Fremont Photo Stroll

I'm sure I've mentioned before my love for the book Washington Curiosities. My friend Meg-A-Roonie turned me on to it and is therefore the person who was forced to spent a day with me shooting some of the items on the list.

Fremont, as a whole, is a very interesting neighborhood. I  mean any neighborhood who calls themselves "The People's Republic of Fremont" says something about the folks who frequent it.  It's also known as the center of the universe. They even have a directional sign to prove it.

So besides of this wonderful little treat, Fremont has a lot, and I mean a lot to see. Great for people watching - especially for the summer solstice where a huge parade takes place and it starts with a throng of naked bike riders.

Now, back to the list of "curiosities".  The first on our stop was the HUGE statue of Lenin.

Meg-A-Roonie and I were eating grinders in the shadow of Lenin.  I wondered, as we sat there, "Why Fremont? Why Lenin?" It seemed far-fetched, but Fremont is nothing if not far fetched. So I looked it up. Turns out an American who was teaching in Poprad found the sculpture lying face down after it was toppled in the 1989 Revolution.  He recognized that it was significant art from a famous Russian artist and wanted to preserve the statue. He mortgaged his house to acquire the sculpture and eventually it ended up in Fremont.

After a brief conversation with Lenin, we strolled right on down Fremont Avenue.  Along the way we found some rather interesting street lights.

Its hard to tell, but there's a torso in that bulb thingy. The sun was shining so bright that it lit up the inside pretty well.

After that we meandered our way past a gelato place.  We 'had' to go in. Once in, the gelato took hold of us, smacked us around and FORCED us to have some. So we both ordered an Affogato - scoop of gelato and shot of espresso over it.

Once outside we stumbled into a doorway that had a bunch of broken mirrors in different shapes and designs.  It was quite fascinating.  I could have spent a good 30 minutes in there, but we had more important things to see.

We continued on our stroll. Eventually we passed the "Waiting for the Interurban" statues. People usually dress these guys up in all sorts of costumes. This day they seemed a bit "undressed" and I have a hundred photos of them from the 3 day.  I chose to not waste any of my memory on this stop.

Photo courtesy of the Internet.

From there we walked up a GREAT BIG HILL to get to what I think is the most interesting thing in Fremont...the Troll.

My favorite part is the VW bug he's holding on to.  It's a real bug, by the way. The Troll lives under the I5 bridge and is part of the Fremont culture. It, too, gets decorated every now and then.

From the troll we walked back down into Fremont and stopped into a Turkish café that had a bunch of Turkish stuff for sale. The smell of the coffee and spices drew us in. We had to walk through and check out what was what.  We found these fabulous glasses so bright and colorful. Meg-A-Roonie spent her honeymoon in Turkey and said this store brings back some good memories.

Finally we found our way to walk past the Rocket. Yes that's right, Fremont has a Rocket. A real one...or so we're told.

It was a hot and we were tired of walking. I asked Meg-A-Roonie if she wanted to go to Starbucks, naturally she was all in. What she didn't know, at first, was that I meant the Starbucks that was made of recycled shipping containers.  Yes, Seattle not only is home to Starbucks, a Green city and has a Starbucks made of recycled shipping containers.

Best...coffee...ever...

Or it could have been that we were hot and thirsty and the black tea hit the spot perfectly.

Anyhow, we had a great time and as always it was a blast getting caught up with Meg-A-Roonie. 

I checked off several items in the book and now have about a hundred left.  I'd better get going.

On Top of the World

Ever had something on your bucket list that is illusive and for some reason you never do it?

Yah visiting Mount Rainer was just that item for me.  Mount Rainer is an icon of Seattle. Its the mountain you see in every post card of Seattle. It's part of what defines Seattle's outdoorsy attitude.  Its majestic, a volcano and basically our backyard.

For years, YEARS, Blueberry and I have talked about going to Mount Rainer. Each year comes and goes and we don't do it.

This year I moved it to the top of my list that was a MUST. I put it on the calendar and I finally made it.

Mrs. Landlord and I took off early on Saturday and we headed south. Like with any roadtrip in Sparky the key is to get there without hitting the freeway.  We took the back roads through Maple Valley and into Black Diamond.  Once in Black Diamond, we stopped to have breakfast at this fantastic little bakery called The Black Diamond Bakery - clever huh. 

The bakery part of this restaurant was full of home made baked goods.  It was a bit overwhelming to see all the pastries and cookies and what not. 

We choose to have an actual breakfast. Both of us had the biscuits and gravy.  Delicious.  Absolutely delicious.

