Is Winter Really Here?

Ross and I woke up this morning to snow. On Saturday morning, there was a little dusting of the white stuff that melted by late morning. Today however, there was enough to cover everything and get me outside shoveling while Ross was in the shower. Snow is a beautiful thing, and even though I'm not a little kid anymore, I really love the first snow of the season. All that is ugly is made attractive again, at least until the mud and slush and neighborhood dogs get at it.

I guess the first snow fall means that winter is really on it's way. I can't say that I am excited, but, at least the snow is pretty.

Don't let the pictuer fool you, we didn't get this much snow. It's an old photo that I thought could emphasize the snow theme of this post.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving this year was swell. It was our year to be at Grandma Huber's house and, everyone was well.

The turkey was excellent and the potatoes were divine. I however was a particular fan of the rice krispie treats, well done Aunty Chrissy.

The day was full of food, laughter and fun. Video games in the basement tv room, football in the upstairs tv room, dialogue in the kitchen, and laughter in the living room sort of summed up the day. Haley and Isabel treated us to some piano tunes and we were all able to embarass Maddie all day with discussions of IBS. :) If you want to see some Thanksgiving pictures,click HERE .

Ross and I ended the evening with a trip to the movie theater to see Walk the Line the Johnny Cash movie. The film was good, but we were suprised at the amount of theater food being consumed on a food holiday. We were also mildly consumed with the man sitting behind Ross who obviously had a good Thanksgiving meal, judging by the music he was making along with Joaquin Phoenix.

Adventures in Babysitting

Last night, Ross and I did our first joint babysitting gig. The first for me in probablly a dozen years or so and I'm not sure that Ross has ever baby sat in his life. Regardless, we got to babysit Gentry last night and boy oh boy did we have fun. Gentry just turned a year old last week and he kept the two of us busy and entertained from the time his mom and dad left until the moment he crashed out.

Gentry has a hilarious, yet menacing laugh that kept us in stitches and some great facial expressions. He even tuckered out Ross a bit after the two of them crawled up and down the stairs several times. We were very happy to have been given the opportunity to hang with Gentry. It was a lot of fun. He didn't even cry! How about that? All I can say is that babies love me.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear......Oh wait, let me check the date. Yes, it is November 21, 2005. I didn't think it was Christmas...yet!

Thanksgiving isn't even upon us but the Christmas lights are going up in full force in my neighborhood. Now, I don't mean to be a scrooge...oh wait, yes I do! but doesn't it seem like the Christmas spirit starts to infect us every year earlier and earlier than it did the last?

I woke up this morning to lights a blazin' and realized that the holiday season is here and, to quote the Pointer Sisters, I'm so excited, I'm so excited, Oh yeah! I'm about to loose control and I think I like it, I like it!

On the other hand, maybe I'll just quote Scrooge McDuck and say, "Bah Humbug".

I'll let you decide on the Christmas before Thanksgiving debate.

Do you already have your Christmas lights up?

 

Even when the Utes suck they still beat the Cougars!

I just finished watching the Utah/BYU game and it was wonderful. The Runnin' Utes pulled out an overtime victory in one of the more exciting football games I have ever watched and lucky for me, I got to watch it alone, from the comfort of my own home. You see, Ross was at the game, cheering for the BY and I was at home, pretending not to care. (This is how we must participate in all rivarly sports, separatley with our own kind.) But, I discovered, I did care. I cared when Utah was winning in the first quarter and I had to call my dad, the first half, and especially when the game became tied with only minutes to play. At that time, I became once again, a Utah football fan. Can I just tell you that I love it when Utah beats BYU? I do. In the waining minutes of the game I was standing up, pacing the living room floor and doing what I always do when Utah is about to beat BYU, I called my family. They too, at home in the WVC were just as excited, waiting with baited breath as I was in the SJ; pacing and dancing about. Mom's heart was racing and Haley couldn't breathe. Willie didn't stop jumping up and down, even to talk to me on the phone. I can't beleive the Utes, plagued by injuries and starting a green quaterback, pulled it off. It was truly a magical afternoon turned long evening in the happy valley. The only problem now is, I can't get Ross to answer his phone (I've called him 5 times). I hope he isn't curled up underneath his seat crying. Maybe he should have made me go with him today. Every game I go to, the Cougars win. Sorry Ross, better luck next year! Oh wait, the last 8 out of 9 haven't been so good for you guys, have they?

