Today is my dad's 62nd birthday (Happy Birthday, Dad!!) I don't think he should mind that I'm telling the whole world his age. Most people would probably be genuinely shocked to learn that he is 62. The age that he would seem to be would be probably 10-12 years younger than he actually is. I hope that when I turn 62 I am still as young on the outside and inside as he is. He has good genetics, apparently. We just saw his parents (my grandparents) this week and they are 92 and 87 respectively and still going strong.
Anyway, I hope for him that this 62 year is the best so far. Love you, dad!
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Time to fly!
Tim and I are leaving tonight for Kansas City. I took a half day at work so I could come home and get the cats and house together before we leave. We are leaving the cats home by themselves which may seem kind of mean but to put them in a kennel would have 1) traumatized them and 2) cost us $300. So, instead one of my friends from work is going to stop by and check on them in the middle of the week. We are still sort of paying him... we got him a pretty good sized gift certificate and a really nice bottle of wine. Not to the tune of $300 but enough to say that efforts are much appreciated. Anyway, I'm excited to go back home. I'm prepared to freeze my ass off but I can't wait to see my family and friends! Off we go...
As it usually happens
Every year I get all excited about sending out Christmas/Holiday cards. In the past I've always told myself that I am going to be ambitious and make my cards but I've since learned that that really never happens. So instead I go out and buy a TON of ridiculously expensive holiday cards that I only sort of like. I think I could totally make cuter ones...not as cute as Rachel's snowflake cards but still at least cute and not as generic.
No exception this year. I went out to Hallmark a few weeks ago and bought about 50 cards. I even printed off our wedding guest list for names and addresses of people I wanted to send them to. And I even individually emailed some people for their address.
I was going to make a Christmas letter to update everyone on Tim and my life. But that idea quickly got scrapped about 2 weeks ago when I realized that Christmas was only 2 weeks away and my Christmas card amibitions were slowly slipping away. So, I started writing individual messages on the cards. I got about 20 finished about a week ago. Then I totally lost all motivation. They have all been sitting in a bag in my car, which was moved to my kitchen table, which is now in the coat closet. At this point I think I am just going to scrap the idea altogether. It is almost Christmas and I really don't feel like sending them out this late in the game.
Maybe next year everyone will get Christmas cards from us. But I'm thinking that if that's going to happen I should possibly start the process a good six months before I need to send them out. For now, I will just add this years Christmas cards to the gigantic box I have of past year's Christmas cards that never made it to the mailbox.
No exception this year. I went out to Hallmark a few weeks ago and bought about 50 cards. I even printed off our wedding guest list for names and addresses of people I wanted to send them to. And I even individually emailed some people for their address.
I was going to make a Christmas letter to update everyone on Tim and my life. But that idea quickly got scrapped about 2 weeks ago when I realized that Christmas was only 2 weeks away and my Christmas card amibitions were slowly slipping away. So, I started writing individual messages on the cards. I got about 20 finished about a week ago. Then I totally lost all motivation. They have all been sitting in a bag in my car, which was moved to my kitchen table, which is now in the coat closet. At this point I think I am just going to scrap the idea altogether. It is almost Christmas and I really don't feel like sending them out this late in the game.
Maybe next year everyone will get Christmas cards from us. But I'm thinking that if that's going to happen I should possibly start the process a good six months before I need to send them out. For now, I will just add this years Christmas cards to the gigantic box I have of past year's Christmas cards that never made it to the mailbox.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Some progress at last!
We got a letter last week from our builder saying that our lot for our new house had been approved by the city. That was good news. It means basically that now they are ABLE to start building. Whether or not they do is a different question but at least they can.
Yesterday we drove by our neighborhood and were pumped up to see that they had imported port-a-potty's and there were curbs and sidewalks in the neighborhood. Today we decided to go back to take pictures of the sidewalks because we were so excited for at least that. Well, when we starting walking through the future neighborhood, we saw that on our street, on the end that our house will be on, the lots were marked off. So, needless to say we were even more excited because we are hoping that this means they will start framing relatively soon and maybe, just maybe, they will start from our side of the neighborhood first. We're hoping that it will be done in April but are still thinking that June could be the projected move in date. I guess we'll see! Here are some pics we took today...
Yesterday we drove by our neighborhood and were pumped up to see that they had imported port-a-potty's and there were curbs and sidewalks in the neighborhood. Today we decided to go back to take pictures of the sidewalks because we were so excited for at least that. Well, when we starting walking through the future neighborhood, we saw that on our street, on the end that our house will be on, the lots were marked off. So, needless to say we were even more excited because we are hoping that this means they will start framing relatively soon and maybe, just maybe, they will start from our side of the neighborhood first. We're hoping that it will be done in April but are still thinking that June could be the projected move in date. I guess we'll see! Here are some pics we took today...