Once done with breakfast we hit the road. I had found a website that outlines a couple of different scenic routes to take. Each route this website lists has a bunch of stops they recommend. So Mrs. Landlord was the navigator and reader of what the stop was about.

First stop, Federation Forest State Park.  Turns out it's not actually a stop in as much as it's the forest area around Rainer.  Well, part of it. It's a 619 acre state park started by a group of women in the 1940s who wanted to preserve the old growth timber. We didn't stop - we drove through and did the obligatory OOOOh's and Ahhhhhh's.

Next stop Greenwater.  Greenwater is a funky little town that is essentially the last town before the mountain and one of our major ski resorts here in Washington, Crystal Mountain. The important thing to know about Greenwater is this is where the Nachez Tavern is.  We had lunch there on our way back down the mountain.  Talk about a bar with character.  When we walked in Toby Keith's song "I Love This Bar" was playing and I gotta say, if it needed a theme song, this was it. 

Parked out front were rows of motorcycles - which could only mean one thing - its a cool little joint.

Moving on - our next stop was the Mount Rainer Viewpoint.  Now I would have thought that this would be a location where you'd see a wide sweeping view of Mt. Rainer. At least in my mind that's what it would have been.  Turns out you get a "peak" of Mt. Rainer from this place.  I blinked an almost missed it.

Sparky looked good there though, so it was worth the stop.

The next stop was Suntop Lookout. Somehow Mrs. Landlord and I both missed the turn off so we didn't get a chance to check this out. Probably just as well since it had words like "gravel road" and "requires 4 wheel drive" in the description. 

Skookum Falls was our next stop.  These falls drop 250ft, into the White River.  The White River is what amazed me more than anything else. The falls had barely anything falling down them. In fact, I had to squint to even see the falls.  I expected these glorious falls, and got a dribble. Still it's beautiful.

So the White River water is actually white. It's like milk.  I stood and just stared at it.  I'd never seen anything like it. It's white because of glacier silt or glacier "flour" they call it.  It was one of the coolest things I had seen in a long time. It really sometimes are the simplest things that make me smile.

Finally we reached where we were headed the turn off to Sunrise.  Sunrise is a postcard perfect location to see the mountain.  It sits at 6400 ft and is as far as you can drive up the mountain. There's a small vista point on the way to Sunrise where we stopped to stare in wonder.  Mount Rainer in one direction and Mount Adams in another.  Then all around was the most glorious landscape I've seen in a long time.

Mount Rainer off in the distance.

Mount Adams is off in the distance.

Another beautiful vista from the top of the world.

Even Sparky and Daisy got into the view.

Once at the top of Sunrise there's a ranger station there that has a small museum with a ton of great information about the mountain. This time of year is a fairy tale of color up there with the wild flowers in full bloom.  It was glorious. Just glorious.

This totally reminded me of something Dr. Seuss would dream up

I really could go on and on about how beautiful this mountain is. And like anything of such beauty pictures really don't do it justice. 

And there's another side of the mountain to see!!! I'll be going to that side in a couple of weeks.  Can't wait.  I can then check "See Mount Rainer" off my ever expanding bucket list.

Job status, Health status and Sunday Dinner

On the job front, I had a great interview on Friday and am now just sitting and trying to patiently wait for a decision. The hiring manager is likely gone this week at a HUGE MS event so I most likely will not hear until after this week.

And I won't be just sitting back and waiting. I'm still actively searching for a job. July 31st is quickly approaching and I need a job.

On the health front...

I've been on Weight Watchers for about 3 weeks now (starting my 4th week) and I've not been 100% committed. I've been only half way paying attention, and logging my info, and not working out.  Two weeks now I've neither gained nor lost any weight.  That ends today.

Today I start with a plan. I've modified a meal plan I found online that one of my favorite bloggers is doing for her mother.  Each week now, 4 weeks in, she's posted a menu plan for her mom. It's perfect for me. I just have to use what she's already done. And so I've built myself a menu plan for the week based off hers. I adjusted it to meet my tastes and needs.

You'll notice, for example, Tuesday's dinner it says "Jaliscos". That's because I'm going out to dinner that night.  And Thursday lunch says "Out with Nancy" again - cuz that's what's on my calendar.

Everything else is basically what I'm eating for the week.  I'm not convinced the calorie counts are accurate, so I'll continue tracking in MyFitnessPal and the Weight Watchers app.  Eventually I need to just track in one, but for now, I'll do both. They both have help in a unique way. MyFitnessPal shows the calories, and WW shows the points.  Until I get comfortable with how many calories are about what the total number of points are for me, I'll keep doing both. At the end of the day, really, I'm still eating better and that coupled with working out, I should start losing.  As long as I stay the course.

