Living up to the name "ie adventures"

The weekend adventure began with Martin, Lou, Sandra (a brij co-worker) and me cooking dinner for 42 people at our company Christmas party on Friday night! Just in case anyone feels like cooking for 42 is not adventurous enough, don’t worry; we added to the pressure by throwing in the whole “Mystery” theme (flashback to 27th birthday dinner). By the end of the night I smelled like chicken and my feet hurt like hell (I now understand why you never see a cook wearing stilettos), but the party was a huge success! Here’s a copy of the instructions and the menu our guests received when they arrived. I’ll hold-off on sharing the answer-key in case anyone wants to try their hand at solving the riddles…

Dear Patron,
Tonight’s Christmas dinner has a very special twist,
You’re going to pick what you eat from a mystery list.

You should read through the menu and look for the clues,
Each course must be selected, but their order you’ll choose.

An implement will be needed for each phase of your meal.
Make sure to pick wisely or the food you may feel.

And as far as beverages go, we have options here too…
Feel free to pick one, or please help yourself to a few.

There is only one final rule to this little holiday game.
There can be no more talking till we have all the cards with your names.


Dinner Selections:
• Sosigenes established the winter solstice on my command.
• A very chilly boy from San Francisco.
• Santa’s colors on a southern foundation.
• Petit Christmas trees that give Santa’s reindeer bad breath.
• A nasty name for an elf and his festive swim in a “Merry” Rose Sea.
• Blended ovaries from the evergreen shrub.
• The caroler had this on the third day and we put a national beverage on top of it.

Beverage List:
“Ho Ho” said Old Saint Nick.
Winter icicles find a bubbly splash.
I’ve been dreaming of this, only not too much in a glass.
Keeps Santa Healthy; sometimes wobbly, sometimes not.
Cries from the kid who found hot coals under the tree.

Dining Implements:
Santa’s Coat | Petit Yule Log | Elf’s Toolset | Rudolph’s Rack | Sweet Polar Claw | Snow Remover


After my chef duties were over I jumped in the car and headed to Charlotte to meet Mike. (I should note that Mike did manage to make a surprise appearance at the brij party earlier in the evening, which I appreciate immensely. Because of the drop-in nature of his visit and the fact that he was dressed in a suit, everyone is now calling him the politician. Sweetie, I’m all for becoming your campaign aide. I could totally rock the whole First Lady thing! Just think what a Mystery dinner would do for Capital Hill…)

Getting back to the weekend, while I was off watching Stephan Curry whoop up on NC State with Katie and Cory Saturday afternoon, Mike was calculating away… Poor thing had to sit in a giant warehouse with 600+ other people solving math formulas from 7:30am until 5:00pm.

Ashlie's Dictionary
TORTURE: (tor-ture) noun, verb.
1. The act of having to sit still for 9½ hours.
2. The act of having to remain silent for 9½ hours.
3. The act of having to decipher math problems that involve pictures and symbols that I’ve never-before seen in my life.

Kudos to my husband for having the brains and willpower to survive such a thing.

Sunday was a glorious day for both of us. It’s the first time in I don’t know how long that Mike did not feel pressured to study so we slept in, had a huge breakfast at the B&B, hit golf balls and hung out with the South African family staying with my parents. (Curve ball, I know… But yes, my parents are doing a house swap with a family they met on the Internet. When my grandmother first heard about the whole thing she just about freaked out… I think her exact words were, “Lou, they could be terrorists!!!” Rest easy Grandma, Paul, Daniel and Jason are absolutely wonderful.)