Christmas part 3: The Steves of Christmas

This post is about the Steves of Christmas-- Steve Nakano and Steve Pacini (two of Richard's groomsmen).
The first is Steve Nakano. He is Rock-Awesome! HE is probably the closest we will ever get to Bobby Flay as well. Steve has auditioned for "the Next Food Network Star" four years in a row. This year he actually made it to the audition in New York in front of Food Network executives. His audition tape consisted of him BBQ-ing....while on a bicycle...going through traffic! We have told him that this next year, he needs to make Bananas Foster while on a snowboard!
so naturally, Richard and I offered our services as personal coaches. Being the food experts that we are, and having watched a lot of Food Network T.V., we feel that we are VERY qualified to be giving advice. So to help prepare Steve for this next year of training, we offered him a food challenge-- design a meal around a specific genre of movie. He chose action movie, and this is what he offered up to us:
A BBQ noodle bowl. He related it to the poorly dubbed Kung Fu movies he used to watch with his family growing up. It is a westernized version of a popular Japanese dish.

This next Steve is Steve Pacini. Although he is happily in a relationship with a very cool chick, he decided it was his personal goal to make Anna love him. After four days and countless efforts to schmooze and bedazzle her, he finally figured out the magical combination: Elmo and iphone
Anna didn't trust him in the beginning. He is wearing plaid for goodness sakes. You can't trust strange men in plaid shirts.
And

after getting a good tip from a brilliant and trusted friend (you're welcome Steve), he downloaded some Sesame street, and the courtship began.
Steve was patient, as all good suitors are...
he wooed her with Elmo! (although I am not sure the same tactic will work when she is 25 and a graduate student)
by the end of our trip, they were close friends! (Anna doesn't just lay down with anyone!)
Steve is one of her godfathers...not in a Marlon Brando sense, but more in a "you're father and I were like brothers and I will personally shoot in the leg anyone who ever tries to hurt you" sense. Anna was treated like royalty by the whole Pacini family-- like the princess she is.
The happy couple! That look on Anna's face is one of pure bliss and contentment. She has her milk, her graham cracker, and her Steve.

We love you Steves!!