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Out of control: me and them but in completely different ways
The cats are insane, which is making me insane. I'm pretty convinced that for both Emerson and Berkeley their life goal is to become a pro-wrestler. And they practice on each other...at least the chasing and pinning part. They practice their jabs on anything in their path: christmas ornaments, table legs, sweatpant strings, pillows...anything. And they even have the grunting and groaning part down. When they start to get pinned, they will start squealing as they try harder and harder to win the match.
At first this was cute. Now, not so much. I'm glad they have each other to play with, seriously. That's why we got two. But seriously, dudes. Do you have to decide to wrestle at 2 a.m.?? There have been countless times where I have been rudely awakened and scared out of my freakin pants by a crash of something or another. Or just by thuds and bangs. They wrestle with obstacles. The table, just a part of the game. The sofa? Let's lunge over it to land on a vase then proceed to chase the other cat down the stairs and then back up where we'll finally end underneath the aforementioned table...because, hey, it's more fun to wrestle with table legs and chair legs jutting into you and your opponent. It makes more clumps of hair come out and then you get to see your mom get really mad when she finds gigantic clumps of hair all over. Plus, it's just fun to make as much noise as possible because then the two unfortunate people SLEEPING in the next room will wake up and see the excellent fight going on IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
A few weeks ago they broke one of my favorite vases. We woke up to this crash and seriously thought someone was breaking into our house by first breaking a window. Last week when Tim was gone, they started up again and somehow managed to drag a target bag into it. Since I was in a sleep induced coma-like state, I thought someone was in my house (it seriously is that loud) and stealing stuff by putting it into a bag. Stupid, yeah, but I was sleep-walking! The other night they did it again. And I'm not kidding when I say that it seriously sounds like a 120 pound person throwing themself repeatedly on the ground. We went out there about 4 times to try to break them up.
So perhaps my cats are fated to be pro-wrestlers...the kind that only wrestle when the rest of the world is sleeping. It is completely out of control and I'm out of control because I can do nothing to stop it. I try to keep them awake when we're awake, but NO that is their sleeping time. Maybe that's the problem... hmm... maybe because I try to keep them awake when they want to sleep, this is what they are doing to me. Seeking revenge...those punks. It totally just clicked.
At first this was cute. Now, not so much. I'm glad they have each other to play with, seriously. That's why we got two. But seriously, dudes. Do you have to decide to wrestle at 2 a.m.?? There have been countless times where I have been rudely awakened and scared out of my freakin pants by a crash of something or another. Or just by thuds and bangs. They wrestle with obstacles. The table, just a part of the game. The sofa? Let's lunge over it to land on a vase then proceed to chase the other cat down the stairs and then back up where we'll finally end underneath the aforementioned table...because, hey, it's more fun to wrestle with table legs and chair legs jutting into you and your opponent. It makes more clumps of hair come out and then you get to see your mom get really mad when she finds gigantic clumps of hair all over. Plus, it's just fun to make as much noise as possible because then the two unfortunate people SLEEPING in the next room will wake up and see the excellent fight going on IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
A few weeks ago they broke one of my favorite vases. We woke up to this crash and seriously thought someone was breaking into our house by first breaking a window. Last week when Tim was gone, they started up again and somehow managed to drag a target bag into it. Since I was in a sleep induced coma-like state, I thought someone was in my house (it seriously is that loud) and stealing stuff by putting it into a bag. Stupid, yeah, but I was sleep-walking! The other night they did it again. And I'm not kidding when I say that it seriously sounds like a 120 pound person throwing themself repeatedly on the ground. We went out there about 4 times to try to break them up.
So perhaps my cats are fated to be pro-wrestlers...the kind that only wrestle when the rest of the world is sleeping. It is completely out of control and I'm out of control because I can do nothing to stop it. I try to keep them awake when we're awake, but NO that is their sleeping time. Maybe that's the problem... hmm... maybe because I try to keep them awake when they want to sleep, this is what they are doing to me. Seeking revenge...those punks. It totally just clicked.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Trans Siberian Orchestra
In my previous life I was a band geek. Ok, maybe it wasn't a previous life. Maybe it was only about 10 years ago. I've played the piano since I was about 5 and the flute since I was about 12. I've also tried my hand at the clarinet, trumpet, piccolo, oboe, saxaphone, and bassoon. I was definitely a nerd. But I loved music, any way, shape or form. Although I have to admit that rap has never and probably will never do anything for me.
