We have a new-ish boss. She's making ripples, changing things, focusing on "moving the dial", making us deal with more damn spreadsheets, and basically making life more than a little uncomfortable. She's worked with us for a long time and I do like her a lot. BUT...after my annual review yesterday, I know she had something to do with the fact that my bonus was small, raise was small and my ego is much smaller than it should be.
I worked my ASS off last year. I was out of the office and pounding the pavement to make sure I blasted my sales goal out of the water and barely have anything to show for it aside from habitual migraines and a few thousand dollars. I worked harder than I should have. The German blood coursing through my veins tells me to work my fingers to the bone to make 2007 better and just suck it up. But my shattered ego tells me to say a big FUCK YOU very much and skate by like the rest of the world.
I don't normally complain about things, but this just pisses me off because I feel severely under-appreciated right now. Lame.
Sorry for the negative post. I'm sure I'll be happy KT soon enough. Right now I'm just not me.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Naughty din dins
Yes, this is ribs and fried zucchini. Les asked if I was feeling okay after serving a dinner like this! I don't know what got into me yesterday, but I had a hankering for ribs and something fried. I put together a moist (not dry,not wet, but moist) rub and cooked some pork ribs. They turned out perfectly tender.
I sliced two zucchini squash lengthwise, laid some sliced fontina on one zucchini strip and topped it with another piece of zucchini. Then I dipped in egg and coated with seasoned flour and then fried the heck out of it. This is a modified version of something that Michael Chiarello
did a while back on his show.
I dressed up some standard cornbread mix with a can of creamed corn and a can of sweet corn. I totally pulled a Paula Deen and buttered the top as soon as it came out of the oven.
Talk about naughty and going against my KT grain....it was worth it though.
Amgen Tour of California - Stage 3
Amgen is a biotech company that specialized in cancer research. They are the sponsors of the Tour de California. This is a 700 mile road race that started in San Francisco and will end in Long Beach. San Jose hosted the finish line for stage 3 - they started very early this morning in Stockton and rode in around 3:30 p.m. It's not very often that world-class cyclist like Levi Leipheimer come into town so Huggy and I perched ourselves in the middle of stage 3.
Jens Voight
Jens Voigt (GER) came across the finish line first. Of all the pictures I took, I think his came out the best. I had my camera on the continuous setting with a one second delay, but these guys were riding so fast, they were past me in about one second! I captured really great photos of their support vehicles though:D
San Jose's finest were on patrol on their own bikes as well as their horses. I love the horses, so I got as many photos as they would put up with. It was a fun day.
Here is a link to the rest of the pictures.
Jens VoightJens Voigt (GER) came across the finish line first. Of all the pictures I took, I think his came out the best. I had my camera on the continuous setting with a one second delay, but these guys were riding so fast, they were past me in about one second! I captured really great photos of their support vehicles though:D
San Jose's finest were on patrol on their own bikes as well as their horses. I love the horses, so I got as many photos as they would put up with. It was a fun day.
Here is a link to the rest of the pictures.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
what the Carter's did for Valentine's Day
Hubby and I decided to make dinner together tonight as we did for our anniversary. This means much more to us than going out because it's special and more personal. Anyone can sign a check at the end of a meal, but when you cook together you're sharing time and effort with each other. That is much more special in my mind.
We made chicken roulades, sauteed spinach and potatoes fondantes. These are old standbys that are so easy but always turn out satisfying. We stuffed the chicken with prosciutto and fontina and parmesean cheeses. Fontina is one of those versatile cheeses that you can use for most anything. I especially like it on a grilled cheese with ham. Yum. The potatoes turned out nice and crispy on the outside. I love that.
For desert, I found a recipe in the latest Martha Stewart magazine. I don't remember the name because I promptly threw it out in disgust after I was done with it. We were to make chocolate pâte à choux cookies with cream filling. They were supposed to be similar to a cream puff, but not really. Although it was fun attempting this dessert, it did not turn out as it should have. While following the "stir vigorously" prompt of the recipe, I added the eggs too early and the curdled. We stayed the course and finished the job. They were edible, but not fantastic like they should have been. 
It was fun, though, to see Les piping pâte à choux onto the cookie sheet though!
We made chicken roulades, sauteed spinach and potatoes fondantes. These are old standbys that are so easy but always turn out satisfying. We stuffed the chicken with prosciutto and fontina and parmesean cheeses. Fontina is one of those versatile cheeses that you can use for most anything. I especially like it on a grilled cheese with ham. Yum. The potatoes turned out nice and crispy on the outside. I love that.
