christmas

Here are some images from our Christmas this year. We spent most of our time with family, and were once again reminded how blessed we are to live so close to our loved ones.










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joy to the world

The Lord has come!



Merry Christmas from us to you.

birds of death

These are the birds that live on my street. The are turkey vultures. Allow me to give you a close-up....

that wingspan!


those talons!

That face! Disgusting, right?

I am convinced these birds are here to hurt me. Maybe even peck me to death and then bring all their friends to pick my body. They are vultures after all.

My hate-hate relationship with these nasty creature started many years ago. You see, I grew up on this street I now live on. These birds have been haunting me for years. One time when I was in jr high, there was a big group of them just standing on the street in front of my house. Staring at me as I walked outside.

My Dad liked to watch Alfred Hitchcock movies. I had already seen Birds. You can imagine the nightmare this event this created.

From that point on, I tried to avoid the birds as much as possible.



Well, I am once again a resident of Pine Street and it appears the birds are back in full force. Everyday I walk the dog or jog down the street with my eyes up. Always prepared for a full blown attack. I know I could go down a different street, but I will not be ruled by fear. Yes, the thought that they want to eat me and have my dog as dessert crosses my mind, but this is MY street.



But seriously though, I can feel their eyes following me.

letters

An update.....

Dear me,

Happy 24th birthday! These flowers look just like the ones from your wedding. I knew they were from mom. Only she would think of that.

love,
older, wiser me


Dear Scully,
You are 1 now. Er...um...technically 7? This means we can no longer blame your misbehaving on being a puppy. So I will have to come up with something else to blame it on. Because you obviously are not growing out of it.


love, us
(the other people who inhabit your house, feed you, and force you to take baths)
ps...we love you. and we know you love us too


Dear New Moon,
I waited for you in line.

While rereading you, of course. You did not disappoint. You, the best friends on the planet, and chips and salsa made for a goooood night.

love, a true fan


Dear husband,
This year, I am thankful for you. As always.


love, me

portland

So I spent last week in Portland for our end of year planning session. To remind you all (because I know there are so many of you) I work in marketing for a software company. Half our team lives in Portland. And because Portland is just slightly more beautiful, it won out over a retreat in Bakersfield. Close call though.

I wont bore you with mundane details. This is what we did most of the day, everyday.


BUT we did have a few chances to close our laptops and get some fresh air.

We stay in a great boutique hotel right on the river. There is a walking trail outside and one morning we bundled up and enjoyed our coffee on the trail.










One night we went out to a nice dinner to celebrate how awesome Crissy and I are. And our birthdays.




Our team building exercise was wine tasting in the Oregon hills, famous for their pinot noir. I just couldnt get over the beautiful countryside. Seriously reinforced my desire to live in the country.










This was our tour guide. She seriously reinforced my desire to have a silver bob when I am older. Loved her.

bff

Beagles are, by nature, friendly dogs. Little hounds who like to share their territory with others. Well, our Scully has the whole backyard to herself. Her own space to roam, dig, sun bathe, and catch a scent. So to satisfy her need for social interaction, we take her to play with Sadie. My in-laws super sweet yellow lab. These two have been playing together since Scully was little. And despite their size difference, they are two peas in a pod.






And as for these two?



Yeah, Scully is not quite a friendly with them.

k.i.t. dodgers

Its hard to believe another season is over. And I know you may laugh, or think I am exaggerating. But I am not. The Dodgers play a major role in our home from about April to mid-October (hopefully). If you know my husband, then you know this is true.

And although the Dodgers have brought us many memorable moments, tonight we are sad. Sad we aren't bringing the series back to LA, so we can see another game. Sad it ended this way. Sad we wont spend any more evening on our patio listening to Vin. Sad we cant go all the way.

But this is life. It builds character, right?

Enough moping! Here is a pic of a definite highlight of our 2009 Dodger season.



Til 2010, keep in touch Dodgers

apple spice cookie bars

Despite the 80 degree days we've been having, I have been trying to add some fall spirit into our home. Making soups and chilis, lighting autumn scented candles, adding some fall decor. Hey, if its not going to be fall outside, I am going to make it fall inside. One way to add some fall spice?
Make these.
They are easy, moist, yummy, and make your kitchen smell great.

Apple Spice Cookie Bars
2 c. plus 2 T. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmug
1/8 tsp allspice (I was out of nutmug and allspice, so I used pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla extract
2 apples diced (about 2 cups)
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling



- Preheat oven to 350 and line 9x13 pan with foil and baking spray
- Combine flour, baking powder,salt, and spices. Whisk to combine well



- Using a mixer, combine sugars and melted butter. Beat until light and fluffy
- Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla.
- Turn mixer on slow and add dry ingredients slowly, until just combined
- Fold in apples
- Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar
- Bake until cooked through, when top is slightly browned and bounces back to touch (about 30 min)
- Let cool completely before cutting (bars will be soft).



Enjoy!

raising funds

Having been out of the elementary school world for, oh, about 15 years, I am a little out of touch with the whole school fundraising world. And to be honest, I hated having to do fundraisers. I never sold enough carmel covered pretzels or Christmas wrapping paper to earn anything good. I usually ended up taking the catalog to my Dad's business and letting the 4 employees have their pick. Like I said, never enough for anything cool.

Not like Jill. She was lucky enough to earn this beauty one year...


My name was never called in the special assembly. Never asked to go on stage and receive my super cool prize for being a top seller. But thats ok. I have moved on.

In the wisdom I have gained since my years of mediocre at best fundraising attempts, I can confidently say that fundraising has greatly improved since then. I work with many people with elementary school age kids. Who seem to be very involved in raising funds. And never have I seen a gaudy magazine toting canisters of peanut brittle and chocolate covered cherries. The fundraising gurus have really stepped up their game. In the past two years I have purchased high quality candles, fresh wreaths and garland, and most recently, this resuable bag.





Not only is this bag roomy and very multi-purpose, but it comes in so many cute patterns. My only regret is not ordering more. I thought I would share it with all of you, just in case this fundraiser comes across your desk. If it does, order a few bags. If the major improvement of goods offered is any indication, I can only imagine the cool prizes up for grabs these days.

Go Blue!

Last Thursday we traveled down to Chavez Ravine to see the Dodgers in the NLDS. Playoff games are the best. The energy, the crowds, the rally towels. I love it all.



And in case you haven't heard, the game was AMAZING. It all came down to 2 outs in the 9th inning. And we pulled off the win. The crowd just erupted. We spent an hour getting out of the parking lot, just cheering and giving high fives to other Dodger fans. Blasting "I love LA" from our car. It was pretty much the best ever.





As I type this, the Dodgers are about to clinch the series. Its a goooood weekend in my house.