Sometimes you just have to revel in the absurdity that is pregnancy. I mean, really...how many times in your life are encouraged to gain 25-35 pounds (give or take a pound or two...or ten) in less then a year, eat (almost) anything you want, wear enormous clothes, waddle around feeling like a whale and be told the entire time how ADORABLE you are!
Tonight I had a one of those moments where you stop and look at yourself and think, "if I weren't pregnant, this would be completely unacceptable!" After a long day of jury selection and a quick trip to the doctor to confirm that, yes, I am indeed having Braxton Hicks contractions, I came home and collapsed on the Aerobed. Again, the only piece of furniture we have in our apartment. The high today was about 30 degrees, with the winds howling around 30 miles an hour. Kids, it was cold. I pulled on the biggest, most comfortable, most unflattering pair of yoga pants I own, and curled up under the down comforter for a nap.
I woke up about an hour later starving, and mentally assessed the food options in the apartment. With no working stove or oven, no toaster, no microwave, no dishes or pots or pans, I was limited to peanut butter & jelly or a turkey sandwich. Mmm...turkey sandwich. Then I realized that I couldn't possibly eat a turkey sandwich without Cheetos. There was absolutely no way on the planet I could eat anything without Cheetos. I needed Cheetos, and I needed them now. Who cares that it's 8:30 at night and 20 degrees outside? Who cares that I'm practically in my pajamas? So, I got up, and pulled on one of Kevin's sweaters (he's currently in Detroit, or he might have succeeded in talking me out of this madness...might) and my tennis shoes, wrapped myself in coats, scarves, and gloves, and walked the 2 blocks down to the local market for Cheetos.
And did they have Cheetos? Noooooooo. They had Cheetos Puffs, which are CLEARLY not Cheetos. And when you want Cheetos, Cheetos Puffs are NOT going to cut it.
So I walked 5 more blocks to a Rite Aid, where not only did I find Cheetos, but they were ON SALE! My persistence is rewarded!
I happily walked all the way home with my 2 bags of Cheetos (for $3.00), and had the world's best turkey sandwich with all the Cheetos my little heart desired. And as I'm sitting here on the Aerobed, eating my turkey sandwich off of a paper towel because we have no plates, munching Cheetos from the bag, and reading my Food & Wine magazine about places I can't travel, wine I can't drink, and food I can't cook (did I mention my pots & pans are in a box in storage??), I was struck by the ridiculousness that is pregnancy. It is truly 10 months of temporary insanity. And the entire world is your accomplice.
Well, I'm off to Jury Duty tomorrow, where I will be serving my civic duty as one of 8 jurors in a automobile/pedestrian collision trial. Could be interesting...but probably not. I'll let you know.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
Camping out...New York style
Ok, so the week after we came home from Montreal, I hit the house packing hard-core! I ordered boxes from a great website that I would highly recommend to anyone getting ready to move. You can buy inexpensive, high quality, used cardboard boxes, and they'll ship them to you in about 2 days for free!
But, I digress.
I spent the entire week following Montreal packing all our worldly possessions. It was brutally exhausting. It's just an overall more complicated and taxing process when you're 7 months pregnant. But the light at the end of the tunnel...by Friday it would all be over and we would be in our new home! Ok, well, that dream came crashing halt on Tuesday evening. Here's the short story...
Back in September Kevin happened to mention to a friend from work that we were looking for a new apartment...something with 2 bedrooms, and a little more space, roughly in our same neighborhood. Well, come to find out, Kevin's friend was in the process of purchasing an apartment that he was then going to turn around and rent out. It was all too perfect to be coincidence, and we have been breathlessly thanking God for giving us more then we ever hoped for in a new apartment ever since! As so often happens when you're dealing with management companies, banks and attorneys, the closing process on the apartment has taken longer then originally anticipated. So, on that Tuesday, we found out that they still hadn't closed on the apartment, and until they did, we could not "officially" move in. However, we definitely had to be out of our old place, as there were people moving in the very day we moved out!
Needless to say, after several long days of packing chaos, this did not go over so well with the little mama. Sweet Kevin came home with a dozen roses that night, knowing I had very well been pushed over the edge. (And all our vases were packed, so the gorgeous pink roses graced our mantle in my blender!)
Wednesday morning, I awoke with a new found sense of peace from God. I began to see our situation for blessing that it was. God was handing us a gift, and if we weren't careful, we were going to miss it. We had to be out by Friday, and our stuff was going to be moved into storage. Which left us with 2 suitcases and our Aerobed on the floor of our new apartment as "guests" of our friends (who no longer live in this apartment -- it's just a big empty space). So after an exhausting week of packing and moving, God was giving us an entire weekend of...nothing. No television, no internet, no boxes to unpack, to pictures to hang...absolutely nothing. We realized that it was perhaps our last chance to have a totally unstructured, unencumbered weekend to do anything or nothing at all. It was bliss! We slept in, explored restaurants in our new neighborhood, went to a movie, went shopping, met friends for brunch, went to bed early, marveled at the leaves changing in Central Park, marveled at the sheer size of our cavernous new apartment, rested, and were blessedly restored.
It is now 2 1/2 weeks later, and we are still on our Aerobed with our 2 suitcases...but the end may very well be in sight! We are told that closing should go through this week, and we may actually get to spend this weekend moving in. We are so excited about it! But more then anything, we are astonished and grateful for the way God has provided for us over the last few months. We are humbled by his regard for us, his loving consideration, the tender way he meets our needs, and the generous way he gives us more then we could hope to ask for. We are also learning to look at our situations through the eyes of Job, who endured more then we can imagine, and still said, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
But, I digress.
I spent the entire week following Montreal packing all our worldly possessions. It was brutally exhausting. It's just an overall more complicated and taxing process when you're 7 months pregnant. But the light at the end of the tunnel...by Friday it would all be over and we would be in our new home! Ok, well, that dream came crashing halt on Tuesday evening. Here's the short story...
Back in September Kevin happened to mention to a friend from work that we were looking for a new apartment...something with 2 bedrooms, and a little more space, roughly in our same neighborhood. Well, come to find out, Kevin's friend was in the process of purchasing an apartment that he was then going to turn around and rent out. It was all too perfect to be coincidence, and we have been breathlessly thanking God for giving us more then we ever hoped for in a new apartment ever since! As so often happens when you're dealing with management companies, banks and attorneys, the closing process on the apartment has taken longer then originally anticipated. So, on that Tuesday, we found out that they still hadn't closed on the apartment, and until they did, we could not "officially" move in. However, we definitely had to be out of our old place, as there were people moving in the very day we moved out!
Needless to say, after several long days of packing chaos, this did not go over so well with the little mama. Sweet Kevin came home with a dozen roses that night, knowing I had very well been pushed over the edge. (And all our vases were packed, so the gorgeous pink roses graced our mantle in my blender!)
Wednesday morning, I awoke with a new found sense of peace from God. I began to see our situation for blessing that it was. God was handing us a gift, and if we weren't careful, we were going to miss it. We had to be out by Friday, and our stuff was going to be moved into storage. Which left us with 2 suitcases and our Aerobed on the floor of our new apartment as "guests" of our friends (who no longer live in this apartment -- it's just a big empty space). So after an exhausting week of packing and moving, God was giving us an entire weekend of...nothing. No television, no internet, no boxes to unpack, to pictures to hang...absolutely nothing. We realized that it was perhaps our last chance to have a totally unstructured, unencumbered weekend to do anything or nothing at all. It was bliss! We slept in, explored restaurants in our new neighborhood, went to a movie, went shopping, met friends for brunch, went to bed early, marveled at the leaves changing in Central Park, marveled at the sheer size of our cavernous new apartment, rested, and were blessedly restored.
It is now 2 1/2 weeks later, and we are still on our Aerobed with our 2 suitcases...but the end may very well be in sight! We are told that closing should go through this week, and we may actually get to spend this weekend moving in. We are so excited about it! But more then anything, we are astonished and grateful for the way God has provided for us over the last few months. We are humbled by his regard for us, his loving consideration, the tender way he meets our needs, and the generous way he gives us more then we could hope to ask for. We are also learning to look at our situations through the eyes of Job, who endured more then we can imagine, and still said, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
Monday, November 12, 2007
Oh Canada
What a fun morning...I sat down at my computer this morning, amid chaos and moving boxes, and pulled up my friend's blogs, which I love to do to find out if anyone has done anything new. What a joy to find that almost everyone had posted a fun new update over the weekend! Halloween pics of some of my favorite kiddos on the planet, gorgeous photo reminders of God's grace, fun news about trips taken, general updates about the lives of those I love, but don't get to see nearly as often as I'd like. Thanks, dear ones, for making my morning!
Kevin and I ran away from home this weekend. We realize that in a few weeks it's going to get much more complicated to do that. We threw everything we needed in one suitcase (yes, I know, those days are SERIOUSLY almost over), and caught a flight to Vermont. From there we rented a car and drove north to Montreal. Neither of us had ever been to Canada, and we had some free hotel nights that were slated to expire by the end of the year.
Every year feels as if on October 1st I'm standing on top of a mountain looking down on my favorite time of year...the holidays! I love EVERYTHING from October 1 to January 8 (our wedding anniversary). Then, just as I'm taking a deep breath and preparing to enjoy this fantastic time of year, someone gives me a huge shove from behind, and I am rolling down this mountain. Faster and faster the days fly by, the weekends fill up, the holidays whiz past....and I slam into a tree at the bottom of the hill, stand up, shake myself off, and realize it's mid-January and it's over. I have nothing to look forward to now but 4 more months of rather dreary winter weather without all the fun. Granted, we do have something to look forward to this year around the beginning of February, but that doesn't mean my fall is moving any slower. In fact, it's actually busier -- Kevin's sister is getting married at Thanksgiving, I'm having a baby shower in Dallas in December, and before all of that, we're moving.
Needless to say, a girl could use a break.
So, Friday night we drove into Montreal. The weather was positively frigid! We had dinner on Friday night at French brasserie not far from our hotel, and then crashed. Saturday we had brunch at this fantastic place called Great Eggspectations, where they do more things then you could possibly imagine with eggs. We spent the rest of the day following a walking tour of Old Montreal that I printed online. Every 10 minutes or so we would duck into some gallery or tacky souvenir shop to try to thaw out, as it never got out of the 30s. It was frosty and fantastic! The whole weekend was low key -- sleeping 12 hours a night (yes, I know, another thing we're going to kiss good-bye very soon), eating fantastic food, wandering around parts of the city, stumbling through my lousy French. (If you've ever seen any clips from Flight of the Conchords, we sang Foux Da Fa Fa all weekend.)
Now I'm back home, again surrounded by stacked moving boxes and chaos. I've gotta make some progress, as we are hoping this move will happen on Friday. I'm going to be really glad when this is over. I've found that moving is a much more complicated proposition when you're pregnant. Not that I'm all that big, but it's just a little more physically challenging. I am so getting a massage when all this madness is over!
Kevin and I ran away from home this weekend. We realize that in a few weeks it's going to get much more complicated to do that. We threw everything we needed in one suitcase (yes, I know, those days are SERIOUSLY almost over), and caught a flight to Vermont. From there we rented a car and drove north to Montreal. Neither of us had ever been to Canada, and we had some free hotel nights that were slated to expire by the end of the year.
Every year feels as if on October 1st I'm standing on top of a mountain looking down on my favorite time of year...the holidays! I love EVERYTHING from October 1 to January 8 (our wedding anniversary). Then, just as I'm taking a deep breath and preparing to enjoy this fantastic time of year, someone gives me a huge shove from behind, and I am rolling down this mountain. Faster and faster the days fly by, the weekends fill up, the holidays whiz past....and I slam into a tree at the bottom of the hill, stand up, shake myself off, and realize it's mid-January and it's over. I have nothing to look forward to now but 4 more months of rather dreary winter weather without all the fun. Granted, we do have something to look forward to this year around the beginning of February, but that doesn't mean my fall is moving any slower. In fact, it's actually busier -- Kevin's sister is getting married at Thanksgiving, I'm having a baby shower in Dallas in December, and before all of that, we're moving.
Needless to say, a girl could use a break.