I've been in several bands...school concert bands, marching bands, choirs, and actual bands (with guitarists, keyboard players, singers, etc). The actual bands were my favorite along with the concert bands. This being the case, I've always been enamoured with the Trans Siberian Orchestra. They are known best for their Christmas songs. It's kind of Christmas classical music with an 80's rock band twist and a Christmas-y story. Great stuff.
So I've always wanted to go to one of their concerts. For some reason, it seems like it was difficult to get tickets in Kansas City. But this year, I was invited to go when a friend at work's date cancelled at the last minute. I knew that they were going to be in Phoenix but Tim was going to be out of town so I just figured we'd go sometime in the future. So, even though I should have picked Tim up at the airport like I good wife would do, I selfishly elected to go to the concert instead (after him first telling me it was ok about 100 times. And he only beat me home by an hour so it wasn't like he was just sitting at home for 4 hours all by himself).
I'm so glad I jumped at the chance to go...it was awesome! I am so intrigued by these guys. Their Christmas stuff was outstanding but even better than their Christmas music was their funky, modern rock arrangements of classical pieces like Beethoven. It was incredible. I would totally recommend that anyone go if given the chance. I was completely floored by the talent of this group. If you are into good music and actual music talent, check out these guys. They're amazing.
I've been in several bands...school concert bands, marching bands, choirs, and actual bands (with guitarists, keyboard players, singers, etc). The actual bands were my favorite along with the concert bands. This being the case, I've always been enamoured with the Trans Siberian Orchestra. They are known best for their Christmas songs. It's kind of Christmas classical music with an 80's rock band twist and a Christmas-y story. Great stuff.
So I've always wanted to go to one of their concerts. For some reason, it seems like it was difficult to get tickets in Kansas City. But this year, I was invited to go when a friend at work's date cancelled at the last minute. I knew that they were going to be in Phoenix but Tim was going to be out of town so I just figured we'd go sometime in the future. So, even though I should have picked Tim up at the airport like I good wife would do, I selfishly elected to go to the concert instead (after him first telling me it was ok about 100 times. And he only beat me home by an hour so it wasn't like he was just sitting at home for 4 hours all by himself).
I'm so glad I jumped at the chance to go...it was awesome! I am so intrigued by these guys. Their Christmas stuff was outstanding but even better than their Christmas music was their funky, modern rock arrangements of classical pieces like Beethoven. It was incredible. I would totally recommend that anyone go if given the chance. I was completely floored by the talent of this group. If you are into good music and actual music talent, check out these guys. They're amazing.
Friday, December 09, 2005
A realization of how much I don't know. Humbling, if nothing else.
One of the funnier things I've done lately is try to buy a baby shower present for one of my co-workers who is having a shower on Sunday. I know nothing about babies or kids.... well, really anyone under the age of about umm...15. Before I went to embark on this adventure, I chatted with her a little bit about what she really needed. In other words, I just wanted to shake her and demand that she tell me EXACTLY the one thing she wants most, in minute detail. BECAUSE I KNOW NOTHING. Instead, the response that I got was, "I threw everything away after we had [her first child]. I need everything." I went in to talk to her because I knew she wanted only practical stuff. There was no mention of clothes. I can do clothes. I'm always the girl who shows up to these things with ridiculously expensive baby clothes that will only get spit up on within two hours of the first wear and that they will grow out of in three months. So my problems arose when I realized that she wanted practical stuff. I understand but I don't DO practical.
So, out I ventured trying to interpret things such as boopy or goopy or whatever pillows that supposedly are used to nurse babies. And travel mechanisms...apparently it's a car seat that fits right into a stroller...isn't that a novel idea?! And receiving blankets...what the hell are receiving blankets? And onesies? Again, what the hell are onesies? And bouncers? (Until I saw what this actually was the 'bouncer' thing kind of cracked me up. A bouncer for a baby? Again, what the hell?)
As I'm trying to discern just what all of this confusing stuff is, I'm then complexed by a new problem: the brand. I genuninely believe that different brands are way better than others. Like Jif peanut butter or Heinz ketchup? Can't go generic. Or like Banana Republic, JCrew, or Nordstrom as compared to Wal Mart? Come on! No comparision. There is a complete difference in quality and I am all about quality. I'd much rather spend more to have it last longer and be nicer. And herein was another problem in the baby department. What baby brand is good? I've heard of Carter's, right? But I've just HEARD of them somewhere along the line. I've also heard of Wal-Mart...what if Carter's is the generic brand of something else? I have no absolutely no clue. And there were so MANY brands: fisher price, just one year, something starting with an 'e', pooh stuff...way too many overwhelming options.
