Chef Evey

Okay so I am no chef. In fact, it is possible I suck at cooking all together. Chris doesn't seem to complain so I suppose that is a good sign. He pretty much eats whatever I put in front of him. I am very excited that fall is here and with winter right around the corner we are well into crock pot season. I don't use it near enough during the summer months. But really why would I? Summer months are filled with BBQ chicken, steaks and grilled veggies. Or ribs mmmmmmm. I cannot take any credit for the BBQ meat because that is all Chris. He is the BBQ master and his ribs are delicious.

 The other day the weather was rainy and windy and cold. I decided to make some chicken noodle soup in the crock pot, a first for me. It was delicious. We had it with crescent rolls and I could have eaten the whole lot of it. Yes, I am tooting my own horn because yes, it was that good.

 I think next up in the crock pot will be chili. The last time I did it that way it was so yummy.

Okay, I am making myself really hungry. I will leave you with a few more pictures of deliciousness. First up is kielbasa with zucchini and garlic parmesan angel hair pasta. 

 Rotini with creamy vodka sauce and grilled chicken. Broccoli and garlic bread. Creamy vodka sauce is one of my new favorites.

 Mmmmm chicken stir fry with Japanese udon noodles. YUMMY!

Okay now I am really hungry and so I am off to make some banana bread. :)

Fall is in the air...

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. Call me crazy but I can only handle the hot weather for so long. Maybe it is because I was raised in the Alberta prairies where we have hot summers yes, but we have long cold winters. And call me crazy again if you must but I love the cold winters as well. Some of my favorite memories include cold crisp winters nights, drinking hot chocolate and watching snowflakes fall outside the window. But that is for another day, today we talk about fall. 

Just last week it was almost 100 degrees here. The weather though seems to have finally taken a turn to the cooler side and this could not make me happier. Even last night while walking the dog I could feel the chill in the air. The trees are starting to change and it won't be long before all the trees around us are drenched in spectacular color. Soon the leaves will begin to fall and we will get to hear them crunch beneath our shoes as we walk down the street. I can hardly wait.

One of the things I will always miss about living in Boston is the New England fall. It is unlike anything you will ever see at this time of year. I will always be thankful that I was able to experience all of that for the 6 years we lived there. Breathtaking doesn't even begin to describe it.

 

 

 

  

Perhaps one of my favorite things about fall is the return of the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. I had my first of the season a week or so ago and there are many, MANY more in my future. Thank goodness Chris spends the majority of his days working in Starbucks stores and can bring me one home at no cost.

My other two favorite things about this time of year is the start of the NFL season. GO SEAHAWKS! 2-0 baby! And in just  two short weeks hockey is back. YAY! I could not be more excited. What's your favorite thing about fall? Or not favorite thing.

Doctor Doctor...

It is beyond crazy to me that we are already 16 days into September. It feels like we didn't even have a summer. That may be in part due to the fact our summer was kinda shot to pieces when Chris had surgery to remove hardware from his elbow in June which turned into months of doctors visits, medication and hospital stays. It was a tough summer for us. Let me back up.

Chris has broken both of his elbows. One he broke in 2001 playing roller hockey with his brother, the other playing softball in 2003. Both required surgery and hardware. In 2003 he had surgery to remove the hardware from the first elbow. The hardware in his second elbow was not removed till recently. People have all sorts of pins and screws in their bodies for various reasons. It is generally harmless and in some cases necessary. Chris was told unless it bothered him he could just leave it in. So he did. It didn't bother him and up until about a year ago we had no reason to think he should have it removed.

He started developing this bump near his elbow. It didn't hurt and wasn't red or anything so we weren't overly concerned. It did however creep me out (it was so obvious I named it Carl) and I nagged him to have to have it check out. Finally he got tired of my nagging and he went to see his doctor. A diagnosis of a ganglion cyst was made. Totally harmless. A few weeks later Chris developed a red bump on it that looked like an ingrown hair. Again he went back to the doctor. His doctor then decided to lance the top part. When he did this he must have poked the whole thing because for the next month that darn thing continued to leak stuff from it. Gross yes, but that's what was happening. He had to keep it bandaged at all times and it was not healing. Back to the doctor he went and the decision was made to send him to the orthopedic surgeon and have them decide what they wanted to do with the cyst because of the hardware that was also in his arm. The decision was made that because they had to go in and clean the cyst out anyways they would remove the hardware as well because they didn't know if the cyst was a result of the hardware or not. Easy enough right? One surgery to take care of both things. A couple weeks recovery for his elbow to feel 100% and all is good. Ha! If only.

