The Attack of the Flu

Our home is finally flu free after an awful attack which left Drew is bed for 5 days straight- Monday thru Friday- he only left the house to go to the doctors. No work, no school, nothing. High fever, body aches, sore throat, cough- it was a very nasty strain. After a trip to the doctors, a flu test, and some strong meds, he is feeling better this week with only a residual cough. I escaped the flu but it makes sense because 1. I got the flu shot and he did not and 2. A nurse informed me that you build up immunity to your spouse (that makes me laugh) so you are less likely to get the flu from them than a stranger. Pretty interesting.

In other health news, in case you did not hear, Gia had a severe allergic reaction to her yearly vaccines and it caused us to miss our trip to Charlotte. It was very serious- she ended up being put on an IV and catheter and barely slipped by without an overnight stay in an intensive care unit. Did you know they had those for dogs? Thankfully she is okay but she gave us a huge scare. As a result, she may never get another vaccine (except rabies which is required by law) again in her life so while she will be the "pug in a bubble"- not able to go to doggy day care, dog parks, etc.- it may also be my excuse to get another dog for her! Since she is vaccinated now for another year, we don't even have to think about that for awhile. That gives me a year to convince Drew!

A bit of good news is that Drew and I finally bit the bullet, took advantage of President's Day sales, and bought some new furniture. We ordered a couch, chair and ottoman. The fabric for the large chair and ottoman is the stripes with pillows in the brocade. In the pic below, the couch is the brown material with pillows in the stripes and brocade. I don't think the photos do the colors justice- they look much better in person and I pray it all looks great together.




That's it for now. I promise to post pics of this coming weekend when my girlfriends visit in Richmond. Hope everyone is staying healthy!

Grad School, 2008 Election and Weddings

Thank you to Grandma Christopher who wrote us a very sweet note this week letting us know how much she enjoys the blog. The blog was created to keep family and friends up to date on our lives and whereabouts and we feel like so far it's been a success. Thanks to everyone for checking it from time to time and we promise that the posts will get more interesting once we start traveling again soon.

This weekend was very low key. I took the GRE's, finalized my application to grad school and made a portfolio of writing samples, while Drew continued his health kick by working out at the gym. I am hoping to get some good workouts in this week, in preparation for my 1/2 marathon in May and our upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic! Drew just booked our trip to Punta Cana last night- we go for a week in May.

We are both really excited for the Virginia Primary on Tuesday. We've been glued to the CNN and have tuned in to many of the debates since the primaries began, so we are happy to now have the chance to participate. We have not 100% made up our minds about who we are voting for but are both leaning towards Barack Obama. I just finished his autobiography and am beyond impressed and awed with what he has done in his life and how he has dedicated it to helping others. We think he is what American needs. Regardless of who you are voting for, this is a very inspiring video and worth watching- http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/yeswecanvideo.

I almost forget my very exciting news to share... My cousin Meg and her finance Steve recently won a wedding in Old Town Alexandria!! Kristina and I were on hand to cheer them on at the finals and we even made the newspaper (quotes and a picture!). Check out the article here-http://www.alextimes.com/article.asp?article=8467&paper=1&cat=149 - for full details. It's a pretty amazing story. Congrats Meg and Steve!

Drew and I are off to Charlotte, NC next weekend to visit friends so we'll have lots of pics to post then, but in the meantime, here is a pic of Harold and Gia sharing a stick at Aunt Cathy and Uncle Chuck's house this summer while we were in Italy.

We Are Finally Back!

After about a month hiatus, Drew and I are back to blogging. So many friends and family members have told us they enjoy checking the blog so we'll keep it up as long as we can. We hope this finds everybody happy and healthy thus far in 2008. Our first bit of good news is that Drew is so close to getting his masters that he can practically taste it (he is currently taking his very last class). The five year part-time program in engineering management has been pretty grueling but it will all be worth it come May. Our other news is that I am applying to begin a masters program at VCU this summer. It's an M.S. degree in strategic public relations and hopefully this will be a perfect next step in my career. The program is accelerated so I will finish in one year, which culminates with a brief 3 week study abroad in China next summer. So, school is pretty much ruling our lives right now. Oh, and Gia of course, who continues to get cuter and sillier every day.

A quick update about our Christmas holiday....Drew and I spent a wonderfully relaxing 5 days in the northern neck with the Christopher and Norris side of the family. Mom and Dad C truly outdid themselves this year when it came to Santa which Drew and I of course loved every second of. We recieved so many beautiful gifts which we are so appreciative of and love. We both agree that we're so lucky to be able to go home to our parents and feel like kids for a few days before coming back to the reality of a house, jobs, school, etc. I especially loved cooking with Momma J and learning her famous recipes such as crab dip, scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs, artichoke dip, crab balls, fried oysters, and so much more. We attended Christmas Eve church at Kilmarnock Baptist (with Grandma and Grandad Chris), after which I dragged Ryan to look at Christmas lights (a Mascelli Christmas tradition). The following day we feasted on all of Momma J's treats at her family Christmas gathering. I also want to add that Drew and I visited the new Kilmarnock Walmart 3 times while we were in the NNK and although I have never been a fan of Walmart, I have to admit that this one was much nicer than any I have ever been to. Plus, it had yarn so I got lots of knitting done. Lastly, Gia also loved her time in the NNK and especially the chicken mac and cheese and countless treats she got from grandma.

