Anxious!

It is the Eve of Christmas Eve! This year has been a bit different for me. Normally I would be home in WA by now, waiting for Santa to arrive at my parent's house. But this year, all my family is travelling to the East to spend Christmas together at Julie's house in WV! That means that I 'get' to work all the way up to Christmas Eve this year. It's been rough the last several working days. Partly because it doesn't feel like the holidays if I'm working, and partly because my co-worker travelled to the Dominican Republic so I am in the office by myself. While it is normally VERY quiet around here during the holidays, this year is different. AARP has been buzzing with activity, which means a lot more work for me and my little company. Budgets have been cut, people have been let go, temporary labor requests have been more closely monitored. So it seems as if I haven't been able to be very cheery because of the busy, hectic work load.


BUT!


Tomorrow will come. I get to pick my parents up at the airport in the morning and we will meet everybody up in WV for an awesome Christmas!! That is - if Seattle airport doesn't get shut-down. Why did it never snow that much when I lived there? Hopefully there won't be any problems getting Mom & Dad out here.

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Last week my attempt to get friends to go see the DC trees proved about half successful. Trav and Scott were able to attend with me and I was so glad! We had a nice hot Italian dinner before we headed out in the cold to see the trees. Good company and good fun!

Me with the Capitol and Capitol Tree

Me, The Wasington State Tree and the Washington Monument in the background.

Travis and the National Tree

Scott and the National Tree

(Scott has lived here 9 years and never seen this!!)

Me and the National Tree

The 3 of us being giddy

Christmas White House

I added snow to my blog! I think it's fun to watch it fall. :)

Yay for Christmas!

I am a giddy little girl. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

This weekend I went to NYC with my sister, Julie. I was supposed to go with a few of my friends, but they all bailed last weekend. I was sad because I had been looking forward to this trip for many weeks! I've wanted to see Christmas in NYC for years and since this year I'm not traveling home for Christmas, I could actually do it. Anyway, luckily Julie agreed to come and it was SO much fun! She had never been to New York so it was extra exciting for her. I was glad that she came along because I knew that she would have the same exciting reactions as I would to everything.

Richard was kind enough to let us stay with him, so all we had to pay for was our transportation (and lunch on Saturday). It was the cheapest trip to NYC I've ever taken! Thanks Richard!

Here are some fun pictures from our trip:

Me & Julie in Times Square

Julie trying her best to squeeze some chocolate onto my tongue..

Me & Julie in front of some cool giant ornaments

View of Saks 5th Ave from Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Tree!

Another view

Julie and the toy soldier

Me and the toy soldier

Richard and the lady toy soldier

Rockefeller skate rink

Me & Julie with a REAL toy soldier in front of FAO Schwartz

So now I am REALLY in the Christmas spirit! I'm so excited for our whole family to be together this year. It has been 10 years or more since we have all been together. I've also found myself expressing my excitement by migrating toward the kitchen more and more to bake some Christmas goodies! This is a new thing for me, but I sure am enjoying it! I've made mini pumpkin pies, brownies with candy cane Hershey kisses, molasses cookies, & sugar cookies with homemade frosting. This week I will be making some peanut butter white chocolate yumminess. This is my bribe to get my friends to go see the DC trees with me this week! The more Christmas the better, I say!

Yeah, I know...

So a few of you have let me know that since I changed the background to my blog, my box of links to other blogs was deleted. Yes. It's true. When I changed the background, all my little gadgets got deleted. So that was a bit annoying. I've quickly added a blogroll on my page for those of you who access other blogs through my blog. There you go. You're welcome. :) Let me know if I'm missing one that you normally click on.

Stay tuned for another post about how I've gotten in the Christmas spirit. (Spoiler: more baking -gasp!- and a trip to NYC!)

Silly Humans

This week at work has been fairly slow, which has been awesome! I've been sick with a cold all week, the worst of it manifesting itself yesterday. I could barely hold my head up through work and when I got home, I crashed on the couch and did not get off of it for 4 hours. I kept thinking about eating something for dinner, but I didn't have the energy to get up and go to the kitchen. I sneezed so much that I made my back sore. I couldn't move without wincing. Finally I convinced myself to move to my bed, before which I popped 4 Ibuprofens for my super-sore back and a Sudafed for my cold. This morning I felt a bit better, so hopefully I'm on the up and up.

