[Insert some catchy holiday title here]

This [past] year truly went by way too fast!  I know this because I can remember exactly what I was doing this time last [last?] year... and my memory doesn't usually work that well over that length of time!

So, to ensure that I will remember the 2013 Holiday Season, just in case my memory decides not to work so well at this time next year, I'll do a [not really] short and sweet recap.  Perhaps you'll enjoy the craziness that is my life!

Abby and Andrew modeling the hats I made them :)

If you are married, or maybe if you're not, but you have divorced parents, or if you have to work on Holidays, or just because you enjoy the extra drama, you might know a little about feeling as if you're having a custody battle for holiday time.  Long gone are the good ole days of waking up on Christmas morning and magically finding my family and grandparents waiting in the living room.  Now that we're big kids [aka grown ups?] we have the task of figuring out how to be in two places at once so that we can celebrate with all the people who we love.  Unfortunately, Hermione hasn't passed on the time turner [if you don't read Harry Potter then I'm glad you're confused by this reference], so we usually have a 'fake Christmas' with one of our families.  This year we spent 'fake Christmas' with my family in the Tri-Cities on December 21st before driving to Idaho to spend actual Christmas with Dustin's family.

My new Baby!!!
                 And it's fancier than my old one!                      

In my family, a few years back we decided that rather than purchasing one gift for every person, we draw names and buy gifts for one person.  This excludes the kids [under 18 and over 65] so they get gifts from everyone :)

This year, my dad was lucky enough to draw my name.  I say [type?] this sarcastically because I can come up with new things that I'd like to have, or need to have for the house riiiiiight up until about Thanksgiving... then I can not come up with gift ideas.  [Insert pity for Dustin and anyone else trying to buy me Christmas gifts, because I'm usually no help when it comes to helpful hints and ideas]  ~  Thankfully, my dad and mom pay attention throughout the year and knew that I had mourned the lost of my keurig machine several months back.  So along with a few other things here and there, I was given a brand new keurig!!!  Helllllo Chai Lattes, I've missed you!

My other new baby... isn't she beautiful?  :)

Dustin and I also exchanged gifts before going to Idaho [so I suppose we celebrated Christmas three times!] and I was definitely spoiled.  Two of my favorite things he gave me were a new purse that I'd been drooling over for a few months, and tickets to see Brian Reagan in a couple months!



                

On our way to Lewiston, Porter was his usual scaredy cat self and jumped up into my lap [no, I wasn't driving] about 10minutes into the trip.  His present to me included a few new bruises and sleeping limbs.

Didi's Quilt :)

In Lewiston we were lucky to spend time visiting lots of friends and family.  We attended a Christmas Eve gathering with Dustin's extended family where we watched Christmas Vacation, did a white elephant gift exchange and played charades!  The next day we had an amazing Christmas dinner with Dustin's parents and grandma Barbar and pretended that Didi was with us.  I was very excited [and nervous] to give Barbar the quilt I made her for Christmas [Karen got one last year and Didi got one this year, too!], and Barbar spoiled us, as usual.  It didn't take long for Dustin to search out batteries to boot up some of his new trinkets and I couldn't wait to get home and put my jewelry in the beautiful new jewelry boxes she gave me.

Take I

Grandma Barbar and Wolfie!

Karen did NOT like Dustin's beer...

We were also able to see Ryan, Jared and Leslie [spoiler alert: They're pregnant and we're going to be Godparents!!!], the Squires family [plus Peterson], Curtis, Eric and Keicia, Cody, Mike and Katie, Scott and Jamie, and many others ['many others' because I'm sure I'm forgetting a few people... my apologies].

Quenton is doing some serious explaining to Ryan about what's happening!

Many of the above mentioned people were at the Squires' annual New Year's Eve party.  Even Porter was invited and had too much of a good time... let's just say he enjoyed seeing all the girl dogs?  [Note: pictured above: Starsky and Porter, Roxie and Porter]

New Year's day we played lots of games and Karen spoiled us with her home made tacos [quite literally the BEST tacos on the planet.  Be jealous.]

Apples to Apples... less fun when you have crappy cards!

