It's been too long since I posted anything; the longer the gap, the harder it is to sit down and write! But the holidays went well, Mom and I went to Phx for Christmas itself (Dad flew in from Canada) and we spent it with Shannon and her family. We came back the weekend after and Rich and I spent New Year's Eve hanging out playing Scrabble (I rock) and watching movies.
But here's a recap of the last couple weeks broken down into section, headed by F words (pictures courtesy Dad):
Feasts:
Highlights included Christmas Eve at Houstons where Mom, Dad and I went to see Marti (she was working) and we had a delicious meal. I also got to eat at Oreganos three times (didn't get the pizza cookie any of them either, damnit!).
We had Christmas Dinner at the Rankins (Shannon and family) after we opened our presents. Extended friends and family came and all was well. Unfortunately, Ula and Abby hung out in the car in the driveway since the Rankin's two dogs were not as amiable to having more animals around and neither were ours. But they got walked constantly and Mom went out to give them treats (beef and cheese!) a few times. After a delicious dinner, we headed home. That night Mom played with her new iPod player (counter top) and we played a sort of "Name that Tune" and "Memory Lane" game as she shuffled through her oldies list.
Boxing Day (or the 26th as Americans call it) had us over at the Rankins again. Boxing Day (in the Commonwealth countries' tradition) means another great meal but with leftovers. So Dad headed up that challenge and we had leftovers and some fresh brussell sprouts,
Yorkshire pudding and potatoes.
Family:
Mom, Dad and I stayed at Mom's new place in Phoenix which is central to move everything and so was so cool that way. Dad flew in from Canada on the 23rd (we had driven in the day before), but unfortunately the connecting flight through Chicago (he was flying from Seattle) was delayed by a few hours so it was a long day for him. What's worse is it was even more badly delayed going back, making it six hours late getting back into Seattle, after which he had to drive the 3 hours back to Canada. But he made it!
Shannon, Devin and Sierra were great hosts for the festivities. Their house was decorated by Sierra for the most part and it looked great. Devin had to work on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day but Shannon had taken the week off.
Sierra's turning 12 next week and she's soooo tall! She loves the color Red, her hermit crabs and all kinds of electronic games and WebKinz.
Friends:
I was so thrilled to spend time with both August and Marti. I've known August since High School and Marti since shortly after that. I was able to see them separately and as a group like we used to do. We used to do a weekly movie which usually included Eric. The four of us always knew that on Saturday (usually it was on Sat) we'd be meeting up for a movie so we'd decide which new release and plan on it. I loved it. I knew that no matter what, I'd have something fun to do the coming weekend. Thanks to August and Marti for making sure it happened this visit!
Fortunes:
Fortunes meaning presents (couldn't think of another "f" word for gifts)...we all did very well! Personally I received some beautiful pearls, a gorgeous hand-made mug, a cool vest jacket, shoes and slippers and lots of other goodies! And that's from the Phoenix Christmas! Rich also was great and got me tickets to Kathy Griffin next week, a gift cert for Macy's and some really nice earphone/microphone set for my iPhone.
Films:Went to 3 movies while I was there. Two on Boxing Day, one in the morning and one later that night.
Juno - August, Marti and I did lunch and then went to see this movie. I really liked it. I could see it again, there's a lot of wit and she talks fast so another time would be good. Most memorable line is when her step mother (who owns a Nail salon) is talking about the younger sister of Juno named "Liberty Bell" and seeing as she's not that bright, her mother says she's "just not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed."
I Am Legend - Marti called me the night of the 26th to see if I fancied a late movie. I was proud of myself that instead of saying what she expected, "no, I'm tired, I'm just going to go to bed" I said, "SURE!" So we met at the movies and I enjoyed (kinda) this movie. The first half was so well done that the suspense was building up to such a state we covered our eyes in fear of something happening. The 2nd half was okay too, but it felt like it ended a tad abruptly. Also, the title is lame. I didn't dig the title at all once I'd seen it.
No Country for Old Men - This one Dad and I went to see together. And I recommend seeing it with someone because the minute we left the theater we had to do a debriefing together to see if we had seen the same plot points. Good movie that held my attention but we were a bit confused at the end. Luckily, I checked with Rich as well and came up with what we have determined was in fact the ending.
Rotten Tomatoes is a good website for explanations!
First fiasco is I wasn't able to see the
Kaufmans. They had family in town and coordinating all of their Christmas events with the babies sleeping schedules etc. ended up without it working out. But I have email proof (in case Eric says differently, Tobie!) that I tried again and again!
Second fiasco was how I ruined Dad's wonderful brussell sprouts on Boxing Day (yes, I think brussell sprouds ARE wonderful and I'm not afraid to say it). He mixes the steamed sprouts with this delicious lemon butter and I had just filled my plate and was going to pass the bowl around when I hit the candle which sent cinnamon wax splashing into the bowl. Woopsie. But I guess a few were salvaged (at least mine were perfect!).
Other news...- No real resolutions made but I'm feeling positive about 2008! As they said at our national conference in November for work, we're going to "Acceler8 in 08!"
- Got my diploma in the mail, it's beautiful - I really did it!