For desert, I found a recipe in the latest Martha Stewart magazine. I don't remember the name because I promptly threw it out in disgust after I was done with it. We were to make chocolate pâte à choux cookies with cream filling. They were supposed to be similar to a cream puff, but not really. Although it was fun attempting this dessert, it did not turn out as it should have. While following the "stir vigorously" prompt of the recipe, I added the eggs too early and the curdled. We stayed the course and finished the job. They were edible, but not fantastic like they should have been. 
It was fun, though, to see Les piping pâte à choux onto the cookie sheet though!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
San Jose Museum of Art
We met our friends Trish and Andy for brunch today at Lowry's Irish Coffee Shop. This is my very favorite place for coffee. On the days I have time, I stop by for a latte and veggie bagel before heading to work; that is just one block away.
Trish and Andy are two very special people that have bold characters and definitely stand out from the crowd. They don't look bold, but their personalities are strong and both have a comic delivery that makes you chuckle for days after you've talked to them.
Andy is Les' oldest friend from England. They grew up in the same small town, ended up going to the same university and ultimately moving to the Bay Area at the same time...all the while the other didn't know. They just bumped into each other while out one night. Kindred spirits, they are.
Trish is Andy's fiance and she's a lawyer. She's extremely smart and has a matter-of-fact way about her. I like her a lot and think she and Andy are completely meant for each other.
Anyway, enough about them. After lunch, we decided to walk around downtown San Jose. We ended up at the San Jose Museum of Art and went in for the M.C. Escher exhibit. This was mind-bending Op Art. I enjoy the weird, abstract kind of art. I think my favorite was, Rippled Surface. Les liked Puddle the best.
Due to copyright laws, I cannot post pictures of either of these works, I think I might be channelling Sheri and her moral values through me right now because I never would have had a problem with that until she mentioned how vehemently against it she is, but you can view them on The Official M.C. Escher website.
We walked around some more and talked about how San Jose needs more parking. They are building four high-rise condo buildings that have made accommodation for more retail and restaurant space, but no mention of anymore parking structures. Parking is already a problem, I hope they rectify that. It will end up being like San Francisco if they don't put in some parking plans. And we all know how irritating it is to find parking in The City.
Now I'm thinking of taking a nap. Yep, it's definitely nap time:)
Trish and Andy are two very special people that have bold characters and definitely stand out from the crowd. They don't look bold, but their personalities are strong and both have a comic delivery that makes you chuckle for days after you've talked to them.
Andy is Les' oldest friend from England. They grew up in the same small town, ended up going to the same university and ultimately moving to the Bay Area at the same time...all the while the other didn't know. They just bumped into each other while out one night. Kindred spirits, they are.
Trish is Andy's fiance and she's a lawyer. She's extremely smart and has a matter-of-fact way about her. I like her a lot and think she and Andy are completely meant for each other.
Anyway, enough about them. After lunch, we decided to walk around downtown San Jose. We ended up at the San Jose Museum of Art and went in for the M.C. Escher exhibit. This was mind-bending Op Art. I enjoy the weird, abstract kind of art. I think my favorite was, Rippled Surface. Les liked Puddle the best.
Due to copyright laws, I cannot post pictures of either of these works, I think I might be channelling Sheri and her moral values through me right now because I never would have had a problem with that until she mentioned how vehemently against it she is, but you can view them on The Official M.C. Escher website.
We walked around some more and talked about how San Jose needs more parking. They are building four high-rise condo buildings that have made accommodation for more retail and restaurant space, but no mention of anymore parking structures. Parking is already a problem, I hope they rectify that. It will end up being like San Francisco if they don't put in some parking plans. And we all know how irritating it is to find parking in The City.
Now I'm thinking of taking a nap. Yep, it's definitely nap time:)
workouts and work
Welp, this week was a total loss when it comes to workouts. I did a time trial on the trainer for 1/2 hr on Monday night to establish my LT on the bike...but it hardly counts as a realy workout. That was it. I had other workouts planned but real work just about blew me right over the edge and I almost had a nervous breakdown because of it.
Because I am in sales, I have a sales goal to meet. Because of this sales goal, I have a hard time saying no to clients when they ask me to visit them. Because of this out-of-office-visit-with-clients-to-keep-the-relationship-going time, my other work backed up. Because of this work back-up, my brain feels like it wants to blow out of my head. I like things to be closed and tidy and that was just not happening for me.
