The Celebrators!

I have a great group of friends.

There I said it.

And some family members are included in with that statement...you know who you are...

The Birthday Bash themed "Another FABULOUS year" was a success.  The proof is in the photo.

What a bunch of crazy people! And I love them all.  Every. Single. One of them. 

Those people made me laugh so hard last night I think I almost pee'd my pants. 

Those people made so much food, I don't think I'll ever eat again. 

Those people opened too many wine bottles. Which may not look like too many to some. But considering there were only a couple of us drinking wine. And might I add, Layered Cake Malbec...OMG so good. 

Those people made me drink wine from all those opened wine bottles.

Those people ate all my cupcakes.

The cupcakes were a hit for sure. I'm so glad I bought them instead of trying to make them. 

And those people left me a mess to clean up.  Thankfully, I like cleaning up after a party...I don't let anyone help clean up. 

These people got there late and didn't make the group shot.

So I made them act crazy all by themselves.

These people are some of my most favorite people in all the world.  I'm so thankful they know me and I know them.  Here's to more years for great friends, birthday bashes, and wine.

Pictured: LTR

Birthday Girl, Queen PopUp, Red, Princess Lori, BigBro, ChickenLady, Pantry Goat, Blueberry, Seattle SIL, The Landlords and they're little guy, and Mr. Queeen PopUp.

Happy Birthday to me!

As I sit in my office this morning thinking about the closing of my 43rd year (I turn 43 today, but as my oldest brother once told me, you're starting your 44th year actually. Think about that for a moment.) I was, as I always am, washed with emotions about where I am and how I got here.

My life in many ways has been a blurr.

I remember waking up on my 16th birthday - thrilled to be going shopping with Mom - and wondering how my life would unfold.  16!  Seemed like the world was at my fingertips just waiting for me to arrive.  In my eyes, I was a grown up.

Even at that young age I thought about who I was and who I wanted to be. I knew, instinctively that my life was mine to own. My parents made sure I knew the reality of being able to be anything I wanted, but they enforced that I had to work for it.  My 16 year old dreams differ greatly to my dreams of today. I don't often morn those dreams, but embrace them.  Oh, the wide eyes of the young who see life through rose colored glasses.

On my 25th birthday, I sat reflecting as well. My life wasn't exactly how I planned it, and I wasn't complaining. Sure, I wanted to make more money. Yes, I definitely wanted to find love. Still, I was healthy and surviving as only a 25 YO could...as Martina McBride says in one of her songs, "Living on dreams and spaghetti O's." 

When I was 16 I dreamt I'd be married with 2.5 children, a dog, and a white picket fence. At 25 the kids were questionable, being married wasn't something I wanted until I was older, the dog was then (and still is) something I want in my life, the picket fence...I could do without.  My dreams focused on me. My career. My friends. My surroundings. My life. 

When I turned 30 I realized that your twenties were all about figuring out who you are, and your thirties were about enjoying that person.

As I entered my 40's I felt very comfortable in my skin.  What you see is what you get. 

And as I reach 43 today I'm so happy to be me.  I'm not a super model. I'm not in love or married or even close. I'm not rich. I'm not unhealthy (mostly). I have it pretty good. I've got friends and family who love me. I've surrounded myself with great people who allow me to be me almost 100% of the time.  I'm tickled pink who I am today.

Today I think about what I've learned in life, how my thoughts and ideals have shifted slightly to be those of a *gasp* middle aged woman.  How experiences have condensed a few realities into a simple list of 5 truths about life. 

1. Life IS too short.  I hear people say it all time. I rarely see people live like that believe it. You blink and another decade as whooshed by. 

2. Pick your battles.  See #1.

3. Love yourself without exception. This is a hard one. If I had a super power granted to me, I'd help young women (and men I suppose) to see the true, unique beauty in themselves.  Self-confidence is very attractive.

4. Love your family. You might think they are dysfunctional. You might think they are crazy - and they most likely are - but at the end of the day, they will most likely have your back.

5. Give back.  I am a very fortunate person.  I'm lucky to have a job, a good income, and health.  There are many who do not.  Volunteering, and giving back helps you fell better about who you are and who you want to be.  It makes the world a happier place, and that's never a bad thing.

I know none of those are life shattering.  I know a hundred, thousand people before me figured this out.  I know that each year I'll keep learning something new.  But by and large, these 5 things ring true year after year.  And as I sit on the threshold of beginning my 44th year, I want to be sure that I am living each day, without exception, to the fullest it can be...for that day. Cuz let's face it, some days sitting on the couch is all you want to do.  And at 43, I'm okay with that.

Whoose! The sound the last week made as it sped by!

Holy fast week batman.  I knew the holidays were always fast and furious, but my word.

I started my holiday adventure by getting up bright and early on Thursday morning. I had an 8:30 am flight to Tucson and being the ever so early person I am, I wanted to be there 2 hours early.  I was figuring that Thursday would be one of the busiest travel days so I'd get a jump on it. I don't mind sitting around an airport for an hour and watching the crazies wonder by. 

Tired, and a bit hazy from lack of sleep, I hopped in Sparky and drove to the airport parking. The morning was cold and frosty which made me focus on driving.  I was going over the list in my head of what I may have forgotten, as well as making sure I didn't slide off the road so missed that I had voicemail.