See, here's the thing, if it's written out like this I'm WAY more likely to follow it.  I have a plan for every meal. There should be no surprises. 

The other key is actually prepping food ahead of time so you'll follow your plan.  For example, I cut watermelon this weekend and put it in individual serving containers. So when I'm getting my lunch ready to pack to work, I just grab a container. The same is true for the cheese/grapes and nuts/raisin snacks.  Its done. It's a simple grab and I'm out the door.

I'm feeling very motivated this week so I figured I might as well restart the Couch to 5K stuff again. I'll be starting with week 1 today and plan to finish the entire week and move on. I've already done this so there isn't any question as to whether I can or cannot do it.  Tighten up the shoe laces, get off the couch and run.

I'll keep you posted as the week progresses. I know you're dying to see how this ends.

On another note, Sunday dinner was last night. I kept it light, simple and delicious.  The light part is new and something I'd like to continue to try to do.  I use Sunday Dinner as an excuse to make comfort food often, and that's ok and I'm sure it'll happen again, but when I can make it lighter, I'm going to try.

I totally forgot Daisy or Sparkle for the photo last night. We were all so concerned about getting the animals to cooperate that I completely forgot the duck.

Goin' Underground

Hello campers.  Hope this finds you all having a rip roaring good summer. Summer is just really starting here in Seattle and I've kicked it off by going to the Seattle Underground tour with Mrs. Hotlanta. 

First - update on the job situation. I was really REALLY hoping for a job at a shoe company here in Seattle. It would have been a fantastic job for me. Sadly they chose the other candidate - according to the recruiter it wasn't that they didn't want me they just had two GREAT candidates and one job opening. There's a chance they'll call me back for a PM job, though no timeframe. So I'm still searching.

I've had some great leads and a good interview with another group. I'm hoping that something pans out before July 31st. While I'd love to take the month of August off, I'd prefer to do it on my terms and with enough $$ to not stress out.

Ok. Back to the tour.

The Pergola in Pioneer Square. This structure has been restored, hit by cars and trucks, restored again.  Its iconic to Pioneer Square and had there not been a bunch of homeless chaps standing around I would have taken more shots.

 

Mrs. Hotlanta asked me a while ago if I'd be interested in doing the Seattle Underground Tour. I had heard about the tour, but truthfully, I sorta joked about it being a cheesey tourist tour.  And it was, but it was a good cheese.

I'm not a fan of tunnels, or being in closed spaces, or tunnels...so I laughed at myself as I was standing in Pioneer Square waiting for Mrs. Hotlanta as I realized this entire tour would be "underground".  How that escaped me before I was standing there waiting is beyond me. I figured I could suck it up and just ignore the fact we were under ground.

The first stop was in Doc Maynards bar - shut down during the tour hours - where our "host" told us a bit of history about Seattle in the old days.  I ... LOVED... The history they told us. True or not, it was very interesting. After about 15 minutes of them yammering on, they split our group into 4 groups and off we went. 

Underground Seattle circa late 1800's. That garbage can - circa 2013.

 

Did I mention I'm not a fan of tunnels? Yah, first stop, long, musty smelling tunnel - or underground walkway.

 

So it turns out that back in the late 1800's when Seattle was starting out, they built the city on tide flats not thinking about the - well - tides. The city would flood twice a day.  Eventually the city burns down (The story was told to us as in 1889 a cabinetmaker apprentice overturned and ignited a glue pot. When he attempted to put it out with water it spread the burning grease-based glue. Conveniently the fire chief was out of town in San Francisco, and although the volunteer fire department responded they made the mistake of trying to use too many hoses at once. They never recovered from the subsequent drop in water pressure, and the Great Seattle Fire destroyed 31 blocks and they have to rebuild.)

 

When they rebuilt they decided to put the city higher. They put the roads higher which meant you had to climb up steps or ladders to go across the street. From street level, up a ladder, across the street, down a ladder. Not very convenient.

 

Eventually they "filled in" and built on top of it.  There are urban legends about what was found when they city started digging out the old city.  Things like bath tubs and small boats. The city workers were throwing anything they could in as filler.

 

The entire time I was underground I kept saying over and over in my head, "Please don't let there be an earthquake right now."

