Here's to the next 4 years

congratulations. good luck. i believe in you. thank you.

Here's to: renewed faith. relief. strength. acceptance. high hopes. inspiration.

I ♥ Maddie

Last week my parents were in Mexico so Cardy and I got to watch Maddie. Luckily, Maddie is accustomed to our house and is very comfortable here. She loves Cardy and follows him around like his shadow. Her mornings were very tiresome due to the fact she was staying up with Cardy every night.

Maddie is such a funny dog and is quirky as hell. She does not like being left (by anyone) and throws tantrums you would not believe (I think I need to call the Dog Whisperer)! She is happiest when she's surrounded by her whole family. She loves walks but hates other dogs and she can spot them a block away (the dog park is her biggest nightmare). For some reason, she thinks she's a lap dog or a small child and if I sit cross legged on the floor she will always sit in my lap. She's extremely smart and makes me laugh constantly. It was fun to spend so much time with her, I really miss having her around.

{Maddie always rests her head on anything she can find}

{This is Maddie's favorite position to lie in}

Good Eats!

Thanks Alton Brown for the awesome Mac & Cheese Recipe! I've been wanting to make homemade mac & cheese for a while, so last weekend I was feeling domestic and tried out a new recipe. It was so yummy! The cheesy inside mixed with the crunchy topping was heaven. The only thing I would do differently is half the recipe. This recipe made so much, we still have left overs. I took pictures to share because it looked too good to keep to myself. I love to cook, especially from scratch. It's become a hobby of mine and I get total enjoyment out of trying new recipes, especially when they're "keepers" and this one is definitely a keeper!

Godina Family Band

While all of our nieces & nephews were in town we decided to have a Rock Band night at our house. Nando, Tony and Faith live in Reno so we only see them a few times a year. We miss them so much and are always super excited when they come to visit. The whole group are Guitar Hero pros but they had never played Rock Band before. What a blast! Nicole pretty much took over the drums for the entire night, Faith (the 6 years old) wanted to sing but informed me she can't read, and the rest took turns playing the guitars. While they took turns on the instruments the others would pull out their DS and play other games. I'm happy to know kids love video games so much...This is great job security for Cardy!

Ringing in the New Year

There is nothing more fun than to have plans for New Years Eve! This year we decided to keep with tradition and and eat at Spencer's for a pre-party dinner. It was nice to start the evening off with an intimate dinner with our closest friends, and of course, Spencer's has the best steaks in town!

After dinner, our friends Mike & Taylor invited everyone over for a New Year's celebration. We started with Jello shots, worked our way to the wine & beer (often times with one in each hand as seen below), and finally toasted 2009 with a glass of champagne. We had a great night and we are eagerly looking forward to what the new year will bring.

Happy Holidays

We had such a great holiday season. I was able to take a lot of time off of work between Christmas & New Years and I think I enjoyed being a "stay-at-home wifey" a little too much! I truly enjoy the day time at home...free to do whatever I please ::back to reality::

We had a wonderful Christmas, mostly spent with our family and friends. Cardy's brother and his family came in from Reno. We miss these guys so much and always enjoy their visits. Cardy and I are fortunate to have parents that live in such close proximity to each other (within a block, really). It makes it so convenient to jump back & forth between houses. On Christmas day we met at my parent's first for presents and breakfast. A tradition in the Swan household is to eat fish with our breakfast. Yes, we prepare eggs, ham, toast, and coffee just like any normal meal but on Christmas day my dad makes us eat Finnin Haddie. It's a fish. I don't know where this tradition comes from or why we continue it each year, but none the less, we eat it and nod our heads as if we're enjoying it (hey...it's tradition). I googled the old fish this year, because after 28 years of eating it, my curiosity got the best of me. Here's what I found: it's a Scottish fish, smoked Haddock to be exact. Why it's typically only found at Christmas time is still a mystery to me.

Next we met at Cardy's parent's to meet up with all of his brothers and sisters and their families. This is our first Christmas without Cardy's dad. I wasn't sure how Cardy was going to feel or what sadness the day might bring without Fernando. To my surprise, Cardy was well and Fernando's spirit filled the house. At dinner we toasted in his honor and celebrated Godina style with a bowl of pozole, tamales and tostadas.

Cardy and I are so blessed to have such wonderful families!