After-Christmas Christmas Party!

Sorry this is going to be out of chronological order. At this point, I just want to get SOMETHING from our SUPER-FUN visit home to Baltimore for Christmas up on the blog so you can enjoy it!

Nikki's friend (and Maid of Honor) Audra hosts an after-Christmas party every year. She makes a ton of food, offers a ton of beverage options, and coordinates a White Elephant gift exchange. This year's gift theme was "Cartoons for Christmas." Everyone had to bring something that had to do with cartoon characters, new or classic. Steve's sister (and bridesmaid) Sam came along this year, which was super fun. She and Steve didn't have time to shop for gifts for the exchange, so Nikki bought gifts on their behalf. Oh Lord...

The loot!!

I'll take this one please!

Steve, a.k.a. "Stinja," looks on in amused horror at the weird gifts

Zack, his lady love Stephanie, and her sister Kim acted as a team and ended up all getting Transformers stuff with the odd Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy thrown in. Turns out, making Transformers these days is TOUGH!!

A RARE picture of Audra's boyfriend Tim. As you can see, he's thrilled to get his Transformers toy too.

Tia (bridesmaid!) ended up with a two-part gift. Part one: Super Mario Brothers fruit snacks!

Part two: A matching Super Mario Brothers fleece blanket!

Her husband Jon (best man!) coincidentally (the gifts were originally wrapped) chose a DVD of the Super Mario Brothers TV show! (That's how you know it's true love.)

Stinja was excited to get the special-edition Finding Nemo DVD!

Stinja's girlfriend Julie "won" a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tee shirt and Family Guy boxer shorts (not pictured)

Samantha ended up choosing the gift that Nikki had bought on her behalf. A 47-piece Toy Story puzzle, you say?! Magnificent!

Steve TOTALLY nerded out when he opened his gift to find he'd gotten an Iron Man mask and a Captain American shield (that shoots darts, although not effectively).

Evan chose the gift that Nikki had bought on Steve's behalf. When he tried to guess what his wrapped gift was by shaking it, he asked, "Did you buy a box of rocks?" Everyone had a good laugh when they saw that the gift was actually a box of cereal with cartoon mascot Tony the Tiger on it.

Audra, seen here looking possessed, chose a Hong Kong Phooey doll that Stinja had chosen to purchase. The cartoon drawing she's holding was done by Stinja!

Nikki, seen here looking deranged, chose the gift she'd bought for the party. Turns out, she REALLY wanted a My Little Pony doll, perhaps to relive her childhood. Stinja tried to "steal" the gift during the exchange part, but she threatened him with bodily harm, so he just let her have it.

After the gift exchanged, we played Cards Against Humanity, which is a dirtier version of Apples to Apples. Nikki ended up winning, perhaps because she has the filthiest mind.

Lyra Heartstrings awaits the game

Going Home

Nikki and I went back to Baltimore for Christmas with just the black suitcase and her purse. This is all we're leaving with: the suitcase, her purse, a carry-on from her mom, and a book bag she borrowed from Ginger Jon. Why all the extra luggage? While there are some Christmas gifts in the brown bag, most of the luggage is stuffed full of Utz chips. Nikki LOVES Utz chips. She's also tucked four bottles of Maryland wine into the suit case between all her clothes. Luckily Southwest Airlines allows passengers to check two bags and have a carry-on and a "personal item" to take with them on the plane FOR FREE. I highly recommend flying with them during the holidays.

Hooray for Friends!

By now, my good friend Jared has left for destinations south (Colorado Springs and Santa Fe, NM). It was a bittersweet parting for the both of us. Bitter because we had just officially "met" off the internet, but "sweet" because it was weird waking up and going to the kitchen for my morning cereal and seeing him curled up in his sleeping bag on my couch. Hard to watch early-morning cartoons when someone's trying to nap.

Last night, Jared, Steve, Nikki, and our friend Mandy went to Choppers Sports Grill, where Nikki and Steve are regulars. (Note that the bar rocks the Ravens logo on their homepage!) While the guys watched the Orioles game and the NBA play-offs (SNOOZE), Mandy and Nikki played skeeball and tried to get the ball in the little 100-point circle. (They weren't successful.) One of the managers came over and recommended that we go duckpin bowling at this bar in nearby Cherry Creek. Nikki flipped out; duckpin bowling is SUCH a Baltimore sport (and, unfortunately, a dying one). Having a place to play it in Denver seemed like great fun and a taste of home. So we got in the car and headed over to the Milwaukee Street Tavern. They have two bowling alleys (miniaturized, of course) in the back of the bar. It's $4/person per game, and you don't need fancy shoes or anything. We were set to have a great time!

It turns out, Mandy lettered in bowling in high school, so she was REALLY good. And Steve's REALLY good at bowling too, so it was throw-down between the two of them. Since the ball weighs more than I do and is roughly 1/3 my size, I watched on the sidelines. Nikki's pretty terrible, but so is Jared; they ended up tying with 94 points. Steve beat Mandy by something like two points. It was ridiculous.