So I spent approximately an HOUR pacing about five aisles, contemplating what was quickly becoming way too difficult of a decision. I finally decided on something. At that point, I still had no clue but I was tired of trying to decide. So I just went with it. I have no idea what it's called and I don't know the brand. It's one of those carrier things that the mom or dad straps on to their chest or back to carry the kid. I've just seen people wearing them (like one lady was wearing one carrying a TEENY baby while hiking up Camelback mountain. She is totally my hero). And I never decided on the brand thing. I just got the most expensive one, figuring that had to mean something. I'm debating whether or not to get an outfit for the baby... in case the practical thing turns out to be not so practical, at least I KNOW I can pick out a cute outfit to offset the other thing that I don't even understand.
After this whole experience, I'm a little bit scared at my ignorance considering that I could someday be a mom. Who knew there was this much stuff for babies? I was completely and utterly overwhelmed. There are even special BATHTUBS for babies. I just never knew. I have only seriously ever held three babies in my whole life. One was my cousin Kristyn. She was born when I was six so I have no memory really of the experience. The other was my second cousin Josh who was born when I was 12. Again, ancient history. The other was my cousin-in-law Camdyn about two years ago (and her parents probably didn't know that she was the first baby I've ever held in my adult life. Otherwise they might not have handed her off). I am not a pro at this...at all. There is a possibility that I could harm any human being I bring into this world simply by unconscious incompetence. Therefore, I don't have kids, and it's these humbling, overwhelming learning experiences that lengthens the time in which I will consider having them. It just got lengthened again. I'm thinking maybe 10 years? Sounds good to me. By 33 I should be somewhat more knowledgeable, right?
So, out I ventured trying to interpret things such as boopy or goopy or whatever pillows that supposedly are used to nurse babies. And travel mechanisms...apparently it's a car seat that fits right into a stroller...isn't that a novel idea?! And receiving blankets...what the hell are receiving blankets? And onesies? Again, what the hell are onesies? And bouncers? (Until I saw what this actually was the 'bouncer' thing kind of cracked me up. A bouncer for a baby? Again, what the hell?)
As I'm trying to discern just what all of this confusing stuff is, I'm then complexed by a new problem: the brand. I genuninely believe that different brands are way better than others. Like Jif peanut butter or Heinz ketchup? Can't go generic. Or like Banana Republic, JCrew, or Nordstrom as compared to Wal Mart? Come on! No comparision. There is a complete difference in quality and I am all about quality. I'd much rather spend more to have it last longer and be nicer. And herein was another problem in the baby department. What baby brand is good? I've heard of Carter's, right? But I've just HEARD of them somewhere along the line. I've also heard of Wal-Mart...what if Carter's is the generic brand of something else? I have no absolutely no clue. And there were so MANY brands: fisher price, just one year, something starting with an 'e', pooh stuff...way too many overwhelming options.
So I spent approximately an HOUR pacing about five aisles, contemplating what was quickly becoming way too difficult of a decision. I finally decided on something. At that point, I still had no clue but I was tired of trying to decide. So I just went with it. I have no idea what it's called and I don't know the brand. It's one of those carrier things that the mom or dad straps on to their chest or back to carry the kid. I've just seen people wearing them (like one lady was wearing one carrying a TEENY baby while hiking up Camelback mountain. She is totally my hero). And I never decided on the brand thing. I just got the most expensive one, figuring that had to mean something. I'm debating whether or not to get an outfit for the baby... in case the practical thing turns out to be not so practical, at least I KNOW I can pick out a cute outfit to offset the other thing that I don't even understand.
After this whole experience, I'm a little bit scared at my ignorance considering that I could someday be a mom. Who knew there was this much stuff for babies? I was completely and utterly overwhelmed. There are even special BATHTUBS for babies. I just never knew. I have only seriously ever held three babies in my whole life. One was my cousin Kristyn. She was born when I was six so I have no memory really of the experience. The other was my second cousin Josh who was born when I was 12. Again, ancient history. The other was my cousin-in-law Camdyn about two years ago (and her parents probably didn't know that she was the first baby I've ever held in my adult life. Otherwise they might not have handed her off). I am not a pro at this...at all. There is a possibility that I could harm any human being I bring into this world simply by unconscious incompetence. Therefore, I don't have kids, and it's these humbling, overwhelming learning experiences that lengthens the time in which I will consider having them. It just got lengthened again. I'm thinking maybe 10 years? Sounds good to me. By 33 I should be somewhat more knowledgeable, right?
