Family, Fun, Food (Or is it the other way around?)

It's already 12:01p on December 26 and I am overwhelmed by the last couple days. I have much to be thankful for and it all seems like it's going by so quickly.

Christmas eve, Kent and I had dinner and opened presents with my mom. We had our traditional (for us) fondue and headed to church. The Christmas eve service was lovely and I'm reminded how Jesus came to turn our world upside down.

Christmas day, Kent and I opened presents in bed and then got ready to go to his family's house. After an excellent brunch, we opened presents, played Wii, took little naps, and snacked on the yummy treats in the house (hot chocolate too!). Kent's uncle and grandpa came over for dinner and we played Scrabble Me (a gift I got--yay!) and maybe a little more Wii. Oh, wait, how could I forget? My Mii knocked out the first round guy in boxing after about 30 seconds. A right to the face and it was all over. I'm against violence, but it was frickin' sweet.

We didn't get home last night until almost midnight, which is probably why I slept in until 9 this morning and watched Wives and Daughters on the couch for an hour before getting up and getting ready.

Tonight, we get to go to my dad's house to celebrate again! I'm excited to spend time with Dad and Kathy and talk to Amy and the fam on the webcam.

Right now, I'm going to get up, go to the store, and make some Deceptively Delicious brownies, thanks to my wonderful husband and one of his Christmas gifts to me.

I hope you all are surrounded by friends, family, and love this holiday season. 

Sputters

Life right now seems to be floating by (perhaps it is the three feet of snow we've had in the last five days). But things are happening, in little sputters. Here are some of the thoughts passing through my head lately:

I miss my far-flung family members. I always thought it was kind of lame when families (parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, etc.) lived in the same town. I mean, holy townies. But now that lots of my family members are spread out, I miss them and wished we were those who were formerly judged lame.

Working with friends is bliss. That's what I miss most about the big Z. My friends.

School during Christmas break is s-l-0-w. So slow that the motion sensor lights in my own office turned off. Sad.

Snow is beautiful. And obviously from the devil. Whoever dreamed up a hot, hot, hot hell was mistaken.

I'm insanely jealous of my friend, who is in Costa Rica right now. Forget family trips. Next year, it's the Fab Five trip to destinations sunny, warm, and otherwise super-tropical. (And yes, my hair will look like when Monica went to Barbados.)

I often feel like Kathleen Kelly from You've Got Mail. When life reminds me of scenes from books I've read when really, shouldn't it be the other way around?

The Office Recap Friday

In case I haven't mentioned, my husband works late, so I watch The Office alone, while taping, and then he watches it when he gets home. Last night, I was getting tired but Kent wasn't sure he wanted to watch it yet, so I decided to go to bed. I was in bed for maybe 10 minutes when I hear a hysterical burst of laughter from the living room. I knew it. Kent watched the opening of the episode. Hilarious.

I really missed the pranks on Dwight, but last night made up for it. I hope that on set, they actually pranked Rainn Wilson and that was a real fall as he went down. :-)

Speaking of Dwight, he is this week's MVP. He was oh-so-Dwight this episode from the prank to Princess Unicorn to the fire hazards of a controlled burn. And his face when Phyllis spilled the secret? Dwight with a capital D.

Other favorites? I'm not so sure how keen I was on the intervention storyline, but Michael chasing Meredith around the parking lot was pretty funny. And Oscar continues to be a favorite of mine. Jim and Pam were pretty cute, but not hugely special outside of the prank (oh, and I guess I did like Jim's comment to Dwight about needing a permit).

What needed work? Kelly is such a great character and I don't think she had great stuff this week. And Toby. Michael's hatred for Toby is only funny so long as the audience really likes Toby. When he becomes amazingly pitiful, then we don't really feel sorry for him when Michael's a jerk. Or something. I guess his character just annoyed me this week.

That's all! Unfortunately, next week is reruns, so you'll just have to go back and read old recaps from me next week. :-)

The Best Brunch


In my hometown, I am often recognized by my name. Both maiden and married names. Both families have been in the community for a while and well, they get around (in a purely social sense, nothing weird).


Today, I mentioned my maiden name to someone at a brunch and he asked if I was related to the doctor. To which, I said, yes. My dad is now retired, but I often find myself chatting with someone who was a patient of his for years. This was the case today.


Said person continued with, "Your father is possibly the finest doctor in this town." And proceeded to tell me wonderful, complimentary stories about my dad from years past (even before my birth).


It was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Sometimes, I find myself just thinking of my dad as "dad." Until I'm reminded that not only has he been a pretty great dad, but he's also been a wonderful member of our community, and a darn good doctor.



So I said thank you to this complimentary person. Sincere thanks. And resolved that the next time I meet with a friend of a friend or a family member of a friend, I will tell them just how wonderful our mutual acquaintance is. It's really good for the soul.