Anyway, so since this week has been slow, I've been surfing around the internet a lot. I ended up reading Midnight Sun - which was awesome! - and have been doing my best not to do any online shopping. Today I decided to go to The Onion online. I always get a good laugh out of the newspaper, and decided I should check the website more often. Well, one article caught my eye and reminded me of my road trip with Richard down to Tami's house for Thanksgiving. Read it (click HERE!), have a laugh, and then continue on with my post.....

Of course the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a heavy traffic day. After picking Richard up from the Greyhound station in DC a few hours earlier, we headed down I-495. Everything was going alright until we connected up with I-95. Dead stop. Serious. Nobody was moving. Just a parking lot. I started feeling really thirsty at this point and wished that I had brought my water bottle with me. Then as time went on, I really wanted a slurpee. Mmmmm. A nice cold cherry slurpee sliding down my dry and parched throat. I HAD to have one. I started looking at the exit signs for a 7-11. I saw several, but didn't want to get off the freeway and then have to re-merge in with the very slow-moving traffic. 60 miles and 3.5 hours later, we finally got up to the speed limit and traffic cleared out. Now I could really get my slurpee!

I kept my eyes peeled and found another sign, but it was the same exit as Kings Dominion. No way am I getting off at that exit. That is too out of the way. So we travel on. Richard and I would be talking about random things, and I would just interrupt and blurt, "Seven Eleven!" and point to a sign. Serious ADD. The next 7-11 notification was right before merging on to I-295, so I decided to just wait for the next one. The next one came, but I couldn't get over fast enough to make the exit. Another came a long, but it was right before the merge on to I-64. So I waited again. The next one looked like it was an exit on to another highway, and I hate those exits; no easy way back to the freeway. The next one seemed like it must have been 5 miles off the exit, because I couldn't see any civilization off the side of the freeway. A no-go on that one. So by the time another 7-11 sign came around, I decided it just wasn't worth it since we were so close to our destination. I never did satisfy my craving.

Gotta love the internal debates you have with yourself. I don't like telling myself 'no', but it's good to practice patience and not give in to my every whim. I should apply this to online shopping and eating more frequently.

Hard to believe, I know..

I've gone domestic. At least for today..

Even though I was only assigned mashed potatoes and corn for the Thanksgiving feast, I got ambitious and decided to make some Apple Toffee Tartlets. The recipe called for normal ingredients; apples, brown sugar, butter, flour, etc, as well as a couple out-of-the-norm ingredients; refrigerated pie crusts, toffee pieces. Well, turns out that since I NEVER cook or bake, I had a big grocery run to do. The good news is that I will have flour, sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar for the rest of my single life. :) However, I couldn't find toffee pieces, so I spent a good 10 minutes this morning hammering (yes, with a hammer) Werther's Original candies into tiny crumbles. I bet the people downstairs really LOVED that. Oooh, and I even bought a rolling pin and one of those cool apple corer/slicer thingies. I sure am moving up in the cooking world! (But still much more comfortable working with tools and building things)

Anyway, I was pretty happy with the result! And even more happy that a couple of them broke apart so I could sample without guilt. YUM!!

Twilight movie - not the most exciting part of my weekend

During the time of the writers' strike, my roommates and I became obsessed with the Twilight books. I believe I have mentioned this in another post. When we found out that the first book would be made in to a movie, we were all thrilled and promised we'd all see it together. After what seemed like FOREVER, the movie finally was released this past weekend! I didn't have a ton of expectations going in to it, which was good because it did not even REMOTELY capture the greatness of the book. I won't go in to too many details just in case there are some reading that haven't seen the movie yet. I think the thing that saved it for me was the audience. Sitting in a packed theater with a bunch of squealing 12 year old girls was priceless. Every time a new male face came on the screen, it was clapping and screaming. They kept me laughing through the entire film. I almost wish I were that young again so I could think it was the greatest movie ever. :)

The rest of my weekend was good. I had an affair with my tv most of the time. I discovered I had On Demand, so I spent a good amount of time watching commercial-free tv. It was a good time. I also spent several hours on Saturday cleaning my bathroom, as the bathroom ceiling was FINALLY fixed on Friday! Hooray! Besides almost passing out in my tub from the chemicals, it was good to get it all spic and span. Saturday night included a viewing of the BYU vs Utah football game at a sports bar with a good group of people.

