The Cousins
Seth, Benjamin & Matthew
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Piping Some Magic
Cake Decorating 101
Yesterday, I transformed the church kitchen into a world-renowned bakery. In an effort to create an exciting, reality TV show-like baking competition, I set up stations for mixing colors, cupcake decorating (learning the techniques), sprinkles galore and the two team areas.
The competition was fierce, with the two winning categories being "Most Creative" and "Best Technique". All received awards from the YW basket, filled with socks, candy bars, lotions and crackers. Oh, and the winning cakes - they were delivered to our two sets of missionaries; not only was it a fun activity where everyone learned something new, but we incorporated some friendly competition and sweet service, to boot!
Sadly, none of my Mia Maids were present - and they were the ones that really wanted to do this activity! They were missed, but I think everyone in attendance had a great time.
If you want to see all of the photos, you can go here.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Reflections on a Nonstop Weekend
INDOOR PICNIC
Usually, my parents come over on Friday nights so we can go out on a date. Because they did Cub Scout Day Camp all week, followed by a day of babysitting Eric’s kids, we thought they might need a night off. I told them to stop by on their way home so they could at least see Benjamin for a second. But, because my dad’s birthday was few weeks back, we surprised them with a little indoor picnic/bday celebration. We dined on Papa Murphy’s deLITE pizzas, root beer, spinach/fruit salad and popsicles. We gave my dad movie tickets because, well, he pretty much loves any movie. In fact, when we asked what movie they might see that night, he exclaimed, “I don’t know what your mom is going to do, but I’m going to see two”!
WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK
Saturday morning started early. We had to be up to the church by 8am for our turn in cleaning the building. Dave hopped on his bike for some exercise, so when Benjamin and I rolled into the parking lot, we were very much alone. All but for the cleaning coordinator, it was just me and my little guy. I knew that Dave was on his way, but the thought of being the only family there to clean (again!) was very discouraging. However, it needed to be done, so I put on my happy face, set Benjamin up with a variety of bouncy balls (including our exercise ball that towers over the little guy), and started cleaning the chapel. Unfortunately, Benjamin was not interested in the balls, but rather clinging to my shoulder like a baby spider monkey. Fortunately, another couple showed up 15 minutes later, closely followed by Dave’s arrival. The four of us cleaned like crazy, and although the church was not spotless in the end, it was prepped and ready for Sunday.
BAKING MACHINE
After cleaning, Dave headed out from the church for the rest of his bike ride as we headed for home – there was a lot to get done for the funeral and the BBQ later that day. I started by making a chocolate cream pie, garnished with strawberries; it had to be refrigerated for four hours, and I was running short on time. After the pie was in the fridge came the M&M cookies, but those whip in no time flat thanks to the easy cake mix-cookie recipe. As those were baking, I started in on the salad. Grabbing a beautiful ceramic bowl with terra cotta trim, I started with baby spinach. I then added the following ingredients: quartered strawberries, mushroom halves, handfuls of organic blueberries and thinly-sliced pieces of red onion. The finishing touch was creamy Vidalia onion dressing, but because that has to be added right before people dig in, I threw that in a little container. Finally, I made some raspberry lemonade. Everything was good to go – except my kitchen, and the rest of the house, needed some serious attention!
A DIGNIFIED FAREWELL
I was so busy in the kitchen that I barely had time to take a shower and get ready before we had to rush off to the funeral. Judy Paskett’s stepfather had passed away this week; because he was a member of our ward, the Pasketts requested that I sing at the funeral. However, thanks to a lingering cold, a case of laryngitis from Youth Conference and my awful nerves, my voice sounded like a preteen boy hitting puberty. So, yes, singing was absolutely out of the question. But, I offered to perform a piano piece, “Prelude in C” (Bach) instead. Because it was held in the funeral home chapel, rather than the church building, someone suggested that I also play prelude, hymns and postlude, so that the regular organist would not need to attend. I was fine with that, except that we were running late that day. Everything worked out in the end and the funeral was very solemn and respectful. And, the music was fine – although it was challenging to perform on a synthesizer, rather than a traditional piano. An interesting, kind of strange part of the day? My SIL, Rachel, was asked to play a violin duet, as well (she is in the Paskett’s home ward). She was accompanied on the piano by my 2nd grade piano teacher – when we lived in Spokane! Weird, huh? Even weirder, yet – her violin partner was an older woman in her ward, who happened to be the mother of a guy I used to date. Talk about worlds colliding!