We have a new boss and she is changing a lot of things. Making us maintain more spreadsheets and focus on littler details. I'm sure in the long run, this will be good because data is power when used properly. But for someone with barely any spare time, it's a nightmare to meet the deadlines of what she's asking for with these piddly, little, stupid-ass worksheets!
A long-time client has put a bid out for other bank business and gave me a seriously unrealistic deadline as well. They gave me this request for proposal (RFP)on Tuesday and is due next Tuesday! For crying out lout people! Give me a break, throw me a damn bone, let me catch my breath! So, I finished the RFP on Friday at 7pm and turned it over to my coworker so he can present the report to the client.
While on my way to a client call on Tuesday, I got in an accident. I was making a left turn into a nose-in parking spot and some guy hit me from behind because he was following too closely and not paying attention to my blinker. I was all shaken up but still went to my client meeting.
I was out of the office three of the five days last week on client calls, so you can imagine what kind of bottleneck that created in my workload. We have no assistants to turn the "little stuff" over to. I'm in charge of all of it and it's the reason I almost needed a one of those stylish/modern straight/white jackets with the silver buckles;)
Now it's the weekend and I swear all I want to do is sleep. I'm going to try very hard to make that happen.
Serenity Now!
Because I am in sales, I have a sales goal to meet. Because of this sales goal, I have a hard time saying no to clients when they ask me to visit them. Because of this out-of-office-visit-with-clients-to-keep-the-relationship-going time, my other work backed up. Because of this work back-up, my brain feels like it wants to blow out of my head. I like things to be closed and tidy and that was just not happening for me.
We have a new boss and she is changing a lot of things. Making us maintain more spreadsheets and focus on littler details. I'm sure in the long run, this will be good because data is power when used properly. But for someone with barely any spare time, it's a nightmare to meet the deadlines of what she's asking for with these piddly, little, stupid-ass worksheets!
A long-time client has put a bid out for other bank business and gave me a seriously unrealistic deadline as well. They gave me this request for proposal (RFP)on Tuesday and is due next Tuesday! For crying out lout people! Give me a break, throw me a damn bone, let me catch my breath! So, I finished the RFP on Friday at 7pm and turned it over to my coworker so he can present the report to the client.
While on my way to a client call on Tuesday, I got in an accident. I was making a left turn into a nose-in parking spot and some guy hit me from behind because he was following too closely and not paying attention to my blinker. I was all shaken up but still went to my client meeting.
I was out of the office three of the five days last week on client calls, so you can imagine what kind of bottleneck that created in my workload. We have no assistants to turn the "little stuff" over to. I'm in charge of all of it and it's the reason I almost needed a one of those stylish/modern straight/white jackets with the silver buckles;)
Now it's the weekend and I swear all I want to do is sleep. I'm going to try very hard to make that happen.
Serenity Now!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
so the Feds found me
It was fairly uneventful as well. The Federal Investigator met me at my office and I saw his badge - it was very heavy and very official. He asked me a lot of questions about my past relationship with my ex. He's in the Navy and applying for some kind of top secret clearance but no other details than that. He kept asking me questions about my ex in the present tense. I kept reminding him that I've not talked to him in over seven years and felt uncomfortable answering questions about my ex's character because I just don't know him anymore.
The interview reminded me of the INS interview the best hubby and I went through when he was applying for his green card....Questions like this:
Have you ever or do you plan to engage in drug dealing?
Have you ever or are you now engaging in prostitution?
Do you plan to plot any terrorist acts against the US? Something like that anyway....
And it just made me wonder if anyone actually answers 'yes' to any of these questions.
Weird. That is all. I told ya - uneventful and yawn-inducing.
The interview reminded me of the INS interview the best hubby and I went through when he was applying for his green card....Questions like this:
Have you ever or do you plan to engage in drug dealing?
Have you ever or are you now engaging in prostitution?
Do you plan to plot any terrorist acts against the US? Something like that anyway....
And it just made me wonder if anyone actually answers 'yes' to any of these questions.
