Keeping Up With Kristie

Bomb o' Sound

2012-01-26T20:55:00.001-08:00

I just had to share this cool little find. I was in line during one of my rare WalMart trips, while staring at me through the cellophane of a little box I saw these hypnotic eyes attached to a little black ball. The box said that it was a speaker...the Mini Bomb Speaker. $7...tempting.

I've been looking for a speaker to use at church when I want to use a hymn or church song in my Relief Society lessons. Even most of the small ones are cumbersome.

The girl who rang me up said this little thing works great, is rechargeable, and returnable if I don't like it. I decided to try it.

I brought it home and plugged it into my Mp3 player and let the sound ring out in my kitchen. Wow! Pretty impressive for a $7 speaker that's the size of a golf ball.

As my grandma use to say when I'd show her a cool, new gadget..."Aye, these times and days!"

P.S. There are lots of faces to choose from. Mine is like the disillusioned-looking one on the far right.

How to Make Mexican Rice...

2012-01-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

After living in Washington for a couple of months in 2010, I started to get a little homesick. So I called my mom and asked her to give me the recipe for Mexican rice. I've tweaked the recipe here and there since then and now my rice turns out awesome nearly every time.

Authentic, really authentic Mexican rice needs to have popped rice kernels. A lot of restaurants don't do this. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Note: the image above was not taken by me (and will come down if SOPA passes, grrr...) but it looks almost identical to the way my Mexican rice looks. That is what you are aiming for if you follow this recipe:

Ingredients
1 cup long grain rice
approx. 1 1/2 cups canola or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 small onion chopped
1/2 can of Hunts Petite Diced Tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen corn (or any small frozen or fresh veggies)
Garlic Salt

Instructions
1. Chop onion ahead of time so that it is ready when you need it. Also have the Petite Diced Tomatoes handy.)
2. Turn the stove to a medium flame. If you're using an electric stove like me, "6" or "7" setting is good.
3. In a medium sized sauce pan, pour in the rice and oil. Use *just* enough oil to barely cover the rice. Stir and watch rice for few minutes.
4. When you see a few kernels start to pop (a few, meaning 4 or 5) strain the oil out of the pan. make sure you strain it thoroughly.
5. Return the strained rice into pan, along with the onion and tomatoes, stir for a few seconds.
6. Add the water. Stir some more.
7. Add about a tablespoon of garlic salt and the frozen corn. Stir.
8. Bring the mixture to a boil for a few seconds.
9. Then, very important, change the heat on the stove to the lowest possible setting. If you're using gas, then "simmer." If you're using electric, then "low" or "1."
10. COVER the pan (very important) and let simmer on low flame for 25 minutes. Do not stir during this time.

Serve as a side dish.

This recipe can also be cut in half very easily, using 1/2 cup rice and 3/4 water and less garlic salt. The salt is optional, but the rice tastes pretty bland without it. It tastes better when you salt the rice during the process than just using regular table salt on it later.

Enjoy! If you use this recipe, I would love to hear about your results. And, of course, there are hundreds of variations on how to make Mexican rice. This is the recipe that has worked the best for us.

Microwave Meatloaf Recipe

2012-01-26T17:18:00.001-08:00

It is getting to be the end of the week and we're all looking to make life a little simpler, right? Well, just to prove that I really DO cook--a lot--I thought I would share a recipe. This is actually straight from a cookbook that came with my mom's very first microwave oven. (Yes, remember when microwaves cost $500? That's a while ago...)

I make this meatloaf for my husband a couple of times a month and it is a great, easy way to get dinner on the table:

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 cup of bread crumbs or wheat germ (I use the wheat germ, much easier)
1 egg beaten (I'm a rebel, I just toss it in unbeaten)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped onion (I use a whole very small onion so there are no onion leftovers)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Ketchup

Instructions
1. Mix all of the ingredients, EXCEPT the ketchup, in a bowl. (I use my hands to mash everything up--take off your rings first. Trust me on this one.) Transfer mixture to a glass bowl with lid or a 2 qt. Corningware bowl with lid.)

2. Cook in the microwave on High for 15 minutes.

3. Remove and drizzle ketchup back and forth across the top.

4. Cook in the microwave on High for 5 more minutes.

Serve with tater tots, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, green beans or veggie of choice. Dip bites into ketchup for extra flavor.

A hit every time and easy cleanup. Yum!

The Interest in Pinterest

2012-01-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

OK, the last thing I want is to be left behind when it comes to trendy new sites, so I started an account on Pinterest. I've been on for about 24 hours and, yes, it is slightly entertaining and, yes, it is a terrific way to kill time, but I'm still trying to figure out it's actual purpose.

What I know so far is that you basically use the site to categorize things you see and like on the Internet. Basically a fun and colorful way to bookmark things. You create a board for each category and you name the category anything you want. You can search for things within the site that other people have already found and "pinned," or you can go to any website and pin something there. (The "pin me" feature is something you add to your bookmarks when you sign up, so that you can pin anything from anywhere.)

A lot of my craftier friends pin craft ideas that they want to do for their homes. I'm not crafty. Or things they want to sew. I don't sew. Actually, when I saw some of the things others had pinned it made me feel pretty boring!

If you look at my boards, what are the first ones I've filled in? Favorite films, books, historical figures. But still, if I didn't have these boards, would I go seeking out these sites? (Probably not.)

The good news is that I'm definitely enjoying Pinterest much more than Twitter, a site I still don't see the value in. The bad news is that it is a little overwhelming in showing me what I have not, and will probably never accomplish. So if you have a Pinterest board called "Optimistic Slackers," you can add me to that one.

The Kindness of Strangers...or not

2012-01-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

I'm almost finished with a book called The Kindness of Strangers, Penniless Across America, which is about a San Francisco journalist's odyssey as he hitchhikes across America without a penny. It has been giving me a chance to think about what it means to help your fellow man, especially someone who is a stranger.

The WA town I'm living in now definitely has more families living below the poverty level than my city in CA. I think about that because lately there have been several times when someone has asked me--or my husband and I--for money.

It is a slippery slope. One of the things that the book's author talks about is the distrust of people's intentions. I admit that I'm full of distrust when people ask for money. I don't know why, but it is my first instinct.

Lately, the new thing seems to be to not just come out and ask, but to have a story: the teenagers that came up to Eric and me asking for gas money because they lost their ATM card, the guys that came up to us at rest stops asking for spare change on our way to California, and the guy that came to the door today asking for $10 to buy asthma medicine for his *supposed* daughter.

There is a part of me that stands firm on not giving handouts, a part that worries about the safety issues, and then there is that other part....shame. Shame that I have fear, distrust and may be passing up the opportunity to truly help someone in need.

I will admit that when the man came to the door today, where we have a prominently affixed No Soliciting sign, it really bothered me. I guess, technically, he wasn't soliciting. He just wanted 10 bucks. Eric didn't have any. And I have purposefully taken to not carrying any cash so that I can honestly answer, "Sorry, I don't have any cash on me."

Mostly I was bothered because it felt like a line had been crossed. It is our house, our home, our refuge, our place to be where we shouldn't be made to feel like heels if we don't give someone money.

And yet, there is still that little voice that says, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

It is true. When it comes to this issue, I am in conflict.

Snow Day

2012-01-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

We've had snow mixed with rain on and off since Sunday, but last night was a whole different story. I woke up to see about 6 inches of snow across the land and a note from Eric in the kitchen saying "Sweetie, try to avoid driving today. It's icy out there."

Will do.

So, after tackling a kitchen job I've been wanting to do for ages (scrubbing down the stove,) I put on my boots, grabbed my camera, and walked 4 houses down to the lake to take pictures. There is no sun today, there are few cars or people out. It is very quiet outside. And slushy. And wet.

See what I'll go through for a few decent pictures?

Super Lady Day...

2012-01-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

Today was one productive day! I have no idea where I got this sudden burst of energy, but I was motivated because my book club is meeting here on Thursday night. This lady was a multi-tasking, cleaning, cooking, errand-running maniac! Minus the kids, that picture above was Yours Truly for about 10 straight hours.

Today's tasks, just for my own reference:

took Bailey to and from groomer
bought prescription cat food at the vet
got a new case for my iPhone
bought groceries
washed sheets
washed rugs
shredded chicken for dinner
emptied trash
swept and mopped kitchen
swept and mopped upstairs bathroom
did a regular load of laundry
vacuumed upstairs, including furniture
scooped doggie bombs
made dinner
ran/emptied dishwasher twice
cleaned living room hearth

That's a lot of stuff! Around 4pm I collapsed and did my nails. No wonder I'm tired!

Tomorrow will not be like today. Although I'm suddenly motivated to give our Jenn-Air stove a really thorough cleaning...watch out for the tornado!

Women in Advertising...

2012-01-14T11:38:00.001-08:00

Although this lecturer discusses an age-old issue that has been addressed many times, she does it very well. This is worth watching:

The Prompting...

2012-01-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get a feeling that you need to go and visit someone? That you need to see if they're OK and need you in any way? Call it the Holy Ghost, or intuition, but I had that feeling this week.

It happens to me every once in a great while, and I've learned to just go with it.

This week, despite several Visiting Teaching appointments, emails with different sisters in the ward, and lots of email communication with my mom, there was one sister who I felt I needed to visit. I didn't know why and I still don't, but I knew I had to.

So yesterday I wrote her a little card of appreciation, set my GPS to her address, and followed the directions to her house. She was as surprised to see me as I was that I made the visit in the first place, but we had a lovely conversation for about half an hour and then I made my way home. The weight of the prompting lifted even though the reasons for it were still unknown.

I'm glad I followed the feeling and went. Obviously, there was a reason I was feeling like I should go, even if it hasn't been revealed to me. Maybe it never will be. And you know what? It doesn't matter.

I have a new blog!

2012-01-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

It has been an ambition of mine to have a blog devoted to reviewing books, and I've finally done it! It is still in the beginning stages, but I look forward to adding to it often. I'll include books of as many genres as possible.

Right now there are 3 reviews, but I plan to work on it as often as time allows until I get caught up with books that I want to include on it. And I've chosen to use Wordpress, instead of Blogger, because it is a little more professional-looking.

As usual, I will be bringing my own spin on things when it comes to my book reviews and sometimes even relating the books I've chosen to personal experiences, but I feel like that comes with the territory. The books we choose and how we interpret them is a personal thing.

I look forward to visitors, so please feel free to stop by. There is a link on the right under "My other sites," or you can click the heading above.

Happy Reading!

The Facebook Dilemma...

2012-01-10T18:21:00.001-08:00

Today I was faced with a decision that I've had to make a lot lately--whether or not to "unsubscribe" from someone on Facebook. It is basically unfriending them without them knowing it because their name stays in your list, no feelings get hurt, and yet you don't have to see their posts.

I'm on Facebook a lot...A LOT. It is a fun way to stay in touch with family and friends who live all over the country. But what I really don't like are seeing posts fraught with profanity. It is like having dirt running down my screen. I don't like it, I don't want to read it, and I don't think it is funny. People fail to remember that what they post ends up on MY page. It ends up on all of their friends' pages.

The one time that I did mention my dislike for such things on posts, I got a lot of negative responses. "Facebook is a place where you should be able to post whatever you want, just unsubscribe," several people said. Well, fine, I will. In fact, one person, who used to be a really good friend, posted something so incredibly offensive that it led to me unsubscribing, then unfriending on Facebook, and then, unfortunately, unfriending him in real life.

Extreme, but we all make our own choices. Thanks for letting me vent. And if someone wants to unsubscribe from my posts, I tell them to go for it. You make your page the way you want it, and I'll do the same to mine.

And no, I am not down to about 5 friends that I do subscribe to. I really do love my Facebook friends!

Wow, I feel better.

Taking Down Christmas...

2012-01-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

I read on another blog that taking down Christmas decorations is one of the most depressing chores ever. I don't know about THE most (I, personally loathe cleaning the kitty box because it feels like I'm doing it all the time,) but it is certainly up there.

There is a certain irony to that prized window of time when Christmas decorations are acceptable to have up. We scoff at the over-efficient neighbors who start putting their lights up the minute they digest their Thanksgiving turkey, and yet there is a certain jealousy too that they got them up before we did. And when we have everything done and see people buying their trees on December 20th, there's a certain sigh of relief there too. "Whew! At least we didn't wait that long!"

But after Christmas is a whole different story. When I was teaching I would really try to take my decorations down before the vacation was over. If I didn't, then my first weekend after returning to work had to be devoted to the task. But now, what's acceptable?

This is the first Christmas EVER that I have woken up on Christmas morning in a hotel room. It is also the first Christmas ever that I went to Disneyland on Christmas Day (never again!) And, even though we came back to our house in WA on January 5th, Christmas and its decorations already felt very out of date.

Our neighbors across the street are of the uber-efficient sort, so everything of theirs (lights, tree, etc) was all down by the time we pulled into our driveway after that 2-day, 1000-mile drive last Thursday night. Eric and I have been productive these last few days, but not extremely so. It wasn't until today when he looked at me and said, "Um, are we going to take the Christmas decorations down soon? Or are we just getting a jump on next year?" that I realized it was time to get a move on.

Thankfully, taking them down takes a fraction of the time it takes to put them up. I'm about halfway done at this point. All that is left is the main tree in the living room and the 2 nativities. The 2 smaller trees and all of the boutique decorations are put away. The outside lights are the hubby's job for his days off. Lucky him. It is cold outside!

But thinking back to the statement I heard about taking down the decorations being the most depressing chore in the world...maybe it isn't really about taking them down, but about what it represents. The hype and excitement of the holiday season is over and real life is making its appearance once more. I know lots of people who can't stand Christmas and the chore of putting the decorations UP, but I'm not one of those people. I LOVE Christmas and always have, including the frenzy of buying and wrapping gifts, fighting the crowds and all that. I love it. Don't judge me.

I see Christmas as a time when we remember the Savior even more, when we try to be a little kinder, when we separate the actual meaning from the hype, and pause to enjoy the lights and hug our family members a little tighter.

Sure, we may be taking down the decorations, but the feelings are something we should hold on to all year round.

**UPDATE: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 5:30pm**
The decorations are all put away! Hooray!

Downton Abbey!

2012-01-08T23:02:00.001-08:00

In this crazy world where most of television is absolute garbage, it is so refreshing to come across a series that is of high quality and has excellent storytelling. Downton Abbey is that series.

Written by Julian Fellowes, who wrote the screenplay for the Oscar-winning film, Gosford Park (a wonderful movie,) Downtown Abbey is similar in its "upstairs/downstairs" storytelling. It tells the story of the upper-class Crawley family, led by their kind and honorable father, Robert. He and his American wife are parents of 3 daughters: the icy and beautiful Mary who is searching for a husband to secure her place in society; Edith, who suffers from the classic "middle-child" syndrome; and Sybil, who embraces all that is progressive in society, from bloomers to suffrage. The fabulous Maggie Smith plays the dowager countess in a role not unlike the one she played in Gosford Park.

The staff at Downton is just as colorful, headed by Carson the butler and Mrs. Hughes, the housekeeper. Constant scheming, alliances, secrets, and love affairs create a never-ending bounty of intrigue. It is a wonder they have the time to perform their household duties!

So many period pieces dealing with this kind of "estate dynamics" are set farther back in history, but Downton Abbey takes place right as WWI is beginning and the way of life of the house's inhabitants is becoming more and more obsolete. This is not a Jane Austen story, but perhaps the kind of story she would have written had she lived 100 years later.

Season 2 just began tonight and it has been too long a wait. I first discovered it on Netflix streaming and was hooked. There are only 7 episodes in Season 1 and it isn't difficult to get roped in right away as the first episode begins on the day after the Titanic's sinking, one of the victims of which was Mary's fiancee', and the heir of the estate. With his death, and a trust that does not allow female heirs, the Crawleys' lives have been turned asunder as the future of their home, their way of life, and the lives of their servants are cast into peril.

Who said being wealthy was without its challenges?

This is a fantastic series that has already won numerous awards. I cannot wait to see which twists and turns await us!

Kristie & Eric's California Adventure!

2012-01-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

After weeks of planning, Eric and I packed up the dog and our luggage and hit the road to California! It was his first time there since we got married in August 2010 and it was our plan to make the most of this trip. Bailey (the dog) stayed at my mom's house while we were there and we settled into our luxurious room at the Best Western in Pasadena.

You know you're in CA when Mount Shasta makes its appearance!

We did the drive in 2 days each direction--1000 miles each way.

It was great to see family and very reassuring to see my brother looking so good after his horrible health scare 4 months ago. He's back to work as an RN, will be driving again soon, and he and his wife and kids just took their first family vacation. All good things!

The night Eric and I pulled into the ol' neighborhood, we rounded up Jonathan's family and all met for sushi at Zono Sushi, our favorite place to eat in Pasadena. It was a little chaotic and we were tired after being on the road for 10 hours that day, but it was fun to see the kids and eat something other than fast food, which is our only option while on the road with a dog!

The next day was Christmas Eve, and, believe it or not, I didn't get any pictures that night! What was I thinking?! We had it at my mom's house and enjoyed watching my niece, nephew, and little cousin open their gifts. We're still adjusting to new traditions on Christmas Eve after years of always having it at my grandparents' house. It's hard to believe that this is our 4th Christmas without them.

On Christmas Day, Eric and I decided to go to DISNEYLAND! It was Christmas, so no one will be there, right??? Wrong. We got there at around 10am and stayed for about 12 hours on one of the busiest days I've ever seen at the Magic Kingdom. I'm actually surprised that we accomplished as much as we did, because that park was jam-packed!! Live and learn! Now we know.

The next day, the 26th, we had a Christmas morning and breakfast with my mom and Jonathan, Quyen and the kids. They had spent Christmas Day with her family, which is why we postponed it a day. But you know? In the right setting and with the right people, Christmas can really be on any day you want. We had a nice time and then they took off on their family vacation to San Diego. That afternoon, Eric, my mom and I had another sushi lunch with a friend and made it an early night.

On the 27th we had a pretty open day, so we decided to go to our beloved Arboretum. On December 1st, a fierce and unexpected wind storm swept through Arcadia, Temple City, Pasadena, San Gabriel, San Marino, and Alhambra and a few other local cities and a lot of people went without power for days. There was debris everywhere and we still saw a lot of the results of the storm while we were there. There was a lot of damage at the Arboretum.

We have such a special feeling towards the Arboretum because my mom used to take us there when my brother and I were kids (and it was free admission!) The day we went was only the 2nd day it had opened since the storm and there were crew workers everywhere.

Sitting on the veranda of the Queen Anne's Cottage (Site of the show Fantasy Island.)

See the worker up on the waterfall? He was one of several who was clearing away accumulated debris by hand. Eric and I have a soft spot for this waterfall, as it is the site of one of our first pictures together during his CA trip in December of 2009.

Lots of workers, lots of chainsaws grinding away at the hundreds of trees that sustained damage from the heavy winds. We also noticed very little wildlife that day. Only a few peacocks, and most of them were not even in the Arboretum grounds, but loitering around outside the entrance. Could be that the noises from the saws scared them. Both big fountains were empty and closed too. A sad sight to see.

So, even though it wasn't the most fruitful Arboretum trip, it was interesting to see what had survived the storm and what didn't. Clearly, the cleanup is going to take months.

While on our way out, Eric had the idea to buy some of their little cacti. Yesterday he came up with this little arrangement. Pretty creative, I think!

That evening Eric stayed at the hotel to relax, my mom went and did her weekly receptionist job at Weight Watchers, and I spruced up a little to join some ladies for dinner at Mimi's Cafe in Monrovia. It was a mini Girl Scout Troop 498 reunion and there were only 3 of us! There are 12 of us on Facebook that have found each other, but 6 now (including myself) live out of state.

We were hoping to have at least 6-7 of us that night, but circumstances prevented it from being so. Despite the small size, Becky, Cathy (who was one of my closest friends growing up) and I had a nice time. Becky left at 8:30 to go and care for her baby and Cathy and I kept on chatting until 10pm. We've known each other since we were 5 years old, so there is a lot of history there!

Becky, Cathy, and me

Where are we now? Wednesday, the 28th! That is the day we went and saw my cute grandma, who turns 94 in June. She's still as sharp as ever, though! Eric, my mom, and I drove out to see her in San Dimas and went out to lunch at The Peppertree (lots of eating out on vacation.) Again, I didn't get any pictures. Just imagine a cute grandma fawning over my cute husband and you'll get the idea!

That night Eric and I went to Starbucks (I got their over caloric peppermint hot chocolate) and then I took him up into Hastings Ranch in Sierra Madre where the neighborhoods get together to put on some pretty great Christmas light displays.

Then the trip took an unexpected turn that night.... (cue ominous music...)