TENZI!!!  New dice game... sooooo much fun!  Fast and Easy, too!

After discovering that Barbar has enough Christmas lights and decorations to light an entire village [Ron was helping Barbar go through her basement storage before preparing to move], we hit the road [this time with Porter staying in the back seat thanks to his new Thunder Shirt!].  We made it back home with just enough time to take down Christmas decorations, enjoy and put away christmas gifts, slightly tidy up the house, do laundry, ignore dishes, run some errands, visit cousin Koa, play monopoly, pretend we don't have to go back to work tomorrow and blog about about our very own Christmas vacation. :)

A Change of Perspective...

We've all had it happen.  A stubbed toe, spilled coffee, forgotten bill, broken window, leaky drain.... most of the time we just tip our head and want to conjure up all the curse words we've ever heard , or sometimes we look to the sky thinking 'Why Me?!?'.

Today was one of these days.  I woke up [an hour earlier than usual because Dustin's work schedule is wonky this week] with a sore back after very little sleep due to Porter's insistence to go outside several times throughout the night, spilled my breakfast, got stuck behind a school bus on the way to work, forgot my lunch at home, found out that a replacement piece of glass for the coffee table is way too expensive, had to deal with a headache throughout an unusually hyper afternoon class, discovered that the boys [Porter and my sister's furry child, Koa] had tried eating a box of extra wood flooring from her remodeling project, and THEN on my way home... my car was hit by another driver.  [Note to people operating vehicles of any kind: When you are at a red light and it turns to green.... PLEASE, oh please, drive forward and not in reverse!  You'll only upset the person you back into.]

I spent the next hour waiting for a police officer and a translator for the driver of the other vehicle freezing my butt off in the parking lot of a gas station.  After finally figuring out each other's insurance and contact information I was again on my way home.

Once back to Burbank I stopped at the Post Office [What?  Burbank has a PO?  It's tiny... but we have one!] to check the mail and see if any Christmas presents we ordered online had arrived.  Carol, a distant cousin on my dad's side of the family, is the postmaster and is always eager to chat.  As I waited for Carol to finish helping the man waiting in front of me I was geared and ready to unleash my complaints about the car accident and stupid drivers and how he ruined my pretty new [to me] car....... when she turned to me and said 'Do you want to meet one of your cousins?' as she motioned to the man she was helping.  I introduced myself as Carol explained the relation and then he was happily on his way.  He was very friendly and was thrilled that a present for his wife had arrived.

After he left, I was again ready to dive into my story about my horrible day.  That was when Carol turned to me and said, 'He's terminal... but you'd never know it'.

At that moment I was able to finally see my day in perspective.  This man, like so many who are around us every single day, was living on borrowed time knowing that he had a limited future... but was he complaining about his day?  No.

When I went back to my car I found myself nearly in tears.  How dare I?  How dare I dwell on the mere blemishes in my life when there are countless people who are thankful for each day they are given... whether it be good or bad.

So today, instead of complaining about my day and my car, I choose to change my perspective and be thankful instead.  I'm thankful that I have a bed to wake up in.  I'm thankful that I have a wonderful dog who is a big part of our family.  I'm thankful that I have food to spill and forget at home.  I'm thankful that I have a job to go to.  I'm thankful that I have a place for Porter to play during the day [and I'm thankful that the floors were already finished and the box of flooring was only excess pieces].  I'm thankful that I have a car, and insurance.  And last but not least, I'm thankful for my health.... and the opportunity to meet someone who without even knowing it has changed my perspective on 'bad days'.

Oh the Joys of Fall...

Fall is my FAVORITE time of year.... it means it's time for boots, scarves, sweaters, crochet projects, chai, pumpkin, cool crisp weather... and equally because there is no threat of swim suits, shorts or shaving legs regularly, and NO 100+ degree weather!  Now I know that many people love summer time, especially my mother-in-law.  But for this pale skinned girl who has a fear of swimsuits, sunburns and heatstroke, fall can't come soon enough!

