Major storm

It's common knowledge 'round these parts that if the weathermen start hyping up a winter storm, it probably isn't going to happen (or we'll get only a third of what they originally predicted.) So I'm going to use this as a forum to see just how accurate these guys really are. They are predicting a slow-moving storm to cross our area right around New Year's Day. That means it could dump a lot of snow. And I love snow. So here's the outlook as of this morning:



And here is their technical outlook:
As the ball drops in Times Square on New Year's Eve so will the temperatures! Weather conditions will also be on the decline. We are watching the possibility of a coastal storm developing and roaring up the coast to help us ring in 2010! The latest model runs show the storm taking a track closer to the coast. We will most likely see a scenario where snow will break out at the onset and then transition to a wintry mix inland and to all rain along the shoreline. The storm will be a slow mover. Therefore, it may mean significant precipitation throughout the area. As always, the smallest change in any storm track can have a tremendous impact on the type and amount of precipitation we see here. Stay tuned!

Brief synopsis:
They have no idea what to expect so they're keeping their outlook extremely vague. I agree with the last sentence though - Stay tuned!

Another year, another party

Well another Christmas has come and gone. In a way it was quick, in another it was probably good that it was quick. Our first Christmas without my mom around was like eating cake without any frosting. Sure it was good, but it lacked that special touch that made it awesome. In time I'm sure I'll get used to eating frosting-less cake but trust me when I say that it'll never be as good as the real thing. Despite that, we still managed to have a good time. Christmas eve was quiet but very nice, spent with dad, B and J opening up a boatload of gifts. Christmas day was roudy since everyone was at our house for dinner, but I actually enjoyed the busyness for once. Boxing day was a blast as we spent it with hostess extrordinaire SJ and her hubby J who were unfortunately in the same boat as us as they too had unexpectedly lost a loving mom very recently. I think they were just as grateful for the distraction as we were. Not to mention that they are fantastic hosts with a fantastic new house. I'm so totally jealous of their newly acquired space.

And now we are diligently preparing to continue the festivities in another 2 days as we ring in 2010. We'll be hosting about 5 families and their kids (thank god I cleaned out the basement and turned it into a play room!) In a way, I'll be glad to see 2009 over. But I really hope that 2010 turns out to be a good year, for all of us.

I heart my gadgets!

There are days when my iPod Touch really helps to concentrate. I get in a groove (musically and workingly) and before I know it, it's quittin' time. Then there are those days where I'm so busy, that my poor iPod just sits on my desk, waiting to be used, only to get shoved into my purse at the end of the day with not a single song played. I almost feel like I have to apologize to it. Seriously, I totally planned on listening to you and your wonderful songs and podcasts today, I swear! Those days are bad, but not as bad as the days when the podcast ends and minutes go by before I realize I still have the earbuds in my ear and the iPod sits completely silent and forgotten during my busyness.

On the one hand you probably think I'm lazy - like she couldn't have taken the 2 seconds to select a new podcast? On the other had, it allows me to eavesdrop on conversations since everyone around me thinks I can't hear them. Thank you iPod - you're the best!

Let it snow!

We had our first accumulating snowfall this past Saturday while we were visiting New York City. Although New York being further south than us, it only rained while we were down there but it was cold cold rain. In any event, the rain didn't seem to dampen the holiday spirit that surrounded Rockefeller Center and Radio City's Christmas Spectacular - both of which we managed to see. Our sightseeing was not limited to only the holiday attractions, however. We also managed to see Grand Central Terminal, Times Square, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Saks Fifth Avenue, the World Trade Center site with the new tower under construction, St. Paul's Chapel, Trinity Church, the New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street, and the bronze bull. All in all - it was a lot of cold, wet walking, a few subway trips for Brendan and Dad and some really good food at a French organic bistro and our favorite Italian restaurant on 44th. It was Dad's and Brendan's first time strolling in the city and I think they had a really good time.

And now this morning, we have at least another 6" of snow on the ground. It wouldn't bother me so much except that now it's sleeting, which means there will be a hard crusty layer on top of all that snow. That's good for the cats - they'll be able to walk across it without falling through. Bad for us since we'll have to shovel/snowblow even more weight. I think I might forgo my toning class tonight at the gym. I'll be getting a good upper-body workout right here at home tonight!

Gobble gobble!

Wishing everyone out in blog-land a very Happy Thanksgiving!!

Sheesh CNN...

You KNOW it's a slow news day when these are at the top of the headlines listed on CNN.com:

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired

It all started near the end of October when B came down with a nasty cold. At about the same time, I wasn't feeling the best and it turns out I came down with the regular seasonal flu. (This after being told that I had been exposed to H1N1, but thankfully the swine flu test turned out negative.) Thank god for Tamiflu - that stuff works wonders! B started feeling a little better but his cold didn't completely go away. That usually means something else is brewing and sure enough - a double ear infection was next on the germ platter. After my course of Tamiflu was over, B started his course of antibiotics. Then I came down with his cold. Lovely. I think these bugs are taking turns here - virus, bacteria, virus, bacteria. I'm just hoping my home doesn't turn into a superbug factory!

