Year of the Golden Pig

Well we have survived another tsagaan sar. For some reason this year was easier at people's houses. Less push to eat a ton and drink a ton, it was nice. We ended up visiting about 14 houses (!) I didn't know i knew that many people.

Last year we made pizza pockets for the work parties but this year jesse's work asked for sweets, so i made cookies. BIG mistake. stupid cookies. I borrowed our friends toaster oven and whipped up about 4 batches of cookies but we got our conversions wrong so it was super buttery...i had cowpie cookies not cookie cookies....and i could only bake 3 at a time. It took two days and much tweaking but his coworkers liked them, they don't make cookies here. For my work instead of a potluck present exchange like last year they decided to visit everyones home. So i had an 11 hour office party. Did I mention the 11 hour office party?! Jesse joined us (he ate 51 buuz that day and then groaned on the floor all night). The party came to our ger. I didn't make all the traditional things I made dessert. I felt like it would be less pressure if it was something totally new rather than trying to copy something they have been doing forever. So I made three awesome desserts (homemade chocolate pudding pie, pineapple upsidedown cake, and lemon squares). We served tea and soda, no vodka. They didn't really know what to do with it all but i think it was a nice break in the middle.

It has been crazy warm here, I think spring has started. Spring is not typically a nice season like it is in the states. Mainly it is just really windy and big temp changes, but this winter was not typical (warmest in 20 years) so maybe it will be a mild spring too.

I have some good pictures that i will try to post soon of tsagaan sar and such.

that's all for now.
cheers.