While there are thousands of things I love about fall [millions if you insist on counting each falling leaf] there are some things that I could do without.  First of all, fall is synonymous with 'back to school'.  And for anyone who works with children or is a teacher, you know that 'back to school' is synonymous with GERMS.  Let's face it.  Kids are basically large, walking, talking rats... they're cute and fun to watch and play with, but they are carriers for everything!  Unless a teacher has been teaching for more years than they have fingers and toes, they likely get some sort of cold, sore throat or flu come fall.

I was no exception this past week.  Thankfully, I managed to make it through work each day and I happen to I have a fabulous hubby who brought me dinner in bed, made special trips to the store when I ran out of my Chloraseptic Spray or Halls Defense throat drops, and gave me massages when I was stiff and sore.  He was even willing to give me a kiss once in a while, too!

Fortunately, I am slowly getting over my bugs and will be able to enjoy my beloved and long awaited fall weather :)  I might even crochet a scarf for a friend or two.... if I don't get distracted before I finish.  But that's another topic entirely!

Happy fall, one and all!

Seattle... Phase II

Mini road trip?  Sure, why not?!?

Last weekend, when Dustin and I went up to the Seattle area for a wedding we took Josh with us, but we didn't bring him back.  He stayed behind to catch a flight to Virginia to see his girlfriend, Ashley, who moved east for a new job a couple months ago.  Great plan... except when he flew back to Seattle without a rig to get home.

In comes Phase II of the plan -- Road Trip!

I offered to drive up and get Josh [after all, we took him up, so it was only fair to help him get back], on one condition... someone would drive with me.  So I called my bestie, Keicia, who happens to be a PRO at road trips [note: She lives in Montana, Fiance' lives in Spokane, Mom lives in Lake Stevens, In-Laws live in Lewiston..... she travels a LOT] and we planned our quick trip to retrieve Josh.

Keicia arrived in Burbank shortly after I got home from work on Friday.  We let Porter play with his girlfriend, Keicia's spunky little boxer puppy [Roxie], for a few minutes before dropping him off for a sleepover with my sister and her dog, Koa.

We packed along Roxie, her spunky spit-fire boxer puppy, and planned to spend the night in Lake Stevens with Tammy and Lori.  We arrived just in time for some snacks, wine, beer and dinner!  Roxie pestered the two munchkin dogs [we're allowed to call them bitchy because by definition they're both bitches] and begged for any scrap of food that she could get, we ate a delicious dinner and homemade cookies, enjoyed fun conversation sitting on the deck until the sun went down, played an intense game of 'Oh Hell' [a card game that is definitely more fun when at least one person doesn't quite understand the rules], and laughed much of the night away.

Aside from my favorite pair of flip-flops breaking [also the ONLY pair of shoes I took to Seattle] and hearing the phrase "swollen vulva" [one of the bitchy dogs was in heat -- maybe explaining part of her moodiness ;) just maybe] more than I ever have in my life, it was the best night in a long time!  I got to spend the whole day with Keicia, enjoy a fabulous dinner that I didn't have to cook, be surrounded with great company, play with an adorable puppy, and sleep in a comfy bed!

We DID end up retrieving Josh after a quick visit with his Aunt Lori [who rescued him from the airport in the wee hours of the morning after his flight landed] once we found the right apartment.  Then we had a nice little lunch and hit the road!  Josh and Roxie both enjoyed a nap along the way, too!

After making it safely home Porter was excited to see us, but not as excited as he was to see his girlfriend, Roxie, again.  They played as long as they could before Keicia had to kidnap Roxie and go back to Lewiston.  Porter might be big.... but he's a big baby at heart and knows that he has to be gentle and that the little one gets to 'win' when they play!  [For now.  When she's full grown, it's on!]

All in all, this has been a great weekend.... and it's only Saturday :)




[Thanks SO MUCH to Keicia for going with me, to Tammy and Lori for hosting us, to my sister for watching Porter and to Josh for being the reason we got to go on our little road trip!]

Kidney Stones, Foul Balls and Wedding Bells

The last several days have been a roller coaster ride of emotions... That, along with a road trip and lack of sleep makes for an eventful experience!

