busyness

It never ceases to amaze me how busy the holidays get, especially now that marriage has been thrown into the whole shebang. Although this is the second holiday season that Eric and I have gone through together, I think we're still figuring out how best to navigate the details of spending which holiday with whom. Being single was definitely easier in that regard!

Now Eric and I are trying to balance our holiday time between families in a way that is fair to us, my family, and his. As much as I want to please everyone, sometimes we do just need to put our feet down for our own sanity.

In the meantime, I'm wrapping up the first half of the "quarter" that I've been working with an ESL pupil and trying to get everything else done that I volunteered to get done in time of the holidays. I made a bunch of treats to bring in for my coworkers tomorrow, and then I'll need to get started on the Christmas presents that I'm making. Yeah, I like to live on the wild side, it's true, but it's also true that finishing homemade gifts on Christmas Day or later is a Shaw family tradition.

I'm very excited that Christmas is almost here--less than a week!--because it's always fun to be with family, and I'll be surrounded by a bajillion family members soon. Woo!

In a week and a half, Eric and I will then be joining my folks and my sister and brother-in-law on a trip down to San Diego to be with the rest of our family down there, especially to visit my grandma whose health has been poor. We're driving down in a minivan and then my sister and brother-in-law and Eric and I will be flying back about a week later.

This will be our first vacation since our honeymoon, so I'm very much looking forward to some time off!

Anywho...I've got some ESL lesson planning to do.

Happy holidays to all!

Be the Match

Something that both Eric and I did recently was join the bone marrow registry. We had both read online about a young artist who was diagnosed with cancer and struggling to find a match because he was ethnically from Southeast Asia. Even though neither of us would likely be a match, we both thought that it couldn't hurt to join since people are constantly looking for matches.

It was very easy. We filled out a registration form online and after a quick questionnaire, all we had to do was wait for our packets to show up with the cheek swabs. Then we swabbed our cheeks for skin cells, put them back in the packet, and sent them back in. Now, we just wait to be contacted if we match someone. Very simple.

I highly encourage you to join us!

those darn cats

This is the most exciting thing that has happened during Eric's absence. Rosie, for whatever reason, thought that hanging out in this basket was the perfect spot for her.

It's that time of the year again!

It's that time of the year when I tackle NaNoWriMo! For those you who don't know, NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month, which occurs annually in the month of November. Here's what happens: you decide to write a novel that is at least 50,000 words in 30 days. This is my third attempt (I "won" the last two times), and I am very excited. I think I have a very special story to tell, and I'm having a ball writing it so far. I let Eric read what I'd written in the past couple of days, and he found it very engaging, which just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. (Someone likes my story! :D )

Anywho, so while I am working on that sucker, Eric will be fending for himself for a month. Kidding. :) Actually, he is going hunting with the dudes this weekend, leaving tomorrow after work and coming back Tuesday evening. I hope he has fun. :)

Also in the works this month will be me hosting Thanksgiving dinner here at Judd Haven. Technically, my mom will still be doing a lot of the prep work, but we will be having Thanksgiving dinner here at our place since I volunteered to work Thanksgiving in trade for getting Christmas Day and Boxing Day off. (I think that's fair.) And this way, I can still enjoy Thanksgiving with my family. Plus, it will be fun to coordinate it with my mom and sister--like when we were all in Africa!

What else, what else...oh, I deleted a whole bunch of my various online accounts last night--social networking, etc. I was started to feel stretched thin by it all, it was getting to be very time consuming, it was causing unneeded drama for me, and it was keeping me from actual relationships with people. Online friendships are proxy friendships, and I feel incredibly lonely in spite of all my online interactions. Anyway, because that is all gone now--so freeing!--I hope to have more time to post regularly here.

Let's see...with more time, I hope to be able to really do things and tackle other projects around the apartment such as keeping this place clean, starting a garden come spring, and getting involved in church more. I also want to start making yoghurt and cheese at home, possibly trying my hand at homebrewing, and making my own clothes. BUT--one thing at a time. :)

Peace!

