I hope everyone had an awesome Turkey Day, full of good food, good
family and good friends!!
First I wanted to show you something Sharon sent me. Well, first
I'll tell you a little story. At a Board of Game meeting in Fairbanks
last February I saw a co-worker knitting a beautiful scarf. She
told me she was headed to the yarn store and agreed to pick up a
pattern and the yarn I would need. In June, when I was packing to
come here, I found the yarn and realized "I don't know how to knit."
Odds were I was never going to learn. So I gave Sharon the yarn
and the pattern and wished her luck. Now Sharon is a super accomplished
knitter/crocheter/needle-worker... etc... A couple of weeks ago,
a box arrived in the mail with a beautiful blue scarf.
Thank you Sharon!
So intricate!
Janet and Bri came up Wednesday night for the holiday, and then
drove home last night. We ordered pizza Wednesday night when they
got here. Janet and Joe finished off the white wine left over
from last week and the untapped bottle we discovered left over from
our wedding. Neither of them like white wine, but neither
do they believe in waste. Janet and I marinated the main dish
for Thanksgiving dinner, and then Janet, mom and I planned the rest
of the menu.
Bri tried to stay up with the big kids, but...
Thursday morning Janet, Bri, mom and I went grocery shopping for
our supplies. After buzzing Starbucks and cleaning out Safeway,
we came home and commenced cooking. Then we sent Joe to the store
for the stuff we forgot.
Around 2:30 in the afternoon we had lunch, which consisted of yummy
appetizers; homemade baked brie, stuffed mushrooms, artichoke and
jalepeno dip on rice crackers, and condiments! Bliss! Throughout
the day Janet and Bri hung on Joe's shoulder as he played the newly
released World of Warcraft role playing game. Janet is hooked! Joe
also gave Brianna guitar lessons, and his guitar remained glued
to her hip for the remainder of the weekend.
We'll make her a star!
We kept the dinner menu fairly simple. We had herb roasted cornish
game hens, roasted asparagus with sea salt, and mashed potatos and
gravy. We had planned on rolls, but forgot to make them. Dinner
was perfect! Janet and Joe polished off the merlot we picked up
that morning (which was fun for everyone). Bri really got
into the spirit of devouring her hen, and put all her energies and
digits into it. Soon, her enthusiasm was caught by others (though
not all) at the table.
Friday morning, the girls hit the mall! We didn't get up for the
early shopping, mind you. Actually, Janet and mom were going to
but I begged off. They got up but didn't know how to get to the
mall, so they did the remaining dishes. SCORE! Once I got up at
9:00 we piled into the car. Mom got some Christmas presents, I got
some badly needed new jeans, and Janet purchased herself World of
Warcraft at GameStop!
Now, in the spirit of giving thanks, and of friends and family and
all that jazz, Joe and I have an announcement to make.
Its still a little early, but we told a couple people, and they
told a couple people, then we told a couple more people... The word
is out. I had a sonogram done two weeks ago. I was going to
post it for you all, but I put it somewhere safe after Dad and Janice
left week before last. That's right. I can't find it.
It just looks like a fuzzy little bean right now anyway. They'll
do another sonogram at the 20th week, so I'll post that one. Oh,
the due date is around June 14 of next year. If you're scrambling
to do the math in your head, first came wedding, then came baby.
;-P
November 24, 2004
We figured out what was wrong with the headlights... It was the
headlights! Both bulbs burned out at the same time. Go figure. But
not to worry. Joe's truck promply broke down again so we had somewhere
else to focus our attentions. It wouldn't start Wednesday, then
it started that evening, and again the next morning. Of course he
made the mistake of going to the coffee shop on his way to work
Thursday. It stalled out as he backed out of his parking spot, and
that was the end of the truck for the next three days. He had to
have it towed out of the lot. It turned out to be the starter. He
also ended up replacing the clutch master cyllinder. It was bent,
which vindicates my complaints of charlie horses (see last entry)!
There was something wrong with it! I'm not just a woos!
Luckily Joe works with a guy Mike who happens to be a good mechanic
and a really good guy. Joe was able to appeal to his sense of pity,
and Mike spent the whole weekend helping Joe fix the beast.
My hero!
Joe and Mike scratch their heads over Joe's truck.
Dad and Janice stopped by on their way south for the winter. They
got into town on Friday, and hung out for the weekend. We had Thanksgiving
dinner with them Saturday. So. Much. Food. I was going to take pictures
but was so busy cooking that I forgot. I did get a photo of their
little pooches however. The dogs joined us for dinner and had Tric
in a TIZZY. She's not fond of little doggies.
