Indiana- Part 1

It's been a while.  I don't blame you if you stopped reading this blog.  Heck, I have stopped reading it!  Well, writing.  Which is the same thing, kinda, since it is a surprise to me too what with the stream-of-conciousness writing thing.  Every sentence is new to me, too.

Anyway, I have a little catching up to do.  I have somehow at some time petered out on the whole 365 thing.  Which is irritating.  Because I thought THIS TIME I would manage to see the project through.  But that was not the case.  I will see if I can salvage it (part of the issue is I keep forgetting to clear my memory card and then I get all confused on the order once I import to the computer... my life is chaos).

We get married in a couple weeks.  The week after Christmas.  Some crazy lady inhabited my body for a while and convinced me this was totally doable.  No sweat.  Then, the crazy lady vacated and I am stuck with the panic.  Go figure.  If anyone sees her, let her know I dislike her enthusiasm for the near-impossible and do not appreciate her leaving me with all this insanity.  Thanks.

So, Indiana.  We went to see my brother's senior show with the Glee Club, which was awesome as anticipated.  Now I confess to the bit where I ignored the no photography bit thinking I had the camera on all manual settings so nobody would see any flash or anything so I was going to be a photo ninja.  But then this ninja forgot to check the telephoto lens which was on auto focus and shot out a really bright light that ninja couldn't see from behind the lens, whose focusing range was really far away.  Ninja was notified from people in seats in front of her that she was being obnoxious.  Ninja resigned as a ninja and shrunk into her seat for the remainder of the show, only venturing out to photograph the proceedings of the after-show senior send off.  So, to my brother, I apologize for the lack of photos from your last show.  Your sister is a failed ninja.

Anyway, those photos (or lack thereof) will be in a later post.  Today we talk bars.  Because we went to a couple, and it is enough to make me wish I lived in West Lafayette.  Their bars are awesome.  Ours, while I love the people there, are less awesome.

Anyway, we went to a couple bars I mentioned before.  First, on recommendation of my brother, we went to Harry's Chocolate Shop.  It was small and already kinda crowded for 11 in the morning, but we ordered a couple Colorado Root Beers and a basket of fries with Harry's Seasoning on them, which were all amazing.  Colorado Root Beer is basically vanilla vodka, root beer schnapps, a splash of Coke, a dsah of half-and-half and a bit of Baileys.  And delicious.









Then, we went to Nine Irish Brothers, a pub we visited last time we were that way as well.  As always, the Guinness and Irish fare were stellar, and the atmosphere true pub quality!  There were even Irish Santas for the holiday season.  The whole family went by after the Saturday show and we all had a wonderful time!  It was fun catching up with my extended family from Michigan and seeing Bear get to know them a little better with every meeting.  We don't frequently see my relatives, since they are all far away.  Or maybe we're the ones who live far away.  Either way, we don't often see each other, and whenever we have a chance to share a meal and some conversation, we welcome the moment with open arms.




















Well, that concludes the bar crawling bit of our two-day trip... and yes, we went through a twelve-hour one-way drive for a couple days, followed by twelve-hours home.  Phew!  We must love my brother or something.

I hope to post more about the trip soon.  Work is a little weird right now, with the holiday break coming up my hours are strange and there isn't really any downtime for internet doodling, so bear with me and my strange backwoods internets!

Ciao!

My Life in Misc. Photos

We just returned from a trip to Indiana to visit my brother and see his senior holiday show with the Purdue Glee Club (on the header photo, my brother is second from the right in the second row with the glasses!).  It was a wonderful walk down memory lane as at one point in our childhood we lived in West Lafayette.  This time we didn't stop to see the old house, but it looks so different these days, I wouldn't have recognized it anyway.  I have tons of photos to edit and post and a few cute local places to blog about if any of you end up in the area!  The only bummer is I picked up a bit of a head cold... sore throat, congestion... all those lovely things.  It was so rainy and chilly this weekend!  But the cold is worth all the warm fuzzies of seeing my baby brother, traveling with Bear and my parents, and seeing my Oma, Opa, great Aunts, and Aunt Carol for a little bit!

How was your weekend?

Holiday Spirit

It's difficult for me to focus on the holidays... I've been so busy with wedding wedding wedding I realized I have to get on holiday gifts!  Oops!  To get me back on track, I am stealing this little questionnaire from Patchie's post today!  Happy December 1st!





1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?


Hot chocolate, I guess... but honestly, I prefer coffee and cognac. Yum.


2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?


Santa always wrapped presents unless they were really big things, like bicycles or Playmobile sets, in which case they were set up and ready to wow!


3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?


I prefer white lights, especially the cool white LEDs. If there are colored lights, I prefer blues.


4. Do you hang mistletoe?


Yes! We have this mistletoe from Bear's past that we always forget to tack up, and then it manages to stay up until June... right between the living room and the kitchen. Lots of kisses for all!

5. When do you put your decorations up?


We usually try for Black Friday, but this year is so hectic... we're hoping to get things decorated before Christmas!


