just one of those nights...

Having one of those nights...wake up at 2:30, not sure why, can't find a comfortable spot, can't get back to sleep, think it might have something to do with all the very rich food I ate at our Bear Patch Christmas party last night!  It was a very fun holiday event, 21 of us met for appetizers at the store then over to Ingredients for wonderful food.  My choice was the walleye, preceded by a delish salad which contained poached pears and greens and nuts.  The pan fried fish fillets were done perfectly, nestled on top of a mountain of yummy mashed potatoes, drizzled with lemon sauce, and topped with finely shredded strings of beets that must have been deep fried or something to make them curly crispy.  The presentation was awesome.  Dessert was a chocolate present--literally, a chocolate brownie and molten chocolate wrapped up in pastry, escorted by ice cream and nuts.  Lovely in so many ways!  Then we returned to the store for our gift swap/exchange, and time to visit together unimpeded by customers!  Debbie and Laurel always give us very thoughtful gifts, in addition to our own private sale, we received personalized tote bags with the cutest labels and our 2009 calendars.  All-in-all, a good way to celebrate the season with my co-workers.  Did I mention we also brought toys and toiletries for donations?  We had one whole cutting table full of good things to give away.  The fresh snow wasn't enough to stop us all from attending, although we did see several cars off the road, hope they weren't missing any fun parties like ours!