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Snow issues.
When we were leaving Iowa, one of my biggest pet peeves quickly became the response to "We're moving to Phoenix." Everyone responded to this as, "Oh it's SO hot there." Really? Then I should have totally re-thought my decision to move here because I seriously thought Phoenix was the equivalent of Alaska. Someone the other day asked me if I missed the midwest, if I was homesick, if I missed snow. My response? If I thought I would miss snow, why would I move to Arizona? Exactly. Because, contrary to some people's opinion on what I know, I KNEW going in that Phoenix was warm. That was EXACTLY why I moved here. If I wanted to stick with snow, with cold weather, with long winters, with humid summers, I could have more easily found a job in the multitude of states that offer exactly that. There are about 5 states that have mild, warm winters. And I was picky enough to demand that we move to one. And here I am. Go figure.
I hate snow. Similarily, I hate cold. Especially in the midwest. Because it never ends. Not only is it cold, but it snows. Not only is it snowy and cold but it is dark late in the morning and early at night. And it is not always sunny. I hate the feeling of being stuck inside for five miserable months of the year and having to wear 24 layers just to walk to your car. I would much rather have heat than sub-freezing temps and snow or even worse, ice. I sort of don't like rain either. It's just so gloomy. I just like sun. Some people argue with me and tell me they like winters, they like the snow, they like rainy days but I guess I'm wierd. I just don't. And yes, it is hot in Phoenix in the summer. I'm not denying that. But HELLO! It is still sunny! And you can still at least go outside...go to the pool, do stuff at night or in the morning...
And I haven't even gotten into the other main reason of why I despise snow. And if anyone argues with me on this point, I hereby declare you as insane. Driving. Even in the heat of the summer, I can drive in Phoenix without fearing for my life. I cannot count the many times that I just knew I was going to slide off the road in the midwest during a snowstorm. Or the couple of times that I actually did slide into something. Or all of the cars piled up in the median of the freeway on 1-35 because they slid off (one day we counted 65 cars in the ditch in a 20 mile stretch of road). And we had $400 snow tires on one car and all-season tires on the other!
I will admit that I do think snow is pretty. And sometimes a rainy cold day would be nice to have just to sit inside and eat soup and have a fire. BUT, BUT my longing for sun, warmth, and perfect days far outweighs my desire to have that weather. I just looked and right now Iowa is in the single digits with a negative windchill and with snow forecast for tonight. Kansas City is likewise freezing and under a winter snow warning. Read: lots of snow is falling.
I cannot say I miss it. If I want to see it, I have VOLUNTARY snow available. I will hop in my car and drive to Flagstaff, to the mountains. But, as of yet, I don't miss it. I don't envy anyone out there right now. I get cold weather here, believe it or not. In the mornings here, it is literally freezing. Like 30-35 degrees. That is cold enough to experience cold but still under the high temp for the midwest right now! It warms up to 60-65 degrees which makes the days perfect. And for me, I couldn't ask for anything better. I've experienced both now so I can honestly say which one I like better. And judging by where I live, I'm sure you can guess which one is which. So, to everyone who gave the advice that Phoenix is hot, yes it is. But, when you are freezing your butt off in the winter, I'm outside running, not wearing a coat, leaving my windows open. Right now my advice to you is that the midwest is COLD and I'm admire you for sticking it out but I'm so glad I'm not you. Hopefully you are not like me and you enjoy the cold and snow. If so, have fun and enjoy.
I hate snow. Similarily, I hate cold. Especially in the midwest. Because it never ends. Not only is it cold, but it snows. Not only is it snowy and cold but it is dark late in the morning and early at night. And it is not always sunny. I hate the feeling of being stuck inside for five miserable months of the year and having to wear 24 layers just to walk to your car. I would much rather have heat than sub-freezing temps and snow or even worse, ice. I sort of don't like rain either. It's just so gloomy. I just like sun. Some people argue with me and tell me they like winters, they like the snow, they like rainy days but I guess I'm wierd. I just don't. And yes, it is hot in Phoenix in the summer. I'm not denying that. But HELLO! It is still sunny! And you can still at least go outside...go to the pool, do stuff at night or in the morning...
And I haven't even gotten into the other main reason of why I despise snow. And if anyone argues with me on this point, I hereby declare you as insane. Driving. Even in the heat of the summer, I can drive in Phoenix without fearing for my life. I cannot count the many times that I just knew I was going to slide off the road in the midwest during a snowstorm. Or the couple of times that I actually did slide into something. Or all of the cars piled up in the median of the freeway on 1-35 because they slid off (one day we counted 65 cars in the ditch in a 20 mile stretch of road). And we had $400 snow tires on one car and all-season tires on the other!