We don't know if it was the Starbucks, the Taco Bell we had at the end of the night, a flu bug or what, but Eric started getting sick around 11pm and was miserable in every way for the rest of the night and the entire next day. We had planned to go spend the day in Long Beach, but that was definitely not going to happen. Poor baby. He was really, really sick.

I went and did laundry at my mom's and did a little shopping at the mall (it is amazing how living in a small town for a year has made me less and less happy to be around hoards of people.) Every few hours I would check in at the hotel room and just see my poor husband sleeping fitfully and not feeling well.

He continued to be sick the next day, but vastly improved. I felt like I could leave him for longer stretches of time and didn't want to lose another day, so, after Googling "Things to do alone in Pasadena," I decided to visit The Gamble House.

The Gamble House was built by the son of "that" Gamble of Proctor & Gamble.

It was perfect outing for those circumstances. I had a tour time for 12:45, which I waited for about half an hour. The weather was ideal, so I just sat on the porch with my Kindle and enjoyed the sun and relaxed.

The house itself is a sprawling 9000 square feet, but not ostentatious and luxurious. Everything, including the furniture is practically original and done in the craftsman style of the 1920's. No pictures allowed inside, but here's one I snagged off the web of the inside view towards the front door:

Very pretty! I love the craftsman style of architecture.

The next day was Saturday, New Year's Eve! Guess who felt sick that day?! ME.

I was supposed to take my nephew to Kidspace that morning and I woke up feeling so, so lousy. I felt bad having to cancel. Eric was actually feeling a lot better, but still needed another recovery day. So we pretty much had the most uneventful New Year's Eve ever! I slept all day long and still slept that night. My symptoms were not as bad as his, thank goodness!

On New Year's Day we decided that we had to go out and do something together. It had been 4 days since we'd been out at the same time, thanks to that lovely bug we caught. So we decided to drive to the Rose Bowl so that Eric could see it and also see a few of the Rose Parade floats that were being finished up for the parade the next day.

Eric in front of the Rose Bowl. Is that a California shot, or what?

Me in front of the one of the floats. Good day to wear a bright color!

The float that caught our attention the most was the one dedicated to the memory of old time western star, Roy Rogers. It was Eric who first said, "That looks like a real horse!" He was right. Roy Rogers famously had his horse, Trigger, and his dog, Bullet, stuffed, and they were actually ON the float. There used to be a Roy Rogers Museum outside of Los Angeles, but I heard it shut down. I'm not sure how I feel about seeing his stuffed horse and dog on the float, but it was certainly original. And the float rules do say that everything has to be covered in natural materials. I guess these qualify! Ugh.
After staying at the Rose Bowl for about an hour, the 2 sickies (us) were ready to bring our post-bug adventure to a close. After all, the parade was the next day and that was going to take a lot of energy!!

Rain or shine, my mom goes to the Rose Parade every...single...year. She doesn't care if she has someone to go with or not, she goes. Of course the Rose Parade is partly famous for the thousands of people who camp out overnight (sometimes days ahead of time.) I've camped out one time and vowed never to do it again. You end of with loads of stuff to haul. You're dirty, exhausted, and have to walk blocks and blocks to the car. No thanks, not for me.

The thing is, it is easy to see the parade without camping out and without paying $90 for a bleacher seat. The parade starts at 8:10am and goes for 5 1/2 miles, so if you park a few blocks south of Colorado Blvd (the street on the route) and set up at the end of the route, you're good. We got to my mom's at 7:30am, caravaned to a street about 3/4 mile from the route and walked the rest. We walked until we found a family in chairs and just stood behind them. There were bleachers behind us, but the seats are so high up that we didn't block anyone.

It was fun! Eric had never seen the parade before, not even on TV, so this was a momentous occasion for him. We had also followed the past season of Dancing With the Stars (first time ever) and it was cool to see JR Martinez as the Grand Marshal. He was a ham in person too! We also saw Kenny G and Dick Van Patten (Mr. Bradford from Eight is Enough,) and some of the hosts from HGTV, don't ask me their names!

The opening of the Rose Parade

Kenny G

Grand Marshal, DWTS champion and veteran JR Martinez
We like him!

This float was very touching. It was dedicated to organ donation. Each of the faces on the float is someone who lost their life but donated their organs and gave the gift of life to someone else. Many of the people riding the float are alive because of organ donation. There were also the parents of the little 9 year old girl who was shot and killed the day Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was attacked. She was also an organ donor. Eric and I are both big supporters of organ donation and really loved this float.

This was a beautiful float by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth Taylor with the words "Our Champion."

Here are a few other random floats from the parade. And can I just say, "Look at that gorgeous blue sky?!" We almost always get incredible weather for the parade:

And, I didn't take a lot of videos this trip, but I had to take a video of this marching band from Japan. Definitely the hardest-working band I have ever seen!

I'm so happy with the way the colors turned out on the parade pictures! The colors that day, including the blue of the sky, really were that bright and vibrant. It was a tiring day, but fun. Eric and I ended up having lunch at Claim Jumper (I was dying for a salad and some lemonade! The temperature was a record-breaking high for parade day,) and then took it easy for the rest of the day.

The plan was to leave the next day, but after watching the sun set and thinking about the days we lost because of illness, we decided to extend by one more day. We would cap off our trip by going to Long Beach and visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific and enjoying the gorgeous weather for an extra 24 hours.

I hadn't been to the Aquarium since they first opened around 12 years ago and was pleasantly surprised at the way it has evolved into a very neat place to visit. We bought a ticket to the aquarium and for their 45 minute harbor cruise. The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful day!

The Aquarium of the Pacific (Jan. 3, 2012)

View of downtown Long Beach from our boat during the harbor cruise. A very relaxing 45 minutes!

The lovely Queen Mary. I look forward to taking Eric there on another trip.

Two buddies hanging out on a buoy in the middle of the harbor

And there's my sweet husband and travel buddy! We ate at Bubba Gump's after the harbor cruise. Cute place, good service, cool gift shop.....very over-priced and unspectacular food! You're pretty much paying to say you ate at Bubba Gump.

I took a ton of pictures at the aquarium but, let's face it, you had to be there to really appreciate it. Here are some of the best of the bunch:

This spider crab was enormous. Probably 4-5 feet from tip to tip.

I think I see Nemo!

The Aquarium is very kid-friendly and not so big that you get lost. This was a cool Q&A that we saw with one of their divers. She was hooked up to a microphone and would take the kids' questions.

See the seahorse? Isn't nature amazing? I think I'm more fascinated by undersea creatures than the ones who walk above ground!

A little known fact about me...I love sharks. I think they are one of the coolest creatures. When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to read about was sharks.

Another favorite undersea creature is the jellyfish. I love watching the way they pulsate and pump their incredible bodies through the water. How do they do that when they have no brains or eyes?

I am SO glad that we extended our trip by one day. I really have to thank Eric for that one, because he knew it meant a lot to me and I knew that he was giving up a day to relax at home before having to return to work. The day we spent at Long Beach was ideal and the perfect way to cap off our vacation.

What a great, great day!!
The next day we headed back to Washington! We picked up a grateful Bailey who was very ready to go home after 2 weeks. Maybe he was just excited to go in the car, who knows?

We said goodbye to my mom, our hotel room, the warm weather and hit the road once again.

Some great shots of Mount Shasta on our way home:

Somewhere in Oregon we were greeted by a double rainbow:

We had to laugh, because the sunny weather changed to gloom and overcast almost IMMEDIATELY after we crossed the border from California to Oregon. We were definitely back in the Pacific Northwest!
Still, we felt very lucky that the weather was very kind to us during our drive. We never ran into any major issues, the snow chains were not needed, and the car functioned 100% all the way.

We had a great trip! And it is good to be home.

We're home!

2012-01-06T17:00:00.001-08:00

Two weeks and two thousand miles later...we're home from California!

We had a great trip with few bumps and I'm excited to share more and post pictures. Today has been all about decompressing, doing tons of laundry, and enjoying being in our own house after 2 weeks in a hotel.

Hope everyone had a great new year! More to come!

Holiday Hiatus...

2011-12-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

I will be taking a break from updating my blog for a couple of weeks as the holiday adventures begin. All of the shopping, wrapping and planning is about to pay off.

May you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Joyous and Happy New Year!! May your 2012 be the best ever, full of love, laughter, blessings, and gratitude.

Here are 2 of my all-time favorite Christmas songs. They aren't traditional ones, but I think both of them are just gorgeous. Enjoy, everyone!

CANDLELIGHT CAROL

WHEN A CHILD IS BORN

Christmas is About the Christ...

2011-12-16T21:14:00.000-08:00

This week has been a series of delays in all of the things I've wanted to accomplishment. My Relief Society lesson isn't done yet, the house isn't as clean as I would like it to be, the presents were only bought today for the kids in the family and still aren't wrapped, and all of the upcoming obligations are a little overwhelming to think about.

Last night, though, while working on my lesson, I took a few breaks to watch parts of the Christmas Devotional. I was especially moved by a part of Pres. Uchtdorf's talk. His words helped to bring me back to what is important and why we celebrate this season. If you haven't noticed, I tend to focus on the unimportant things more than I'd like and often need reminding.

I'm going to post the section of his talk here, with links to the entire devotional. It was so beautiful--both the words and music--and relaxing to listen to:

CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT THE CHRIST
by Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Christmas Is about the Christ

In these precious moments we realize what we feel and know in our heart—that Christmas is really about the Christ.

Christmas and some of the cherished traditions of the season remind us that we, like the Wise Men of old, should seek the Christ and lay before Him the most precious of gifts: a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We should offer Him our love. We should give Him our willingness to take upon ourselves His name and walk in the path of discipleship. We should promise to remember Him always, to emulate His example, and to go about doing good.¹

We cannot offer Him the gift of perfection in all things because this is a gift beyond our capacity to give—at least for now. The Lord does not expect that we commit to move mountains. But He does require that we bring as gifts our best efforts to move ourselves, one foot in front of the other, walking in the ways He has prepared and taught.

And what are the Savior’s gifts to those who are willing to bring these gifts to Him?

This may be the most one-sided gift exchange in the history of the universe. The Savior’s gifts to us are breathtaking.

Let us begin with immortality. Because the Savior overcame death, all men and women—both the just and the unjust—will live forever.²

Then, forgiveness—even though our sins and imperfections be as scarlet, they can become white as snow because of Him.³

And finally, eternal life—the greatest gift of all.⁴ Because of the Atonement of Christ, not only are we guaranteed an infinite quantity of life, but He offers the possibility of an unimaginable quality of life as well.⁵

Some of His divine gifts are reserved for that glorious future day when we return to His presence.

But He extends many gifts and His grace to us every day. He promises to be with us, to come to us when we need comfort,⁶ to lift us when we stumble, to carry us if needed, to mourn and rejoice with us. Every day He offers to take us by the hand and help transform ordinary life into extraordinary spiritual experiences.

I just love the way he expresses himself in these paragraphs. They really spoke to me on a personal level. To see the entire devotional, or just specific parts of it, click HERE.

A great Christmas flash mob...

2011-12-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

As I said before, there just seems to be an abundance of great videos that people are sharing during the holiday season. I'm reserving the best ones for my blog.

This is the best Christmas flash mob I've seen, partly because of the way the shoppers react and get involved. I love how these fun musical moments make everyone stop for just a few minutes during the Christmas craziness and remember what it is that we are really celebrating:

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies on the Glass Harp..

2011-12-15T16:54:00.000-08:00

This is beautiful to hear and to watch...turn up those speakers!

Live! From my new iMac...

2011-12-15T14:16:00.001-08:00

Well, it is official. I'm the owner of an iMac. Yesterday my Toshiba laptop started acting up again. Windows did one of their fun updates and the computer restarted by itself. When it did, the graphics on the screen went all crazy. It had been only 8 days since the last time it did that.

I took it to the local computer store where they tried to work their magic--last time they were successful. This time...nothing. So, instead of spending the day working on my lesson for church, I spent the day transferring things to my external hard drive.

When Eric came home I got to give him the good news--not! The sad truth is that these days, a computer is essential for so many things. My sweet man told me to get whatever I wanted, although we had already discussed the transition to an Apple. I assured him that I would get the most basic, inexpensive one. And that is what I did.

Setting it up has been a little time-consuming, but not bad. A lot of my installation CDs for things will not work anymore, which I was prepared for. Not only because of transferring to an Apple, but because they are just too old. Thank goodness for online drivers! Installing my printer was my biggest concern, but only after a couple of minor hiccups, I did it. Whew!

Other things will not be possible to transfer over, mainly my music from my Zune player, which uses an Mp3 format, while Apple uses an Mp4. Tricky! My Zune player is nearly full anyway, so I can live with not adding/subtracting anything from it.

I do love having a big 21" screen to look at. The resolution is amazing and bright. It makes everything look beautiful!

Everything that needed to be done to make the iMac feel like "mine" is essentially done. This and all of those changes on Facebook on the same day!

I just feel blessed that when something happens, like my laptop becoming unusable, that we can just say, "go get a new one." That in itself is something to be very grateful for.

The BEST Christmas Light/Music Display I've Seen...

2011-12-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

It is so fun to stumble across cool videos of people doing fun and creative things, especially during the holiday season, when things can get a little crazy and it is easy to lose sight of what the season is really about.

These videos are courtesy of R. Holdman of Pleasant Grove, UT. You can visit his website at: www.holdman.com/christmas/video

Turn up those speakers and enjoy!

Carol of the Bells

Carol of the Bells - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

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Miracle on 34th Street

Miracle from 34th Street - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

P.S If you are one of those people that just has to know how this is done, you can get your answers at HERE. It takes a lot of patience!

The Spirit of Christmas

2011-12-12T16:04:00.001-08:00

There have been so many great videos put out by the church this Christmas. And, no matter what your faith, the messages speak to all of us. Here's another one:

What are your thoughts?

2011-12-12T12:50:00.001-08:00

This picture has been making the rounds on social media sites lately and has been getting a lot of attention. Some people see it at face value. Some see it as a metaphor. Some find it offensive. Some find it extreme.

What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments section....

Christmas at Arlington National Cemetery

2011-12-12T12:35:00.001-08:00

I was sent these images in an email today. For many, Christmas is the time to remember those who are no longer with us, especially those whose lives were cut short while defending the rights of others.

"Readers may be interested to know that these wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine . The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. A wonderful guy. Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is in one of the poorest parts of the state."

The Coat: A Story of Charity

2011-12-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

Lovely...

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

2011-12-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas decorating--for me--is all about the tree. Here are some trees that have crossed my path lately, including one very unusual one at the end:

Our tree

Walters tree

Mori tree

Thornton tree

Enders tree

Cortez tree

Telford tree

And first prize for originality goes to the house on Kessler in our neighborhood for their upside down Christmas tree! The current owner did this in homage to the eccentric lady who used to live there. It catches your eye, that's for sure!

Christmas Desktop

2011-12-10T08:30:00.001-08:00

If you are like me, you like to decorate your desktop. I'm always changing mine! Obsessive, but fun, especially during the holidays. I'm posting 15 of my favorite holiday desktop wallpapers for you to have too.

All you need to do is click on the picture, then right-click and hit "save as desktop background." The images are big enough to transfer clearly to your screen. Enjoy!

(All of these images were taken from free wallpaper sites. )

Time to Convert...

2011-12-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

Just to clarify, this is not a religious post. But it deals with something that people feel strongly about anyway, and that is the PC vs. Mac decision.

After years and years as a PC user, mainly because a good family friend and computer guru got us started on them, I think the time has come to change to a Mac.

Like any big decision, I've thought about it a lot. And the thought came to the forefront even more yesterday when my nearly 4 year old Toshiba laptop went all "stretchy graphics" on me when I started it up. And then I did some calculating...I've had this laptop since February of 2008 and it has had 7 repairs. Most of them I didn't have to pay for, luckily, courtesy of our computer-savvy friend, but still...7! That's a lot.

It didn't help that the lady I spoke with on the Toshiba tech support line yesterday knew very little. OK, almost nothing. I almost laughed when she asked me to rate the quality of help I received after the call resulted in, well, nothing.

So I went to the local computer store and took my laptop with its messed up screen and, while the store manager was tinkering with it, I started looking at the Macs. Yes, they are expensive and yes, it will be an adjustment, but I think the time has come. I'm tired of dealing with viruses and updates and quirky operating systems (my laptop came with Vista...yuck.)

I did the math and by the time you add up the cost of my current computer, plus Word, plus the Microsoft 7 upgrade, plus what I've spent on repairs, it comes out to almost as much as the iMac, which is the one I'm seriously considering.

So get ready, world, because in the next few months this will probably be my next computer. Pretty, huh?
P.S. My Toshiba is working OK right now, but for how long? After 3 repairs in the last 4 months, my hopes are not very high.

Update 12/7/11:
I just landed accidentally on a post I wrote from November 2008. In the post I described how I was having problems with my Toshiba and had just taken it to the Geek Squad at Best Buy for repair. Everything had frozen on the screen and it wasn't even allowing me to do a "force quit." At the time, the computer was only 6 months old. Yikes.

A Spiritual Uplift for Your Monday...

2011-12-05T13:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I encountered an incident of rudeness that I have had a hard time putting behind me today. It happened at church, unfortunately, and I'm hoping it is a one-time thing. While visiting Facebook today I landed on the Mormon Messages page. I think I was led there so I could see this short video.

No matter what your faith or situation, this are words we all need to hear:

Unbroken, By Laura Hillenbrand

2011-12-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

I have had the opportunity to read a lot of books this year. A lot. But in any group there is always the one that rises to the top and stands out singularly because of its power, resonance, and quality.

Of all the books I've read this year--some for my book club and some for pure enjoyment--the best of the bunch is Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. As I told my mom while describing this book, "Whatever you're reading right now, this is better."

Laura Hillenbrand, who is also the author of Seabiscuit, suffers from a debilitating form of CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,) which forces her to stay at home most of the time. She's devoted the last 7 years to researching Unbroken, including conducting about 50 interviews with its subject, Louis Zamperini.

Louis Zamperini, who is now a spry 94 year old, has lived a life few of us can imagine--partly of his own doing, like competing in the 1936 Olympics-- and partly as a victim of circumstance. The circumstances that were not of his choosing happened while he was a bombadier during WWII. The plane he was in was shot down, and the 3 survivors drifted for 47 days until being picked up by the Japanese.

What followed then was 2 years in 2 different POW camps in conditions beyond our imagination. What made the conditions even worse was a particularly sadistic guard, nicknamed "The Bird," who singled Louis out and attempted to victimize him in every way possible. The army's pursuit of this guard after the war ended is another element that makes this book so captivating.

I say "attempted," because one of the interesting things that the book focuses on is the issue of dignity vs humiliation. The authoress describes the importance of dignity in ways I've never read before, making it a thing as tangible and necessary to existence as food or air. In other words, no matter how bad the conditions are, you are only a victim of you allow yourself to be.

Even if you know the basics of the story, there is something else that makes it worth reading, and that is the series of odd coincidences that seemed to pop up here and there throughout Louis's life, and usually during his darkest moments. I don't want to give too much away, but these oddities certainly make the story even more compelling.

For those with weak stomachs who may be worried about the way the war violence is portrayed in the book, I would say this: It is "realistic," but not "gratuitous." In other words, the authoress tells things as they happened, but doesn't overdo it.

The important thing to remember about this book is that not only is this a story of "Survival," but also of "Resilience and Redemption," just as the tagline reads. Louis's POW experience is definitely the grittiest part of the book, but there is so much more than that....there's his adventurous childhood as the town rascal and thief, his foray into becoming a world-class runner, his family, his post-war trauma, and the experiences that finally brought him peace.

This is a book about a man who has experienced the full circle of life and has lived to tell about it. Laura Hillenbrand writes with such amazing quality, you feel like you're seeing everything as it is happening.

I won't say anymore about it, except to implore you, again, to read it. I found a video from the Today show to include that will, hopefully, whet your appetite. Some of the other videos about it give away too much.

I recommend this book HIGHLY...for everyone. I also recommend that, if you are planning on reading it, to avoid the videos that tell a lot about it. The less you know, the more powerful the book will be when you read it.

(Be sure to pause the music below before viewing the video...)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Festival of the Nativities

2011-12-03T19:23:00.001-08:00

Today Eric and I drove to Vancouver, WA--the nearest bigger city, and had a fun, adventurous day. We ate at our favorite sushi place, found some great deals at Macy's (shirts for him, 2 Lanz nightgowns for me, 2 for my mom,) and got a few essentials at Trader Joe's.

After that we headed over to a nearby stake center to view the local display called Festival of the Nativities. The flyer we had said there were 600 nativities to see there and we knew we were in for a treat.