So in order to add light on the subject, the city planners put in these sky lights.  On the current street level of Seattle, these little gems look like sidewalk art and you'd never know they were sky lights.  Though at the time glass apparently had a coating of something...magnium?...and apparently there's a reaction when that and sunlight comes together and cause the glass to turn purple. 

This hallway cracked me up. It was the hallway of old mechanical things. I wondered if the stuff in his hallway was actually from the 1800's or if it was just crap they found laying around rusted and tossed it down here. No rhyme or reason to any of it.  Still it was interesting to see the different machinery stuff.

 

This little gem was on the wall as we left the tour and entered, you guessed it, the souvenir shop. As we approached it I thought it was a cement sculpture of some sort.  Turns out its tin.  Still pretty cool looking and worth a photo.

BIG story about the flushing toilet and gravity and muck and sewer. I'll spare you. But suffice it to say the founding fathers of Seattle learned a lot about physics thanks to the crapper.

If you're ever in SEattle, I highly recommend this tour. It's touristy, but fun. A lot of Seattle history is told. Probably most of it true. The tour guides were all amusing and had nice little puns throughout to, I'm sure, help me keep my mind off the fact I was underground. Oy vei!

Mid Year Check-In

Here we are with half the year over already. The older I get, the faster time flies. It feels like months are flying by as days.  My attempts to slow time have not been successful as of yet, though I'm gonna keep trying.

Around work everyone is readying for the new fiscal year. This includes updating goals and finishing reviews.  I figured since I don't have a work review to write, that perhaps I should check in on my annual goals. 

Let's have a look - shall we?

2013 Goals
1. Read more!
This I've done. We are in week 28 and I've read 25 books.  I'm on target to ready 45 to 50 books this year.  Some, I'll admit, at what I call "squishy" books - fast reads. Others have taken some time to digest.  For the second half of the year I'd like to add some personal growth or project management books.

2. Scrapbooking
My goal was to control my purchasing of scrapbook supplies.  In an attempt to "use what I have" I decided I was going to "stage" all my photos and then scrapbook them when I had time.  This meant taking a photo theme - say my birthday - finding the paper and embellishments that go with it and putting them all together for a future day of actually putting the page together. 

I've hit a bit of a wall with getting new kitties.  They are a bit too curious for the scrapbook room so in order for me to be in there I have to lock them in another room - which seems unfair. So I've not spent as much time in the scrapbook room as I would like.  That being said, they are older now and I've allowed them time in the scrapbook room. Once the initial curiosity wore off they were fine.  Though they found stuff to chew on that I wasn't happy about.

As for purchasing scrapbooking supplies. I think my real hobby is that I like to buy scrapbooking stuff.  I've done just okay with this goal and really need to focus on NOT buying.

3. Photography
This year so far I've gone out shooting just two times. Once with the PhotoGods to Georgetown and once with Meg-A-Roonie to Pike's Place Market.  I have, however, done a lot of shooting with the new kitties.  They're just so darn cute and wiggly.  I have a list of a couple of places I'd like to shoot still this year and really need to just get them scheduled so I do it.

4. Finances
Oh boy. I don't even want to discuss this one.  I've been saving through my 401K and what not. And have started a mutual fund. So that's good.  Still need to get the credit cards down and still need to save my 3 months worth of salary.  I'm about to be without a job again and really REALLY wish I had done this. I need to remember what this feels like to be without a job and worried about finances.  It's not a great feeling and I think if I tap into that I can push myself to save.  I've even been playing these little mind games with myself like, "If I get job XYZ I promise, PROMISE to save the 3 months."  Unfortunately I didn't get job XYZ, but I still think I can fill in "XYZ" with "ANY" and be in the same place.

5. Health
This is a good one. I'm back on WW and am really starting to think about what I'm eating.  I've found some interesting things out about my food nature and plan on writing about them later.  My specific goal was about jogging - or wogging as I like to call it - but that has been sorta derailed. My wogging partner broke her ankle and since she stopped, apparently I stopped. I need to just start all over and dig deep for that motivation.

6. Blog more.
Um...not sure if this is going well or not. I have a list of things I want to spend some time to write about and subsequently blog about, I just haven't sat down and worked on them.  So...watch this space.

There. My annual review is done. I'd give myself a 3 out of 5 cuz there is certainly room for improvement. But I've done something, and I think that always counts.

What's in a Year...

A year, as far as I know, hasn't changed the number of days in it. And yet, the 365 days that exist in a year has flown by in a blink of an eye.

A year ago today I lost my dad. 

365 days.  I have thought of him in one way or another every day. Mostly happy thoughts - sometimes not so happy. I can say that the majority of my memories of dad are happy - and that to me says a lot about the man he was.

