Office Christmas Party 2012

The company Christmas party was this past weekend. I was looking forward to it because I have a pair of awesome shoes that rarely get out. (That's right- my social life revolves around which shoes I'm anxious to wear.) The opportunity to play dress-up was exciting but I also heard a rumor that Jeff Foxworthy was going to be there!

I have a little black dress that I usually try on before events such as this and wear for about half an hour before I lose the nerve to actually leave the apartment in it. I know from experience that "dangerous" outfits always look better in the privacy of my own home than they do when I'm walking across a room full by people. It's like a fashion magic trick. "Hey, not bad!" I think, when I'm looking at myself in the bedroom mirror. But once I get out in public, the dress becomes too short, too tight and too revealing for any self-respecting woman to wear.

I took off the fabulous dress and put on something safe: pants and a nice top. The ensemble may have been a bit on the boring side but I reminded myself that my awesome shoes would save the day. I just had to make sure everyone noticed them. Not to worry, I have a subtle little trick I've perfected over the years. I bring one foot up about waist high, point and say, "Look at my shoe!!" Works every time.

There was a cocktail hour, followed by a delicious meal. By that time enough wine had been served to prime us for the next phase of the party: live music and dancing. Woo-hoo!

Steve is thinking, "They're doing it wrong."

Is that Jeff Foxworthy on the left?? OMG!!

And they're still dancing...

The band didn't want to see my shoes.

I had a great time and it was a nice way to usher in the holiday season. My husband works with a friendly, fun group of people who always make me feel comfortable whether I'm using a computer at the office or forcing them to look at my shoes at a party.

Awesome, right?

The Real Housewives

First, there were 
The Real Housewives of Orange County:













Then there were 
The Real Housewives of New York City:

But none of them compare to 

The Real Housewives of Calgary!

The Drama!

The Intrigue!

The quiet moments wondering who to trust! 

And a case of mistaken identity!

"I'm a cowboy,
not a housewife!"

Well...none of that happened! Instead, we shared some lovely outings, delicious food, maybe a tiny bit of wine and a whole lot of laughter. Frankly, The Real Housewives of Calgary are the only Real Housewives I care to know.

Next season will begin with some cast changes. And though the new Housewives will provide many more good times, I'll look back on the original cast with much fondness. Good luck, Caroline and Juanita, in your new  time slots  adventures! We'll miss you.

East Meets West

American friends of ours who are very familiar with the east coast of Canada visited us this past weekend here in the wild west. We had three full days to show them all the wonders of the Canadian Rockies and Calgary's downtown. Mission accomplished!

I jest. It would be impossible to fully experience the Rockies and the city of Calgary in a lifetime let alone three days. But we made our best effort to hit the highlights during their stay and with some careful planning and a bit of luck, we saw some amazing things: (click on the photos to see them larger)

Bow Lake

Peyto Lake

The Athabasca Glacier

We rode this vehicle on to the glacier and then walked around on that bad boy.

A Grizzly Bear 

A Bald Eagle
(across from our building in Calgary!)

Rocky Mountain Sheep

Moraine Lake

Lake Louise




The Banff Springs Hotel





Elk on the Banff Springs Golf Course

Not bad for such a short visit, right? During our drives to these amazing sights, we had plenty of time to catch up with one another and then, after the car was safely parked at home, we shared some great food and drink. We were all hoping for a weekend like this- time with some great company while doing interesting things. Mission accomplished.

"Hi, I'm Jeff. On behalf of all of us I'd like to say thank you for reading about our weekend! Hope you enjoyed this blog post as much as we did living it. Cheers!"