Early Dec. we had our staff Christmas party. We were supposed to wear tacky Christmas sweaters. We didn't own such a thing and when we went shopping, there was very little to be found. We even checked Goodwill & Salvation Army stores. We ended up getting matching fleece vests with snowmen & snowflakes on them. Jim found a gross tie & I wore a string of lights necklace, Christmas tree earrings, and socks. We figured dressing the same added to the tackiness factor.
My co-worker, Dave, held the party at his house. He won for having the ugliest Christmas sweater.
Pretty tacky, eh?
The day after the party we drove into Toronto to meet up with my brother, Brian. YAY!! He was here from Fredericton to write a certification exam. We met him at his hotel and hung out the whole day. It was so nice to see him.
Here is Brian & Jim walking to the ROM on one of the coldest days we've had so far this year. It was nice when we finally got inside. Brian suggested going to the museum & it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
We saw suits of armour. People were certainly small in those days. Some of those wouldn't even fit me. There were lots of religious artifacts as well.
Some beautiful stained glass
This carved piece depicting Christ's Crucifixion was so intricately detailed - just stunning.
Brian wanted to hit the Egyptian section, so we wandered over there. This is always a popular spot.
Mummified hawk on the left and 2 mummified cats. Probably someone's pets that they really cared about.
There were a lot of stone carvings around of different gods, kings, etc. There was one statue that was on the floor with a glass wall built around it. The wall stood maybe 2 feet high. There was a man on a cell phone, talking away, while his toddler daughter was romping around behind the glass!! I was so stunned, I couldn't speak. Imagine...an ancient Egyptian statue and he lets his toddler climb around on it. When he saw us, he picked her up and scuttled away. The ignorance of some people.
Brian then spotted in this guide that there was a bat cave! He wanted to go see that.
Found some! 
We had such a nice afternoon. The museum was closing so we decided to go for dinner before Brian's flight back home. While we were at the restaurant, he got a text message from his girlfriend, Emma, saying that there was a big snowstorm, his flight had been postponed and his car would be buried for sure. He tried to call Emma, but no luck, so he phoned Dad and got him to check flight status. Everything seemed to be on schedule so we proceeded with a relaxing dinner, grabbed a couple of pictures -
and headed to Pearson. When Brian left, I wanted to cry. Sometimes I miss my family so much. I talked to Brian a week or so later and he said his flight almost got cancelled, but in the end, was delayed for a couple of hours. When he got to Fredericton, his car was buried and he didn't get home until almost 3:30am! It's a month or so before he hears anything about the exam he wrote. Fingers crossed for a good grade! Tonight we're going to the hockey game! Woot!Woot!
Jim received these from a customer. Gold seats, row 13. Excellent! The Leafs have been doing pretty shitty this year, but on the plus side, Ottawa is totally sucking it. This is a huge rivalry, so should be lots of fun. We're grabbing the GO train early and going for dinner first.
Then....next Friday....SOLD OUT AC/DC!
(Fan video is from the November show at Rogers Centre)
Mama Rita & Jade also joined in the fun. One of things I served as an appetizer was bruschetta from
This earned rave reviews from everyone.
"Someone" who wasn't really in the mood to have a picture taken. HAHA!
Simon was excited to have everyone come visit, but very well behaved. Michelle & Joe both said he was the best behaved dog they had ever seen. He did his mom proud. Of course he had to have a cuddle from Jade.
And he wanted to show off one of his presents from Santa. A Leafs practice jersey. He is so ready for the next game.
Dinner was ready and everyone was anxious to eat!
The cranberry sauce on the table this year was also compliments of Dynise. Quince-Cranberry to be exact. This is a recipe I tested and it is so freakin' delicious, this will be my go-to cranberry sauce every year.
My plate, starting at 12:00 - stuffing (kept out of the bird) made by Joe, mashed potatoes with fake turkey gravy, Quorn roast, made by Michelle, quince-cranberry sauce, turnip puff made by Michelle, roasted carrots & in the middle, brussels sprouts with hazelnuts.
Everyone ate lots. Jade especially liked her dinner. Can't you tell by the look on her face. She's such a ham!
Michelle says enough is enough with the pictures already, let's just eat.
Simon spent a lot of the day chewing his new toy. "Santa" appears to be a Leafs fan. Let's hope the 2nd half of their season is better than the first. We've got tickets for the game on Jan. 3. Leafs vs. Ottawa. There's a big rivalry there so it should be wild!
I got in on the Pay It Forward Challange with 