Just in case you don't beleive I watched the game, here are some photos to prove it. The photo on the left is intended to display my nervous state. The Center photo displays my joy in victory. The third, on the right, is me in front of the tv to prove that yes, I did watch an entire football game on the television and was happy to do it.

Good Job Utes! You all made my day of laundry, painting my fingernails, hanging out in my lounge wear and overall solitary worth every minute.

Sorry Ross. I'm done now!

I love you! ;)

It's Friday, yeah, yeah, do you want to go to Hawaii?

It's Friday and I am tired. Yes, I understand that you are thinking, "so, what else is new," but I am. The week was uneventful and I don't really have much to say, but here are a few tidbits for the week.
1. The spider is no longer in the bathroom. I am not sure if someone killed it, or it jumped onto my head, got itself into my work bag and is waiting for the right time to get me, but if this blog isn't updated for a while, you'll know.

2. I have spend the last couple days in Jared and Tim's dreamweaver class learning how to build a website. It is pretty fun stuff.

3. We are going to dinner tonight with the fam. Yeah! this means a trip to Crown Burger, Hires, or the Training Table....maybe all three!

4. Tomorrow is the Utah/BYU game and I don't care! Yes, I said it, I don't care. All it means is that Ross will be gone all day and Haley and I can go and see a movie we wouldn't otherwise see.

Have a great weekend everyone who reads my blog. Oh, wait, no one reads my blog.

I knew my spidey sense was leading me in the right direction.

A while back I blogged about a giant spider web attached to a photo in the stairwell of my place of employement, here . I beleive I mentioned that I never wanted to tango with that spider. Well, I think I found that spider today. Literally, just moments ago I walked into the womens restroom to, well, you know, and picked a different stall then I would normally use. Now, my spider radar is always turned on, just like Radar on MASH always knew helicopters were coming, I can sense the presence of an arachnid. Thus, I stepped into the stall and in the bottom corner behind la toilette, was a giant spider. Definately the size of a quarter, maybe larger, and it was just lying there in wait. As I am sure you could guess, I used a different stall to finish my business in the ladies room and exited as quietly and as quickly as possible.

I knew that spider was big and waiting for me. Too bad I didn't have a camera, or the desire to take a camera into a women's restroom to prove it.

What else do you do on a Sunday night?

Last night was the end of our weekend with Ross' parents and we must have had so much fun and excitement, that all we had left in us was to sit and watch tv. We ate a great dinner of homemade chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice, and homemade salsa and settled in for a November evening of footbal and cooking shows. With a little creative furniture arrangement, everyone was accomodated in the tv watching.

Personally, I didn't watch too much of the "boob tube" because I was busy in the kitchen making cookies, burning my fingers, and cleaning up my cookie mess. This however, was okay, because I was not too interested in the football game or the championship pie cook-off. We did have a very nice weekend and a busy one as well. By 9:00 on Sunday night, Ross and I were ready for bed and a good night sleep. Considering that we have both been sick for the last two weeks, and that Ross has been much phlemier than anyone I have ever seen in my entire life, we both took enough cold pills and tylenol pm to ensure that good nights sleep. Just look at Ross' picture...doesn't he look exhausted?

Holy Trappist Monks, Batman!

This weekend, Ross' parents were up from Arizona for a visit. Because of this, Ross and I could not maintain our normal weekend routine of doing nothing so we traded in nothing for something. The first of many somethings was an adventurous jaunt up to Huntsville, Utah and the Trappist Monk Monastery, established in 1947, to purchase some holiday wares. We arose to a hearty breakfast of bacon and waffles and were then on our way. When we first arrived at the Monastery, the little quonset hut shop was closed for an hour because of prayer services so were were stumped. luckily, Huntsville connects to Eden and a quait little rode around the rim of Pine View Resevoir. We took the drive around Pine View and through what was probablly "downtown" Huntsville until we new the monks would be back in business.

They were back in business with a vengance upon our return and I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures before entering the place of business to purchase our wares. The Monsatery is rather solitary, but it was a beautiful day, we saw the only sunshine of the entire weekend, and I was able to snap a few good shots.