WALK IN THE PARK
As I finished the postlude at the funeral, we were off again! I dropped Dave at home to rest and get ready, then rushed the salad and cookies over to the family dinner. I promised the Pasketts I would make something really good; yesterday, I heard the salad and cookies were quickly devoured, so it sounds like I made good on my promise! Anyway, rushed back to the house, changed clothes, packed the car with more food, camping chairs and various other picnicking needs, and drove to McCollum Park. Even though we tried to rush from one thing to another, we were still 45 late to the Elder’s Quorum BBQ. But, as it was a pretty casual event, we got there just in time for burgers and hot wings, fresh from the grill. After working so hard that day, between cleaning, cooking and playing the piano, I was ready for some fun and downtime. The BBQ was perfect: we chatted with friends, sat in the cool grass, ate good food, enjoyed the coolness of the shade, went down the slide, dipped Benjamin’s little toes in the stream, took turns playing with Benjamin on the playground equipment (as well as pulling him off of various kids), and got to know lots of new members of the ward. It was a beautiful and relaxing way to cap off a very busy day!
TO BE CONTINUED
Sunday was yet another nice and sunny Seattle day. Benjamin even decided to take an extra-long morning nap! I thought that would make him more subdued for church, but I was wrong. Plus, he slept so long, he wore his footed pajamas to church. Normally, I am pretty strict about dressing him very nicely for the meeting block, but you know, sometimes it is good to just let go, and go with the flow. Kali did a nice wrap-up of Youth Conference, followed by touching testimonies from the Asay’s (who move next week), and great conference talks by the Apkens (who did their “move-in” talks). No ward business this week, which means another week in YW… but not sure how long that will last. Word has it that next week is when the big change will be announced. Several of our YW are fearful of what lies ahead, so I’ve been reading a lot about change. Marvin J. Ashton was one of my favorite apostles while at BYU; he wrote this of change and I have always tried to cling to this philosophy when faced with changes and uncertainty:
Usually, my parents come over on Friday nights so we can go out on a date. Because they did Cub Scout Day Camp all week, followed by a day of babysitting Eric’s kids, we thought they might need a night off. I told them to stop by on their way home so they could at least see Benjamin for a second. But, because my dad’s birthday was few weeks back, we surprised them with a little indoor picnic/bday celebration. We dined on Papa Murphy’s deLITE pizzas, root beer, spinach/fruit salad and popsicles. We gave my dad movie tickets because, well, he pretty much loves any movie. In fact, when we asked what movie they might see that night, he exclaimed, “I don’t know what your mom is going to do, but I’m going to see two”!
WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK
Saturday morning started early. We had to be up to the church by 8am for our turn in cleaning the building. Dave hopped on his bike for some exercise, so when Benjamin and I rolled into the parking lot, we were very much alone. All but for the cleaning coordinator, it was just me and my little guy. I knew that Dave was on his way, but the thought of being the only family there to clean (again!) was very discouraging. However, it needed to be done, so I put on my happy face, set Benjamin up with a variety of bouncy balls (including our exercise ball that towers over the little guy), and started cleaning the chapel. Unfortunately, Benjamin was not interested in the balls, but rather clinging to my shoulder like a baby spider monkey. Fortunately, another couple showed up 15 minutes later, closely followed by Dave’s arrival. The four of us cleaned like crazy, and although the church was not spotless in the end, it was prepped and ready for Sunday.
BAKING MACHINE
After cleaning, Dave headed out from the church for the rest of his bike ride as we headed for home – there was a lot to get done for the funeral and the BBQ later that day. I started by making a chocolate cream pie, garnished with strawberries; it had to be refrigerated for four hours, and I was running short on time. After the pie was in the fridge came the M&M cookies, but those whip in no time flat thanks to the easy cake mix-cookie recipe. As those were baking, I started in on the salad. Grabbing a beautiful ceramic bowl with terra cotta trim, I started with baby spinach. I then added the following ingredients: quartered strawberries, mushroom halves, handfuls of organic blueberries and thinly-sliced pieces of red onion. The finishing touch was creamy Vidalia onion dressing, but because that has to be added right before people dig in, I threw that in a little container. Finally, I made some raspberry lemonade. Everything was good to go – except my kitchen, and the rest of the house, needed some serious attention!