Surgery went fine. One of the screws was actually so grown into his bone it broke off. The surgeon broke 5 instruments trying to get it out. Ha! During surgery they took a shaving of his bone to test it to make sure it wasn't the source of the cyst/infection in his elbow. Sure enough a few days later Infectious Disease called to let him know that the sample of bone did in fact come back positive for infection. Sigh! Off to the Infectious disease doctor we went. Treatment for a bone infection - 6 weeks potent IV antibiotics via PICC line so he can do it at home, followed by 4 months of oral antibiotics.

The PICC line scared and creeped me out from the beginning. They insert it through your upper arm and the small tubing is moved through a vein and comes to a rest just above the heart. This is the best location for a big vein to shoot the medication straight into your system. However PICC lines need to be kept VERY sterile and dry. Any bacteria would go straight into your vein and then you could be in trouble with a blood infection or worse, an infection of the heart. I was the one to administer the meds so I was constantly nervous I would do something wrong and make him sick. 

He started his IV meds on June 26th. It was easy enough. One dose in the evening that took about 5 minutes to push through via syringe. All was going good till the the morning of Sunday July 7th. The night before Chris had been complaining about feeling really tired and a little on the hot side. One of the main things they warned him about in regards to his PICC line is a fever. He took his temp and it was 99.2. Which really isn't an issue except with Chris he runs cold, usually right around 98.0. Anyways he decided to go to bed and see how he felt in the morning. Sure enough he woke me about 7 am with a 100.5 fever. He had already called his doctors and they advised him to go to the ER at OHSU. So off we went. The ER doc immediately started running all sorts of tests. Chest x-ray, urine sample, blood work and cultures. As the clock started to tick toward the afternoon his temperature was going down and all his tests were coming back normal. However his heart rate was elevated because of the fever and the doctor was not comfortable sending him home. It was determined the PICC line was not infected and they would keep him overnight to monitor his temp and his heart rate.  By early evening he was feeling much better. Vitals were normal and his temp was right back to where it should be. I left the hospital at 9pm not long after they gave him his dose of his medication. By 11 pm he called me to tell me his fever had spiked again and was 102.5. By morning it was gone. They once again became concerned the PICC line could be an issue so they decided to pull it out. 

All day Monday he felt fine, no fever etc. He did not have his regular dose of the medication he was on that day because the PICC line was out. They had just given a broader spectrum antibiotic while waiting for the blood cultures to come back. By Tuesday morning he still had no fever and the decision was made that they would put the PICC line back in and he would be discharged later that day. In went the PICC line and in went his dose of meds. Sure enough within minutes of the dose stopping he started feeling really crappy and his blood pressure was spiking etc. Needless to say he was not discharged that day and by 8pm his temp was back up to 103. By Wednesday the doctors had all but decided the meds were what he was reacting too and decided to stop switch his meds and keep him one more night to monitor him. Sure enough without that specific drug all day Wednesday and Thursday he had no fever. He was discharged and we were sent home Thursday afternoon.

Thursday evening we had a nurse visit and bring us his new meds.This one was a little more annoying and took 2 hours to administer. It came with a little pump that pushed it for you.

After a few days they had to up his dose because his body was flushing it too quickly. Sure enough after that he started feeling under the weather again and his temp was slightly elevated. The decision was made not to put him through anymore crap and the PICC line was removed and they switched him to just oral antibiotics. So all has been going great since the switch to oral. His elbow looks to be healing really nicely. He has about 6 weeks left of antibiotics to go. Finally in the home stretch.

While his hospital stay sucked and was scary we were blessed with a beautiful view and sunny weather out on the balconies. Silver lining.

MRI Machines Are NOT My Friend

Most people who know me are aware of the fact I am very scared of heights as well as being a little claustrophobic. OK maybe a lot claustrophobic. Being in small contained spaces is not my idea of fun. This makes flying one of my least favorite pastimes given the fact I'm very high up and contained in a metal tube. Elevators are also not on my list of favorite things. Those fears aren't completely irrational, I mean planes DO crash and elevators DO get stuck from time to time. At least there is some logic to those fears. What isn't logical is my fear of MRI machines.