Weird. That is all. I told ya - uneventful and yawn-inducing.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
The Feds are looking for me
Seriously, they are. I used to be married to a guy in the Navy....long story. But we divorced, I'll always be thankful for that. On Saturday, while I was at the spa getting my mani/pedi done a federal investigator knocked on the door. Husband answered and the guy asked for me. He said he needed to do a face-to-face interview with my previous involvement with my ex-husband. Apparently, the ex, is applying for some kind of top secret clearance with the military and since I'm part of his past, I'm also part of his background check.
Oh how much fun can I have with this? A lot. This seems to be a karma situation. I have the chance to wreck his chances of a career move and it would be such sweet revenge for all of the horrific things he did to me (now that I'm a grown woman I realize I was just as responsible for allowing those things to happen...but when you're young and stupid you just don't see it that way, do you?). But I'll behave and watch gleefully as my karma account builds up:) I do have a very full karma account already, you see? ;)
Les checked out all of his credentials and made sure he was legit before sending him on his way. We watch way too much Court TV to ever be taken advantage of weird schemes that involve robbery and murder. I need to hook up with the guy at some point this week or the next. I'll keep you posted.
Oh how much fun can I have with this? A lot. This seems to be a karma situation. I have the chance to wreck his chances of a career move and it would be such sweet revenge for all of the horrific things he did to me (now that I'm a grown woman I realize I was just as responsible for allowing those things to happen...but when you're young and stupid you just don't see it that way, do you?). But I'll behave and watch gleefully as my karma account builds up:) I do have a very full karma account already, you see? ;)
Les checked out all of his credentials and made sure he was legit before sending him on his way. We watch way too much Court TV to ever be taken advantage of weird schemes that involve robbery and murder. I need to hook up with the guy at some point this week or the next. I'll keep you posted.
Blogging is hard to keep up with....
....especially since work is totally busy right now. I'm sure I'm not complaining about work because when you're in sales you pray to be busy. But DAAAAAMN...I've been at work past 7pm most nights and even after 10pm one day last week.
In a nutshell, I'm busy at work. Just got started in school again. My first class was this morning. Remember that I'm not a morning person? Right. Still not a morning person even though I have to be now. My workouts were intermittant for the past three weeks due to a) my period b) working very late and c) my cravings for peanut butter cookies outweighed the want to workout:)
Keep rockin' everyone:)
In a nutshell, I'm busy at work. Just got started in school again. My first class was this morning. Remember that I'm not a morning person? Right. Still not a morning person even though I have to be now. My workouts were intermittant for the past three weeks due to a) my period b) working very late and c) my cravings for peanut butter cookies outweighed the want to workout:)
Keep rockin' everyone:)
Saturday, January 13, 2007
What the Carter's have been eating
Chocoloate Chickpea Cake I really wanted chocolate, but didn't want the guilt associated. So, I made this version of cake that camoflauges itself more like an after workout snack:) It's made of chickpeas instead of flour, and cocoa/cardamom rather than chocolate. I have the recipe here.
Chicken and Sprouted Wheat Parpadelle Pasta I bought this pasta at Trader Joes with very little expectation of taste....I was wrong. It's not your typical cardboard-like wheat pasta. It's got a very nutty and pleasant taste. This pic isn't wonderful, but it thickened up a bit after some more freshly grated parmeseano reggiano. I think I mirrored a Giada De Laurentis recipe from a recent show of hers.
Sausage and Onions This is another take on a Giada De Laurentis recipe. Hers is Sausage and Onions and Peppers....but I don't love bell peppers and didn't feel like going to the store...I had everything else on hand. I used Chicken & Apple sausage, so they lent a sweet factor to the tomato-y onion sauce. This turned out really good. I will make it again.
Ulitmate Chili I was craving some comfort food and this is the quintessential comfort food for me. Thick, meaty and rich. I served it with cornbread muffins and some grated cheddar cheese.We ate really good this past week, for the most part it was healthy. I have gotten more interested in cooking again because of my new knife set that hubby bought me for Christmas:)
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Spin Class Atrocities
OMG. Tonight was attrocious. A spinning debauchle, if you will. There was a sub for the normal instructor tonight and he was aweful. Here's the laundry list:
1) No warmup...at ALL...none
2) Straight into a high-energy track and made us do 5 seconds in the saddle 5 seconds out...for the entire length of the song.
3) Every subsequent track skipped through the ENTIRE song...and he never attempted to fix it.
5) Just lots of up in and out of the saddle. No sprints, no endurance, no alternating techniques....just up and down out of the saddle!
6) His cleats kept getting stuck in his pedals and he'd disrupt the class while he sorted himself out.