I parked Sparky, got into the shuttle and was standing on the platform to go into the airport when I noticed I had three voicemails.

Huh? Who'd be calling me this early?

As I was walking into the almost empty airport (figures) I realized my flight was delayed until 11:30am. Ugh.  That means 5 hours to wait (it was 5:30am). 

I found the Starbucks - who's line was longer than the line for security - ordered my coffee and set out to find something to do. 

Turns out SeaTac had a bunch of entertainers shuffling around the concourse. Elvis was there. He learned how to juggle in his retirement. Puck always wanted to meet The King.

They had carolers roaming the concourse and singing - well - carols.

I chose to upgrade to first class and then proceeded to talk myself into the first class lounge for US Airways (which they share with Continental).  I sat myself in a cushy chair, finished my starbucks and settled in for the long wait. 

Thankfully, I come prepared to entertain myself in airports. I had two books with me and my journal.  I didn't have to worry about being bored.  Or so I thought. Turns out that early in the morning, nothing sounds fun to do. So I sat and watched people come and go in the lounge.  I had more coffee, a danish and finally started reading my new book on writing. (One of my new years goals is to get better at writing...aren't you lucky?) Notice I said "writing" not "spelling"?

The phone rang again at about 10am.  It was US Airways telling me the flight was now delayed until 1pm. Great.  Text the MomUnit telling her to not leave until I text her again to let her know I'm sitting on the plane.  The plane, apparently, had a malfunctioning computer in one of the engines. They had to have one flown in from Phoenix, install it, test it, start the engine, test it, etc.  I much rather they fix it while the plane's on the ground then wait until we're air born...so I didn't mind waiting.

At about 11:30 I wondered out of the first class lounge in search of lunch.  Back down to the main concourse and discovered the airport was WAY busier than when I had originally arrived at O'dark thirty.  Tons of families with yelling kids now wandered the paths. I knew it was the holiday season. 

I found lunch, found my gate and sat and waited with the rest of the very tired travelers of flight 51 headed to Phoenix...someday.  Most were not cranky or angry about the delay, but there were a couple who were furious.  Too bad really, because things break, things happen. You can choose to be upset about it or you can choose to chill the hell out. 

Finally, we boarded. I have never been so thankful for upgrading to first class as I was at that moment. First on, and first off. And first with drinks and snacks. MMMM

The flight was uneventful except for this...

Ah Mt. Rainer - so beautiful.

Landed without incident too. Thankfully.  The MomUnit and a good family friend were circling and finally found me.  It felt good to finally be there. Christmas could now officially begin.

The Adventures of Puck

Saucy

On of my nieces - we'll call her "Little Red Head" (LRH) just bought herself her first car.  It brought back some pretty fun memories of the first car I purchased.  You'll remember, if you remember any of my blog postings, that the ParentalUnits "bought" (more liked towed home) a 1971 Ford Country Squire station wagon - with wood paneling because driving a station wagon around wasn't embarrassing enough - in high school.  I really shouldn't complain, that car got me and my friends around. 

But LRH buying her first car, with her own hard earned money reminded me of Saucy.

In in 1989 I was still in college.  The summer before college I was working a couple of jobs all in hopes of buying myself my first car.  The ParentalUnits weren't sure I needed a car in college, but I was convinced I did.  So, they said if I could buy it and maintain it, I could have a car. Thus the two jobs. 

I had my idea of what I wanted and like any naive teenager I was sure I was going to buying a super cute, well maintained, fast, sporty car.  How wrong I was.  After driving many cars, I finally settled on Saucy.

A 1975 Toyota Celica...bumble bee yellow.

Now Saucy was quite a car.  Bumble bee yellow, black interior, no dents, no scratches, a 5-speed, and in darn good condition for this little car. I bought her off a WSU grad so she also came with 4 studded snow tires.  She was perfect for a college student on a budget. 

Saucy also had a nice new tape deck (this was the 80's remember) and it had that new feature that it would skip an entire song when you hit FF and go to the next one...remember that?  I remember thinking how cool it was that you didn't have to hold down the FF button and keep "guessing" when the song ended. 

She was perfect.  She was sporty, speedy - relatively, and just what I needed.  So I packed her full in August of 1989 and headed to Pullman.

She did her job and bussed me and my friends all over Pullman and into Moscow Idaho when we felt the need for a "road trip" (all 8 miles from Pullman).  We were living the life.

Saucy, like many of my cars, not only had a name, but a mascot. Grimmy.

You all remember the cartoon Mother Goose and Grimm? Well I had a stuffed animal version of Grimm that had suction cups on all 4 paws.  Grimm road on the gear shift- very provocatively too I might add.  Every time Blueberry would get into the car she'd yell, "GRIMM-EEEEE!"  It was her thing.

Anyhow, Grimmy road shot gun on the gear shift, or on the back window depending on his mood.  He was yellow, Saucy was yellow, it was a match made in heaven.

Saucy did have her problems though. The summer of 1990 before I sold her (we'll get into that) she had a hole in her muffler. And while I thought she sounded like a hot rod, the ParentalUnits said it had to get fixed. 

During the school year though she only had a few issues. She had crack in something in the engine and it cost this college student a LOT of $$ to fix it. Still it was worth it.