After dealing with one yucky sickness or another for about 2 weeks, we enjoyed a week of rebounding energy, warmer than usual weather and the schools reopened for November. Yes, they actually closed the schools in our town due to 1/3 of the student population being absent for various ills including a few swine'y's in the mix. Now we're well into the 2nd week of November and gosh darnit, I feel a tickle in my throat again. Oh and B has been coughing his head off lately, which is usually the first sign that he's coming down with something. AGAIN. GRRRR!!!!!

Seriously I want it to be summer again. Winter hasn't even started yet and I feel like we've spent the better part of fall dealing with germs. I wish I could pick up my house and dip the whole thing into a disinfectant bath.

Happy Birthday B!

Six years ago today at 11:39 AM, I gave birth to a 4lbs, 7oz little boy six and a half weeks before my due date. Yup, it was crazy I tell you. And I was woefully unprepared! But now he's almost up to my shoulders and smart as a whip!

Happy Birthday to my (not-so-little) spud!!

On a trivial pursuit

So to end a rather long, drawn out week here at two black cats, I'm offering up a little bit of trivia to get this weekend off on the right foot.
(These are all from my handy-dandy desk calendar, so I take no credit in coming up with any of these.)

There are more than 15,000 different kinds of rice. Rice is grown on more than 10% of the earth's farmable surface and is the main food for half of the people of the world.
Wow and I thought it was all either basmati or jasmine! Oh wait, but then there's sticky rice, sushi rice, long grain, wild rice...

Halifax, Nova Scotia, has the largest number of bars per capita of anyplace in the world.
Now if this isn't a great excuse to go visit my cousin in Halifax, I don't know what is!

Pineapples do not continue to ripen after they have been picked.
So what I thought was an overripe pineapple on my counter at home is really just a rotting pineapple. Eww!

The average lead pencil can draw a line 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 English word.
I want to meet the individual who drew that 35 mile long line!

The main library at Indiana University sinks more than an inch every year, because when it was built engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books.
And these people call themselves engineers?! Hey I wonder if they graduated from the same school as the engineers who decideded to build my former high school on a swamp.

To keep cool, ostriches urinate on their legs; it then evaporates like sweat.
Oh that's just nasty!

Experienced waitresses say that married men tip better than unmarried men.
Well of course they do - their wives make sure of it!

The average woman uses six pounds of lipstick in her lifetime.
Holy moly, that's a lotta lipstick!

The oldest word in the English language is town.
For some reason I'm surprised by this, but ok.

The quartz crystal in your wristwatch vibrates 32,768 times per second.
Seriously, how do they measure this stuff??

There are more barbie dolls in Italy than there are Canadians in Canada.
Are they including Ken dolls in this number as well? And do they all have the barbie corvette too?

And the last one is for all you soda drinkers...
Pepsi is commonly used by wooden boat owners to clean mold from decks. They leave it on for about thirty seconds, then it must be rinsed off so as not to cause erosion.
Good news for people who hate mold, but bad news for the teeth of those who drink this stuff on a daily basis. I have to admit though, I have an issue with that second sentence.
Erosion is the mechanical process of wearing something down so unless they are pouring Pepsi on these decks all day, every day, I doubt it would cause 'erosion'.
What they described is more of a chemical process so I'm thinking they probably meant to say corrosion. Like how Coke can corrode the rust right off a nail.
Yeah - good stuff!

Wonderful fall

Fall has definitely fallen on us lately. As with most of the leaves on the trees thanks to the crazy wind we've been having lately. October is one of my favorite months (and Halloween is one of my favorite holidays!) We hope to spend some time this weekend getting more apples (it's apple pie season!), picking out a pumpkin so that I can carve another one of my jack-o-lantern masterpieces, and otherwise enjoying the crisp autumn air that I love so much.

I haven't posted much since September but I hope to get back into some sort of regular routine soon. Work has been keeping me busy (thank god!) and we have been spending most of our weekends doing fun stuff, so please don't think that I'm all in some sort of funk and that I'll never return to my lighthearted blog. I will return, slowly but surely. And although my heart isn't as light as it used to be, I'm working on that. I actually surprised myself by joining a bereavement support group that meets once a week until the beginning of December. They are a wonderful group of ladies and after listening to them (who are all in various stages of grief) and contributing my own experiences, I feel my spirits have been lifted by the end of our session. We'll see where my spirits are come the holidays, but for now, I am doing my best to carry on. I suppose that's progress, considering mom's been gone for almost a month already.

And my social calendar doesn't seem to have a break in it until closer to Christmas. Between halloween parties, B's birthday, our friend's son's first birthday party, wedding gown shopping with my best friend (who might not have the ring on her finger yet, but we're sure it won't be long now!) a surprise trip for dad in December... we've got some fun stuff planned. But for now I just keep taking it day by day.