So, Friday night we drove into Montreal. The weather was positively frigid! We had dinner on Friday night at French brasserie not far from our hotel, and then crashed. Saturday we had brunch at this fantastic place called Great Eggspectations, where they do more things then you could possibly imagine with eggs. We spent the rest of the day following a walking tour of Old Montreal that I printed online. Every 10 minutes or so we would duck into some gallery or tacky souvenir shop to try to thaw out, as it never got out of the 30s. It was frosty and fantastic! The whole weekend was low key -- sleeping 12 hours a night (yes, I know, another thing we're going to kiss good-bye very soon), eating fantastic food, wandering around parts of the city, stumbling through my lousy French. (If you've ever seen any clips from Flight of the Conchords, we sang Foux Da Fa Fa all weekend.)
Now I'm back home, again surrounded by stacked moving boxes and chaos. I've gotta make some progress, as we are hoping this move will happen on Friday. I'm going to be really glad when this is over. I've found that moving is a much more complicated proposition when you're pregnant. Not that I'm all that big, but it's just a little more physically challenging. I am so getting a massage when all this madness is over!
Friday, October 26, 2007
Whirlwind
It has been one of those weeks, and isn't quite over yet.
I flew to Dallas last Thursday to visit my parents, whom I hadn't seen since we got pregnant. I was really looking forward to hanging out with them for a few days. Last Sunday, before I left, we got word that Kevin's grandmother had passed away. With a memorial service in the works, we began shuffling and buying flights. So I flew to Dallas last Thursday, as planned. Then flew to California on Sunday evening, and landed in the middle of the firestorm that is sweeping the southern coast. The Santa Ana winds were unbelievable, and the sky was full of smoke. It was wild. We had the memorial service on Monday morning, then Kevin and I both flew out Monday night -- me back to Dallas, and Kevin on a red-eye back home. I spent another couple of days in Dallas, and then flew home yesterday.
I got one glorious night in my own bed last night, albeit without Kevin, who caught a train to Boston yesterday for work. Now, I'm meeting Kevin's train at Penn Station tonight, where we will catch a train over to Newark Airport and rent a car (which is considerably cheaper then renting in the city), and drive 3+ hours to Delaware to celebrate his mom's 60th birthday this weekend with his family. We will finally be home on Monday night.
It has been fun -- seeing my parents and grandfather, getting a quick visit with Kevin's extended family in California -- and we're looking forward to this weekend with his parents and sisters and spouses. But we will definitely be ready for things to slow down (hopefully?!?) next week.
Whew!
I flew to Dallas last Thursday to visit my parents, whom I hadn't seen since we got pregnant. I was really looking forward to hanging out with them for a few days. Last Sunday, before I left, we got word that Kevin's grandmother had passed away. With a memorial service in the works, we began shuffling and buying flights. So I flew to Dallas last Thursday, as planned. Then flew to California on Sunday evening, and landed in the middle of the firestorm that is sweeping the southern coast. The Santa Ana winds were unbelievable, and the sky was full of smoke. It was wild. We had the memorial service on Monday morning, then Kevin and I both flew out Monday night -- me back to Dallas, and Kevin on a red-eye back home. I spent another couple of days in Dallas, and then flew home yesterday.
I got one glorious night in my own bed last night, albeit without Kevin, who caught a train to Boston yesterday for work. Now, I'm meeting Kevin's train at Penn Station tonight, where we will catch a train over to Newark Airport and rent a car (which is considerably cheaper then renting in the city), and drive 3+ hours to Delaware to celebrate his mom's 60th birthday this weekend with his family. We will finally be home on Monday night.
It has been fun -- seeing my parents and grandfather, getting a quick visit with Kevin's extended family in California -- and we're looking forward to this weekend with his parents and sisters and spouses. But we will definitely be ready for things to slow down (hopefully?!?) next week.
Whew!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Monday, October 08, 2007
I'm losing my mind
Ok, I had heard about "pregnancy insanity", but never really thought much about it until recently...when I clearly began losing my mind. How is it possible to completely forget so many things. I mean, write something down for work, and then totally 100% delete it from my brain. I'll run across a note a week later and think, "Wait a minute. When did I write that down? Have I done that?" It is seriously the most disconcerting feeling. Like I have left part of my brain in a different purse. This is so totally unlike me...I tend to be a rather compulsive list-maker, scheduler, organizer -- and not just for me, it's what I get paid to do as well. So, you can see how this would be a problem at work.
Any day now I'm going to have to start leaving myself to-do lists on the bathroom mirror that say:
Brush teeth
Take shower
Get dressed
Or I'll walk right out the front door barefoot, in my pajamas, and not even realize anything is wrong. This better go away when the Littlest gets here, or I'll leave it somewhere -- at the park, at the grocery store, in a cab -- and won't even realize it until Kevin gets home and says, "Where's the baby?"
"Baby? We have a baby?"
Any day now I'm going to have to start leaving myself to-do lists on the bathroom mirror that say:
Brush teeth
Take shower
Get dressed
Or I'll walk right out the front door barefoot, in my pajamas, and not even realize anything is wrong. This better go away when the Littlest gets here, or I'll leave it somewhere -- at the park, at the grocery store, in a cab -- and won't even realize it until Kevin gets home and says, "Where's the baby?"
"Baby? We have a baby?"
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Just a few pics from Asia!
Our 3 week trip to Asia produced 900+ photos. Yep, more then even WE want to look at! So here are just a couple of highlights from our stops...
On our first day in Hong Kong, we took the tram to the top of Victoria Peak where we could view a very cloud-shrouded Hong Kong and Kowloon Bay.
This shot in Bangkok is of Kevin with one of the guadians of the Wat Phra Kaeo temple.
Here I am with the Reclining Buddha at Wat Po in Bangkok. It was huge!
Here's Kevin inside the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia, overlooking the surrounding valley.
Angkor Wat
We rode an elephant to Phnom Bahkeng, a temple at the top of a hill that overlooks the surrounding valley. From there you have an amazing view of the sunset.
On our last day in Cambodia we went to Ta Prohm, which seriously looked like something from Indiana Jones.
Back in Bangkok, Kevin gave me a day of Thai cooking school for my birthday.
Then that night we went to a Muay Thai boxing match at Lumpini Stadium.
Our last week was in Bali, which has some amazing sunsets.
This sunset was towards of the end of our trip over the Tanah Lot temple.
Our final photo of the trip...leaving paradise, back to reality.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Bug in the Big Apple
Last weekend, my "little" brother came to visit for a few days. I say "little", which is actually a misnomer. He is much bigger then I am (or at least taller -- give me a few weeks, and I'll definitely be wider), but will remain for all eternity, my little brother. That's just how it works. I hadn't seen him since Christmas, and he hadn't been to New York in over 3 years. It was fantastic to have him visit.
It was a rather laid back weekend, in all. On Friday afternoon we went to the Natural History Museum to see all the stuffed animals from all over the world artfully arranged in their "natural" habitat. We also went to a show in the planetarium called "Cosmic Collisions". This rather picturesque bit of ridiculousness was narrated by Robert Redford, and insists that billions of years ago, when earth was a new planet orbiting around the sun, an enormous space rock crashed into it with terrifying force. This caused all manner of molten hot rock debris to shoot out into space, and immediately start orbiting the earth. Over the course of 1 MONTH (according to Robert) all this molten hot rock debris clumped together and formed itself into our moon. So now, this freak space collision knocked our planet off its axis so that now we have 4 perfect seasons, and also created the moon which rather perfectly controls the tides on our planet. Reeeeeeeeeally.
The other great part about the planetarium is this rather lofty statement. As we are queueing up to go in, the announcer says, "Once inside, please move to the end of the row and leave no empty seats. All seats in the theater offer equal views of the universe." Wow, really? From anywhere we sit in this theater in the middle of Manhattan, I have equally excellent view of the whole universe? Who knew?
On Saturday we went out to to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Blue Jays, in what had to be the longest baseball game in the history of the universe (which you can see perfectly from 81st Street and Central Park West). The 1:00 p.m. game didn't start until 2:30 p.m. due to a rain delay, which we got to sit through. Then the game just dragged on and on. Hey, don't get me wrong. I love baseball games. But this took forever. By the end of the 9th inning it was tied 11 to 11, and there had been no home runs. We decided we had gotten the full value of our tickets, and left...which is a big thing for us, as Kevin and I practically have a religious conviction about leaving games early. We got home in time to see the recap of the game, which finally ended in the 10th inning.
Sunday was nothing but church, napping on the couch, and football -- with Kevin working on a 10 page paper for school thrown in there. I was able to enjoy one of the truly great life experiences available...that is, watching a Dallas Cowboys game with my brother. He is a crazy die-hard Cowboys fan, and a loss on Sunday will ruin his entire week. Because of his work schedule, this was the first game he was able to watch this season. It was fantastic! He sits on the edge of the couch the whole game, and yells at both teams. He actually yells things like, "Come on! Kill him! Make him die!" This is serious stuff. Thankfully, the Cowboys won, and my brother will be able to live in peace for at least this week.
Here are a few pics from the baseball game...Enjoy!
It was a rather laid back weekend, in all. On Friday afternoon we went to the Natural History Museum to see all the stuffed animals from all over the world artfully arranged in their "natural" habitat. We also went to a show in the planetarium called "Cosmic Collisions". This rather picturesque bit of ridiculousness was narrated by Robert Redford, and insists that billions of years ago, when earth was a new planet orbiting around the sun, an enormous space rock crashed into it with terrifying force. This caused all manner of molten hot rock debris to shoot out into space, and immediately start orbiting the earth. Over the course of 1 MONTH (according to Robert) all this molten hot rock debris clumped together and formed itself into our moon. So now, this freak space collision knocked our planet off its axis so that now we have 4 perfect seasons, and also created the moon which rather perfectly controls the tides on our planet. Reeeeeeeeeally.
The other great part about the planetarium is this rather lofty statement. As we are queueing up to go in, the announcer says, "Once inside, please move to the end of the row and leave no empty seats. All seats in the theater offer equal views of the universe." Wow, really? From anywhere we sit in this theater in the middle of Manhattan, I have equally excellent view of the whole universe? Who knew?
On Saturday we went out to to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Blue Jays, in what had to be the longest baseball game in the history of the universe (which you can see perfectly from 81st Street and Central Park West). The 1:00 p.m. game didn't start until 2:30 p.m. due to a rain delay, which we got to sit through. Then the game just dragged on and on. Hey, don't get me wrong. I love baseball games. But this took forever. By the end of the 9th inning it was tied 11 to 11, and there had been no home runs. We decided we had gotten the full value of our tickets, and left...which is a big thing for us, as Kevin and I practically have a religious conviction about leaving games early. We got home in time to see the recap of the game, which finally ended in the 10th inning.
Sunday was nothing but church, napping on the couch, and football -- with Kevin working on a 10 page paper for school thrown in there. I was able to enjoy one of the truly great life experiences available...that is, watching a Dallas Cowboys game with my brother. He is a crazy die-hard Cowboys fan, and a loss on Sunday will ruin his entire week. Because of his work schedule, this was the first game he was able to watch this season. It was fantastic! He sits on the edge of the couch the whole game, and yells at both teams. He actually yells things like, "Come on! Kill him! Make him die!" This is serious stuff. Thankfully, the Cowboys won, and my brother will be able to live in peace for at least this week.
Here are a few pics from the baseball game...Enjoy!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
We're Back!
We got home from Asia last Friday, and it's been a whirlwind week! I'm just now getting the chance to sit down and pen a quick update. Our trip was fantastic! It was really like 3 vacations in one. We saw the city sights of Hong Kong and Bangkok, hiked the temples of Cambodia, and then recouped on the beaches of Bali. It was perfect!
We left on Sunday night the 19th and arrived in Hong Kong early Tuesday morning the 21st. Blessedly, we slept 10 hours on the flight...which is an absolute miracle! I NEVER sleep on planes without a little medical assistance, which is unavailable due to the presence of Baby Clem. So, I was thrilled that I actually slept at all, much less 10 hours! (Of course, there was the requisite 6 trips to the bathroom -- another joy I can attribute to the presence of the Littlest.) We arrived in Hong Kong at 5:30 a.m., stored our luggage, and hopped the Airport Express into the city. We spent the entire hot, oppressively humid day seeing HK, as it was the only day we were going to get there. We took the tram to the top of Victoria Peak and drank iced coffee overlooking the very overcast city; we tried to visit a food market that was MIA; we took the Star Ferry across to Kowloon; we walked up Nathan Road and were hounded to buy tailored suits; we ate Cantonese food down a little street off of Nathan Road. Hong Kong is intersting, but is really just a very large city. Exhausted, we caught the Airport Express back, grabbed our bags, checked in, and mercifully had a shower at the airport before we caught our 10:30 p.m. flight to Bangkok, and slept the whole way!
