Peculiar

Is that a hard word for you today? It is for me. I have to stop and think about it before I say it.

Tomorrow is BigBro's Celebration of Life. I'm not sure if I'm ready for it to happen, but it will take place whether or not I'm ready for it. It'll be a good chance to listen and hear stories of the big guy.  I'm hoping it won't be as emotional as I expect it to be.

I just finished the February book club book, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I choose this book for one simple reason it mixes fiction with photography. The author, Ranson Riggs, wrote this book using some interesting, antique photos he had found throughout the years.  He spun an interesting story while using the photos throughout the book.  I find that fascinating.  The book is good, and is definitely an easy read. In fact, I was just told it is a teeny bopper type book. Regardless, it was entertaining and a bit different from anything I've read.

The author has a second book, a sequel, that mixes photography and the story again. It fascinates me that an author can take unique photos and spin up a tale that is entertaining and interesting.  I highly recommend this book. It's a quick and easy read - just 246 pages.

Finishing this book is 5 books for me this year already. Is it peculiar that I read so much?

A Note to my BigBro

BigBro's Celebration of Life is upon us. This Saturday we'll all gather to remember the larger than life man he was. 

In prep for this event, we've been asking people to write stories about BigBro and send them to me. I plan on printing them, displaying them there and then putting them in a scrapbook for the girls.

I've been procrastinating writing my letter/story. I've started and stopped it a hundred times. Finally, last night after the Seahawks win I was able to write my letter/story.

Get the Kleenex if you're an emotional type. I put my heart into this and I think it's sitting on the desk next to me weeping.

To My BigBro -

I've started and stopped this  note a hundred times.  Unsure where to begin telling the world the person you were and, more importantly, the person you made me. I wish I had one more day with you to tell you just how important you were to me. I hope you knew. I think you knew. I'm sure you knew. 

I don't have a memory of actually meeting you. You were just there - in  my life - bigger than life itself. You always had a smile, a twinkle in your eye and a big, HUGE hug for me. Never letting go until I made the move first. I miss those hugs. 

You weren't a perfect man or brother, far from it. But who of us are perfect. You were perfect to me, and that's all that matters. In fact you used to pretend shock when I'd say, "you were right." You'd smile and say, "I don't know why you can't just accept that." 

I could spin a tale or two of how many times you made me smile. A tale about how many times you had mischievous in your eyes and tried to bring me along with you...I never said no. You were my big brother and I would have done anything to spend time with you.  I just wish I had one more chance to spend more time with you. Just one more day. 

You and Janet were always the family I did things with for holidays and birthdays. We never really hung out until we started training for the 3Day. I'll forever be grateful for the 3Day because that training gave me a brother, and a friend. You learned WAY more about me than you probably ever wanted to know during those countless training hours. But I learned something about you too brother. I learned that you were first and foremost a compassionate person who cared deeply. Who smiled in an instant and who would talk to anyone. In fact I used to joke that you'd even talk to a stump.  Your constant chatter and happy attitude kept my feet moving forward. 

And then during the event itself I saw how much people loved you. My god do people love you.  I lost count of the number of people who'd run up for a hug, or high five you, or stop and ask how it was going. Everyone knew you...everyone.  When I'd be chatting with someone on route and I'd mention you were my brother, they'd get a big grin and say, "I love that guy." And they did...they still do. 

Now you're gone. It kills me to write that. But you're gone from this world physically at least. Yet, I find comfort in seeing you in the smile of people we know, the smile of your girls, the love that people have for you and share with me, the countless stories that are told about you and, above all, I can see you in my heart anytime I want. Because brother, that's where you'll be forever. 

Love you,

Jenn -

PS - You used to say I was the sister you never wanted. You'd smile when you said it, and then pull me into a huge hug.

Immigrants

I've struggled internally with the recent "immigration" issue that has been thrown to the front page of all our major newspapers in Washington. Like many cities around the nation, we had a march here of immigrants.

Again, I find myself in a quandary of how I feel. But alas, a writer for the Seattle PI wrote a column on this and wrote what I was feeling:

"The truth is the 11 million people -- many from Mexico -- who are in this country without permission are here illegally. Period.

"Their reasons for coming are understandable, even a reason for empathy. They want to work to better themselves and their families.

"This, however, doesn't give them carte blanche to freely enjoy the benefits of American society, from public education to free medical care. They've bypassed means of legal entry that millions of immigrants from Asia, Africa and Europe line up just to apply for.