MRI machines are located on the ground. They aren't moving and there are technicians at the ready if I need anything. This morning was the 4th MRI I have had, 3 of which have come in the last 10 months. Chris is allowed to come in the room with me and hold my hand if I so desire. You would think I would be a pro by now. You would think I didn't need to take a Valium to calm my nerves. You would think I could make it through the 30 or so minutes without Chris needing to stand right there to reassure me. You would think that by now I would not be convinced that darn machine was just going to swallow me up. Well you would be wrong.

I wonder things like "what if the power goes out" "what if there's an earthquake" "what if I can't breathe." The list goes on. Fortunately this is where the Valium comes in handy. It helps me not really give a crap about those things.

Today's MRI was no different than the others. I didn't get swallowed up by the machine. The power didn't go out, there wasn't an earthquake. PHEW! I did however get REALLY hot. They always cover you in blankets cause they keep the rooms pretty cold. There is also a fan inside the machine but with the blankets it limits airflow. Today there was ZERO airflow and I got hotter and hotter. This did almost put me into panic mode. Luckily I was able to have the technician pull me out for a quick second to remove the blankets. Relief. Cooled right down and enjoyed the fan blowing on me the rest of the time.

Hopefully nothing has changed since my last MRI and I'm good to go for another year.

Canucks, Breweries and Sequined Jersey Dresses

So I just wrote a post about our afternoon and evening with some good friends from Canada and I lost it when the app closed on me. So now you just get a shortened summary.

Enjoyed a great dinner and visit in Laconner, WA at the Laconner Brewing Company. After dinner we hit up the outlets so Chris could get new shoes from Adidas. He got two pairs. But more importantly Carly found the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. I really should have bought it. So SO PRETTY. Don't ya think?

Good times, good friends.

The end!!

Happy Birthday

Today was Chris's birthday. I am so very happy and blessed to have such a great man to spend my life with. Here's to 35 more years. I love you.

The Princess And Her Doctor

Every year Chris and I say "next year for halloween we are going to go to a fun party and have great costumes." Every year we accomplish neither.

What usually ends up happening is throwing together something at the last minute so we can at least be in costume for when the kids come begging for candy. Last year Chris dressed up as Eric Wedge the manager of the Seattle Mariners. I was Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba. This year Chris was a doctor. Dr. S. Presseaux. He fixes espresso machines for Starbucks. Get it? I was Princess Peach from Mario. Yes you read that right. I was a princess.

We actually had way more kids than I thought we would this year. About 63 to be exact. The little ones are always my favorite. I think the best of the night was a little girl about 5 with her brother about 7 and as Chris opens the door she says "Rick or Reet." Her brother immediately looks at her and starts laughing, then she starts laughing. It was so cute and so funny.

After all the "rick or reeters" were done, Princess Peach and her handsome doctor went out for a late dinner to Applebees and yes we wore our costumes. Haha.

Oh and I guess I'm taking part in this years NaBloPoMo which requires me to post every day for the month of November. I'm up to the challenge so stay tuned for 30 days of endless entertainment.

Who Wants to Feed a Giraffe?

A few weeks ago Chris and I went to Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. The highlight of the weekend for me was getting to feed this giraffe named Hidari. I had been looking forward to it for weeks. After a slight bump in the road and having to return the following day we finally got to feed him. It. Was. Awesome. One of the coolest experiences of my life.

Bucket List

I have never been one to make such lists. I generally like to just take life as it comes at me. A fly by the seat of your pants sorta girl if you will. I have never been the most adventurous person, I have no desire to bungee jump, jump out of a plane, climb the side of a mountain etc. As I got to thinking about it more I have realized that having a bucket list doesn't mean I have to be adventurous to the point of hanging off the side of a bridge by a rope or putting my life in the hands of a parachute that knowing my luck wouldn't deploy.