Kent, me, and my dad (I call him Papa)

Belated Trip Report

My sister, Kate, and my niece, Dineo, came to visit November 24 until December 5. We had such a great time and I was sad to see them go (I might have cried a little). But here are some of my favorite pictures from their trip here.

Grandpa and Dineo sledding (this girl loves snow; I don't know why)

Cause really, why wouldn't you dance while decorating Christmas cookies?

Weird snow-lover and her amazing snowwoman (she loved that thing)

My sister, niece, and I had a girls night and painted our toes the same color. I miss them tons, but every time I see my toes, I smile.

Girls Night

Grandma and Dineo

The Office Recap Friday

Ahhh. That's better.

This week's episode of The Office went back to its sweet spot. Everyone was involved in a ridiculous office dispute.

We'll start with this week's MVP: Pam. I like it much, much better when Pam and Jim are being sarcastic, playing pranks, etc. as opposed to the sugary sweetness we've seen lately. A little sweet is great ("I'm in love with Italian food.") but too sweet is...well, too sweet. But why did Pam get the MVP instead of Jim? (1) She threw the gauntlet down. (2) She flirted with Michael (Michael!) to get her chairs. (3) The tiramisu in the trash. And (4) "There's that ass. Yeah! Oh, don't take it away!"

Here's the big question: how did you feel about the Andy/Angela/Dwight storyline? (Might I also add that I kinda called it again? Though I did think that Dwight was going to wait for the actual wedding to steal the bride, he did step in at the alter and marry Angela, apparently.)

Time for Another Mindless Survey

1. Were you named after anyone? No.
2. When was the last time you cried? Oddly enough (since I cry somewhat often), I don't remember.
3. Do you like your handwriting? Not really. I wish I had prettier handwriting. Mine's really scratchy.
4. What is your favorite lunch meat? I'm not a huge lunch meat kinda gal. But when I do eat sandwiches, I usually choose turkey.
5. Do you have kids? None of my own. But I have 9 nieces and nephews. Yup, you read it right.
6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? What kind of question is this? It really depends on what kind of person I am when I'm the other person. Probably not, because I'm shy.
7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Never.
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.
9. Would you bungee jump? Yes. And I'd like to parachute out of a plane too.
10. What is your favorite cereal? I like a lot of different cereal. But I think Lucky Charms might be near the top. Or, as an adult option, anything with strawberries (Special K, Honey Bunches of Oats, etc).
11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Depends on the shoe and when I'm taking them off.
12. Do you think you are strong? Depends on what kind of strength you're talking about. In general, I think I'm fairly strong.
13. What is your favorite ice cream? ALL ICE CREAM! Okay, but probably cookies and cream?
14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Their face.
15. Red or pink? Pink.
16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? My lack of self (discipline, esteem, you pick).
17. Whom do you miss the most? The Livingstons.
18. Do you want everyone to send this back to you? Whatev.
19. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Black and black.
20. What was the last thing you ate? Turkey.
21. What are you listening to right now? Steve Miller Band.
22. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Plum.
23. Favorite smells? Flowers. My husband. Lots of things in the oven (apple pie, cookies, bread, etc.). The beach.
24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Kate
25. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Again, what kind of a question is that? I saw this on Jessica's blog and yes.
27. Hair color? Brown.
28. Eye color? Hazel.
29. Do you wear contacts? No, and it weirds me out to think about touching your eye. I can't even put eye drops in myself.
30. Favorite food? Ice. Cream.
31. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings. I hate scary movies.
32. Last movie you watched? Does the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice count? Then that.
33. What color shirt are you wearing? White. With a green sweater.
34. Summer or winter? Summer.
35. Hugs or kisses? Hugs. But I'm considering the early tradition of curtsies when greeting people.
36. Favorite dessert? Ice. Cream.
37. What book are you reading now? The Ghost Mountain Boys by James Campbell.
38. What is on your mouse pad? A Humanscale logo.
39. What did you watch on TV last night? I watched CSI: NY for a while and the rest of Pride and Prejudice (on video; yes, video).
40. Favorite sound? Waves.
41. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles.
42. What is the farthest you have been from home? Cape Town, South Africa.
43. Do you have a special talent? I can wiggle my eyes. No, I can't describe it. But I've heard it's weird.
44. Where were you born? Good ol' H-town.

BZE

That's how my niece spells it. (She's three.) But this past week has been busy! Let's recap.

Tuesday, my sister and niece got into Grand Rapids airport. Yay!
Wednesday, I worked, then went to my dad's house for a family get-together.
Thursday, we hosted 15 people at our house for Thanksgiving.
Friday was girls night. My sister and niece and I went to a movie, had dinner, painted our toes, and ate ice cream.
Saturday, my sister and mom and I went to lunch and a play.
Sunday, I rested (and took my niece to the library and Target).

Whew! My sister has been taking pictures (and my cousin did on Thursday too) so I'll see if I can steal some to post.

Hope you all had a bze and fun Thanksgiving weekend!