Goodbye 2011

The last post of 2011…should be full of deep reflections and favorite things. Should be. But, well…I just haven’t put that much thought into it. I will say, I have loved this year.

I remember thinking how great 2010 was and being a little nervous about 2011 because it couldn’t possibly live up to 2010. But somehow 2011 was even better.

I decided that since it isn't looking positive for snow any time soon, I'd add some snow to my blog. It does make me happy, even if it isn't even close to the real thing.

Some highlights from the past year:

-Going to Disneyland with Brian. Disney is one of those big tests that could have been a deal breaker...but Brian was quite a sport and kept up. We have a trip to Disney World tentatively planned (it's happening, but reservations haven't been made) for May...I'm sure he has no idea what he is getting in to (pretty sure my mom is going also)...but I'm not worried this time. Really, just something super exciting to look forward to in 2012.

-Getting my own place. I moved into my new place in May...and there are still unpacked boxes in the living room, and I actually don't think I've done any 'living' in the living room...but it's my own space. I was able to close up my storage unit and everything is with me now. I had great visions of decorating cute and buying new things...none of that happened (I did get some more snowflake plates the day after Christmas at Target), so hey...that's something.

-Live music...Brian and I went to so many shows this year...and almost all actually paid for. (After working at the radio station and getting all kinds of free tickets, it took me some time to be okay with purchasing...I still have a few connections, luckily.) Fav shows included: Ryan Adams solo at Benaroya in the 6th row...wowzer. Muse and Arcade Fire at Outsidelands. Beach Boys with Brian's parents, David Gray, a very cool birthday gift to see Jeff Bridges- what a performer. Some pretty fantastic local performances- Ian McFeron Band's latest album release at the Triple Door, multiple Head and the Heart shows, Bryan John Appleby, Campfire OK, Kelli Schaefer at Cathedrals (her mom singing with her- shivers! This doesn't do it justice, but still... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BaHpuCgCKE ), Fleet Foxes twice...both amazing...I know I'm forgetting shows...great music year though.

-Sports galore! You have no idea how often I have feared that I would never find someone that found great importance in both music AND sports, as I do. Brian and I went to a ton of Mariners games (including Sonics night at Safeco...what a thrill that was!), Sounders games (I even found myself part owner of season tickets next year...who would have thought my first set of season tickets would be for soccer!), we went to a Seahawks game, and Sunday afternoon kid soccer games at Greenlake... we watched just about every major sporting event on TV...I mean, sports are pretty much an every day thing. I'm pretty pumped for the upcoming Sounders season...oh I wish we still had the Sonics! There was also the thrill of playing on the Bahama Bombers kickball team...we weren't good, but we almost won a playoff game. Brian, of course, was recruited to another team that went on to win the championship...what a traitor.

-Trips! We went to Portland twice...once to see the Head and the Heart, and once for an incredible Fleet Foxes show AT Edgefield. We did Disney in April and San Francisco to see Jessica and Luke and a music festival, Ellensburg for the RODEO! Looking forward to another trip to San Fran in February for Rachel's 30th birthday, the D-World trip, and who knows where else we might be off to...I'd love to get back to Chicago, I need to see Jessica and Luke's new place, visit Jen in Austin, I'd love to visit Brian's sisters in Alaska and NYC, and I'd love to leave the country some time soon.

-Volunteering...spent some time at 826 doing the 2nd and 3rd grad Geoduck field trips, and helping high schoolers with their college essays...not as much time spent at 826 as I would have like due to my work schedule. And my little Shooting Fireballs basketball team. Those girls were definitely one of the highlights of my year. I don't think I did much, but I know they had fun, and they were so stinkin funny.

-New friends. I love our weekly tradition of either Potluck or Movie Night. I love hanging out, eating food, playing games, laughing, and boy do I love any event with a theme. It has been tough having several of my very best friends moved away, it has been so great to have met and made so many new friends this year.

Oh dear...Brian just broke his new nerf gun...I gotta go.

Merry Christmas!