Life is a highway

I often wonder if my "highway" will forever be under construction. The song "Life is a Highway" doesn't actually ever say that the "highway" is completed and should therefore be used on a regular basis. My "highway" appears to have lost a major section of it and is now under reconstruction...again.

I've been in the same role for approximately 3 years. I love the group. I love the company (Hotel Californiasoft is in my blood) and I've learned a lot. But that's all coming to a sad, and somewhat immediate end.

I had been living this last year under a cloud of assumption that I would continue on in this group. I heard in April that my role was going to change slightly but that it would still be "my role." My gut told me then that I should update my resume. 

In middle of June I found out that in fact my role has changed, significantly, and I'm welcome to interview for the new role.  Say what?

And just like that - WHAM - my job highway got turned upside down.

The new role isn't one I'm interested in. While I could do it, and do it well, its a administrative role and one that would feel like a HUGE step back for me.  Not to mention it would be awkward to interview with team members who knew my skill set. They'd be wondering, as would I, why I was interviewing. Was it just to have a job?

So my highway is under construction again. I'm out there looking, actively, for another job.  Plenty of opportunities out there as the end of the fiscal year comes to a close for Hotel Californiasoft and a new year, with new money opens up.  See, if you're open to contract work, then you have more options.

I have my irons in the fire and have lined up several interviews, phone and in person. I'm working on a job right now that I would LOVE to have. We shall see.

So - here we go again. I'm sad to be leaving this team, but am open to the new opportunities that are out there for me.  Watch this space. A new job will be mine soon.

Wheels on the bus go round and round

Hello fine fellow reader (s).  Welcome to another installment of "Jenn Must Get Healthy". It's been almost a year since Jenn fell off the wagon. But she's back and is here to tell you the gory details.

When last we spoke, I believe it was last June, I was well on my way to losing weight. It was slow going, but it was going. And that was what was important to me. Then something happened. A traumatic experience for me in that my Dad died. (sniff sniff).

Something about that event stopped me in my tracks. I just stopped.

I stopped working out religiously.

I stopped planning my weekly meals.

I stopped thinking about what I was eating.

I stopped eating healthy meals.

I just stopped.

I didn't do it consciously - at least I don't think I did. I just felt like I needed a break.

It was last August when I realized that I hadn't really been doing much, if anything, to lead this healthy life I want for myself. So I decided to just not worry about it. And I didn't.

Slowly I noticed that things felt different.  While I was jogging on and off, I missed the gym.  I quickly squelched that thought and moved on without thinking about the gym again. In fact, the only time I thought about the gym was when I'd drive past it every morning and check out to see how busy it was.  But I wouldn't then think, "I could go in the morning."

But things were feeling different. I wasn't drinking my normal amount of water. I missed that too. I lacked energy. Unhappy. Unfounded. I just felt, well, icky. 

I didn't want to admit that it was, perhaps, because I had fallen all too quickly right back into the poor eating decisions or the lack of exercise. It couldn't be that. It had to be something else. It just had to be. And by God, I was going to figure that out.

Fast forward to Memorial Day weekend.  We scattered Dad's ashes - and I promise I'll get that story out soon - its' just too much to write about right now - and somehow being out in the middle of no where Washington, with the cold wind blowing like a hurricane, with family/friends surrounding me, I remembered - again - why I was making an effort...health.  That small little, 6-letter word - how could I have forgotten it?

And so I decided to make another plan. I was going to join Weight Watchers. I had thought about it over the last year, but had always come up with one excuse after another. ChickenLady had joined and was working very hard to talk me into going with her. The timing didn't feel right really. I had the MomUnit in town, and this thing, and that thing, and that other thing...I found excuses easily.

Finally, I ran out of excuses. ChickenLady texted me to join her on Saturday. My thumb hovered over the keyboard of my iPhone, ready to type, "Sorry. Busy," when it dawned on me. I had no more excuses. I couldn't think of one valid reason to NOT join her. I had everything to gain (or lose). I've been looking for the "right time" and so why wasn't "right now" the right time? My fingers typed almost by themselves, "I'll see you there."

Saturday morning came and I was up and ready to go. I was going to walk to the meeting, but wanted

to go right from the meeting to the grocery store, or so I planned. I didn't, but that's beside the point. I went. I signed up. I got a Bravo sticker (OMG I love stickers) and it was a fantastic morning.  The leader is happy and knowledgeable without being "too happy" or preachy - if you know what I mean.  The group was diverse and all had a story to tell.