As a city, we enjoyed Bangkok more. We were there a total of 5 days and visited amazing Buddhist temples in the city; we saw the extremely holy, 18-inch tall Emerald Buddha and the unbelievable 50-yard gold Reclining Buddha; we had traditional Thai massages; we rode boats up and down the Chao Praya River; we visited a food market and drank iced coffee out of a plastic bag; we went to half day of Thai cooking school; we spent one night at Lumpini Stadium watching Muay Thai boxing; we rode the Sky Train all over the city and ate lots of curry; we ate dinner one night at restaurant while reclining on a bed. It was fantastic!
Our 5 days in Bangkok were interrupted in the middle by 3 days in Cambodia, which was probably our favorite part of the trip. It was crazy hot and humid -- even worse then HK and Bangkok. We're talking nearly 100 degrees with humidity around 90%. Brutal. But the temples were amazing. We had a guide everyday named Madonna...no kidding (pronounced MA-doh-NA) and a driver named Key. They would pick us up in morning around 8:30 a.m. and we'd hike around the temples until we were ready to collapse, then they'd take us back to the hotel to recoup. They'd pick us up again around 3:00 p.m. and we'd go hit some more. We visited a land mine museum and tasted palm sugar from a woman on the side of the road; we rode an elephant to a temple on top of a hill to watch the sun set one night; we have the most amazing pictures of Angkor Wat, as well as plenty of other unbelievable temples you've never heard of; we had a Khmer massage one night in town, which was an experience to say the least; we rode around in a car and marveled at the mopeds driving everywhere that often carried entire families -- we're talking dad driving, carrying a baby, mom on the back with 2 toddles wedged between them; we saw people headed to market early in the morning on their bikes carrying bamboo cages off each side of the bike like saddlebags full of live chickens; we rode around town in the evenings in a Tuk Tuk -- a cart attached to the back of a motorcycle; and on and on and on. It was a truly remarkable 3 days.
Finally, we spent a week in Bali, where the weather was blissfully perfect, doing nothing but laying by the pool reading. After the 2 week boot camp vacation we'd had, the week in Bali was absolute perfection.
We took about 900 photos, which we haven't even downloaded yet...but I'll post a couple of memorable ones once we get them all sorted out. We certainly felt protected the whole time. We never had a delayed or missed flight. We went through immigration about 16 times, and never had a problem. We never got sick, despite a few suspect meals and sketchy water. I can count on one hand the number of mosquito bites I got in Cambodia, which is a miracle in itself. Baby Clem was a champ, too! We loved the trip, and are finally now, a week later, starting to get our sleep schedule sorted out. But it was definitely worth every sleepless night we've had.
We left on Sunday night the 19th and arrived in Hong Kong early Tuesday morning the 21st. Blessedly, we slept 10 hours on the flight...which is an absolute miracle! I NEVER sleep on planes without a little medical assistance, which is unavailable due to the presence of Baby Clem. So, I was thrilled that I actually slept at all, much less 10 hours! (Of course, there was the requisite 6 trips to the bathroom -- another joy I can attribute to the presence of the Littlest.) We arrived in Hong Kong at 5:30 a.m., stored our luggage, and hopped the Airport Express into the city. We spent the entire hot, oppressively humid day seeing HK, as it was the only day we were going to get there. We took the tram to the top of Victoria Peak and drank iced coffee overlooking the very overcast city; we tried to visit a food market that was MIA; we took the Star Ferry across to Kowloon; we walked up Nathan Road and were hounded to buy tailored suits; we ate Cantonese food down a little street off of Nathan Road. Hong Kong is intersting, but is really just a very large city. Exhausted, we caught the Airport Express back, grabbed our bags, checked in, and mercifully had a shower at the airport before we caught our 10:30 p.m. flight to Bangkok, and slept the whole way!
As a city, we enjoyed Bangkok more. We were there a total of 5 days and visited amazing Buddhist temples in the city; we saw the extremely holy, 18-inch tall Emerald Buddha and the unbelievable 50-yard gold Reclining Buddha; we had traditional Thai massages; we rode boats up and down the Chao Praya River; we visited a food market and drank iced coffee out of a plastic bag; we went to half day of Thai cooking school; we spent one night at Lumpini Stadium watching Muay Thai boxing; we rode the Sky Train all over the city and ate lots of curry; we ate dinner one night at restaurant while reclining on a bed. It was fantastic!
Our 5 days in Bangkok were interrupted in the middle by 3 days in Cambodia, which was probably our favorite part of the trip. It was crazy hot and humid -- even worse then HK and Bangkok. We're talking nearly 100 degrees with humidity around 90%. Brutal. But the temples were amazing. We had a guide everyday named Madonna...no kidding (pronounced MA-doh-NA) and a driver named Key. They would pick us up in morning around 8:30 a.m. and we'd hike around the temples until we were ready to collapse, then they'd take us back to the hotel to recoup. They'd pick us up again around 3:00 p.m. and we'd go hit some more. We visited a land mine museum and tasted palm sugar from a woman on the side of the road; we rode an elephant to a temple on top of a hill to watch the sun set one night; we have the most amazing pictures of Angkor Wat, as well as plenty of other unbelievable temples you've never heard of; we had a Khmer massage one night in town, which was an experience to say the least; we rode around in a car and marveled at the mopeds driving everywhere that often carried entire families -- we're talking dad driving, carrying a baby, mom on the back with 2 toddles wedged between them; we saw people headed to market early in the morning on their bikes carrying bamboo cages off each side of the bike like saddlebags full of live chickens; we rode around town in the evenings in a Tuk Tuk -- a cart attached to the back of a motorcycle; and on and on and on. It was a truly remarkable 3 days.
Finally, we spent a week in Bali, where the weather was blissfully perfect, doing nothing but laying by the pool reading. After the 2 week boot camp vacation we'd had, the week in Bali was absolute perfection.
We took about 900 photos, which we haven't even downloaded yet...but I'll post a couple of memorable ones once we get them all sorted out. We certainly felt protected the whole time. We never had a delayed or missed flight. We went through immigration about 16 times, and never had a problem. We never got sick, despite a few suspect meals and sketchy water. I can count on one hand the number of mosquito bites I got in Cambodia, which is a miracle in itself. Baby Clem was a champ, too! We loved the trip, and are finally now, a week later, starting to get our sleep schedule sorted out. But it was definitely worth every sleepless night we've had.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
...And we're off!
Tomorrow morning Kevin and I are headed for our last big travel adventure before we tackle a life adventure of a completely different kind! We leave in the morning for 3 weeks in Asia! We can hardly wait!!
We fly to LA in the morning, where we will spend the entire day soaking up the SoCal sun. We're actually meeting our dear friends Aaron and Karrie, who actually live in DC, but will be in LA for the day. Then that night we board a midnight flight for Hong Kong that arrives on Tuesday morning. The rest of our itinerary looks something like this...
Day 1 in Hong Kong, but night 1 we fly to Bangkok
3 nights in Bangkok
3 nights in Siem Reap, Cambodia
2 nights in Bangkok
1 night in Hong Kong
7 nights in Bali -- laying on the beach!
1 night in Hong Kong
Then we fly from Hong Kong back to JFK
We have been planning and strategizing for months, and now we're finally going! It's hard to believe. I'm running around today -- much as I've been doing all week -- doing those last minute things that you have to accomplish before you leave for 3 weeks. You know, stopping mail and newpapers, buying guide books, buying sunscreen, bug repellent and first aid stuffs, buying snacks for the preggo since I'm hungry about every 30 minutes, buying new clothes and swimsuits (go here for that lesson in frustration), charging cameras, packing, unpacking, re-packing, cleaning up the apartment, cleaning out the fridge, double checking reservations...and the list goes on and on. Kevin is in Chicago this weekend, so I've been tackling it single-handedly...he'll fly in tonight in time to pack his bag, go to sleep, then get up and go. We've both had our fair share of craziness for the past few weeks, and are so anxious to get away and unplug completely...no phones, email, BlackBerries, TV...nothing!
You know, it's funny...usually when we travel I work really hard to "blend in". I try not to wear or carry anything that screams TOURIST, much less AMERICAN. Then I realized, that on this trip, I'm pretty much going to stick out no matter what I do...not to mention my 6'4" red-headed husband! Kind of funny...
Anyway, just wanted to send a fond farewell, and let you know I'll be back in a couple of weeks. Below I've included a map so you can visualize where we'll be for the next few weeks! And, but the time we get back, it will be autumn in NYC...my FAVORITE time of the year!!!
We fly to LA in the morning, where we will spend the entire day soaking up the SoCal sun. We're actually meeting our dear friends Aaron and Karrie, who actually live in DC, but will be in LA for the day. Then that night we board a midnight flight for Hong Kong that arrives on Tuesday morning. The rest of our itinerary looks something like this...
Day 1 in Hong Kong, but night 1 we fly to Bangkok
3 nights in Bangkok
3 nights in Siem Reap, Cambodia
2 nights in Bangkok
1 night in Hong Kong
7 nights in Bali -- laying on the beach!
1 night in Hong Kong
Then we fly from Hong Kong back to JFK
We have been planning and strategizing for months, and now we're finally going! It's hard to believe. I'm running around today -- much as I've been doing all week -- doing those last minute things that you have to accomplish before you leave for 3 weeks. You know, stopping mail and newpapers, buying guide books, buying sunscreen, bug repellent and first aid stuffs, buying snacks for the preggo since I'm hungry about every 30 minutes, buying new clothes and swimsuits (go here for that lesson in frustration), charging cameras, packing, unpacking, re-packing, cleaning up the apartment, cleaning out the fridge, double checking reservations...and the list goes on and on. Kevin is in Chicago this weekend, so I've been tackling it single-handedly...he'll fly in tonight in time to pack his bag, go to sleep, then get up and go. We've both had our fair share of craziness for the past few weeks, and are so anxious to get away and unplug completely...no phones, email, BlackBerries, TV...nothing!
You know, it's funny...usually when we travel I work really hard to "blend in". I try not to wear or carry anything that screams TOURIST, much less AMERICAN. Then I realized, that on this trip, I'm pretty much going to stick out no matter what I do...not to mention my 6'4" red-headed husband! Kind of funny...
Anyway, just wanted to send a fond farewell, and let you know I'll be back in a couple of weeks. Below I've included a map so you can visualize where we'll be for the next few weeks! And, but the time we get back, it will be autumn in NYC...my FAVORITE time of the year!!!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Happy Birthday to Us!
About a week and a half ago Kevin and I celebrated our birthdays. I turned 31 on the 3rd, and he hit the big 3-0 on the 4th. So this year's celebration was all about him. While I couldn't quite pull off stretch limousines and surprise hotel suites, I did have a trick or two up my sleeve. I had our friends Hicks & Dana fly in to surprise Kevin for the weekend. He knew about a big dinner I had planned on the 4th for 10 people, but didn't know of smaller dinner on Friday night with Hicks & Dana, his cousin Carrie (Tom graciously stayed home with the 3 kiddos when they couldn't get a babysitter) and our friends Matt & Laura who couldn't make it Saturday night. We had a fantastic dinner at a place called Fig & Olive down in the Meatpacking District. I don't get to pull it off very often, but Kevin was truly surprised!
The girls at dinner -- me, Dana, Carrie & Laura
Here's the crew after dinner -- Hicks & Matt on the right, and Kevin acting as photographer.
Dana, Carrie, Hicks and the Birthday Boy!
The next night we met friends at this great BBQ place called Hill Country down in Chelsea. We stuffed ourselves with Texas-style BBQ and just hung out for a couple of hours. It was a great night and a full, fun birthday weekend!
The Birthday Boy blowing out his candle...
One final shot of the b'day pair after a long celebration weekend!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Pathetic
Okay, okay...I know! After I jumped all over Tami for not updating her blog, I look back to see that I haven't written anything new since mid-June. Really sorry. But I promise I have a really good excuse! Here's what's been going on in our lives since then...
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
True New York Experience
Last month, Kevin's company -- Huron Consulting Group -- had their 5 year anniversary. It was rather momentous, as they were formed from the ashes of Arthur Andersen, and have gone on to be a wildly successful company. To celebrate their 5 year anniversary, they got to ring the opening bell at the NASDAQ. The company drew names to determine the 20 people who would get to participate...and Kevin was one of the ones chosen! Here are a few pics he took at the event, and if you go here you can see official photos taken during the ringing. The NASDAQ is right in Times Square, which you can kind of see in the second two pictures. Enjoy!
