Ho!Ho!Here it is, the week in review... We had several great outings, lots of holiday cheer, and a bit of morning bubbly yesterday to finish the week off.

There's also tonight's murder mystery party...let's start there. Bill and I have hosted a couple of these evenings, and they are nothing short of hysterical when everyone gets into their costumes/character. Somehow I just never have trouble there, I really should have been in showbiz (nevermind that I don't have the body, face, voice, or a single ounce of coordination). If you've never participated in these shindigs before, procedure dictates that you get the 'costume suggestions' beforehand, so here's mine: "Believing that 80's fashion is still making a comeback, your current wardrobe includes tight boob tubes, fishnet tights, and hot pants. Occasionally you'll wear a shirt with the bra on the outside as an homage to your favorite Eighties singer. Don't forget a handbag and the heart-shaped temporary tattoo on your ankle".

For some reason, I always end up being the tarty nightmare, wonder why that is? Anyway, the boys were helping me figure out my costume this morning, so we had to take a photo of me, Roxy Rhinestone, next to the tree. Here's a Glamour Shot (remember those from the 80's, supermodel studios in every shopping mall). I couldn't do the bra on the outside, or the boob tube (must be the British term for the tube top), but I still look pretty awful. Still trying to figure out if I can get a big R on my blouse, something like the 'L' for Laverne. When we finished putting it together, Riley decided that I look like Dee Snyder from Twisted Sister - I don't even see the resemblance, do you? :) Even funnier, the fact that he knows who Dee Snyder is. I asked him how, and he looked at me and sang 'I Wannnnnna Rock'. Egads.

I realize that I sound like a Desperate Housewife half the time, as I ramble on about the goings on of the day, but I do actually meet all the requirements of a certified domestic engineer. Won't lie and tell you that I don't have lots of fun too, but the mom gig is indeed my main role. Moving on...we'll back up to the family outings of the week.

Sunday, Riley and I went to meet some new friends for lunch at their place, and had a great day with them. Their son is Riley's age and goes to the American International School of Budapest, where Riley will go from September (assuming we're still here), and they will be in the same class. so I thought it was a good idea to get them together. After lunch, we all went to see a gospel music concert, which was so uplifting and amazing that I will definitely make that a regular activity (they have concerts twice a year). This group is 100% Hungarian, singing almost entirely in English, which is really difficult when alot of the songs are very fast with lots of words. They sang one diddy that was something like Bluegrass Gospel, which caught me off guard because you don't picture Hungarians even getting into the rhythm of it, but they were awesome. I think it was great for Riley, and he really enjoyed it.

Wednesday, the boys had a half-day as usual, so I picked them up and we went into town to see the big Christmas market on Vörösmarty square. We had lunch first with our good friend Stephen Spinder (fondly referred to as Stephen Bacsi or Uncle Stephen) at a new (ok, new to me, but fairly new) Italian restaurant, Vapiano, near the main walking street, Vaci Utca. It was great, easy to get to, reasonably priced, and great pizza/salads (fyi, for my local readers). Then we headed over to the market. Here are some shots of my little men.

The market is amazing, there are tons of artists selling their handmade goods, plenty of places to stop and get a gluhwhein, and lots of yummy treats. The boys love the kürtös kalacs, which is a big roll of hot, fresh, sweet bread dough, rolled in the sugary substance of your choice (vanilla, coconut, cinnamon). All I can say is YUMMMMMMM!!

We had another cultural outing on Thursday, and a BIG first for me - we went to see the Nutcracker ballet at the Budapest Opera House. It was actually my first time to the Nutcracker, ever, which made the whole experience even more special. My cruise director and good friend Erika scored a load of tickets in the front row, which is impossible to do since they sell out within minutes of going on sale, and eight of us went into town together in Erika's big land yacht (which, I now must tell you, she parallel parks like a pro into the smallest of spots-I'm in awe of that talent). Here are some photos of the opera house, Andrassy ut, and Riley & I.

Riley and I inside the opera house. Even if you don't go to catch a performance, you have to pop in and see it, it's something to see.

The ceiling inside the theater.

The lights on Andrassy ut. It is lit up like this from one end to the other, it's really beautiful.

In unrelated photos, here's a regular stop for me when I'm in the city, the Nespresso store. I keep hanging out there, hoping George (Clooney) will stop in and have a cup-o-joe with me, but it just never happens. Oh well, no such thing as too much coffee in a day...

Ok, kids, will close for now and post again in a bit with more of the VERY, VERY exciting news of the week....and I do mean VERY....