As I sat there thinking about how each of us got to that door and walked in, I was reminded of something about the 3Day that I love, every single person involved in it has a unique story.  All the stories have a shade of familiarity, but each of us had one reason or another to be there. And because we were all there, I was, somehow, not fighting this war by myself.

And so it begins again. I'm re-motivated. I'm ready to go. I had my last few bad meals this weekend and am starting fresh this morning. I did my grocery shopping. I did my plan. I did my prep. I am set up to succeed.  Viva WW!!! Viva Healthy Living!!!

Sunday Dinner...Dad Style

First let me say that since my last ranting post I feel better. I'm still a bit miffed, and disappointed, and now not so sure what I'm going to do for a vacation this year, but I'm slowly getting over it. I was, however, amused at the folks who read it all commented to me personally by saying, "Wow - you didn't hold back." Let that we a lesson to you.

Sunday was yet another fun filled, Wraspir Sunday dinner. We had a special guest this month, the MomUnit. And of course the two little demons kittens. I don't think Linus was every on the floor.  He sacked out in just about every person's lap or arms. 

We had 15 people this month - which is an all time high for me.  I, naturally, was worried we wouldn't have enough food. Thankfully I called in a last minute, "Can you bring...?" favor and we were just fine.  In fact better than fine.

This month I did tri-tip again. Last time I made tri-tip I killed it. As in over cooked it so badly.  Dad would have been miffed for sure.

So I figured I would try it again.  I also had found some Pinquito beans to make.  I can't tell you how many fond memories of have of the Mom/DadUnit making tritip and pinquito beans for a huge crowd of friends.  It is one of those memories I will forever hold dear.

The MomUnit made the pinquitos on Saturday so they had a day to sit. And let me tell you...she did not disappoint.  Even though I joked with her that "dad" had always made the beans. Turns out dad had always taken credit for making the beans. Naturally.

What are pinquito beans you ask? Well, pinquitos are small pink beans - a miniature cousin of the pink bean that has a very distinctive flavor and is only grown in the Santa Maria Valley. We used to be able to find them everywhere - at least it seemed like that to me. Then moving to Washington you can't find them anywhere. Occasionally I can find them in a can and thus use them in my chili recipe, but never as a dry bean to make from scratch. I found mine from Susie Q's website.


Photo by Susie Q

Anyhow, back to the meal. The tritip was BBQ'd perfectly this time - I think with a little help of me running out of propane.  Thankfully I learned my lesson on that and had a spare.  I took the roasts off (BTW I can only find tritip roasts at Costco. I keep asking my local QFC to carry it and they keep not listening to me - rude) early and let them rest. In preparing them however, I did the Dad trick.

First let me tell you about Dad's rub.  He made the best meat rub.  We all loved it and all of us are kicking ourselves now because dad didn't write it down and NONE of us have it.  BigBro and SSIL have a small sample of the rub that we could try to replicate. But I doubt any of us could EVER get the right mix on it.

Moving on...so I used a McCormick's steak rub that I've found to be pretty close to Dad's and tastes darn good. But the key to the tritip is pieces of garlic stuck inside the meat. Dad used to use the back of a wooden spoon and make several holes in the roast. He'd then stuff that with a piece of garlic.  Man does that make a good flavor.

All in all it was a great dinner.  The cats were pooped out after - thank you to everyone who helped tire them out - and so was the MomUnit and I.


They seem so "normal" before I feed them.

Cast of Characters:
Back row / left to right: Blueberry, PhotoGirl, The Yank, New Guy that belongs to the Pantry Goat, Mrs. Chicago, Mrs. Landlord, Me.

Front Row / left to right: Mr. Queen PopUp, Queen PopUp, The MomUnit, Big Bro and Seattle SIL - who may be know as Mrs. Crabby soon (not because she's a crab but because she takes her crab hat every where with her).


Then they eat and all bets are off.

It’s an opportunity to grow

I’m so sick of hearing that I can’t even tell you.  I am usually all for personal growth and usually more open to change. Recently too many things have been influx for me to sit back and not be annoyed. 

First, there’s a chance that my job is changing.  I’ll be seeing a new job description soon and am hoping that its something I want to do. I like what I do now. I still feel challenged on a regular basis.  It’s been brought to my attention that perhaps I’ve become complacent in my current role and a change to something new might be good.  So the explanation of what my new job description holds has me in a bit of a state.  On the one hand, it could be an opportunity to grow.  On the other, I don’t want to do work that I don’t enjoy.  I get that every job, including mine now, has a part that may not be your favorite to do, or something you enjoy doing. I understand that. And I’m okay with a small percentage being that. But I’ve worked in jobs where I was miserable on a regular basis because I just didn’t like what I was doing. I’m hoping this new job description isn’t that. The “waiting” is killing me.  Y’all know how patient I am (not) and so not knowing has made me a bit crazy and irrational. To say the least. 