Friday, June 08, 2007
Two Weekends Running...
For the last two weekends we have been going non-stop! And while we had a fantastic time, we are so ready for a weekend of laying on the couch doing nothing! Fortunately, that is exactly what this coming weekend will provide.
For Memorial Day weekend we flew down to Atlanta with our friends Matt & Laura to meet up with Hicks & Dana -- former New Yorkers who relocated back home last fall -- and Kevin & Marcie -- other former New Yorkers who moved to Pittsburgh, but are about to become New Jersey-ans. We had been planning this weekend since Hicks & Dana moved back to Atlanta. Dana's parents have a lake house outside Atlanta, and we took it over for the weekend! We spent 3 days in swimsuits playing in the lake...swimming, sunning, tubing, skiing, wakeboarding, barefooting, jet skiing, etc. As Dana was the chef, we ate like kings all weekend. We played hard, and got home late Monday night absolutely exhausted.
Here are a few pics of Kevin trying to get up on the barefoot boom that was extended off the side of the ski boat...
Here's Hicks showing how it's supposed to be done...
After getting home from Atlanta with Matt & Laura late Monday night, the four of us turned around and flew to Maine on Friday night. Matt & Laura grew up together in Portland, and have been together since about 7th grade, when apparently, Matt was the coolest kid in school (according to Laura). Matt is, I'm sure, the only person on the planet who would choose to to go back and re-live 7th grade because it was so great. I would personally choose to wipe those awkward Junior High years from my memory, but whatever.
We were scheduled to catch a 9:40 p.m. flight from JFK that got us into Portland at 11:20 p.m. We got to JFK at 8:00 p.m. so they guys could check their golf clubs. Friends, our flight finally took off at about 2:00 a.m. Seriously. They said the delays were due to weather, but we couldn't see any problems outside. When we found out the next morning about the terror plot to blow up JFK the day before, we wondered if that had been the hold-up. Sure, that makes sense...people are trying to blow up the fuel lines at the airport...let's keep as many people stuck there as possible! (No one worry -- we were never in any danger!)
All of that to say, we got into bed in Maine at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. Then, we had to get up at 4:00 a.m. Monday morning to catch our 6:00 a.m. flight back to NY so everyone could go to work. 48 short hours. But in those 48 hours we hung out with Matt's parents, got the grand tour of Portland, Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth and Freeport, we visited the LL Bean store, the guys played golf, the girls went to the Old Port Festival, we ate lots of seafood -- mussels, scallops, lobsta rolls, seafood chowda (that's how it's pronounced in Maine) -- we went to an osprey sanctuary and visited light houses. It was fantastic! We had chilly weather, which was great after leaving New York in 90F and 90% humidity. It was a very homey weekend. We loved it!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Who needs a dryer?
For those of you who have never been to our home, we live in what might generously be 500 square feet in a brownstone that was built in 1904. It's a fantastic apartment with hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, a lovely (albeit non-working) fireplace, hissing radiators, and, at the moment, an insidious pigeon infestation. We love it. What it lacks in space and modern conveniences it more then makes up for in charm.
One of the things we don't have is a washer and dryer. There isn't even one in our building. We drop our clothes off at the laundry place down the block, where for $1.00 a pound they wash, dry and fold all our clothing and intimate apparel. Once you get over the fact that some stranger is pawing through your unmentionables, it's actually one of my favorite things about New York. However, it does leave me with a problem on occasion when I have delicates that need to be laundered. See, while the Chinese Laundry is great for most all our clothes, there is no escaping the fact that they dump all our clothes in an industrial washer, add some industrial detergent, and then industriously pound them into cleanliness. For anything that needs a little more TLC then that, I wait until I have a shopping bag of clothing to be hand washed, and then spend an hour washing it in the pedestal sink in our bathroom, and rinsing everything in the bathtub.
I tackled a huge amount of hand washing today...it was just time. After washing tights, pajamas, swimsuits, sweaters and lingerie, I then had to find a way to dry it all. It looks like a closet exploded in our small bathroom today...there are clothes everywhere -- hanging on the shower fixtures, draped over the curtain rod, covering our one small drying rack. Since our little bathroom has no ventilation, a set up a floor fan to blow in there, and then turned on the vent to pull out all of the humidity. It's like one of those really expensive drying cabinets you can buy on those fancy schmancy dryers. Only it's my bathroom...and it's free! Sometimes I marvel at my own genius...and level of boredom.
Anyway, I thought I'd give all of my friends out there in large apartments and 3-4 bedroom homes a reason to smile, sigh a big sigh, and thank God for your laundry room.
One of the things we don't have is a washer and dryer. There isn't even one in our building. We drop our clothes off at the laundry place down the block, where for $1.00 a pound they wash, dry and fold all our clothing and intimate apparel. Once you get over the fact that some stranger is pawing through your unmentionables, it's actually one of my favorite things about New York. However, it does leave me with a problem on occasion when I have delicates that need to be laundered. See, while the Chinese Laundry is great for most all our clothes, there is no escaping the fact that they dump all our clothes in an industrial washer, add some industrial detergent, and then industriously pound them into cleanliness. For anything that needs a little more TLC then that, I wait until I have a shopping bag of clothing to be hand washed, and then spend an hour washing it in the pedestal sink in our bathroom, and rinsing everything in the bathtub.
I tackled a huge amount of hand washing today...it was just time. After washing tights, pajamas, swimsuits, sweaters and lingerie, I then had to find a way to dry it all. It looks like a closet exploded in our small bathroom today...there are clothes everywhere -- hanging on the shower fixtures, draped over the curtain rod, covering our one small drying rack. Since our little bathroom has no ventilation, a set up a floor fan to blow in there, and then turned on the vent to pull out all of the humidity. It's like one of those really expensive drying cabinets you can buy on those fancy schmancy dryers. Only it's my bathroom...and it's free! Sometimes I marvel at my own genius...and level of boredom.
Anyway, I thought I'd give all of my friends out there in large apartments and 3-4 bedroom homes a reason to smile, sigh a big sigh, and thank God for your laundry room.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
I've got nothing...
You know, for the last month I've thought at least once a day, "I should really write a new post on my blog." And the reason that I haven't is that I have got absolutely nothing to say. I have opened up a new post a dozen times, typed a few lines, rolled my eyes, and deleted it. Why waste your time and mine saying nothing? My sis-in-law Kelly got on to me for it. A self-proclaimed "blog stalker", she loves seeing what we're up to, and all of our friends too. I have to say, we have friends with some pretty darn adorable kiddos. Your blogs are way more fun to look at then ours. Anyway, Kel says that when I don't write she doesn't know what's going on with us. I know how she feels. When I visit my friends blogs and they haven't changed, I feel like they are still where they were when they posted last...kind of stalled in that moment. Then, when they post something new, I'm excited to see they've been doing something! So, accordingly, I have been stalled on April 25th for nearly a month now. Which, I guess, isn't too far from the truth. I might as well still be on April 25th, as I feel like I've done very little since then.
Spring has come to New York, and the weather is holding steady in the 70's. Now that it has warmed up, I can run in Central Park again without feeling like I'm breathing in ice crystals. It's magical to watch the seasons change in the park. The cherry trees blossomed and shed their blooms in the space of 2 weeks. If you blink, you miss it. At their peak, they are so extravagantly beautiful they almost hurt your eyes.
We had dinner last week with Nate, a friend of ours from Pepperdine. He lives in DC, and was in town for an event with Rudy Giuliani. He invited us to join him for dinner with a couple of the staff members from Giuliani's campaign. You know, government and politics are pretty impressive until you realize that it is mostly run by "kids" our age. I can't decide if that makes me hopeful or scares me to death.
Mother's Day came and went, and I was awestruck yet again my the amazing mothers around me. Not just my own and my husband's...who are both remarkable women AND amazing mothers. But also my friends who are the most extraordinary mothers. I am sure that Kevin and I will have children one day, and I am overwhelmingly blessed to have these moms in my life as examples. I have the chance to watch them be moms, friends, wives, homemakers, and career women simultaneously. They may be occasionally overwhelmed by what they must accomplish in a day...but are always overwhelmed by the blessings in their lives. They have been generous enough to honestly share their joys, burdens, friendship, frustrations, and blessings with me...not to mention their children. It is a gift I hold dearly, and do not take lightly.
Our friends Amber (one of those amazing moms) and Audra came to New York this past week, and crashed on our couch/floor for 3 nights. They saw the city from top to bottom, navigated the subways like pros, and partied like rock stars in the Meatpacking District until 4:45 a.m. These girls know how to make the most of a vacation! On Friday night they didn't even go to bed! They stayed up until they had to catch a cab to the airport at 6:00 a.m. Kev and I were impressed! Having people visit NYC for the first time always makes me see the city with fresh eyes. I am thankful for that.
It's a lazy Sunday afternoon. Kev is reading Conde Nast Traveler and dreaming of our next vacation. (Though, if you know Kevin, you know there aren't many times when he's not dreaming of our next vacation.) I'm writing this much delayed post, surfing my friend's blogs, and looking forward to a nap. (By the way, if you have the time, check out April Spicer's blog. Another one of my remarkable mom friends, she just had her second baby last week and has the sweetest pics on her blog.) None of these things were sufficient for a post on their own...but I guess they work okay together.
I hope everyone had great weekends, and are looking forward to Memorial Day next weekend! Hmm...maybe I'll have something to write about then!
Spring has come to New York, and the weather is holding steady in the 70's. Now that it has warmed up, I can run in Central Park again without feeling like I'm breathing in ice crystals. It's magical to watch the seasons change in the park. The cherry trees blossomed and shed their blooms in the space of 2 weeks. If you blink, you miss it. At their peak, they are so extravagantly beautiful they almost hurt your eyes.
We had dinner last week with Nate, a friend of ours from Pepperdine. He lives in DC, and was in town for an event with Rudy Giuliani. He invited us to join him for dinner with a couple of the staff members from Giuliani's campaign. You know, government and politics are pretty impressive until you realize that it is mostly run by "kids" our age. I can't decide if that makes me hopeful or scares me to death.
Mother's Day came and went, and I was awestruck yet again my the amazing mothers around me. Not just my own and my husband's...who are both remarkable women AND amazing mothers. But also my friends who are the most extraordinary mothers. I am sure that Kevin and I will have children one day, and I am overwhelmingly blessed to have these moms in my life as examples. I have the chance to watch them be moms, friends, wives, homemakers, and career women simultaneously. They may be occasionally overwhelmed by what they must accomplish in a day...but are always overwhelmed by the blessings in their lives. They have been generous enough to honestly share their joys, burdens, friendship, frustrations, and blessings with me...not to mention their children. It is a gift I hold dearly, and do not take lightly.
Our friends Amber (one of those amazing moms) and Audra came to New York this past week, and crashed on our couch/floor for 3 nights. They saw the city from top to bottom, navigated the subways like pros, and partied like rock stars in the Meatpacking District until 4:45 a.m. These girls know how to make the most of a vacation! On Friday night they didn't even go to bed! They stayed up until they had to catch a cab to the airport at 6:00 a.m. Kev and I were impressed! Having people visit NYC for the first time always makes me see the city with fresh eyes. I am thankful for that.
It's a lazy Sunday afternoon. Kev is reading Conde Nast Traveler and dreaming of our next vacation. (Though, if you know Kevin, you know there aren't many times when he's not dreaming of our next vacation.) I'm writing this much delayed post, surfing my friend's blogs, and looking forward to a nap. (By the way, if you have the time, check out April Spicer's blog. Another one of my remarkable mom friends, she just had her second baby last week and has the sweetest pics on her blog.) None of these things were sufficient for a post on their own...but I guess they work okay together.
I hope everyone had great weekends, and are looking forward to Memorial Day next weekend! Hmm...maybe I'll have something to write about then!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'...
I was in Dallas about a week ago to spend some time with my family. All of my dear friends in the DFW area are going to read that and say, "WHAT?!? You didn't even call us!" I know, guys. I'm sorry!
