The Onion Wins Again

I've always been a hockey fan, but recently I've been a borderline obsessed hockey fan.

Blame it on HBO's 24/7 Penguins v. Capitals documentary. This show managed to highlight both the beauty and strengths of the game itself as well as reveal the behind-the-scenes personalities of the players and coaches (not all of whom are beautiful or strong when the mask is off).

Men. Sweat. Hockey. Muscles.

This girl is in heaven!

But the game also has some humor behind it. Take, for example, The Onion's expertly crafted list of pros and cons of some the game's top players. Too funny!

Wayne Gretzky

Martin Brodeur

Sidney Crosby

Alexander Ovechkin

My favorite line is one of Wayne Gretzky's weak sides: "Um... Couldn't... Fly?"

The Holidays

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I have to say that the holiday season is my favorite time of the year. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas. Love them! And yet, I hate all the minor holidays. St. Patrick's Day? Halloween? New Years? Blugh. Hate.

I'm a minor-holiday Scrooge.

But, back to the joyous part of the season. Things I love:

1. My family. All of our family events are (mostly) low-key. Nothing stuffy about it. Eat lots of food and have fun---that's it! This year's Thanksgiving involved a number of games in which the boys killed the girls on "Catch Phrase." I also got annihilated in Checkers. Boooo.

2. Friends. We're all busy with the season, so whenever we're able to carve out some time to get together it's even more meaningful. Besides, everyone has a great stories about gift-buying mishaps and office holiday parties.

Speaking of gifts, what in world am I going to get my boss??? She has a little BMW Z3 which she loves (understandably). Maybe I could get her a BMW scarf? 

3. For some reason, the colors of red and green say Christmas to me in the month of December. A car's tail lights under a green traffic light? Christmas. Weird, I know.

4. Food. I heart food. In fact, I haven't shared my recent kitchen adventures... so here's what I've been up to:

Oatmeal Cookies

Chickpea and peppers stir fry over basmati rice. Yum!

I was too lazy to go to the grocery store, so I made this "Kitchen Sink Spaghetti." Whole grain noodles, sauteed onions and spinach, cheesy marinara sauce, and red pepper flakes. Get in my belly!

On another note, here are some random, fun pictures on my phone:

I saw these cards at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science when I went with my niece & nephew a couple of weeks ago---a fun time! Anyway, even though these pictures are of trout and not bass, I still love the idea. I should have grabbed a box to use for Christmas cards. 

Avs game!! We played the Minnesota Wild this weekend and killed them 7-4. Great seats and great company! I heart hockey.

So there's my brief holiday update. I hope to have something more meaningful to post soon. (And I'll post more frequently, promise!)