Kind of pathetic

Growing up my parents always got a ton of Christmas cards from their friends. I remember how my mom displaying them for the entire month of December. I can imagine it made her feel awesome to know so many people cared enough about us to spend a quarter and send us a family update.


I think seeing all those cards up must have made an impression on my young mind because every Christmas I find a way to display the well wishes we've received. But, I have to admit, since we haven't ever sent out Christmas cards our tableau isn't really that impressive. In fact, it's kind of like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree of card displays:

Starting from left to right:

1. The card left for us in our milk box from our milkman...not even personally addressed to us
2. A card my husband's advisor gave us...this one is legit
3. A shockingly awesome rainbow card from an old college friend and his wife...this thing is so amazing...literally the most awesome Christmas card I've ever seen
4. A photo card from the ear doctor's office mate...who reads every post I ever write but never comments...
5. A picture card we got in the mail of kids we don't know. It was addressed to the previous owners of our house.
6. A card given to us from the people who run the Christmas tree lot where we bought our symbol of the season
7. A thanksgiving card from ear doctor's grandma...what...we needed more cards to fill the shelf...
8. An invitation to a New Years Eve party

Ho Ho Ho

I have a confession....I'm only really attracted to strong looking guys. Probably because my dad is a big guy. There is nothing more comforting that falling asleep on his side during church. It's the most safe, snugly feeling in the world. In my dad's world, the worst name you can call someone is a pencil neck.

As a result of his stature, my whole life people have been trying to get my dad to be Santa. He'll never say no to someone's request, but according to my mom he really doesn't like it. He doesn't like telling the poor kids that they're going to get everything they want when he knows full well that it probably isn't going to happen. It breaks his correspondingly big heart.

But I just can't tell you how awesome it is to see your dad dressed up as Santa....

Do you think that since he was one of Santa's helpers this year that he has a direct like to the REAL Santa Claus? If so, dad, please tell that guy up North that I'd love for him to fix the horrible crack in my windshield and/or buy me a double sink for the bathroom from IKEA for Christmas...

Back in the saddle

Remember how I kind of stopped blogging for a while? I just couldn't get excited about writing anything. My life seemed ho hum. People kept asking why I wasn't writing and it was really hard to put my finger on anything.


I was just uninspired.

A week or so ago the ear doctor and I were driving to a friend's house for a party. As we turned the corner onto her street my eyes fell on the most beautiful, awe inspiring sight:

I'm not sure that picture really does this justice. These people had constructed a set of rigging to hold this HUGE snowman up in the air. You could see this guy's top hat from 3 blocks away. I attempted to scale it to give you a feeling of just how amazing this accomplishment of festive engineering really is:

An almost 60 foot snowman perched on top of a cute 50's ranch house? Now, THAT, is something to blog about.

Tis the season

We've been getting about a million catalogs in the past 2 weeks. Most are pretty predictable...Jcrew, Crate and Barrel, Boden.

However, we got one that really got the ear doctor excited...Filson:

This place is like Eddie Bauer on crack. Everything the outdoor sportsman could ever dream of. This catalog is filled with stuff that my husband already has (the skeletool in the center):

Something he would probably consider buying to keep our dog warm on camping trips so he doesn't have to sleep inside the sleeping bag with one of us:

And when he decides to pick up his newest hobby of falconry I'll know exactly where to look for gifts...

Thanks Filson, for making all the ear doctor's wildest dreams come true.

festive hijinks

Last April our house was broken into and our TV stolen. It shook up the whole neighborhood and as a result we got to know our neighbors, exchange numbers and we always keep an each other.


This year we have someone leaving us little gifts to celebrate the first 12 days of December. The first night the ear doctor got a little zealous in trying to figure out who was leaving us the gifts...he chased them into a neighbor's yard and trapped them in place. I, dramatically, told him to back off so that the people doing this super nice thing could have a little fun.

So since then, we've pulled it way back...and they stopped knocking on the door to announce their deliveries.

But then, on Monday they left us a taunting note saying that they were trickier than we were because we didn't know who they were.

Well, we know we're the craftiest and to taunt us? It's not going to end well.