It was the 1 year anniversary of my grandmother's death. She passed away on April 14th of last year from cancer at the age of 85. I knew the anniversary was going to be tough on my mom and grandfather, so I wanted to be there to share that with them. My grandfather is 84 and is more active then I am. He spent his entire career as a CPA at a firm he founded, and when he "retired" at 65, he became a certified financial planner and now owns a new company. He goes to work every single day...weekends too, sometimes! The man is amazing. Anyway, for better or worse, Nana passed away on April 14...the day before tax day. Papa still handles the taxes for a few of his long time clients, so he literally worked until around 9pm every night I was there, including Saturday and Sunday. It's a stressful time, I know, but I can't help but think that it's not a bad thing that he stays as busy as he does at that time.
It's hard to believe a year has passed since her funeral. Last year we were out at the gravesite and it was over 100 degrees! This year, when we went out to lay flowers on her grave it was freezing. Guess that's Texas weather for you.
So many things have been reminding me recently of how time goes screaming by. My sweet friend Dana's little girl Sydney turns 1 on May 1st. How can it have been a year? I was at the hospital when she was born, crying and taking pictures as the grandparents saw her for the first time. I took my cousin Carrie's son Thomas to Super Soccer Stars yesterday...his little soccer class. It's the punkin'-est thing you've ever seen. 10 little 2-year-olds running little soccer drills and trying to kick balls into nets without falling down. All the way on there he's chatting non-stop about what he sees..."Tracey, ambulence! Look, ambulence! Look, big white truck! Look, yellow taxi! Tracey, another yellow taxi! Look, yellow tulip! Look, bumblebee! Bzzz!" Wasn't it just last week that we visited him in Neo-natal ICU because he was born 5 weeks early (but still 7lbs. 7oz.!!) ?
I guess being around kids does that...they grow and change so much, so fast. You can't believe they were once so little!
But more then that. I can't believe we've been in New York for 3 1/2 years. Didn't we just get here? I can't believe we've been married for more then 7! As far as we're concerned, we're still on our honeymoon! I can't believe I'm 30. I don't feel any different then when I was in college. I still feel like Kev and I are kids playing house...not real, responsible adults, living and working in New York City. Please!!
I'm sure it only gets worse...time only seems to speed up the older you get. But at this moment, it makes me more aware of the need to savor it. To stop floating through it half-aware. To be a little more tuned-in, eyes wide open. To be more present. It's sometimes easy to look ahead so much that you miss right now. I want to be more involved in right now. Otherwise, I'll turn around again and right now will be a year ago, and I'll wonder where it went.
It was the 1 year anniversary of my grandmother's death. She passed away on April 14th of last year from cancer at the age of 85. I knew the anniversary was going to be tough on my mom and grandfather, so I wanted to be there to share that with them. My grandfather is 84 and is more active then I am. He spent his entire career as a CPA at a firm he founded, and when he "retired" at 65, he became a certified financial planner and now owns a new company. He goes to work every single day...weekends too, sometimes! The man is amazing. Anyway, for better or worse, Nana passed away on April 14...the day before tax day. Papa still handles the taxes for a few of his long time clients, so he literally worked until around 9pm every night I was there, including Saturday and Sunday. It's a stressful time, I know, but I can't help but think that it's not a bad thing that he stays as busy as he does at that time.
It's hard to believe a year has passed since her funeral. Last year we were out at the gravesite and it was over 100 degrees! This year, when we went out to lay flowers on her grave it was freezing. Guess that's Texas weather for you.
So many things have been reminding me recently of how time goes screaming by. My sweet friend Dana's little girl Sydney turns 1 on May 1st. How can it have been a year? I was at the hospital when she was born, crying and taking pictures as the grandparents saw her for the first time. I took my cousin Carrie's son Thomas to Super Soccer Stars yesterday...his little soccer class. It's the punkin'-est thing you've ever seen. 10 little 2-year-olds running little soccer drills and trying to kick balls into nets without falling down. All the way on there he's chatting non-stop about what he sees..."Tracey, ambulence! Look, ambulence! Look, big white truck! Look, yellow taxi! Tracey, another yellow taxi! Look, yellow tulip! Look, bumblebee! Bzzz!" Wasn't it just last week that we visited him in Neo-natal ICU because he was born 5 weeks early (but still 7lbs. 7oz.!!) ?
I guess being around kids does that...they grow and change so much, so fast. You can't believe they were once so little!
But more then that. I can't believe we've been in New York for 3 1/2 years. Didn't we just get here? I can't believe we've been married for more then 7! As far as we're concerned, we're still on our honeymoon! I can't believe I'm 30. I don't feel any different then when I was in college. I still feel like Kev and I are kids playing house...not real, responsible adults, living and working in New York City. Please!!
I'm sure it only gets worse...time only seems to speed up the older you get. But at this moment, it makes me more aware of the need to savor it. To stop floating through it half-aware. To be a little more tuned-in, eyes wide open. To be more present. It's sometimes easy to look ahead so much that you miss right now. I want to be more involved in right now. Otherwise, I'll turn around again and right now will be a year ago, and I'll wonder where it went.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
I'm dreaming of a white...EASTER?!?
It's Easter Eve, and it's 34 degrees outside with predicted snow flurries. I mean, come on! We have the warmest winter on record, but we start getting snow in April? We've had snow flurries the last two days, with more to come. And we're not the only ones! Dallas is predicted to get snow. What?!
Kevin's parents and younger sister are in town this weekend, and are currently off trying to score tickets for Jersey Boys tonight. I am home baking bread and getting ready to go to kickboxing (Yay!). We are hosting Easter brunch tomorrow morning before church for Kev's family and our dearest friends Matt & Laura, so I'm putting the finishing touches on a few things so all I have to do in the morning is throw them in the oven. Later this afternoon we are headed over to Carrie & Tom's to dye Easter eggs with little Thomas. Then I guess we'll go outside and play "Hide the Easter Eggs in a Snow Drift." Geez.
Kevin's parents and younger sister are in town this weekend, and are currently off trying to score tickets for Jersey Boys tonight. I am home baking bread and getting ready to go to kickboxing (Yay!). We are hosting Easter brunch tomorrow morning before church for Kev's family and our dearest friends Matt & Laura, so I'm putting the finishing touches on a few things so all I have to do in the morning is throw them in the oven. Later this afternoon we are headed over to Carrie & Tom's to dye Easter eggs with little Thomas. Then I guess we'll go outside and play "Hide the Easter Eggs in a Snow Drift." Geez.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
To Yoga, or Not to Yoga...
I told someone recently that I have this theory: There are two kinds of people in the world...people who do yoga, and people who don't do yoga. I'm not entirely sure what separates the yoga-ers from the non-yoga-ers, but I'm sure there is a common denominator.
I fall firmly into the non-yoga camp. I finish an hour and a half of yoga, and then have to go have a "real" workout. Exercise that can be done in your pajamas to soft, soothing elevator music, with a full face of make-up on, without even breaking a sweat, is not exercise. Oh, and I don't "Om". I'm sorry, I just can't. Every time we get to the "Om" part, I start laughing. I mean, really. What is that about?
I'm less yoga and more kickboxing, and it is not pretty. If I don't leave class red-faced, sweating through my clothes and feeling embarrassed about standing too close to people on the subway, then I have wasted my time. I'm sure this says something about my restless, Type A, high D, control-freakish personality living in a multi-tasking, caffeinated world of constant stimulation. Whatever. All I know is that my blissed-out hour of roundhouse kicks and uppercuts on Saturday morning flies by...but 15 minutes into yoga and my eyes start glazing over. I could burn as many calories at home...for free...sleeping.
Now, I shouldn't disparage yoga. I have many friends who are firm believers in it, touting its benefits to body, mind and spirit. And I know that to have a well-rounded physical routine, it should include some form of stretching. I try to fit in the occasional yoga class. Tomorrow, for instance, I'm going to a 10am yoga class at my gym. Why, you ask? Well, they don't have a kickboxing class on Fridays. And I did wash and dry my hair today...if I go do yoga I won't have to worry about sweating. I guess I'll just work twice as hard at kickboxing on Saturday.
Alright, everyone, say it with me.
Ommmmmmm...
I fall firmly into the non-yoga camp. I finish an hour and a half of yoga, and then have to go have a "real" workout. Exercise that can be done in your pajamas to soft, soothing elevator music, with a full face of make-up on, without even breaking a sweat, is not exercise. Oh, and I don't "Om". I'm sorry, I just can't. Every time we get to the "Om" part, I start laughing. I mean, really. What is that about?
I'm less yoga and more kickboxing, and it is not pretty. If I don't leave class red-faced, sweating through my clothes and feeling embarrassed about standing too close to people on the subway, then I have wasted my time. I'm sure this says something about my restless, Type A, high D, control-freakish personality living in a multi-tasking, caffeinated world of constant stimulation. Whatever. All I know is that my blissed-out hour of roundhouse kicks and uppercuts on Saturday morning flies by...but 15 minutes into yoga and my eyes start glazing over. I could burn as many calories at home...for free...sleeping.
Now, I shouldn't disparage yoga. I have many friends who are firm believers in it, touting its benefits to body, mind and spirit. And I know that to have a well-rounded physical routine, it should include some form of stretching. I try to fit in the occasional yoga class. Tomorrow, for instance, I'm going to a 10am yoga class at my gym. Why, you ask? Well, they don't have a kickboxing class on Fridays. And I did wash and dry my hair today...if I go do yoga I won't have to worry about sweating. I guess I'll just work twice as hard at kickboxing on Saturday.
Alright, everyone, say it with me.
Ommmmmmm...
Monday, March 26, 2007
Aimless
Ever have one of those days that if there were an entire roll of Nestle's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough in the fridge, you would definitely eat the entire thing? Or, while you don't want to open a bottle -- cause that would definitely make you an alcoholic -- if there were an open bottle of wine in the fridge, you'd probably use the whole thing to wash down the cookie dough?
It's one of those days in my world.
I don't even think I can articulate what's going on with me. I'm standing in the center of a whole world of grey (with cookie dough in one hand and a wine glass in the other), and I've got no idea which way to go. On Sunday, our pastor talked about our all-knowing God who knows the path before us, even though we can't see it. He said that uncertainty is normal, it's a natural feeling, but that we should give God our uncertainty.
My problem is, I'm having a really hard time "giving God my uncertainty" when I am the one who has created the uncertainty. I'm the one who has abandoned the path. I don't deserve the help, since I'm the disobedient, willful child who veered off-course...so I'm not asking for it. I'm the one who has been presented with opportunities, and has chosen fear over faith. I'm the one who sat in the boat -- safely seat-belted and life-jacketed -- while Christ beckoned on the waves. Now that he's back in the boat, giving me what I imagine to be a rather disappointed look, I want to jump over the side and do it one my own...I certainly don't deserve his help since I turned down the offer the first time. The first 500 times.
So I stand here in my self-created greyness with no direction, no certainty, no point...and clearly no intention of asking for help. I throw my hands up and stomp around in a circle. I tell God what an idiot I am. He knows. I apologize over and over for being so faithless in the face of his continued faithfulness. He shakes his head a little sadly. I look back at choices I've made and wonder if I've learned anything in this life. I look around and realize I am stranded...aimless. And I know He's standing just over my shoulder waiting for me to turn around and ask. Just ask. But, you see, I've blown it. I missed my chance. I refused to trust. I have missed the blessing He wanted to give me. The situation where He wanted to use me. I'm the unfaithful servant with one talent who buried it in the ground. I'm the servant who's talent has been taken away, and who is now standing in front of big closed door with empty pockets and a heart full of woulda, shoulda, coulda.
Yeah...it sucks.
So, I'd like to say that after all of this deep soul searching, and mind-numbing mental self-mortification, I came to some epiphany, some light at the end of the tunnel. Not really. But I feel like the saying it out loud, so to speak, is part of the process. It has been gnawing on me for weeks, and today I knew I had to do something...let some part of it become words. Hey, why not online. Confession heals the soul, right? I still don't know what I'm doing. I still have no idea what point my life serves. I still feel sick about the "No's" I've said to God. He has every right to wash His hands of me, and move on to more promising candidates.
I just have to take a deep breath, and cling to the prodigal son. I have no problem admitting that I am the son, opportunities squandered, knee-deep in the muck, knowing I don't deserve to be considered hired help, much less beloved daughter. I just haven't quite made it over the edge of the hill to see the Father racing towards me, arms outstretched, fattened calf at the ready.
I'm not quite there yet...but almost.
In the meantime, pass the cookie dough.
It's one of those days in my world.
I don't even think I can articulate what's going on with me. I'm standing in the center of a whole world of grey (with cookie dough in one hand and a wine glass in the other), and I've got no idea which way to go. On Sunday, our pastor talked about our all-knowing God who knows the path before us, even though we can't see it. He said that uncertainty is normal, it's a natural feeling, but that we should give God our uncertainty.
