Happy Chanukah!!

Jeff and I were so excited to celebrate our first Chanukah as "The Sieglers" and it did not disappoint!! We are so blessed. For the first night of Chanukah we went to our cousins Jodi, Peter, Olivia and Nash's house in Colchester CT. It happened to also be Shabbat, so we had an amazing Shabbat dinner and spent the night laughing, playing Banagrams and just enjoying family. Our cousin Ross also came in from Hartford, which was super special since this was the first time I got to meet him. On Saturday, the second night of Chanukah, we went to Baba's house (Jodi's mom). She hosts Chanukah every year and cooks up a quite the feast- a Cuban Chanukah!! Black beans and rice, bruschetta, potato latkes, pasta, cheesecake, and the list goes on and on. She also started a tradition that after everyone has opened their gifts there is a massive wrapping paper fight! I felt like a kid again and it was SO much fun. They have been doing it for years and I will definitely be stealing the idea.

All the menorahs lit up for the 2nd night of Chanukah

Cousin Ross, Cousin Peter and Jeff

Opening Presents!

All our goodies

Wrapping paper fight! So fun!!

CT Cousins Club

On the third night of Chanukah Jeff and I took the train into NYC to pick up his car that we were storing at his Aunt Leslie and Uncle Irwins house. We had the most delicious italian dinner with them and our cousin Scott- we even had Tiramisu, my absolute favorite!! After a fun filled weekend with family we celebrated the fourth through seventh nights of Chanukah at home together in Connecticut. I cooked all week, we lit candles, opened presents and just relaxed together. Jeff starts rotations Jan. 4th so we are getting in all our relaxing time now before he is super busy at the hospitals.

On the 8th night of Chanukah we went back to Colchester to visit with cousins Jodi, Peter, Ross, Olivia and Nash. We had a delicious Shabbat dinner and it was such a great way to end 8 wonderful nights of Chanukah. We are already looking forward to next year. Whatever holiday you celebrated we hope that everyone had a terrific Holiday season!!

Under Construction...

As you can see from all the boxes we are busy unpacking. Our apartment is beginning to look more like home but until then it's under construction! Stay Tuned!!

Moving On

We found out about a month ago that we were going to move to Danbury, CT because Jeff is going to be doing hospital rotations in the area. We started getting stuff done immediately for our next adventure: Found an apartment- Check, sold old furniture- Check, Pack up the house- ummm Not Quite! But, the beginning of December came very quickly and we were moving in a few days so packing HAD to happen. Jeff's parents were amazing and offered to fly out to Michigan and help us pack up the house. We could not have done it without them!! We got everything boxed up and loaded into the truck in about a day and a half. We spent most of time packing, eating, watching My Sister's Keeper while sitting on the floor because all the furniture was packed, relaxing, packing and more eating!! Packing is normally not a fun activity but we had a great time all hanging out together.

Our HUGE truck- we filled the first 11 feet of the truck and the rest was filled in with commercial merchandise and driven for us to CT

Jeff and his dad putting the ramp up after everything was loaded in

Our last dinner in Michigan! Delicious italian food at Bravo to celebrate that the packing was DONE! Thank you to Lew and Karen for all their help!!

The living room all empty

Last shot of the house, saying goodbye to our first home. The next adventure begins...

Maggie in the back seat all ready for the adventure. She is such a good traveler, she just sleeps and relaxes the whole time. She is moving to her 3rd home in 6 months.

Beautiful snowy scenery. We had great weather for the drive though, no rain, no snow, no ice!! Why do i always move in the middle of the winter??

Almost there! Danbury is actually located about 5 miles from the New York state border. I didn't get a picture of the Welcome to Connecticut sign but we arrived!

We did the drive from Michigan to Connecticut in just one day, it was only 650 miles. We couldn't get the keys to our apartment right away because the office is closed on Sundays. We stayed in a hotel and then got the keys Monday morning. We are loving the apartment so far and beginning to explore our new city. Post pics of our new home soon.

Thanksgiving in NYC!

Jeff and I met up with some of my family in New York for Thanksgiving. I love the holidays in New York: the crisp (cold) weather, beautiful window displays, twinkly lights, and millions of people all walking around- it's so alive! We had a great time from the moment we landed at the airport. Jeff's Uncle Shelly came and picked us up from the airport and we were able to spend some time with him, Aunt Evy, and cousins Laurel and Nell. They were not able to come to our wedding in May so we were so excited to get to see them. We chatted, munched on chips and salsa (my fav) and played with their adorable dog Abby, who loved laying on Jeff's lap. That night we met up with some med school and college friends for a few drinks.

The next day we went to Lincoln Center where we saw the musical South Pacific. I am not sure the guys were that into it, but my mom and I LOVED it. It's such a great love story and the songs are really catchy- "Honeybun" and "I'm gonna wash that man right out of my hair." Then my mom and I decided to brave the crowds of thousands (seemed like millions) and go see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons being blown up. It was really cool, the balloons are absolutely HUGE and under these big nets weighted down by sandbags so they don't blow away before the parade the following morning.

Jeff and I right outside the Theater

Yay! Macy's Balloons

It's Spongebob

For Thanksgiving we always meet up with family at a local restaurant, Orsay. My Aunt and Uncle rent out the top floor and their families all come over. After dinner we went to my Aunt and Uncle's apartment for some after dinner drinks and to check out their newly renovated place.

Jeff and I at Orsay

Me, my Great Aunt Midge and my Grandma Marie

Mom and Matt

The kids and Uncle Andrew

The gorgeous view from My Aunt and Uncle's Balcony

Jeff's dad recommended a great deli for us to check out, Katz's! It is from the "I'll have what she's having" scene in When Harry Met Sally. It was very crowded but worth the wait. Fresh turkey sandwiches, potato latkes and brisket.

One of my favorite spots in NYC is Rockefeller Plaza! I think it all started with the show Felicity and the coffee shop Dean and Deluca haha. They have one right in the corner of the plaza and it is always so much fun sipping hot chocolate and watching the ice skaters.

Our last night in the city we had dinner at Aunt Liz and Uncle Andrew's apartment. They live on the Penthouse (21st floor) and they have an amazing view of the city. Some family and friends came over and we ate tons of delicious BBQ and drank a ton of wine. They are always such amazing hosts!!

The kids and Aunt Liz

Jeff and I enjoying a stroll through Central Park

We had a great time seeing family and friends over the holiday. And we have even more family visits coming up. Jeff's parents are heading to Michigan this week to help pack up the MI house, cant wait to see them!!

Spartan Spirit!

A few weeks ago Jeff and I went to the MSU football game. Let's go SPARTANS!! I know that neither of us went to MSU but we never had any real sports teams at UCR so it is so much fun to cheer on the team. It was an absolutely perfect fall day, it ended up being really warm and sunny. We cheered on the Spartans along with 73,000 other fans and it worked. They beat the Western Michigan Broncos 49 to 14!!!

All ready to cheer on the team! Go Green Go White

Fly over by A-10 Warthogs

Spartan Touchdown!

The adorable dog that catches frisbees during Halftime

Final Score

Good Sports- MSU and WMU congratulating each other

We had a great time! My voice was definitely a little hoarse after yelling all afternoon. Hopefully when we move we can go to some UCONN games and cheer on the Huskies! Happy Football season to you all!!