I keep thinking it is Friday. It isn’t…it’s Wednesday…but at work, today is MY Friday (minus the Friday coffee with the department…boo) since I am taking Thursday and Friday off. Ohhh, I’m excited to be done at the end of the day today. For multiple reasons…first, I get to see my super awesome buddy Amy, who is a big, bad music gal in LA now. I miss her and she is in town and we are going to happy hour tonight. THEN, I’m going to see Mission Impossible at the IMAX, which Brian already saw and insisted on seeing again…he said it is really cool…really, just going to the IMAX is an exciting adventure…if the movie is good, that’s a bonus.

THEN, tomorrow morning I get to see my dentist. Weird to be excited about that? I know…but I really, really like my dentist… With all of my moving and traveling, I always managed to get appointments in while I was home visiting. Plus, I'm a little bit crazy about my teeth and taking care of them (I still have my retainer from 8th grade!), so a trip to the dentist to take care of my teeth is both exciting and a relief. Dr. Jacka in Federal Way (I even make the trip down to Fed Way)…everyone at the office is great. THEN, tomorrow is the Dinner Club Christmas party! This is one of my FAVORITE Christmas traditions…because I love this group of people so much, and Christmas is just the best time to hang out with those important people.

THEN, it really is Friday, and boy do I have a ton of stuff to take care of, but luckily I’ll have some good company in Rachel (another CA friend in town visiting), to make the errands and tasks more enjoyable.

Then comes the actual holiday…Brian and I are running around all over the place. Initially, it all seemed easy and doable and no big deal. Now, as the small logistics are being figured out, I’m getting stressed about making it all happen. I really look forward to the day when I can have everyone over to my house and host. Buuuuut, really, if you are going to have a problem, having an abundance of family to hang out with on Christmas is probably about the best problem to have. I’m sure it will all be magical.

My cold has hung on, but just at the level it was on the first day. It hasn’t progressed at all. Still just a little swollen throat and a bit of a headache…the headache is even subsiding though (that may have been a coffee related headache, actually). Brian has definitely caught something similar and I’m hoping he will be able to fight it off. He is also taking tomorrow off, so hopefully a good nights sleep and being able to sleep in will keep the sick away.

And for a final basketball update- My basketball season has come to an end. We had our final game last Saturday (it was a rough one…we were short people, and the other team was really good). And then last night we had our banquet. It’s interesting how when I played sports, I never thought about how the coach has to put together the banquet. And where do the trophies come from? And, how do you go about ordering the pizza so the coach isn’t out $300? The Boys and Girls Club told me coaches just do their own thing for banquets…so I had to figure it out. We ended up going to Zeeks for pizza. The grandpa guy that took stats all season put together some participation certificates (and then proceeded to call out their stats for EVERY SINGLE GAME…oh my). I wrote a little note to each girl in a Christmas card and made little ornaments with their name. It was definitely my rookie season…but I had a lot of fun and I think the girls had a good time…which is the most important thing…I just want them to keep playing! Looking forward to next season with the 4th/5th grade girls.

Okay...this is it for me until after Christmas. Hope you have the best holiday full of everything you love. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

And now I'm stressed....

Up until today I was feeling so good about Christmas. Loving the season, getting gifts and recipes prepared slowly but surely…and then all of a sudden, today, I am totally stressed out…feel like there is too much to do, not enough time to do it, plans every night…AND…I can feel a cold coming on. Ugh. I am totally going to be sick over Christmas.

Deep breath.

I am taking two days off of work this week to avoid this feeling. To give myself time for all of the last minute things…to wrap the presents and to do the baking of the recipes that I’ve prepared for. But I didn’t prepare for a cold and just wanting to drink tea in bed and watch movies. Crap.

Back to the Five...

Okay...since coming back to the blogging, I have strayed a bit from the usual template…rather than writing five points, I’ve just been sharing what’s been going on. I’m going to attempt to move back to the five point post…mostly to keep my rambling to as much of a minimum as possible.