Then there’s the change in my normal routine. I hadn’t realized I liked my routing and my rut. I was very comfortable there.  But since Pookie’s died, it seems like my routine has been tossed out the window and it’s “anything goes” night at the Wraspir household. 

In this case I think the change is a good thing. It still unnerves me and has me on edge, and cranky (though that could also be a direct result of sleep deprivation – thank you very much Linus and Lucy).

Now we come to the big one that has me annoyed.  And has me annoyed for a couple of reasons:

1.     It’s a change in plans of something I was looking forward to

2.     I have to realize it’s not about me all the time

3.     Now I have no vacation planned for this year

Last year we went to San Diego to walk and stalk the 3 Day.  Seattle SIL has decided she wants to walk several other cities for the 3Day. I hopped right on board to stalk her while she walked. I love the idea of going to other cities and seeing how they “do the 3day”.  After San Diego we picked Philadelphia with this small team of gals.  

 

Shortly after the new year, the “small group of gals” announced they had signed up for Washington DC.  Say what? But we had decided on Philly.  Ugh. 

 

After much back and forth, and further conversations, and back and forth and forward, and sideways, it was decided, that no, in fact, we’d be walking Philly. Full stop. Philly it was. 

 

YAY – was what I said. I have been wanting to go to Philadelphia for YEARS and this was my chance.

 

I hopped on the planning band wagon and went to work. I ordered travel books, and started researching places to stay and started sending emails, and getting excited about going. I have $$ put aside and I’m ready. 

 

 

Then the 3Day decided to axe several cities for next year. One of which is Tampa.  I have no desire to go to Tampa, never have, never will.  This “small group of gals” decided they wanted to walk Tampa since it wouldn’t be there next year. 

 

Thus axing my Philly plans and I’m annoyed. 

 

So, like I said, I realize this is a chance to come to grips with “this isn’t about me”, but it kinda is AND I feel like I’ve been jerked around for several months now and my desires – and those of other team members – might not have been considered. Maybe they don’t consider us as part of their team at all. Maybe they just think we’re groupies or something. Either way, I’m sad that now my vacation plans are all cut. 

 

“We can do Philly next year,” they said. Which sadly, I don’t think I can. I have a BIG cruise planned for next year that will take 1) all my vacation and 2) a big chunk of my cash. So Philly will most likely not be in my future anytime in the next year or so. 

 

I could go to Philly by myself.  Trust me the stubborn side of me says, “buy your ticket and go.” The cautious side of me thinks that may not be the best course of action. 

 

I’m sad. I’m angry. I’m annoyed. And I’m tired. The city of brotherly love is not happening this year.

Race for the Cure

I still have to talk about the scattering of the DadUnit's ashes, but truth be told I've not gone through all the photos yet and so want to wait until those are ready.  Suffice it to say, the weekend was fantastic and Dad would have loved to see all the family together ...while for a sad reason, we were together.

The MomUnit is staying with me for a week or so as are the Oodles of Poodles she travels with. The kittens - well Linus - is okay with the Oodles of Poodles. Lucy has a hissy fit - literally - when they move or she realizes they are in the room as she walks past them. She's "fine" with them, but not like Linus. Linus thinks he's a dog apparently.

This past weekend was the Race for the Cure. If you remember my jogging goal was to jog the entire 5K - turns out I wasn't quite ready for that. So I've adjusted my goal.

Still I did manage to run for 35 minutes straight, and a total of 37 minutes.  The course was down hill for the first half and uphill for the second. You can imagine which half I jogged.


Did I mention I jogged a whole 37 minutes? 

I sometimes have to shake my head when I think about it because me jogging that long sounds so odd. I'm thrilled I'm still jogging...though admittedly the second half of the race that was all up hill - and I was walking it - I was cursing the entire idea of jogging and why I would even consider doing this.

But I made it over the finish line. Didn't fall, didn't stumble, didn't collapse in total exhaustion. Okay, I did do that. But the rest is true.

Don't you love how my jacket's all ascew? Yah me too. It's sexy.