Karl Pilkington of all people has got me to thinking about all of this. Who is Karl Pilkington you ask? Well, he is only one of my most favorite people. No, I have never met Karl but I don't really think I need to. Every week we get to tune in to Science Channel and watch him embark on adventures that perhaps weren't of his choosing, but adventures none the less. Some of which us regular folk could only dream of. Karl is the star of the series An Idiot Abroad. It started last season when we saw Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant sit back and watch with us as Karl traveled to see The New Seven Wonders of the World. As much as Karl has NO desire to travel and leave the comforts of his home in England he is a good sport of all the ridiculous things he is made to do along the way. I would guess that after all is said and done, he is thankful for some of the experiences and people he has met. This season is called An Idiot Abroad 2: The Bucket List in which Karl embarks on the ultimate trip of things to do before you die. This is by no means Karl's bucket list. I am pretty sure his would consist of tea and scones at his own house. If you have never heard of or seen this show I highly suggest you check it out. It is good stuff.

So as I said, this all got me to thinking what would be on my bucket list. Here is just some of what I have come up with so far.

1. Travel to Scotland (where I was born), Italy, Germany and Africa
2. Learn Italian. I don't know why but it has always been something I have wanted to do.
3. Run a marathon
4. Write a book
5. Learn to play the guitar

What's on your bucket list?

Diners and Drives

One of my favorite things to do is to just get in the car and go for a drive with no destination. Chris, on the other hand likes a plan. He likes to know where he is going and how long it is going to take to get there. Fortunately he is willing to bend his rules once in a while.

Yesterday afternoon we were just sitting around and I suggested we go for a drive and get something to eat a little diner we had just seen on the latest episode of Little People Big World. Chris agreed and we headed out with the dog and headed out to the country. It is just so darn pretty here, I really love it. I could drive around for hours and hours and never tire of the scenery.

After about an hour of driving and chatting we ended up at our lunch/dinner destination the Cruise In Country Diner. Just a little hole in the wall place that was so good. I actually tried buffalo for the first time and it was really good. I had the buffalo burger and Chris enjoyed a chili burger. We will definitely be going back.

I didn't take any pictures on our drive, which is odd for me. But we did snap the picture above of these guys getting their coffees at the diner to go.

After eating we headed to a regular spot for walking Belle and then ended our adventure with some ice cream treats. I love afternoons like that.

What is everyone else up to this weekend?.

The Importance of Setting Goals, Achieving Them and Rewarding Yourself.

My struggle with my weight is no secret. I am not sure what happened. I was not overweight as a child and I was athletic as a teenager. In fact, I was skinny almost all my life. Sure I can track my weight gain to significant events in my life like the passing of my mum in 1996 to cancer. I have yet to meet an overweight person who is that way for the fun of it. There is always an underlying issue. While I can say that that one event in my life had a huge part in how I got here, I have yet to figure out why I am still here. Fear of failure? Not enough belief in myself? I am sure there are many reasons, but at some point you just need to say to hell with it. Stop making excuses, stand up and make a change. Sounds simple enough. Maybe it is.

I have had so many ah ha moments but none of them ever seem to stick. I lost over 50 pounds a few years back but the minute I stopped focusing on the task at hand I had gained half of that weight back and fell right back in to my old habits. Why was I successful in the first place that time around? I made goals, I kept track of everything. I had a plan and it was working. The minute I stopped keeping all of it right in front of me my success was halted. Then I got discouraged and ended right back at the starting line.

I am a big fan of the show The Biggest Loser. It has changed and saved so many lives over the years. Every season I watch and vow that it will also be my time to get myself on track. I look at some of these people who are broken and willing to stand on a scale for the world to see. In a very public way they are willing to shed the layers of whatever it is that got them to that place. Sure having the best fitness trainers in the world training you helps. Having a kitchen stocked with all the healthy food you need to succeed helps. And for sure the constant eye of America on you and the chance at 250,000 dollars is enough to push anyone to success. But at the end of the day they are no different than me. They just happened to have that platform to give them that extra push. Would that be nice? Of course. But the reality is that The Biggest Loser isn't the path for all of us. But it certainly doesn't mean we can't take the things we learn from watching and apply it to our own lives. And it most definitely doesn't mean I should sit on my lazy butt and watch it while stuffing something unhealthy in my mouth.

I struggle with motivation. Which when I really think about it makes no sense to me. My health for starters should be motivation enough. I have had 2 cancer scares in the last few years, one of which is very recent. Chris and I would like to start a family sometime in the next few years. And honestly I am just really tired of feeling tired and not having energy. I am tired of this that and the other thing hurting. I am really tired of not being able to buy and wear some of the clothes I want to wear. Yes, Lane Bryant has some nice clothes and yes I shop there. But the reality is I don't want to have to shop there.