6. What is your favorite holiday dish?


Ham and veggie bundles (carrots and green beans wrapped in bacon and baked in a brown sugar/butter/garlic glaze... ohmyyum!).


7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?


When I was in eighth grade, my family and I went to Williamsburg for Christmas season, and were coming back home Christmas day. My brother is three years my junior, so he was still a Santa fan. I was totally concerned how he would handle coming home to a bare tree since my parents were with us... no way "Santa" would be able to make it! When we got home I rushed inside, trying rather unsuccessfully to beat my brother up the stairs. His Santa enthusiasm gave him super strength! I was bracing myself for the tears and a long explanation, but instead heard the usual Christmas morning "Santa came! Come on, Santa was here!" I climbed the stairs and low and behold, the gifts were all under the tree, festooned with "Santa" tags. It was like a Christmas miracle! (Later I found out my parents had given some friends the gifts and keys to the house, and their family spent the time we were gone wrapping and setting up our tree for my little brother... awesome!)


8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?


I was in the third grade. I liked to help out in the library after school (some things never change) and I was super excited about the Christmas season that year. Someone in my class told me Santa didn't exist, and I determined to research the matter and prove them wrong. What I found after finding "The Truth About Santa" in the card catalog broke my heart. There was the approximated lifespan of St. Nicholas, and a photograph of a gravestone decked out in holly by the locals. I cried for DAYS. My mom explained that Santa is real, but he's more a frame of mind than a man. She also let me be an "elf" that year. I got to put together my brother's big Santa present. Watching him get excited over the Playmobile castle I helped build the next morning made it all okay that the library book told me Santa Claus was dead. That year I learned that seeing my brother happy like that was magical enough for me!


9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?


Yes, ONE gift. It's usually from my godparents. Now, we get Christmas night pajamas, a tradition in Bear's family.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?


Currently, we are using Bear's grandmother's white tree. Last year we did a silver and blue theme, with blue and ice white LED lights. This year, I am thinking of layering some fun colors in a rainbow effect...

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?


I love to look at snow and catch flakes on my tongue... but it gets old really fast! I hate driving in it, because I tend to get lost in my Star Wars soundtrack... it looks so much like lightspeed from Star Wars or Star Trek! Cool... but not easy to focus through...

12. Can you ice skate?


I haven't tried in so long, I have no idea. I have a pair of ice skate I bought from the Local Theatre a few years back that wound up too big for me (and probably still are). I am the master of skate-skate-fall-flail-wait for someone to rescue me.


13. Do you remember your favorite gift?


Every year Bear and I split Christmas between our families. We go to Christmas Eve mass with my family, return to their home and open presents, and go back to our home so we can wake up early and have Christmas morning with his family. Last year, Christmas with my family ran a little longer than usual and Bear was getting antsy. I figured he was exhausted and maybe even a little angry that we were going home so late. When we got home I went to put a few things away and came back to the bedroom where Bear had gone. Our Christmas tree is in there since we have cats and try to keep them away from the tree. He was standing next to the tree with his arms open. I walked into his embrace and he professed his love... a little odd but cute. Then he got down on one knee and proposed. My ring I guess is the gift in this situation, but I think more our future life together was the real gift I received.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?


Family. Spending time with those you love and showing your appreciation for them.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?


Gingerbread, Scottish Shortbread, and Snickerdoodles!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?


Every year, we watch those Christmas stop motions; Rudolph, Frosty, Baby New Year, Father Time, Eon, the Island of Misfit Toys, Hermes the Dental Elf... these are all well loved friends this time of year!

17. What tops your tree?

My parents have an angel. Bear's parents have a star. We change it up every year.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?


I love giving gifts and see the recipient's face light up! But... getting things is pretty fun too!

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?


YUM.

20. Favorite Christmas show? Show or movie?


Holiday Inn and White Christmas, both starring Bing Crosby. I love Bing... we listen to his holiday songs on 45s every year while decorating!

21. Saddest Christmas Song?


Blue Christmas or I'll Be Home for Christmas.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song?


White Christmas. Hands down.

Love...

My 365 Grateful project has really been keeping me on my toes!  I am so grateful for it, as ironic as that sounds!  It is so easy to forget to be grateful for the every day things that get us through life.

This week I've been grateful for...

* little colorful Buddas that remind me to smile and practice patience, peace, and to share joy....



* our upcoming wedding, which is incredibly stressful right now, but will be the day I will look back on fondly, with a  joyful heart...



* my wonderful, talented friends, who are helping me take my business to the next step...



* and my lovely friends and family who are expecting new life!



The wedding and life in general really has been stressing me out lately, but when I start to feel like I will explode, I edit my grateful photos of the week and upload them, focusing on all the wonderful things I have in my life.  It's the best therapy I have ever had.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Winter is knocking on our door, and I am trying to embrace it and let what will be, be... even though I secretly hope for late snow so our wedding allows our families easy travel!  haha

xoxoxo