Last night we decided to leave our solid front door open, but our glass outer door closed. That way if they wanted to try to leave it on our porch they'd have to get creative.

At about 9:30 our dog started going CRAZY. We knew they were here. We waited and watched to see what they would do. I guess they hung around for 20 minutes or so deciding what to do because Roscoe was barking like crazy.

We never saw them, but I peered out the glass door and saw that there was a little gift on the hood of the ear doctor's car. I ran out on my bare tip toes through the snow to retrieve it and came in to the ear doctor talking to someone on the phone.

Our neighbor had noticed a stranger in a hoodie lurking around our house for the last 20 minutes and wanted to make sure everything was OK.

So now, not only is our nice barer of gifts going to have to avoid getting caught by us, but the entire neighborhood watch is on their trail...


...they're never going to make it to December 12th without getting caught...

Spoils

Last night I went to an ornament exchange party hosted by a good friend. She asked me to come early, so I did. I helped her cut fudge and layout food. I helped her arrange chairs and open the door for guests.

There were about 20 interesting, smart, funny women attending this party. And the best part is that I only knew about half of them.

Have I mentioned that I love meeting new people? I love it. Lately I've been feeling a bit stale and boring, but meeting new people always makes me feel like a million bucks. I can tell them my funniest, best stories and I get to hear brand new things about them.

And to top it off, I ended up getting the best ornament in the bunch...a blue wool whale with a big wide smile across his little face.

It doesn't get much better than that.

in between

Last night we had our first combined youth group meeting.

I'm in charge of helping lead the spiritual progression of the teenage girls who attend my church. Unfortunately, the numbers of teenage girls attending our congregation has dwindled. In an attempt to bolster our young ladies we've decided to combine our Wednesday evening youth groups with 2 other groups in our local area.

So last night we had about 65 teenagers all come together and play toilet paper dodgeball together.


It was pure and utter insanity.


Instead of hanging out with the same 10 kids I've spent every Wednesday with for the last 2 years I had a whole crop of new kiddos to get to know. My girls were all excited by the new, cute boys and the boys had a new group to play basketball with. At first, the energy was exciting and intoxicating. Meeting new people always amps up my energy; I live for the balance between excitement and anxiety. It was really exciting for me until I realized (again) that I am no longer the target audience for these gatherings. These kids don't see me as a cool slightly older peer, but as the grown-up. The adult.

And if those kids had been just a little bit less over the moon with excitement then I might have felt a little ripped off. A little neglected. A little...separate.


I'm not a youth. That's for sure. But I donn't really seem to fit with the rest of the adults since I don't have kids of my own.


Sitting squarely in limbo is where I found myself as I swept up spilled popcorn kernels and ripped pieces of TP.

An official new holiday

Saturday was the first gray, cold, wet day of fall in Colorado. We decided to celebrate the turn of the season by having MAN DAY.

First, we slept in....not necessarily a man-exclusive activity, but I've never met a guy who didn't appreciate a nice lazy Saturday morning.

Then, we played Wii for 5 hours. New game on our brand New TV.

Then, we changed out of pajamas and went to get Denver's best pastrami sandwich. I know it is the best pastrami in Denver because my husband has done an exhaustive search of all the options and this, my friends, was the best.

Went home, took a nap while watching True Grit.

Woke up, finished up an easy but infinitely rewarding home improvement task which appropriately covered us in sawdust.

Ordered pizza for dinner and watched the BYU football game.

Rounded out the night with a Aerosmith Guitar Hero jam session.

Personal reminder

Today my coworker complimented my outfit and then said that she thought I always looked so great and had the cutest clothes.

It totally made my day.


Note to self: when I think someone nice about someone I should SAY it. It might just make all the difference in their day!

Midnight musings

Today my littler sister wrote a really great post about what keeps her up at night. She's pregnant with #3 right now, so most of her nocturnal worries center on the welfare of her little ones.


I have always been a good sleeper. Always. When we were little my parents played a game where they offered a dollar to the kid who fell asleep first. I'm pretty sure I was always the winner...and come to think of it, I was never really reimbursed for my obedience.

Even now, as an adult, I'm a rockstar sleeper. But occasionally something keeps me up.