7) No real instruction, just some whispering into his headset and we'd have to follow his lead.
8) There's more but I'll stop here.
I'm not exaggerating about how bad it was....the class started with 10 people....and it ended with 4. I never quit a workout unless I'm at my vomit zone, but I came really close to walking out. I felt sorry for the guy though, so I sucked it up and finished the workout.
Spin - 60 mins
Upper body and abs - 30 mins
1) No warmup...at ALL...none
2) Straight into a high-energy track and made us do 5 seconds in the saddle 5 seconds out...for the entire length of the song.
3) Every subsequent track skipped through the ENTIRE song...and he never attempted to fix it.
5) Just lots of up in and out of the saddle. No sprints, no endurance, no alternating techniques....just up and down out of the saddle!
6) His cleats kept getting stuck in his pedals and he'd disrupt the class while he sorted himself out.
7) No real instruction, just some whispering into his headset and we'd have to follow his lead.
8) There's more but I'll stop here.
I'm not exaggerating about how bad it was....the class started with 10 people....and it ended with 4. I never quit a workout unless I'm at my vomit zone, but I came really close to walking out. I felt sorry for the guy though, so I sucked it up and finished the workout.
Spin - 60 mins
Upper body and abs - 30 mins
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Sunday Boot Camp
Since I'm designing Lawrence's website, we have an agreement that he trains me once a week. We needed more pictures for his site so we got a group of people together to do the boot camp class. I LOVE this class. Even though I was mostly picture-taking, I still did a modified version of the exercises. It's so much damn fun. It was a hard workout, but so worth it. Lots of drills, sprints, plyometrics and groundwork. I wish I knew more active people that cared about these types of things so they would go with me. All of my friends and husbands friends are lazy bastards. I need new friends! Just kidding, I love my friends. Here is our group photo at the end of our super-sweaty day:)1.5 hrs boot camp (average HR - 160)
Saturday AM Spin Class
My friend Melinda is a spin instructor and I she invited me to take her class on Saturday. I asked her what time and she said, "8:15"! WTF? Soooooo early on a Saturday. But I did it anyway...reluctantly...hit the snooze on the alarm only one time:) I was so glad I went because it she is a fantastic instructor. Really great music - friends will all the house DJs we know...of course it would be great music!
After the workout we went to Le Boulanger for bagel and egg sammies. Totally hit the spot because that class drained all the food out of my muscles.
Spin - 1hr (moderate intensity, average HR 165)
After the workout we went to Le Boulanger for bagel and egg sammies. Totally hit the spot because that class drained all the food out of my muscles.
Spin - 1hr (moderate intensity, average HR 165)
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Jerk Chicken
I made jerk chicken tonight, first time ever. I found the recipe at Yahoo Recipes. I noticed that most of the reviews complained that there wasn't enough heat in it. Well I know how to fix that...urm....just add more pepper. Geez. I added lots of pepper and it was HOT. I normally underestimate the power of freshly ground black pepper. But not anymore after tonight.
I served it alongside some polenta and carrots. Was a marginal dinner. Nothing fantastic.
On a separate note, today was a day of reckoning for me. For the past month I've been feeling a bit stir crazy and it seemed as though the house was closing in on me. I realized that's because our christmas tree was taking up half of our living room. So, tonight I took it down. And took down all of the other decorations. And now I feel much better. I feel like I can breathe again. The house is bigger and I'm already more organized. I really thought I was going crazy.
I don't normally do any resolutions, but what I would like to do this year is simplify. Just get back to basics. We have too much stuff. We're always getting more stuff. Stores and TV are always manipulating me to want more stuff. Enough already. I plan on getting rid of all of the "things" in the house that serve no functional purpose. There is no need to have so many candle holders or extra bottles of lotion or so many damn towels in the closet. Enough! This crap must get out of my house and the money must stay in my pocket.
I served it alongside some polenta and carrots. Was a marginal dinner. Nothing fantastic.
On a separate note, today was a day of reckoning for me. For the past month I've been feeling a bit stir crazy and it seemed as though the house was closing in on me. I realized that's because our christmas tree was taking up half of our living room. So, tonight I took it down. And took down all of the other decorations. And now I feel much better. I feel like I can breathe again. The house is bigger and I'm already more organized. I really thought I was going crazy.