The inside of the gym was set up like a Christmas boutique with low lighting and lots of twinkle lights and mini fountains. Whoever was in charge of this did a beautiful job. And there, on several tables were tons and tons of nativity sets, just as the flyer said. They were all shapes, sizes, colors, and textures.

Here are a few of my favorites:

I think you'll agree that the one made of abstract rock designs is the most unique!

Here are a few photos of the tables. Click on any to see a larger version.

It was a fun day, capped off by seeing this beautiful display that, obviously, took a lot of work to do, all for the pure enjoyment of the public.

And what is so special about these last 3 nativities? If you guessed that they are special because they are the ones at our house, you're right!

This last one is most special to me because it belonged to my grandparents, who would display it in their house every year. It is a Mexican nativity set. My grandpa built the frame around it and my grandma painted it. I love it, and I always think of them when I see it. It is one of my treasures now that they are gone.

Battle of the Old Ladies...

2011-11-30T22:38:00.000-08:00

And who ARE the old ladies, you ask? Well, that would be my female cat, Ashley, who is 15...and me!

It is funny how you plan your day and it turns out differently than you expected...

Yesterday, after spending hours working on the living room Christmas tree, I bought some groceries and was ready to relax a little before Eric came home. I had just sat down at the computer, when Ashley, next to me on the little 3-foot kitty pedestal, started kicking around and acting weird. I thought she had snagged her claw and was panicking. Then she fell off the pedestal and was still kicking around. Then I realized...she was having a huge seizure. It seemed endless, but probably lasted a minute. I felt very helpless and she just kept looking at me. When it was over, she was dazed and breathing heavily. Poor kitty!

I called our vet, who is wonderful, and she took us as soon as we got to the animal clinic. There were no obvious reasons why this happened, except Ashley's age. She wants to do a whole panel of blood tests, which are pri--cey! Upon hearing other people's experiences with their cats and seizures, I think the best thing to do is wait and monitor her for a few days. I don't want to make a rash decision and don't want her to suffer either. I'll just keep an eye on her for a while. Today she's her old self.

Well, MY old 40-year old self was walking up the steps to a friend's house this morning for a nice get-together, when my legs went flying out from under me as they hit the slippery wooden deck. You know how things go in slow motion at the same time as they're going fast? That is what this fall was like. Then I landed nice and hard on my right bum cheek, my purse and keys flying in different directions, and my white sweater and grey sweats getting coated with a line of muddy yuckiosity. My friend apologized profusely and put down a rug for future guests, all of whom made it inside unscathed. The hot chocolate, homemade cinnamon rolls, and lovely company were great buffers for what happened.

The stains have almost all come out, but I did have a headache for most of the day and have been generally achy all over. Mostly it was my pride that got bruised.

No matter how much I convince myself that youth is a state of mind, my body reminded me differently today. And I have a sudden urge to sing a verse of "The ol' grey mare just ain't what she used to be..."

3 Unrelated Things to Share...

2011-11-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

THING 1: Thanksgiving!I hope that everyone reading this had a good Thanksgiving. Ours was very nice. We ended up having 6 people at our dinner: Eric, me, his mom, his dad, his nephew, and niece.

His family arrived around 4 and we ate at 4:30. This year we wanted to try making a ham, and what a success it was! There was also turkey, stuffing, mashed taters and gravy, cranberry sauce, salad, and green bean casserole. Nummy! And, of course, pie!

Everyone stayed until about 8:30 and it was nice and relaxing.

The next day, we invited Eric's nephew over for a few hours. He adores Eric and never gets enough time with him. We played UNO, made spaghetti, did karaoke, and watched Finding Nemo.

THING 2: Unbroken
I have to take a moment and give a plug for the book I'm reading--Unbroken--by Laura Hillenbrand (author of Seabiscuit.) Can I just say WOW, WOW, WOW.

It is the true story of Olympic runner Louie Zamperini and his POW experience after being captured by the Japanese during WWII.

The book is amazing. I can certainly see why it was #1 on so many lists for so many weeks.

It is readable and just detailed enough to make you feel like you're living the experiences right along with him.

I've been wanting to read this book for months, but didn't want to buy it. Then when Kindle library loans became available I quickly put this in my queue. It took a month to become available (I think I was 36th in line) and completely worth the wait.

I don't know if it is because I'm not working and have the time and energy to devote to a book, or if it is just written better than Seabiscuit, or if it is the subject (WWII has always fascinated me,) but I'm having a hard time putting this book down.

Everyone.....EVERYONE...should put this on their list of books to read. Everything about it is so powerful.

THING 3: Black Friday

Am I the only one completely appalled at the behavior on this day? I'm all for grabbing a good bargain, but more often than not this day seems to bring out the worst in people.

I'd rather pay a little more and be able to look at myself in the mirror knowing that I didn't deck some poor old lady in the attempt to snag that last $200 laptop.

I won't say any more about Black Friday except to say that I'm a proud BF boycotter. In my mind, it just isn't worth it.

P.S. ...
Because I want to end on a positive note, not focusing on bargain-crazy shoppers, I'll finish by adding a link to the Unbroken site (which, apparently, just had the movie rights sold.) You can visit it HERE, although I don't feel like the excerpt does the book justice. But once you start the book, you will be hooked. It is a POW account like none I've ever read, and it makes the horrors of war very real (without being overly graphic, just realistic...) If the link doesn't take you directly there, click on "About Unbroken" from the top menu. I just want to tell everyone about this book, because when you come across a story that's this amazing, you want to spread the word!

Christmas Can Can...

2011-11-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

As in....
....you CAN put up your tree now.
....you CAN start your Christmas shopping (if you haven't already!)
....you CAN play Christmas music (directed at those eager radio stations.)
....you CAN hunt for those great deals (as long as no one gets hurt in the process...)

Straight No Chaser "Christmas Can Can"

But, you SHOULD remember the real reason for the holiday season. As long as we don't lose sight of that, the accompanying stress will be put into perspective.

Tis the season! Let the merriment begin!

P.S. Be sure to pause the music in the player at the bottom of the page before listening to the video.

Thanksgiving Eve!

2011-11-23T09:35:00.001-08:00

Yep, I thought that was clever...

So, in an attempt to maintain the spirit of gratitude this Thanksgiving, I am trying to not over- stress, over-freak, and over-clean. We are hosting Eric's family tomorrow afternoon--thank goodness we are sharing the food responsibilities--and I have to remind myself that no one is going to be checking the dust level on the dresser in the guest room or wonder why the dining room chairs aren't polished. I have a tendency to focus on details that no one cares about when we are having company when the really important thing is to just Calm...Down. Oh, and also to just enjoy the day.

If I don't spend hours cleaning and preparing, I actually enjoy myself better once the company arrives. It isn't that I'm over-the-top OCD, but I do put more pressure on myself than anyone else puts on me. (I won't go into great detail about how I went in circles for over half an hour at Fred Meyer last night trying to put together a suitable centerpiece. But after multiple combinations with candles, real flowers, fake flowers, wreaths, and other objects, I ended up buying only one decorative candle with a glass hurricane covering and some little pebbles to scatter around it.)

Today being the day before the holiday, I have to prioritize and decide where to best put my energy in preparation for tomorrow. I was raised that you use your best china, utensils and linens for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, so that is something I do not skimp on. The Waterford wedding china and stemware will come out (only 8 place settings will be necessary, which I know Eric will give me a hard time about because I insisted on getting 10,) the gold chargers, my grandma's silver, and the extensions for the dining room table. And yes, I will set the table 1 day before. My grandma was a great example of this...although she didn't have 3 very curious cats who like to sniff, investigate, and possibly walk on the newly set table.

We are also getting our chimney inspected today--yay! We have 2 fireplaces, one upstairs and one downstairs, which share a chimney, and Eric thought we shouldn't burn any fires until we know the shape they are in. Probably a sound decision, and I do love a fire in the fireplace when there is company. It makes the house feel more homey.

Then there are the other tediums, like cleaning the bathrooms, getting the wrinkles out of the tablecloth, and general house upkeep. Not easy tasks when Eric is sleeping off graveyard shifts until tomorrow and sleeps until about 2pm.

OK, now that I read this I see that even at the minimum, there is still a lot to do today. Better get busy!

UPDATE:

It is now 7:35pm, Thanksgiving Eve. The table is set and I think I've done pretty good at pacing myself and not overdoing it. Although tomorrow's group has already shrunk to 6, possibly 5 of us! That's OK. The important thing for those of us who will be here is to enjoy each other's company and count our blessings. Oh, and to eat!

I love using our wedding china!

Bee Grateful...

2011-11-19T13:10:00.000-08:00

Lately I've seen lots of people put their "30 Days of Gratitude" items on Facebook. Well, I don't want to be bound to thinking of 30 things, but it did get me thinking about the many things I am grateful for.

On this rainy Saturday afternoon, with Eric in bed fighting a cold, I'm in a quiet house with my laptop moved to the kitchen table thinking about my blessings. There are a lot. I'm sure if I thought hard I could think of much more than 30, but these are the ones that stand out the most, in no particular order:

1. My Husband: Meeting my husband, Eric, in January 2009, kicked off an incredible chain of events I never would've predicted. Who would've thought that a simple "hello" message on MySpace would lead to a wonderful friendship, then a short courtship, then a wedding, then an interstate move, and life with the man I know I was meant to be married to? He is a gem and a blessing. He is my best friend, he accepts and loves me fully with all of my flaws, he tells me he loves me many times a day, and he makes me laugh all the time. I feel loved, valued, respected, and protected. I cannot imagine my life without him.

2. My Mom: My mom, a single mother, provided my brother and me with a very stable childhood, despite the numerous challenges she faced--divorce, financial difficulties, getting her degree, and being a working mom. We never felt like something was missing, she supported us in all we did and does still. She raised us to have high standards in all we do and has shown us a level of trust that I really appreciate. I also appreciate the emphasis she put on education and going to college. When talking about college, it was never "if you go," but "WHEN you go!"

3. My Family: It seems like in the last 5-6 years, my family has gone through a lot of changes. The grandkids are grown up, 4 out of 7 now live out of CA, 4 out of 7 are now married, and we don't all see each other as much as we used to. When both of my mom's parents died in 2008, it was really the end of an era, because so many family gatherings used to be at their house. For most of us, that was the only place we had ever had Christmas Eve. But, even though we have had a lot of changes, those wonderful memories have helped us to adjust and find new ways to carry on and create new traditions. We 7 cousins are still very close, thanks to email and Facebook, even though we are spread across the country from California and Washington to New Jersey and Mississippi. I credit that closeness to the many family gatherings and traditions we built during our younger years.

4. Our House: As a self-professed homebody, the house I live in and the atmosphere in it is very important to me. When it became apparent that Eric and I were going to live in Washington state, not California, we didn't have a lot of chances to look at houses together. In fact, we only saw the inside of 4....a townhouse and a house in Vancouver, a house in a nearby neighborhood, and the house here in Longview where we now live. There just wasn't a lot of time, and the fact that I would be bringing a dog and 3 kitties into the mix didn't make things easier. All of that changed when he showed me the Old West Side neighborhood, which is full of trees and right near Lake Sacajewea and its surrounding park. I had a list of things I required in a house...not a tract home, lots of natural light, good neighborhood, a formal dining room and family room, and all of those things we found in the house we are living in. Sure, it has it's quirks, like the "ski jump" roof, and the very orange kitchen, but I love this house. We have made it our own and look forward to many happy years here.

5. My Ward: When I look back a year ago at this time, I had not started back to church yet, the weather was very dreary, and I had a lot more time on my hands because I was not working and the house was officially furnished and the moving boxes all unpacked. The winter blues and a little bit of loneliness were beginning to settle in, which probably added to the misery I felt during our first Christmas here and my first away from my family. Shortly after Christmas, I began attending church and became more familiar with the members of the Longview 1st Ward, so many of whom confided that I was so lucky to be in that ward because it was the best in the stake. Lack of humility aside, they were right! The people have embraced me and Eric in ways I only could've hoped and I've made lots of wonderful friends these last few months. The leaders are wonderful and the women in Relief Society are some of the more loving and talented ladies I've ever known. My ward family has definitely become my social lifeline since moving up here.

6. Eric's Job: After working full-time for 15 years, it seemed unfathomable to me to be a homemaker. I expected it to be boring and unfulfilling. Now that I'm in my 2nd year in my "new job," I admit I really enjoy it. I'm not into crafts, sewing, scrapbooking and other things like that, but I do enjoy taking care of the house. I don't mind cleaning and doing laundry (which, even with 2 people feels neverending,) and even cooking nightly dinners is something I like doing. I like knowing that Eric comes home to a good meal that I prepared, and it is one way that I feel like I'm taking care of my husband. So in that way, I'm very grateful for Eric's job, which makes it possible for us to be a 1 income family.

7. A Sound Mind: A weird thing to put, I know, but I am very grateful for a healthy and sound mind. I'm grateful for good common sense that has led me to some sound life decisions. I'm grateful to be a person who does not rush into things, for creativity, for the ability to read and absorb information. And I'm grateful that I'm not someone who gets bored and depressed easily. As some wise person said, "Nobody likes a whiner."

8. The Menagerie: And, last but not least....even though they drive me nuts sometimes, I must admit that I'm grateful for my pets, my big black dog, Bailey, and kitties Darcy, Ashley, and Ramius. They give unconditional love, Bailey makes me feel protected when Eric is working at night, and the kitties love to snuggle. They were especially great company for all those years as a single person living alone. And, although we probably won't keep so many pets once the older ones pass away, we'll still have Ramius and (most likely) a dog (the bigger, the better, in my opinion!)

Yes, I'm feeling very, very blessed.

Mail Conspiracy

2011-11-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason, Eric and I have had the worst luck with mail and packages lately. The daily set of bills and junk mail appear without fail, but anything extra has been a source of major frustration. Case in point:

1. CA Property Taxes: It is that fun time again, when we get to pay the property taxes on my house in CA. Only glitch? The bill hasn't arrived. When I contacted the CA Property Tax Help Center, they said they mailed it to the house on record, which means my CA house. Maybe the tenants received it. I don't know. I do know we haven't seen it.

2. The EBay Bracelet: After returning a bracelet that wouldn't fit to a seller on eBay, the last 2 weeks have been fraught with dramatic emails from the seller telling me her life story and how putting the bracelet back into the mail was such a hardship for her, despite the fact that she wasn't going to accept my return. I didn't respond, and, after 4 emails that did nothing but make me out to be the bad guy, she finally put the bracelet back into the mail. It has yet to show up.

3. Harry Potter #8 Blu-Ray: In great anticipation of the final Harry Potter movie coming out on DVD and Blu-Ray, I ordered our copy. According to Amazon.com, it was delivered to the doorstep on Friday, shortly after we left for our weekend in Salem, OR. Clearly, someone swiped it. Despite the fact that all they had to do was pop it through the mail slot, neither Amazon nor UPS are taking any responsibility. Thanks, guys.

4. The Mixer: About 3 1/2 weeks ago, Eric ordered a mixer from the local music store for us to use with our karaoke setup downstairs. It was supposed to be here a week later, then was back-ordered (although no one told us this until we went over there,) then promised to be here in another week, and still hasn't arrived.

What is UP??

When I first heard those rumors that the government was thinking about shutting down the US Mail, I was incredulous, but now? Maybe it isn't such a bad idea.

Willamette Weekend

2011-11-13T20:34:00.001-08:00

This weekend was "Willamette Weekend!"

In just 2 days, Eric and 5 of his college buddies...former roommates and teammates...put together a reunion after 20 odd years. I told Eric how jealous I was that they could put something like that together in 2 days. When my college roomies put together a reunion, we started planning a year ahead of time! No fair! LOL

One of Eric's friends had flown in from Hawaii, so he really wanted to make an effort to go.

We kenneled Bailey and started packing! It is about a 100 mile drive down to Salem, OR, but the weather was kind and the fall colors are still out in all their glory. We ended up staying at the same hotel as Willamette's opponent for yesterday's game--Pacific Lutheran University. What are the odds?

On Friday night we met up with his friend, Jeff, and his family. We had a great dinner at this little place called The Wooden Nickel, in Sublimity, Oregon. The food was awesome and Eric's friends were very nice. It was great to finally put the names and faces together.

After dinner we ran over to the local mall to find some rain gear. Layers, layers, layers! This is what I keep hearing. One day I'll catch on.

On Saturday we met up with Eric's friends again, including another family, their friend visiting from Hawaii, and two other friends. 6 guys altogether, laughing and reminiscing.

We had a little BBQ in the stadium parking lot and went to the football game. I'm used to big, huge stadiums, like Edwards at BYU and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Willamette is a much smaller school, so the stadium is a fraction of the size, but it sure makes things easier.

After the game we went and had dinner at The Ram, the local sports bar and hangout. Everyone was super nice, the food was great, and the energy was high as the whole room was watching the Oregon State/Berkeley football game on 6 giant screens.

Then we migrated over to the house in Sublimity again, about 12 miles out of Salem. More reminiscing, Jeff's wife hauled out the old photo albums, and everyone laughed at how old we've gotten, yawing at 7pm and passing around the bottle of Tums at the restaurant.

Good times all around!

More Autumn Beauty!

2011-11-10T15:29:00.001-08:00

Last group of pics I'll post of colorful trees. But the sun was out today and I had to take advantage of it. Nature is so awesome.

Beauty of Autumn...

2011-11-09T13:16:00.001-08:00

I'm sure my neighbors think I'm weird for walking around with a camera, but there are beautiful autumn colors up here that you rarely see in California.

Here are a few shots of the neighborhood this morning:

Honor the Women Who Fought for Us....VOTE

2011-11-07T18:15:00.001-08:00

About 12 years ago I was in my apartment in CA with not much to do on a Sunday afternoon. I turned on the TV, did some channel surfing, and came across a documentary that has had more of an impact on me than any other I have seen before or since.

It is by Ken Burns, arguably one of the best documentary filmmakers out there, and it is called Not For Ourselves Alone.

It is the story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, two women who have probably done more for women's rights than anyone else. I'm not talking about bra-burning women's lib, but women's rights, the basic rights that all citizens of this country are entitled to...voting, owning land, the right to custody of your children after a divorce, the right to a trial in front of a jury of your peers. None of these things existed when these women were alive, and that wasn't too long ago.

The more I watched, the more I became emotional--partly because of the 50 years these women dedicated to their cause, and partly at the outrage that so few text books acknowledge what they did. At that moment I promised myself that #1 I would always vote as a way to honor their work and #2 that I would teach a suffrage unit to every group of students I had, no matter what their age.

I would say I've kept that promise about 98%. Most of my former students know of these women and their work, and I vote during most elections.

I feel like it is the duty of every woman to continue the work of these brave ladies and their tireless efforts, and of the hundreds of others who carried on their work until the 19th Amendment was finally passed in 1920. Less than 100 years ago! Both Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony never had the opportunity to vote during their lifetimes.

We don't have to demonstrate with banners and rallies. We only have to do one thing.

VOTE.

Election Day is tomorrow. Make them proud and do what they could not.

Ladies Night

2011-11-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

I would just like to take a moment and recognize the women in my ward. They are awesome.

Last night I had a few ladies over, as I mentioned before, for a Ladies Night at our house. This is the 3rd time I've done this, and every time it turns out different. The first time we watched Tangled and sang karaoke and there were 11 of us! The 2nd time we got a late start and relaxed in front of Emma.

Last night, the plan was to watch Hairspray, but, again, we got a late start. Still, we had a great time singing karaoke and talking, talking, talking. There were 7 of us and we just hung out in the family room around the bar area where the munchies were laid out. Around 11pm there were only 3 of us left, and we ended up collapsing on the sectional and watching about an hour of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

I'm just so impressed with these ladies. They are smart, fun, spiritual and incredible examples of womanhood. I feel like I learn something from each and every one of them. Turia, Pam, Becky, Avey, Spring, Jami--thank you!

Some Things I've Learned This Week...the GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY

2011-11-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

I love learning new things! Especially when it is something that has perplexed me for a while. I have learned 3 new things this week. They may not seem like much to some, but they have meant something to me...

THE GOOD:
Today, after months of looking longingly at sites like The Cutest Blog on the Block with their cute blog headers, I FINALLY learned how to do one myself!

I found a background I liked, which came with a header that you right click and save separately. Then the CBOTB site led me to a site where I could get a free download of "paint.net," a much better and high-tech version of the "paint" feature that comes with your computer.

After easily copying and pasting the image into paint.net, I added some text and saved it, then uploaded it to the heading area of the blog. Yay! Between my fumbling around and the finished product, it took about half an hour. Next time will be much faster. And, although it isn't as cute as the very personalized ones I made on Scrapblog.com, it was much MUCH quicker!

