... and 2007 transitions into 2008 ...

So I last blogged ... last year! Haha! Well, time for another entry.

We had our annual Christmas Soiree on 12/13, at Louis's Fish Camp in Town Square. It was a great place, with great food and live music. The open bar made it all the more fun. It was so good to see everyone again, and a chance to see them out of the office. I was also invited to the Designer's Christmas Gathering on 12/20. Designers only, no one else. It was fun to see the designers up close and personal, and to just have a fun gift exchange event. I got a travel set as my present. Someone is jinxing me, I swear! LOL.

With regards to my H1B petition, I was surprised when I went into the office to discover that Kim actually managed to contact and speak with my attorney, in person! Wow. Even I can't get her on the phone. Anywho, after a long discussion, my attorney agreed to file my petition under Premium Processing, and to pay for the $1000 fee too. The materials needed for the 12/20 deadline has been submitted, and the petition will be started immediately after that. What a weird turn of events, but I am glad to see that it is moving along. And now we wait. Joy.

I managed to squeeze in a viewing of The Golden Compass during these cold days. I liked it, despite what the critics say. Of course, the religious right demanding a boycott of this movie only escalated my interest in the movie. I think Google mentioned that the search for 'atheism' skyrocketed that weekend.

Bill surprised me by suddenly announcing that he was in Vegas for 2 days. So I met him and we walked the Strip those 2 days, catching up and all that. It was great to see a familiar face from Atlanta.

I met Stephanie at McCarran on saturday, and off we went! We got her necessities, and showed her the other side of Vegas that she never knew existed. For the remaining 4 days, we ate ALOT and walked it off even more! I think I lost weight for Christmas. She hasn't changed any since the days me, her and Michael were at UGA. Frugal as ever. It was so much fun to catch up, and to just be a little carefree. She paid for all my meals, but I did pay for at least 2 of them. Tea Planet had to be her favorite spot, as we went there 4 times in 2 days! She tried the famous In-n-Out Burger. She got her caipirinha fix at the brazilian steakhouse. When it comes to food, she goes all out! That's why she exercises so much. It was sad to see her leave, but the memories and gratitude remains!

Scott wasn't available for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. I ended up meeting Don for coffee a few days before, then had dinner at his place and a few days later we went to Charlie's, a gay country bar. Not my scene, but I was game. We had fun. On New Year's Eve, we ate at The Orleans, went to Charlie's again, and saw fireworks on the rooftop parking level. They closed the Strip for the show, and we weren't going to deal with the horrendous traffic. And thus was my 30th birthday. On New Year's day, we saw National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

Oh, and apparently I must have been good at maintaining my credit card payments and credit score, because I got a letter letting me know that my collateral deposit for my secured credit card is being returned to me! Woohoo! Extra cash is always handy!

And now ... we're updated! Yay!