New Couch!

Introducing the newest addition to our home: an ultra comfy new sleeper sofa. (That's right, no more air mattress!) The days of "ole' green" are gone, we're somewhat sad to say. Luckily, our friends Pilar and Sebastian have adopted ole' green, so we can visit whenever we like.

Here's a funny series taken while we experimented with our camera timer, in order to get all three of us in the frame.

Austin, Texas

We had to find out for ourselves if the stars are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas. And, they are. We just spent a great three-day weekend with old friends from UW-Madison, Jack and Roxanne. They are living in Austin and were kind enough to show us the city and countryside.

Our first stop was for good Tex-Mex and a beautiful view of the sunset over Lake Travis. We also sampled some local Texas-sized brews at a local haunt, which provided complimentary ponchos for the "chilly" 60-degree nights.

We also found a shuffleboard table in downtown Austin, although we are apparently rather rusty at our old favorite bar game. The lack of side walls really impaired our game. Or maybe it was just the Texas-sized beers. At any rate, see Rachel miss her shot below.

The next day took us to the hill country of central Texas, where we hiked to the top of Enchanted Rock, a 1800-foot high granite rock formation. You can see how the rock is eroding in great slabs of the side of the formation.

We were also really excited to see Louie, Roxanne and Jack's fabulous dog (just don't tell him that he's a d-o-g). He accompanied us on all our hikes and we enjoyed some face-to-face time in the car. Unfortunately, Louie wouldn't fit into our carry-on suitcase, so we'll have to plan another trip to steal the best dog in the world. Here is another shot of Enchanted Rock, taken as we hiked around the formation.

Finally we headed out to a clasic pit barbecue place, Coopers, in Llano Texas. It was amazing. I've never ordered meat by the inch before, but if you have the chance I highly recomend it. below is our ribs and brisket order, in all its saucy goodness.

Saydee Ann!

Another adorable niece was born in January! Rachel's brother Erik and his wife Lori are the proud parents. Saydee Ann is their second daughter; she was born on January 17th. Mom and baby are both doing well. Saydee is above with Grandpa and Dad and big sister, Hadlee. (More photos to come of Saydee once she's had her beauty sleep!)

Congratulations, Erik and Lori!

New Year's Eve

We were very happy to host our friends Megan and Brad Riechmann from St. Louis for New Year's Eve. They did a whirlwind tour of all that Philadelphia has to offer: Historic sights, fabulous restaurants, and international concerts. I don't think we could have fit any more into that weekend! Here they are by the famed Liberty Bell.

The highlight of the visit was a New Year's Eve concert featuring Alo Brazil, a Brazilian music group. We were quick to learn they also dance! (See bikinis below.) It was a high-energy, carnivalesque show that had us dancing all night.

This was a new year's eve to remember, and we were so happy to see Megan and Brad again. Hopefully next year we can catch a Cubs-Cardinals game in their neck of the woods!