"Granting blanket amnesty to all illegal Latinos would be a slap in the face to immigrants who've followed the rules.

"The majority of Latinos who've come here without papers are no doubt good, hardworking folks. I do wonder about those who are not. Really, how do we know who is crossing the border? Do they have a criminal background? Or affiliation with terrorists or bloodthirsty gangs like Mara Salvatrucha?

"We don't know -- and that uncertainty should be a cause of national concern."

-Robert Jamieson
Whole article here

A Sunday with a Headache by any other name...is still a Sunday with a Headache

Whoa...and what a headache I have. I blame myself though. But nothing that a couple of Tylenol and water and a little bit of coffee can't fix. I get ahead of myself though. Let me back up as to why.

Thursday night I got a text from The Yank asking if I wanted to join him and PhotoGirl for some wine tasting on Saturday.  PhotoGirl is looking for wine for a birthday blowout she's having.  Ultimately I said yes I'd go, but let me walk you through the thought process for me.

Since I've been working from home, I've discovered that going out and doing things - where it used to be an immediate YES - has become a thought process.

Leave the house?
Oh man, I'm not sure about that.
But wine tasting could be fun.
Yah but you have to leave the house.
I enjoy The Yank and PhotoGirl.
Yah but you have to leave the house.

And so it goes.

I really am not sure where this thought / feeling comes from. I do realize I could become a hermit a little too easily.

Anyhow, I did ultimately say yes and I'm glad I did. The two of them are a bunch of fun and really know their wines.  I learned new ways to explain how wine tastes, "gripping tannins" was perhaps my favorite description.

We hit 4 wineries in Woodinville. Woodinville, for those of you who don't know, is our winery town. There are about a 120 wineries in Woodinville (this is not a full list BTW) and growing.  These are all mostly small wineries who produce some pretty damn good wine.

Our first stop was diStefano - they had a cat that lived in this winery.  The Yank and PhotoGirl had some wines to pick up there. We tasted I think 5 wines there. But see here's the thing, The Yank and PhotoGirl SPLIT their tasting. I drank mine all by myself.   I do realize that you can toss the wine after a taste. And I do realize that a real taster doesn't actually swallow it. But come on. It's wine. And in most cases really good wine.

Then we stopped at Isenhower Cellars. I'd been here before. Seattle SIL got donated wine from this winery for her wine tasting parties.  Their wines are good to me and reasonably priced.  They had two vendors there sharing some food too - which was good cuz I needed something to soak up the wine.  They had a baker there who had cheesy bread that was - ZOMG so good - and bacon bread that was - you guessed it - ZOMG so good. There was also a cheese maker there who had some fantastic cheese.

We tasted I think 4 there. I bought a bottle of The Last Straw wine they had. Just loved it. The Yank and PhotoGirl bought a case of The Last Straw for her birthday.  Glad I could introduce them to a new winery.

After that we headed to Novelty Hill / Januik winery. This place was PACKED. "Rick" behind the counter was quite the character and while we paid for 5 tastings, we got two extra from him.  One was one of their reserved wines and it was delicious. It was $65 a bottle sadly, so I did not purchase one. It was like drinking a buttery goodness though.

Finally we ended our drinking binge (well my drinking binge) at Patterson Cellars. They had super friendly pourers (I'm sure they have a technical name) and kept the wine flowing. We tasted 4 or 5 there too. Good but not great wine in my opinion. The first taste was of a white wine that tasted like what I imagine sweat socks to taste like. Needless to say, I dumped it.

After we headed across the street for some much needed food and had a great dinner at The Commons.

By the time I got home I was so glad I went and can't wait to go taste some wine with these two again.  I was super tired when I got home and managed to stay awake until it was bed time.  Since I was gone all day I had to entertain the demons a bit - they weren't all that happy I had been gone all day.

And so that's why I have a headache this morning. Aside from all the wine, I did mix reds and whites and that is a big no-no for me. I'm not a white wine fan at all, but feel obligated to at least taste them once in awhile. I do have to admit there were a couple yesterday that I could drink if I had to.

The day started great yesterday too. I got to have breakfast with some of my favorite ladies.  I've known these ladies for 8 or 9 years now (since about 2005) and while we only get to have breakfast/lunch/dinner a couple of times a year, I treasure those times like crazy. These ladies are so grounded and often offer up some good advice, a great listening ear, and unconditional love.  I just adore them.  I can't wait until we get to spend time together again.  I don't have nicknames for them yet, but I'll work on it. KA and J - you know who you are and I love ya both.