My problem is, I'm having a really hard time "giving God my uncertainty" when I am the one who has created the uncertainty. I'm the one who has abandoned the path. I don't deserve the help, since I'm the disobedient, willful child who veered off-course...so I'm not asking for it. I'm the one who has been presented with opportunities, and has chosen fear over faith. I'm the one who sat in the boat -- safely seat-belted and life-jacketed -- while Christ beckoned on the waves. Now that he's back in the boat, giving me what I imagine to be a rather disappointed look, I want to jump over the side and do it one my own...I certainly don't deserve his help since I turned down the offer the first time. The first 500 times.
So I stand here in my self-created greyness with no direction, no certainty, no point...and clearly no intention of asking for help. I throw my hands up and stomp around in a circle. I tell God what an idiot I am. He knows. I apologize over and over for being so faithless in the face of his continued faithfulness. He shakes his head a little sadly. I look back at choices I've made and wonder if I've learned anything in this life. I look around and realize I am stranded...aimless. And I know He's standing just over my shoulder waiting for me to turn around and ask. Just ask. But, you see, I've blown it. I missed my chance. I refused to trust. I have missed the blessing He wanted to give me. The situation where He wanted to use me. I'm the unfaithful servant with one talent who buried it in the ground. I'm the servant who's talent has been taken away, and who is now standing in front of big closed door with empty pockets and a heart full of woulda, shoulda, coulda.
Yeah...it sucks.
So, I'd like to say that after all of this deep soul searching, and mind-numbing mental self-mortification, I came to some epiphany, some light at the end of the tunnel. Not really. But I feel like the saying it out loud, so to speak, is part of the process. It has been gnawing on me for weeks, and today I knew I had to do something...let some part of it become words. Hey, why not online. Confession heals the soul, right? I still don't know what I'm doing. I still have no idea what point my life serves. I still feel sick about the "No's" I've said to God. He has every right to wash His hands of me, and move on to more promising candidates.
I just have to take a deep breath, and cling to the prodigal son. I have no problem admitting that I am the son, opportunities squandered, knee-deep in the muck, knowing I don't deserve to be considered hired help, much less beloved daughter. I just haven't quite made it over the edge of the hill to see the Father racing towards me, arms outstretched, fattened calf at the ready.
I'm not quite there yet...but almost.
In the meantime, pass the cookie dough.
Friday, March 23, 2007
A Taste of Spring
After a crazy snow storm last Friday (which we missed), this Friday it's already 61 degrees at 11 a.m. Yesterday was the first day we had warm weather - in the 60's - and walking by Riverside Park it looked like the entire city took the afternoon off. There were executives in business suits sitting on park benches with their laptops, or pacing the sidewalk talking on the phone and smoking cigars. There was a boy sitting on an enormous rock outcropping practicing his violin. Every stay-at-home mom and nanny in the city was out, thankful to be able to let their kids run around outside. The sidewalks looked like stroller parking lots. We slept with our windows wide open last night...it was nice to feel like spring was finally coming.
Our trip to California was fantastic! I won't bore you with details, but we had an amazing drive up the coast...gorgeous weather! We spent time with college friends in LA and family friends in Santa Rosa. We had a couple of spectacular wine tastings in Napa, a wonderful night in San Francisco, and 2 full days in Riverside with Kev's family. We even had a bonus day as our flight home Monday morning was cancelled because of weather and we had to stay one more night. It gave us a chance to walk the 3rd street Promenade in Santa Monica, drive up to Malibu, climb the cliffs at Point Dume, and eat fish tacos for dinner at the Barefoot Bar at Duke's. Perfect ending to the trip!
We are home, and so looking forward to weekend to recoup after all the travel. That 3 hour time difference is brutal...I need a weekend to recover from my vacation! (I know, I know...pathetic.) We are looking forward to lounging on the couch and watching our March Madness brackets either boom or bust.
I hope you are tasting spring where you are, as well!
Our trip to California was fantastic! I won't bore you with details, but we had an amazing drive up the coast...gorgeous weather! We spent time with college friends in LA and family friends in Santa Rosa. We had a couple of spectacular wine tastings in Napa, a wonderful night in San Francisco, and 2 full days in Riverside with Kev's family. We even had a bonus day as our flight home Monday morning was cancelled because of weather and we had to stay one more night. It gave us a chance to walk the 3rd street Promenade in Santa Monica, drive up to Malibu, climb the cliffs at Point Dume, and eat fish tacos for dinner at the Barefoot Bar at Duke's. Perfect ending to the trip!
We are home, and so looking forward to weekend to recoup after all the travel. That 3 hour time difference is brutal...I need a weekend to recover from my vacation! (I know, I know...pathetic.) We are looking forward to lounging on the couch and watching our March Madness brackets either boom or bust.
I hope you are tasting spring where you are, as well!
Friday, March 09, 2007
Goin' West to California...Part 2
It's been a bit of a whirlwind since I got back from California, and as I'm writing this, I'm preparing to head back to the West Coast again!
As a quick recap, the first trip to California with Carrie and her kiddos was fantastic! We had a smooth trip to the airport, across the country, and all the way to Riverside...which, with 3 small children and 6 large bags is no small miracle. My 4 days out there were such fun. I rented a car on Thursday morning and drove from Riverside through LA to Agoura to visit Amber for one night. We had a low key 24 hours together -- lunch at Corner Bakery, a rainy afternoon on the couch watching Oprah and Dr. Phil, a swing through the Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, and the dinner with Tami, another dear college friend and bridesmaid, at the Cheesecake Factory.
As a quick recap, the first trip to California with Carrie and her kiddos was fantastic! We had a smooth trip to the airport, across the country, and all the way to Riverside...which, with 3 small children and 6 large bags is no small miracle. My 4 days out there were such fun. I rented a car on Thursday morning and drove from Riverside through LA to Agoura to visit Amber for one night. We had a low key 24 hours together -- lunch at Corner Bakery, a rainy afternoon on the couch watching Oprah and Dr. Phil, a swing through the Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, and the dinner with Tami, another dear college friend and bridesmaid, at the Cheesecake Factory.
On Friday, I drove back to Riverside, turned in the car, and spent the rest of the weekend with Kevin's 3 cousins -- Becky, Kristen, and Carrie -- and their collective 7 children! We had a great time. I flew back home on Monday night late, arriving Tuesday morning, spent 3 days here, and then flew to Dallas for a weekend with Kevin's family. His older sister Jamie and her fiance' Randy are headed to South America indefinitely, so flew down to bid them farewell!
We are back in New York now, but are leaving again on Monday for California. We're flying into LA, renting a car, and headed up the coast. We're staying one night with Amber and Jeremy in Agoura before heading north. Our first night on the road will be in a yurt in Big Sur. Then we're driving up to stay in Santa Rosa with family friends and a few days of exploring Napa. Then it's back down to Riverside for a visit with Kevin's grandmother before we fly back home.
So looking forward to that blissful SoCal sun!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Goin' West to California
It is currently 15 degrees outside, with winds between 20 and 25 mph...occasionally gusting to 40 mph. Kids, it is cold outside. Our radiators are hissing away, but with 2 window air conditioner units, there is always a slight chill. It's about this time each winter that I start craving spring so badly I can taste it. If I have to put on a scarf, hat, gloves, boots and a coat one more time, I may run screaming down the street. And I LOVE winter! But this time of year feels like we will never ever be warm again...it will be 20 degrees until I die.
Blessedly, I only have to put up with it for 2 more days, and then I get a reprieve. On Wednesday afternoon I'm flying to Southern California for 5 whole days. I can hardly wait!
My cousin Carrie (she's actually officially Kevin's cousin...but I claim her as my own!) has recruited me to go with her to CA to help her get her 3 small children out there for a much needed visit with grandparents and aunties. Her twins (7 months old) will get to meet their great-grandmother for the very first time. Carrie will get to meet her new little niece (6 weeks old) for the first time. I get to go with them, get a break from the monotony of winter, see my friend Amber, spend some time with Kevin's family, and play with some of my favorite kids on the whole planet! I'm really looking forward to it.
Hmmm...according to weather .com, it's supposed to be 68 degrees and sunny this weekend. Pefection!
Guess I better get started packing my Reefs, t-shirts, and sunglasses.
Blessedly, I only have to put up with it for 2 more days, and then I get a reprieve. On Wednesday afternoon I'm flying to Southern California for 5 whole days. I can hardly wait!
My cousin Carrie (she's actually officially Kevin's cousin...but I claim her as my own!) has recruited me to go with her to CA to help her get her 3 small children out there for a much needed visit with grandparents and aunties. Her twins (7 months old) will get to meet their great-grandmother for the very first time. Carrie will get to meet her new little niece (6 weeks old) for the first time. I get to go with them, get a break from the monotony of winter, see my friend Amber, spend some time with Kevin's family, and play with some of my favorite kids on the whole planet! I'm really looking forward to it.
Hmmm...according to weather .com, it's supposed to be 68 degrees and sunny this weekend. Pefection!
Guess I better get started packing my Reefs, t-shirts, and sunglasses.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
What kind of reader are you?
My friend April brought up a very interesting point about reading. There are essentially two kinds of people in the world...well, I should say two kinds of readers in the world. There are Library Readers and there are Barnes & Noble Readers. April, as well as my husband Kevin, are Library Readers. They get a book, read it, and are done. With very few exceptions, they have no desire to re-read a book they have already read. I mean, come on...what's the point? You already know what happens! No suspense, no drama. Boring!
I, on the other hand, am a Barnes & Noble Reader. If I like a book, I will read it numerous times. Why, you ask? It's like re-visiting an old friend. I have invested time, energy and emotion in these characters, this storyline. Sure, I know what's going to happen...but I enjoy watching happen again anyway.
Kevin will start a book, then, for whatever reason, put it down and not pick it up for years. When he does, he'll briefly skim the part he already read, and then pick up where he left off. In contrast, when a new Harry Potter book comes out, I will go back re-read every Harry Potter book that came before so I'm all caught up with the storyline. I've read some of those books 4 times!
April says, "I have always thought people were NUTS for re-reading a book. Real book nerds do that." Yes, I have been called a book nerd a time or two...and I'm okay with that. I am a nerd in many areas. I own my nerdiness.
So...what kind of reader are you?
I, on the other hand, am a Barnes & Noble Reader. If I like a book, I will read it numerous times. Why, you ask? It's like re-visiting an old friend. I have invested time, energy and emotion in these characters, this storyline. Sure, I know what's going to happen...but I enjoy watching happen again anyway.
Kevin will start a book, then, for whatever reason, put it down and not pick it up for years. When he does, he'll briefly skim the part he already read, and then pick up where he left off. In contrast, when a new Harry Potter book comes out, I will go back re-read every Harry Potter book that came before so I'm all caught up with the storyline. I've read some of those books 4 times!
April says, "I have always thought people were NUTS for re-reading a book. Real book nerds do that." Yes, I have been called a book nerd a time or two...and I'm okay with that. I am a nerd in many areas. I own my nerdiness.
So...what kind of reader are you?
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Book #3 -- Alpana Pours
I have never been one to have multiple books going at the same time. I guess you could say I've always been a monogamous reader. New York has kind of changed that. So much of my reading is done on the Subway that I have to have books small enough to fit in my bag without contributing to my already strained shoulder. This causes me to have one book only for "on the go" and another book only for "on the couch". My "on the couch" book, which I'm still working on, is a full sized hardback with 641 pages. A little much to schlep around town. So this was my "on the go" book that I picked up on a whim at B&N.
Alpana Pours, is a non-fiction wine and lifestyle book, by Alpana Singh, one of the youngest people ever to reach the level of Master Sommelier. It is a lighthearted book about de-mystifying wine...making it more understandable and more approachable. I'm a big wine fan, and thought this might be interesting for picking up tips on choosing wines, as well as food and wine pairings for dinner parties and dining out. While the book does provide some helpful tips, it is mostly disappointing. I felt like Alpana was trying just a little too hard to sound cool, sexy, and edgy. A few too many unsolicited dating tips...how to pick a guy based on the wine he picks. A few too many unnecessary innuendos. Trying a bit too hard to be "Sex and the City".
To be fair, this book delivers exactly what it promises..."About Being a Woman, Loving Wine & Having Great Relationships." So, if you're wanting something more along the lines of the 840 page Oxford Companion to Wine, Alpana Pours is probably not for you. If you want a few general, helpful tips, this isn't bad...but there are probably better books on the market.