I don't normally do any resolutions, but what I would like to do this year is simplify. Just get back to basics. We have too much stuff. We're always getting more stuff. Stores and TV are always manipulating me to want more stuff. Enough already. I plan on getting rid of all of the "things" in the house that serve no functional purpose. There is no need to have so many candle holders or extra bottles of lotion or so many damn towels in the closet. Enough! This crap must get out of my house and the money must stay in my pocket.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Getting back to it
I swear this holiday season has been the worst in terms of being too busy to find time for anything. It was all about running around and being stressed. So much stress all I wanted to do is eat. And I did eat. I ate without working out to keep up with it. Stupid delicious desserts and food all over the place! My workouts suffered in a major way but now I'm back to it.
I had the most awesome day of snowboarding on Friday at Kirkwood. I wasn't even sore. Thank you traveling lunges and jump squats!
Today I took Huggy out for a four mile run and came back in the house for some abs and push ups. It felt fantastic to get a nice workout in. I need to learn to wake up early because when school starts I won't be able to worko out after work. Work work work. Geez.
I had the most awesome day of snowboarding on Friday at Kirkwood. I wasn't even sore. Thank you traveling lunges and jump squats!
Today I took Huggy out for a four mile run and came back in the house for some abs and push ups. It felt fantastic to get a nice workout in. I need to learn to wake up early because when school starts I won't be able to worko out after work. Work work work. Geez.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Happy New Year
Life is good. Seriously good. Let's all keep it that way:) Happy New Year to everyone, I wish you the best in 2007.
We spent NYE in Tahoe with our friends. Did some snowboarding, lots of eating/relaxing and had some really tasty champagne. While hubby and friends were at Sierra Ski Ranch, they apprehended a drunk driver by pulling him from his car in the parking lot. This drunk guy almost hit many people getting into their cars and rammed his truck into a few other cars. Once the cops showed up, they arrested the guy and took him away. Hubby and friends were given the royal treatment at the resort and didn't have to pay for anything all day:)
Here they are in action - My hubby is a total bad-ass!
We spent NYE in Tahoe with our friends. Did some snowboarding, lots of eating/relaxing and had some really tasty champagne. While hubby and friends were at Sierra Ski Ranch, they apprehended a drunk driver by pulling him from his car in the parking lot. This drunk guy almost hit many people getting into their cars and rammed his truck into a few other cars. Once the cops showed up, they arrested the guy and took him away. Hubby and friends were given the royal treatment at the resort and didn't have to pay for anything all day:)
Here they are in action - My hubby is a total bad-ass!
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Holiday Hermititude....
....is in full effect at the Carter's house. Well, almost full effect. We're almost ready to get our hermit on. We just need to do our grocery shopping for Christmas dinner and a couple of last minute gifts to put into stockings. That will be done before 2pm today. I've made it my life's mission to get it done before 2pm.
Then holiday hermititude will begin. This means we don't leave the house, we hole up in our winter pyjams (pronounced: pie-jams. These are pajamas - I have snowboarding monkeys on mine and Les has dancing polar bears on his.) drink mulled wine and cider and watch lots of movies. I was raised on How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I never cared for Frosty the Snowman or any of the other ones. But the Grinch is my very favorite.
<------So for my birthday, my mom bought me a six foot inflatable Grinch that reaches into the chimney and pulls the christmas tree out! I love it, it's outside in the courtyard. It's completely and utterly awesome and I can't wait until we have our new house next year so it can go in the front yard for everyone to see!
On Christmas Eve, I'll beg and beg and beg Les to let me open one gift. But he'll say no and we'll go to bed but I won't sleep a wink. I'll be too excited! Then I'll wake up early - the only day of the year I voluntarily wake up early - and jump on the bed to wake him up. We'll start a fire and put the Christmas music on. Mom and Raquel are with us this year so I'll wake them up and they'll all groggily follow me to the living room. I'll pass out everybody's stockings and we'll munch on the sweet treats found inside them while Raquel plays Santa and passes out all of the gifts. We'll all fall into gift-coma and Les will start making our Christmas dinner:) Can't wait!!
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanuka/Hannuka/Purim, Mele Kalikimaka, Happy Kwanzaa, Feliz Navidad, Milad Majid, Glædelig Jul, Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad, Selamat Hari Natal, Selamat Hari Natal, Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu, Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand, Chung Mung Giang Sinh - in any language or whatever your beliefs - I wish you all happiness and prosperity through the holidays and forever!
xxoo
KT
Then holiday hermititude will begin. This means we don't leave the house, we hole up in our winter pyjams (pronounced: pie-jams. These are pajamas - I have snowboarding monkeys on mine and Les has dancing polar bears on his.) drink mulled wine and cider and watch lots of movies. I was raised on How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I never cared for Frosty the Snowman or any of the other ones. But the Grinch is my very favorite.