A DIGNIFIED FAREWELL
I was so busy in the kitchen that I barely had time to take a shower and get ready before we had to rush off to the funeral. Judy Paskett’s stepfather had passed away this week; because he was a member of our ward, the Pasketts requested that I sing at the funeral. However, thanks to a lingering cold, a case of laryngitis from Youth Conference and my awful nerves, my voice sounded like a preteen boy hitting puberty. So, yes, singing was absolutely out of the question. But, I offered to perform a piano piece, “Prelude in C” (Bach) instead. Because it was held in the funeral home chapel, rather than the church building, someone suggested that I also play prelude, hymns and postlude, so that the regular organist would not need to attend. I was fine with that, except that we were running late that day. Everything worked out in the end and the funeral was very solemn and respectful. And, the music was fine – although it was challenging to perform on a synthesizer, rather than a traditional piano. An interesting, kind of strange part of the day? My SIL, Rachel, was asked to play a violin duet, as well (she is in the Paskett’s home ward). She was accompanied on the piano by my 2nd grade piano teacher – when we lived in Spokane! Weird, huh? Even weirder, yet – her violin partner was an older woman in her ward, who happened to be the mother of a guy I used to date. Talk about worlds colliding!
WALK IN THE PARK
As I finished the postlude at the funeral, we were off again! I dropped Dave at home to rest and get ready, then rushed the salad and cookies over to the family dinner. I promised the Pasketts I would make something really good; yesterday, I heard the salad and cookies were quickly devoured, so it sounds like I made good on my promise! Anyway, rushed back to the house, changed clothes, packed the car with more food, camping chairs and various other picnicking needs, and drove to McCollum Park. Even though we tried to rush from one thing to another, we were still 45 late to the Elder’s Quorum BBQ. But, as it was a pretty casual event, we got there just in time for burgers and hot wings, fresh from the grill. After working so hard that day, between cleaning, cooking and playing the piano, I was ready for some fun and downtime. The BBQ was perfect: we chatted with friends, sat in the cool grass, ate good food, enjoyed the coolness of the shade, went down the slide, dipped Benjamin’s little toes in the stream, took turns playing with Benjamin on the playground equipment (as well as pulling him off of various kids), and got to know lots of new members of the ward. It was a beautiful and relaxing way to cap off a very busy day!
TO BE CONTINUED
Sunday was yet another nice and sunny Seattle day. Benjamin even decided to take an extra-long morning nap! I thought that would make him more subdued for church, but I was wrong. Plus, he slept so long, he wore his footed pajamas to church. Normally, I am pretty strict about dressing him very nicely for the meeting block, but you know, sometimes it is good to just let go, and go with the flow. Kali did a nice wrap-up of Youth Conference, followed by touching testimonies from the Asay’s (who move next week), and great conference talks by the Apkens (who did their “move-in” talks). No ward business this week, which means another week in YW… but not sure how long that will last. Word has it that next week is when the big change will be announced. Several of our YW are fearful of what lies ahead, so I’ve been reading a lot about change. Marvin J. Ashton was one of my favorite apostles while at BYU; he wrote this of change and I have always tried to cling to this philosophy when faced with changes and uncertainty:
“There is a tendency to think of change as the enemy. Many of us are suspect of
change and will often fight and resist it before we have even discovered what
the actual effects will be. When change is thought through carefully, it can
produce the most rewarding and profound experiences in life” (Marvin J. Ashton,
in Conference Report, Oct. 1979, p. 87; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, p. 61).
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Splash Pad!
Splish Splash!
Here are some photos from our adventures at Willis Tucker Park in Snohomish; awesome park, awesome day!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Perfect Summer Day
Yesterday was the quintessential summer day; it was absolutely lovely, in every way.
As Benjamin and I slept in until the lazy hour of 7am, Dave was inching towards the summit of Mt. Adams. A glorious 7,000’ ski run was in his immediate future, but I was merely focusing on rolling out of bed. The sun was filtering through the blinds, and so I yanked them open and let the beautiful day flood in. Benjamin hid his eyes from the insidious bright thing in the sky and I kind of laughed; the poor child doesn’t even know what the sun is, as its presence has been so rare this summer!
I absolutely adore summer in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve tried on summer in other regions and none have measured up. Utah’s dry heat is ok, but feels like you are facing into an intense blow dryer all day long. Maryland is one of the loveliest places I have ever called home, but the summers were death; humidity, plus crazy hot temps meant I was constantly feeling soggy and tired. I’ve found that “70-ish” degrees is the perfect summer temperature for me; below that and you are tempted to pull on a sweater and plead for summer to show up. If the temperature begins to dance around 85, things get ugly. The Pacific Northwest turns into a land of overheated people fighting over the last air-conditioning unit in Wal-mart, while clinging for life to their iced mocha lattes. At that point, socks and sandals are no longer welcome companions here. And, as for me, I begin to melt. When temperatures soared to triple digits last summer, in the last two weeks of my pregnancy, I remember lying on the floor, wanting to die (seriously – it was that bad). Yesterday was blissful with a high temperature of 78.
