I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!! Happy birthday, Jesus!! Tim and I arrived in Houston Monday morning and have been in energizer bunny mode ever since. Family time keeps my battery running like no other, which causes me to crash at the end of each day. Christmas eve was spent with my siblings as my parents didn't arrive from Korea until the next day. We spent Christmas with Tim's side of the family in Buffalo, NY last year. And wouldn't you know it? I thought I'd get to experience a white Christmas for once, but it happened to be one of those rare years that didn't snow on the day of :(. Anyway, this year was my family's turn.
As soon as we arrived in my old stomping grounds, we went to eat a burger (my reward to Tim for driving the whole time and getting us here safely). We went to Pappas Burgers, Tim's favorite burger joint in the city.
It did not disappoint for sure. I forgot how ginormous the burgers were here.
Our Christmas day was like a mini Charlie Brown special. Our Christmas tree did not light up, I was scrambling to find any grocery stores that were open as I realized several ingredients for our meal were missing, I did not bring the right Christmas cards... then came the exciting adventure of picking up my parents from the airport. You see, my parents had a connecting flight from Dallas to Houston, and as luck would have it... It actually snowed in Dallas yesterday! It didn't snow in Houston, but the temperature dropped from the 70s to the 30s in a matter of hours. We all decided to go to the airport to surprise my parents and give them a warm welcome home, but after several delays (my poor parents were stuck on the runway for hours and hours and this was after their 13 hour trip from Korea), we were told they may not be able to come home until the next day. With our starving bellies (it was around 4pm and we hadn't eaten lunch), we went to H-Mart, a Korean grocery store, to grab a quick bite to eat.
I had "보리밥" Boribap. Bori = barley and bap = rice, so barley rice which comes with various vegetables and a soup that you mix all together. Definitely a flavor packed, nutrient-dense meal for sure! Tim had a spicy tofu stew with kimchi and pork called "순두부 찌개" soondubu jjigae ...and his "glorious" white rice. I've been giving him "scary purple rice" as he calls it, and I didn't realize how much he's been missing his white rice.
As we were eating, my mom called and said that their plane was actually getting ready to take off!! We then shoveled down the rest of our food and scurried off to pick them up. After 6 hours of waiting, the whole family was reunited at last. We opened presents and went to a Korean restaurant for dinner. It was good times.
I got my sister and my mom the infinity necklace from dogeared.com (also sold at Neiman Marcus). Of course, I bought one for myself too. Now, no matter where we are, we will always be together. Cheesy, you say? I think it's a brilliant idea. I'm quite sentimental like that ;).
It was my nephew Noah's first Christmas so he was showered with love and presents. His favorites were books that grandma got from Korea, esp the Pororo book! He loves his Pororo, a cartoon character who's referred to as the children's president in Korea.
I bought my dad a harmonica which he absolutely loved and started playing right away ;).
As you can see, Noah is always the center of the attention around here ;). Oh and guess what my sister bought Tim...Warrior Domo...oh lordy, why oh why?! My sister and I are clearly not on the same page as I've declared a war against Domo. Well, as long as Tim's happy, right? We all busted out laughing when Tim held up a picture of my dad in his warrior suit. Such a resemblance...
As Noah's first birthday is coming up soon, my mom picked out a "한복," a beautiful Korean traditional outfit, for him to wear on his special day. Such gorgeous colors!
Then we enjoyed a really late feast. Chow time...
After dinner, Tim and I went over to my sister's house for some wine and beer. I sipped on Smirnoff Ice, which I hadn't had since my college days. I forgot how tasty it is ;).
So that's how Christmas went down this year. I'm looking forward to spending several more days with my family and meeting up with friends. Hope you are having a wonderful holiday! God bless!
Brittany Trentham (@batrentham) says
I'm so glad you got to be reunited with your family on Christmas!! It sounds wonderful. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year friend!
Jen@HealthyFoodandFamily says
What a wonderful Christmas! Happy New Year!
Kristen says
It looks like a wonderful Christmas! I just love that Infiniti neckalce! I am sentimental like you so that's right up my alley!! 🙂
Sara @ Nourish and Flourish says
Oh, Min, I'm so relieved your parents made it to Houston safely - and in time to celebrate Christmas with you! Traveling during the holiday season is often dicey, so I always make sure I pack a toothbrush and extra pair of underpants in my handbag! You know, the essentials. 😉
The meal you and Tim ate at the Korean market looks delicious! I've only had Korean food once - at a small restaurant in DC, called Mandu. The food was okay, but I think instead of returning there, I need to make a trip to Texas so that you can show me the ropes. 😉
The Dogeared necklaces are beautiful! I've had my eye on one for a year or two, but love the idea of giving them to family members as well. Sweet, but definitely not cheesy!
The pictures of adorable Noah fill my heart with so much happiness! What a cutie! It's completely understandable why he steals the show at family gatherings. 😉
I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday with your family! Hugs!! <3 xoxo <3
myhealthyohana says
The picture of you and your dad with his harmonica is so precious!! And Noah, oh that little guy is just so adorable. The part about Pororo being the children's president totally cracked me up! Diego and Dora are the king and queen of our house, hehe 🙂
Sounds like such a wonderful family celebration for the holidays! Please send all our love and aloha to your family (even though they don't know me, haha!)
p.s. I'm intrigued by your "scary purple rice"...it actually made me want to try it, as opposed to the other way around 🙂
dixya @ food, pleasure, and health says
what a great time together with all the family members. Even though you had little rough time in the beginning but worked out perfectly. Loved those korean outfit. Happy Holidays to you and your family 🙂
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie says
Looks like such a wonderful Christmas, love all the pics of family. And that necklace idea is great, I love it!!
savorlifesflavors says
What a wonderful Christmas. Love the necklaces.
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
Happy Christmas Min! It sounds like you had a great day and I'm so glad you got to spend it with family 🙂
rosewithoutthorns says
Merry Christmas Min! Glad you finally managed to see your parents after the long flight delay! You must miss them terribly!
Plus the korean food looks so good! I havent had korean in a looong while (almost 2 yrs I think) and maybe I might eat some when i head back to Singapore next year!!
Happy new year too!
felicia
Linz says
Aw sounds like a lovely Christmas! Glad you enjoyed! 🙂 🙂
Khushboo Thadani says
Looks like a wonderful Christmas, Min! Travel delays are the worst but glad you were finally reunited with your family! Love the Infinity Necklace and I think it's the perfect gift- in fact I want to try and find one to give my sister :)!
Hope you enjoy the rest of the holidays with your family!