23rd Party!

Every year my parents host an annual Christmas party on December 23^rd and we really look forward to it every year as lots of our friends are now regulars on the guest list!  This year was a bit different for Richard as he had sinus surgery the day prior and is still recovering.  I didn’t take as many photos as I usually do but was able to capture a few good ones.  Merry Christmas!!

DT Danville

This past weekend was so much fun.  We went to a tacky sweater party at the Mes’ house on Friday in Pleasanton that had one of the best white elephant gift exchanges I can remember, picked up Gina from the airport on Saturday (worked out she was able to make a visit this weekend), went out to dinner with Brian and Kirsten Ellis on Saturday, had dinner at the Ellis’ Sunday evening and met sweet little Carter (Brian and Kirsten’s new baby that I’m obsessed with!) went to a WSU vs. Santa Clara basketball game Sunday with Gina and Brian Ellis, and now officially on Christmas vacation.  We’re flying back to Seattle tomorrow, I’m going into the Projectline office for a half day to have lunch with my mentee who’s here from the UK so I guess afterwards I’m officially on Christmas vacation….want to try and get a few things done in the office.  We’ve had such a fun time having Gina here to visit and we were able to show her our new home and surroundings.  Tried to do a little Christmas shopping yesterday but were not too productive, oh well….still 5 shopping days to go, right?  Richard is making his amazing tortilla soup for dinner tonight and we’re going to catch a movie in Blackhawk, need to turn in early since we have a 7AM flight tomorrow morning back to Seattle!  It recently occurred to me I have no photos on here of downtown Danville where we live!  I wanted to take a few while all the Christmas décor was still up, such a cute downtown!

 The Rising Loafer - best breakfast joint ever!

 Richard's fave bar in Danville - they know us by name now...not sure if that's a good thing? 

 Norm's Place has an annual ugly sweater pub crawl, next year - we're in!

Blackhawk Plaza

It was so incredibly beautiful today!  I thought it was going to be like this every day but we’ve actually had our fair share of drizzles since we got here in November.  It’s funny (and a bit annoying) because every time we’ve had a visitor, it has rained.  When my mom drove down with me from Seattle to transport my car, it was sunny the for weeks then as soon as we arrived, it rained all weekend.  When Richard’s dad and stepmother visited it had been dry all week and rained as soon as they got here.  The forecast was looking rainy when my mom and grandma decided to come down and Christmas shop however we were lucky and somehow dodged it.  Today was gorgeous and now it supposed to start raining when Gina comes to visit this weekend…not sure why this keeps happening but I guess it’s good to have some precipitation, grass is always greener on the other side and I’m sure this summer we’ll be wishing we had one day of sprinkles. 

This afternoon, I made a coffee run to Blackhawk Plaza which is in walking distance of our home.  It’s such a cute shopping area, reminds me a lot of U-Village!  I love having this so close to where we live and have enjoyed the holiday decorations, everything looks so pretty.  Blackhawk Plaza is a mix of outdoor shops, an semi indoor shopping plaza, restaurants, a movie theater, a fancy market called Draeger's, a gym that I'm joining in January called Crunch, park, duck pond and clustered seating.  It’s in Danville but not downtown (DT Danville pics to come), here’s a little more about it taken from their Facebook page:  Blackhawk Plaza is the East Bay’s premier shopping and dining destination featuring an aquatic landscaped interior courtyard with terraced shopping and dining establishments.  Stores include: Anthropologie, Restoration Hardware, read., Geoffrey Scott, Patrick James, Dollhouse Lingerie, Draeger’s Market, See Jane Run, Dabble Cosmetics and more.  Blackhawk is also home to the world-renowned Blackhawk Auto Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate; and is home to three new restaurants by World Renowned Chef Matthew Silverman.

http://blackhawkplaza.com/