1. Santa Claus. I have been seeing/reading a lot this year about parents giving up on the Santa thing…to each his own, obviously, but oh, it makes me sad. I was/am a big fan of Santa. I used to wake up in the middle of the night Christmas Eve and sneak downstairs to see what Santa left for me (Santa didn’t wrap presents- he displayed them), and I would peak through my stocking, careful not to disturb the way it looked and give away that I had been there. Santa always left a stuffed animal on my little rocking horse that sits next to the tree, and I would take my new friend back up to bed with me. It never occurred to me that might give my sneaking away. What was more important than the Santa thing (which really, was one day of the whole Christmas season…I always knew the Santas at the stores weren’t the real guy), was that I learned the Christmas story. We saw the Christmas pageants at church, and we talked about what Christmas is actually about. We had the nativity scenes around the house that I would sit and play with. I definitely understood what Christmas was. I can see how people might worry that, for a kid, Santa could overshadow Jesus. But I know that believing in Santa never did that for me. I really think that having conversations about what the Christmas season is about is what matters. I have also heard the argument that we teach our kids to trust us and then we lie to them…. I NEVER once even considered it being a lie. It never made me mad that my family created a magical story for my childhood (okay, not going to lie…Santa still stops at my house). That would be like getting pissed about Disney. Anyway…I know I'm not a parent, and everyone has their own traditions and beliefs...but, for me, Santa never took away from the reason for Christmas- Santa was/is just a fun and silly way to enjoy family and get excited for the big day…and I can’t wait for what crazy antics Santa will have planned for my kids one day!

2. Elf on the Shelf- Speaking of magical stories for kids…do you know about the Elf on the Shelf? They are these little stuffed animal/plastic faced toy elves that Santa sends out to households to keep an eye on the kids. Your family’s elf (who the kid has to name before the magic will start…my friend’s elf is Mr. Doodle Paws…apparently the naming was quite a process) flies back to the North Pole each night and reports to Santa if the kid should be on the good list or the naughty list. And then he flies back to the house and is usually found causing mischief somewhere in the house for the kids to find each morning. My mom has been talking about these elves for a couple of years and what a fun tradition it is…well, I took one look at the creepy elves and decided I wasn’t interested. Until this year…I joined Pinterest, and have seen pictures of all kinds of creative things to have your elf doing for the kids to find…SO FUN. I might want to find a different elf though…Brian suggested perhaps an Elvis on the Shelvis. Nice.

3. Charity Gifts? I’m looking for some thoughts and opinions on this one. As I’ve been making my Christmas gift list (the list of who and what to buy for), I started thinking again about an option I have considered for the past few years. What are your thoughts on spending the money you would on an okay gift (I have a lot of people to buy for…I’m not getting exceptional things for them!), to make a donation toward a cause that would be important to that person? Rather than getting them a mug and gift card to Starbucks (which I’m sure they would love and would use, but would be forgotten after a week), I make a donation that is personal to that person’s interests or cares? Or do you think it is a little bit lame and really, people would rather be able to treat themselves to a peppermint mocha when they normally only allow themselves an Americano? I really go back and forth. What do you think?

4. Snow. I mean, really…are you tired of reading about snow from me? I know, I know…but I refuse to give up. Most of the time that snow is predicted, it doesn’t happen, so who can say that it won’t happen when it isn’t predicted? Two days ago there were snow showers in the forecast for right before Christmas…and a few hours later, they were gone. It has been so cold…right on that cusp of snow and rain. The fluffy white flakes would just really make my holiday time as magical as could be…pleeeeeassssseeee??

5. May Disney trip. I’m still planning on taking the 30th birthday trip in May down to Disney World…if you’ve been looking for an excuse to visit, what better time than then? Registration just opened up for the Expedition Everest Challenge (May 5th), so if you are interested in coming along for my birthday trip, and participating in the race (really, it’s super fun and low key…no need to be any kind of runner), head on over to the page and take a look. It is a partner race, so you have to sign up with someone to race with. Here is the link and info…
http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/expedition-everest-challenge

And that’s all for this week…hope your has been fantastic!

Christmastime!

Ahhh, can’t believe it is already Thursday. This week has been a mix of slow motion (I think due to the fact that I’ve been getting to work at 7am, and so am tiiiired…funny how much changes in just a couple of years…I used to get up at 3:45am for work…oh Starbucks…I don’t miss that EVER), but the week has also somehow just FLOWN by…I guess because it has been busy.

I really feel like we have been enjoying the holidays to the max this year, which makes me really happy. We still need to go to ZooLights in Tacoma, ice skating, take a drive through some neighborhood known for its lights, bake Christmas cookies (that doesn’t come until later anyway though)…and then of course, the snow. It must snow. But I have no control over that one.

