bringing in the new year with a bang

or a crack/pop, really.



this was the result of my first attempt to cook in the new year. this casserole totally exploded when i (gently) placed it on the table. maybe it's an omen that i should stay away from the stove this year. or maybe it just means i should pay more attention when cooking so i don't put a dish down on a burner that is accidentally turned on. oh well. there went a perfectly good meal and one of my favorite dishes.

cooking (or trying to cook) was not really how we rang in the new year. chris and i went with sean and cheryl to tybee island, ga.



we rented this little place and spent 2 1/2 days, exploring, eating and having a good time. our hosts, paul and annie (and their dog, sandie) were very hospitable. they took us on a boat ride to daufuskie island, a small island off the coast of hilton head, sc (but very accessible by boat from tybee). daufuskie's only access is via boat and it has about 150 year round residents. it also was the setting for pat conroy's novel, the water is wide, which is based loosely on his experiences teaching here during a vista year. in any event, we had a great time visiting tybee, daufuskie, and savannah.

also, i feel remiss if i do not wish a belated happy birthday to my husband.



even though i am posting this late, we did indeed celebrate his birthday on the actual day of his birth, december 22nd. we went out to eat with chris's parents and his 2 somali friends, which was really a great time. the celebrations continued the next day when we had a joint celebration for chris and bo, my step dad. that's when the above picture was taken. from the looks of it you really coudn't tell these guys are supposed to be adults! click here to see all the photos from cape may.