Date at the Pops

Today, Eric and I went on a date to Benaroya for a Sunday matinee performance of "Sci Fi at the Pops" with the Seattle Symphony, Victor Vanacore (conductor), and Jonathan Frakes (host). In case the name Jonathan Frakes doesn't ring a bell, you might recognize him as this:

Will Riker of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Star Trek: The Next Generation

I heard about this concert only a couple of weeks ago, and although I didn't know what all would be played during the concert, I felt like the basic premise of sci fi themes couldn't be bad, so I talked to Eric about it and voila! A date was born.

We went to the early service at church, then took the bus into Seattle to avoid traffic and paying way too much money for parking in the city. Then we got to Benaroya Hall about an hour and a half too early, so we chilled inside the lobby with some Starbucks and some treats and enjoyed the Dale Chihuly glass chandeliers.

While waiting for the doors to open, we enjoyed people watching, which turned up one particularly unique specimen, a woman (at least mid-thirties), wearing booty shorts over some fantastic tights with knee high, high heeled boots. Her get up--although I'm sure it was her style--was altogether distracting, and Eric and I had a very difficult time not staring. An elderly couple sat next to us and we didn't interact for awhile, but then just before they got up to leave, the woman leaned over and said something about "that whore over there"--um, what?!--and then said, "Enjoy the show!"

About this time, we drained the last dregs from our mochas and as the doors were open to the auditorium, we headed inside to our seats. Our seats put us right about here:



Oh hello, Mr. Bassoonist! I can just about pick your nose. (We got cheap tickets, but they were still fun seats!)

The overall vibe in the packed music hall was relaxed, but excited. Only Seattle can summon this many enthusiastic geeks, I tell you! :) The program was as follows: Star-Spangled Banner, Star Trek theme (introducing Jonathan Frakes), Adventures on Earth (E.T. Theme), Independence Day Suite, Thriller/Beat It/Thriller (with accompanying zombie dancers!!!), Ghostbusters, Superman Returns Suite, INTERMISSION, Mars ("The Bringer of War") from The Planets, Name that Sci-Fi Theme (included Jaws, Psycho, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Addams Family, The Exorcist, and an R&B rendition of 2001: A Space Odyssey), Battlestar Galactica, Suite from Avatar, and Throne Room and Finale from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. They also performed an encore of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Jonathan Frakes was a great host. He was light-hearted, he shared some genuine stories and emotions about each piece that he introduced, and he had a great attitude about the various pieces introduced. He shared a story about how he was with Christopher Reeve when he got the call from his agent that he was going to be Superman. (How cool!)

The conductor was super charismatic as well, entertained the crowd, and sang the words to the Ghostbusters' theme, cuing the audience to chime in "Ghostbusters!" at the appropriate times. Seriously, how awesome is that? :)

It was such a wonderful day, but we ended up spending a lot of time away from home, so we are both very much wiped out right now.

One Year Anniversary -- Portland!

The super sexy car we drove by on the way down to Portland, OR.

Road trip snacks! Swedish Fishes are so delicioush.

In the cafe in Powell's. (We <3 Powell's.)

The "Condensed" OED came with a handy magnifying glass so you could still read the super tiny print. We decided to have fun with it. :)

The mouth of Sauron!!!

Pizza Schmizza for dinner! (SO good!)

Voodoo Doughnuts and the astronomical waiting line--worth it!

I'm not from Portland, but I agree.

Still waiting for donuts!

We made it inside!

The display case inside VD.

Pepsi on ice cuz we classy like dat.

Omnomnomnom!

View from our hotel window -- Day

View from our hotel window -- Night

Because I wish I were a hippy, I've always wanted a VW bus just so that I could paint it like this!

See ya next time, Portland!

"Où est le boulevard Saint-Michel?"

