I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted here. I have actually written two or three posts since July, but they were only partial and very uninspired. So I scrapped them. (As a side note, I just typoed [making up words here] "crapped" instead of "scrapped." Ha ha. Ho ho. He he.)
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I, for the first time in years, have taken the day after Thanksgiving off from work. This is a very big deal for me. Also a big deal: this year the holidays are approaching as quickly as ever, and as the days pass I am full of peace and joy. I think it may be due to the fact that I am actually taking time off from work. The knowledge that I have a stretch of days before me that I will have time to sit and rest, feast, play, celebrate, and love without the interruption of work fills me with excitement!
In December Daniel and I are going on my first ski trip ever with his family in Pagosa Springs, CO. I am so excited to play in the snow. Several days ago Daniel's mother was describing to me their struggles with traversing through snow storms during past trips. I can't even imagine that much snow! What does a snow storm look like?
For some reason the mention of snow storms makes me think of the early scenes in The Empire Strikes Back. That snow beast/whatever the heck it was really scared me as a child. Absolutely terrified me.
But I will not let my fears of snow-space-alien-abominable-snowmen keep me from enjoying the snowy mountains of Colorado.
I will most definitely be documenting the trip with pictures. There will be evidence that I saw snow, and made a snow angel, and wore skis. I don't know yet whether or not I will actually be able to ski. I'll get back to you on that one.
Apparently Pagosa Springs is a neat little town in Colorado, so one evening Daniel and I will slip away for a fancy dinner in town to celebrate our THREE YEAR anniversary.
I can't believe we have been married three years! They have been a few great years, and only getting better. You know, like a fine wine.
And he's stuck with me for-ev-er! Mwahahaha!
I don't think anyone is actually reading this blog anymore, but I hope today you are enjoying the holiday preparations, and I pray that your Thanksgiving celebrations are filled with joy and gratitude to our Great Heavenly Father for His innumerable blessings. And I pray that He gives you the patience to endure my long, long sentences that don't make much sense.
If you are reading this, you are probably (maybe) someone very special to me--and I am thankful for you!
November 25, 2009
Peace to You
July 23, 2009
July 22, 2009
Holy Cannolli!
Ohhhh myyyy.
I just want to say--it is difficult to live with someone who doesn't have to eat healthy. While Daniel is enjoying his chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream I'm trying to control my sugar cravings with a glass of skim milk (which actually works, surprisingly). I'm not a total stickler. Usually on the weekends I'll allow myself to a few treats or a drink or two. But I'm determined to live a healthy life. For the children.
I've never been a huge fan of vegetables, but I have actually found some fun recipes. For example: two nights ago I sliced some green and yellow squash length-wise (a julienne slice), spread it on a cookie sheet, sprinkled a bit of salt and pepper on it, and stuck it in the oven for a few minutes at 300. It was a hit! Daniel and our guests ate every last one of them.
Baked squash fries?
Tonight I'm having a couple of girls over to bake and decorate some cupcakes. We are having a little farewell party for one of our co-workers who is moving away. Hopefully I'll be able to manage the temptation of cake and frosting that I will have before me. But...I have to taste-test everything right??
July 17, 2009
Something New
This evening I tagged along with my friend Cassidy as she had her bridal portraits done.
I took a few pictures myself--from a distance. I didn't want to get in the photographer's way. I don't want to spoil the surprise of her wedding day, but she posted a couple on Facebook, so I think it's ok to post them here!
Obviously, I edited the photos a little. And I don't have Photoshop, so I did what I could with iPhoto. The evening sun was so beautiful and I wanted to give them a little "ethereal" boost.
It was really fun. And Cassidy is like, the most gorgeous person alive. And she takes good pictures.
It's disgusting.
In other news, we are puppy-sitting for the weekend. A friend from work left town and needed a place for her little dog Chewy to stay. So here he is.
He's normally an only child, so it's taking him some time to adjust to my crazy, retarded, rambunctious Yorkies. They don't quite know what to make of him.
They're so retarded.
I think it's a disorder.
June 29, 2009
I'm Blogging?
I suppose it's been long enough. I've been so busy you know, with the stuff of life. Work, basically. And a wedding here and there.