Meet Taz and Charlie!
Janet and Brianna are coming to town tonight (in fact they're on
the freeway at this moment). They're going to spend Thanksgiving
(and Friday) our casa. They're just in time too. Last fall
while visiting Joe in Seattle, I bought her a keychain which disappeared
before I got it home to her. I felt like a jerk, 'cuz everyone else
got little trinkets. Well, Joe found it under the seat of his truck
last week. Janet, come get your bone!
REI had these in all different colors.
Mom prepares pumpkin pie with the
really cool hand held egg beater
Beth sent us!
We didn't have enough chairs so Joe got himself
a new leather executive chair for his desk!
As soon as our guests left town the workers moved in! They've been
ripping up the street for the past week replacing the sewer line.
Lucky us it runs right beneath our yard! I looked out the bedroom
window Tuesday morning to see what the ruckus was, and found men!
And backhoes!
Hey guys, the coffee drive through is just like a
mile down the road.
They filled in the trench today.
I kind of like the new look....
They accidentally killed the corn and possibly
two of the wedding hydrangeas. =(
I've been harassing John to send me photos so I can add him to the
website. He sent them through Patty this week, so I posted them
on his new webpage!!!!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!
November 10, 2004
Hello! I'm back! Sorry to worry everyone! So what's been going on?
Well... the day after the last post I took my car in to get the
brakes done. They called that afternoon, and told me Isuzu made
lousy studs for these machines. Bottom line $1200. "And if I don't
want new studs, lugs, and hub assemblies for all four tires? If
I just want the brake job?" "Then you'll need to tow your car home."
Bah! We bought some of our own parts and delivered them, but I still
put out $750. So Monday night this week? I'm driving home, hit a
dark stretch, and realize I have no headlights. Uhhh?? We haven't
figured that one out yet. I had to drive Joe's truck to work the
next morning and had a horrible charlie horse from standing on his
clutch in traffic. Humbug! Vehicles hate me! But I have
something cool for you to see. My new office!
My desk!
To celebrate my new job, Joe and I went out to breakfast that weekend,
and then went to play miniature golf, and goof around in the arcade.
I love miniature golf! And I suck at it! But i still kicked Joe's
@$$! Not at first, of course. I hit the first few off the course,
again and again. But Joe gave me some pointers. Thanks Joe!
This place was really cool!
We brushed up on skeetball.
Ready, aim....
The first half of the course.
I want one of these in my house!
I've been craving an Islands Northshore Soft Taco like a mad woman.
Joe and I finally looked Islands up online, and they're only present
in Southern California and Arizona. If you live in either
of those places, check them out! They have the best fries!
Anyway, weekend before last, I couldn't take it anymore, and I tried
to make my own. Chicken cooked up with cayenne pepper, paprika,
chili powder, cumin, corriander (or Emeril's Southwest Essence).
Wrap it in a tortilla with grated cheddar cheese (zap for thirty
seconds to melt), lettuce, tomato, avacado, and sour cream. Um baby!
Last Saturday we went to Joe's co-worker Julie's (and her fiance
Duane) house. She whipped up some awesome Chicken Parmesan
(one of my favs)! Everyone else contributed something... salad,
bread, cheesecake (us, from Cheesecake Factory YUM!). It was
a ton of fun! I wish I'd taken photos, but I spaced it.
You'll have to make do with the zesty wrap.
Jean's Zesty Southwest Chicken Wrap!
Oh! Halloween! Mom and I carved pumpkins for Halloween. Joe stocked
up on candy! We were all prepared for a good night of spooking and
handing out sugar to the wee ones! Our first customers showed up
around 5:00 pm, and we had like six more show up in the next ten
minutes! We were so excited! About that time Joe asked us where
the other pumpkin was. Looks like someone spirited mom's pumpkin
away within like half an hour of us placing it outside. At least
they left one for the kiddos. After the first half dozen kids, we
got like four more kids over the next four hours. We had soooo much
candy left over! A couple of days later, I found evidence of what
might have been a pumpkin beating in the field behind our house.
Poor guy.
Before, and pretty much after our little visitors!
Mine is left, mom's poor little guy right.
This was taken shortly before his disappearance.
Our main suspect.
So again I saved the best news for last! Mom had some more scans
done last week, and a visit with her oncologist today. The tumors
have continued to decrease in size, so much so that they don't even
show up on a PET scan anymore (still on the CT scan, so they're
still there). No new spots, no new concerns. What does that mean?
Surgery! December 10th she is scheduled to have those pesky little
buggers removed. Six weeks after that she'll resume chemo.