Now I just have to work on centering it better.

THE BAD:
2 days ago I was walking my dog, Bailey, around the neighborhood. A local high school is on the other side of the nearby lake, and the kids had just let out.

Bailey, being big and black and kind of a nondescript breed, usually gets a lot of attention from kids of all ages. The thing I hear most is "I like your dog" and "Can I pet your dog?" which I allow if the kid is bigger.

But, there are also the "punks." I ran into a little group of them the other day. Maybe it is my detestation for disrespectful kids, maybe it was me putting on my "teacher" hat, but I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut with punks when they decide to act in their punky way.

As Bailey and I were walking, I heard from a short distance, in that arrogant "there are no adults around that I need to behave for" voice: "HEY! I like your mongoose!" The friends of this teen just snickered.

I let that one slide. I just wanted to continue on my walk. It was a gorgeous, crisp, fall day.

Then, "HEY! What is that? A camel?" More chuckles from the rest of the kids in the group, about 4-5 altogether.

Now, as a teacher, I've been told that I can be intimidating and authoritative. I hoped that I could project that as I said, in my best sarcastic voice, "I don't know that they're teaching you in school, but this is a DOG."

The kid was obviously thrown. He sheepishly said back, "Yeah, they teach us lots of stuff," and went on his way with his group, obviously knocked down a couple of pegs on the punk meter.

I went home, first feeling proud of myself, which quickly gave way to shame. I definitely should've kept my mouth shut.

THE UGLY:
Happy to put Thursday's teen incident behind me, I set my mind yesterday to cleaning house as I get ready to have some friends over tonight. Eric is on graveyard shift and some ladies are coming over for a showing of Hairspray, some karaoke, if there is time, and munchies.

I've been trying to have these every other month. And, as I get to know more ladies, the more I can invite. Fortunately, our basement family room is ginormous and able to accommodate a lot of people. Tonight I've got at least 4 ladies coming over, with a lot of "maybes."

Yesterday afternoon, shortly before Eric left for work, I saw on my iPhone that I had an email. Skimming over it I could see that it was from a seller on eBay from whom I had bought a Coach bracelet a week earlier. I could also tell that this person was really mad at me. Great.

I came over to my laptop to get a better grasp of what was going on. Certain phrases leapt out of the email like "did you mean to be disrespectful?" "A responsible buyer would not behave this way." "You were extremely careless." Very accusatory and a lot of the dreaded "you" statements.

To back up, I had bought a bangle bracelet on eBay. It arrived, I opened it, it didn't fit over my hand, I contacted the seller and informed her I would have to send it back. I sent it back within the 7 day return period.

She would only accept the return if it was sent back unopened. Fine. I understand. At the time I was packaging it up, a friend was over and I was multitasking. I guess I wasn't thinking.

But to be told I was all those unpleasant things when it was not my intention? Not nice. How about a simple "I'm sorry I cannot accept the bracelet returned in this condition because it has been opened." I could've lived with that.

I really didn't want to get into it with this anonymous woman from PA, so I wrote her back a nice note, told her that it was not my intention to be any of the things I was accused of, to send the bracelet back postage due and I would regift it to someone it would fit, and she could keep the money.

I had learned my lesson about running at the mouth the day before. Maybe she could learn hers today.

SO....
That is what I have learned this week.

I wish I could be one of those quiet, sweet ladies I see at church. I really do. But I was also taught that you stand up for yourself. Now I just have to remind myself that you can be both.

Hopefully next time.

In the meantime, do you like my new blog header?? :-)

Halloween...the day after

2011-11-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

Did everyone have a nice Halloween? I hope so!

We did. This marked the 2nd Halloween in this house and this neighborhood, which is famous for playing host to thousands of trick-or-treaters. I'm used to about 50-100 kids on a really good year, so, last year when the neighbors told us to expect hundreds and hundreds of kids, we were a little blindsided.

We actually used some Target gift cards that were left over from our wedding to buy candy. And we still ran out an hour before lights out! The unwritten rule is to shut off your lights at 8:30. I have to say, the kids are good about not abusing that.

This year we planned ahead. For weeks now, we have been stockpiling candy. In the end we had 7 large bags--the kinds that hold 90-150 pieces.

At 4pm we went across the street, where our neighbors had invited us to a little "pre Halloween night gathering" with soup, stew and bread. By 5pm we didn't see any kids. 5:30--no kids.

As it neared 6pm, the doorbell began to ring.

Last year we had 572 kids. We were flabbergasted at the amount and hoped to match or beat it this year. By 7pm we had about 350 kids and tons of candy left. Had we overshot? Were we going to be left with hundreds of pieces?

At around 7:30, the "floods" began. Hoards and hoards of kids. We would look across the street and see about 20-30 kids with their parents lining up at the neighbors' house and then heading this way. Although, because of the placement of our house, we also saw lots of kids skip our house altogether.

Throughout the evening we saw a lot of zombies: zombie cheerleaders, zombie doctors, etc. Lots of princesses, ladybugs, bumblebees, Batman, monsters, and a very convincing Hermione from Harry Potter.

But my favorite was a girl wearing a big ol' box with a flap in the front. "I'm trying to figure out what you are dressed as..." I said. "A box!" She answered. (Ask a stupid question.....)

We kept a tally all night and the numbers crept higher and higher, not winding down even as 8:30 approached. At 8:40 we shut off our light, taking a cue from the neighbors.

Final tally for this year? 680 trick-or-treaters. Incredible!

P.S. A neighbor told me today that one house on the corner (a gorgeous house facing the lake that puts on a big Halloween show) got over 1,000 kids.

A new kind of Halloween chill...

2011-10-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

If you have a Facebook page, you definitely need to check out the site called Take This Lollipop. It is interactive and produces a whole new brand of Halloween creepiness.

Click HERE to check it out and it will show you how to link to your FB page. You'll have to allow access and have a Flash player in order for it to work.

I would love comments on who tried it! Enjoy! MuahHAHAHAHA!!!!

THIS is Halloween!

2011-10-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

This family has a bunch of videos on YouTube showing the incredible music/light displays at their house, but this one is definitely my favorite. Enjoy! And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Oregon Zoo Trip

2011-10-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Part of the itinerary during my friend's visit these last few days was to visit the Oregon Zoo. I love this zoo! I haven't really walked around it since 2004, when I drove up to OR to visit my brother the year he lived there.

It is definitely smaller than your bigger zoos, like San Diego, but I really like the way the animals are displayed.

Here are a few we saw...

But wait! What is this animal right here? Oh...it is my husband playing with the thermal camera in the snake exhibit:

The Hostess with the Mostest...

2011-10-15T22:13:00.001-07:00

Today my friend, Tracey, flew in for a visit from California. She'll be staying until the middle of next week.

Eric and I picked her up from the Portland Airport and we went drove downtown and ate at Jake's Grill, this beautiful restaurant in a 102 year old building. The food is great, you get to watch all of the "interesting" people walking around outside the window, and the decor is old art deco. If we had gotten married in the Pacific Northwest, this is where I would want the rehearsal dinner to be.

Then we walked around and I showed Tracey one of my favorite stores, The Real Mother Goose, which has all handmade jewelry, furniture, art and household items. I always visit that store when we go to Portland, and have never bought anything. It is kind of pricey, like the $362 sweater and the $4000 sofa table.
As our lunch settled we headed over to the malls downtown and looked for this cool do-it-yourself frozen yogurt place that Eric and I discovered a few months ago called Chef Fresh. I used chocolate mint frozen yogurt, a ton of coconut, and mini peanut butter cups. YUM.

Back in Longview, Tracey also got to visit our Fred Meyer store and see all of its goodies there. That is a fun store to show people who haven't been there. It has everything. No, really...everything.

The tiredness was starting to weigh in, so we came back, I made dinner and we all relaxed from a while. Eric and I have been watching that new show called A Gifted Man...very, VERY good. High quality scripts without the gratuitous nonsense that so many other shows feel the need to insert. I hope this show stays on for a long time.

And now I'm the only one awake! Tracey's enjoying our small, but very comfortable and well-equipped guest bedroom and bathroom downstairs and Eric is happily in Snoozeville. I'm a wind down person. I need a while of quiet time before nodding off. So I'm spending it here.

Good day, today.

Other things on the roster are church tomorrow, where I'm teaching Relief Society, and one day for the Portland Zoo and another for the big outlet mall in Woodburn, OR. Tracey leaves on Wednesday.

So we've got some fun things planned. All I have to do now is fall asleep and let the new day dawn.

Through Heaven's Eyes...

2011-10-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

BYU's Homecoming Spectacular is coming up and Brian Stokes Mitchell, who possesses one of the best voices out there, will be the musical guest. Here is a very powerful number he did with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Through Heaven's Eyes, from the film The Prince of Egypt--a great film. When music gives me chills, I KNOW it's good!

Home

2011-10-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

There really is something to be said about home when you haven't been there for a while. Now that I'm back home I can really understand why Jonathan kept asking to go home during all those weeks in the hospital.

And his request was granted.

It was a little harrowing, because last Thursday his wife received a call from the hospital telling her that they were going to release Jonathan that day. Come and pick him up, they said. Oh, and by the way, he won't be able to drive for several months and will need 24 hour supervision.

Obviously this news did not set well with any of us who have been living this medical nightmare for the last 3 weeks. After getting pretty firm with the hospital, Jonathan's wife was able to get an extra day to prepare the house. The hospital also agreed to have a meeting on Friday morning with all of those people involved in his care.

10:00am Friday, while I took my little niece to her toddler music class (great fun,) my mom, Jonathan's wife, the doctor, the head nurse, the nutritionist, the speech therapist, physical therapist, social worker, and Jonathan himself all participated in a meeting to discuss the next step in his recovery. Why something like this isn't protocol with a case as serious as this, we'll never know. It should be.

They discussed his diet (he's terribly underweight,) his limitations and restrictions these upcoming months, his meds, and who will be coming to the house to monitor different aspects of his recovery.

Friday afternoon he went home. I picked up my nephew from pre-school, my mom and I gave the kids lunch, and Xander and I went to the park and grocery shopping. That evening my mom made some lentil soup for Jonathan, which I delivered, although he was fast asleep. he was sleeping more soundly than I have seen him sleep in weeks. Later I delivered the kids, who were thrilled that Daddy was home. Although I could already see the challenges that lie ahead for their little family during that 2nd trip.

On Saturday my mom, aunt, and I took a much-needed break and went for sushi and saw a wonderful production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Glendale Center Theatre. It was absolutely delightful! The chemistry between the two leads was extra good because they are married in real life.

Sunday was my last full day in California. And, despite the fact that it was Sunday, I decided that I had to take advantage of the fact that things had finally calmed down enough to enjoy some fun. So my cousins, Laura and Cassidy, met me at Disneyland and we had a fabulous day together. Laura and I talked and talked and talked and it felt so good to be out in the sunshine having fun after weeks of daily hospital visits, touch-and-go news every day regarding Jonathan, and constant worrying. That night I got back to my mom's house, did some laundry, packed, and collapsed into bed around 1am. Tired, but happy.

Yesterday morning we coordinated with my sister-in-law and I took Xander to pre-school. Jonathan greeted us in a friendly mood at the door. You can tell he's happy to be home, and who could blame him?

My mom and I had a nice chat in the car on the way to the airport and said our goodbyes. I am so grateful that I could be there as a support to her, but I was also really happy to be going home.

My flight was delayed 2 hours, but it was a minor setback. I reached Portland around 3:45 and gave my sweet husband a big hug and kiss! That is a long time for a married couple to be apart. And, because of the circumstances, it felt longer.

We went to have sushi (yes, we both love sushi,) drove back to town, picked up a thrilled Bailey at the kennel and came HOME. Eric had the house all clean, the towels and sheets all fresh, and the laundry all done. What a wonderful, wonderful husband.

I unpacked and looked around our house that I really love living in up here. It is so great to be back.

There is no doubt. Home really is where the heart is. Jonathan's is with his little family and mine is here with my hubby. Jonathan's recovery is far from over. He won't be able to drive for months and will be on medication for a long time. So, yes, he still needs your prayers. But, it looks like the worst is over.

A Downtown Disney Proposal....Awesome

2011-09-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

I try to be pretty choosy about which videos I repost on my blog, and this is definitely on of the best. This morning when my husband, Eric, called me on the phone (4 more days until we're together again!!) he told me about a video that he had seen that he wanted to share. I loved it. It is a fun and sweet marriage proposal that involves a lot of creativity.

It will put a smile on your face...I promise!

A Light at the End of the Tunnel?

2011-09-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Xander at the Arboretum yesterday...

There have been so many ups and downs these past few weeks with Jonathan's illness, but why is it that when things like this happen we seem to focus on the "downs?'

As someone who is always doing little self-evaluations, I was thinking about that these last couple of days. I was down on the achingly slow progress that Jonathan was making, instead of acknowledging that progress was being made. I was down on my nephew being a little bit challenging instead of realizing that his life has been topsy-turvy not having his dad at home for nearly 3 weeks. And I've been down on other things that I won't mention here.

But the truth is, is that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. The doctors seem to think that Jonathan will be able to go home in another week or so. He has been moved again (his 4th room in a week!) to the Transitional Care Unit at the hospital, which is for people who are doing better, but still need a place to heal under supervision. He's eating more than I've seen him eat in ages, and he's eating more high-calorie foods, which, at his weight, is a good thing.

I'm also seeing the end of my time here in CA. After 3 1/2 weeks here, I'll be flying back to my home on Monday, easing back into my routine of taking care of my husband, house and pets (I hope they all recognize me!)

Yesterday, after realizing that there was probably a lot going on with my little nephew that he just wasn't able to verbalize, I decided that I wanted to take him on a fun little adventure.

After picking him up from pre-school, we went and ate chicken and rice at Pollo Loco and then spent about 2 hours at the Arboretum, a place that Jonathan and I grew up visiting frequently. We fed the ducks and catfish, explored the trails off the beaten paths that led through shady areas of tropical trees, and drank apple juice and Snapple next to the big fountain. By the time we left, Xander was happy and tired, so tired that he fell asleep in the car before we could even get to the hospital to visit Jonathan. He woke up talking about our adventure and it was clear that we both needed that change of scenery.

Again and again I keep going back to all the things there are to be thankful for, not the least of which is the fact that my circumstances don't require me to work full-time anymore, affording me the flexibility to even come down here to CA for these 3 weeks. A year and a half ago this would've been out of the question. Isn't it amazing how sometimes Life knows things before you do?

I adore my nephew!

Jonathan...a New Phase

2011-09-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

As my mom and I continually discuss what Jonathan and his little family are up against over these next few months, one thing we do agree on is that we have definitely entered a new phase when it comes to his recovery.

The worst is over, but there is still a long road ahead, and even Jonathan agrees that the way he processes information is not 100%. But the fact that he is conscious, has no IVs, is out of ICU and doesn't have a medical person standing by all the time shows that real progress has been made.

I kind of feel like 50% is what we have been dealing with these last 2 and a half weeks and the other 50% is what lies ahead. My ticket back home to WA and my husband and our house and pets is for 1 week from tomorrow. I didn't expect to stay this long (nearly 3 weeks,) but it was a good decision. I know my help here has been needed. I've helped babysit, change more diapers than I care to count, done a lot of laundry, walked my mom's dog, given her moral support and run many errands, on top of visiting Jonathan in the hospital almost daily.

There is a weird feeling in me as I think about returning home in a week. I will probably be leaving before Jonathan is released from the hospital. I'm hoping he will at least be transferred to the rehab floor before I go. That will show another step in his recovery.

The current question that has arisen is whether or not to do a spinal tap, or "lumbar test." The doctors want to use the results as a diagnostic tool, but Jonathan has concerns. It is his body, ultimately it is his decision.

We still have our concerns at this phase. We have concerns about what his state will be when he finally is released. There are things looming ahead that worry us that we try not to think about. If I knew 2 weeks ago what I know now about where he is in his recovery, maybe I would've waited to help during this next phase.

Again, we thank those who have visited, who have put his name on the temple prayer roles, who have sent cards and voiced their support. Thank you. Your support and prayers are still needed for a long time!

Update 4 hours later: After thinking about it for several days, Jonathan has agreed to the lumbar test. I'm really glad.

Jonathan, Part II

2011-09-22T20:15:00.001-07:00

Time to do an update on my brother, Jonathan's, progress. I'm typing slowly and making a ton of mistakes because I'm on my mom's computer, which is almost harder than driving someone else's car...

Today is 2 weeks since he entered the hospital. This Saturday is the 2 week mark since his craniotomy. Since then we have seen some slow, but steady, progress.

After the surgery, it took another 5 full days before he even opened his eyes, Those first few days were very difficult, because the progress just seemed so incredibly slow. The first time I witnessed his eyes open was when he had a 15 second seizure--not a sight that was easy to see. 15 seconds lasted a long time.

He opened his eyes the Thursday after his surgery. Well, he opened one eye. The eye below the abscess was very swollen. His speech was very slow, and his left side was having difficulty moving. They put in a feeding tube in his nose and there was still an assortment of other tubes sticking out of him from every direction.

Despite the apparent success of the surgery, there were still many concerns...his heart rate was lingering between the high 30's and low 50's, sometimes even taking a quick trip into the 20's and a few times stopping altogether for up to 7 seconds. There was a heated debate over whether a temporary pacemaker was necessary. His blood pressure, which runs low anyway, as does mine, was lower than it should be, and we were always waiting for him to regain use of his left side--fortunately, that has recovered almost completely.

Nerves became frayed during these few days...between my mom, me, Jonathan's wife....each day was a challenge with 2 steps forward and 1 step back. The pluses and minuses could be gauged differently depending on which medical personnel we were talking to, our own moods, and individual filters of life experience.. Let's just say it isn't a time any of us care to revisit.

Then we began to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly Jonathan was able to eat real food. And not only was he eating real food, but he was eating food that he would normally never touch, like a bowl of spaghetti! Jonathan... eating spaghetti!

Two days ago they moved him out of the ICU at USC hospital. He spent about 8 hours in another room and was moved to the local community hospital late that night. He spent last night in the ICU there, not because he is in such bad shape, but because the doctors were still a little worried that he was trying to do too much and wanted to give him some extra supervision.

Last night when I went and visited him, his wife and my uncle were there. It makes me giddy to see him eating so well, even if it is hospital food. He has always been a slow eater, but he is eating everything...everything...on that tray they bring. I guess I would too if I had gone 9 days without real food.

This morning his wife took the kids for a visit, their 2nd to see their dad since this all began. Later we learned that he had been moved out of ICU at the local hospital and into another room.

This morning I went to see him on my own and was there from about 11:45 to around 4pm. It was very good and helpful to spend so much time alone with him. The speech therapist had been there earlier and the physical therapist came while I was there and walked him up and down the hall and did a few exercises in the room, like some deep knee bends. It was encouraging, again to see him eat a big meal. The doctor came in and gave us an update, although she is still waiting for the cultures from USC.

They have determined that the brain abscess was fungal, not bacterial. It could have been growing for months, which is kind of scary to think about. And he'll be on anti-fungal and anti-seizure meds for up to a year. That could mean a long, long time of not being allowed to drive, but we'll just handle one thing at a time.

The next step, which could happen as early as tomorrow, is to move him to the rehab floor, which is a place where he can continue to heal for another week or 2 and where physical therapy will be twice a day instead of once. His wife has returned to work for a few hours each day, which is good, because that she feels confident enough to not spend every day at the hospital like she did for 2 weeks.

My ticket back to WA is for October 3rd (leftover from my original plans) and it is very possible that I'll stay that long. I miss my sweet husband something awful, but it is comforting to know that he is managing things up there so well.

What a learning experience this has been. What a time of emotional highs and lows. Instead of seeing 2 steps forward, 1 step back, I see things as 1 slow step forward at a time. We are still just taking things 1 day at a time. And, although everyone is aware that some definite adjustments lie in wait for the future, we cannot bring ourselves to see that far ahead quite yet.

The prayers, emails, cards, flowers, phone calls, messages and good thoughts from friends and family have been abundant, and we are all so grateful. The news of Jonathan's illness has reached across the US to Mexico to Vietnam and we constantly feel the support of so many. Thank you, thank you.

Because the progress is slow and we are in for more transitions at the hospital, I will update again in a few days. I pray and look forward to having more good news to share as time goes on. Thank you again for those who have kept Jonathan and the rest of us in your prayers and we ask that you continue to do so. There is still a long road ahead.

Jonathan

2011-09-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

Where to begin?