Alpana Pours, is a non-fiction wine and lifestyle book, by Alpana Singh, one of the youngest people ever to reach the level of Master Sommelier. It is a lighthearted book about de-mystifying wine...making it more understandable and more approachable. I'm a big wine fan, and thought this might be interesting for picking up tips on choosing wines, as well as food and wine pairings for dinner parties and dining out. While the book does provide some helpful tips, it is mostly disappointing. I felt like Alpana was trying just a little too hard to sound cool, sexy, and edgy. A few too many unsolicited dating tips...how to pick a guy based on the wine he picks. A few too many unnecessary innuendos. Trying a bit too hard to be "Sex and the City".
To be fair, this book delivers exactly what it promises..."About Being a Woman, Loving Wine & Having Great Relationships." So, if you're wanting something more along the lines of the 840 page Oxford Companion to Wine, Alpana Pours is probably not for you. If you want a few general, helpful tips, this isn't bad...but there are probably better books on the market.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Book #2 -- Three Junes
My second book of 2007 is Three Junes, by Julia Glass, and was recommended to me by my boss right after the holidays.
Pause -- I just remembered that many of you may not know that I'm working as a personal assistant for a wonderful woman here in the city. She is an executive with a financial company and found that with all that she had going on in her life, things were slipping through the cracks. A friend of mine from chuch recommended me, and I've been working as her PA since September. I work out of her home on the Upper East Side and do everything from financial records and organizing insurance appraisals to buying clothes and designing her Christmas cards. It's a flexible and fun job...and one you don't find very often outside of NY and LA. -- Unpause.
As we were going over her Christmas card returns, one of them was from a woman she went to school with (I believe). My boss -- we'll call her W -- said, "Julia's an author. In fact, you might enjoy her first book, Three Junes. It's one of the best books I've ever read." Well, how can you not rush out and buy a book someone claims may be one of the best they've ever read? And W is a serious reader!
Three Junes is is the story of a Scottish family, the McLeod's, during three key summers, and stretches from the Greek Isles, to Scotland to New York City. The book is divided into three sections, with each section centering on one member of the family...first the father, Paul, after the death of his wife Maureen. The second, Fenno, the oldest son, immediately after the death of his father, Paul. And finally, Fern, who you meet in the first section.
To boil it down to a sentence, it is a beautifully written story about the choices people make and living with consequences of those choices...both good and bad. Ms. Glass' writing is colorful and emotional...you can easily picture the locations, and the people. Some of the situations she writes about are heartbreaking, yet sadly, very real. (One of the sons is gay and lives in NYC during the rise of AIDS, losing friend after friend. Another son and his wife struggle with the inability to have children.) And it's very satisfying how her story comes full circle in the end.
I must warn you, should you read the book, some of the scenes in Fenno's life in NYC can be disturbing. Not graphic, necessarily, but definitely unsettling in their depiction of the homosexual lifestyle and the effects of AIDS. I don't want to end all of my book reviews with a disclaimer, but, then again, I'd hate for my friends to pick up a book on my recommendation, and halfway through go, "WHAT?!?"
Pause -- I just remembered that many of you may not know that I'm working as a personal assistant for a wonderful woman here in the city. She is an executive with a financial company and found that with all that she had going on in her life, things were slipping through the cracks. A friend of mine from chuch recommended me, and I've been working as her PA since September. I work out of her home on the Upper East Side and do everything from financial records and organizing insurance appraisals to buying clothes and designing her Christmas cards. It's a flexible and fun job...and one you don't find very often outside of NY and LA. -- Unpause.
As we were going over her Christmas card returns, one of them was from a woman she went to school with (I believe). My boss -- we'll call her W -- said, "Julia's an author. In fact, you might enjoy her first book, Three Junes. It's one of the best books I've ever read." Well, how can you not rush out and buy a book someone claims may be one of the best they've ever read? And W is a serious reader!
Three Junes is is the story of a Scottish family, the McLeod's, during three key summers, and stretches from the Greek Isles, to Scotland to New York City. The book is divided into three sections, with each section centering on one member of the family...first the father, Paul, after the death of his wife Maureen. The second, Fenno, the oldest son, immediately after the death of his father, Paul. And finally, Fern, who you meet in the first section.
To boil it down to a sentence, it is a beautifully written story about the choices people make and living with consequences of those choices...both good and bad. Ms. Glass' writing is colorful and emotional...you can easily picture the locations, and the people. Some of the situations she writes about are heartbreaking, yet sadly, very real. (One of the sons is gay and lives in NYC during the rise of AIDS, losing friend after friend. Another son and his wife struggle with the inability to have children.) And it's very satisfying how her story comes full circle in the end.
I must warn you, should you read the book, some of the scenes in Fenno's life in NYC can be disturbing. Not graphic, necessarily, but definitely unsettling in their depiction of the homosexual lifestyle and the effects of AIDS. I don't want to end all of my book reviews with a disclaimer, but, then again, I'd hate for my friends to pick up a book on my recommendation, and halfway through go, "WHAT?!?"
Friday, January 19, 2007
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
I learned this week of the death of one of the most amazing young men I have ever known -- Adam Langford. Adam was serving as a missionary in Uganda when he was killed in an automobile accident, along with another member of his team.
I feel like I've known the Langford clan my whole life. I grew up at Quail Springs Church of Christ with the Langford family, and his older brother Ben and I were best friends from the end of high school into college. His family was my second family and his two younger brothers, Adam and Jonathan, were like my brothers. Those amazing Langford boys had hearts that were completely sold out for Christ. They knew He had a calling on their lives, and they were eager to go anywhere, do anything to serve Him.
Adam was the kindest, funniest, most talented "kid". He had a contagious laugh and a heart of pure gold. He never met a stranger, and was fearless in his faith. I believe that a bright light has gone out on earth now that Adam has gone home.
My love and heartbroken prayers go out to his parents, Terry & Kathy, to Ben, Kym and Eli, to Jon, and the rest of his family. My prayers of praise go to God for Adam's precious life and the hundreds and hundreds of people he has blessed. Adam loved the Lord and followed Him fearlessly. I pray that I might do the same.
For more about the ministry being done in Uganda, visit www.jinjamissions.org.
I feel like I've known the Langford clan my whole life. I grew up at Quail Springs Church of Christ with the Langford family, and his older brother Ben and I were best friends from the end of high school into college. His family was my second family and his two younger brothers, Adam and Jonathan, were like my brothers. Those amazing Langford boys had hearts that were completely sold out for Christ. They knew He had a calling on their lives, and they were eager to go anywhere, do anything to serve Him.
Adam was the kindest, funniest, most talented "kid". He had a contagious laugh and a heart of pure gold. He never met a stranger, and was fearless in his faith. I believe that a bright light has gone out on earth now that Adam has gone home.
My love and heartbroken prayers go out to his parents, Terry & Kathy, to Ben, Kym and Eli, to Jon, and the rest of his family. My prayers of praise go to God for Adam's precious life and the hundreds and hundreds of people he has blessed. Adam loved the Lord and followed Him fearlessly. I pray that I might do the same.
For more about the ministry being done in Uganda, visit www.jinjamissions.org.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Book #1 -- Julie & Julia
So, in my quest to read more books this year (stop laughing, Kevin!), thought I'd blog about the ones I've read to, "a. of all") hold me accountable to actually reading, and "b. of all") provide you -- whoever you are or aren't -- with book ideas, or not, as the case may be.
My first book of 2007 was a memoir -- Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, by Julie Powell. I received this book for Christmas from my sister-in-law Kelly who knows that I am an aspiring chef and absolute food nerd! Julie Powell is a would-be actress in NYC working as a secretary (or "government drone" as she calls it) and living in Queens with her husband. Approaching age 30, she is absolutely lost...no acting jobs, no accomplishments, nothing to look forward to...hopeless. The only things that bring her any joy are cooking, drinking vodka gimlets and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A strange sequence of events brings her in touch with the cooking classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, by Julia Child, and Julie sets off to complete all 524 recipes in 365 days. And now the fun really starts!
The book details the year Julie spent cooking through Mastering the Art of French Cooking (or MtAoFC), the highs and lows, goods and bads. The successes and abyssmal failures. It is oftentimes laugh-out-loud funny...just as Kevin...he had to put up with me laughing. Julie's life is absolute drama...or, more to the point, Julie reacts to situations with absolute drama. She is witty, smart and a smart a$$. She is an oftentimes crass, serious liberal, dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, who thinks Republicans are sub-human, and is very vocal about her strongly held opinions. Even though our lives appear similar (Texas native, living in NYC, acting, cooking, approaching 30, etc.) we are more mirror images. She is all the things I am not, and I am all the things she hates.
Poignantly, there is a quote at the end of the book that Julie writes after finding out that Julia Child, whom she has never met, has died. She writes: "I have no claim over the woman at all, unless it's the claim one who has nearly drowned has over the person who pulled her out of the ocean." And I thought as I read that, "hmmm...much as I feel about Christ."
If you like food or cooking, this is a fantastic read. It makes you want to "cook dangerously" or at least with more daring then you have before. If you aren't necessarily a self-proclaimed food nerd, this is still a hilarious book about being thrust out of your everyday, normal, boring life into a adventure of your own making. If you can look past the rough language at times and the conservative bashing, I think you will find Julie a brash and funny ordinary person on a search for the extraordinary.
My first book of 2007 was a memoir -- Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, by Julie Powell. I received this book for Christmas from my sister-in-law Kelly who knows that I am an aspiring chef and absolute food nerd! Julie Powell is a would-be actress in NYC working as a secretary (or "government drone" as she calls it) and living in Queens with her husband. Approaching age 30, she is absolutely lost...no acting jobs, no accomplishments, nothing to look forward to...hopeless. The only things that bring her any joy are cooking, drinking vodka gimlets and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A strange sequence of events brings her in touch with the cooking classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1, by Julia Child, and Julie sets off to complete all 524 recipes in 365 days. And now the fun really starts!
The book details the year Julie spent cooking through Mastering the Art of French Cooking (or MtAoFC), the highs and lows, goods and bads. The successes and abyssmal failures. It is oftentimes laugh-out-loud funny...just as Kevin...he had to put up with me laughing. Julie's life is absolute drama...or, more to the point, Julie reacts to situations with absolute drama. She is witty, smart and a smart a$$. She is an oftentimes crass, serious liberal, dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, who thinks Republicans are sub-human, and is very vocal about her strongly held opinions. Even though our lives appear similar (Texas native, living in NYC, acting, cooking, approaching 30, etc.) we are more mirror images. She is all the things I am not, and I am all the things she hates.
Poignantly, there is a quote at the end of the book that Julie writes after finding out that Julia Child, whom she has never met, has died. She writes: "I have no claim over the woman at all, unless it's the claim one who has nearly drowned has over the person who pulled her out of the ocean." And I thought as I read that, "hmmm...much as I feel about Christ."
If you like food or cooking, this is a fantastic read. It makes you want to "cook dangerously" or at least with more daring then you have before. If you aren't necessarily a self-proclaimed food nerd, this is still a hilarious book about being thrust out of your everyday, normal, boring life into a adventure of your own making. If you can look past the rough language at times and the conservative bashing, I think you will find Julie a brash and funny ordinary person on a search for the extraordinary.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The 7-Year Itch
Monday, January 8th was my 7 year wedding anniversary! Honestly...where did 7 years go?
On Saturday, Kevin and I flew to Lake Tahoe for a weekend in the mountains to celebrate. It was nice to actually see snow, since New York has been ridiculously warm. In fact, the day we flew out we packed our coats and wore short sleeves to the airport...it was 70 degrees! We stayed on the North Shore at the Hyatt and skied three days at Squaw Valley. Sunny weather everyday in the 40s...gorgeous!
We arrived Saturday night and stayed in Reno, since it was a little late to make the drive into Tahoe. We got off the plane around 10 p.m. (which is 1:00 a.m. body time) and stumbled down to baggage claim, only to find that 2 of our bags arrived...and one was stranded in Denver. Which one? The one with all the ski gear. We filed a claim, and United gave us vouchers so we could rent coats, pants, goggles, and gloves, and they actually bought us hats and thermals. After finally making through the line, filing our claim, and finding our rental car we were headed to our Residence Inn to crash.