Right now, Eric is teaching himself French by using the Pimsleur system. He's actually learning, which is fantastic, and I am very proud of him for not only trying but also succeeding. :) He downloaded a bunch of Pimsleur packages and started listening to the Basic French one a few days ago.

The first time he said something to me in French, it took me a few seconds to realize, "I understand what my husband is saying, but he's not speaking English," and then I was absolutely tickled pink. This is something that I didn't quite expect from marriage, being so proud and amazed by a spouse's accomplishment. It's really cool. :)

Oh and by the way: "Le boulevard Saint-Michel est ici."

Hey, an update!

This update is LONG overdue, so I'll just do a quick list-ish of what we've been up to lately. :)

*I started taking tap classes back in January. I've progressed to beginner-intermediate/intermediate since then, and I love it! It's very challenging, but mostly a lot of fun. I've bounced back and forth between two different teachers with two VERY different styles, and I gotta say...I am very hooked. :)

*Eric works for Google now as part of their facilities team. His bosses recognized his leadership potential and have given him a raise and more responsibility in his position. Woo!

*My job is, well, not really what I want to be doing anymore, although I love my department. My manager and my coworkers are a lot of fun to work with, and now that we are starting to hit our slow season again, I'm a lot more relaxed and fun to be around again.

*We acquired a new cat. Her name is Rosie (we wanted to continue the Hobbit themed names), and she was a feral kitten when we got her. She's quite grown up now--about six months--and she is competing with Pippin to be the world's most hellish feline.

*We celebrated our one year anniversary! :) We went back to Portland for a weekend and had a wonderful time. We even experienced Voodoo Doughnuts.

*We started a Bible study at our place. We meet once a week at Judd Haven with a group of friends--some have come and gone--and it is a lot of fun. When we started back in January, we picked Romans to go through. We wrapped that one up a couple of weeks ago and are now in the book of John.

*Eric and I left our church home up in Lynnwood/Mill Creek once that church moved to a new facility in South Everett. It was way too far to drive from where we live in Redmond, and we don't just want to make a once a week trek to church for Sunday morning. We wanted to be involved in community without needing to drive 45 minutes each way, so we started looking for a new place to call home. We finally found a local church in Bellevue and have been attending regularly since June.

*Eric's cousin is currently staying with us while he goes through an internship and "retrain" at the same church that we are going to. He moved in with us at the beginning of August and will probably be with us until the beginning of November. It's been a lot of fun having another person here in the apartment, and it helps that he's chill. :)

*I've started getting baby fever--which I never thought would happen to me--and Eric keeps coaxing me back. He wants kids as much--probably more--than I do, but he's being a little more practical about it. We actually talked about a goal/timeline for our future earlier this week and think kids will fall in the 3-5 year anniversary range. (We are hoping to be overseas in 8-10 years.)

*And lastly, I challenged Eric to a "biggest loser" type competition that I think I am currently winning by default. It's really hard to stay motivated when the days are getting shorter and my body is telling me to put on a layer of winter blubber in preparation for winter hibernation, but...I will press on!

Anyhow, I think that just about covers it. Hopefully, we'll do better about posting things here from now on!

Toodles!

a good day

Today, Eric and I have spent our time playing games. He's been plugging away at Modern Warfare online on the xbox, and I've been playing D&D online on my laptop. We've been taking turns making coffee and tea and taking random snack breaks, but mostly...we're just slaying imaginary foes, and it's been awesome.

Pippin has moved from various napping spots throughout the day as well, including the window sill, the floor, the bedroom, the back of the sofa (currently), and my chest, which at first was annoying until he settled down and stopped obstructing my view of my laptop screen.

We had multiple options of other activities with which to fill our day--a trip to the EMP/SFM for the Battlestar Galactica exhibit, an Oscars cocktail party--but we're both not feeling the socializing today. I, for one, don't think I have the energy on my one day off before jumping into the next workweek with a 7am start at work tomorrow. :P

So...gaming it is!

And remember, we're the couple who bought a gaming console on our honeymoon and then spent most of our first week as a married couple killing zombies together.