My family has had the most unexpected of challenges this week. Last Friday morning I got a call from my mom telling me that my brother, Jonathan, was in the hospital. He had been experiencing a bad headache for 3 days and, when he went to his nursing class on Thursday night, his classmates noticed that he was not well. The teacher actually ended class early and his classmates brought him home.

After some convincing, his wife was able to get him to the local hospital. By the time they got him there, he couldn't even hold a pen to write his name.

He stayed in emergency while a bed became available in ICU. After many tests and examinations, they determined that he had an abscess in his brain. My brother is 38 and a health nut, how could this happen?

When my sister in law called Jonathan's work to tell them that he would not be able to work, the head nurse that he works under asked if there was any way to get him transferred to USC medical center, because they have the best neurological department in the country. After a lot of paperwork and waiting, they were able to get him transferred on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, I was still up at our house in WA, talking to my mom on the phone every few hours, and trying to get things in order to come down to CA. Jonathan had had a pretty violent seizure that morning and there was a time when we thought we were going to lose him. The more I heard what was going on , the more I realized that I needed to get down immediately. Not in 3-4 days, but the next day.

Saturday night Jonathan underwent a craniotomy. Meaning a small area of his brain had to be exposed to clean out the abscess, which, by then, had burst. Fortunately it did not leak into the spinal fluid. The surgeon was optimistic and said everything went well, but a long road to recovery lies ahead.

On Sunday morning I got on a plane and flew down to CA. My sweet husband, always supportive, just said to stay as long as I feel it is necessary. My mom and uncle picked me up and we went back to my mom's house where I unpacked and we ate some lunch. No visitors are allowed at the hospital for certain hours, but, as soon as they were, we returned.

Sometimes, even when you know something, it doesn't really sink in until you see it with your own eyes. That is how it was when I saw Jonathan in a hospital bed in ICU, with a bandage across the base of his forehead, a swollen right eye (the abscess was on the right side, so the right side of the face looks a little traumatized,) and different lines and IVs coming out from every direction.

We are trying to be patient as he recovers from his surgery, but it isn't easy. He still has not opened his eyes. His right eye, especially, looks very sealed shut because of the swelling. He had lost some function on his left side (because the abscess was on the right,) so his left hand (his dominant hand) is kind of curled, but the good news is that his color is looking better and last night he crossed his left leg over his right voluntarily...which is great.

He did have 2 little mini seizures yesterday, one of which happened when the physical therapist came and helped him sit up. Because of that, they hooked him up to an EEG machine, which means that now he has a turban of bandages to keep the 16 different sensors in place. There is a computer monitoring his brain activity with a camera on him, which the neurosurgeon can even see from home.

There is no doubt that the care he is getting is excellent. The nurses in ICU have only 2 patients per nurse, and they are right there for everything and great about answering our questions. They are also very diligent about turning him (as last night's night nurse said "The bed is not your friend,) to help avoid sores, phlegm build-up, and pneumonia, which are always concerns when someone is lying down for an extended amount of time.

As far as his response, he says a lot of "Mmm, mmm" like "yes" to things you tell him. The other day when the ophthalmologist came in and was trying to examine the eye that doesn't want to open, Jonathan said "I'm trying to cooperate." The night nurse that we have gotten to know sometimes asks him what the procedure is for certain things. On Sunday night, when Jonathan was running a fever of 101, the nurse asked him, "What should I do?" And Jonathan responded, "Blood cultures," which was correct.

At this point, it feels pointless to ask questions like, "How long will he be in ICU?" "How long will his recovery time be?" "Will be recover 100%?" We just have to take things on a day-to-day kind of basis.

The real question is, "How did this happen?" Jonathan is a very avid bike-rider, a vegetarian, and very thin. He bikes anywhere he can, 10 miles to work, 20 miles to school, 30 miles into the mountains. There is a possibility that the abscess originated in his sinuses from breathing in dirt and pollution during those very vigorous bike rides. When an abscess begins, it starts to travel to the heart or brain. His traveled to the brain.

It is ironic that when we think of spending so much time on the bike we worry about traffic and weather. There is no way we ever would've guessed that something like this could happen.

We are praying for a complete recovery. His wife needs him, his two little kids need their dad.

The hospital staff has told us that sometimes in cases like this, things seem to get worse before they get better. So, despite that fact that the swelling, fever, even the seizures seem very alarming, they are still within the normal range of things that can happen when someone has had a surgery for this condition.

The outpouring of support we have received has been amazing. We have gotten calls from friends and family in the US, Mexico and Vietnam. His name is on the temple prayer lists in CA, WA and UT. All of this is greatly appreciated.

Right now the only people allowed to visit are immediate family, but we feel the love and support from so many.

Please keep him in your prayers. I'll update in a few days.

Rolling in the Deep...

2011-09-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

Seems like there have been some great musical postings out there lately. This is a group out of St. George, UT called The Piano Guys. Using a piano and cello as their main instruments, they do awesome covers of popular songs.

This is Adele's Rolling in the Deep. Very cool. First you will need to scroll to the bottom of the blog and pause the song on the player.

Can Anybody Find Me....

2011-09-06T23:30:00.000-07:00

Somebody to Love...

Everyone is going crazy with the Freddie Mercury tributes all over the net today because, if he was alive, FM would be 65 today. One of our favorite YouTube entertainers, a musician/comic who calls himself Nice Peter, did a great tribute using my favorite song by Queen.

It's pretty impressive and a lot of fun to watch, but you will need to scroll to the very bottom of my blog first and pause the music that plays so that it doesn't play over the video.

Enjoy! We love this guy.

P.S. Love the "fish tank" t-shirt. ;)

Thinking about church today...

2011-09-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

As usual, church was pretty great today. I kept on *almost* getting up to bear my testimony, but everyone else beat me who actually did get up. At one point I even found myself getting emotional during one lady's testimony. I never do that.

Several people who got up are converts to the church. And a lady who is a very recent convert talked about how it feels like many people in her family are suddenly in the grips of darkness and challenges.

Her words got me thinking about when my mom, brother and I joined the church back in 1986. It seemed like everyone around us had an opinion about our decision. A neighbor came and tried to persuade my mom not to go through with joining the Mormon church. The mother of one of my classmates did the same thing. And one of my mom's best friends said her piece too. The biggest challenge was the hurt it caused my grandpa, who had raised his 4 kids Catholic. My grandparents lived around the corner from us and suddenly my grandpa barely said 2 words to my mom for 2-3 years. Thank goodness he finally came around.

But I started to think about the bad dude...Satan. For one so powerful, he sure goes into a tailspin when someone is trying to get closer to God. He panics, and starts injecting his dark influence in the most unlikely, but also the most personal of ways. Up until about an hour before we got baptized it seemed like my mom was having to defend her decision to a friend or family member.

But we did it. And I'm glad we did. As I get wiser in my old age, I realize that, although peopleare flawed, there are some things that are not. And every time we humble ourselves and remember where we come from and what lies in store for us after we die, we get a little closer to greatness.

Satan wouldn't react the way he does unless he feels threatened, and, despite all of the craziness that is happening in the world today, there are a lot of good people and great works happening too. The challenge is to stay focused on what is right and remember that there is a larger, eternal plan at work.

What a comfort to know that!

Recent Adventures...

2011-09-03T09:10:00.001-07:00

As I wrote to my grandma yesterday, I explained that life is a lot quieter now that I'm living up in WA and not teaching. Southern CA is always full of hustle and bustle and teaching school always has drama and excitement. And, although I love my new life, it doesn't always make for the most blazing hot letters and blog entries.

But, sometimes you have to go and find the excitement.

On Friday, August 26th, Eric and I had tickets to go and see Josh Groban perform at the Rose Garden in Portland. It is the city's big indoor stadium, like the Staples Center in So. CA. We were in the 29th row on the floor. But we had a treat! There was a mini stage just a few feet away from us and he started the show there! I didn't take this video, because this is a New Orleans show, but this is about how close we were:

It was my 4th time seeing him in concert, but I've never been this close before. Security allowed those of us with floor seats to stand right at the edge of the mini stage and for a good 1/3 of the concert I was about 5 feet away from him. That was awesome!

The rest of the concert was a lot of fun. He sounded great, did his drum-playing bit,

answered questions from the audience, and even sang "Happy Birthday" with a girl from the audience (she sounded good!) He also brought an older couple up on stage for about half an hour and just really interacted well with the audience. It has been a few years since I've seen him live and he has really grown as a performer. Eric had a good time too. We drove home, made a midnight burger run, and got to sleep a little after 1am.

Since Eric took a couple of days off so we could go to the concert, we had some extra time for other adventures. On Wednesday we drove the 70-odd miles to Seaside, Oregon, which is the end of the Lewis & Clark trail. The drive was lovely and scenic through windy roads surrounded by huge fir trees. We also drove through Astoria, a cute coastal town with houses up on steep hills.

Seaside is your basic coastal tourist town...gift shops, restaurants, everything from seedy motels to upscale hotels, a little indoor mall with bumper cars and an arcade. One of the big attractions is the aquarium, which is really just the outer room with the sea lions and in the inner room with the tanks. You can see the whole thing in less than half an hour, but it is still fun. My brother and I went there back in 2004 when he lived in Oregon for a year. For $1 you can buy a little handful of fish to feed the sea lions. And there is always the smart one who learns that if he slaps the water and gets your attention, he'll get more fish:

(I didn't take this video either....YouTube is a wonderful thing! LOL)

And the last big news is that I'll be heading back to California at the end of the month to visit my family. Although it is kind of my mom's turn to travel up here, she wanted me to come down there. The upside of that is that I can check on my house and I get to see my cute nephew and niece. This time, though, we're doing something different. My mom hasn't had a vacation in a while (except to come and visit me,) so we're going to drive up to Carmel for 5 days. We are taking her dog, in the past we've always taken my dog, and we are driving in her car instead of mine. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. We were lucky to get one of the only remaining rooms available for those 4 nights at our favorite hotel, the Cypress Inn:

Last year Eric and I spent the day in Carmel while on our honeymoon. We stayed in Monterey, but I got to show him all of my favorite places to shop and eat and visit in Carmel.

Carmel is my favorite vacation place, so I'm really thrilled to be able to go there again. It is upscale, but everyone is so nice and most people bring their dogs. The shops and restaurants accommodate the dogs. There are mountains and trees and the ocean all in one place. You feel safe and you pretty much walk everywhere.

Recent adventures and upcoming adventures!

The Inner Light

2011-08-10T12:26:00.001-07:00

Despite the fun things I like to post on my blog, it has been difficult not to be affected by some of the events happening in the world lately...the recent riots in England, the tragic deaths of the soldiers in that military helicopter, the famine in Africa, and, of course, our American economic troubles.

I'm one of those people who, if I allow it, can focus on the sadness of these things too much. It is a very helpless feeling to see people suffering and know that the problems are so widespread. It is also maddening to see the greed and decadence in other parts of society. Will there ever be a happy medium? Probably not. I remember feeling that way too as a teacher and having to remind myself that any dent of progress I make is a step, however small, in the right direction.

Now that I'm not teaching I need to find other ways to relieve those feelings. It is hard to find that balance of not being too affected, yet still wanting to be informed about what is happening.

I find myself having a lot of internal dialogue. One good thing about not having to work full time anymore is that I'm more available to help others. I helped a family from church clean their floors before moving a few weeks ago and I was so glad I could. And I get to be a more diligent Visiting Teacher.

Meanwhile, I also try and focus on what I like to call that "inner light" that we all possess. That part of us that contributes, either positively or negatively, to the rest of the world. What am I supporting (or not?) What am I condoning (or not?) What is my tolerance level for certain worldly things?

No matter how small, we all contribute a certain attitude and energy to the world we live in. I'm trying to make more of an effort to contribute in a positive way.

Leave Me...a short, very poignant film

2011-08-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

This is a complete 180 degree turn from my last post, but I had to share it. This morning I was browsing videos on wimp.com, one of the most interesting sites out there. I came across this short film called Leave Me.

It is about 5 minutes, and well worth the time. Before watching, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the blog page and pause the music.

After watching, ask yourself...how many of us would do the same thing as this man, if we could, under the same circumstance?

LEAVE ME...

We've been Mr. and Mrs. for 1 year!

2011-08-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Eric and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. One year! In some ways it feels like the time has flown, and in other ways I cannot believe all that has happened in this year we've been married.

Most importantly, I cannot believe how my love for this wonderful man continues to grow and grow. It is amazing to have found someone who knows me so well, accepts and still loves me for my flaws, is so fun to be with, and who makes my happiness a priority every day. I am truly blessed, and he was definitely worth waiting for!

We wanted to do something special, different, but simple to celebrate this wonderful occasion. We heard a commercial for a supper club/lounge in Portland, OR called Tony Starlight's and did some research on it. It is, literally, a little hole-in-the-wall place that serves dinner and has a show. We decided to go and listen to a swing band called the Shanghai Woolies. The dinner was yummy and the musicians very, very good. Admittedly, I found the lead singer girl very irritating, but fortunately she only performed with them about 50% of the time and the others more than made up for it. The music was fun and nostalgic and we were seated right up front!

We had researched hotels in the area and decided to add to the anniversary adventure by staying in a 105 year-old B&B called The Lion and the Rose:
It was built by a German brewer at the turn of the century and has been operating as a B&B for about 20 years. Stepping inside was truly like stepping out of a time machine and into another era:
And, although Eric educated me on the fact that the house was not in the best part of town, it wasn't that bad. It felt a lot like the older parts of Pasadena...older, slightly run-down buildings that attract a certain bohemian element.

Our room, one of 8 bedrooms, was called the Escapade Room, which was roomy and comfortable with a tiny bathroom and tinier shower:
And we ate a nice breakfast of fruit, pastries, eggs, sausage, and blueberry pancakes in this beautiful dining room the next morning:
It was nice to not have a very long drive back home. We were back in town by 10:30 that morning, where we did some quick shopping and picked up the pooch at the kennel.

The rest of the weekend has been relaxing, watching movies, going on walks, and enjoying each other's company before Eric had to return to work today. It was a quick, but fun adventure to celebrate the wonderful day one year ago when our lives came together in this great thing we call being married. Everyone should be this happy.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig...

2011-07-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

This past week I went back to good ol' Southern California to spend some time with my mom, grandma, and nephew. I also checked on my house there to see how it is doing and we renewed the lease with the tenants for another year. That is a load off my mind.

I must say, that this was probably the best trip back to CA of the 3 I've taken since getting married. Every day had something fun, I wasn't overbooked, and I got to see my cute nephew 5 out of the 7 days. He even accompanied my mom to pick me up and drop me off at the airport.

On one of the days I got to spend several hours with my cousin, Laura, who was my maid of honor and who recently moved back from San Diego. We enjoyed a pedicure, along with her daughter, C., who was my flower girl. Then we went to In n Out burger and loaded up on food to take back to my mom's house. The 3 of us, my mom, and X. sat around the dining room table and talked and ate and ate and talked. OK, X. played with his remote control forklift and trucks, but the girls talked! My brother joined us a little while later with my little niece, and we talked for about 2 more hours while the kids played in the family room. It was a lot of fun.

X. and I also drove out to visit and have lunch with my grandma, who is doing great a month after my uncle was killed in that horrible car accident. We exchanged pictures to look at and enjoyed some yummy turkey and avocado sandwiches at a nearby restaurant.

My Uncle Howard at age 20, and my dad at age 16 getting ready for Howard's wedding.

X. behaved great, despite being a little contrary when it came to taking pictures with his great-grandma. He is, after all, only 3 years old. But by the time we got ready to go he was very accommodating and we got some great pictures of them together. He fell asleep on the drive back to my mom's house, but not before commenting that he thought great grandma "was a very nice lady."

My favorite nephew and his great-grandma. These are priceless!

Thursday was Disneyland with my friend, Tracey. We chose a hot, crowded day, but it was the only one she could spare from work that week. Being former annual passholders, the crowds didn't hinder us too much and we got a lot accomplished, including going on the new Star Tours after a 50 minute wait. I've never been a big fan of Star Tours because it makes me nice and motion sick (not as bad as the Teacups--or, as I call them...the Vomit Cups--but close!) I'm glad that I went on it though, because they really have spiffed up the graphics you see during the ride.

We chose a beautiful, sunny day to go to Disneyland!

I took a video of some great musicians in one of the alleyways of New Orleans Square, my favorite section of the Magic Kingdom. I also bought Eric a new sweatshirt to replace the one I accidentally shrank. Watch as the people dance through the middle of their performance. It's pretty funny...

Disneyland and the resulting tiredness was a culmination of a great week full of fun and family. I feel very blessed that Eric has assured me that I can go back and visit my family anytime I want. And, although I do not want to exhaust his generosity (or our finances,) it is nice to know the offer is there!

I have the best Home Teachers...

2011-07-19T09:19:00.001-07:00

Last night, while Eric was on his last night of graveyard shift, I was invited to Family Home Evening at my Home Teachers' house. Steve and Diane Pond are the best Home Teachers I could ask for, and I know that it was an inspired decision to match us up.

Bro Pond did a great lesson on being cheerful, even in the midst of the depressing things around us in the world, from an article in a recent Ensign.

I just feel very blessed to have these two wonderful people in my life, and they have added to easing the transition of moving to Washington. And the icing on the cake is that they live just 1 block away.

Even with their own 7 seven children, many grandchildren, and other responsibilities, they are diligent Home Teachers who make me feel loved and looked after. They're awesome.

Sight or Sound...

2011-07-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting experience this morning. After having a lingering ear infection for about 3 months, my doctor wanted me to go for a hearing test.

I sat in a little sound-proof room (supposedly sound-proof, although I could hear the distant chatter in another office) and, wearing headphones, said "OK" every time I heard a series of low-volume beeps at different frequencies. First in the right ear, then in the left--the infection has been on the left side.

After the beeps, the audiologist had me repeat back a list of words that would come through first on the right side, then the left. The volume decreased as she spoke until I could barely guess what she was saying.

The results were that my hearing is fine, better on the right than the left, but that may have nothing to do with the ear infection, which was in the Eustachian tube and was causing pressure and that feeling like you just got off an airplane.

My relief was more than I expected and it made me really grateful. Sound is so important, and, if I had to give up either sight or sound, which would I give up? I think I'd rather give up sight. Those days when my left ear was all plugged up, I felt partially cut off from the world.

Hopefully I will never have to completely give up either sense, but it did get me thinking. What would you give up?

3 MONTHS Since My Last Post? Shame on Me...

2011-07-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how much time has passed since my last blog! My only excuse is...nope, I've got nothin'. There is no excuse.

Still, a lot has happened in these last 3 months.

In April, shortly after my last post, Eric and I took a little vacation down to Salem, Oregon. We visited Willamette University, his alma mater and football stomping grounds. What a beautiful campus! The same care that I remember going into the campus at BYU, just a lot smaller. We also saw a wonderful production of WICKED. My 4th time to see it, Eric's 1st, and he loved it. The theater was beautiful, with an incredible green and white basket weave design inside. They also added to the fun by having green apple flavored drinks in the lobby during intermission. Eric got a green apple smoothie that was to die for!
In May I took a trip to California. No Disneyland adventure this time, but I did have a lot of quality time with my nephew and the trip, as a whole, was a lot less stressful. My first return to CA back in January was spent wrestling with the unemployment office (that has all been sorted out, thank goodness,) and tenants at my CA house over 2 bounced checks (also straightened out.) We also had a little family get together, which was great, because I hadn't seen my aunts and uncles and my cousin, Laura, who was my maid of honor, since my wedding last August.

I digress for a moment to point out that in less than a month, Eric and I will be celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary. Isn't that amazing? And, if possible, I love him more now than I did then...*sigh* (happy sigh)

In June we had another CA trip planned with the 2 of us. The purpose was to attend the church wedding of my cousin, Robby, who is in the Air Force and was married 3 years ago in a small civil ceremony. The plan was to make it a big vacation...hotel, rental car, Disneyland, and any other fun that we could pack into 5 days. Unfortunately, life had other plans...

Our white kitty, Ramius, who is only 2 years old, had a dramatic reaction to a vaccine and we ended up taking him to the emergency vet the week before our CA trip. It was a 4 hour, 80-mile round trip odyssey that started at 10pm and ended up costing $300...all for a quick consultation and some under the skin fluids.
The very next day, as we were recovering from a horrible night's sleep, the washing machine died. More $$$.

The following Monday, Eric sprained a ligament in his leg and was in a lot of pain. By Wednesday (we were supposed to leave Thursday, June 9) we still planned to go, but it was not to be. Thursday morning we got up and Eric was in such pain that he just didn't think he could go. I called the airline and cancelled his reservation, and cancelled with the car rental and hotel. I thought, OK, I'll go alone and just stay at my mom's house like in the past.