Nothing can prepare you for this...Part 3

After googling until my eyes hurt, I came to the conclusion that I probably wouldn't be able to find all of the answers I was looking for. Heck, I even came across a message board filled with posts from people who have been resusitated following a heart attack and lived to tell about it. Some of them described seeing the infamous white light, others described seeing angels and even Jesus. Some even mentioned that they had talked to relatives who had passed on before them. And almost all of them spoke about someone or something telling them that it wasn't their time yet and that they had to go back.

A few of the stories seemed credible. Others sounded downright bizarre, but I remember reading one account that really struck me. It was a young woman who went into cardiac arrest prior to undergoing an emergency operation. She rememberd being in excruiating pain in the moments prior to the surgery, and went on to describe how contented and relaxed she felt as she began to fall unconscious. At one point, she remembered the doctor's voices fading away followed by a pleasant silence. Her pain had disappeared and her only feelings were those of relief and contentedness. She remembered nothing after that until she awoke following the operation. She also had no clue that her heart had stopped. She saw no angels, no white light, nothing. From what she could remember the world went dark and that was it.

Reading that gave me hope. Hope that mom may have gone through something similar. She was at best semi-concious while we were at her bedside during those last few moments. On occasion she would react to our voices and something tells me she heard every word we said. She relaxed completely after that last shot of morphine and if her experience was anything like that woman's post, then all I can assume is she went peacefully. The voices faded away and her pain disappeared.

Not long after reading that woman's post, I had yet another near-sleepless night. I hadn't had any trouble falling asleep since I was completely exhausted, but it never lasted for more than 2-3 hours before I woke up and stayed awake for hours afterward thanks to my over-active brain. Although I had slept for a few hours, it really felt like I had been asleep for only a few minutes. I had no recollection of any dreams, which is weird since I had been having rather vivid dreams during the times that I did sleep. That night I actually started to get mad at myself for taking so long to fall back asleep. I just wanted to get back to that peaceful dreamless-ness. It was the only time that my mind fell completely silent and I was able to have a temporary reprieve from the grieving process. I wanted to get back to my happy, comfy, nothing-can-bother-me-now sleep-state.

And then it hit me. Surely, this must be what death feels like. A sense of calmness and tranquility that surrounds you as you slowly slip into a life-long slumber. There are no dreams and the world as you know it fades to black, but hopefully there is relief and freedom from everything that caused you pain. And if you were in pain, surely this is a state you might welcome with open arms. To be free of it all - forever. In a way, I hope that's how my mom experienced it because it certainly sounds like something to look forward to when your time comes.

In some small recess of my brain I wonder if it was she who woke me up and clued me in to those subtle details. She must have known that once I had the clues, I could probably solve the mystery all by myself. Thanks mom.

Nothing can prepare you for this...Part 2

In the moments following my mom's death, my mind (and my heart if I recall correctly) were racing. I couldn't process what had just happened. Was she really gone? How could this be? She was supposed to be in here to get fluid removed, not die! This can't be happening. I suppose I was going through the denial portion of the grieving process. But on top of that, I remember looking at my dad and asking, "What the hell do we do now?" Seriously. In my 32 years of life, I had been to countless funerals for friends and family members and visited during more than my fair share of calling hours, but I had never gone through the whole funeral organization process.

Someone really should put a class together on this stuff, cause that's what we needed in the hours following my mom's death. I desperately tried to remember what my mom did when her parent's passed away years ago, but the exercise was futile. They were in Canada while we were/are in the US. My mom's sisters who still live in Canada actually took care of most of the details. Not to mention the fact that she probably tried to shield me from as much of the funeral preparations as possible. So I had nothing to go on based on her past experiences. Thankfully, a few nurses stepped in and offered us some advice. From there, the rest of the morning was pretty much a blur of errand-running.

We left the hospital around 8am that morning and my dad and I decided to tackle the chore of funeral preparations right away. So on about 2 hours of sleep and running on complete adrenaline for most of the day, my dad and I drove around and visited the church, the funeral home, a florist, the cemetary, and a monument company. We ordered things, made decisions on stuff I never imagined I'd have to make a decision on (like picking out a casket, vault and what the prayer cards would look like.) We designed a headstone, upgraded the cemetary plot (to one with a standing headstone instead of a flush one), wrote up her obituary, picked out her final outfit and made more phone calls than I can count.

Within 8 hours, we had pretty much put together the entire thing. You really can't compare it to anything else in life, but now that I've been through it, I can equate it to planning a small wedding, only on steroids. You need the venue, the attire, the officiant, the food, flowers, even a limo. And somehow we managed to get it all done in one day. In a way I was kind of glad we did it that way. It gave me some time to rest up for a few days before the family descended from Canada for the calling hours and funeral. Besides, the past few days had been so hectic. Between hurriedly visiting mom at the hospital at all hours of the night, we were also in the process of laying the footings for our new back deck. It's weird in a way. Catastrophe strikes, but you still have all the other "normal" stuff that needs to get done on a daily basis. Kids still need to be fed, laundry still needs to get done, and projects that were started before all this happened, still had to move forward. The clash of the planned and the unplanned made my head spin and it put me in a funky "limbo-ish" state. I would space out, constantly. I walked into a room and spent more time trying to figure out why I had walked into that room than I did doing what I had stepped in there to do. I felt like a zombie.