Then came January in Pullman.  It was the weekend and we had been hit with one helluva snow and ice storm.  It was cold like only Pullman can get.The wind was whipping through the Stephenson towers and the roads were all iced over.

Saucy was parked in the parking lot in an end spot that you could see when you came round the corner of Stephenson East.

It was in the morning and I was coming back from the bathroom when I hear from the TV room, "Oooo that yellow car just got hit."

OMG...Saucy.

I ran to the window and watched as this little CR-X backed up after hitting my car. 

I no sooner recovered from that, within 5 minutes and another car came around the corner and smacked into Saucy.  Clearly I needed to move her. 

Down I trudge in freezing temperatures only to discover she wouldn't start.  All the way back to the 9th floor, call a friend to come jump start Saucy, and wait for him to get there.

In 30 minutes, Saucy got hit 3 more times. 

By the time the friend got there and we moved Saucy she had just one little dent on her.  She was made of metal man...woot. All the little cars that hit her, however, didn't fair so well.  This little CR-X had some serious front end damage.  She looked good with her new battle scar.

Still the end of the school year came and I was gearing up to head to Guadalajara Mexico on an exchange program for the first semester of 1990.  I didn't need to keep Saucy around for that time and figured it was time to sell her. I worked with a young man (hah - he was my age at the time) who was in need of a car.  He offered me $1000 for her to be paid at the end of the summer. 

So August rolled around, I had $1000 in my hands and was handing the keys over to this young man.  It was bitter sweet to me. She was such a good car and really did treat me well. To this day when I see a Toyota Celica on the street I yell, "GRIMM-EEEE!"

Monday Sugar Fall

Sugar fall is most certainly what happened last night.  For my December Sunday Dinner I did a cookie exchange. And all the little elves that were invited did a great job brings holiday goodies. But I'll get to that. 

This weekend started out with a viewing of Joseph and the Amazing Technocolored Dreamcoat at the Second Story Repertory Theater. A good friend of mine had one of the leads, and so Blueberry and I figured we'd go see her, then go to our Christmas dinner.  We stopped giving gifts this year, or maybe it was last year, and decided to just go to a nice dinner instead. 

The show was great. Packed theater, great singing, and some fantastic actors.  It was a condensed version - which being that I'd never seen it had me a bit confused at times.  But like I said, all in all it was a great show and something fun/different to do for the holidays.

After the show we went to a restaurant we hadn't been to for almost 12 years. I had bought a GroupOn for Ristorante Simone's that was once in our backyard when we lived in another part of Redmond a thousand years ago.  I remembered the food and the atmosphere being fantastic.  We drove to the restaurant only to find that it wasn't at the location I thought it was.  A quick look at the address and we realized they had moved into this strip mall - that didn't use to be there - across the street.

The decor was hip and trendy, that host gorgeous.  We both figured we'd be happy to have wrapped and under our tree.  Since we had $50 to spend we figured we'd do appetizers.  We ordered their calamari...OMG so good.  They served it with a spicy, very spicy tomato chutney ... and I've gotta say, it was pretty darn tasty.

After we ordered wine, and our entre and proceeded to stuff ourselves silly. No room for dessert.  Unless the host was willing...which our luck he was probably taken or gay.

Then it was up early on Sunday to grocery shop for Sunday dinner. I wanted to do a standing rib roast, but just couldn't stomach the cost - even on sale. So I opted for roast beef. Which, I must say, was delicious.  I served roast beef, this "low-cal" (yah right) potato casserole, Parmesan broccoli and a mixed salad with vanilla-pear vinaigrette - one of my favorites. I'll post the other recipes later this week. 

I had planned for 6 people, so I was all set.  An hour in, we were all sitting around chatting when there was a knock at the door.  I hollered "Come in." and in walk The Landlords. I was quite confused.  I didn't remember I had invited them.  So I had a look, I'm sure, of utter confusion. When I asked Mr. Landlord why he was there he gave me the look of, "Really?".  I felt quite stupid, but thankful that I'm a Wraspir and so cook for a small army. We had plenty of food, with very little leftovers.

Dessert was a cookie exchange.  And as I mentioned everyone got into the fun.  We had pin wheel cookies, Hello Dollies, peanut butter balls, ginger snaps, Junior Mint brownies, Walnut cookies, gum drop cookies, and little decorated gingerbread men. 

 Yum...

 I think the sugar greatly affected us. Oh wait, that's just how we are normally. Never mind.

It was another successful Sunday Dinner.  And as you can tell in both, Puck joined us as well.  He's a big fan of sugar.

Puppy Love

Most anyone who knows me that I'm a big fan of dogs.  I'm a big fan of big dogs mostly, but there are a few little dogs that have managed to wiggle their way into my heart. 

A million years ago I worked in a coffee truck at a local dog park. Axl Snacks it was called.  The truck sold not only coffee to the dog's people, but organic dog treats for the puppies.  The job was from dusk until dawn on the weekends.  Which, in the summer in Seattle, means 14+ hour days.  It was hard, but fun work.  I loved seeing all the dogs and got to a point where I knew the names of most the regular dogs -but couldn't tell you the names of their owners. 

The gig paid well and I got to spend many hours outside loving and spoiling other peoples dogs.

This past weekend I took photos of dogs.

