Office Party

Last night we attended Mike's office Christmas party. We went with Jason (who works with Mike) and Ines (Jason's wife who went to high school with me...but we didn't really know each other back then). Since dinner wasn't going to be served until 8 pm (who eats that late? Our kids are in bed by then!!), we decided to stop at Simply Fondue for an appetizer. Jason and Ines are members of their Red Card VIP program and were due a free appetizer.

After an appetizer of coconut shrimp and stuffed mushrooms, we headed toward the Omni Hotel for the party. The company provided horse drawn carriages to take us from the parking lot to the hotel. It was very cold outside, so it was nice to cuddle up under a blanket for the ride!

Jason and Ines have a precious 7 month old son (we got to meet him when we met up with them at their house), so naturally a lot of our conversations were about our kids and parenting. As hard as you try to not talk about kids when you're out on a date...there are just too many fun stories to tell!

The party was a coat & tie/evening wear affair. I was excited to get to put the bridesmaid dress that I wore in Mark & Angela's wedding to good use! I felt so elegant walking around in heels and a formal dress (as opposed to my usual jeans and tennis shoes).

We arrived just in time for dinner and enjoyed a delicious meal. I didn't take too many pictures (everyone was ragging on me for always taking pictures of everything...so I resisted...but that doesn't mean that I wasn't itching to take a picture of every little thing!). We feasted on a variety of salads (green, new potato, and Waldorf), fresh green beans and carrots, rice, chicken or steak (I chose the steak fillet and it was delicious) and rolls. There was also a mashed potato bar. It was the coolest thing! You could have your choice of sweet or regular mashed potatoes scooped into a martini glass. Then you added your own toppings. I choose sweet potatoes and added pecan butter, brown sugar, and pecans. It was delicious!

I really wanted to take a picture of the dessert table with an ice sculpture in the middle of it and all the delicious pies and treats, but again...everyone was making fun of me for my picture taking, so I waited until it was on my plate. They had the cutest little chocolate treats in the shape of snowmen. Jason offered his half eaten one for my picture so I could show you a before and after. lol

Next it was time to spend the $1,000 bill that the company gave us (fake, of course). We sat down at a roulette table and after several rounds we finally figured out the game. At the end of the night you could cash in your chips for raffle tickets, but you had to be present to win. We knew there was no way we'd make it to midnight, so when we started getting tired we threw down the big money trying to gamble it all away. It took a little while, but we finally got rid of all the chips.

The horse drawn carriage took us back to the parking garage and we headed for home. I had fun getting to meet some of Mike's co-workers and getting to go on such a fancy date. We also had a lot of fun with Jason and Ines. We'll have to go out with them again. They're already talking about taking us out for Sushi. Hmmm....I'm a little scared about that one, but they promise it's good (and that they only eat the cooked stuff). I guess I'll have to go along...even if it's just to get a picture of me eating Sushi!