So I was definitely looking forward to resting for a few days. The only problem was, I couldn't sleep. Actually that's not completely true. I could fall asleep, I just couldn't stay asleep. After an hour or two I'd wake up and that's when it would hit me again. Some twisted corner of my mind had to remind me over and over again that I was not living the nightmare that I thought I was. She really was gone. My stomach would sink everytime I woke up. As if that wasn't bad enough, my mind would shift into overdrive and it ended up keeping me awake for the next few hours. During that time I would relive her final moments in my head. This would happen every time I woke up. Over and over. It got to the point that I hated waking up. I just wanted to stay asleept (whether dreaming or not) because it was so much better than dealing with the reality of the situation. The whole cycle was draining and frankly I'm really surprised I haven't come down with a cold (knock on wood!)

After a few days of that, my mind switched gears and instead of reliving her last few moments, it started on a quest to find out what death was really like. Morbid? You bet. But I'm a researcher at heart, so I started doing a little digging. In my mind I figured, if I had a better understanding of the whole thing, some information that might clue me in to what she may have experienced at the end, it would somehow make dealing with it a lot easier. It would answer my questions and might make me feel a little closer to her. I was grasping for closure. I spent a lot of time searching the Interwebs and reading about the experiences of others. What I found was enlightening and quite interesting.

to be continued...

Nothing can prepare you for this...

As some of you may or may not know, my mom succumbed to her lengthy battle with heart and lung disease on Tuesday, Sept 8th. She had been sick on and off for the past 10 years but we had no idea that she would pass away so soon. She was admitted to the hospital on Monday Aug 31st to have fluid removed from around her lungs. Over the past few years, this had become a yearly tradition for her. Usually by the end of summer, due to the heat and humidity, she would become short of breath primarily due to the accumulation of fluid. She underwent the procedure to have this fluid extracted on an almost yearly basis, so we had no reason to suspect that this hospitalization would be any different than the previous ones.

After a few days on a regular floor, she was sent upstairs to ICU where they performed the fluid draining procedure and not long afterwards, things were looking up. Her oxygen levels were better, her blood pressure wasn't bad. We figured a few more days to ensure that she had stabilized and she'd probably be back home. This did not turn out to be the case. I went to visit her on Friday Sept 4th and she was in pain from the chest tube they installed to drain the fluid. The doctors pulled us aside and discussed possible heart surgery - something to do with an atrial valve replacement, I believe. Although her oxygen levels were ok, her lungs were not looking good. One was partially collapsed, the other looked as though it had the beginnings of emphysema. They would need to perform additional tests to determine if that was the case. Their primary concern though was her one and only kidney which was starting to fail. The heart and lung issues worried me, but the kidney issue didn't seem to bother me too much. She would need dialysis, but she'd gone through this once before when she was battline pnuemonia. It was only temporary that time, though so I was hoping this would be the same. That is where things took a turn for the worse.

During the operation on Monday Sept 7th to install her dialysis catheter, she went into cardiac arrest. They resusitated her, but her vitals were not good. They attempted to hook her up to dialysis later that afternoon but her body rejected it. Her blood pressure plummeted and while her one kidney appeared to still be working, the doctors were worried that things would become dire if she didn't undergo dialysis soon. Dad called me around 9:30 that night - the doctor wanted to speak to us again. By the time I arrived, she was stable and we were able to see her for a short time. She had agreed to be intubated and sedated for the surgery so she was not coherent while we visited. Her blood pressure was back up and her heart rate was ok. If she continued to remain stable, they would attempt dialysis again the next day. We left the hospital around midnight and I planned on getting up at 5am Tuesday to call the nurse and get a status. We didn't make it to 5am. At 4am, I got a call from Dad. Her heart had stopped again at 3:30am and things had turned dire. Her vitals were not good after having been resusitated a second time. It wasn't until this point, that it finally sunk in. I was losing her.

We had gotten used to the up and down roller coaster of mom's many health issues. She'd go into the hospital to get something looked at and she'd end up coming home with two new problems. Fixing one thing often times caused other things to go wrong. It was a vicious cycle. Even still, I was so focused that things would get better this time around, just like they always had in the past. It wasn't until the first heart attack that I started to think otherwise. She had never had one of those before and deep down, I believe it was the most likely cause of her demise.