But I digress.
After eating some delicious FiberOne Honey Clusters and feeding Benjamin a mixture of raspberries, bananas and oatmeal, I packed us up for a day of fun.
First stop was our YW presidency meeting, which may be the last one with our current group. It was a bit sad, but a productive meeting, nonetheless. The only down side was pulling Benjamin 1) away from stolen toys and sobbing toy owners, 2) away from spilled goldfish crackers, which he enjoyed pulverizing into the carpet, 3) and his little fingers, out of Jaxson’s hair, 4) away from the goldfish again, 5) off Lucy. Busy meeting.
Next stop was Willis Tucker Park. I pulled out the stroller, geared up the kid with his lunch bottle and started my run. About 30 minutes into it, my strained muscle starting hurting, so I stopped and walked back to the park. This setback in my triathlon training has been frustrating and rehab has been slow. But, I’ll take what I can get, which meant I walked back to the car – with a smile on my face.
Switched gears at that point, as I donned Benjamin in his swim trunks and shirt, followed by a good dousing of baby sunscreen. And with that, we were off to the splash pad. When his eyes caught sight of the various fountains, sprays and splashes of cool, refreshing water, he nearly jumped out of my arms. His walking is still a bit off-kilter, so I stayed close by. As soon as those first few drops of water hit his warm skin, the expression changed from absolute glee to shock and horror: the water was a bit cold. But, after running and clinging to me for a short second, he was running back to the purveyor of liquid coolness. And so it was for the next hour – a back and forth “Dance of the Icy Sprinkles”. A few minutes on the swings rounded out our time with Willis Tucker Park, and we were on to the next adventure.
After stopping at the store for supplies, I started stirring, wiping, sprinkling, and baking. A couple in our ward were getting married last night and I offered to make a small wedding cake, as I needed the practice before Jon & Aubri’s cake. A few hours later (including a record 2-hour nap for B!), I had three moist layers of white chocolate cake, filled with raspberry puree and covered with a whipped white frosting. I finished it off with beautiful coral-colored rosebuds and some piped pearls on the bottom; unfortunately, I just forgot to document it with my camera.
Mutual was a pioneer theme, so we had a short discussion on our pioneer heritage, followed by watching the film, “Legacy” and munching on popcorn.
My favorite part of the evening happened while I was watering all of our thirsty plants. My barefeet patted the pavement of our patio, when I heard a noise behind me. Little Benjamin was at the screen door, pounding with his strong fists, begging to be let out of the hot house. I put down the water can, picked him up and sat down on one of the deck chairs to relish the warm evening.
There was a quiet stillness in the air as the sun set and crickets were chirping. A slight breeze lifted strands of hair from the warmth of my neck. And baby giggles tickled my ears, as we played a rousing game of peek-a-boo. I could have played like that for hours with him… the moment was beautiful, light-hearted and perfect.
It was absolutely perfect; midsummer nights should be that way
As Benjamin and I slept in until the lazy hour of 7am, Dave was inching towards the summit of Mt. Adams. A glorious 7,000’ ski run was in his immediate future, but I was merely focusing on rolling out of bed. The sun was filtering through the blinds, and so I yanked them open and let the beautiful day flood in. Benjamin hid his eyes from the insidious bright thing in the sky and I kind of laughed; the poor child doesn’t even know what the sun is, as its presence has been so rare this summer!
I absolutely adore summer in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve tried on summer in other regions and none have measured up. Utah’s dry heat is ok, but feels like you are facing into an intense blow dryer all day long. Maryland is one of the loveliest places I have ever called home, but the summers were death; humidity, plus crazy hot temps meant I was constantly feeling soggy and tired. I’ve found that “70-ish” degrees is the perfect summer temperature for me; below that and you are tempted to pull on a sweater and plead for summer to show up. If the temperature begins to dance around 85, things get ugly. The Pacific Northwest turns into a land of overheated people fighting over the last air-conditioning unit in Wal-mart, while clinging for life to their iced mocha lattes. At that point, socks and sandals are no longer welcome companions here. And, as for me, I begin to melt. When temperatures soared to triple digits last summer, in the last two weeks of my pregnancy, I remember lying on the floor, wanting to die (seriously – it was that bad). Yesterday was blissful with a high temperature of 78.
But I digress.
After eating some delicious FiberOne Honey Clusters and feeding Benjamin a mixture of raspberries, bananas and oatmeal, I packed us up for a day of fun.
