hi. i'm don.

Oatmeal and an apple fritter.

Cuz, you know, I’m all about balancing things out, even though the Diet Coke wouldn’t fit in the frame.

At Skillet in German Village.

Just... ewww.

And Easter is two months away, for crying out loud!

“Mornings aren’t pretty”—truer words never spoken, though I didn’t sleep long enough to get a really grand case of bedhead. But I kinda feel like Mickey looks.

And it can’t be pure coincidence that one French press = one giant coffee cup, right? No, it must be a greater statement of the proper order of the universe.

In order: People, beers, and cans of enchilada sauce to ring in the new year.

On the second hand (a set and a run), instead of, say, on an actually USEFUL hand like the final (3 runs)???

I decided, on the final hand, to try for three runs of diamonds. Here’s to that second joker :-D

Game final score: Don 190, Julie Anne 400

Not the game-winner, but it looks good so far.

Three hands in (of seven total) and I’m batting a thousand.

Cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning.

Family and friends just gathered. The tree is beautifully decorated, “the fire” crackling merrily away, coffee steaming, and breakfast in the oven.

Doesn’t get much better than this.

Julie Anne’s scratch-made pumpkin pies.

For the record, this wasn’t a total Martha Stewart endeavor—Julie Anne bought the pie dishes, she didn’t make them herself. And she feels kinda bad about that.

Twenty-three strands of 100 bulbs apiece on Julie Anne's tree this year.

And of course the lovely Yule Log fire on TiVo!

It were good.

Stepped away for a lunch break, returned to find a little sweet perched atop my notepad courtesy of my coworker Jeremy. :-)