By the time I arrived at the hospital at 4:30am on Tuesday Sept 8th, I quickly came to the realization that I was visiting my mom for the last time. My Dad gave the order to the doctor to not resusitate her if her heart stopped again. It was probably one of the hardest things he's ever had to say. We stayed by her side the entire time and after a few minutes we were joined by B, my husband and my husband's mom. At that point, mom was still intubated and on a respirator. She was only semi-coherent but would open her eyes at times. She didn't move much, but I'm pretty sure she could hear us as I remember her squeezing my hand when I told her that J and B were on their way to see her. Those precious few hours were a blur to me. Maybe because I was running on only a few hours of sleep, but I remember spending the entire time going back and forth between looking at the monitor that displayed her vitals and looking at her. It was like an up and down tennis match. I should have just ignored the monitor, but I was shocked by what I saw on that screen. I watched as her oxygen levels steadily declined. I had never seen mom's oxygen level lower than 80 before, but at that point it displayed 60, then 50-something, then down to 30, etc. The nurse came in and gave her half a dose of morphine which slowed her respirations to yet another level I had never seen before. Her heart rate had been through the roof, but that too decreased steadily after the medication. It all happened so fast. Sometime around 6am, I glanced up at the monitor again. Her oxygen level fell to zero, her respirations were controlled almost entirely by the machine and the heart blips went from short, steady peaks to a flat line. It was like I was living in a movie. Even after all my years as a nursing assistant, I have never witnessed anything like that before. The nurse came in to say that her heart had just stopped and I fell apart into what seemed like a million pieces.

to be continued...

Now I know I really hate cold tea!

What's worse than being stuck on a boring teleconference call at lunchtime with nothing but a cup of cold tea?

Attempting to sip said tea but instead managing to spill it down your chin and onto your neck. Does it stop there? Oh no. It then made its way down the INSIDE of my shirt. Yup, cold tea on the skin, that'll wake you up in no time! I was going to blame it on the fact that I was holding the phone between my ear and my shoulder in order to multi-task, which made for a crooked drinking experience anyway, but I really have no excuse. Sitting right next to my phone is a wireless headset. It probably could have prevented the whole thing. Instead I'm stuck mopping up tea off my chest. Lovely.

19 and counting...

Are you freaking kidding me? As if 18 isn't enough, THIS world-famous family has done "it" yet again. Yes, pun intended. Seriously, are they trying for a world record or something? Maybe they're waiting for a nice even 20 before stopping. But golly gee, how has her uterus not completely given out by now?? Do they know nothing about birth control?

But wait, they're having a grandchild too who'll be a few months older than their child. Really? I've got nothing wrong with large(r) families but if you're old enough that your kids start having kids, maybe it's about time to call it quits. Ya think?

disa, disa, bo bisa...

Dear disa,
You must have been very busy this morning reading my blog. I mean really busy - cause you posted comments on 5 of my old blog posts in about a minute's time. Wow, that's some quick reading there girl! (At least I think you're a girl. Cause when I see your name all I can think of Lisa and the only Lisa's I know are girls...)

Anyway, thanks for all those comments cause, you know, I love getting comments. The more the better! The only thing is, I have no idea what you said. To be honest, I don't even know what language this is. Chinese? I mean, it's really pretty and all, but sorry. Me no comprende. So if you're brave enough to spam my blog with all your Chinese mumbo-jumbo, at least have the balls to translate that crap, ok??


Oh and your blog looks dumb. Spruce it up a bit, will ya?! For gosh sakes get rid of all that pink!

Yours truly,
srg

If you can't take the heat, get into the office

Before I go off on my whiny tangent with regards to temperature fluctuations, let me just say that I am immensely grateful to a gentleman named Willis Haviland Carrier and his "Apparatus for Treating Air." Now where was I? Oh yes...temperature fluctuations...

Up until the past week or two, it's been a relatively cool and very wet summer here in New England. But we knew those cool temperatures couldn't last long and it was just a matter of time before the heat and horrid humidity made its presence known. It wouldn't be summer in New England without a few days of 90° heat and here we are - right smack in the middle of yet another heat wave.

So why am I sitting here wearing a sweater while my toes are tucked inside a blanket that sits on a box under my desk? No, I am not sick. I am merely cold. Apparently this brand spanking new, super-energy-efficient, solar-powered, so-green-it'll-make-you-puke building that I call home for 8 out of 24 hours in the day is freezing me to death. And the thermostat in the hallway is so in on the prank it isn't funny. There's no way it's 73° in here. It feels more like 63°. Hence my dilemma.

In the morning, I try to dress according to the outside weather. Well I think that's going to have to stop. Dressing for all of the 30 seconds that I'm outside getting into my car in the morning followed by the 2 minute walk into the building is not enough "weather" to dress for. And that's including the 40 minute ride in the car which usually involves the AC anyway. No, I need to start dressing according to the building weather. Forget cute sandals, I'm ready to pull out my wool socks here. And why bother wearing short sleeved shirts when I just end up covering them up with sweaters everyday? It might as well be winter year-round in this joint. Oh wait - that's not possible. Cause in the winter it's usually hot enough in here to toast bread on your desk.

Yeah - and they say it's the Earth whose climate is all messed up!

The New and Improved Front Deck

Despite the crazy heat and humidity we’ve had lately, I’ve been spending the evenings sitting outside and enjoying our new front deck.  Here’s a pictorial timeline of the progress…

This is what the deck looked like before the construction started last summer.