First stop was our YW presidency meeting, which may be the last one with our current group. It was a bit sad, but a productive meeting, nonetheless. The only down side was pulling Benjamin 1) away from stolen toys and sobbing toy owners, 2) away from spilled goldfish crackers, which he enjoyed pulverizing into the carpet, 3) and his little fingers, out of Jaxson’s hair, 4) away from the goldfish again, 5) off Lucy. Busy meeting.
Next stop was Willis Tucker Park. I pulled out the stroller, geared up the kid with his lunch bottle and started my run. About 30 minutes into it, my strained muscle starting hurting, so I stopped and walked back to the park. This setback in my triathlon training has been frustrating and rehab has been slow. But, I’ll take what I can get, which meant I walked back to the car – with a smile on my face.
Switched gears at that point, as I donned Benjamin in his swim trunks and shirt, followed by a good dousing of baby sunscreen. And with that, we were off to the splash pad. When his eyes caught sight of the various fountains, sprays and splashes of cool, refreshing water, he nearly jumped out of my arms. His walking is still a bit off-kilter, so I stayed close by. As soon as those first few drops of water hit his warm skin, the expression changed from absolute glee to shock and horror: the water was a bit cold. But, after running and clinging to me for a short second, he was running back to the purveyor of liquid coolness. And so it was for the next hour – a back and forth “Dance of the Icy Sprinkles”. A few minutes on the swings rounded out our time with Willis Tucker Park, and we were on to the next adventure.
After stopping at the store for supplies, I started stirring, wiping, sprinkling, and baking. A couple in our ward were getting married last night and I offered to make a small wedding cake, as I needed the practice before Jon & Aubri’s cake. A few hours later (including a record 2-hour nap for B!), I had three moist layers of white chocolate cake, filled with raspberry puree and covered with a whipped white frosting. I finished it off with beautiful coral-colored rosebuds and some piped pearls on the bottom; unfortunately, I just forgot to document it with my camera.
Mutual was a pioneer theme, so we had a short discussion on our pioneer heritage, followed by watching the film, “Legacy” and munching on popcorn.
My favorite part of the evening happened while I was watering all of our thirsty plants. My barefeet patted the pavement of our patio, when I heard a noise behind me. Little Benjamin was at the screen door, pounding with his strong fists, begging to be let out of the hot house. I put down the water can, picked him up and sat down on one of the deck chairs to relish the warm evening.
There was a quiet stillness in the air as the sun set and crickets were chirping. A slight breeze lifted strands of hair from the warmth of my neck. And baby giggles tickled my ears, as we played a rousing game of peek-a-boo. I could have played like that for hours with him… the moment was beautiful, light-hearted and perfect.
It was absolutely perfect; midsummer nights should be that way
Sunday, July 11, 2010
11 Months!
Happy *almost* Birthday, Benjamin!
It's crazy to think that this funny, extremely active kid was not in our lives a year ago. Well, I was pregnant with him, but we had yet to meet the little guy, face-to-face, at this time last year. Anyway, today is his 11-month mark, which means the big #1 is only 30 days away!
I haven't been great about putting up his stats over the last few months, but at his last doctor's appointment (9 months), this is what we learned:
Weight: 20.5 lbs (30th%)
Height: 30" (95th%)
Head Circumference: I think it was 17" (it was average, per the growth charts)
Fun Factoids:
He's walking, folks. Does a funny sideways walk when he starts to lose his balance.
Babbles da-da-da, ma-ma-ma, ta-da & go-go-go.
LOVES books... to the point he starts to cry when we say "The End" after reading Goodnight Moon.
Eats like a horse.
Favorite foods: anything really, but seems to love Gerber's Meat Lasagna.
Had a taste of a Wendy's frosty a month ago; loved it going down, not so much coming back up.
Hates shoes. Cannot keep them on his feet, so his socks are wearing out crazy fast.
Got four teeth at once (last month): two on top, two on bottom. Grinds them to the point where it sounds like he is munching on rocks.
Climbs anything - stove, fridge, bookshelf, baseboard heaters, people.
Adores animals, but especially dogs.
Baby weightlifter - can pull his body weight while holding onto a wooden dowel.
Doesn't like pacifiers, but seems to be pacified in similar manner by an empty bottle.
Figured out how to open doors!!! He's pretty tall and has recently been able to reach our door handles that are levers, rather than traditional knobs.
Insanely ticklish.
Has an infectious laugh and cracks up at the wackiest things.
He's a great kiddo, we love him like crazy and we absolutely realize that we are so lucky to have him in our family.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Lots of Lately
Here's a little glimpse into what we've been doing in our neck of the woods:
Brent & Azzlinn's Visit
Mom, brother Eric & Dad
Dave, Benjamin & I after chowing down on Red Robin BBQ chicken wraps.