Stand up and finish what you started! - Bob Harper 


I have started this journey SO many times the last 10 years and not one of those times have I finished. I have to believe that this will be the time I get it together and I finish. I have revamped my list of goals and rewards which I will post on here in the next couple of days. I know this isn't going to happen overnight, it is a work in progress. I fully give any of you permission to push me in any way you think I need it.

This HAS to be my AH HA moment. I am ready for this and I want this. 


Believe in yourself, trust the process, change forever! - Bob Harper

A Post Fit For a Queen

I am fully aware that I have been absent around here as of late. In my defense I have been sick. So sick in fact that I barely finished my Christmas shopping and for the first time in many years did not send out our annual photo Christmas card. I am pretty devastated about the latter but it just wasn't going to happen. Chris got slammed with the flu first and then like the wonderful sharing person he is he passed it on to me. And in true form I got way sicker than he did.

I really hate being sick around the holidays, it takes all the fun out of it for me. I love to drive around and look at Christmas lights--didn't happen. I love to shop--didn't happen. So thankful for an amazing husband who picked up the slack for me. Christmas Eve and Christmas day was fun times with family but I just didn't feel like myself and was so disappointed when I was barely able to eat any of the delicious turkey dinner Chris and I cooked on Christmas day. Just when I was starting to feel better I decided to go to the doctor today for a chest x-ray for some bad pain in my left ribs. I wanted to make sure I hadn't cracked a rib from my violent coughing fits last weekend. Sure enough my ribs were fine but good thing I went in, because the chest x-ray--while showing my ribs were fine--showed I have pneumonia. Hooray! Just in time for New Years. Suffice it to say our plans for tomorrow night are now to stay in and not go have fun with our friends Tammy and Jeremy and others. So yes boo hoo for me. This sucks.

But as the title of this post would suggest, this isn't about me. It is about the Queen, Today is my dear friend Carly's birthday and for her and her alone I sit here posting on my very neglected blog. I probably should be in bed but my love for Carly prevails. You never know where you might meet friends who became an important and special part of your life. A wedding in Seattle brought Carly and I together and I am so very thankful. Happy birthday to the greatest Canadian in all the land. I hope your day was special!

Daft Awesome

I've got a song stuck in my head. I hate that, because whatever you do, it won't leave.  In fact, as I am typing this, I have YouTube open in another window and its playing said song as we speak. In fact, the whole "movie" is playing.

If you ever have time and you're into techno/anime, go watch/listen to Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. Its basically an entire anime movie set to Daft Punk songs. It's pretty cool. The specific song I have in my head is "Digital Love." Love that riff.

I tend to sometimes get sucked into a YouTube vortex. I will click on on video, and so on and so forth, aaaand there goes 2 and a half hours. Like right now--I'm watching an episode of Star Blazers. Awesome. Good thing the wife's still sick. Nyquil for her, useless internet videos/music for me!

Chicken Soup and Thermometers

You must forgive me for neglecting this space the last few days. I thought I lucked out and the nasty cold/flu bug that got Chris a couple weeks ago had left our house without bothering me. Well, I was wrong. It decided it couldn't leave without paying my body a visit. So, my weekend was spent in bed or on the couch. In the last 3 days all I have eaten is any combination of chicken soup, crackers, applesauce and oatmeal. Easy weight loss plan I suppose. Ha! Between the two of us these last few weeks I think we have kept Vick's (NyQuil, DayQuil, VapoRub), Tylenol, Mucinex, Chloraseptic--spray and lozenges--and of course Halls in business. For reals.

Being sick has got me seriously behind in my Christmas shopping etc. I do have some shopping done, but usually I am well on my way to being done by now and have things that need to be shipped well on their way. Hopefully in the next day or two I will have a package sent off to Edmonton for the family up there. We haven't even got to our Christmas cards yet. Sigh! So, if your Christmas card is late now you know why. 

On a totally unrelated note it was raining skittles in Seattle tonight, literally. Beast Mode baby!!!