<------So for my birthday, my mom bought me a six foot inflatable Grinch that reaches into the chimney and pulls the christmas tree out! I love it, it's outside in the courtyard. It's completely and utterly awesome and I can't wait until we have our new house next year so it can go in the front yard for everyone to see!
On Christmas Eve, I'll beg and beg and beg Les to let me open one gift. But he'll say no and we'll go to bed but I won't sleep a wink. I'll be too excited! Then I'll wake up early - the only day of the year I voluntarily wake up early - and jump on the bed to wake him up. We'll start a fire and put the Christmas music on. Mom and Raquel are with us this year so I'll wake them up and they'll all groggily follow me to the living room. I'll pass out everybody's stockings and we'll munch on the sweet treats found inside them while Raquel plays Santa and passes out all of the gifts. We'll all fall into gift-coma and Les will start making our Christmas dinner:) Can't wait!!
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanuka/Hannuka/Purim, Mele Kalikimaka, Happy Kwanzaa, Feliz Navidad, Milad Majid, Glædelig Jul, Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad, Selamat Hari Natal, Selamat Hari Natal, Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu, Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand, Chung Mung Giang Sinh - in any language or whatever your beliefs - I wish you all happiness and prosperity through the holidays and forever!
xxoo
KT
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Irony....with a capital "I"
For our anniversary dinner, Les had the notion that we should make it together rather than go out. I was floored by that idea though because Les never wants to make any dinner! So I jumped on the chance to have him in the kitchen with me. It also made perfect sense since we're saving our pennies to buy a house next year.
So, we decided to make lasagna from scratch...the noodles, sauce and all...from scratch! Neither of us had ever made noodles but Les pulled it off, they were perfect. It was dubbed "love lasagna", buy the way;) And for dessert we made chocolate mousse. Rich, dark, meltin-your-mouth mousse.
The irony, you ask? Because we're watching "The Biggest Loser" whilst eating it. That, my friends...is irony. Especially since I never got a workout in today!
So, we decided to make lasagna from scratch...the noodles, sauce and all...from scratch! Neither of us had ever made noodles but Les pulled it off, they were perfect. It was dubbed "love lasagna", buy the way;) And for dessert we made chocolate mousse. Rich, dark, meltin-your-mouth mousse.
The irony, you ask? Because we're watching "The Biggest Loser" whilst eating it. That, my friends...is irony. Especially since I never got a workout in today!
My marriage philosophy thus far....
Today is our four-year wedding anniversary. Four years of total wedded bliss. I'm not even trying to lie either. My husband and I 'clicked' from the very first day we met. We were attached at the hip from our first encounter and our bond has only gotten stronger as the days go by.
We are so much different than what I was exposed to with my parents. Their constant screaming at each other was brushed off as "just the way we communicate". Their story ended in divorce...no surprise there. Les' parents are still married after 32 years, but seem to have their off days as well. Our friends that are dating are having some major issues within their lives which leads me to believe that things won't work out....one that includes a pregnancy - and extremely disfunctionaly relationship if there ever was one. Two of our friends just got engaged and they are the closest to Les and KT happy that I've seen so far.
Les and I really make people sick with how happy and content with each other we are. We don't throw it in anyone's face, we just love. That's all. It's really very simple but for some reason everyone makes it harder than it needs to be. So, I've put some thought into this and am going to give you some of my own secrets to our success. In no particular order, they are:
1) Play, laugh, smile - all the time. Just be happy. You're not dying, you're still breathing. Nothing in this life deserves negative energy....stay positive in all things and keep a smile on your face.
2) Respect each other and embrace your differences. I really don't think this needs explanation.
3) Snuggle, cuddle, nuzzle, hug, hold hands, kiss and have SEX. You must have closeness, without it, you lose your bond. Without a bond, you have nothing.
4) Talk about anything and everything. I'm sure I talk my husband's ear off, but at least he knows where I'm coming from at all times and he's never surprised. He is the quiet one for sure, but I know what's going on in his head most of the time.
5) Don't be a nag. Nagging does NOT help anything and it never works.....so just zip it. Talk to each other like equals and just ask for what you want like an adult.