My nephew, Owen, & mom
The Newlyweds - brother Brent & Azzlinn
My sister Kali and her daughter, Jennifer
Benjamin, our soggy, teeth-cutting wonder!
Physical Therapy
As mentioned in a previous post, I was sidelined with a little injury. Turns out, I strained my left hip flexor muscle, which called for a little PT. Cool thing is, the place I go is opening up a runner's clinic, which will help me get strong and back on the road that much faster!
Cinderella the Musical
I already mentioned this, but forgot to post the pictures. I was by myself for the hour and 45 minutes-trip, so I did a mini photo journal en route.
In Bloom
Spring and summer are a beautiful time of year. For me, nothing illustrates that better than fresh flowers. As a bit of a splurge, I bought a bunch of pink peonies at Trader Joe's. I have always loved these flowers and really wanted these for my wedding bouquet, but unfortunately, they are hard to come by in the middle of the winter.
Organically-Speaking
We've been loving the boxes of fresh produce delivered on our porch each week. Look at those goodies, including the cute, little stowaway I found!
Battle of the Sexes
June's combined activity pitted the girls vs. the boys, in a series of events; they included Homemaking, Baby Care, Dress & Make-up, Car Care, Sports Fan, and Shaving. The YW are just a bit competitive, so we even got shirts for the occasion! In the end, the girls slightly edged in front of the boys in the quick-fire challenge. It was a hilarious night!
Mountaineering Training
On a date night a few weeks back, we headed over to the warehouse where Bret works, for some Mt. Rainier training. Dave's brother, Jon, is hanging from the line and is learning to use a "prusiks" to self-rescue. This is particularly useful when one slips and finds oneself hanging in a deep, icy crevasse. Good to be prepared, right?
Oak Harbor Soccer Tournament
Kali's kids, Ethan and Jennifer, play soccer... a lot. On a rainy, typical Seattle day, we made the 1 1/2 hour drive up and around Whidbey Island to see them show off their fancy foot skills.
Pink Party
Yeah, that is our fearless YW president and one of my Mia Maids popping pink whoppers at the party to celebrate all of our incoming Beehives. We had pizza, pop, punch and lots of pink treats. Then we played "Guess the Famous Person" (tag on each person's back), "The Human Knot" and "Chubby Bunny", followed by the unveiling of the secret sisters. Good times!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thou Shalt Not Kill...
...except when a giant version of one of these things somehow finds its way inside the hospital, into the basement, into my keypad-secured library, into my office and onto my head.
As I slightly tipped the hand mirror while applying my mascara, I saw the bugger sitting there on my forehead, sucking away on my A-negative blood. I wildly slapped my forehead, but it quickly flitted away. Suddenly, felt itchy all over and my head hurt.
Then, the dude just diappeared for a while. (Fast forward three hours.)
I don't typically embrace violence, but an outdated copy of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (would have been more appropriate if it was Blood or the Journal of Infectious Diseases) was in reach and silently found its mark on this little bugger. Mr. Mosquito was gleefully bouncing along the wall under a vibrant watercolor painting at the time. After the swat, he bounced along the wall one, two, three... but then fell dramatically behind my desk.
Rest in peace, giant mosquito.
Random thoughts as I swatted madly at said-pest: how big is his brain? do you think it hurt? do you think he has children? Made me kind of sad to kill this delicate little creature - for a second, but then my head started itching.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Cel-e-brate Good Times, C'mon!
Wow - this past weekend was definitely a weekend of celebrations. Here's the lowdown:
FRIDAY
After an absolutely lovely family walk in the 70 degree weather, we whisked ourselves - or rather slodged through rush hour/Friday night traffic - up north to Smokey Point. Destination? Red Robin for a dual birthday bash for Brent & Azzlinn... who were in town on official Strawberry Festival business (A was turning over her princess crown to the 2010 royalty). After waiting for "The Bird" staff to set up our 30-people table, we ate good food, chatted with the fam and wrangled a very tired, and very teething 10-mo old cutie pie. I thought my parents would be out of town on Sunday, so we presented my dad with his present: an updated, framed portrait of Benjamin for his office. On the way home, swung by Costco for some necessities, as well as their tasty frozen yogurt.