An Oldie But a Goodie

A post I wrote a few years back when I participated in a Blog Off for Breast Cancer with some blog friends. I know it is such a cop out to make this my post for today. Truth is, I don't feel well, it's been a long week and I am going to bed. So read and enjoy :)

I love to go camping. I love the whole idea of escaping the city and getting away from it all. No TVs, no computers and no telephones. Just peace and quiet for as long as you choose to stay. I only have two rules when I go camping and they are as follows:1. NO BEARS, none whatsoever. None of this telling me they don't ever come around or only one is sighted a year. It doesn't matter, it's a rule and it stays that way. Chris broke this rule one time and I nearly killed him. There is only ONE exception to this rule and that is if it is The Berenstain Bears, because let's face it, they are cool.2. There HAS to be a working toilet within walking distance of the campsite.After that I am up for anything. I love the outdoors and I love the simplicity camping can bring into your life. Call me crazy, because I like a running toilet but at least I am not one of those girls who has to cart all her makeup and hair products with her when she goes camping. One of the reasons I look forward to camping is so I can leave all that stuff behind and not worry about it for a few days.

The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another. It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness. ~Henry David Thoreau

One of my favorite things about camping is the fire. I love to sit around the fire. I could sit there for hours and stare at the glowing orange of the fire and listening to the crackling of the wood. I love the peacefulness of it. The fire serves so many purposes. Obviously there is the whole keeping you warm thing, but aside from that how else would we survive an entire weekend on hot dogs and marshmallows if we didn't have a fire to cook them on? What about s'mores? They just wouldn't be possible without the fire. I remember camping in 1997 with some friends from high school and sending the boys to make us s'mores at all hours of the night and bring them to our tents. I also remember us all thinking it would be fun to go for a swim in the lake at like midnight--even though it wasn't even June yet. If you could only know how cold that water was. Me and the rest of the girls spent the rest of the night in front of the fire drying our hair. Perhaps the midnight swim wasn't the brightest of ideas, but thank God for the campfire to dry us off that night.

A lot of people who are hardcore campers make fun of me and tell me I am not a real "camper" because I refuse to camp in the mountains or in the middle of nowhere. I like to go to a campground where there are other people around, and where my only social interaction during the trip is not some bear or wild cat who attacks me as I pee behind a tree. That just does not sound like a good time to me--seriously--it doesn't. I have been afraid to camp in the mountains for as long as I can remember. There was no experience that I went through that made me scared. It is just a general thing. Big ass wild animals live out there, so why would I want to go? And yes I know, before you waste your time I will say it for you. Bear attacks are rare and as long as you keep your food away, etc you will be fine. I know this, but it still doesn't change my mind any. I get that it is rare for a bear to walk up to your tent, rip a hole in it and drag you off in the middle of the night. But attacks do happen, and my luck I will be that one person it happens to. Therefore, I figure if I leave them alone and stay away from their place of residence then I will be fine.My favorite camping trip that I have ever been on is when Chris and I went camping on the Oregon Coast for a week. We stayed at Beverly Beach State Park which is almost right on the ocean. The Oregon Coast is among my favorite places and if you have ever been there or seen it in pictures you know why. Our campground was fairly big, yet quiet. We were happy to have found a site surrounded by trees and it was almost as if it was our own little place. In the evenings when it got dark, we would go for a walk along the beach and enjoy the views of the stars and listen to the crashing of the waves that we couldn't quite see anymore. All along the beach you could see bonfires and hear people talking and laughing. At our own campsite Chris would make us a fire and we would sit around for hours talking, drinking cheap beer and roasting marshmallows.

The first night we were there it was pretty late when we arrived and already very dark. We carefully unloaded the car, and used the headlights to light the way as we set up the tent. After everything from the car was unloaded we decided we would lite a fire and jut relax for a few hours before we climbed into out tent for the night. Chris was in the tent changing when he called out to me to ask me to grab the lantern from the car. Now this lantern was not one of those new-fangled battery powered plastic ones, this thing was the real deal. Old school with fragile glass and even more fragile mantels. The kind that basically turn to ash at the slightest touch. There I was, lantern in hand walking back towards the picnic table. Well, I didn't make it that far. As I was walking back I completely forgot about the cement block in front of our parking spot, and I tripped over it and went flying through the air. I landed almost face first on the cement, scraping up my arms, my elbow and my hands. The lantern did an acrobatic show of its own, flying through the air and hitting the ground and bouncing back up off of it with the loudest bangs and clangs you could imagine. It was almost midnight--you could have heard a pin drop and there I was making all the racket I possibly could. Once Chris realized that for the most part I was okay he could not stop laughing, and after a while I saw the humor in it as well and could not stop laughing myself. Miraculously I was more damaged than the lantern was, not a scratch on it. Tell me, how does that happen? How do I fling a glass lantern through the air, have it come crashing down on the cement and somehow it doesn't break? Whatever the reason it certainly gave us a good laugh that night. Although I was feeling a little sore and stuff from my fall when I woke up the next morning.