Let me back up. The Pantry Goat approached me a couple of months ago about a potential co branding of a fund raiser idea.  A local retirement community in which the Pantry Goat's mother lives was wanting to raise $$ for a dog park for their community.  PG and her mom thought taking photos of people with their dogs and Santa would be a great fund raiser idea.  PG approached me to see if I'd be the photographer.  Gladly! She also offered that we'd split the $$ between the dog park and Susan G. Komen fund raising. Another stellar idea.  So I said yes.

I gathered Team Wraspir (BigBro, SSIL, and Blueberry) and we all spent a good portion of Saturday taking photos of residents and their dogs.  We didn't make millions, but we did make enough to make us want to do it again perhaps in the spring or at other events at the retirement community.

Here are some of my favorite dogs.

Meet Baily.  He was the sweetest little Shelty I've ever met.  He was wide and reminded me of the footstool in Beauty and the Beast.  I wanted to take Baily home.

Meet Pepper.  Sweet, timid Pepper. But oh so friendly. She didn't mind at all wearing the antlers.

Meet Cooper. Oh such beautiful eyes Cooper has.  Like Pepper, Cooper sat patiently and let us put antlers on him. 

Meet Rusty.  Another sweet, sweet dog who didn't mind at all wearing Santa's hat.

I discovered this past weekend that I really like taking photos of dogs.  Having Blueberry and BigBro as assistants was critical too. BigBro was the Dog Whisperer.  He was able to get their attention with the myriad of noises he can make with his mouth. Most useful noise, his duck call. Who knew.  Meanwhile Blueberry had an eye for composition. She was good at placing people and their dogs together.  She saw things I was missing and visa versa. It really helped having 3 of us working the pooches.  I won't even tell you how many out of focus, pooches walking half way off the set, type photos I have. Let's just say I'm thankful for digital.

Following a very exciting Saturday, I put together my new scrapbook room.  Well, the room isn't new. And scrapbooking certainly isn't new, but the desk and its components around it are new. 

I've been wanting a larger desk to allow me to "spread out" while I work. So I stumbled onto a nice corner desk at Office Depot. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend so I passed on it.  Then last week I went into Office Depot for something else and noticed the desk was 40% off. SOLD!  And I talked the clerk into giving me free delivery.  Win! 

The desk was delivered last Friday and I spent Sunday assembling it. Blueberry came over to scrapbook and "help" and thank god she was there. I was having issues, let's just say.  Though I only unscrewed and redid about 4 things. Not bad considering the IKEA-esque directions they provided.  I really should scan them and show them to you because - while I consider myself a smart person - I NEVER would have figured out what Blueberry figured out.

The room looks great. I have some ideas for the wall behind all the scrapbook stuff. Seeing it all together like that makes me cringe a little - that's a lot of stuff.  I really wish I would have taken a photo of the before and the den with all the stuff sitting, waiting, to be put away. Holy Scrapbook Convention Batman. I could totally run my own convention.

Desiderata

I was reminded of this today and thought I'd share.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Come Sail Away...Come Saily Away....Come Sail away with me...

Its officially.

I just put $$ down for another cruise.

This time, the MomUnit and Family friends who cruise with the ParentalUnits all the time and I are going to Eastern Canada and Quebec City.

Next October the MomUnit and I will be flying to NY and heading from there.  It's a 10 day round trip cruise that hits Halifax, Quebec City (for almost two days), Corner Brook and Sydney. 

I know nothing about these locations and can barely spell Halifax.  Thankfully I have a year to figure out what they are and what I'll want to do in each one - or just get off the boat and wonder around - which is always fun.

The MomUnit and I also booked our condo in San Diego for next year. Seattle SIL has decided to walk the San Diego 3day and so I figured I might as well go down and Stalk in SD. I've not been to SD for YEARS...so it'll be fun.

So in October next year, we'll be in Canada for 10 days. And the in November we'll be in San Diego for 7 days.  I'd better start saving for not working for a half of a month.

In the course of two days, the MomUnit has used my credit/debit card twice. I think she's enjoying spending my $$.  My how the roles have reversed.

Turkey day, Apply Cup and decorating

I know. I know. You've been waiting with baited turkey breath for me to post about my long 4 day weekend. I'm sorry it wasn't sooner, I just didn't feel the blogging mojo.  I'm shocked and stunned at a few folks I know who blog daily. And yet they find interesting things to talk about daily.  Some would argue I could go a year without anything interesting to discuss. But I digress...turkey day was interesting. Dammit!

I started my prep the night before and made the dressing and the broccoli casserole. I figured I might as well get a jump on the day.  I'm glad I did too, it left me unlimited amount of time on Turkey day morning to watch the Macy's parade.  I got bored quickly though and then started to work on the turkey.

Meet Turkey the Hun. This 20 pound bird has fought its last battle.  I only had 6 people eating, including myself, and 20 lbs was MORE than enough. I wanted to make sure the Pantry Goat had some leftovers. And oh boy did she.

I had decided to cook Turkey the Hun in a bag like I had done for several years in a row. It seemed like the right thing to do. I mean the bird turns out so darn good with little to no effort.  I made a mixture of butter, McCormick steak seasoning cayenne and sage for the outside.  I slathered that on Turkey the Hun and made sure to get some of it under the skin as well.  Taking a lesson from the MomUnit who had called earlier with a warning, I washed my hands before attempting to stuff a 20 lb bird into a bag all by yourself.