SATURDAY
While Dave & Bret headed for rock climbing adventures in Darrington, Benjamin kept me company while I whipped up a chocolate brownie & rapsberry trifle, a fresh fruit salad and a lime cheesecake dip. After a morning filled with party prep and house cleaning, we piled all of the goodies into the car and headed to Edmonds for Aubri's bridal shower. It was a kitchen shower so everyone was instructed to bring their favorite dish, as well as the recipe. We had sent out an Evite and were a bit nervous that the food would be spartan, at best, with very few people submitting their RSVP. However, our worries soon dissipated; people kept showing up - and they kept piling food onto the table. We had steamed vegetable platter, chicken salad & croissants, pirogies, black bean soup, chicken curry, indian rice, "chaser" salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, yogurt, herbs), strawberry spinach salad, cinnamon breakfast bites, trifle, fruit & dip, lemonade/orange punch, and lemon bars. There was so much food, we had leftovers for Sunday dinner!
Shortly after the shower, I embarked on the Mukilteo ferry for the second celebration of the day. Although a bit belated, I got tickets to see "Cinderella the Musical" at the Whidbey Playhouse in Oak Harbor as a very late Mother's Day gift to my mom, sister, and niece, Jennifer. It was a fun play and the costumes were very unique; actors wore all black, then wore very colorful, flamboyant paper doll-like costumes, which could be quickly changed as scenes required. Mom, Kali and I really enjoyed it, but Jen, who is a soccer player and was very tired that night, wasn't sure why people would want to watch a play. She kept asking, "What's the point?". Got to love teenagers, huh?
FRIDAY
After an absolutely lovely family walk in the 70 degree weather, we whisked ourselves - or rather slodged through rush hour/Friday night traffic - up north to Smokey Point. Destination? Red Robin for a dual birthday bash for Brent & Azzlinn... who were in town on official Strawberry Festival business (A was turning over her princess crown to the 2010 royalty). After waiting for "The Bird" staff to set up our 30-people table, we ate good food, chatted with the fam and wrangled a very tired, and very teething 10-mo old cutie pie. I thought my parents would be out of town on Sunday, so we presented my dad with his present: an updated, framed portrait of Benjamin for his office. On the way home, swung by Costco for some necessities, as well as their tasty frozen yogurt.
SATURDAY
While Dave & Bret headed for rock climbing adventures in Darrington, Benjamin kept me company while I whipped up a chocolate brownie & rapsberry trifle, a fresh fruit salad and a lime cheesecake dip. After a morning filled with party prep and house cleaning, we piled all of the goodies into the car and headed to Edmonds for Aubri's bridal shower. It was a kitchen shower so everyone was instructed to bring their favorite dish, as well as the recipe. We had sent out an Evite and were a bit nervous that the food would be spartan, at best, with very few people submitting their RSVP. However, our worries soon dissipated; people kept showing up - and they kept piling food onto the table. We had steamed vegetable platter, chicken salad & croissants, pirogies, black bean soup, chicken curry, indian rice, "chaser" salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, yogurt, herbs), strawberry spinach salad, cinnamon breakfast bites, trifle, fruit & dip, lemonade/orange punch, and lemon bars. There was so much food, we had leftovers for Sunday dinner!
Shortly after the shower, I embarked on the Mukilteo ferry for the second celebration of the day. Although a bit belated, I got tickets to see "Cinderella the Musical" at the Whidbey Playhouse in Oak Harbor as a very late Mother's Day gift to my mom, sister, and niece, Jennifer. It was a fun play and the costumes were very unique; actors wore all black, then wore very colorful, flamboyant paper doll-like costumes, which could be quickly changed as scenes required. Mom, Kali and I really enjoyed it, but Jen, who is a soccer player and was very tired that night, wasn't sure why people would want to watch a play. She kept asking, "What's the point?". Got to love teenagers, huh?
SUNDAY
I told Dave to choose what he wanted for Father's Day breakfast, and he asked for French Toast. So, I had all of the stuff ready, including fresh strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. Fortunately, Dave wakes up really hungry every morning. Unfortunately, he usually eats breakfast around 5am; when I woke at 6am, he was munching away on his favorite cereal. After wishing him Happy Father's Day, I laughed and said I'd make the Cinnamon French Toast for lunch.
Church was great. Sacrament meeting included a talk from one of our YW on prayer; our friend, Somphien, spoke about fathers (and shared some sweet stories about her family); the Primary sang a Father's Day song; and the high councilman (Bro. Church) gave a great talk filled with fun stories about his 70s hair and accidentally breaking a wheelchair while trying to transport a ward member to church. Benjmain slept through most of the meeting (yea!) which was nice because the YW were in charge of coordinating the Father's Day gift. Each father (or father-in-training)received a sleeve of 3 chocolate chip cookies with a little tag; it wasn't too labor-intensive and I think the guys really liked them.