The demolition process.  The pile of debris on the lower left side is all that remained after the deck was ripped off the house. 

Framing goes up after the siding and stone work on the foundation is complete.

Now for the cedar.  And this is pretty much how things stayed throughout the winter and spring.

This summer it was finally completed!

And here are some close-ups of the detail-work on the railings, incorporating my design.

  What a difference!

Friday Favorites!

I have an insatiable craving for candy today. Or maybe it's because I've been at work for an hour and a half already but haven't had breakfast yet. I dunno. But since my desk is absolutely devoid of any chocolatey-sweet goodness, all I can do is write about it instead So here goes - my favorite candy!

**Reader beware - do NOT read this if you're hungry!

Reese's Peanut Butter cups - It's like heaven wrapped in an orange wrapper. One little nibble and the problems that were plaguing me in life are erased from my mind. The only downside to these delectible eats is that they seem to have gotten much smaller in size than I last remember. That is until easter comes along and they sell those Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. Oh now that is heaven times two! Unfortunately, that's not the only thing that's times two - so are the fat and calories. Better yet were the ones I made from scratch once. Very easy to make as a matter of fact - some cupcake tins, melted chocolate and peanut butter. Wow, that definitely got my stomach growling. Ok, on to the next!

Peanut Butter M&Ms - Can you tell I really love peanut butter?! Thank goodness I'm not allergic to nuts (and neither is B!) After growing up on the old classic Reese's Pieces, I was at first quite hesitant to try these, but I'm glad I did! They are very different from Reese's Pieces but anything with peanut butter is yummy to me.

Circus Peanuts - Ok, I know I'm still on the peanut track, but these have nothing to do with actual peanuts except for their shape. I can't remember when was the first time I had these, but I remember being very young. And I remember my mom eventually taking the bag away from me because I was eating one after another, after another. You get the picture. They're nothing but soft sugary goodness (and were probably responsible for most of my childhood cavities), but they're still near the top of my list of faves!

Gummy worms - Ok, I'll admit, I've never really been a fan of gummy bears, but since B has developed a fondness for the worm variety, I tried one of those recently and now I feel like maybe I've missed out! Or maybe the bears were just too darn small and something bigger like a worm is just better? I dunno. But they're good. And way more fun to stretch and play with than the bears ever could be.

Peppermint Patties - There's just something about the burst of mint in these things that goes straight to my sinuses and tickles them with minty goodness! They're also pretty good to eat when you've got a cold and your nose is all stuffy. Eat enough of these and that stuffy nose will disappear in no time thanks to all the mint. And I'd much rather eat a bunch of peppermint patties than down a few of those nasty Hall's cough drops.

Great, now I may really need to visit a vending machine sometime today. Of course, that would undo all the calories I burned during yesterday's jog (3 miles in 36 min! Woohoo!) Actually, I care to think of it more as a reward than a setback. Yeah, a reward...that's it...

Thirty Schmirty...

So I've been 32 for a week now and I really feel no different than I did 2 weeks ago. To tell the truth, I really don't feel much different than when I was 25. Except for the fact that I'm not pregnant. Cause that was the big life-changing event that occurred when I was 25. Seriously, I haven't felt my age in years and I feel like someday it's all going to catch up to me. I'll wake up one day to find a full head of white hair, my joints creaking so bad I'll need a walker and my wardrobe full of the most hideous old-lady fashions. That terrifies me. Cause I kinda like being 25. Even if I'm not pregnant.

So my birthday week started with dinner (king crab legs) and a movie (The Proposal - very very funny!) and ended with yet another dinner (yummy Indian) and a show (Thwak!). Throw in a bouquet of 2 dozen roses, a gathering with friends that included a raspberry chambord white chocolate cake (I almost died and went to heaven!) and 6 kids singing Happy Birthday to me at the top of their lungs, well I have to admit - it was one of the best birthdays I've ever had!

By the way, if you ever have a chance to see the Umbilical brothers perform Thwak! live and in person, I highly recommend it. These guys are hilarity at its finest!

What's in a number?

I know, I know. I've been neglecting my blog. Again. But it's been for good reason. We've been busy doing stuff around the house and hanging out with friends and family this past week. Nevermind B's swimming lessons every night for the past two weeks and my time has been a bit crunched lately. The good news is that last weekend we stained roughly 84 cedar boards which will comprise the new front deck on the house. By the end of the week I am hoping to have some pictures up as it is almost done! That's the good news, but I have even better news...
Today is my birthday!! Today is the day that I move up to the ripe old age of 32. Although I really don't feel that old. I think I'm going to like being 32. It's got to be better than 31. There's just something about those odd-numbered birthday years that doesn't sit right with me. I'm an even-numbered gal - all my favorite numbers are even. This must go back to when I was 7. That was the year I decided it would be a great idea to ride my skateboard down the hall of my parent's house, only to see it slip out from under me and slam against the mirror-covered wall at the end of the hallway. (Whose idea it was to cover a wall from floor to ceiling with mirrored tiles is beyond me anyway...) From that point on, I just knew those odd-numbered years would be bad luck for me! So this year I get to relax cause we're back in the even-numbered territory.

