don't worry, you don't know me because we didn't go to high school." I didn't say that a few times and played with their heads to make them think they should know me, but I only did with a select few. I didn't want to embarrass the BF too much in one evening.

Anyway, back to Christmas eve, I'm not sure what it is about Great Lakes Christmas Ale but it makes everyone stronger, funnier and better looking. And, most importantly, it makes any party better by 100 million times.

Now, to my family celebrating:

typical fireplace shot of my cousins


my brother on the left with 2 cousins, who can still kick his ass for me if necessary


action shot


Jamie doing the robot.


Told you Christmas ales were a bad idea. My brother grabbing an empty case of beer after my cousin knocked him on the concrete. On accident.


Climbing on top of the car


Placing the beer carton on top of my aunt's car.


Just your typical holiday festivities from Allison and her lovely family! Happy almost 2010.

board games and cookies

It is officially the winter in Cleveland. We were hit a few inches of snow which always puts a damper on my going out mood. Do I really want to drive in crazy weather? Um, no, so our friends Lia and Jesse decided to have game night.

There really was little gaming and more drinking and eating, probably more drinking than anything. Like usual, right?


My friend Lia dresses her dogs. In Snuggies



a drunken game of apples to apples


And Jesse sharing the art of breaking a bag over your head


Oops on my part - party foul but you can't see it, right? Sorry Lia!


On Sunday, I headed west to my aunt's house to bake cookies with my three aunts and grandma. And by baking cookies, I mean I frosted, decorated and sampled several of the cookies. Someone had to test them, right?

the long list of cookies


A sampling of the baked goods


I helped by eating and frosting


frosting times 2


Check out the cool girl in the red dress NOT paying attention


This is week is a short work week for me because I'm taking some well-deserved PTO to prepare for this holiday weekend. Between spending time with my family and driving back and forth between the BF's house, I will need a few days of preparation for drinking and eating tons of delicious food.