You know I think about how horrible a breast cancer diagnosis must be. And how scary. And how unnerving. And how it changes your whole life.  And how I wish this disease would go away. And how I wish we could find a cure. And how I wish no other mother, daughter, sister, Aunt, grandmother, friend, would have to go through this.

And then I think, despite all that, I've met some pretty damn amazing people because of it. 



Back LTR: BigBro, Blueberry, me, SSIL, Mrs. Hotlanta, Princess Lori
Front LTR: Princess Carla, E, and Chicago

I'd not know most of those people in that photo. I wouldn't have the relationship I have with BigBro and Seattle SIL if not for breast cancer.

 

And I wouldn't have Blueberry in my life if not for the amazing things Susan G. Komen has done and is doing.  So say what you will about SGK, and I hope you never EVER have to go through a diagnosis and be treated by something that was funded by SGK...but if you do, you may be glad they're around.

 

The Little Beasties

The two little beasties who have taken up residence in my house are settling right in and making themselves right at home.

I find myself laughing at their antics more than I probably should admit, but kittens are so darn cute and have such a wide-eyed, full of mischief way of going about life. I could learn a lot from those two.

Part of their "settling" is pushing the borders of my patience. They're kittens, I realize, but my word they get into things.  In an attempt to "train" them what is acceptable in the house and what isn't, I've had to resort to buying a "Kitten Rehabilitation Device".

Lucy gets it. She sees it, hears it or feels it and she's outta there.  She understands it's a bad thing and is apparently trying to not have the device used on her again.

Linus on the other hand just seems to be thrilled he's getting a bath.  I squirt him and say "No!" in a stern voice, and he looks at me, looks at his we fur and continues on with what he was doing.  This one will be tough to break.

Occasionally I catch them both doing something they aren't supposed to be and by squirting Lucy, she freaks Linus out and the end up here.

They seem to think this paper bag is going to protect them from the Kitten Rehabilitation Device (KRD).

The other things they are doing, and doing well is eating and pooping. Linus seems to be the master at clearing out a bowl of food as well as a room after he's "left" his gift.  This little green cloud follows him.  He came scrambling into the living room like a bat out of hell last night.  About 10 seconds later, the smell drifted in.

They both visited the V.E.T yesterday.  I was concerned that they might have ear mites...and they do.  The V.E.T. hooked them up with some meds and they should be fine in a week or so.  I got to see the actual mites under the microscope...it was very cool - and a bit gross.

The two demons had the run of the vet office and everyone in there seemed to want to play or hold them or take them home.  I will say, by the time I got home  these two were pooped.  They sacked out for a good hour - of course they were on my lap so I couldn't do anything either.

 

The little demons are going to be left alone for three days. I'm pretty sure I'll pay the price when I get back from the weekend.

This weekend we will be scattering Dad's ashes over in Odessa. On the one hand I'm looking forward to seeing some family I've not seen for a while. On the other, I'm sad to say goodbye to dad again.

Immediate Unconditional Love

When last we spoke I was letting fate control which cat(s) I end up with.  Most of you already know I am now the parent of two small kittens.

 

Meet Linus (on the left) and Lucy (on the right). These two have managed to wiggle their ways into my heart pretty darn quickly. I mean, what's not to love? Look at those innocent faces.  Siblings and trouble makers, that's what they are.

Linus is an easy going chap. He likes to stalk his sister and usually goes along with whatever she's doing. Lucy is the one full of piss and vinegar.  She is in everything and Linus isn't far behind her.

It's been a long, LONG time since I've been around kittens. And never have I had two.  Let's just say it has been entertaining and educational.

What I've learned from these two so far:
1. Unconditional love can be immediate.
2. Everything is a toy. Everything.
3. If it moves, pounce on it.
4. Cat naps really do invigorate you.
5. Follow the leader, cuz the leader has the food.

I've also learned that two kittens fit behind my pull out freezer drawer.  And getting two kittens out from behind said drawer almost took an act of congress.

Linus loves the back of this chair. So much action going on outside.

Lucy loves the other chair because of the comfy blanket put just there for her....Oh so she thinks.

I've only taken about 300 photos of these two so far. Of them only about a dozen are actually in focus and/or not blurry from the quick movement of these two. Kittens are fast.

These two stay in my room during the day and the closet at night.  They seem to have settled in quite well. I let them run around the house while I'm home but don't dare leave them free to roam while I'm not here.  I mean, God knows what they'll get into.  And had I not found Lucy tangled in my wine bottles in my wine rack, maybe I would. 

I still miss Pookie, but these two are certainly doing all they can to honor the old guy. The next several years should be interesting, and certainly not uneventful.