Let's just say, it was interesting. Turkey the Hun did not take a dive to the floor, or skitter across the counter. I had it firmly in my grip with one hand and maneuvered the bag underneath him with the other.  It seemed to work, but man it was messy. I think most the butter ended up on the bag and me instead of Turkey the Hun.

Into the oven he went.  It does look like he barely fit, but I assure you I did a trial run the night before to be sure he would fit. The MomUnit mentioned it to me earlier in the week when I told her the size of the bird I bought. Her first words were, "Will that fit in your oven?" Good question.  So we tested it.

I mentioned before several traditions the MomUnit and I have. When we actually cook the dinner together we spend an extraordinary large amount of time laughing at our stupidity and the crazy things that happen during the holidays.  Since we weren't with each other this year we called each other... often.  With each crazy thing we did we called and laughed and laughed. I love having that relationship with the MomUnit. 1700 miles away and it still felt like we were in the same kitchen.

The MomUnit's issue this holiday was a skunk who had found its way under their house. Naturally the smell made turkey day challenging, but they managed.  The DadUnit joked as he left to be taken back to the nursing facility that he as glad he didn't have to sleep there that night.  Still a sense of humor.

After Turkey the Hun was in the oven, I got to making the clam dip.  The MomUnit and I make it every holiday and usually "test" half of it before we serve it.  We're very mindful hosts who care that their guests get only the best.

My clam dip this year had a small difference to it. I added soy sauce as well as Worcestershire sauce.  It doesn't call for soy, but since my soy and W sauce are in the same looking squeeze bottles I grabbed the soy accidentally when adjusting the seasoning.  It turned out just fine, but it amused me - and so I called the MomUnit.

My guest started to arrive after 2pm and slowly but surely Turkey the Hun was ready.  I pulled him out and put the dressing, broccoli salad and rolls in the oven. 15 minutes later I was confused as to why the casseroles weren't heated.  I had forgotten I had turned off the oven. So we had to wait a bit more, which was fine since Turkey the Hun had to sit for 30 minutes or more.   

Finally we're ready.

In Chez Jenn tradition we took group photos.  Left to right: Seattle SIL, Puck, BigBro, Pantry Goat, Pantry Goat's Mom, T, and me. 

Serious discussion broke out about leftovers and all going to the Pantry Goat.  As you can see there were some unhappy people.  Okay, not really. We just took a goofy shot.

I saved the wish bone this year. I figured it was a rough year for a lot of people. Maybe I could make a wish and make it mostly get better.  The wish bone is still sitting on my window sill waiting for someone to break it with me. Until then I wish that you all had a perfect turkey day and were stuffed beyond belief.

Sticking with traditions, the following day I decorated.  I love decorating for Christmas.  The tree goes up, all the snow men come out, and the house feels warm and alive with the holiday spirit.  I had help this year. River the Newfy was staying the night and she "helped" decorate by tasting every single ornament that came out of the box.

She's so darn cute. How do you not just want to hug that face? You can tell she was practicing patience with me. But she was a good sport and a great house guest. Though admittedly Pookie didn't think so highly of River.

Anyhow, the tree got decorated. The LandLords came over to help and to enjoy turkey and noodles for dinner.

Saturday was the 104th Apply Cup. The WSU Cougars versus the UofW Huskies.  If the scoring of football was based on penalties, the Cougs would have won. Sadly it doesn't work that way and they lost. Though they didn't get slaughtered, which is good. The LandLords and Blueberry were in attendance to witness the painful defeat. I made nachos with cheese that refused to melt. Despite the name being "Melting cheese" it didn't melt...but that didn't stop us from eating the nachos and a few other yummy appetizers.

So back to work today. It wasn't too bad, in fact went quite fast for a Monday after a holiday.  I'm counting down to Christmas and another trip to Tucson.  That'll be #4 this year in case you're counting. I will have hit Tucson in every season. 

Giving Thanks is upon us

I could start almost every blog with "Holy Crap time is flying".  Because frankly, that's what I feel almost every day. There are a few rare days when things seem to slow down (mostly when I'm bored) but otherwise, time is flipping by like in the movies when the pages of a calendar fly by.

So here we are. The day before Turkey Day. I'm ready. Boy and I ready. I've got all the making of one fine turkey day feast.  Why am I so ready?, you ask.  Because I'm a project manager you see and because of that, I plan and I plan and I plan. Everything is thought through and organized. I even did a work break down structure for tomorrows event.  Sounds crazy maybe, but anyone who cooks does a work break down structure, they just don't call it that. 

Thanksgiving day cooking is not hard for me. I've been doing with the MomUnit for as long as I can remember.  Our Thanksgivings always ranged from 25+ people to just a few.  Seems like we cooked the same amount of food for both. WE are Wraspir's after all, and as such we MUST cook for small armies at all times.  It's in the bylaws. Look it up!

The MomUnit and I have a few traditions. I'll be taking photographs tomorrow of some of those.  In fact, I want to really photography tomorrow. One of my goals was to do a better job at photographing family events...well, its November, I'd better get on that goal.