I will admit that I do think snow is pretty. And sometimes a rainy cold day would be nice to have just to sit inside and eat soup and have a fire. BUT, BUT my longing for sun, warmth, and perfect days far outweighs my desire to have that weather. I just looked and right now Iowa is in the single digits with a negative windchill and with snow forecast for tonight. Kansas City is likewise freezing and under a winter snow warning. Read: lots of snow is falling.
I cannot say I miss it. If I want to see it, I have VOLUNTARY snow available. I will hop in my car and drive to Flagstaff, to the mountains. But, as of yet, I don't miss it. I don't envy anyone out there right now. I get cold weather here, believe it or not. In the mornings here, it is literally freezing. Like 30-35 degrees. That is cold enough to experience cold but still under the high temp for the midwest right now! It warms up to 60-65 degrees which makes the days perfect. And for me, I couldn't ask for anything better. I've experienced both now so I can honestly say which one I like better. And judging by where I live, I'm sure you can guess which one is which. So, to everyone who gave the advice that Phoenix is hot, yes it is. But, when you are freezing your butt off in the winter, I'm outside running, not wearing a coat, leaving my windows open. Right now my advice to you is that the midwest is COLD and I'm admire you for sticking it out but I'm so glad I'm not you. Hopefully you are not like me and you enjoy the cold and snow. If so, have fun and enjoy.
And the argument of why truck drivers are so bad begins to become more clear.
There is something alarming about seeing an 80 year old hunched over grandpa-looking man driving a huge semi truck. Granted some 80 year old drivers are probably better than some 20 year old drivers but STILL. That just seems wrong.
Friday, December 02, 2005
How to annoy me so much I can't see straight...and no, I don't think this is an anal annoyance. I think it's just flat out rude.
For anyone who is married, does it annoy you when someone writes something or refers to you as "Mrs (your husband's first name) (your husband's last name)?" It drives me absolutely insane. I. despise. it. with. a. passion. HELLO! I AM NOT Mrs. Tim Richards. You can call me Mrs. Jenn Richards, Mrs. Jennifer Richards, Jenn, Jennifer, JR, butthead, whatever. ANYTHING but Mrs. Tim Richards. I hate that. Hate it. Did I mention I hate it?
To me it is so offensive. I get so annoyed by it. I think the tradition of it stems back to when women were considered to be almost property of their husbands. And they probably were very proud and flattered to be called Mrs. So and So. I am proud to be married to Tim. I took his last name (I didn't HAVE TO!) Doesn't taking someone else's last name mean enough? I feel that by referring to me as Mrs. Tim Richards, I am not really my own person. If it isn't bad, why isn't he called Mr. Jennifer Baker? Ha, seems to me like most guys would wet their PANTS if that happened. How hard is it to write MY first name or refer to me as JENN? I know it really isn't that big of a deal and I shouldn't get my panties into a wad because of it but it really just urks me. I can't understand how if it is NOT a big deal, why are people STILL referring to me as Mrs. Tim Richards? JUST WRITE MY NAME! It is ME they are addressing, put MY flipping name...how hard is it?
We ran into this issue when we were doing our wedding invitations. We wrote my parents individual names. (IE: Mr. and Mrs. (dad's first name) and (mom's first name) (joint last name)). But my mom actually WANTED to be Mrs. (my dad's first name) (my dad's last name). You can imagine the jaw dropping that occured on my part. I know that it's just a generational difference but I just can't understand it. And when people address me as that or refer to me as that or worse even, INTRODUCE me as that, I just want to scream. Lately I've received several things addressed to Mrs. Tim Richards which is why I'm so particularly annoyed by it right now...perhaps the next piece of mail I get addressed this way I should return to the sender and write on the envelope that no such person exists. Mrs. Tim Richards...who's that? So, maybe I am being a little bit anal but I despise being referred to as something that I'm not. I am an individual, Tim is an individual. We married so now we have the same LAST name. Not first...apparently some people think I took his first name too. But I don't really think I look or act like a Tim, do you?