Lets talk about raccoons for a minute. Now, people would have you believe that raccoons are cute and therefore they are harmless. Let me tell you people, this is just not true. Have you ever encountered a raccoon? They are frightening little creatures and the thought of their claws scratching at my face gives me the shakes. Like at any campground--you will always have raccoons. We were very careful to keep all food and garbage away in the hopes they would stay away from our campsite. One morning we woke up after it had been pouring down rain all night to find muddy raccoon paw prints all over our picnic table cover and our camp kitchen. Little buggers had made quite the mess in search for a midnight snack. The next night they got pretty brave when we were sitting by the fire and they made their way towards the picnic table. Chris ended up scaring them off, but for a while they just stood there staring us down and hoping we would drop something they could snatch up.



Chris and I have not been camping for a long time. We are both hoping this summer will offer some opportunities to camp in some of the beautiful places out here in New England. We have yet to take Belle camping. That should prove to be very interesting as she doesn't like things with four legs so much and I am not sure she realizes that she would have no chance against a raccoon.

If you hate camping because you have been and it just isn't for you then I respect that. But for those of you who have never been and say you don't like it you need to try it at least once. I have a feeling that you might just like it.

What I like about camping is you can get really dirty. Either you're all by yourself, so no one else sees you, or everyone you're with is just as dirty as you are, so nobody cares. ~Anonymous

I know some of you are probably wondering how Treevey our Christmas tree is doing, so I thought I would give you an update.

Treevey is doing great. She is drinking lots of water and smells fresh and clean. She brightens up our living room and our lives.

She is fulfilling her destiny as a Christmas tree in the best way she can.

Thanks Treevey!

Mucus...Not As Cool As You Think

I'm sick. I hate being sick. I hate being sick because I can never imagine myself ever being well again. Luckily I rarely get sick, which ticks my wife off because when she gets sick, it always seems to be for a week and its pretty bad, whereas I get it for a day. Or maybe half-a-day. This time, however, the quick turn around was not to be.

So last Sunday whilst driving home from Seattle, I started feeling crappy.  No nausea, just fever.  Sure enough, we stopped in Woodland for dinner, and I got out of the car and immediately started shivering. So we got home and I took my temperature, and it was 101.9! That's rare for me...or maybe well-done! Ha!

Anyways, I decided to go to the ER just in case. I checked in, they ran all the tests: blood, urinalysis, chest x-ray, etc. Nada. My diagnosis? "Fever of Unknown Origin."  Greeeat. So I went home and basically stayed in bed the next two days. It must have been viral, as Evey didn't get it.  The fever went down, but this schizo virus can't make up its mind and decided it wanted to hang out in my lungs. Y'know, cause having asthma since I was a baby isn't enough--now I get to cough up all sorts of amazing colored mucus and wheeze like a 90-year old man who smoked for 70 years who is now on an oxygen tank! Hooray!

I have been hitting the Nyquil every night, and medicating with Mucinex as well. I think its winding down. I even had to reschedule a root canal, as me sitting in the chair coughing up a lung probably wouldn't be the best idea as there are multiple sharp objects in my mouth.

So in review: Being sick is dumb.

Letters to Santa

Every year Chris and I make Christmas lists. Mostly they are for each other, but we also send them out to those in our families who like to have an idea of anything we might be needing or wanting in particular. I always feel like a little kid sitting in her room creating a letter to Santa, writing down all the things I wish for.

I really am a pretty easy person to shop for. It really doesn't take much to put a big smile on my face and have me giddy as a Christmas ham. In fact, a new pair of socks with a fun design on them has been known to make my day. I don't expect much and I always grateful for whatever I am given. 

What I love more than getting presents is giving them. I LOVE Christmas shopping. I really really love it. I love giving someone something I know they wanted or even something I totally just bought on a whim but knowing they love it. It makes me so happy. 

What is on my wish list this year you ask? An Oilers jersey, a Kinect, socks, slippers, light for my kindle etc. 

So, what is on your wish list?