6) Have your own things to do. Time apart and indulging in your own hobbies/activities keeps you from going crazy, becoming dependant and losing your own identity.
7) Stop carrying around your past. Closed chapters are exactly that. Move on and find someone completely different than the one that always breaks your heart. Don't be afraid to give your heart away to the one that truly deserves it.
8) Go out. Get out of the house and do fun things. Together and with your own friends. Let your partner have their time out and you get yours too.
9) Love. Just love. Don't half-ass it either. Just let your heart be full of it and give it away without abandon. Because it's really what we all need just a little more of;)
There don't always have to be lists of ten....so I'm all done.
XoXo
KT
We are so much different than what I was exposed to with my parents. Their constant screaming at each other was brushed off as "just the way we communicate". Their story ended in divorce...no surprise there. Les' parents are still married after 32 years, but seem to have their off days as well. Our friends that are dating are having some major issues within their lives which leads me to believe that things won't work out....one that includes a pregnancy - and extremely disfunctionaly relationship if there ever was one. Two of our friends just got engaged and they are the closest to Les and KT happy that I've seen so far.
Les and I really make people sick with how happy and content with each other we are. We don't throw it in anyone's face, we just love. That's all. It's really very simple but for some reason everyone makes it harder than it needs to be. So, I've put some thought into this and am going to give you some of my own secrets to our success. In no particular order, they are:
1) Play, laugh, smile - all the time. Just be happy. You're not dying, you're still breathing. Nothing in this life deserves negative energy....stay positive in all things and keep a smile on your face.
2) Respect each other and embrace your differences. I really don't think this needs explanation.
3) Snuggle, cuddle, nuzzle, hug, hold hands, kiss and have SEX. You must have closeness, without it, you lose your bond. Without a bond, you have nothing.
4) Talk about anything and everything. I'm sure I talk my husband's ear off, but at least he knows where I'm coming from at all times and he's never surprised. He is the quiet one for sure, but I know what's going on in his head most of the time.
5) Don't be a nag. Nagging does NOT help anything and it never works.....so just zip it. Talk to each other like equals and just ask for what you want like an adult.
6) Have your own things to do. Time apart and indulging in your own hobbies/activities keeps you from going crazy, becoming dependant and losing your own identity.
7) Stop carrying around your past. Closed chapters are exactly that. Move on and find someone completely different than the one that always breaks your heart. Don't be afraid to give your heart away to the one that truly deserves it.
8) Go out. Get out of the house and do fun things. Together and with your own friends. Let your partner have their time out and you get yours too.
9) Love. Just love. Don't half-ass it either. Just let your heart be full of it and give it away without abandon. Because it's really what we all need just a little more of;)
There don't always have to be lists of ten....so I'm all done.
XoXo
KT
Monday Sculpt
I've been meeting Jojo at the gym lately....we're both suffering from post-Lawrence training depression. So, now that we're on our own, we must forge ahead and lean on each other for motivation. We do a Monday night sculpt class, Tuesday night plyo/cardio workout and Wednesday night spin class. It's working out well so far and hopefully our schedules can keep up with it.
Speaking of schedules....my college courses start at the end of January and they're in the morning. I'm not a morning person...in the least bit. So from now until then I need to force myself to wake up early no matter what. This means the alarm clock must be moved to my side of the bed so the husband won't snooze our lives away as tempting as it may be. It also means that I'm barely going to have enough time to do the extra fun things we're used to doing....like sleeping and eating and all those other fun things.
I'm looking forward to it though, I'm taking two classes and will continue to do so until I have a damn degree. I'm tired of feeling like less of a person at work because all of those braniacs have been to college and I haven't. I know my salary is suffering because of it as well. So, now's the time. Wish me luck:)
Speaking of schedules....my college courses start at the end of January and they're in the morning. I'm not a morning person...in the least bit. So from now until then I need to force myself to wake up early no matter what. This means the alarm clock must be moved to my side of the bed so the husband won't snooze our lives away as tempting as it may be. It also means that I'm barely going to have enough time to do the extra fun things we're used to doing....like sleeping and eating and all those other fun things.
I'm looking forward to it though, I'm taking two classes and will continue to do so until I have a damn degree. I'm tired of feeling like less of a person at work because all of those braniacs have been to college and I haven't. I know my salary is suffering because of it as well. So, now's the time. Wish me luck:)
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