So let's start at the beginning.  Thursday.  Dustin texted me around 10am, nearly giving me a heart attack.  This is all he said:  "Gary may take me to ER"  That's it.  Horrible, I tell you!  Do not EVER text someone something like that without an explanation.  Just don't.  It's mean.

I finally called and spoke with Dustin to find out that he was in a lot of pain due to what was almost certainly a kidney stone.  He was laid out on the concrete floor at work trying find a comfortable position to ease the pain.  --  I drove out to see him during my lunch and he thought he was starting to feel a bit better. --  Unfortunately, that didn't last long.

Just after I had left work, Dustin called asking if I would take him to the ER.  After several hours, blood work, a CT scan, and lots of pain meds we knew that it WAS a kidney stone.  We went home and thus began a sleepless night for me.  [I don't sleep well when I am stressed or worried... and I don't sleep at all when I'm stressed AND worried]  Knowing that we were supposed to leave for a weekend in Seattle the next day didn't make things much better.  Each time I looked at the clock I saw less time left to try to sleep.

ER - before pain meds... poor guy

Thankfully, pain meds kicked in and Dustin slept most of the night and even felt well enough to go into work for part of the day.  Then, we were off to Seattle!



I have a *cousin* [we haven't quite figured out the technical term of our relation... but have settled on being cousins as an easy explanation without whipping out the whole family tree] who works for Root Sports, the station that films and broadcasts the Seattle Mariner's Games.  We have been lucky enough to get tickets from him several years in a row, and this time we were able to take Josh and Didi with us :)

Party Foul via Foul Ball

The game was a blowout, but what was even more entertaining was Dustin's failed interaction with a foul ball.  When we arrived at the stadium, Didi and I told the boys that if a foul ball was hit our way, it was their job to catch it or keep it from hitting us [at the very least].  They both ASSURED us that it was impossible for the ball to land near our seats [20 rows up behind home plate].  Let's just say that they were wrong.  Somewhere in the bottom of the 7th inning, the batter hit a foul ball and it was headed straight for us.  The father and son sitting behind us reached out [Dustin wasn't paying much attention, apparently] and knocked the ball down, and it took out Dustin's full glass of [$10] beer.  Thankfully, nobody was hurt, we got a lot of laughs out of it, and the 'Mariners' bought Dustin a replacement beer.

After the game we found our way to a local bar and enjoyed a few drinks before settling in for the night.  Thankfully, there was a sudden downpour accompanied by thunder and lightening, which helped cool down Didi's top floor apartment.  Unfortunately, that didn't help Josh [who forgot the air pump for his inflatable mattress] who ended up sleeping on the couch, which is about 3 or 4 feet shorter than he is.

Josh > Couch

Saturday morning we got up and walked to breakfast before returning to Didi's apartment to get ready for Dani & Tom's wedding.

So helpful... most of the time!

Dani & Tom had a beautiful wedding ceremony in a small church in downtown Seattle followed by a wonderful reception in their back yard, sitting on the edge of the cutest little lake.  The ceremony and reception featured perfect touches from the Bride and Groom and their families, including Tom's Polish roots.  The whole evening was perfectly described by Bryce as 'intimate' when he gave a touching speech at the reception.... followed by speeches from many members of the wedding party leaving few dry eyes.  Dustin and I were truly honored to be included in their special day!

After the wedding we retreated to the Wittman Bed & Breakfast [aka Connor and Kristin's house, with scones provided by the one and only Brynn!] for a much needed night's sleep.  After a sleepless Thursday night, followed by sleeping on the floor Friday, I couldn't wait to spend the night in a real bed... even if it wasn't my own just yet.

Sunday we got up and made the drive back to Tri-Cities and picked up our big boy from my parents house.  He must have had a fun weekend, too, because he was soooo tired.  Dustin and Porter and I all settled in for a relaxing afternoon... nap included!

In between unpacking, naps and snacks, we watched the Mariner's game we went to that we had recorded... we found Dustin and Josh in the crowd a couple times!

Josh... tall guys are easy to find!

I spied Dustin walking up the stairs.... to get the beer that the foul ball demolished.

All in all.... it was a good weekend.  It most certainly improved from the way it started!  But I'm definitely ready for a less eventful week or two to come!