Here’s the face paint shot you’ve been clamoring for. (What? No? Ohhh, so sorry.)

The holiday party for Jeremy’s company was held at Teatro ZinZanni on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. I’ll admit I was a bit nervous about potential audience participation for this event, but the evening ended up being so. much. fun. It was the dinner theater to end all dinner theaters—and I believe it was the perfect counterpoint to all the cold, snowy Saturday nights Jeremy and I have spent at home this winter. We were out! in San Francisco! eating five courses! and drinking! and being entertained! [sigh] It was lovely.

And the facepaint was an added bonus. Just try doing this at home!

The other face shot was taken on our doomed flight home. It was the precise instance of photographic inspiration and traveling companion exhaustion. Let’s just say the subject at hand was getting beamed ferociously by the sunrise and didn’t want his picture taken. I believe we stayed in the air—after departing San Francisco 45 minutes late—for only 20 minutes before making an unscheduled landing in Reno, Nevada.

We were informed that we needed to make a landing, and that there might be emergency vehicles awaiting the plane, but not to worry. The mood was remarkably calm; we passengers sat and patiently waited to figure out what was going on. We landed easily and sat still while mechanics entered and went into the cockpit. I overheard a flight attendant saying a cockpit computer had electrical problems and the cockpit had filled with smoke, the pilots had to don oxygen masks(!). Eventually we de-planed and spent way too much time in the Reno airport where Diet Mountain Dew is NOT sold and you can play slot machines in the hallways. Charming. And eventually we made it home to Lincoln, about eight hours after we had planned. By that point, we were simply relieved to get back to our daughter.

Our luggage found us the next day.