Happy Holidays & a Much-Needed Update

Hello one & all!

We are so sorry it has been so long since we last posted. Things have really taken off in a big way, as you'll read shortly.

As we posted last, Parisa finally got offered a job & accepted the position as Human Resources Coordinator for Century 21 Department Stores. She has been getting settled into the new work environment & learning the ropes of working in Human Resources. She has been busy & working overtime from the first week, learning to interview, hire & train new hires, as well as the ridiculous amount of paperwork that is involved in working in a Human Resources department. Especially with the Holiday season upon us, the store (and Parisa's department) have been absolutely booming. It's a good thing because it means job security & lots of work to keep busy, but it has meant some very, very long hours at work.

Jonathan's semester is rapidly coming to a close. It's been a whirlwind semester full of reading, paper-writing, & long hours spent at the library, but he has loved every minute of it. We can't believe he only has 1 week of classes left! This semester has gone by entirely too fast.



Aside from the craziness of work & school, we've had quite a few other events going on too. Parisa worked the New York City Marathon on October 31 & November 1, & it was an AMAZING experience. She got to see Ryan Hall, Paula Radcliffe, Mary Whitenberg, Meb Keflezighi, & so many other awesome runners. She was right on the start line & finish lane, & it was truly one of the most intense & emotional experiences ever. She also has a plethora of pictures & video from the race that she'll post on Facebook for all to share. We both spent Halloween in New York City attending the Alice show (our friend Leena's band). We shared a meal & took in the sounds of Alice the band. It was so much fun! After the show, we experienced the insane streets of New York City on Halloween night. We had a hotel room in Brooklyn, & using the subway was an interesting experience. There were SO many people on the streets that night, it was crazy. As Jonathan stated, "all these people in costumes makes it hard to distinguish the crazies from the normal people". So true. Parisa's brother Cyrus came to visit for a whole week leading up to Thanksgiving & we had a blast. We spent a lot of time exploring Manhattan & hanging out in Madison. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we went stayed in a Marriott in downtown Manhattan & woke up early Thanksgiving morning to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Attending the Parade was on Parisa's "Must Do Before I Die" List, & needless to say, she was EXCITED about going. We watched the Parade from center stage on Central Park West, & got to see the whole thing up close. It was so awesome. For pictures of the Parade & Cyrus' visit, please visit: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2084752&id=44406868&l=fc6bb8c29b . Leena & her husband Adam were very gracious & opened their home to us to spend Thanksgiving with them. The food & the company was just wonderful :) We are very grateful to have such generous, kind-hearted friends! We played lots of games after the meal, & the girls dominated the Game Triathlon. We had a great time!

Now we are REALLY looking forward to coming home for Christmas! Jonathan will home for a whole week, & Parisa will fly in town on Christmas Eve to spend the weekend with our wonderful families. We are very much looking forward to seeing our loved ones.



This weekend was spent turning our apartment into a Winter Wonderland. Our first Christmas tree is up & decorated, & the rest of our apartment has been transformed for the holiday season, & is full of lights, ornaments, & candy canes. To end the awesome Saturday we spent together, we got Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks (our absolute favorite!) and watched Christmas Vacation. It was just the perfect day. It was so nice to spend a whole day together just decorating & enjoying the season. :)

Happy Holiday Season to Everyone! Let us know what your plans for the Holidays are!

Fa La La La La La La La La,
Parisa & Jonathan