Happy Birthday to me!

Friday Favorites!

Ok so I know I haven't done a Friday Favorites in like MONTHS, but that's because I got busy with a bunch of house stuff, never mind the recent trips we've taken. So this is my attempt to get back on track! And this Friday is all about something that's near and dear to my heart - GADGETS!!

Here are a few of my favorite gadgets I cannot live without:

1.) My cell phone. Any of you surprised that this would be at the top of my list? Yeah, didn't think so. And please reassure me that I'm not the only one who's had a near panic attack upon realizing that I must have left it at home only to find it later, buried in the deep abyss that is my knock-off Coach handbag. How can such a tiny gadget cause so much undue stress when it's not tucked away in the convenient little pocket now integrated into almost every purse sold these days? Especially since I came from a generation that knew what life was like before all the beeps and ringtones and text messaging.

2.) My iPod Touch. Gone are the days of filling up one's car with CDs, cassettes, 8-tracks?! for some musical relief from the nonsense that most radio stations play today, only to find that most of them get scratched or damaged during their life in that car. This handy dandy gadget contains all the music I need and then some. I listen to it in the car, at work and I have even gotten rid of the trusty radio that has graced the countertop in my kitchen for so many years in favor of the Touch and a mini pair of speakers.

3.) My DVR. Well actually it's OUR DVR, but since I'm the recording-aholic in the family and the fact that it was given to me by my wonderful husband for my birthday, well I think I have the right call it "mine". I just let him use it. LOL Talk about a fantastic piece of technology and I don't know how I could ever watch TV again without it. To be able to set up season passes to capture every episode of Ice Road Truckers without even needing to know which channel it's on or when it airs - now that is priceless! And let's not overlook the ability to fast-forward through those gawd awful commercials!

4.) Our wireless router. This one may sound a little weird to the non-techy folks out there, but trust me when I say that this is the life-blood of our household! Without it, we couldn't put the laptop in the kitchen to follow that new recipe we found online when searching for dinner ideas at the last minute. Or research something on wikipedia while watching TV in the living room. Or sit on the back deck while working from home. Or do some late night Facebook surfing in bed before going to sleep. Without that router, I don't know what we'd do, although I guess we'd be stuck in my office "wired" to the DSL modem instead and never see the light of day! I don't even remember what we did before we even had laptops that spoke to that magical router. Read books I guess? Sheesh, where's the fun in that! It's a marvelous little gadget I tell ya, but trust me, you don't want to be in our house when the power goes out!

So what are your favorite gadgets?

An award and some random stuff...

So my blah, hum-drum day has been given new life! I got in this morning to find that Fancy Schmancy had tagged me with an Honest Scrap award (Thanks so much!!) and while I'm not big on memes (cause they usually take me forever to think of stuff to write that I eventually just give up after a while.) But this time I happened to have a few ideas on the top of my head so I just went with it and the rest pretty much wrote itself. (If only stuff at work was this easy!) So again - Thanks Fancy!

So here is the award...

Here are the rules...
1.) “The Honest Scrap” award is not one to hold all to your self but it must be shared!
2.) First, the recipient has to tell 10 true things about themselves in their blog that no one else knows.
3.) Second, the recipient has to pass along this prestigious award to 10 more bloggers.
4.) Third, those 10 bloggers all have to be notified they have been given with this award.
5.) Those 10 bloggers that receive this award should link back to the blog that awarded them “The Honest Scrap’ award.

And here are my 10 things...

1.) I spent an hour in the sun yesterday because it was freaking cold in our house and I wanted to warm up. So today I'm sporting the latest "lobster red" skin color fashion. I am incapable of tanning unless I slather on the SPF 70 followed by spending a solid 80 hours in the sun (i.e. need to head back down to Mexico for a week!)

2.) So now my coworkers are probably wondering if I was really working from home yesterday since it looks like I spent the day down at the beach instead. I wish!

3.) It has been a dream of mine to someday own a convertible. It all started before I could even drive when the first Mazda Miata came out. But as with all things, tastes change over time. Now I want a BMW Z4 or Mini. Go figure...

4.) I tend to get sucked into television shows and/or movies much too easily. Right now I'm wondering what it would be like being a woman and drive a big rig like Lisa Kelly on Ice Road Truckers. Although I don't think I'd like to drive it on the Dalton Hwy in Alaska. Or on any road intentionally paved with ice. Or the occassional 5' snow drifts. Or along mountain passes with 1000' drops on either side.

5.) I think my dream job would be to captain some rich person's yacht. Sailing them around the world. Meeting them in the Caribbean in time for their helicopter to land onboard the helipad and hopping from island to island. Yup...