Sunday was probably the highlight of the weekend. Travis and I decided to go for a bike ride along the Mt Vernon trail, even though the temperature didn't warm up past the high 30's that day. It was sure cold!!! My fingers went all numb and I couldn't feel anything from mid-foot down to my toes. The greatest part was when we finally got back to Trav's vehicle and I was braking to stop my bike. I had unclipped my left foot and was about to set it down when for some reason I suddenly decided to put BOTH feet down.. As I started tipping to the right, I remembered that my right foot was still clipped in to that pedal. Too late. I had no choice but to let gravity take me down. How embarrassing! My first crash on my bike was just because of a dumb change of mind.... when I was completely stopped. Nothing cool like avoiding a squirrel at 20 mph or something. :) I was stunned once I found myself on the pavement, but Travis helped me up and actually asked me if I was ok without laughing. So props to him. Afterward though, we both had a good laugh about it. I wish I could have seen myself. I think people falling down is hilarious! Almost 2 hours later, I got full feeling back in my toes. Seriously. They were numb for that long. I think maybe the hot pizza helped.

Here's to more yummy hot food later this week!

Sad & Happy

Last Friday, November 7th, I recieved news that my Grandpa Blakemore died. This was quite a shock, as even though he had a stroke the week before, he didn't have any major side effects and his progress in recovery was very positive. I had even gotten a positive update from my dad on Thursday, the day before Grandpa died. Friday was hard. Luckily I was working from home, so I could be in the comfort and privacy of my own place. I cried off and on all day. My grandpa was a great man. So generous and happy and talented!

First pic was taken December 2007, second pic is from Christmas, 2005

My sisters and I decided to fly out together, so Tami drove up to Julie's from Hampton on Monday afternoon, and I drove up that night. Tuesday morning we headed to Baltimore to catch our flight to Seattle. My brothers, Matt and Todd flew in from St. Louis Tuesday night. Poor Matt doesn't have a lot of money right now, so I offered to give him the Southwest buddy pass that my friend's mom gave me a couple of months ago. I went to the Post Office Monday morning to overnight the ticket to him, only to be reminded that the next day, Tuesday November 11, was a holiday; Veteran's Day. So I had to pay extra (almost double) for holiday delivery, but was reassured that it would still get there by 3PM the next day.

It did not get there. Matt had to buy a ticket. Now I get to go take it up with the Post Office.

Annoying.

Luckily, we all still made it. All 5 of us kids were home with Mom and Dad. That hasn't happened in a LONG time. Just the immediate family without spouses or kids. Wednesday morning we all woke up and migrated from our beds to pile on Mom & Dad's bed, like we did when we were little. We had some laughs.

The funeral service was wonderful and highlighted a lot of Grandpa's accomplishments, talent and love for his family. I laughed and I cried. It was a great tribute to his life. After the services at the church, we drove to the cemetery where the sun came out shining bright with no rain in sight (a miracle for WA in November!). The National Guard honored his life and presented a flag to my Grandma. One service woman played Taps on the bugle and it was such a pure and beautiful sound.

The rest of the time in WA was spent enjoying the company of family, playing games, taking pictures and laughing a ton. I love my family. It is always a joyous occasion to see and be around them. Even in time of sorrow, we are able to be joyful.