The kicker came when I called my grandma to change our plans for a visit while I was down there. My dad's wife answered and alerted me of the tragic news...my dad's older brother had been killed in a horrible head-on collision the day before.

At that point I just felt all the wind go out of me. I didn't want to get on a plane. I didn't want to leave my husband. I didn't want to go through all of that. My sweet grandma had lost her remaining child. I felt so bad, but I also knew that she would need her time to grieve before wanting any company. Which led me to plan my upcoming trip next week.

Eric had taken vacation time for our CA trip and still wanted to use it, so we had to think of other things to do locally that were fun and interesting during those 12 days he had free. One of the things we did was go and visit Mount St. Helens. There are several visitor centers along the highway, but the closest one has a fantastic view only 5 miles from the mountain. You feel like you're looking right into it!
My mom came and visited last week and was here for the 4th of July, the biggest event in town. She and I went to the local outlet mall and raided the Coach store, Eddie Bauer, and the Ralph Lauren outlet where she found some beautiful bedding for when she has her bedroom redone. We also took her to Mount St. Helens, which she loved, and enjoyed the 3 days of holiday festivities, all of which take place right down the street at Lake Sacajewa, culminating in a 20 minute firework show the night of the 4th. Although, backyard fireworks are legal here, so the rockets red blare went on until nearly midnight!

See? Busy?

Other than that, life is nice and quiet. I was called to be a teacher in Relief Society at church. My first lesson is on Sunday...Lesson 35 on Obedience. I'm an over-planner, so I'm sure I have more material than I need--I finished prepping yesterday morning--but better to have too much than not enough. I'm just amazed at the church website...so much information! The last time I was a Relief Society teacher, the website didn't even exist (the internet barely existed!)

This Saturday I'm also hosting my 2nd "Ladies Movie/Karaoke Night." The first one, 2 months ago, was a rollicking success, with 12 ladies total from church enjoying a viewing of Tangled on blu-ray and a couple of hours of karaoke using our little homemade setup, plus lots of yummy munchies and a chance to relax and laugh together. We had a great time. This Saturday we're watching Emma, and it looks to be another fun night.

I'm also trying to finish the book for my book club (of which I'm now the leader!) The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton. A complicated story, but worth the time and effort.

Happy Summer to all! I'll try and do better about staying updated!

I'm Kristie, and I'm a Gadget-holic...

2011-04-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

...and also an iPhone convert. I'll back up...

Since Eric and I got married, there have been many decisions to make about merging our possessions, health insurance, dentist,taxes (that was fun!) etc. Two things have been looming over us: car insurance and cell phone servers.

I'm happy to say that one of those is now done, and it isn't car insurance! (I have insurance, but we haven't joined our plans yet.)

Having different cell phone servers is almost like being of different religions or political parties...each provider thinks is they are the best. Each one can tell you what is wrong with the others. Each one will tell you what will happen if you don't use theirs. Each one makes it hard to leave.

What to do? Eric was with AT&T, I was with Verizon. I have been with Verizon since 1996 when I got my first little StarTac cell phone. (Remember those?)Eventually having a couple of LG "candy bar" shaped phones (couldn't find pictures.) Then there seemed to be a period of time when the thing was to find the smallest phone possible:

(Actually it has been kind of fun to look up images of past phones.)

Then the "smart phones" stated to make their way onto the scene. For a while it was a battle of the Palm and the Blackberries. The Palm attracted me because of the touch screen and the QUERTY keyboard. I LOVED my Palm, and still remember it with affection, even though it basically died at the end of 2 years, which was convenient because that is when we're all eligible for a new phone anyway. But it had its little stylus and internet and email and was just cool. You couldn't add apps or anything, but I didn't care. It still felt like a little computer in my hand. Of course, the price you paid for all the bells and whistles was that the phone was bulky.

I mainly jumped on the smartphone bandwagon because the internet filter at my district was really strong and I couldn't even get my email. I felt really cut off not being able to check my email for hours. Enter smartphone.

Quick story: one time when I was having a REALLY stressful day at school I had my Palm next to my Trader Joe's salad container and accidentally threw my phone into the trash. School ended a couple of hours later and...where was my phone? I had no idea what I'd done. I looked everywhere, and eventually went into the office and had one of the office workers continuously call the number so I could try and track it down by sound. A nerve-wracking half an hour later I heard my ringtone coming from one of the trashcans in the staff lunch room. Suddenly I realized what must have happened. I had to fish it out of the trash, BIG yuck, and clean it off. I got really lucky, it was a lot cleaner than it could've been! (Someone had dumped some unwanted beans right next to it.)

When my Palm began to die, there was really only one choice for a smartphone through Verizon, and that was the Blackberry, because Palm was retooling their smartphones and the one I'd had was now obsolete. There was an LG phone that was all touchscreen, but I preferred giving up the touchscreen feature in order to have a keyboard.

I settled on the Blackberry Curve shortly before the touchscreen Storm came out (the Storm never really did much for me) and as my cousins who use AT&T were raving about their new iPhones. Not an issue. Verizon didn't have iPhones, and I had no plans to leave Verizon, so the iPhone mystery would have to remain that, a mystery.

My Blackberry served me well these last 2 years. I got pretty quick with thumb texting, there were a few apps available for download and I even had a GPS feature on there for a while that worked pretty well (although I love my Garmin nuvi 1300 GPS much better.)

Once in a while I would tinker with the new phones that had touchscreens at the Verizon kiosks, never really seeing one that appealed to me, but always on the lookout for a new phone so I could make an informed decision when my 2 years ended.

All of that changed when Eric and I had to merge our plans. First we had to choose a provider. Would I leave Verizon or would he leave AT&T? I have had only good customer service with Verizon and would be sorry to leave, but up here in the small city of Longview, WA, it really became a reception issue. I have not been getting good reception up here with Verizon when I would call CA. It has happened several times.

LONG story short (can you say "ode to my cell phone history?") we decided on AT&T. Now to pick a phone. A new Blackberry curve like the one I had? An iPhone 3G or the new 4? Or one of the iPhone copycats, many of which are very good?

Oh, the pangs of curiosity! There are certainly benefits to going with the original that everyone is raving about. I learned that with my Microsoft Zune mP3 player. Great, great player, but everything out there is made for the iPod. Even the beautiful Bose speaker my mom bought has an iPod dock.

It is the same with the iPhone. All of the fun apps, cases, etc., are geared toward the iPhone.

The older 3G was only $50, the newer iPhone 4 was something like $199. The only difference is the shape and supposed speed. Eric said to get whatever I wanted, but I actually liked the feel of the 3G more than the 4. I could try it for a month with only a $5 restocking fee if I changed my mind. The Blackberry Curve--also $50, had a $35 restocking fee. (Coincidence? No, they push those iPhones.)

So, I walked out of there with an iPhone 3Gs.

24 hours later, never having looked at any directions, I was completely comfortable with it and the touchscreen keyboard, which requires me to type with fingertip and not fingernail. The apps are awesome and super easy, most are free. Organizing the screen to my desire is easy, and the phone is lightning fast. The video camera works awesome (the videos I would take on the Blackberry were terrible, always with inaudible, garbled sound.)

One day later I returned to the AT&T store and bought a case and screen protector.

One week later I'm still loving it.

Favorite apps?

the Kindle app, which is free, and lets me download the books I already have on my Kindle account for no extra charge.
the Scriptures, which was $15...so easy to navigate, and also have the hymns and many other accessories. I have the Scriptures on my Kindle too, but I think the iPhone version is actually easier to use. Faster, too.
Words with Friends, a word game favorite that is basically Scrabble with other owners of iPhones, either people you know or people you don't.
Facebook...good ol' Facebook, can't survive without it!
Twitter...I've had a Twitter account for ages, but the iPhone's simplicity makes it a lot easier to navigate throughout the site, so I've rediscovered Twitter and am using it a lot more.
weather...I found one I like much better than the one that came with the phone. It has been very accurate and had awesome graphics

And, of course, there are the fun ones like People magazine updates, a little piano app, Solitaire, Uno, Othello (a personal favorite game,) and many others.

At this point I'm just getting past that "I'm obsessed with my new gadget" phase that we all go through. I've had the phone for a week now and it feels like longer simply because I'm so very comfortable with it. I'm hoping that my mom gets one through Verizon when she's eligible for a new phone because it is so user-friendly.

Bottom line, gadgets are fun! They are a part of our lives now and they aren't going away, so it is good to know what is out there and to try what you can. My main gadgets: my Kindle, Zune, Garmin GPS, and iPhone are mainstays that each serve their own purposes and make my life easier and create a lot less clutter because of their storage capacities (the Kindle and Zune, mainly.)

Yes, I'm Kristie, and I'm a Gadget-holic. And happy to be.

Being Grateful...

2011-03-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

In church on Sunday we had a lesson on pride. Being proud vs. being prideful. One of the ways to combat pride is to be grateful.

I was thinking about the many uses of being grateful. I've never really struggled with pride that much, but I have struggled in other ways. For me, I often don't appreciate the moment I'm in and am always looking forward to the next moment. Sometimes that leads me to getting into little funks of depression. Not DEPRESSION, but not being as happy as I know I could be.

During a little self-analysis Sunday afternoon I realized that those little bouts can also be fought with being grateful. Usually they circle around missing California and my family. Sometimes it is just a matter of being a little bit lonely when Eric is working that long 12-hour day and I'm home with just me and the pets. Aside from Fred Meyer and walking the dog by the lake, there isn't a whole lot to do in this town. BUT...

If I work on being more grateful during those moments, I am reminded of how lucky I really am.

The most basic things to be grateful for lift me out of those cloudy moments. Some standards:

1. My wonderful husband. He's the most wonderful man I've ever known. He loves me 100% unconditionally, faults and all. He's smart, fun, sweet, Supportive, chivalrous, generous, musical, sensitive, spiritual, and extremely funny. He is truly my best friend.

2. My family. They may be far, they may be scattered, but they are still my foundation of life.

3. Our home. It is a quirky-looking house, but it suits us perfectly, and the location cannot be beat.

4. Church. The spiritual uplift, extended family, and understanding of my life's purpose, where I came from and where I'm going. To know that we are all part of something greater and that we're loved by Heavenly Father is a wonderful thing.

See? I feel better already.

Slook Karen Takes the Floor...

2011-03-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

Karen, your comment was so good, I'm going to publish it as a blog entry. (For the confused ones, we called each other "Slook", rhymes with "spook", in college, I forget why, but it has lasted.)

In response to the challenge of parents in teaching their children the importance of modesty, Karen wrote:

As far as girls' clothing goes, it's definitely scary what people think is okay for little girls to wear, and there seems to be less and less difference between the styles in the juniors section and the girls section. Oy! All I can say is teach, teach, teach, and start talking when they are still very young. I remember doing an FHE lesson using Barbies years ago. We dressed them up in all kinds of outfits then talked about what was modest and why and what things we didn't want to wear. A few weeks later, we were at Olive Garden for dinner, and it was obviously prom nite somewhere. A bunch of girls in beautiful dresses strolled by with their dates, and Courtney leaned over and said, "Mom, that girl's dress isn't modest." =) They can recognize it just like we can. One other thought: I was at a stake YW activity last nite - in conjuction with the broadcast from Salt Lake - and the evening was all about being modest. Part of the program included a video with clips from different young men around the stake talking about how they view girls who dress immodestly. It was interesting to hear the two same points over and over again: 1) it actually makes them extremely uncomfortable and 2) their assumption is that the girl must not really care about herself very much. It's almost a feeling of urgency for me. Looking at the state of the world and its values and wanting to do everything I can for my daughters. I keep coming back to making sure I teach them well - not only about what's right and wrong but also about who they truly are and building their confidence so they can more easily rise above the filth all around them. Sometimes, those long-ago days of toddler tantrums look pretty good. =)

Great, response. I love the idea of using Barbies (or any doll--I wasn't allowed to have a Barbie when I was young) to illustrate modest vs. immodest dress. And, even though I don't have a daughter, I did teach school for 13 years and I still remember the feelings of protectiveness I had towards my little girls of all ages. Teaching in inner city neighborhoods, the girls seemed to grow up even faster, if you can imagine, and when I would sometimes see them at school events not wearing their uniforms I was just saddened and appalled at the things their parents would buy. Not all, but some. I think about those girls now and wonder where life has taken them. Part of me wants to know, and...part of me doesn't.

(By the way...the image above is something I found when Googling the search "modest vs. immodest." It took me to another blog by a mother facing the same challenges. The doll is one her daughter got as a gift. Mom felt the outfit was too suggestive and she modified it. Bravo! Her entry can be found HERE.)

40 'n Fabulous and Other News...

2011-03-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

I'm tired! Must be because I'm 40 now. I'm slowing down.

My mom was with us for 8 days up here in the Evergreen State. Days were spent preparing for her arrival. She and I had a nice time, trying to get her to slow down from her usual busy pace in California with grandkids, church activities, and Tuesday night Weight Watcher meetings.

We walked the dog, went shopping, had a mani/pedi lunch date with my mother-in-law, and had company over the evening before she left. I love having company, bringing out the good plates and setting the table all pretty, but it is a lot of work. The dinner consisted of my mom, this lovely couple from church that lives a block away, Eric and me. My mom helped a lot, but I still cleaned and cooked and set the table and had the responsibility of being the hostess. We had a nice time and it was all worth it.

On Wednesday, Eric shaved off his goatee. I'm still getting used to seeing him all clean-shaven!

Yesterday I burned out the vacuum and we had to get a new one. We braved the local Walmart and came home with this Bissell heavy-duty monster that is picking up so much stuff I almost miss vacuuming in blissful ignorance. Ick!

This morning we had a repairman (who was a woman) come to the house and do the yearly inspection of the heating/cooling unit. That took over 2 hours. It was a beautiful day and I could not stay inside so I went out and got some groceries, went to the bank and the post office, and...(she said sheepishly...) went and picked up the ring I had on hold that went on sale today. A little birthday $$, a little extra to supplement, and you have what I call my "40 'n Fabulous ring."

I wish I didn't have such a weakness for bling, but I do. I'm the 3rd generation on my mother's side with such a condition, I'm afraid. Anyway, I know it is completely frivolous, but I love it and plan to make it my new right hand ring. The original plan was to get a ring with my birthstone (aquamarine) but I'm just not a fan of that stone. When I saw this one with its Ceylon Sapphire and the rim of cognac diamonds I fell in love with it. Getting husband's and mother's approval sealed the deal.

Isn't being a girl fun? Even a girl at 40, which, I'm told, is the decade where you really relax and become truly comfortable in your skin. I can see that.

Speaking of girls, I'm going to segue into something more serious. Lately I have run across a few different blogs, postings, and articles about the way the media and advertisers are targeting girls at younger and younger ages to act and dress older. Today Abercrombie & Fitch were highlighted on Facebook for coming out with a padded bikini top for 8-14 year olds. Are you freakin' kidding me? As fun as I think it would be to have a daughter, I would be worried about raising one in today's world. Gail, Karen, Andrea, Trish, Sal, and other friends with preteen and teen girls...I can only imagine the challenge to keep them from growing up too fast. Even without a daughter of my own, I shudder when I see some of the clothes in the girls' and juniors departments at stores.

The other day I was on Gail's site and she linked to a recent blog entry by a mother who had had enough and just had to vent on the way products and clothing are becoming more and more suggestive and the daily challenge for responsible parents to preserve their kids', especially daughters', innocence. It is a fantastic read. Bye for now! Click the title:

"What About Our Girls? Childhood Cut Short."

My Birthday Present...

2011-03-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

For some time now, Eric has been wanting to get me a Kindle. I was reluctant because I wasn't sure if I would be able to easily transition from a tactile book to a digital screen simulating a book page. I had never even seen a Kindle in person before, and the only person I knew who had one was my cousin, Laura, and hers was new and she'd had it since we last saw each other.

I began to seriously consider Eric's Kindle offer on the plane home from Las Vegas. There were 2 women with eReaders sitting nearby. Meanwhile, I was traveling around with my thick copy of The Help, the current book club selection at the time, stuffed in my purse. It fit, but tightly, and it added plenty of extra weight.

Two days after returning from our trip I went to my book club meeting. Two of the ladies there had new eReader...the Nook, designed by Barnes & Noble. One was a fancy touch-screen color device, and the other was a black and white one without a touch-screen (except for the bottom part where you make your reading selection.) The idea of having a Kindle became even more appealing...I definitely knew that I did not want a Nook after seeing them in person.

After researching the kind of Kindle I wanted...6-inch screen or 9-inch? (There is an almost $200 difference.) Wi-fi + 3G (which allows you to download books from anywhere) or just Wi-fi (which requires you to be near your home network.) (A $50 difference in those 2 kinds...)

My research also led me to discover that there are thousands of free books and a few free games available for download. The highest quality free books are classic novels published before 1923. Other free books are those you would find in the discount bin or at a garage sale...not really high quality reading.

So I settled on a white 6-inch screen Kindle with Wi-fi+3G. I also got a Kindle case that is especially offered from Amazon that has a small LED light that feeds off of the Kindle's power. (The Kindle has 2 notches on the side which the case hooks into.)

I've had it for 9 days now and love it.

The screen is non-glare and really does look like you are looking at a page of paper, but no wrinkles, smudges, tears, or fading. It is very pleasing to the eye.

Right now we are reading Cold Sassy Tree (my suggestion) in the book club and it was available for download for only $4.95, which I did, and lent my book copy to another lady in the group who is always counting her pennies.

Eric likes the Kindle because he doesn't hear the shuffling of pages being turned when I'm reading in bed. See, something for everyone.

I was able to download all of the scriptures for church for only $9.99. Last Sunday I took only the Kindle to church for the first time, after practicing my "scripture navigation" skills for several days before. Thanks to the adjustable sizes of type-face, I was able to participate easily and find my way around the books quickly.

I am not seeing the Kindle as a replacement for books, which was my initial fear. I love books and always will, but there are definite advantages to owning a Kindle, starting with space. A Kindle can hold up to 3,500 books! I'm sure I'll never own that many in my lifetime, but it is a nice feature to have. It is light and eco-friendly. The books for download are less expensive than buying a book. New hardbacks that run $25-$30 are $10-$15 on the Kindle. The average price of all of the books I've seen is $9.99.

Think of it as an Mp3 player for books. It is light and easy to use. I'm looking forward to enjoying mine for many years to come!

The Big 4-0.....no!!!! No?

2011-03-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

Please, can't I still be in my 30's?

The momentous occasion, in which my 30's will be a shadow of the past, arrives in 4 days. I can't believe it!

But I did accomplish something big--being single for such a long time, I prayed that I would be married before I was 40. See how the Lord answers prayers with a little bit of humor attached? I was nearly 39 1/2!

I will remember my 30's as a decade of growth, milestones, and major events. I felt a lot more comfortable in my skin throughout my 30's. I bought a house (which as a single person in Southern CA is no small feat,) I lost my dad and 2 grandparents and a step-grandpa and a stepsister, I became an auntie--twice--to the 2 most adorable children in the world, I loved and lost (as I dated a wonderful man for several months who passed away tragically at 42 back in 2006,) I changed school districts, I was laid off after 7 years in my new district, I got married, and I left my beloved home state of California to begin a whole new life with my husband in Washington State.

My goodness, I'm tired just reading this!

Let me focus on my first point though: I really have felt a lot more comfortable in my skin in my 30's. I am more accepting of myself as a person, recognizing my strengths as well as admitting my flaws. I feel like my personality has become more mellow, and yet stronger, without being abrasive. I've learned about tact in ways I never knew (a lot of tact was required in different situations as a teacher, especially in my most recent school district). And despite the bumps along the way, I know it has helped me grow. All of the "life bumps" I encountered in my 30's helped me to grow.

So what do I look forward to in my 40's? Well, one thing I have learned is that no matter how much you prepare, life often has other plans for you, which you can embrace, struggle against, or push aside. I would like to think that my 40's will be the decade where I'm no longer living for myself, but as half of a partnership that will last for many decades to come. I'm looking forward to growing together more and more with my wonderful husband. Perhaps we'll have a child, perhaps not (some current medication I'm on for my eczema is putting any efforts on hold,) but, whatever happens, I think will be for the best.

I look forward to meeting more people in my new neighborhood and church community. I look forward to enjoying life more at a slower pace. A lot of my 30's was lost to working as a teacher, and, noble as the profession is, it engulfs you, especially where I worked. My 40's will hopefully be the time where I can focus on old and new hobbies, my house (we do love our house here in WA,) and, again, supporting my husband in any ways he needs.

I feel very hopeful for this decade, and it is probably a good thing that I didn't get married until I was 39, because now I appreciate it so much more than I think I would have in my 20's or 30's.

So what do I say to the 40's? BRING 'EM ON!