Escape

This month was the one year anniversary of a book club I started last January. It's a select group of women (not really but it sounds good) and the taste in reading material differs greatly.  The book club has been fun and a bit of a reading adventure for me. So many books chosen last year I never would have taken off the shelf and given any of my precious reading time. Now I look back and just smile at the wonderful stories I got to be a part of because of women I adore.

This year we started off with a book by Carolyn Jessop called Escape.  The book is a biography

written by Carolyn as she recounts living in a polygamist family in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).  She was married to a man quite a bit older than her and she recounts all the abuse and issues that plague the FLDS.  She ultimately escapes with her 8 children and tells her story of how she got to the day she knew she had to get out.

If you aren't familiar with the FLDS, you may know the name Warren Jeffs. He's their leader and is currently in prison for having sex with under age children - he married a 12 year old.

The general consensus of book club is that these extremeist sects are nothing more than cults. And when your born and raised believing one thing, you never have any reason to question if life could be any different. In this world Carolyn was essentially owned by her husband. He controlled everything she did, her money, her children, every single aspect of her life.  He dictated when they'd have sex - and sex was only for procreation by the way, and if she refused she and her children would be punished and mistreated by the other wives and older children. She learned that sex kept her kids safe and ultimately became her currency.

Could you imagine living like that?

The book really opened my eyes to how these communities exist and are not that different from prison camps.  These guys, religious fanatics, who rule and claim to have a direct connection to God just baffles me. Their whims - or sorry visions - change the daily lives of hundreds, if not thousands, and they all fall into line with whatever the new rule is. Subservient doesn't even begin to describe them.

The book is a good read and really does shed some light into a religious group that, in my opinion, really has some issues. Aside from the polygamy - I don't really care if a man marries multiple wives - but to treat women as nothing more than property really gets my dander flaking.

Our next book is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. It's my pick and I can't wait to read it.

Sunday Dinner for January

Sunday dinner this month came up too quickly for me. It seems like we just had a Sunday dinner and BAM there it is again. I'm not complaining, quite the contrary, it makes me happy to see all these people whom I love so frequently.

Okay, I'm going to talk about the elephant in the middle of the room. Sunday dinner just isn't the same without BigBro.  The December Sunday dinner I was able to delude myself that he was just not there. Like he was traveling, or hunting, or doing something ... this Sunday dinner it felt all to real.

I felt off yesterday. Like nothing seemed to be snapping correctly. I still think I pulled off a great meal and good times.  It just felt wrong.  I miss that damn guy so much.

I think the Sunday dinner stuff was triggered by pulling together all the photos for the photo show for his Celebration of Life. I should have taken a break while scanning the hundreds and hundreds of photos. Instead I pushed through and realized when I was done that I was numb with sadness. I think Sunday dinner was a causality of that.

That aside, I think everyone had a fantastic time. I made a 7-bone pot roast - even though I followed a recipe for a brisket. You gotta try this recipe by the way.

The cooking started at / around 1:30 and it didn't take long for the house to smell so delicious.  Someday technology is going to allow us to collect smells and share them on the blog.  Wait? I wonder if that's a good idea...never mind. Use your imagination.

That's a lot of beef. I had to call the MomUnit to find out if a 5lb 7-bone would feed 10 people. She suggested cooking them both and using the leftovers in tacos. Um, great idea ... I think I might. I sent some leftovers home with a couple of guests. I have enough for me and maybe some for the Pantry Goat.

So, the table looks bare to me, but the food that's on there was delicious!  We had a BBQ chicken salad, minus the chicken.  Another deli type salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, veggies and bread. 

We had a good time last night.  Lucy got a little annoyed because Zoe the Dog was here. In fact, she got so annoyed she lashed out and drew blood from Zoe. Poor Zoe .. she's such a sweet dog and all she did was look more pathetic. She got a couple of good treats for her pain though. Lucy got a tongue lashing that she ignored.

Then there's the gang.  The amusing thing about this photo is Mr. Hotlanta is almost a ghost in this photo.  He at the last minute decided to put the bag over Blueberry. Hilarious if you ask me...

The job hunt continues. I had another good phone interview today and will be brought in for an in person interview later this week. As for the outcome of the interview last week...well we are in the "wait and see" phase. I'm feeling ok about both and am just letting whatever is going to happen just happen.