Busy week

This past week sure was busy! First there was Halloween, which was so much fun! Didn't end up going to Kings Dominion, but I did the next best thing -- go trick-or-treating with the kids! They are so cute. I had a fun weekend with them and my 2 sisters. We had homemade chicken chili with biscuits for dinner, plenty of candy all weekend, and yummy ice cream. We played tennis for a couple of hours - as Saturday was beautiful! - and had fun on the wii. Yay for family!! (Photo upload isn't working right, so I had to embed the images from picasa web.. thus the small pics)

From Halloween '08

From Halloween '08

From Halloween '08

From Halloween '08

From Halloween '08

From Halloween '08

The other thing that captured my time this week was election day! I seriously had no idea who to vote for, as neither of the candidates appealed to me. About an hour before I headed to the polls to vote, I took an online quiz to see which candidate best matched up with my views. Turns out it was Bob Barr. What? Who the crap - ? So great. McCain and Obama came up further down the list. I just decided that whoever had the highest ranking in my quiz (between McCain and Obama) would get my vote. So that was that! I fully expected to wait in line for AT LEAST an hour, as I had heard all the horror stories of that morning. I grabbed my book, my mp3 player and some snacks and headed out the door.

Turned out I didn't need these items, as the man behind me was a chatty cathy. He first was commenting on how others looked: "Look at that lady's hair! Why would she wear it like that? It looks weird." Now, I must inform you on what I was wearing... I had not showered, so put on my green army-type hat, with my hair pulled back. No make-up. I had on the same color green, very baggy cargo pants, a brown zip-up hoodie over a white hooded thermal shirt, and a brown plaid scarf draped around my neck. I would have described myself as Tiny Tim-esque. And he's commenting on OTHER'S appearances to ME? Hmmmm.

Then: "What school do you go to?"

Me: I don't go to school

Dude: What? Do you want to be illiterate?

Me: I'm done with school. I just work

Dude: Really? When were you done?

Me: Um.... like 2002?

Dude: Oh, wow. So where do you work?

Me: In DC

Dude: Really? I hope you take public transportation.

Me: Yes, I do.

Dude: So I guess this isn't the first time you have voted?

Me: Nope. I look young, huh?

Dude: Yeah, you do.

Me: I'm 26.

Dude: You don't look like it!

Me in my head thinking: Yeah, well I would have pegged you as an illegal immigrant had you not been waiting in line to vote.

Turns out I waited in line for about 45 mins with the actually very entertaining Mr. Pedro, to take 30 seconds at the little booth to cast my ballot. Yay! I proudly wore my voting sticker all day.

LATER THAT NIGHT....

I'm finally drifting off to sleep (after a crazy trip to try to pay my rent! - another story) with my book slowly falling closed as my fingers relax, when I suddenly jolt all the way awake due to an outburst of cheering in my building. It was then that I realized Virginia went to Obama and thus he won the presidential election. No emotion from me besides relief that this mess is finally done, I turn my light out and go to sleep. What a day.

Random Useless Info

Because I've already surfed the web as much as I can without using my credit card... I get to now use my blog as a means to pass time.

(Just copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done.)

1. Started your own blog - you're lookin' at it

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band - yay for school!

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain - living in WA and UT, it would be a sin NOT to have

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - I'm not artsy

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning - beef will do it every time

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train - well, kinda. It was a 5 hour train ride from Cinque Terre to Rome. Does that count? I certainly slept.

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked - not for real, anyway

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping - it was actually in the UVSC fountain. Scandalous!

27. Run a Marathon - maybe someday. I'm just barely working up to a 5K

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse - here's the lunar version. I've also seen solar.

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - this sunset is of the Mediterranean Sea as seen from Cinque Terre

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - this should happen soon!

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied


38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David - I saw the replica in the piazza at least, and then Merr shared her pic with me cause she paid to go in the museum to see the real one. I decided not to.

41. Sung karaoke - just not recently

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - it's on my list

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie - Does Confuse A Catfish count?

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason - I can now say that I have! As of a month ago. YAY!!!

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check - being poor in UT sucks

68. Flown in a helicopter - does a gyrocopter count?

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - see it almost every day

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car - MLEZ RYD, baby!

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper - Does the High School newspaper count? I was featured holding a tennis raquet.

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House - again, see it VERY often

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox - but not until I was 22!

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club - Oprah count?

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit - don't know if it will ever end. Probably will never see any of my money returned to me..

98. Owned a cell phone - can't go without one now

99. Been stung by a bee - actually fell right in to a hornets nest once. Had my butt on ice for a couple of hours.