My skin is dumb...

2011-02-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

Really, there is no other way to say it. Ever since eczema decided to surface its genetic self on me back in college, my skin has been a source of frustration.

Now, living in the Pacific Northwest, I face a new challenge--lack of continuous sunlight, which healthy skin thrives on (in healthy doses.)

So today I had an appointment with the dermatologist. My 3rd time seeing him since moving to WA. I explained to him how I'm ALWAYS trying to stay one step ahead of the itch and the scratch, trying to figure out which combination of creams, ointments, and pills to take to ward off the itch of the day.

He almost seemed excited. Apparently he attended this dermatology conference in New Orleans last week where they discussed a new kind of eczema, and what I was describing seemed to be it. I'm now on an 8 week course of new pills. Great. Now I'm an itchy guinea pig.

Did I mention that my skin is DUMB? (Scratch, scratch, scratch...)

A Vegas Valentine...

2011-02-14T16:52:00.000-08:00

Guess who just had their 6 month wedding anniversary? Can you believe it?

The week after I got back from California, Eric and I were talking about the neat opportunity I had to meet Marie Osmond and all of a sudden he started to get that "glint" in his eye. Next thing I knew, we had VIP tickets to see Donny and Marie in concert at the Flamingo, reservations on Alaskan Air, and a room booked at the Flamingo for 2 nights. We're not especially spontaneous people, but this was a little spontaneous! It was also our first trip together since our honeymoon and our first time riding an airplane together.

It took some thinking about how to handle the pet situation, but we ended up boarding Bailey for 3 nights and setting the kitties up on the house's main floor with plenty of kibble, water, and clean sand. We had to take our chances with the kitty who isn't supposed to get much kibble. We also had to take our chances with the kitties not destroying the house while we were gone. Luckily, it was a fast trip.

We arrived to Las Vegas safe and sound and checked into our very pink hotel room at the Flamingo. I should've taken a picture of it. It was like sleeping in a Baskin Robbins ice cream shoppe. We had a great view though, of the pools and gardens.

After dinner we decided to see if there was a karaoke place nearby. There was! Right next door at Bill's Gambling Hall & Casino. Now, I have never been to a karaoke bar before. This was more like a stage off to the side of the casino than a bar. There were all of the poker and blackjack tables, the air heavy with smoke (cough! cough!) and a stage off to the side with about 12 tables in front of it. The guy running it was a good singer and he got things going. They had big spiraled notebooks of songs and Eric and I each write down something to sing. I couldn't believe I was going to do that. I hadn't sung in public in so long I couldn't even remember!

We were there from 8pm until after 11pm. I got my chance around 9pm to sing up on stage for 100's of people to hear. I was so nervous at first, but I actually calmed down and did pretty well. Fortunately, we have a karaoke machine at home and I there are certain songs I've practiced.

I did HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU (click to hear) and Eric did YOU'RE AN OCEAN (click to hear). He did great. Then later on we did a duet of ALWAYS (click to hear). All of these we've sung on MySpace, but it was still fun. We left tired and drained, after a really fun time and had a midnight burger at the Flamingo's food court.

The next day was the concert! We had several hours to kill before getting all dressed up, which we did by visiting different hotels. Then we had a quick early dinner and went to get into our evening outfits. With VIP tickets we were able to go to a special line and we had front row seats.

The show was a lot of fun. It was a tight 90 minutes with no intermission. Donny and Marie both look great for being in their 50's. They did 10 minutes of duets, then Marie sang for 20 minutes, then Donny had his 20 minutes, then a 10 minute finale. During Marie's segment she kissed a few men on the forehead, including Eric, leaving a big red smooth behind. We imprinted it on a napkin and asked her to sign it later at the meet-and-greet we got to go to.

After the show the meet-and-greet took place at a room down a ramp near the theater. Our time was quick, but we did get to meet them. Donny is a lot shorter than I thought! We were given 8x10 pictures for them to sign, which they did. Eric also had Marie sign the napkin with the lipstick. We were a little bummed because it seemed especially rushed, compared to my experience meeting Marie in CA and Eric's experience at 2 previous concerts, but we still had a great time.

The next day we checked out of the hotel and headed over to Mandalay Bay to see the Shark Reef exhibit, since our flight wasn't until 4:30. The exhibit was great, as always. I hadn't seen it in about 10 years.

We arrived home, happy that the house was in one piece, happy that the kitties didn't leave any unauthorized "gifts" for us, and just happy to be home after the over-stimulation of Las Vegas. Still, we had a very fun time!

Here are some pictures:
This last picture is of the doll I bought at Disneyland. So cute!

Me 'n Marie

2011-01-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today. The lady who took my picture with Marie Osmond sent it today. I look weird and over-exposed, but it was a neat experience and she was very nice and personable.

Book Clubs and Blessings...

2011-01-21T17:39:00.001-08:00

I have wanted to be part of a book club for ages, but it just never happened. The only one I knew of in my Southern CA neighborhood met during the day when I worked.

But now I'm part of one in Southern WA. Like the one in CA, it is comprised of ladies from church. I love to read, but I'm not voracious. I devour my magazines like People and Reader's Digest from cover to cover, but I'm especially picky about books. I love a good book, but I refuse to waste my time on a book that doesn't capture my interest from the beginning. Like everything else, my standards for books are high: I like good stories, I like to learn something, I like good writing and well-rounded characters. Those requirements are harder to find than you may think. I have started a lot of books and not finished them.

It is unfortunate that I began this book club with a selection that I simply could not get absorbed by and, apparently, I wasn't the only one.

The selection this time was Traveling With Pomegranates, by Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor. Sue Monk Kidd wrote the fantastic book The Secret Life of Bees, which I loved. I so wanted to like this book, which is a memoir of this mother and daughter's travels. Alas, I did not. I didn't find it to be interesting. I didn't care about where they went or what they were doing. It was like looking at someone's boring vacation slides. I just didn't care. After 85 pages and no sign of any improvement in the writing or my curiosity, I decided I'd had enough. Oh well, can't win them all. I found out last night that there were others who read even less, all feeling the way I did.

Despite the lack of enthusiasm about month's selection, we did have a nice time. At its maximum, the group has about 15 ladies, but only 5, including myself, attended last night's meeting. I hope that in the future more ladies attend.

The meeting ran longer than I expected, and it was 9:30pm when I arrived home to our menagerie of pets. Eric was working graveyard, so it was me and the four-footed creatures.

And, even though the most recent book was something of a bust, our little group mapped out a plan for the next few months. We each gave suggestions and I'm pretty excited about what is ahead:

FEBRUARY
I've heard great things about this book. I'm excited to read it!

MARCH
This was my suggestion. I love this book and its characters. It will be fun to revisit it.

APRIL
About a lady who forms an unlikely soccer team. Highly recommended...

MAY
All I know about this book is that it takes place in Russia and one of the ladies loved it. It's historical fiction, one of my favorite genres.

All in all it was an interesting night. Some things that I expected and some things I did not. I am glad to be involved in something extra curricular and intellectual, though. Now that I'm not teaching it has been a process getting used to using my time differently. But I like it!

Here are some other suggestions that we discussed last night:
The Hoarders by Stringham
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Christy by Catherine Marshall
A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
A Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg
Beyond Summer by Wingate
To Have Not by Frances Lefkowitz
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Can you go home again?

2011-01-20T03:28:00.000-08:00

3:30am and I'm awake. Funny, because I just saw that my friend, Gail, also posted a new blog entry during the 3am hour.

Here's what's happening...

I've just been to:
California. My first trip back since moving up to Washington in October. I was there from a Tuesday to a Tuesday and, boy, did it fly. It is amazing how the preparations and packing take so long and then the actual trip goes by so quickly.

Tuesday, Jan 11: flew into Ontario, CA airport, went to In n Out with my mom (yum!), went back to her house to unpack, got phone call from Eric saying that our tenant's check had bounced, spent the next few hours on phone with property manager, unpacking, trying to relax.

Wednesday, Jan 12: visited with my grandma, went to meet with the lady managing my house to plan strategy with tenant. Visited at my brother's house for an hour to see my niece and nephew.

Thursday, Jan 13: Went and wrestled with EDD (unemployment) from whom I still haven't seen a penny since suspending my claim 3 days before getting married. It still isn't resolved. The office is about a mile from my last school, so I went there around lunchtime and visited for about half an hour before having to get my mom's car back to her. Listening to the teachers talk about their current stresses with kids, parents, and administration, the words flashing through my head were "I don't miss this one bit!"

Friday, Jan 14: XANDER DAY! I have been missing my 3 year old nephew sooooo much it has almost hurt. Last Friday we had him all day. We took him to his baby music class, which I absolutely love visiting. The program is called Music Together (click for the link.) If you have a young pre-K child, I highly recommend this class. Babies go too! Then we went to have Japanese food and then we played and played at my mom's house. I love that kid so much! He is so fun! Xander quote of the day: "You got to buckle up otherwise you fly through the window!"

Saturday, Jan 15: Disneyland! Boy did this day turn out interesting! The original plan was to meet my friend, Tracey, at 9am and spend the day there. Instead, she was late and I walked into the entrance to see that Marie Osmond was having a signing event from 11am-1pm. I was so torn on what to do. You had to buy one of her products in order to get in line. If I wasn't married to Eric, who loves Donny & Marie, I probably would've passed by, but, I didn't. I quickly ran and got a locker for my jacket, called my mom to get her opinion (thumbs up,) bought one of the darn things, and got in line at 9:35am. I was about the 20th person. It was hot, there was no place to sit, and I had no camera. Even the camera on my Blackberry was malfunctioning. But I had to do it. Mainly because Eric had been pulled up onstage by Marie 2 years ago at their Vegas show, had made himself very memorable because he sings so well, and I wanted to see if she remembered him. I finally got to meet her at 12:30pm (3 hours in line!) and she was as nice as you would imagine. There was none of that star-struck nervousness that I've had before when meeting a famous person, it was like I knew her. The best part? She totally remembered Eric! And there was a lady there to take pictures. I'm still waiting for her to email mine. I hope she does!

Sunday, Jan 16: This was supposed to be a restful day, and I guess it kind of was, but not as much as I had hoped. In the afternoon, my mom and I went and saw The King's Speech, with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh....what an incredible movie!!! A true story, a heartbreaking story in many ways. It is about King George VI, the current Queen Elizabeth's father, who reluctantly took the throne when his brother abdicated in order to marry the American divorcee', Wallis Simpson. George (Albert, nicknamed "Bertie") had a horrible stutter, exacerbated by years of verbal abuse by his father and nannies. Now forced to be the voice of the nation, his wife (the late Queen Mum) finds an unorthodox speech therapist and amateur actor named Lionel Logue to help after dozens of conventional methods have failed over the years. These 2 men form an unusual friendship that transcends rank and position as Bertie finally starts to relax and get comfortable in his own skin. It is an amazing journey to watch. The R rating is surprising and shouldn't prevent anyone from seeing it. There is one scene with some language and that's it. It is truly an incredible movie and I can't wait for it to be released on DVD/blu ray. See it! You can't help but love it.

Monday, Jan 17: Another Xander day! My sister in law knew that I wanted to spend time with Xander, so she let us have him for the day. We went to the park, although it was a pretty warm day, and then went and had Japanese food again. He loves miso soup and teriyaki salmon. Have I mentioned how much I love that kid?

Tuesday, Jan 18: Time to fly home to WA. My mom and I said our goodbyes. She wanted me to thank Eric for letting her borrow me for a week. I had a smooth flight home and Eric was at the Portland, OR airport to pick me up. We had lunch, went to Trader Joe's in Vancouver, WA (the nearest one to us) and drove home in the gray, rainy weather. Bailey was peeing himself with excitement that I was home, especially since he was boarded with the groomer for most of that week. The kitties came out and said hello and went back to their regularly scheduled programming.

The thing that has struck me the most since being back in our house in WA is how much at home I feel here. I knew that I would feel a little displaced in CA because I was no longer in my own house and didn't have my car there. I was amazed at how little emotional connection I felt with my house, which is right across the street from my mom's. I was also amazed at the wave of relaxation and tension release that swept over me when I stepped into our WA house. The fact that the tenant's new cashier's check was in the mail helped a lot too.

Yesterday was a slow, relaxing day at home. Slept in and did a bit of grocery shopping and laundry. That was it. We've been enjoying our new blu-ray player immensely, which lets us stream movies from Netflix and has YouTube. Awesome! We watched Endless Summer, a childhood favorite, and watched some hilarious YouTube videos by this creative guy named Nice Peter. SO funny!

It was a good trip. Yesterday was a good day. I'm happy to be HOME.

Our First Christmas...

2010-12-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

Before I begin, I would just like to say that I hope that everyone had a nice Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

I would like to say that our first Christmas was shiny and perfect, but the truth is, I missed celebrating with my family in CA. I've never spent Christmas away from them in 38 years. I guess it wouldn't be normal if I wasn't a little homesick. I think that part of it is that we are all still mourning the loss of our traditional Christmases at my grandparents' house, which ended after they both passed away in 2008.

So, partly because of that, I think I came into the Christmas season a little on the emotional side this year. I am happy, though, that we were able to give a really nice Christmas Eve to Eric's family. My family decided to not do gifts this year, so Eric and I were able to focus our attention on his parents, nieces and nephew, who his parents have raised.

We went to Vancouver, the closest big city (about 40 miles away) about 2 weeks ago and did a marathon shopping day that turned out to be pretty productive and successful. I wrapped everything a few days before Christmas.

His family does things pretty informally, which is the complete opposite of my family. But, since we were hosting and because I have certain high expectations of myself as the hostess, I wanted to set a beautiful Christmas table for them. We used our wedding china for guests for the first time and my grandma's silver, which I'm so thrilled to have inherited.

The dinner was simple: some pizza, and I made BBQ chicken in the oven, Mexican rice, a salad, and my special chocolate chip sherry bundt cake, but we had a nice time. Eric's mom has been in a physical therapy rehab center with a broken foot and she just lost her sister about a week and a half ago, so knowing that we could give her a lovely evening away from the hospital for a few hours helped me to get out of my own pity party.

The evening was nice and comfortable and ended a bit earlier than what I'm used to simply because Eric's dad had to drive his mom back to the hospital (she had gotten leave for a few hours.) Eric and I cleaned up after the dinner and took Bailey for a walk in the rain, looking through windows and seeing other families celebrating their Christmas Eves and counting our own blessings.

Christmas Day was quiet. We only had one gift to open, from Eric's best friends, the Porters, which turned out to be a bean bag tic-tac-toe set up for the family room downstairs. It was a relief to see what was in that box, because we had been guessing for a week and had absolutely no idea what it was. We had fun setting it up and hurling the beanbags through the holes for about half an hour. Next came a quick phone call to my mom, who was at my brother's house, a nice Christmas breakfast, and a little more emotional tears from me followed.

But once again I had an opportunity to put things into perspective. We went and saw his mom at the hospital. If that doesn't make you count your blessings, nothing will. It was the proverbial scene with elderly people lining the hallways, looking a little lost. I tried to smile at the ones whose eyes I met, again counting my blessings, of which we have so, so many.

After the hospital and a quick trip to drop off an old TV/VCR to Eric's dad, we came home, grateful to have a nice warm home, grateful to have each other, and reminded of what Christmas is all about. We ended up snuggling downstairs watching A Christmas Story on TV and laughing uncontrollably at the funny jokes that never made sense when you watch that movie as a kid.

What a day! What lessons learned.

Christmas and its changes...

2010-12-14T10:24:00.000-08:00

In this year of multiple life changes, I'll be spending Christmas in WA with Eric and his family this year. Maybe it is because this is the first year in my life that I will not be spending Christmas with my family, but I had the need to have reminders of Christmas all over the house. Fortunately, Eric and I each had trees from our previous houses. Instead of debating which one to use and where, we used them both:

Mine in the living room as the main tree.

Eric's little 5-footer in the kitchen. His mom used to work for Hallmark and every year she would pick one ornament for him and let him pick one himself. There is an interesting assortment of Santa and football-themed (her choices) and religious, Nativity-themed ones (his.) The size is just right for the room.

And, since we spend a lot of time downstairs in the subterranean family room, I thought we needed a tree down there. So we got a white tree and red and gold ornaments to match the crazy carpeting down there, which I admit, is beginning to grow on me. I'm still waiting for that to happen in our very orange kitchen. Although the kitchen itself is awesome.

We are still settling in and deciding which projects to tackle, so, unfortunately our fireplaces will not have any fires this year until a chimney sweep comes out and inspects them. Who knows when they were used last. I do miss the hearth at my house in San Gabriel's living room. It was so pretty. Maybe one day we'll build more of a mantle in this house. All in good time, though.

This nativity is one that I bought at my favorite antique shop down in San Juan Capistrano. My gut tells me that it is not an antique, but I love the figures and the serene looks on all of their faces. It is sitting on my grandparents' console (which I can finally use because of the size of this house) in the dining room.

I saved the best for last. I am thrilled to have inherited this item from my grandparents' house. No one else showed much interest in it. This is a Mexican nativity scene that my grandma bought. Together, she and my grandpa built the diorama around it. It is the blending of the best of their talents...my grandpa, the thinker, the builder, the engineer. My grandma, the artist, the organizer, the decorator. I was able to put all new lights in it and bring it back to its former glory. I love having it set up during this season. It brings back so many great family memories.

Not only will this Christmas be a change for me, but also for the rest of our family as we all continue to adjust to the changes in our lifelong holiday traditions now that my grandparents are gone. Last year we had Christmas Eve at my house, and this year it will be at my mom's. This will also be the smallest gathering, as 6 out of the 7 grandchildren will be unable to attend. 5 are now out of state and my brother as obligations with his in-laws. Happily, my mom and her siblings are determined to be flexible and continue the family Christmas Eve traditions. Next year Eric and I plan to attend.

Lastly, another change this year is that it seems my whole family is doing very little in the gift department. I'm OK with that as long as everyone is agreeable, but as the person who has been in charge of the Christmas Wish Lists for the last several years, it feels weird not to be scrambling around collecting them from everyone.

The great thing about that, though, is that none of us really NEED anything. We're all so fortunate, so blessed, and have such abundance, that Christmas gifts almost feel redundant this year. And, as much as my life has changed this year, so much of it has been changes for the better. Now really, what Christmas present can top that?

Hallelujah Chorus...Food Court Style...

2010-12-06T17:43:00.000-08:00

This is great. Kudos to whoever organized this!

The Smell of Home...

2010-12-05T21:28:00.001-08:00

This week I've been in a little bit of a funk. I think I've been a little homesick for CA, my mom, my nephew, decent shopping, etc. It's annoying how those moments of melancholy creep up on you.

I wanted to do something different with our meals, so I made Mexican rice--a staple in my home growing up--for the first time in about 20 years. It turned out OK, but not as flavorful as I would've liked. It tasted better the next day and with some added salt.

Today I made a second batch of Mexican rice. I used a shallower, but wider pot, more onion, and made it early enough so that it could sit even after it was cooked. It was better! Posting a picture of it on Facebook elicited all sorts of responses and suggestions from friends. There are a million and one ways to tweak the recipe.

And in an attempt to do something different, I wanted to try albondigas (Mexican meatballs) soup. I found a great recipe online, (click HERE for the recipe,) ran to the store to get the things I was missing, and did it. I knew it would be a success because I was making it in my grandma's pot. Anything made in that pot is going to turn out good because she was an amazing cook.

I was so happy that it turned out great! Eric got a great dinner and I got a good sense of satisfaction and a kitchen full of childhood aromas. They are comforting smells that made me feel less homesick. And now we have enough to last 2-3 more meals. Yum!

Bill Gates Speech: 11 Rules Your Kids Will Not Learn At School...

2010-11-30T15:38:00.000-08:00

I love this! Enough with the spoon feeding attitude that some schools and adults have. The truth is that Life is tough, so best be prepared...

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

A Lovely Little Thanksgiving...

2010-11-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

In a year of many firsts, Eric and I celebrated our first Thanksgiving together yesterday. It was small, just the two of us, but very nice. Even if I had been in CA, our family is kind of scattered to the 4 winds this year at Thanksgiving...Jonathan with his in-laws and my mom at a family reunion in Mexico, and several cousins out of town.

I'm adjusting to a quieter life now in WA, free of the drama of being a schoolteacher and away from a faster pace of living that has been all I've known. For the most part, I like it, but I am aware that it is requiring adjustment. Still, I'm extremely thankful for the direction my life has taken this year.