My picture of them didn't turn out that great because the flash was being weird, so I decided to play around with filters and make this a REALLY creepy-looking photo!

When we got home again, Jared and I hung out with Nikki, watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. I wanted to get some pics of us before he left today, so we snapped some "MySpace pics" with our cell phone cameras. (Hooray for technology!) They're not that good, but I like them anyway.

Tres amigos!

Besties!!

Don't forget to check out the post I wrote a couple of days ago to find links to all of Jared's blogs, include his travel blog, which features some pictures from his stay in Denver.

Goin' to the Chapel and They're Gonna Get Mair-air-aired!

In March, we flew back to Baltimore so Nikki could be in her friends' wedding. Jon and Tia were the "couple friends" for Steve and Nikki; they could do double dates, and they always watched football together on Sundays. (Fun fact: when Tia gets really nervous, she obsessively cleans. She once got mad at Nikki for doing the dishes before the game and leaving her nothing to wash!) Jon helped Steve propose to Nikki, and Tia took Nikki to her first bridal show. Besties all the way!

I was so excited to go back to Baltimore, not just because it meant I got to see the family and my friends again, but also because I was going to be flying in an airplane for the first time! Oh man! Nikki put me in a nice purse that Steve's aunt Pam bought for her in Guatemala, and we flew through security. We got an aisle seat in a relatively empty plane (REALLY early in the morning!) and had some room to stretch out and sleep. I was so excited that Nikki had a hard time keeping me from climbing over the guy in the window seat and peering out the ultra-strength plexiglass to see everything that was going on!

...then we took off.

Oh God, you guys, ARMADILLOS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE IN THE SKY!!!!!!!! There was turbulence, which was TERRIFYING, and the landing was bumpy (I thought), and Nikki just passed out through the whole thing because she had to take air-sickness medication. She ended up using me as a pillow, which I thought was rather demeaning, but it at least meant that I had something to grip onto as the plane bumped around in the air.

When we landed, I kissed the ground then gargled with strong soap, because....ew. We were staying at Nikki's parents' place, and it was nice to see them again.

There was so much to do to prepare for the wedding that Nikki ended up having to leave me at home for a couple of days. BUT! I got to hang out with her and Tia the day before the big day and do all the girlie things that girls do to get ready for weddings. First stop: the nail salon to get mani-pedis:

Nikki getting her toenails done. Never realized how gross feet could be! ;D

Tia and I snuggling while she gets her pedicure. Isn't she adorable?!

The end result! What a great pedicure! So classy!

After grabbing a quick lunch at a local deli (UTZ CHIPS!!!!), we went to a wig shop so Tia could buy some hair for her wedding day hairdo. As Nikki doesn't ever want long hair, I've never been to a wig shop before, so Tia showed us around and told me all about how you want REAL hair because synthetic hair just melts or something awful when you try to style it.

While I may be fuzzy, I've (obviously) never had hair before, so I thought I'd try out a few styles and see which one I like best. Feel free to comment with your opinion too!

First look: Dark black curls. Very exotic-looking I think. Mediterranean maybe.

Next up, a curly do with medium-brown hair. A little more "armadillo next door."

I know Nikki HATES it when people say that straight hair is more glamorous than curly hair, but I think in this instance, it's true!

OF COURSE I had to try some blonde locks! What a great "California girl" look!

We went to a hair salon in East Baltimore, where Nikki fell asleep on the couch in the back room, and people were loud and laughing, and the radio was blaring, and I kinda loved it, even though I was TOTALLY out of my element. We ended the day back at Jon and Tia's house, where we got things ready for the big day and ate some pretty delicious pizza.

Finally, the big day arrived! Steve had gotten into town Saturday night, so he carpooled with Nikki and got to the church early to help set up decorations and keep everyone amused. Jon and Tia got married in Chase Court, which is a beautiful, historic building behind a church in Mount Vernon, Baltimore. There was a courtyard and stained glass windows and a giant fireplace. The bridesmaids, mother of the bride, Tia, and I all went to the upstairs loft area to get ready.

Human girls use so much make-up and hair products!

Because Nikki was in the wedding, she didn't get to take too many photos before or any during the ceremony. But that's okay, because once the reception started, I got to see all my old friends again!

Evan, who we call "Giant," because he's big and red-headed, and it seemed like an appropriate name.

Melissa, an excellent artist who has birds who can speak English and like to say really weird things at weird times.

Got a picture with the beautiful bride and Audra

I'm really glad that I got to hang out with Audra at the wedding. I wish we had had more time together, but armadillos LOVE to dance, and Audra kept declining my invitations. ;)

The day finally wound down to an end. Jon and Tia drove off into the sunset in a car that Nikki and Tia's sister Nita decorated with "JUST MARRIED!" and little stick figure drawings of the happy couple. Everyone helped to clean up, and the next day, we got on another plane and flew home. It was a wonderful time, a beautiful ceremony, and a fun experience, as it was also my first wedding.