So Tony the Turkey is thawed - mostly. I'll pull him out tonight to let him sit and thaw some more. I think his innards are still frozen. The ingredients for the other items tomorrow are all lined up and ready to be used.  Cheese Whiz is among them. OMG, there is nothing natural about Cheese Whiz.  In fact, I'm pretty sure it's from another planet. But it must be used in the broccoli casserole.  I'm just glad I could find it.  A couple of years ago I couldn't find it at all and there were going to be issues.  Alas, it was found and all was well.

I did a trial run in setting the table last night. I know, laugh if you must at my insanity.  It's okay. I'll wait until you're done.

Done yet?

So as I was saying, I did a trial run for setting the table. I'll have 6 eater tomorrow and I wanted to make sure there was enough room for all the trimmings, all the utensils, all the wine glasses, all the plates, all the everything on the table. Turns our there's not as much room as there should be. My plan is to bring a card table into the dining room and put the food on it instead of all of it on the table.  I was going to do a buffet and have people sit at the table, but figured this would work out better.

Also, I pulled out Grandma Miller's china last night. This china hasn't seen the light of day for a couple of years and I figured why not bring it out for a special occasion.

See ... its a beautiful pattern. Old pattern. I was curious many moons ago about replacing or adding to the set and looked up the pattern. Let's just say in this lifetime I won't be able to afford any of the additions to this set or even a dessert plate...ever.

I had a table cloth I was going to use, but it looked funny with the dishes. I decided I didn't need no stinkin' tablecloth.

See. Not enough room for all the dishes, and all the potential food dishes.  I put the serving platter and bowl on the table as a reference.  As I say this I realize I am a little neurotic, but in a good way.

We're all set. I'm ready to get up and get the process going tomorrow. The MomUnit and I will surely be on the phone a number of times laughing at something stupid that happened while we were preparing dinner.  Hope my dressing turns out okay ... the MomUnit and I usually eat half of it "tasting" it before dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  Be thankful, give thanks, and receive thanks.

Holy Fast Moving Weekend Batman

Is it just me? OR are the weekends getting shorter?

I decided to take this weekend off and re-group a little.  I wanted to check my goals for 2011 and start really thinking about goals for 2012 - and more importantly putting together a plan to achieve them. See all too often I think people forget that part.  Its one thing to have a goal - like say lose weight - its another to actually figure out how you're going to get there, what you need to succeed and what are your little goals along the way. (Don't worry lose weight is a constant goal...one which I haven't figured out yet.)

So, looking at my goals for 2011 I did pretty well.  Some don't even apply anymore - like find a job after the 100 day break. When I wrote that goal I had no idea I'd be asked back to this job. Therefore I scratched that one off as completed.

Getting all caught up on scrapbooking. While this goal was achieved for 3.5 weeks, I think it's safe to say I need to be more specific in this goal.  For example, maybe my goal is to not let new photos sit longer than a month or two before having them scrapbooked. Or be caught up every quarter.  Of course it's a hard goal to keep when you don't know some of the constraints you may have like - how many trips/photos you may have or IF you'll have the time or the worse constraint every...creative block.

Out of debt! I'm proud to say I got out of debt (minus the car), stayed out of debt for a very good chuck of time. Then spilled tea into my camera and got back into debt briefly.  I'm happy to say, made my last payment to that and am now out of debt again (minus the car). My financial plan for the next year is to max out my 401K (because I have one now) and start purchasing some Roth IRAs or something of the sort. All the while, I plan on saving $$ to buy the place I'm in for my birthday next year - maybe. That last one is a bit scary to me.

Take lots of photos.  Admittedly not a good goal. It doesn't allow me anything to grow with. To just "take lots of photos" check. Done. But I think what I was thinking is "work on your photography skills." Which is a better goal, but still not quite the depth I think I need. This next year I'm going to focus (pardon the pun) on very specific parts of photography.  Fellow PhotoGod - The Yank - has mentioned flash work for some of our outtings. I have this great flash and no idea what it does or how to really use it. Why not learn it?  Composition ... that's another place I'd like to really work on and start to hone in my skills on thinking about how to compose a shot.

Reach out to those you've missed.  I have a list of friends I've been meaning to reach out to and get back in touch with on a regular basis. I didn't do so well with this one. There's only a couple off the list I actually succeed with. And when looking at why that was, I realized that I'm only half the equation. A good friend said to me recently, "The phone lines go both ways." So while I may have made an effort, I'm not going to feel like I failed at this one because those few others didn't get back to me. At a certain point, you've got to let go.

Great segway ... letting go.  This one is hard to quantify and even harder to talk about.  And someday it may be a blog in and of itself. But the idea with this one is to let go of all the little, insignificant things that bog you down.  Whether it be my own judgement of something, or drama in a relationship, or even something as large as letting go a grudge or two. If I've learn nothing in the past year it's that life it too short to let little things fester and eat away at you.  I see it every day in friends, family, people I know... they really let small things bog them down.  Trying to recognize the small things, and then let them be is often challenging. But once accomplished it's liberating.

So next year...next year I'm not 100% sure of my goals. I have a few ideas peculating, but nothing seems to be really determined.  Some of last years will carry over to this year...they always do, but I'll define them more.

I've been asked recently about how I do my goals. Each person is different. Some don't have to actually write them down. They're just driven to accomplish them. Some, like me, need a lot more help. Plus I'm a project manager so I have to document and plan. But I start with this concept and twist and turn it to make it work for me.