To me it is so offensive. I get so annoyed by it. I think the tradition of it stems back to when women were considered to be almost property of their husbands. And they probably were very proud and flattered to be called Mrs. So and So. I am proud to be married to Tim. I took his last name (I didn't HAVE TO!) Doesn't taking someone else's last name mean enough? I feel that by referring to me as Mrs. Tim Richards, I am not really my own person. If it isn't bad, why isn't he called Mr. Jennifer Baker? Ha, seems to me like most guys would wet their PANTS if that happened. How hard is it to write MY first name or refer to me as JENN? I know it really isn't that big of a deal and I shouldn't get my panties into a wad because of it but it really just urks me. I can't understand how if it is NOT a big deal, why are people STILL referring to me as Mrs. Tim Richards? JUST WRITE MY NAME! It is ME they are addressing, put MY flipping name...how hard is it?
We ran into this issue when we were doing our wedding invitations. We wrote my parents individual names. (IE: Mr. and Mrs. (dad's first name) and (mom's first name) (joint last name)). But my mom actually WANTED to be Mrs. (my dad's first name) (my dad's last name). You can imagine the jaw dropping that occured on my part. I know that it's just a generational difference but I just can't understand it. And when people address me as that or refer to me as that or worse even, INTRODUCE me as that, I just want to scream. Lately I've received several things addressed to Mrs. Tim Richards which is why I'm so particularly annoyed by it right now...perhaps the next piece of mail I get addressed this way I should return to the sender and write on the envelope that no such person exists. Mrs. Tim Richards...who's that? So, maybe I am being a little bit anal but I despise being referred to as something that I'm not. I am an individual, Tim is an individual. We married so now we have the same LAST name. Not first...apparently some people think I took his first name too. But I don't really think I look or act like a Tim, do you?
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
November 29th was a sad, sad day.
Yesterday Tim's family's lab, Abby, had to be put to sleep. Her age has always been an area of debate so I'm going to say she was around 12 or 13. She has been acting strange for the past couple of months started by an incident of what seemed like vertigo. In other words, she couldn't balance and was walking in zig zagged lines with her head tilted to the side (perhaps what a drunk dog would look like). Tim's parents were told this was a temporary condition common in most older dogs.
Then lately she started walking in circles randomly and panting constantly. She was doing this a few weeks ago when I visited. It didn't stop and actually got worse. This week they started to have a hard time finding her outside. She would go behind bushes to hide...Tim's parents said it was almost as if she were trying to find a place to die. She also started to not eat anything, which, if you knew Abby, you would be alarmed simply by this fact. That dog could eat and could fake that she hadn't eaten so you would feed her again. Tim said he would be shocked to learn that she ever missed a meal.... Point: she loved food and the fact that she stopped eating was a sure sign of something amiss.
So Tim's parents took her back to the vet on Monday and the doctor said that her symptoms were that of a brain tumor. The panting, they said, is a mechanism for coping with pain. So, to spare her the severe pain of dying on her own (which the vet said would probably be within 3 months, but probably sooner) Tim's parents made the difficult decision so put her to sleep. Now she is in a better place...free of pain and at peace. I hope that somehow animals know how much they are loved and that they are never truly forgotten. Each one is so unique. Abby, I know, was loved deeply by Tim, Aaron, Ryan, Mark, and Beth. And even by me, whose time with her was short...but so precious.
Then lately she started walking in circles randomly and panting constantly. She was doing this a few weeks ago when I visited. It didn't stop and actually got worse. This week they started to have a hard time finding her outside. She would go behind bushes to hide...Tim's parents said it was almost as if she were trying to find a place to die. She also started to not eat anything, which, if you knew Abby, you would be alarmed simply by this fact. That dog could eat and could fake that she hadn't eaten so you would feed her again. Tim said he would be shocked to learn that she ever missed a meal.... Point: she loved food and the fact that she stopped eating was a sure sign of something amiss.
So Tim's parents took her back to the vet on Monday and the doctor said that her symptoms were that of a brain tumor. The panting, they said, is a mechanism for coping with pain. So, to spare her the severe pain of dying on her own (which the vet said would probably be within 3 months, but probably sooner) Tim's parents made the difficult decision so put her to sleep. Now she is in a better place...free of pain and at peace. I hope that somehow animals know how much they are loved and that they are never truly forgotten. Each one is so unique. Abby, I know, was loved deeply by Tim, Aaron, Ryan, Mark, and Beth. And even by me, whose time with her was short...but so precious.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Thanksgiving and the climb up a Camel's back
Thanksgiving was great. The day, the whole week. Just fab. I left work early on Wednesday to meet my parents so we could pick up my brother from the airport. Apparently Wednesday was a huge travel day...we waiting 40 minutes to go about 1.5 miles into the airport. I didn't mind... I got to show my parents what a really bad traffic day is like for me. I don't think they enjoyed it very much and they might think I'm slightly crazy for enduring it. (Really, it's not that bad!)
