New Year Celebrations

The New Year's holidays are often a bit disappointing after all the Christmas fun the week before. This year, I think we managed to fit in plenty of fun, and the only disappointment of the weekend was Michigan's loss to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl.

I had Friday off from work, so the fun began with a visit from one of my best friends, Kara. We spent 3 hours in Chipotle, but it felt like only 15 minutes. I love this girl! We met each other at Olivet's freshman orientation and have been friends ever since. Kara and I have visited England together, roomed together our junior year, and supported each other through thick and thin. She's the best!

After ringing in the new year with Dave's parents on Skype, Dave and I went for our annual New Year's Eve dinner at Texas Roadhouse. We, of course, had to take a picture of ourselves before heading out.

We'd planned to watch a movie after getting back from dinner, but we took some time instead to review 2010 and share our reflections on the blog.

We watched the ball drop in Times Square, then turned the TV off. Chicago's New Year's Eve coverage isn't great, so we depended on this nifty online countdown to help us.

At midnight, we toasted to the new year and sang "Auld Lang Syne."

On New Year's Day, we went to my aunt and uncle's house to watch the Gator Bowl. Quite a few of us were all decked out in our Michigan gear, but alas, our enthusiasm wasn't enough for the Wolverines to pull off a victory. It was a sad end to their 2010 season.

Looking back on the events of last week, I'm grateful for the opportunity to take a break from the routine and spend time with friends and family. It was a great way to end 2010 and begin 2011.