Happy New Year!!

From our annual "East Coast" New Year's Eve Party!!

Happy 2016!!

Christmas Cards!!

We've been away from Bellevue for a week, and just came back to to largest stack of Christmas Cards I've ever seen! Yay! I love receiving Christmas cards in the mail. It really warms up our home. Thanks, everyone!!

Rich and Benji win for "Best Addressed Envelope of the Year"!!

Out Third annual After-Christmas Movie Marathon Day with Blane

For the third year in a row, we did a movie Marathon with Blane after Christmas.

The past two years we watched all three of the Extended versions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

We went light this year with only two average length movies. We watched both JJ Abrams Star Trek films.

We all lived the films. Our furry friend, Dutch, was not so impressed. ;)

Doggie in the House!!

This is my new furry friend, Dutch! We get to hang out together this afternoon.

Christmas Night

Christmas Dinner, Dessert, friends, family and outdoor decorations.

Family Christmas Pictures

It's the last Christmas at the Chow House, so we made my Sister take pictures.

Christmas Morning at the Chow House

Happy Christmas Eve!

Happy Christmas Eve from our home in San Francisco.

I'm the lucky girl who gets to sit in front of our fireplace and listen to my husband play Christmas music on his piano tonight.

Star Wars, Take 2!

Star Wars, Take 2!!

Excited to check out the new Alamo Drafthouse Theater in the (old) New Mission Theater!! Reserved seats, full bar and menu to your table/seats.

Bonus: before the movie, they are showing old Star Wars related commercials/clips and shows!!

Update: 

It's official: the Alamo Drafthouse in San Francisco is out new favorite theater experience!! That's saying a LOT, as we love the iPic in Redmond!

Also:

Star Wars VII is even BETTER the second time around! (And we loved it the first time we saw it last week!)

Speakeasy Painting, Session Two

I'm so glad Dean was able to squeeze me in for a painting session this afternoon. Here is the second session of my Speakeasy painting.

Today, I focused on starting the figures and adding color throughout.

So far, so good!

The Starlight Room

I've lived in San Francisco for 20 years, and tonight was my first time at the Starlight Room at the top of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.

In my defense, we went with Dick's Uncle Edward tonight; he's lived in San Francisco since 1967 and this was his first time, too!

Beautiful space with amazing views!!

Christmastime in Union Sqaure

Christmas trees in Neiman Marcus and in Union Square. Notice the huge inflatable Snoopy in the front of Union Square.

Also, here is this year's gingerbread castle in the St Francis Hotel lobby.

Peanuts-Themed Holiday Windows at Macy's

Every year the SF SPCA brings adoptable kittens, cats and dogs to show in the holiday display windows Macy's Union Square.

They find homes for dozens of animals every year.

This year, the Macy's holiday window theme was the Peanuts Gang! So adorable!!