Overall, the adventure was a success. Everyone was pleased in the end. Ross Mom and Dad got their long ride, Ross got some Christmas gifts, and I got a great nap in the car on the way home. What could be better than that?

That's Disgusting Peter!

Now, my cousin Peter is an interesting duck. He is very smart and funny, wants to perform autopsies for a living when he grows up, and can sometimes be a little disgusting, I found out. Recently, Peter and his parents went to Yellowstone. They had a great time in the national park. Saw lots of animals, nearly slid off the road because of the snow, and ate some great food in West Yellowstone. Peter also likes to take pictures. He purchased a very nice camera recently for a trip to France he took in June and is starting to become quite the photographer. This morning, he shared some photos of his yellowstone trip with me and I could not resist posting one of his pictures to the blog. Peter, from what I can tell is not afraid or grossed out by anything. He seems to apprecitate the dead for what they can do for science, and apparently, judging by the included picture, he can appreciate animal refuse for it's artist abilities.

Thanks for the picture, Peter. Have a great day!

Typical e-mail exchange between Haley and myself

..."duh, yourself, bird flu."

Bird Flu? what does that mean? SARS!

"measles"

Small Pox! ha, beat that one.

"bubonic plague"

tuberculosis aka consumption

"you cough blood and then you die!!! The rats eat you and your skin falls off."

leoprasy?

"you'd have to join a leporalcolony?"

What is a leoporalcolony? Is that some kind of procedure, like a colonoscopy?

"Duh. it's where the lepers go? it's just covered in leperasy. (I have no idea how to spell that word.)"

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad! Yesterday, Election Day, was my dad's 51st Birthday and he was even happy. Ross and I payed the parental a visit and ate a birthday dinner with the family of steak, fresh cut french fries (my personal favorite), and a delightful ceasar salad (good job mom). Dad then opened birthday gifts from his kids, and it was a pretty typical birthday for him. He got World War II books from Haley, Basketball tickets from me (to see Andrew Bogut), and a video game from Willie.

We had a fun dinner and enjoyed the company of Grandma, and Grandpa and three of the five Woods. Visits with the family are always enjoyable, especially when Ross starts talking about his desire to be on Jeopardy and sits on the couch reading the dictionary. What could be more fun than that?

Anyway, Happy Birthday Dad. We're all glad that you've made it to a whole 51 years old. We Wuv You!

 

Two sides to every story

I suppose that there are always two sides to every story. In the case of my arrival home, I saw a perfect example of that. As I was headed west, headed home, I noticed the great skyline. The clouds were low, the sun was disappearing, and the mountains have their first touch of snow. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. Then, I pulled into my neighborhood. Now, I realize that I live in a construction zone and chose to do so. I am also fully aware of the "cookie cutter"-ness of my neighborhood. I chose that too. Regardless of living in the "Truman Show" I am getting alittle bit tired of the construction. I understand that people want to live in their homes because I know how hard it was to wait for mine to be finished. However, arriving home and pulling into my alley way to find a HUGE cement truck in my driveway is a little frustrating. I only got into my garage through some tricky mauvering and then ran upstairs into my bedroom to take a picture of the machine that was in my way. In the end it is all okay, because the setting sun was pretty enough to compensate for my momentary homecoming issues. Lucky for me, the homes are nearly finished and hopefully, they only have to pour the concrete one time.

Actually, I'm quite proud of myself...

Several things of note happened today. One, I got a flu shot, the first in my life and did not develop a bruise after. The lack of a bruise is a much bigger deal that the shot. Normally, I would have a giant purple mark on my arm from someone just breathing on me funny. So nurse, thank-you for doing a good job. Two, I made yet another trip to Logan yesterday. This is significant because I have been to Logan or Brigham City 6 times in the last 5 weeks. The Cache county folks are becoming my new best friends. Though I have enjoyed my time up north, it is good to knw that I won't be driving up there for a while. Driving in the evening, in the dark makes me nervouse. Three, for anyone reading my blog, today, with a little help from Jared at work, I was able to not only design a new blog header, but figure out the code and plug it into the template for this blog. Now, I feel super cool because I can change it whenever I want to match my mood, the season, or anything else that suits my fancy. This is particularly great because I have no web design experience. I just figured it out on my own (with a little help).

Yeah!