6.) Since high school I have worked in both the blue-collar and white-collar fields and have discovered that both have pluses and minuses. Despite all that, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

7.) I sometimes wonder what it would be like to pack up and move to a new city/state every few years. To see new places, meet new people. Then I remember how much crap I have accumulated in recent years and think there's no way in hell I'm packing all of that!

8.) I'd love to hire a cleaning lady, but the cost frightens me. Then I read that some stay-at-home-lazy-mom somewhere is complaing that her cleaning lady isn't doing a good enough job and I think WTF?!?

9.) When I'm at work, I wish I could just stay home and be with B. When I was on maternity leave, I couldn't wait to get back to work. I guess there's just no pleasing me!

10.) I'm dreaming right now about driving a big rig, around the country, with my convertible in the trailer and B in the back seat singing songs to pass the time. And with all the money I'd be making as a trucker, I could drive straight down to Miami, catch a plane to Mexico (sunscreen in tow) for a week of fun before heading back and driving to some other part of the country I've never seen before. Hmm...think it could work?

Athough it's against the rules, I've decided not to tag anyone with this and to keep the award all to myself! Mainly because most of my fellow bloggers have been tagged with this award already. But really it's cause I've just plain run out of time.

A Tale of a Beautiful State – Part 3

Mid-way through our week in Oregon we hopped in the car and drove 4 1/2 hours south of Portland to Crater Lake.  A former volcano that caved in on itself thousands of years ago, the entire top of the mountain is a self-contained lake.  It’s also one of the deepest lakes in the country – almost 2000’ feet in the deepest part.  Here are some amazing shots of this beautiful place!

There was still quite a bit of snow up there.

The water was so still and blue.  It provided a perfect mirror effect for the cliffs on the opposite side.

There is even a little island in the middle of the lake.

Those cliffs were so steep and there were no guardrails at many of the pull-offs.  I wonder if anyone has ever fallen into that lake… 

At one side of the lake there is a path that takes you down into the caldera to the surface of the water.  It was steep and very buggy (mosquitoes there are 3x the size of the ones we have around here!)

Again – no guardrails or safety measures of any kind.  So watch your step!

The water so crystal-clear.  We were able to see rocks that were at least 10’ deep.

And here we are at the bottom.  Beautiful!

This was an area where I wish I had a panoramic camera.  But since I don’t, you’ll have to live with 3 images – from the far left, center and far right of the lake.

This is Wizard Island.  It looks like a mini-volcano because that’s exactly what it is.  One of the last vestiges of the massive volcano that was Mount Mazama.  It erupted around 5600 BC with a force that is estimated to have been about 42 times more powerful than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.

So if you’re ever in Oregon, Crater Lake National Park is an absolute must-see!

A Tale of a Beautiful State – Part 2

For our next adventure, we set out for the Columbia River Gorge and Mt Hood, but not without first going through Portland.

We caught a glimpse of Mt Hood in the distance while on the highway. 

Our first stop was the Vista house which allowed for fantastic views of the gorge!  This is looking east, with Washington state on the other side of the river. 

Another view looking west.

Along the scenic byway that runs beside the Columbia River Gorge, there are a slew of gorgeous waterfalls.  These are the Latourell Falls.

Next stop were the Bridal Veil falls.

But nothing beat the 600+ foot drop of Multnomah Falls!

From there we departed and headed south for Mt Hood.  The views of the mountain as we climbed in elevation were breathtaking!

Getting closer to the top!

Near the top we stopped and had a drink at the Timberline Lodge.  Elevation there was ~6000 ft.  Elevation of the mountain itself is about 8500 ft.

They still had plenty of snow up there, even for the end of June!  This snow melt was extending into the parking lot.

Stay tuned for Part 3 – Crater Lake!

A Tale of a Beautiful State – Part 1

At the end of June we left the east coast and headed out west the wonderful state of Oregon.  It started out as a simple quest to attend a family wedding and ended up being a wonderful vacation for all of us.  I will attempt to recap the major milestones here, so I apologize in advance for the flood of pictures!  I must say though that pictures really do not do this state any justice.  To see these mountains, hills and rivers in person is truly a sight to behold.

The views of majestic mountains began before our plane even touched down.  I believe this is Mt. Rainier.

Once we landed we even caught a quick glimpse of Mt. Hood.

On our way to J’s aunt and uncle’s house, we passed by several of these – vineyards!

And saw several of these – Very cute recently shorn alpacas!

For our first venture we headed further west to the coast and the Pacific ocean.  This wall of trees was simply breathtaking!

Our destination was Cannon Beach.

And we stopped to get a quick bite to eat here.

Before heading out to see this.  They call it the Haystack.  And when the tide is lower, you can walk out to it.

I have never before seen a Tsunami Evacuation Route sign before!

Believe it or not, this is a trash can.  It was quite a remarkable and clean little town!

After the beach we headed back inland and stopped at Camp 18 for dinner.  This was a rather unique spot and the only restaurant I know of that has a ton of heavy equipment on the property.

The inside of the lodge itself was fantastically rustic!