So far:
Decorating- Nothing compared to my mom’s house…but it takes time to get a collection like that…We have the Christmas tree (Doug), who is still just as handsome as ever. We haven’t put any ornaments on him…just the big, outdoor lights. Then of course, I got crafty and made the felt tree skirt…I can’t think of anything more holiday-y than crafting a tree skirt. Brian was able to snag a nice live wreath from work, complete with pine cones and a big red bow. She was immediately named A-wreath-a…and she will only be complete once she gets a motion sensor attached to play a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T every time a person walks by. I wanted to use some of Doug’s trimmed branches for décor, but have gotten lazy with that.

Gingerbread House- oh yes, Olga and I spent an evening decorating gingerbread houses. She picked up a couple of kits from Costco, made a yummy light dinner, and we spent some time catching up, while sneaking tastes of frosting and gummy candy. I really need to start carrying my camera so I can add photos of these delights I speak of. Maybe a photo blog soon.

We went to our first Christmas party of the season last weekend…which was just about as charming as a Christmas party could possibly be (without cute kids for singing carols anyway)…there were fun and fancy beverages, yummy appetizers, a little gift exchange (Brian was VERY excited for the gift he brought…the nerf guns were on sale at Fred Meyer…he even bought me one of my own…what a guy), popper favors that included tissue paper crowns and a joke, an AMAAAAZING chocolate cake, warm festive comfortable home, and of course…the great company of friends.

The Round had their annual Holiday show at the Triple Door (if you haven’t read the dozens of times I’ve written about the Triple Door…it’s my very favorite place for a show). This year there were two different sets of musicians, that did 3 ‘rounds’ of music each. I really look forward to the Holiday round each year…I love going to the Round anyway…local musicians playing together, poetry, painting, etc…but having a bunch of local musicians sitting around playing Christmas songs is great, because as somber and sad and pretty as they play those songs, they are still Christmas songs, which makes them joyful. Anyway…I was a little bit disappointed with this show…the musicians just didn’t play very many Christmas songs…they did winter-y songs, many original…but only a few traditional songs. Bummer. Still good, just not what I was hoping for.

Speaking of music…I have created myself a nice Christmas playlist on Spotify that I listen to while I process paperwork at work…I have quite a mix of musicians on the list…from Bing Crosby to Elvis to Mariah Carey, to Biebs to She & Him, etc…but my favorites are definitely the Sufjan Stevens songs….jeez, they are so pretty. Listening to them at this very moment and feeling very Merry.

I am more ahead of my Christmas gifts than I usually am…though I still have a ways to go…I have taken a few different shopping trips, getting a few things each time. I took a couple of days off work right before Christmas, so I won’t have to worry about being super stressed out at the last minute. Yay!

Side note…I wish the Elf on a Shelf elves were cuter. I think they are kind of scary looking actually…but I think it is such a cute idea.

In other news…
-Went and saw Hugo, the new Martin Scorsese movie…it was different than I expected, but I really enjoyed it. It’s a 3-D movie, which I don’t generally like, but it was shot in 3-D (however that technology works), so really immerses you in the movie, not just a few things here and there. And no headache, which I usually get in 3-d movies.

-My basketball season is winding down…this is the second to last week. I really have had so much fun…I don’t know how much of a ‘coach’ I was…with the little kids, and not having any practices once games get going…but they have definitely improved dramatically from our first few practices…so that’s something. I went to a coaches meeting last night for next season- 4th/5th grade girls. Amazing the difference. This sounds like real basketball…10 ft hoop, 3-pointers, foul shots, over and back, etc. And I was talking to the other coaches (all dads and me), and I guess they have lost some girls on their teams because they have gone to year round soccer. WHAT? Year round, single sport exclusivity…in 4th/5th grade?! That is crazy. And sad to me. Sad because not only are the girls missing out on other really fun experiences and opportunities, they are also going to have a crazy amount of pressure on them! I mean, even when I was playing basketball year round, I still played other sports. Also sad to me…the 4th/5th grade boys have had a waiting list to get on a team for over a month- there are so many kids that want to play…but the girls…we don’t even have enough for 5 teams. C’mon gals…though I guess when I played at the Boys & Girls Club, there weren’t girls teams…I just played on the boys team.

All for now…have a great weekend!