This evening Daniel and I sat on stone benches in front of the Cafe Medici drinking a Toddy SS and brainstorming for a speech that he'll be delivering to a crowd at a Texas Tea Party Rally on Independence Day. I don't like giving speeches, let alone standing up in front of a crowd. I think I've said before it makes my palms sweat and my neck gets splotchy and I get cotton-mouth. But I can write a speech. I think.
In high school I was chosen to participate in a speech meet and the topic I chose was abortion. You know, I like to keep things neutral, non-polarizing.
Three days before speech meet I had to present my speech, completed, to the Rhetoric class and after 4 excruciating minutes Mrs. Brunson asked me to sit down. After class she told me she thought, from a competitive stand point, that I was going to fail miserably and embarrass the school unless by some act of God I got my crap together before Saturday morning (perhaps not in so many words).
Well, that evening I went home, wrote out a speech based on my index cards, stood in my closet, and read my speech to myself ten times before setting it aside.
Apparently those readings committed the speech to my memory it because I recited it to judges, competitors, and other students word-for-word on Saturday morning without even glancing at my note cards. And apparently it was a good speech because the crowd was nearly in tears by the end of the speech and I won the gold medal. I think I told some gut-wrenching story about a girl sitting in a clinic. Juno totally ripped me off.
Unfortunately Mrs. Brunson wasn't there to hear it. I think she was watching some team present a puppet show or some kid recite a humorous monologue. She was very surprised to see me win and she didn't conceal her surprise at all.
It must have been adrenaline.
I hate public speaking.
All that to say is: I could never, would never do what Daniel is doing on Saturday. When I think about it, it makes me want to vomit. I'd rather vomit than give a speech.
In other news...I am blessed. I got to see my parents and brothers last month and they were able to stay with me at my own house! Daniel and I loved having a house full of family. Hopefully we'll be able to return the gesture someday soon.
I was in the wedding of a great friend last weekend. It is good to be confident that a friend is marrying a good man.
I wore a yellow dress and about ten minutes before the ceremony I ripped a hole in the front of it with my pointy shoe heel. That was kind of awful but I don't think anyone noticed because Courtney and Ryan were so stunning.
One moment framed in my mind: walking a crosswalk on Guadalupe with the wedding party, all dressed in our yellow gowns, holding Courtney's train to keep it from dragging on the street.
It was a lovely wedding :)
Well. That's all for now.
April 21, 2009
'Feel Good'
April 14, 2009
Make Way For Ducklings!
When I was a child I used to love the story Make Way for Ducklings. I remember looking over the pages and examining the beautiful brown-ink illustrations on cream-colored paper. I still have this book sitting on a shelf in my house. A couple of weekends ago when we had our wonderful houseguests I read the book as a bedtime story to the children.
Anyway...
At the entrance of our neighborhood there is a large pond inhabited by your typical pond creatures--including four ducks, two of which are male Mallards. This morning as I was leaving for work, the ducks were crossing the street to reach a nice little patch of bushes on the other side of the road. I had to stop my car and wait for them to waddle across.
In the movie You've Got Mail Meg Ryan's character says at one point, "So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?"
I happen to like it when things I see remind me of what I read. Because, we're all symbols of symbols of symbols right? Typology and all that.
Tomorrow is my birthday. Daniel's already given me my presents. This was a big birthday, folks! A real big one! I got an Apple desktop and Photoshop CS3 to go along with it. I never thought I'd ever own an Apple OR Photoshop and I am so excited. I really need to take the time to sit down and play with it because I have't hardly at all. I'm very intimidated by it, actually.
Netflix.com is becoming quite a habit for me. We've been streaming video like crazy--all BBC/Masterpiece Theater. Daniel and I are particularly enjoying a series called Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. It's very clever and political, and I think I only enjoy it because Daniel does. I think that because I've tried watching the show on my own and I really don't plug in to it very well by myself.
My recommendations of what I've seen (if you're interested!):
I watched a wonderful, wonderful 11-epidsode adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.
I thoroughly enjoyed a 4-episode adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters. Currently I'm in the middle of Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now, and it's pretty good. Not my favorite so far.
I've also watched hours and hours and hours of 30 Rock. So funny.
I also found a Jane Austen PodCast on itunes where I can download podcasts of someone reading her books! With a British accent!!
I made homemade Tiramisu and it is awesome.
Easter was great. Very low-key. But great.
Hope you all had a joyous Easter!
xoxo-KG