It is bad luck to fall out of a thirteenth story window on Friday. ~ American Proverb

So to review.  I'm going to follow a very wise blogger for today's blog...a list.  She won't mind that I'm borrowing her idea. I mean my list will be drastically different from her list. 

1. Its Friday. I've decided to take this weekend off from almost everything.  I need to regroup and start to think about this year's goals and what I want for next years. I know some people think that's odd that a person actually has to plan it, but for me, it works the best. I am, after all, a project manager at heart and so a plan, a schedule, and a revised plan is how my brain works.  It'll be interesting to review the 2011 goals and see if I even completed any of them. Especially considering at this very moment I can't even remember my 2011 goals. Maybe one of my 2012 goals is to work on my memory.

2. Turkey day is around the corner. This weekend sometime I need to do my grocery shopping. I LOVE, love LOVE to cook Thanksgiving dinner.  Its easy and its stocked full of traditions for me. The MomUnit and I will likely be on the phone all day checking in on each other to make sure we're on time. I'm going to try to take some good photos this year of the "process" and of course of the guests.  The Pantry Goat, Mom Pantry Goat, friend of the Pantry Goad, BigBro and Seattle SIL are all coming to dinner. Oh and maybe Millie the dog. 

3. Did my good Aunt thing this week. Hookcd my niece up with Meg-A-Roonie who's an HR rep to discuss interviewing, resumes, job hunting stuff.  It sounded like it went well as the niece seemed a bit more focused after chatting with Meg-A-Roonie.  Good deed for the week...check.

4. Renouncing diet coke. So I've drawn WAY back on the intake of diet coke or anything diet soda-esque.  The aspartame apparently was causing my feet to ache more than they usually do.  I've gone almost 6 weeks without my daily diet coke intake - usually 2 cans.  My feet feel good. They still have some ache to them, but not nearly as much as they did. AND my legs at night aren't nearly as restless as they used to be.  Much to Pookie's happiness.  

5. Dog sitting...I'm so excited...River the Newfy is coming for a sleep over Thanksgiving weekend.  She's the sweetest dog and I can't wait to spoil her rotten for a day and a night.  I can guarantee photos will be forth coming.

I think that's about all I've got right now.  Have a good weekend everyone! 

November Sunday Dinner

Wow. Just wow. Sunday dinners are getting more and more interesting. The converstaions that come up during these monthly meals are anything but dull.

This last Sunday the fam attended a funeral service for a dear family friend. It was stoic and beautiful.  It shocked me how easily I fell into step with the Lutheran rituals during a service.  It's like riding a bike I guess. Once you learn it, you learn it for life.

Jan Jeide will be dearly missed. We "lost" her several years ago when she lost her short term memory and was moved to an assisted living home.  She had no recollection of who many of her friends were at some point which is difficult on the living. 

Because of the funeral, the subject of death and dying came up at Sunday dinner. It was interesting to witness how couples perceive their death.  Each couple had an idea of what they thought was wanted by their spouse. Some have talked about it, others, clearly had not. Which made me laugh at some of the surprised faces of, "What? You want what?"  If nothing else, maybe this Sunday dinner started conversations.

Dying has long been something I fear.  Not because I'm afraid of the great beyond, but because I'm afraid I will not have accomplished everything in my life, or seen everything, or experienced everything.  And what if no one misses me? Hopefully I will die at  ripe old age...and by then most my family members close to me will be long gone (which I'll miss them dearly). The realization that I might actually die alone is troubling to me.

Anyhow, back to more interesting and uplifting discussion. What did we have at Sunday dinner?

Chili!

Or is it Chillie?

Or Chilli?

Or chile?

I can never figure out which chilli is chili.

ahem...

Let's start with dessert. It is something, I believe you should start with because you never know if you'll survive to the end of a meal. So why risk it.

New York Style Crumb Cake.  (insert trumpets and angels singing)
Despite my best efforts to utterly destroy this cake by forgetting a major ingredient (baking powder) it didn't turn out half bad. It was a bit floury tasting at times, and a bit more dense then I like my cakes.  But it was good enough to find it's way into the Jenn Favorites and the "Need to Make Again" list.

The recipe is here if you want to give it a try.

Mmmm Chili bar.  I've made Frito Lollies for previous Sunday dinners and I'd prefer to not duplicate meals if I can.  I mean I have 1500 recipes, I'm pretty sure I can find something new for Sunday dinner for a couple of years.

It had been a cold and blustery week and so recommendations for chili made their way to my Inbox. Which is good. I like chili. I especially like my chili.  My chili bar contained, fritos, crackers, onions, sour cream, cheese and hot sauce.  Along side of the chili we had Queen PopUps Famous Cornbread...OMG soo good, as well as a new twist on slaw.  I had enough chili left over to have one lunch, one service to Blueberry, and one serving to the Pantry Goat - who wasn't at all happy that I eat chili as a leftover.

I asked for a serious photo first and Seattle SIL took me way too - well - serious.  I used my external flash this time so we had better lighting to see all those lovely faces.

Left to Right: Mr. Queen PopUp, Queen PopUp, BigBro, Seattle SIL, The Pantry Goat, Puck, Blueberry, The Yank, PhotoGirl and Moi.

And of course the not so serious photo.  You'll not the BigBro and The Pantry Goat are hiding...they "said" they were glaring longingly into each other's eyes...which has become tradition.  We'll never know.