Money.



It's the only thing that can tear me from my dreams, rob me of slumber and motivate me to sit at the dining room table in my underwear signing checks and licking envelopes.


How about you? What keeps you up at night?

One down

Saturday night our friends treated us to free club level tickets at the Rockies game. Usually, I don't really like baseball, but this weekend it was perfect. It wasn't unbearably hot and at the club level the chairs are farther apart and you have a waiter that will bring you food so you don't have to bother the people on the end of the row getting up and down.

And even though our team lost, it was a totally awesome night.

Why?

Well, I'll tell you.

After going to a million games and longingly watching the jumbotron filled with happy smiling faces I FINALLY made it up on the screen! Yep! that's right. If you'd been at the game on Saturday night and looked up in the middle of the 8th inning you would have seen the ear doctor and I going crazy because they'd chosen us! US! to do the macarena in public.


Even cooler?

This morning at work my coworker asked if I was at the game because he saw a girl who looked just like me on the jumbotron!


Scratch that one off the bucket list!

Favorite NY moment #4

After we'd spent a few hours strolling around the MET we needed a little sugary energy infusion. So, upon the advice of the lovely Sharon, we strolled a couple of blocks over to William Greenberg Desserts. We bought two black and whites and couple of cans of diet coke.

There is only one word for what transpired next.


Nirvana.

At first I was a it skeptical...could this simple cookie have just changed my life? Could I have found a new favorite confection?

Then I became suspicious that everyone around me wanted to steal it and have it for themselves...

For my whole life I thought these cookies were just normal sugar cookies, but they are so much more than that! They are more like a slice of cake that is easy to eat and covered with beautiful chocolate and perfect icing:

Take a look at that beautiful crumb!

We had one every single day we were in the city and right now as I type this I'm craving another!

Favorite NY moment #3

The first day we were in the city we decided to go on a REAL TOUR of NY. I have to say, I was a bit nervous it would be super touristy and I would regret spending my cash. I was totally wrong. It was awesome. Small group, funny guide, awesome hole in the wall dim sum place that we never would have found for dinner...all in all awesome.


One of our first stops was to see ground zero.


I was a little bit overwhelmed by how fresh the events of a decade ago were in the memory of New Yorkers. Fresh and painful. We walked through St. Paul's churchyard and I was totally overwhelmed by the sense of love and support that ordinary people offered...without any kind of government organization helping them out. I found tears silently rolling down my cheeks as I listened to our tour guide tell us how his mother was supposed to go to her job that morning in a gift shop on the 40-something-ith floor and how her 25 year old boss told her to take the morning off. That 25 year old saved his mother's life.


More than the devastating loss that was experienced that morning, I'll remember the pure charity, unselfish devotion, overwhelming unity and unconquerable spirit of hard work that poured our of our nation following the disaster.


At St. Paul's there is a table were you are encouraged to leave your prayers and thoughts. I wrote this on a card and left it there:

"My prayer is that it does not take another disaster to unify us again"

Favorite NY moment #2

OK, just to preface this. What happened isn't exactly my "favorite" experience in the world, but it just seemed so perfectly iconic New York that I couldn't resist sharing it.

The entire time we were in the city we ate 2 dinners. First dinner usually happened around 6 pm. It was usually at a normal restaurant and in a normal setting. Then we went out and found something fun to do or see and around 10 we were hungry again. This is when second dinner occurred. Sometimes it was 3 huge desserts we shared, sometimes it was piping hot pizza fresh from the oven.

One night after second dinner we were riding the subway back to our hotel. The train was filled with the usual interesting array of people. People chatting, reading, staring off into space, singing along to their ipod, whatever. We pulled up to a stop and an elderly gentleman boarded the train. He took his place standing in the middle of the car, even though there were plenty of empty seats. As soon as the train started he looked around the car, slowly lifted his hand and proceeded to flip off the entire car.

He kept his hand raised and slowly spun on his heel, making sure that everyone in the car had the chance to take in his totally unprovoked message.

The next stop came and he got off the train.

The ear doctor decided that he was probably upset with the fact that the platforms were unbearably hot (underground, no ventilation, 85 degree days and 80% humidity) and the trains were all running slow from construction on the lines.