Best part of a wedding? THE OPEN BAR! :)

Nikki Post: Paper Moon Diner

I flew home to Baltimore last weekend to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding. Claire will be telling you ALL about our trip in the coming days, but while she's distracted by watching Being Elmo on Netflix, I thought I'd sneak on and update about a trip I went on without her. (Don't tell!)

That Friday I spent the day with my dear friend Agnes, who recently hit her third decade of life on this planet. (Happy birthday!) To celebrate, I took her to lunch at Paper Moon Diner in Baltimore, one of my favorite, hip, overpriced restaurants in the city. (Warning, the website has loud music when you first enter, so turn down your speakers!) I first went to P-Moon when I was 17 or so and my friend Chuck suggested we go there late one night during the summer. The thrill of going someplace in the wee hours of the morning and goofing around in such a wacky environment was wonderful for my almost-an-adult self. For years, it seemed that every time I went to the diner, no matter how late or early in the day or night, I'd run into someone I know or who knew me through a series of "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" kind of steps. (Also know as the "Smalltimore" effect.) I once went there my sophomore year of college and sat next to an African-American man in his 50s who knew of me through a high school ex-boyfriend he was in a bicycling collective with! The effect has worn off in recent years (and thank God, because most often, the people I saw at Paper Moon were people I didn't want to see!), but the diner remained one of my top spots to take people from out of town. Steve and I actually had our first date of sorts there the night we met. <3

Paper Moon is mostly a diner but also mostly an ever-evolving work of art. While many of the collages and pieces you can see in these pictures have been around for the decade or so I've been a patron, many new pieces are added all the time at the expense of others. My favorite (not pictured) is a mannequin located in the gender-neutral restroom on the first floor. Nothing quite like trying to pee while a bald, mostly-naked mannequin stares at you!

View from our table, looking up and towards the back of the diner

View from our table, looking up and facing the main entrance of the diner

Near the bar area, upon first entering the restaurant. The table right in front there is where Steve and I sat on that fateful night we met one another. <3 <3

This lovely lady is at the cashier's station, next to a disembodied hand covered in pennies.

I had meant to bring Claire along on this particular excursion, but Thursday night was the first night in TWO WEEKS that I had slept through the night, and I ended up running late for what was supposed to be a *brunch* with Aggiebell. In my rush to get out the door, I left Claire tangled in my bedsheets. No matter, because Agnes and I found a way to represent Claire in spirit:

So if you've found this blog via the little note we left at the Paper Moon Diner on March 9, 2012, please leave a comment and let me know! It'd be nice to know that someone read our little love letter.

All of the tables and chairs at Paper Moon are repurposed furniture, and our table happened to have a "secret" drawer in it on Agnes's side. Over the years, I've sat at such tables, and patrons had always left little notes inside for others to find. Finally, Paper Moon compiled these notes into a binder so everyone could share their adventures.

Agnes and I left our own note to mark such a momentous occasion:

Once done with our meal (I had the bananas foster French toast; Agnes had a black bean and avocado quesadilla), Agnes and I took silly pictures outside of the restaurant.

Agnes is a total groupie for mostly-naked dudes riding bareback on cows.

I'm trying to do my best impression of the mannequin behind me and failing spectacularly.

Every restaurant should be required to have an adorable elephant statue on its roof. Think of how much easier it would be to give directions! "Oh, it's the one with the purple elephant on the roof. No, you're thinking of Taco Bell; their elephant is red and white."

Signs you're an art school kid: you're walking the streets with a shopping cart full of mannequin legs. Sign you're from a big city: you're walking around with said shopping cart, and no one is looking at you like you're a freak.

Nikki Post: Things Denver Doesn't Have

1. Old Bay seasoning
2. Purdue chicken (never realized it WASN'T a national company!)
3. Real beaches
4. Entire areas that smell like dead fish
5. Utz potato chips
6. Boordy Vineyard Wine at every liquor store
7. Natty Boh?
8. People who like to bitch about the Orioles (as far as I can tell anyway)
9. People who like to cheer for the Ravens (ditto)
10. A rock opera society
11. A lot of black people
12. A history (Native American excepted) dating back to the late 1600s
13. A large, permanent collection of Matisse's works (as far as I know)
14. Snowballs
15. Pit beef sandwiches
16. Thrashers french fries
17. Kohr Bros. soft serve
18. Seacrets
19. Giant and Mars food stores
20. A beltway

There are probably a lot more things - large and small - that I've noticed aren't here in Denver like they are in my hometown. And there are a lot of things in Denver that they don't have in Baltimore - a constant view of the mountains, for example. I think the weirdest difference between the two cities is how I still get lost or need to rely on my phone's navigation to get around. I've only been here less than a month, yes, and I haven't explored a whole lot, but it's still a weird thing to move from one place where you know almost every street and the best and quickest ways to get to different neighborhoods and which streets are always clogged with traffic or always under construction....and go someplace where you get lost just trying to get to the supermarket a mile or so down the road. How long does it take to get acclimated to a place?