As we embark on our new year, the ACET team wanted to take a little time to reminisce about our last few weeks of 2009 and share what we did over the holidays.

Stella and her husband, Jason, were excited to spend Christmas in their new house, where they put up their very first Christmas tree. To celebrate the holidays, they had a small gathering with some of Jason’s family at home. Jason did all of the cooking and Stella cleaned – Jason is a great cook and Stella is good with dishes! Stella received lots of candy and chocolates for Christmas, which she is slowly but steadily working her way through. Stella and Jason worked off their holiday treats by shoveling out their driveway all of Christmas Day – a definite workout! Neither Stella nor Jason did anything business-related during the break, which is quite a rarity!

Kirsten and her husband, Zack, stayed in town for the holiday weekend. On the 24th they ate dinner at her parents’ house with mostly traditional Swedish food – Swedish meatballs, brown beans, and Swedish potato sausage. There was also an overabundance of sugar – cookies, chocolate, and shortbread. On Christmas Day they got together at her sister and brother-in-law’s house for prime rib and turkey, mashed potatoes, and trimmings. For New Year’s Eve, Kirsten and Zack are heading slightly north to Stacy, MN, to get together with Kirsten’s aunt, uncle, and many cousins to ring in the new year.

Heather began the holiday season with a fresh, new look – she went from blonde hair to red! She also embarked on a Christmas cookie baking spree which resulted in hundreds of tasty treats. Heather and her husband, Aaron, traveled to southeastern Wisconsin with their dog, Bocephus, and Joseph’s dog, Zelda, to celebrate Christmas. They attended five different family gatherings in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota! Heather and Aaron are looking forward to a quiet New Years celebration with friends and Heather will be making her first attempt at Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon.

Joseph flew back to California for the holidays to visit his family. The first thing he had to do when reaching the West Coast was remove his winter jacket – it was 60 degrees! He had a good time back in his hometown and got to spend quality time with the family. It did take a while to scrape the ice and snow from his car upon his return, but Joseph is glad to be back home and his dog, Zelda, is even more happy.

Cassie has another job, so she ended up working most of her holiday, but she did enjoy some well-spent time with both sides of her family. She also celebrated her boyfriend’s birthday, which included an unruly snowball fight! On New Year’s Eve, she’s attending a party at her friend’s house and ringing in the new year with friends, champagne, and yes, even karaoke.

We hope that your new year is full of health and happiness! Cheers!