A Few More Goals

I think you all are aware that I'm a big fan of organization. I figure I spend more time organizing and then reorganizing than I do actually doing anything. Case in point, my scrapbook room. Just when  I think I have it organized enough to actually work, I find something else to organize.  Rinse, lather, repeat.

Along with this organization quirk (I call it a quirk but I'm so glad I can and do organize) I tend to get rid of stuff in the house on a regular basis. 

And on top of that, as organized as I am, there are still things that don't have a place to live.

You won't be too overly surprised that I read a blog called Everyday Organizing. She just posted a blog post that I have to talk about and comment on because I'm going to revise a couple of goals and update a couple of items on my task list. I'm going to be opening hood on some habits that I'm not proud of here, but hopefully it'll help someone, anyone, with organizing and being an organized person.

First her blog post is about her 2014 goals. And I am going to adopt them to some extent.

Her first goal is to get rid of everything that doesn't belong in the house.  She calls herself an "over-purger" and I think I'm going to adopt that new nickname. I too tend to get rid of stuff really quickly and then at times need whatever it is I got rid of.  The majority of time though, the things I'm tossing on a regular basis I don't really ever miss.

I've slowly become somewhat of a minimalist - in every room by the scrapbook room apparently.  I work through rooms and start plucking stuff to "get rid of." The problem is, some of this stuff never makes it to the garage, then to the garage sale pile or the good will.  Upstairs in the "den" I have a pile of items that have been up there for over a year that needs to go down into the garage.  A YEAR.... It has everything to do with pure laziness and nothing to do with the organization bug.

So I'm adding this to my goals. Not only am I going to make sure nothing is in the house that should be, but I'm going the extra step and getting that stuff to the garage.  Some will go to the annual garage sale, some will just go to the goodwill. That extra step is critical to me.  I need to get it out of the garage too in order to consider it "out of the house."

Kristin's second goal is a place for everything and everything in its place. My problem with this is the kitchen counter.  That counter collects piles like nothing I've ever seen. And many times I just keep piling stuff and not putting it away. Then one day it bugs me enough to clean off the counter (usually the night before the cleaning lady comes).

I'm adding a task/goal to put things away within a day. And if there isn't a place for it, find one.

On top of all of this, I got a new notebook to start my 2014 notes, tasks, grocery lists etc. This book goes just about everywhere with me. I've not yet been able to get rid of the hard type of notebook and put all this stuff in my iPhone. I like having that book handy for whatever reason.

Anyhow, I started transferring the "Jenny Do List" and noticed that there are 4 items on this list that were put on the list in February 2013.  Are you kidding me? Tasks that are almost a year old and haven't been done? Ugh. They are easy tasks, but again, the lazy wins. This year I've added a column if you will to my task list that I do every month, I am adding a note as to when it was put on the list. I'm curious just how lazy I can be. I think I know, but now that I'm aware of this, I wonder if by putting the date when it was added will help trigger the "get it done".

So there you go, a peak under the hood of Chez Jenn's and how it is to live here.  What about you, do you have things on your task list that just don't get done? What stops you?

And have you done your goals yet?

Ringing in 2015

No that's not a typo, its a thought.  I had an idea this morning that I'm excited about and want to share with you all, because I know you care.

Here's the back story. I have a friend who was telling me one day about letters she's written to her loved one's to be read upon her death.  I think this gift is incredible and one thing I'd like to consider doing someday.  Naturally, I'm thinking that anything I put in that letter should be said to the loved one before my last day on this planet, but I still think the gift of giving that after your gone is one that is incredible.

That idea coupled with a clip from Back to the Future I saw yesterday, you all know that movie right, gave me another idea. A gift, if you will, to myself.  I'm going to write a letter to my future self. I was thinking about what was going on right now in my life, how I feel about it, how I felt about 2013, what I think will happen in 2014, etc.  Wouldn't it be interesting to read on New Year's Eve this year, what I thought would happen this year?

Take a moment to think about that. 

I don't think writing the letter will guide me to do anything. In truth, I'll likely forget about the letter by next week anyhow.  Which means I have to put a reminder somewhere to remind me to read it on NYE. 

When I think about all the personal stuff that's floating around in my head, that I don't dare put in this blog because, well it's persona, and I wonder how I'll work through those thoughts, I can't help but wonder if on Dec 31, 2014 if any of them will be resolved. Will I even remember I had these thoughts?

What would you tell your future self?