Next Sunday dinner will be smack dab in the middle of the holiday hoo-la-la.  I've decided to do a cookie exchange. So all you normal attendees to Sunday Dinner...get your holiday cookie  or sweets recipes out. 

Just who am I?

It’s curious to me that the older I get the more interested I am with just who I am.  I’m not talking family heritage – though that’s interesting – I’m talking about what makes me up.  What would people talk about at my funeral? What loves do I have right now? What do I enjoy and why? All these questions and so many more travel through my mind with army boots almost all the time.

Every vacation I’ve ever been on, I feel compelled to do everything I can in that location.  I’m not a beach layer. I can’t just sit on a beach for hours and do nothing. I have to be going, doing, seeing, photographing, documenting, etc.  This last trip to Victoria got me thinking about this too. Here’s what I figured out.

I don’t want to miss anything! Ever.  Sounds ridiculous I know. And I know I’ve missed things.  But while I am sitting on a beach sunning my pasty white self I’m constantly thinking about what else I could be seeing.  It’s not about being relaxed, because quite frankly, seeing all the sights is relaxing to me.

Then how do you remember all that you’ve done? For me it’s in my photos. I take a lot of photos.  I mean… A LOT. And my photos are of everything. Not just the tourist attractions, or the architecture, but of the food we eat, the places we stop for coffee, the train station I waited an hour for the wrong train in, the umbrella I had to buy because I forgot mine, the shoe string that broke and we laughed and laughed about it.  So many photos that mean something to mean.

Then I scrapbook them.

I started scrapbooking back in 1998.  My Aunt Jean is to blame 100% for this hobby of mine.  She brought a family scrapbook for us to see and I was blown away with how cool it was to see those photos.  To be able to tell the story about why you took that photo, to explain why the shoe lace was funny (even though it likely isn’t funny to anyone else).  I had an answer with how to document my life.  I was hooked.

I scrapbook for many reasons and these reasons have changed throughout the years. In the early years it was to document my life so that one day my children would look through my scrapbooks and be wow’d at the life their mom had before kids.  Or to show them their family heritage – who their grandparents were and details about them.  That need changed when I decided kids weren’t in the cards for me.

So then I struggled with why I scrapbook.  It can be an expensive hobby and really, why bother?

I go through phases of not caring anymore and thinking just putting the photos in an album would be just fine. Then I see some cool new paper that would fit a photo perfectly and the vicious circle starts all over again.

I’ve finally given myself permission to scrapbook just because it’s a creative outlet that I need.  Where will my scrapbooks end up when I’m dead? I really don’t care…I’ll be dead. Of course, they could bury them with me…. All 28 of them (current count).  I could leave them to some unsuspecting niece I suppose.  But at the end of the day, my scrapbooks are for me to enjoy now. 

I do occasionally pull them out to look through them. Or to try to remember what went on at a certain event.  I have a Sunday Dinner scrapbook that gets viewed at almost every Sunday dinner.  We all laugh and guffaw over whatever was funny that week.  Occasionally I’ll pull out a trip to show someone.  And of course, the 3Day scrapbooks go to every Getting Started Meeting to wow potential walkers into actually signing up.  (I know my scrapbooks help.)

So no one may care who I was when I’m dead, and no one may want to look through these years of scrapbooks I’ve done (BTW I’ve done all the way through my baby years to current…it’s frightening really).  But that’s okay, because I care.  I can look through them and smile at the life I’m living.  And lucky for you, my next project is to photograph ALL the pages.  You can bet your bottom dollar some will show up on this blog. 

The MomUnit Celebrates Another Birthday

You think I'd actually tell you it's her 63rd? DOH...dammit!

Well happy birthday Mom. You don't look a day over 29!

Back in 1947 a little baby girl came home from the hospital. The dog wasn't so sure about this new arrival.  But I have on a good authority that the dog came around eventually and the baby girl and the dog were inseparable.

Then sometime later a baby brother came around and the Baby Girl didn't seem that thrilled. She put on a good fake smile, but behind the gritted teeth she was thinking all the attention she well deserved was now lavished on this thing that cried and poo'd all the time.  Only later would she and this "thing" grow up to be best buds and recite the Three Stooges together. Even now as the Baby Girl reads this she's make motions with her hands saying, "WOOO OOO OO ".

Like I said, they eventually became friends, but you couldn't tell it from this photo.  "MOM, this thing weighs a ton."

The Baby Girl grew up. She had a couple of birthdays.

She learned to fish.

She learned to dance.

Which then turned into "showing off" ...

She was very stylish.

She became an adult. 

She eventually got married and had two baby girls of her own. One baby girl was sooo beautiful she had to wear shades.

After some challenges in the first marriage department, she eventually met and married a handsome prince - and she and her Baby Girl became a family with this handsome prince.

She traveled and saw the world with the handsome prince.

And sometimes she took her BEAUTIFUL baby girl with them.

It was frightening how close she and her Baby Girl looked alike.

Almost twins.

Eventually she and the handsome prince retired and traveled some more...

Then the day came when she turned another year older.  She's the best Daughter, Wife, Mother, Grandmother, GREAT Grandmother, Aunt, GREAT Aunt and BEST FRIEND that every existed.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM - from one beautiful BABY GIRL to another!