A Tale of Two Parties (abridged)

    So, this weekend was J's (and my future) brother(in-law)(Jon)'s birthday. Still seems so strange to say! It was also J's company's Christmas Party.
    First up was the company party, which was taking place at a restaurant called Roy's in Pasadena. We'd never been to the place before (just checked, it's about $30 a plate for dinner, yikes!), so we didn't quite know what to expect, and I was a tad bit nervous, since I'd only met one or two of J's co-workers previously. It turned out to be quite fun! The food was Hawaiian Fusion, and it was delicious. We ate from a prix fix menu including an appetizer plate, salad, our choice of entree, and a desert. J got the Barramundi (which is a variety of fish that J and I knew nothing about) and I got the Tiger Shrimp. Both were beautifully presented and delicious to boot! The portions were a teensy bit small for the price, but I suppose that's gourmet for you.  (I think J took pictures.. I'll ask him later, as he is somewhat distracted by a game at the moment). We also ended up sitting next to the CSO(?), Chuck, who was very friendly and a well of classic movie knowledge (which was fun for me).
    After the party, we drove directly to Long Beach for an impromptu birthday party. We called a friend to pick up a cake and met at Jon's place to arrange carpools for dinner. Dinner meant a trip out to one of the boys' favorite spots for pizza and beer: Pizza Port in San Clemente. It's definitely a long drive for dinner, but the pizza is pretty awesome, and apparently, so is the beer (I'm more of a wine/cider gal). I was excited to find that I wasn't the only girlfriend tagging along (usually it's just me and the guys), and I had a great time chatting with the gals (I seriously miss talking to girls, sometimes)!
     I was only able to snap a few photos before my camera battery died:

    Oh yeah, and have I mentioned Jon's beer tree? Last weekend, J and I were invited over to watch football and told to bring canned beer only. J bought two packs and I even managed to find a canned cider to contribute. I have to admit, that while it's a bit boozy and odd, it actually is kind of a cool-looking tree.

   Well, I guess that's all for now. I am exhausted, and I think J just realized that it's way past his bed time. Goodnight all!