Eric had to work from 5am-5pm yesterday, so I planned our dinner to be at 6:30. Enough time for him to come home, shower, and unwind a little. We got to use our wedding china for the first time. And, although Eric teases me about having 10 place settings and others these days are even foregoing having a set of wedding china altogether, to me, it is one of the little perks of getting married. By golly, I was going to have wedding china! Eric, who has great taste, is actually the one who found this pattern, Padova, by Waterford. We went to Portland a few weeks ago and ordered the balance of our set. I make no apologies, I love our wedding china!

I made out the menu for our dinner a few days ago, bought the groceries on Wednesday, and set the table early yesterday morning. Even though it was just the 2 of us, I wanted it to be memorable, so I dressed nice. And, although he usually changes into sweats after working 12 hours, Eric followed my lead when he got home, and was very good about steering clear of the kitchen and dining room until 6:30.

The result was a quiet, intimate, candlelight dinner of chicken thighs (no turkey for just the 2 of us,) stuffing, gravy, salad, asparagus, yams, rolls, cranberry sauce, sparking cider, and pumpkin pie. We said a blessing and dug in, thankful to have food on the table, a great house in which to live, our health, our families, Eric's income, and each other. It was lovely.

Tonight when he gets off work, we are heading over to his parents' house in Kelso, about 2.5 miles away (everything is VERY local here, unless you want to do some serious shopping, then you've got about a 40 mile drive ahead of you.) They are having their Thanksgiving today to accommodate his dad's work schedule. I may even meet his sister for the first time, who lives about 2 hours away, if she joins us.

Next is Christmas! I need to address my Christmas card envelopes, buy stamps, and send those babies off. We also have 3 Christmas trees this year, a large one for the front window, a white one with red decorations for the downstairs family room, and a small one for some extra flair in the dining room somewhere. For me, the music and lights and decorations of Christmas are my favorite part, much more than presents, which will be lean after this incredibly expensive year of wedding, honeymoon, and almost 15 round trip flights back and forth between CA and WA between the 2 of us.

Of course, the real reason for this time of year is to be thankful for all we have, to be extra mindful of others and to remember the blessed event of our Lord's birth. May you and yours have a wonderful holiday season.

Just livin' life...

2010-11-19T07:22:00.001-08:00

Wow, time sure passes quickly. Just a quick update.

The house is done. All furnished. The boxes that were inside the house are all unpacked. Interestingly, the last pile of boxes were in the living in and dining room.

This area gets tons, and I mean TONS of trick or treaters, so I knew that I had until Halloween night to get through those boxes. I literally finished going through them and decorating the fron rooms at about 3pm on Halloween. The last 2 boxes were clothes, so I cheated and hid them in a different room out of sight.

On Halloween we were invited to go to a brief little get together with a few neighbors across the street. There was homemade soup, and they had a pool to see who could guess how many trick or treaters would come to the hosting house. We could only stay for about half an hour because Eric and I would look out the window and see kids go up to our door when we weren't there. So, home we went.

Very quickly, the trick or treating traffic began to pick up. We realized that we couldn't even leave the dining room before the doorbell would ring again. So, we set up our laptops at the dining room table and just camped out for about 3 1/2 hours. We kept a tally of how many kids came to the door and, at 8:30pm, we noticed that the whole neighborhood turned off their lights and stopped answering their doors. We decided to follow. Final tally....526 kids!!!!

That was one big excitement. The other is that my mom came for her first visit last week. She was here from a Monday to a Saturday. We had the guest room all ready, although the shower in the guest bathroom isn't quite ready for use. She loved having her own room and bathroom. She loved our house and, surprisingly, she loved this little city and the dreary weather. I knew that she would like the weather, she has always liked rain and overcast skies.

It was unfortunate that Eric had to work the day shifts when my mom was here, but we made the best of it and I showed her around myself. We stayed local. She loved, loved the lake that is within walking distance of our house.

The day after my mom left I got hit with a cold. My normal autumn cold that lasts about a week. Today is day 5. It is almost gone. I'm looking forward to it being ALL gone!

In the meantime, Eric and I are living a quiet life together as newlyweds. We love our house, we love being together and going on walks and going shopping and eating dinners that we make. We'll be hosting Christmas Eve for his family this year. It will be a small affair, maybe 6 of us all together. I'm used to a big to-do, so I'm still going to decorate the house to the nines. I love Christmastime and all that goes with it.

And that's what we're up to. Just livin' (and lovin') life.

It's our 2 week anniversary...

2010-10-14T16:43:00.001-07:00

...together in our WA house!

Things are rolling right along, and the work just seems to be never ending.

Eric's 4 days off began on Tuesday, and it is so much nicer having him home. Those 4 12-hour days alone were not too fun, but I guess I'll have to get used to it. His 4 nights of graveyard begin on Saturday night.

On Tuesday we drove the 45 miles to Portland, OR. Just a field trip to spend the day together and get a change of scenery. The first thing we did was find the Portland location of my favorite sushi place: Todai Seafood Buffet. Well, that was a disappointment. They just don't get the huge influx of people as the one in Southern CA, so the food wasn't very fresh. Fortunately, we had a $50 American Express gift card to use that paid for our filling, but not very satisfying lunch. Eric does have a great little sushi place in Vancouver that we've gone to before, so all is not lost. But, we've eaten at home a lot since we've been here.

After that we walked around Pioneer Place mall, which is where Todai is. A lot of stores out of business and empty. But, they did have a nice Eddie Bauer store, which are getting harder and harder to find. When the lady who helped us discovered that I had worked for Eddie Bauer, she even offered me a job, which I would've been tempted to take if there wasn't a 45 mile commute.

Then we drove to the big mall in Portland, the Lloyd Center. With Macy's gift cards in hand, we ordered the remaining pieces of our china and stemware. Ten complete place settings altogether. I know it sounds weird and excessive to want to complete the china when I don't know anyone in our new city, but that won't last forever. And part of the fun of getting married is having wedding china. It's a one-time thing, and I like being the hostess when possible and setting a beautiful table. I never imagined I would even be getting wedding china, so I'm going to enjoy it without apology. =)

We did get held up for almost an hour during the china-ordering process though, because it turns out that one of our gift cards, which was just a card in the stack that had been sitting in the kitchen for weeks--had been used fraudulently. How scary is that? That someone can just somehow find a random gift card number and use it. It has been used about 2-3 days before, online. Thankfully, the Macy's lady took us at our word with no problem and sorted it out. It was time-consuming, but she did it and everything worked out. Our china and stemware should be arriving next week.

By that time, it was time to start heading home. Bailey had already been in the house waiting for us for several hours, and we were going to stop at Trader Joe's in Vancouver on the way back to Longview. We won't get there too often, but it is good to know that there are Trader Joe's up here. Fortunately, Fred Meyers (love that store!) carries a lot of things found at Trader Joe's, except for their store brand pet supplies, which I like.

Yesterday turned into a lazier day than expected. We bought some paint for the guest bedroom downstairs and some groceries, but Eric and I had a hard time getting going. We needed a slower day.

Today my sweet husband has spent the whole day painting, painting, painting. It is nice to have the "institutional green" color gone from that bedroom. My goal is to basically duplicate the colors and decor of my CA bedroom in that guest bedroom, all starting with the walls, which are the absolute lightest shade of pink. When Eric sleeps off his graveyard shifts this weekend, it will be a good time for me to work downstairs without disturbing him.

At noon I had my first haircut in WA. Scary! I think the lady did a good job, but until I style it myself it will be hard to tell. The rest of the afternoon has been spent unpacking boxes, cutting them down and putting them into the garage so that Eric can fill up the back up his truck tomorrow and run them to the dump. Ah, the glamors of unpacking.

Meanwhile, what started as an absolutely gorgeous sunny and blue-skied day has given way to clouds and a murky sky. Everyone keeps warning me that the rainy weather in only about a week away! Apparently the week before Halloween is when everything turns to full time rain for the next 3 months and all of the leaves will fall off the trees. I'm trying to prepare myself, although I really don't mind chilly, rainy weather. I'd rather be cold than hot. But, only time will tell. I'm more worried about the pets, who will not understand why they can't go outside as often as before.

All in all, we're slowly settling into life in our new house and new city (for me.) This morning I got to talk to my mom for the first time in over a week, so that was nice. She's been on a cruise to the eastern states and Canada and was calling me from Newfoundland. Technology is amazing, isn't it? Point A is Longview, WA and Point B is Corner Brook where my mom was calling me from. I'm glad we got to talk today.

So, happy 2 weeks in WA!

I'm now a Washingtonian...it has been a challenging week!

2010-10-08T08:28:00.001-07:00

Hello tiny group of loyal blog readers! Before too much time passes before my next entry, I just wanted to check in and let you know that I've officially moved to WA now. Eric and I did a straight shot up here from CA last Thursday. We left at 6:15am with a car full of pets and luggage and pulled into our driveway in Longview, WA at about 12:45am. The kitties spent the day in a soft crate I had bought in the back of the car. They huddled together the entire day. Having them back there also meant that every time we stopped to let Bailey out, one of us had to stay with the car.

The next couple of days consisted of us getting groceries and helping the kitties acclimate to the new house. The 2 males have spent most of the days under the bed, especially the youngest, Ramius. He's used to sleeping all day and prowling around the neighborhood at night. Right now I'm letting them out one at a time with supervision for a few minutes. However, Ramius especially has enjoyed exploring the ledges and skylights that go across the 12 foot ceilings in our dining room and kitchen. We seem him waayyy up there, happy as can be. The next best thing to climbing a tree, really.

Unfortunately, our move has been overshadowed quite a bit by some major issues with my skin. For 3 weeks now I have had a red, seeping rash around my mouth that has made eating, sleeping, talking, and even kissing my husband painful and uncomfortable. I have been on 2 different antibiotics and have seen my doctor in CA 2 times. Nice lady, but she has done absolutely NOTHING. After $200 worth of visits, creams, and pills with no relief, I went online one night when I couldn't sleep (there have been a lot of sleepless nights lately) and Googled "seeping rash around mouth." I found something called Perioral Dermatitis, with pictures matching what I had been suffering from. I printed up a few articles, all of which determined that I was supposed to be on Tetracycline, then made a 3rd appointment with my doctor and brought her the articles. She thought it "could" be that condition and prescribed Tetracycline.

How scary is that?

She's supposed to be the doctor and I'm the one doing a self-diagnosis. She just prescribed what I asked her for. I asked for some extra refills since I was moving and she did that too. Our health care system is a mess.

2 days later I started to see some real improvement with the rash. Yay for Dr. Kristie and Google, right? (No, the thought still infuriates me.) Then the improvement started to taper off and stop. Plus, there was a rash developing on my chest that was very itchy and uncomfortable. Eric ran to the drug store one night in CA and came back with a buffet of itch relief products. I settled on topical Benedryl, since I was already taking an antibiotic and didn't want to ingest anything else. The relief was sporadic, but relief was relief, so I kept using it.

When we arrived in WA I made an appointment with a doctor at Kaiser, since I'm now on Eric's insurance. The only way to see a dermatologist was to see a general doctor first and get a referral. He prescribed a topical clindamycin with alcohol (OWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and a cream, which I used once and it did nothing. At least I got the derm referral and was impressed with the workings of Kaisers in house pharmacy. Wow, they are efficient!

On Tuesday the movers arrived at 8am with our stuff. Monday night I had had a HORRIBLE night's sleep because my chest was so itchy and my face was completely red and totally seeping from my nose to my chin. I looked like a freak and had to keep dabbing my face with Kleenex. it was getting worse and worse. I made an appointment with the derm at Kaiser for that afternoon. For 3 hours the movers unloaded their huge semi. I stood at the door checking off the box number or item number that they would bring in. Eric led them to different rooms and would take over clipboard duty every few minutes while I would go and splash cold water on my ever burning face.

When the movers left at 11:30, there was nothing to do then but wait for my appointment. Meanwhile, my face was getting WORSE. The right side was now getting swollen and numb. The redness was spreading. This was getting scary. My appointment was at 2:20, but at 1:30 Eric said enough was enough, we had to get this taken care of. We drove to Kaiser, he dragged me to the front of the line of people waiting to check in and demanded that we see the derm at once or we were going to the emergency room. I have to say, in my misery I was really proud of how he took control of that scary situation. The check in nurse could see that this was dire and led us back to a room. Everyone was very nice, the RN attempted to keep me calm, because I was crying at this point because I could not feel the right side of my face. It was like someone had given me a shot of Novocaine.

The derm came in very quickly. No 20 minute wait like in my clinic in CA. He looked at the redness, asked about the history of the rash and products, foods, detergents, soaps, lotions, etc--anything that I could've come in contact with. Because he was fairly certain that this was now a contact allergy. What I had around my mouth before was most likely the Perioral Dermatitis and the Tetracycline was working, but since then, I had developed something else. He actually thinks it is an allergic reaction to the topical Benedryl, which he says is quite common. He even got a little miffed at Eric for bringing it home and not mentioning it immediately when we discussed what the cause could be. Keep in mind that we were flying blind in CA because we were getting no help from the medical profession there.

The good news was that he acted like this was easily treatable. Time to bring in the big gun though: Prednisone. 4 in the morning for a week, then 3 in the morning for a week, then 2, then 1, until all 70 pills are gone. Side effects? Irritability, weight gain, and jitters. On the face I could use water and Vaseline only to help with the burning and dryness.

Thank goodness. Finally! Some answers! I took the first dose of Prednisone as soon as I got home. I took another shower and Eric ran and got a pizza for dinner. By the evening, the redness had gone down about 75% on my chest, and my face was no longer swollen and numb (that had been pretty scary.)

That night I slept for 10 1/2 hours. My poor body had been so, so tired. I had been awake from 2:30am the previous night. The seeping stopped, and the next day my face began to dry out and renew the skin. It got pretty dry, but there was no pain and no itching and burning. I felt human again. It still didn't look great, but at least I wasn't suffering the way I had been.

Yesterday was a little bit of a back slide. My chest and neck were incredibly itchy and parts of my face were kind of itchy. I was very uncomfortable all day, but the more unpacking and sweating I did, the more my skin became irritated. I would take breaks and just sit in front of the fan. When I went outside in the cool air to take out trash, my face felt better. In the evening we took Bailey for a nice long walk in the brisk WA cool air and my face felt the best it had felt all day.

Today it feels better, no itching, and on the mend. As long as I see progress, that is all that matters. I cannot expect miracles in just a few days when I'm supposed to be on Prednisone for a month.

Our challenge last night was insuring that Eric got a good night's sleep because he had to be back to work this morning. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to be the perfect wife and help him get his lunch readt, create a quiet house while he went to bed before me, and make sure the pets didn't hinder his sleep. Sadly, my pets can be pests sometimes, especially right now as we're all adjusting. Last night, my older male, Darcy, decided to be the pest, scratching on the closet door and waking Eric up at 2am. He was frustrated and when I tried to go back to sleep, I guess I was sighing a lot and rustling the covers and keeping him from nodding off and then I was frustrated. I slept from 11pm until 2am, then spent the next 2 hours in the kitchen making sure that nothing interrupted Eric's sleep. His alarm rang at 4am.

I've never shared the house with him before while he's been on day shift, so even though I know his routine, I didn't want to get in the way. It didn't help that I was very emotional and felt very guilty that anything me our my pets had done had hindered his sleep in anyway. We're a 1 income family right now, and I want to be as supportive as I can and pull my weight around the house as much as possible. It was hard not to be a little teary this morning. The lack of sleep didn't help.

I know that this is only the first week and we all have to adjust. I keep telling myself that. I think that what has thrown me is that some of the things I thought would be harder, have been the easier ones, and vice versa. Certainly, all of the problems with my skin have been at unexpected challenge that have really made each day difficult.

I am trying to focus on the positive, count my blessings, and take each day one at a time. My mom has missed me a lot, and I feel guilty every time she tells me this. But the good news is that she finally taking a long overdue vacation with some friends on a cruise around new England. she'll be spending her birthday there, of which I'm glad about. My house in CA is rented to a nice man who seems like he will be a low-maintenance tenant. Now that the movers have delivered my things, we won't have anymore groups of strangers traipsing through the house (2 days of packers and movers last week and one this week--that's a lot.) Our WA neighborhood is lovely and it is so great to be able to take Bailey on walks. This happy dog has gotten two long walks per day. We are 3 houses up from the city's man-made lake and the surrounding park. And, even though our house needs some updating, it is a great house, lots of charm and history, in a fabulous neighborhood with incredibly nice neighbors. I'll post some pictures when I can find my camera cord in one of the boxes.

See? I feel better already. OK, time to start my day. Let's see how my face does when I'm out of the shower. I want to give Eric his wife back. I haven't worn makeup all week and I miss getting all prettied up. Thanks to my new GPS, I'm going to go and get some groceries today and I promised Eric a spaghetti dinner would be waiting for him when he gets home tonight. His first day back to work, I want to do things extra nice.

I just have to keep telling myself, "I am blessed, I am blessed." I am. We are.

Hold your loved ones tight...

2010-09-09T07:21:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a draining day. Things are moving along as far as the house and the dishwasher, etc., but it was emotionally draining. The school I used to teach at was hit hard with the news that one of our teachers lost her husband in a tragic, senseless shooting. You can see the local news coverage HERE and an article HERE.

All over Facebook, former coworkers were mentioning it, and lamenting with the many losses that the school and city have suffered recently. One of our vice principals was killed last year in the drug violence in Mexico. Our principal lost her husband to cancer last year. We had more lay-offs than any other district in the San Gabriel Valley. It has been a lot for our staff to digest. This recent tragedy has hit the community very hard.

Sandra Saenz-Urias, the lovely teacher who lost her husband, is one of the nicest people I have ever met. She welcomed me to the school right from the beginning and always made an effort to say hello and give a smile. She teaches kindergarten, and I was always amazed at the way her little ones would behave for her without her ever having to raise her voice. She and her husband, Hector, were in the process of finalizing the adoption of their first child after trying unsuccessfully for 18 years to conceive one of their own.

It is one of those horrible events that just makes you ask WHY. Why did such a lovely couple have to be torn apart by something so violent and senseless?

As we keep Sandy and her family in our prayers, take a moment and think about the loved ones in your life. Make sure you tell them you love them, forgive the little imperfections, and hold them a little tighter. There's someone out there who wants to do the same thing and no longer can...

Labor Day Weekend Sound Experience...

2010-09-07T10:38:00.001-07:00

This weekend I finally got to rest a bit. Now that we have a plan for moving and me going up to WA on Friday, things are not as frenzied for a couple of weeks.

I helped my mom search for a sound system that would suit her needs in her gazebo, which was interesting and fun. She knew she wanted high quality sound, but didn't really know what the final setup would be like. We went to Sears and she ended up getting this ginormous boom box with am 8-inch woofer. Yes, the sound was great, but when we brought it back to her house, it looked huge. We did not unpack it.

You really do get what you pay for. I explained to her that the only way I know to get really high quality sound in a compact unit it to get something from Bose. I have never had anything from Bose before, but I remember years ago housesitting for a couple who had one of the Bose Waves in their kitchen and I was extremely impressed with the sound quality. And, fortunately, our local mall just added a Bose store about a year ago.

Neither of us really knew what to expect, but yesterday we went and were both blown away at the quality. We took our MP3s and connecting cord so that we could test different units using familiar music. Minutes later we had Russell Watson's Funiculi! Funicula! blasting across the store from a unit smaller than my laptop.

We had a great salesman, and after about a half an hour my mom settled on a portable speaker with a retractable iPod dock, Aux Line in to plug in her MP3, rechargable battery or AC adaptor, handle, and additional internal bass. $399 + $10 for the case. In my opinion, totally worth it. So easy to move from room to room or outside and exactly what she needed and was looking for. She gets radio on her MP3, so that's not an issue. Aside from having a CD player, it will virtually replace the little radios that she has all over the house.

I am someone who is very conscious and sensitive to sound and noise. Always have been. It was a lot of fun to hear familiar songs in a whole new way.

I got a little treat too! My mom was so grateful for all of my help that she bought me a pair Bose computer speakers. I love them! They are so compact and not all bulky like my previous ones. They also have better sound without the woofer that I had on my floor.

Now that I'm moving into a much bigger house, I would love to have a portable speaker like the one my mom got, but that is down the road. In the meantime, I can even hook up my TV to the computer speakers. Last night and this morning I watched Angels and Demons for the first time using them. It was like being in Rome with its sights and sounds all around me. Fun! I'll do a review of that movie very soon. It is one of those stories that works its way into you. As a former Catholic, I found it fascinating. I have always loved learning about the Vatican and the papal selection.

And now, back to moving forward on the interstate move. My new dishwasher was delivered about an hour ago. The handyman I hired is on his way to cut a space in my kitchen to house it. I found this handyman's ad in a menu at a restaurant, and it turns out he is married to a lady who grew up next door to my mom when they were kids. Small world!