Considering that, I am inclined to add a nod of agreement to the gentleman's outward expression of frustration.

Favorite NY moment #1

All I've ever heard is how New Yorkers, and east coasters in general, are a bit cold. Somehow I got a stereotype into my head that they are a bit rude, unfriendly and pushy.


One morning we were sitting on a bench looking at a subway map (my favorite pass time) and trying to chart our course to the closest shake shack. It was early and getting warm. People were out walking their dogs. One guy was on a jog and reached into the pocket of his gym shorts to pull out a piece of paper. Suddenly, a huge wad of cash spilled out of his pocket. The wind caught the errant bills and started blowing them all over.

I expected people to either totally ignore this guy's plight or to bend over and scoop up a bill for themselves.

The total opposite happened.


Every single person in the surrounding area ran around collecting this guys money. People jumped out into the street for a $1 bill. People across the street, on the next block even scooped up the cash and trotted over to return the money to it's rightful owner.


It was the final little push I needed to help me fall head over heels in love with the city.

Photo Series

I can't tell you how much we loved our trip to New York. People always talk about how great the city is, but I never really got it. I've been to big cities and liked them, but I've officially joined the I (heart) N Y bandwagon.


And is there any better way to document a great trip than through self portraits? I think not.

Times Square 

 The Met

 New Amsterdam Theater

 Statue of Liberty

 Ellis Island

 Ferry Ride

 Moma

 Brooklyn Bridge

 Birthday Cake in our hotel

30 Rock

New York trip prep day 4

The ear doctor and I brainstormed songs all about New York to create a mix tape.

We then went out and found a ghetto blaster.


We plan to bump those tunes all through the streets of NY.

CONCRETE JUNGLE WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE OF!!!!!!

New York trip prep day 3

Monday afternoon I went over to my friend's house to get my hair cut in preparation for the trip.

When I moved to Colorado 8 years ago I met this really awesome, funny, beautiful girl. I found out she was a hair stylist and gladly cut people's hair in her kitchen. Well, I was new and didn't want to put the effort into finding a salon. Plus, I 've never really been that picky about my haircut.

So I sat in her chair for the first time...and have never looked back.

She is probably the most talented hair stylist I've ever been to. Usually when you get a cute cut and time passes it starts to look a little raggedy. I don't know what it is, but every time she cuts my hair, as time goes by it just looks better and better.

And I love the fact that we've stayed close enough that I can come over and get my hair cut, then have dinner with her family, then play in the grass with her two little boys (4 and 2). Who else gets that kind of special treatment from their stylist?

New York trip prep day 2

I  told myself that I would attempt to cool it on the scheduling of this trip. I have been known to over plan a vacation and not allow any free moments for relaxation or spontaneity.

But I just couldn't help myself.


We're only in the city for a few days and there are so many things to see and do that I would hate to get there and spend time schlepping around and looking at each other and asking what we should see next. Or even worse, end up eating at some crappy chain restaurant because we didn't take the time to find somewhere amazing to eat. That would be a real tragedy in my book.

So here it is, our plan for the trip. I know it seems a bit detailed, but that's what happens when my type A personality gets a hold of a spreadsheet. Our tickets are purchased and our reservations are made. The good thing about me is that the moment a trip begins my red personality morphs to yellow and I have no problem dropping the schedule entirely.

Is there anything totally awesome that we've missed in our exhaustive research? Something we MUST add to our trip?

New york trip prep day 1

In one week the ear doctor and I will be leaving for our trip to New York and I am R-E-A-L-L-Y excited. There are very few things I love more in life than being away from work with my best friend doing things we've never done before.

In an attempt to convey my excitement I'm doing to do a series about how we're getting ready.

This morning the ear doctor and I decided that we're going to start practicing talking like native New Yorkers. Unfortunately, the most exposure we have to real New York dialogue comes mainly from Seinfeld and movies featuring Brooklyn Mobsters.

So this morning there was a whole lot of "yadda, yadda, yadda" and "fogetaboutit" goin on in our house.

Clearly, we need help.



What other lingo should we be practicing to avoid standing out like the country bumpkins that we are?