After church, we headed to Edmonds for Sunday dinner. The shower leftovers and the Italian Chicken were great, plus it was fun to just spend time with everyone. Dave received Cashew Roca from his parents and we gave Dave's dad a black & white picture of Benjamin for his desk at work.
And lest you think all I gave Dave was some soggy french toast for Father's Day, just know that he was sufficiently honored - and maybe even a teensy bit spoiled - on his big day. But, it's his 1st official Father's Day, and he totally deserves it in my very humble opinion. He is such an awesome dad to Benjamin and I feel absolutely lucky and abundantly blessed to have him in our life!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Sidelined
"Pain is temporary.. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever." ~Lance ArmstrongDuring a great run on Monday afternoon, sporting my new Nike capri running pants and an energized outlook on training, I think I overdid it. Tuesday morning, I awoke to some pain in my left hip. I happened to have a doctor appointment that morning and mentioned it to my PCP at the end of my appt. She did a quick check and said that it could be a number of things.
Number of Things:
- Muscle sprain
- Hip bursitis
- Hip tendonitis
- Contusion
- Stress fracture
- Hip labral tear
- Osteitis pubis
- Sport hernia
- Snapping hip syndrome
- Traumatic hip subluxation & dislocation
- Hip arthritis
- Low back strain
I'm starting to realize I have access to way too much medical information, and just enough knowledge of it to attempt a self-diagnosis of any number of catastrophic injuries/maladies.
Needless to say, I'm sidelined until the pain subsides. Slapping myself on the wrist for 1) not stretching well before the workout, 2) pushing myself hard during workouts, and 3) not stretching well after the workout. Hopefully, I can log some pool time so that this doesn't completely ruin my training schedule!
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Back in the Saddle
Saturday brought a break from the rain and delivered one of the most beautiful, sunny spring days that Western Washington has seen all season.
So, after dropping Benjamin off at the grandparent's house, I headed to the Burke-Gilman trail to take my bike on its maiden voyage. Dave met me there (he rode from our house), and as a last-minute turn of luck, Michelle called, so she met up there too.
Wow, what a gorgeous day! And the bike felt like a dream; it was fast, smooth and a great ride. The only down-side: the trail was super packed due to the sudden emergence of summer-y weather, so it made certain portions of the trail a bit of a challenge.
All in all, we did 20 miles that day. Considering that the sprint triathlon is only 9.8, we did pretty well and can work on improving speed and other skills, rather than worrying about distance issues. And although I experienced the typical saddle soreness from being on a new bike, it was so wonderful to sail through the wind and take in all that Vitamin D.
And with the sun and warmer temps coming back today, it's time to hop back on the trail. Maybe I'll see you out there too!
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Ready, Set, Triathlon!
As promised, I am about to share the details from my picture hint... namely, the reason for purchasing my gleaming GARY FISHER ARC SUPER road bike.
So, you're reading it here first, folks: I am totally jumping into the deep end of the pool on this one, but here goes nothing. Michelle A. & I are signing up to do a sprint triathlon in September! I know I must be crazy, but exercising with a purpose seemed like a much better idea than just exercising for the sake of it.
For those not in "the know", a sprint triathlon is not a triathlon that you do super fast, but rather a shorter version of the Olympic (read: intense and turbo long) version. The Lake Stevens Sprint Triathlon consists of a .25 mile swim, 9.8 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run. That doesn't sound too bad, right?
So, if you're not busy on September 11th and are in the greater Seattle area, feel free to stop by Lake Stevens and cheer us on to victory. Actually, the other Michelle may place, as she is a tri-veteran. I don't have any grand illusions that I'll place and I may even finish last (hopefully not), but I think it will be an awesome experience nonetheless!
Wish us luck - and maybe say a quick prayer that I will regain my sanity!!!
So, you're reading it here first, folks: I am totally jumping into the deep end of the pool on this one, but here goes nothing. Michelle A. & I are signing up to do a sprint triathlon in September! I know I must be crazy, but exercising with a purpose seemed like a much better idea than just exercising for the sake of it.
For those not in "the know", a sprint triathlon is not a triathlon that you do super fast, but rather a shorter version of the Olympic (read: intense and turbo long) version. The Lake Stevens Sprint Triathlon consists of a .25 mile swim, 9.8 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run. That doesn't sound too bad, right?
So, if you're not busy on September 11th and are in the greater Seattle area, feel free to stop by Lake Stevens and cheer us on to victory. Actually, the other Michelle may place, as she is a tri-veteran. I don't have any grand illusions that I'll place and I may even finish last (hopefully not), but I think it will be an awesome experience nonetheless!
Wish us luck - and maybe say a quick prayer that I will regain my sanity!!!
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