Then, as we are driving down the highway, what do we see shining like a beacon off the highway, its bright, golden arrow pointing world weary travelers towards an haven of joy, welcoming home it's prodigal children? That's right...In 'n Out. We don't care how late it is. We don't care how tired we are. We KNOW that the cure to what ails is us a Double Double with cheese, hold the onions, and fresh-cut french fries. All is right with the world again.
We checked into the Hyatt, and then made our way to Tahoe Dave's for some gear. They outfitted us with all the requisite ski/board accoutrements and sent us out to the mountain. While we cut our teeth, so to speak, on the icy slopes of Southern California, we were seriously spoiled last year with feet and feet of fresh powder in Colorado. It took us awhile to remember how to navigate on snow that oftentimes felt more like we were skating. But we quickly remembered, and had 3 wonderful days at Squaw.
What can I say about 7 years of marriage? I can say that I truly never knew a person could have this much fun. I didn't know I was signing up for such an adventure. And I'm not talking about Mediterranean cruises and ski weekends. I mean the day to day routine of building a life the person you'd rather be with then anyone else on the planet. I mean the Saturday mornings and the Tuesday evenings. The nights on the town and the nights on the couch. The elegant 3-course dinners in chic New York restaurants, and the pad Thai at home in front of the TV. It's laundry, and movies, and cooking, and groceries, and alarm clocks, and musicals, and Bible studies, and grad school, and running in the park, and cleaning...and all the things that add up to life. Except that to me they are a never-ending, always surprising, breathless adventure...because I'm sharing them all with him.
Is it any wonder seven years feels like just the beginning?
On Saturday, Kevin and I flew to Lake Tahoe for a weekend in the mountains to celebrate. It was nice to actually see snow, since New York has been ridiculously warm. In fact, the day we flew out we packed our coats and wore short sleeves to the airport...it was 70 degrees! We stayed on the North Shore at the Hyatt and skied three days at Squaw Valley. Sunny weather everyday in the 40s...gorgeous!
We arrived Saturday night and stayed in Reno, since it was a little late to make the drive into Tahoe. We got off the plane around 10 p.m. (which is 1:00 a.m. body time) and stumbled down to baggage claim, only to find that 2 of our bags arrived...and one was stranded in Denver. Which one? The one with all the ski gear. We filed a claim, and United gave us vouchers so we could rent coats, pants, goggles, and gloves, and they actually bought us hats and thermals. After finally making through the line, filing our claim, and finding our rental car we were headed to our Residence Inn to crash.
Then, as we are driving down the highway, what do we see shining like a beacon off the highway, its bright, golden arrow pointing world weary travelers towards an haven of joy, welcoming home it's prodigal children? That's right...In 'n Out. We don't care how late it is. We don't care how tired we are. We KNOW that the cure to what ails is us a Double Double with cheese, hold the onions, and fresh-cut french fries. All is right with the world again.
We checked into the Hyatt, and then made our way to Tahoe Dave's for some gear. They outfitted us with all the requisite ski/board accoutrements and sent us out to the mountain. While we cut our teeth, so to speak, on the icy slopes of Southern California, we were seriously spoiled last year with feet and feet of fresh powder in Colorado. It took us awhile to remember how to navigate on snow that oftentimes felt more like we were skating. But we quickly remembered, and had 3 wonderful days at Squaw.
What can I say about 7 years of marriage? I can say that I truly never knew a person could have this much fun. I didn't know I was signing up for such an adventure. And I'm not talking about Mediterranean cruises and ski weekends. I mean the day to day routine of building a life the person you'd rather be with then anyone else on the planet. I mean the Saturday mornings and the Tuesday evenings. The nights on the town and the nights on the couch. The elegant 3-course dinners in chic New York restaurants, and the pad Thai at home in front of the TV. It's laundry, and movies, and cooking, and groceries, and alarm clocks, and musicals, and Bible studies, and grad school, and running in the park, and cleaning...and all the things that add up to life. Except that to me they are a never-ending, always surprising, breathless adventure...because I'm sharing them all with him.
Is it any wonder seven years feels like just the beginning?
Friday, January 05, 2007
Taking a stand!
So, one of my other New Year's resolutions is to read more. Now, if my husband happens to read this he is going to laugh out loud. He thinks I read plenty of books. But I feel like I didn't read much last year, which is seriously not like me. Actually, the entire resolution is "more books, less internet". Do you ever feel that with the wealth of information literally at our fingertips, we are actually dumber? It's like, if it can't be communicated in one page view, one instant message, one 30 second spot, I can't be bothered with it. Well, I say no more! I say, more books! More handwritten letters! More thought provoking conversation! Let's expand our minds, people, not just our MySpace pages!
Don't get me wrong, I love the convenience, information and communication the internet offers. I would be lost without it. But I should be able to use the internet for those things without becoming a mindless drone slumped on the couch in my pajamas reading about Britney Spear's New Year's drama, watching SNL videos on YouTube, and playing Tetris. Pathetic.
So, this year I'm reading more books! I went to Barnes & Noble (well, to their website, anyway.) and took advantage of their post-holiday sale. I bought a bunch of stuff I've been wanting to read, but have been too busy downloading music from iTunes and webcam-ing with friends in Georgia to get to. I have a great stack started...which is a little inconvenient in a 500 square foot apartment. I'm completely out of bookcase room, and have started stacking books under the bed. Ah...someday I'll have a library. So I'll let you know what I've read, and if it's worth reading. And, if you have recommendations, please post them! I could always use another good book in my stack.
Don't get me wrong, I love the convenience, information and communication the internet offers. I would be lost without it. But I should be able to use the internet for those things without becoming a mindless drone slumped on the couch in my pajamas reading about Britney Spear's New Year's drama, watching SNL videos on YouTube, and playing Tetris. Pathetic.
So, this year I'm reading more books! I went to Barnes & Noble (well, to their website, anyway.) and took advantage of their post-holiday sale. I bought a bunch of stuff I've been wanting to read, but have been too busy downloading music from iTunes and webcam-ing with friends in Georgia to get to. I have a great stack started...which is a little inconvenient in a 500 square foot apartment. I'm completely out of bookcase room, and have started stacking books under the bed. Ah...someday I'll have a library. So I'll let you know what I've read, and if it's worth reading. And, if you have recommendations, please post them! I could always use another good book in my stack.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
All I Want for Christmas
I think it's definitely a sign of adulthood when at Christmastime you ask for, and receive cookware. And are so excited you want to do a little dance. Or maybe it's a sign that you should, a.) dream bigger, or b.) get out more. Either way, it was a cookware Christmas for Tracey! As I was approaching my 7 year wedding anniversary (Monday, in case you're curious), I realized that I could seriously use a kitchen upgrade. I am now the ecstatically proud new owner of one 8-inch All-Clad skillet, one 4-quart All-Clad sauce pan, and one 10-inch All-Clad all purpose brasier. It's cookery heaven!
On Christmas morning, instead of the 10-inch brasier, Santa actually brought me an enormous, shiny All-Clad lasagna pan. Clearly, Santa had not been in my kitchen, for when I got it home from Texas and put it into my oven (no, there was no lasagna in it), the oven door wouldn't even close. Sigh. So I had to return the large lasagna pan and get something that would fit in my miniscule oven...which is when I returned with the brasier. Imagine a 10-inch skillet, but instead of one long handle, it has two small handles on either side. It's, very cute actually, and made a delicious crusted chicken cacciatore two nights ago. Even with purging the old pans, I'm still having trouble finding cabinet/pot rack space for the new pans. Yes, that's how it is when you have one small cabinet for all your cooking/baking/mixing/ricing/spinning equipment, and one already overflowing makeshift pot rack (it was a towel rack at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in it's former life). Ooh, and did I mention...I also got a brand new food processor! I won't bore you with the details of it's shiny white surface, large 7-cup bowl, and wonderful inventive 3-cup bowl that fits down in the 7-cup bowl for smaller chopping jobs. Let's just say it's beautiful.
By contrast, my husband got very practical and marginally exciting things like a snappy new computer bag (don't worry..."snappy" is my word, not his), framed pictures for his office, a new coat, tickets to see Duke vs. Gonzaga at The Garden. But what was his most loved gift? A black market video game set I bought from some member of the Russian Mafia down on 14th street, west of Union Square. For $12.99, this thing has literally 76,000 games. All it is is a cheap, Nintendo looking game controller that you plug directly into your TV, and it is pre-loaded with games. I'm not talking new, high detail, graphically spectacular games. I'm talking Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Contra, Joust, Donkey Kong...all those games that, if you were born in the mid-70's were the games you got with your very first Nintendo. It is fantastic. The night we opened it we were up until 3:00 a.m. playing games...and have had some subsequent late nights since. This thing is seriously ghetto, but I don't think I've bought my husband a gift that has made him this happy in our 6 years and 361 days of marriage.
I hope you all had cookware-video game Christmases, getting just what you wanted, or loving what you never knew you needed!
On Christmas morning, instead of the 10-inch brasier, Santa actually brought me an enormous, shiny All-Clad lasagna pan. Clearly, Santa had not been in my kitchen, for when I got it home from Texas and put it into my oven (no, there was no lasagna in it), the oven door wouldn't even close. Sigh. So I had to return the large lasagna pan and get something that would fit in my miniscule oven...which is when I returned with the brasier. Imagine a 10-inch skillet, but instead of one long handle, it has two small handles on either side. It's, very cute actually, and made a delicious crusted chicken cacciatore two nights ago. Even with purging the old pans, I'm still having trouble finding cabinet/pot rack space for the new pans. Yes, that's how it is when you have one small cabinet for all your cooking/baking/mixing/ricing/spinning equipment, and one already overflowing makeshift pot rack (it was a towel rack at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in it's former life). Ooh, and did I mention...I also got a brand new food processor! I won't bore you with the details of it's shiny white surface, large 7-cup bowl, and wonderful inventive 3-cup bowl that fits down in the 7-cup bowl for smaller chopping jobs. Let's just say it's beautiful.
By contrast, my husband got very practical and marginally exciting things like a snappy new computer bag (don't worry..."snappy" is my word, not his), framed pictures for his office, a new coat, tickets to see Duke vs. Gonzaga at The Garden. But what was his most loved gift? A black market video game set I bought from some member of the Russian Mafia down on 14th street, west of Union Square. For $12.99, this thing has literally 76,000 games. All it is is a cheap, Nintendo looking game controller that you plug directly into your TV, and it is pre-loaded with games. I'm not talking new, high detail, graphically spectacular games. I'm talking Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Contra, Joust, Donkey Kong...all those games that, if you were born in the mid-70's were the games you got with your very first Nintendo. It is fantastic. The night we opened it we were up until 3:00 a.m. playing games...and have had some subsequent late nights since. This thing is seriously ghetto, but I don't think I've bought my husband a gift that has made him this happy in our 6 years and 361 days of marriage.
I hope you all had cookware-video game Christmases, getting just what you wanted, or loving what you never knew you needed!
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Year!
Happy, happy New Year! It's impossible to believe we are almost a decade into the "new millennium". I know it seems cliche, but each year goes faster. We spent our New Year's Eve with Matt and Laura, two of our dearest friends here in New York. It was low key, and wonderful...slumped on the couch eating take-out and watching the ball drop from the comfort of the living room. Perfection!
It's the time for New Year's resolutions, and though I'm not sure how effective they are, it's hard not to re-evaluate your life as you face a fresh new year. So here are a few of mine...I reserve the right to amend, adjust, re-think and discard as needed:
- Read the Bible more.
- Make healthier choices (who needs the "lose weight" pressure...this sounds easier!)
- Be a better friend
- Blog more (Ha!)
- Give more than I get
How's that for a start? I know some of them sound ambiguous, but they are clear in my head.
I pray you all had a wonderful holiday season...a blessed Christmas and a fun New Year's. I pray you are looking forward to 2007 with anticipation and excitement. And I pray we all have a greater sense of God's presence this year.
It's the time for New Year's resolutions, and though I'm not sure how effective they are, it's hard not to re-evaluate your life as you face a fresh new year. So here are a few of mine...I reserve the right to amend, adjust, re-think and discard as needed:
- Read the Bible more.
- Make healthier choices (who needs the "lose weight" pressure...this sounds easier!)
- Be a better friend
- Blog more (Ha!)
- Give more than I get
How's that for a start? I know some of them sound ambiguous, but they are clear in my head.
I pray you all had a wonderful holiday season...a blessed Christmas and a fun New Year's. I pray you are looking forward to 2007 with anticipation and excitement. And I pray we all have a greater sense of God's presence this year.
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