A few pounds heavier, Drew and I made our way up to Northern Virginia the Wed after Christmas to exchange presents and have another holiday feast with mom and dad. Not that I had any room in my stomach after the NNK, but i managed to devour multiple plates of the homemade ravioli's that my grandmother taught my sister to make over Christmas and they truly melt in your mouth. Heaven on a plate. That was in addition to all of the yummy food mom made of course. Highlight of the night was when Kristina and I exchanged gifts only to find out that we bought each other the same exact coat from Anthropology which everyone got a kick out of including us. Great minds think alike. Drew and I were also delighted to receive a GPS from mom and dad so we never have to get lost in Richmond again. Drew and I were excited to give one particular gift which was pics we matted and frammed from our trip to Italy. We are planning on doing the same for our home. It was great to spend a belated Christmas with mom, dad and Kris, and kudos to mom for keeping the Christmas spirit going well after the holiday just for us.

Mom, dad, Drew and I went to see Charlie Wilson's war the following day and all of us agreed it was great- go see it! Thursday evening was spent at the Klapmust's home in Arlington, exchanging gifts and eatingThai food. I will get a before and after picture from Mary to post of their home- they have completely renovated it and have done such a wonderful job that it will hopefully inspire Drew and I to get moving on our own. Seriously though, it looks great.

On Friday mom, Drew and I headed up to Johnstown, guided by the GPS, for the final leg of the Christopher's Christmas tour to spend a belated Christmas with the Lenzi side of the family. Dad and Kris met us later that evening. Drew and I stayed at Uncle Danny and Aunt Joey's much to Morgan and Mason's delight. I had a wonderful time coloring and playing with Morgan and Gia and Mason loved chasing each other and stealing raw hides. Uncle Danny, Aunt Joey, Michael, Morgan, Madalyn, her boyfriend Corbin, Drew and I, spent Friday evening at a bar owned by Aunt Joey's brother. Grandma, Aunt Darlene, mom, Aunt Sue, Uncle Rick, Lauren, Emily and Aimee met us there and we had a great time hanging out. A young guy even bought mom a glass of wine so we spent the evening teasing her about that and then of course telling dad when he arrived, which of course got a chuckle out of him. It was great just spending time with everyone. The following day brought a holiday party at Uncle Danny and Aunt Joey's which I would say was the equivalent to a Thanksgiving dinner. It was sooooooo yum and the whole Lenzi clan, minus Ryan (who had to work), was in tow to exchange gifts and watch Steeler football.

The Christopher Christmas tour officially ended the day before New Years Eve as we arrived home to a very attention starved Chicken the cat. We could tell even Gia was glad to be home after a wonderful trip. Drew and I knew that we would be exhausted from traveling by the time New Years came around so we decided well in advance to have a low key New Years with the Findleys at our house in Richmond. Stephanie and I made appetizers and had wine, we all went to dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse and finished the night back at our place playing the Findley's Nintendo Wii and watching the ball drop. Good friends, good food, good wine. It was a perfectly relaxing way to end our holiday. Here are some pics of the week or so we spent in the NNK, Alexandria, PA and then Richmond. Our entire holiday album can be found here- http://picasaweb.google.com/amandachristopher1. Enjoy!

A Christopher Christmas

Drew and I hosted our parents and Kristina this past Saturday for a mini pre-Christmas gathering at our house in Richmond. We missed Ryan but he was attending his office holiday celebration in Philadelphia (lucky him!). Drew grilled steaks, veggies, chicken and shrimp, Kris made awesome bruschetta, I made homemade pesto and feta pasta salad, momma j brought her awesome rolls, and mom and dad mascelli brought cheesecake covered with fruit for dessert. We also had great wine and some limoncello thanks to Drew at the end of the night. Drew and I had a wonderful time with our family and hope to continue the pre-Christmas dinner tradition. Gia also had a fabulous time getting extra treats from everyone. Christmas has officially begun!

Here are some pics-

Tacky Christmas at the Findley Farm

Sorry it has been a couple of weeks since we last posted a blog entry. We are finally done Christmas shopping and now have a few minutes to update everyone on what we've been doing.

First up is Stephanie and Matt Findley's Tacky Christmas Party which was held the weekend of Dec. 8 at their home in Harrisonburg VA near JMU. The Findley's are our great friends and were both in our wedding. Matt and Drew met at Virginia Tech and were fraternity brothers. As girlfriends of fraternity brothers, Stephanie and I formed a great friendship which has only strengthened throughout the years. Stephanie and Matt have a beautiful 1 and a half year old daughter Mailee, who Drew and I are the godparents of, and the Findley's really do live on a farm with cows, chickens, dogs, cats and other critters.

The party lasted from Friday to Sunday. Thank goodness their home is large and can sleep all 25 or so of us! We were able to catch up with great friends and sport the tackiest Christmas outfits in south western Virginia. Please pay close attention to Drew's hair- I thought his costume ranked among the best and so did everyone else as he tied Hunter for third place!


Enjoy the pics-






Mailee and I

Mailee chewing on the Dora phone we gave her.

Pug Play Group

Sorry for the delay in posts- I was sick all weekend but am finally starting to feel better. I've been laying low trying to get better but I did want to make sure I shared pics from Gia's first pug play group at a Richmond dog park this past Saturday. She made lots of friends and Drew and I got a kick out of all of the snorting that took place. Here are some pics of the adorable little guys-

Gia is the one drinking-

I also had to throw in this cute one of Gia chewing her bone (and Drew's legs - ha!)

Congratulations Meg and Steve!

The Mascelli family is getting bigger by the minute! Congrats to my cousin Meghan and her new fiance Steve on their engagement which happened this past Saturday evening in Old Town Alexandria. We are thrilled for them and can't wait to celebrate!!!

I'd like to be the first to request a Raw and Untamed reunion tour (sorry Meg!). For all who don't know, Raw and Untamed is the Mascelli Brother's Band (my uncles) and they only play for family weddings.

Here are two pics that Meg sent today of the engagement- the first is the couple after the proposal and the second was taken after Meg realized their friends and families were awaiting in the background. So sweet. Welcome and good job Steve!