Wednesday night we had our own little Thanksgiving dinner. Our new table hasn't yet arrived so we had a hilarious time fitting 5 adults around a newly purchased $30 card table from Wal Mart (have I ever mentioned that I LOATHE Wal Mart? Well, I do. But I sent Tim out to find a card table and he found one at The Store That I Despise). Anyway, I will post pictures later but it was quite an experience. One that I'm sure we won't soon forget. I'm sure we'll be laughing for many years to come about the Thanksgiving we ate around a card table. Food was still excellent, though, thanks to my mom. Oh, and as a side note, Tim just got a call TODAY that our new table is in and ready to be delivered. Come on! Just like 4 days earlier and we would have been set! I actually didn't even expect it this soon, though, so I'm just excited it's in.
Thursday we went to my dad's cousin's wife's parents house. (Yeah, I was confused too. It took me practically the whole day to figure out who I was and was not related to and how). Everyone was so nice. And my third cousin (who's my age) actually lives right by where I work...it's shame I've never met him before...he is so nice! He played basketball in high school so Tim and him are going to start a basketball team. And the really weird thing? He is a fed-ex driver that delivers EVERY DAY to my work. He knows people that I work with! How strange is that?
On Friday, a decision was made to hike up Camelback Mountain (it's called Camelback because it seriously does look like a Camel). My brother really wanted to go on a hike and after spending time with our relatives on Thursday, my mom had decided that hiking this mountain would be cool (I don't think she considered that the people who told her this was a cool hike are 25 years old). I've heard of this hike and have been meaning to go. It's one of the hardest hikes around... it climbs 1200 feet in 1 mile. No switchbacks, just straight up. There are actually 50 foot poles to help you up in some places because you are going straight up. After you get past the poles, you basically rock climb the rest of the way straight to the top. It's really rather challenging. I thought it was great and I can't wait to go back. My parents were hurting... my dad, brother, Tim and I made it to the top, my mom had to stop after one of the first pole climbs because it really is crazy hard. The view at the top is amazing, though... you have a total panoramic of the whole valley. Awesome. I was so tired Friday night though, that I could not keep my eyes open. It was so surreal. I would be in the middle of a sentence and I would fall asleep. Tim would be answering a question and I would fall asleep. I'm told it was really quite humorous.
Saturday we all played golf. Amazingly, my swing has come back! I was hitting almost as good as I used to. We played a scramble...Tim, Jon, and me against my mom and dad. We lost by three (although after the first 9 we were winning by 2). It was fun anyway. After golf, we went and laid by the pool until we had to leave to take them to the airport.
The weather was perfect all week. Yesterday and today it has been freezing here! And I may be reprimanded for complaining about how cold I am but it is FREEZING. The temperature yesterday was 60 degrees and the same today. Big difference from last week when the highs were upper 70s to 80. So, I'm double layered with a sweater on top. Laugh if you want but it is dang cold...although I know it could be worse.
Anyway, the week with my parents was great. I ate too many oatmeal raisin cookies and junk food but I guess that Thanksgiving is about eating right? I guess that justification enough. It was so good to see my family and I will get to see them again in just 3 weeks... and hopefully by then they will not be hobbling around anymore after the climb up Camelback.
Wednesday night we had our own little Thanksgiving dinner. Our new table hasn't yet arrived so we had a hilarious time fitting 5 adults around a newly purchased $30 card table from Wal Mart (have I ever mentioned that I LOATHE Wal Mart? Well, I do. But I sent Tim out to find a card table and he found one at The Store That I Despise). Anyway, I will post pictures later but it was quite an experience. One that I'm sure we won't soon forget. I'm sure we'll be laughing for many years to come about the Thanksgiving we ate around a card table. Food was still excellent, though, thanks to my mom. Oh, and as a side note, Tim just got a call TODAY that our new table is in and ready to be delivered. Come on! Just like 4 days earlier and we would have been set! I actually didn't even expect it this soon, though, so I'm just excited it's in.
Thursday we went to my dad's cousin's wife's parents house. (Yeah, I was confused too. It took me practically the whole day to figure out who I was and was not related to and how). Everyone was so nice. And my third cousin (who's my age) actually lives right by where I work...it's shame I've never met him before...he is so nice! He played basketball in high school so Tim and him are going to start a basketball team. And the really weird thing? He is a fed-ex driver that delivers EVERY DAY to my work. He knows people that I work with! How strange is that?
On Friday, a decision was made to hike up Camelback Mountain (it's called Camelback because it seriously does look like a Camel). My brother really wanted to go on a hike and after spending time with our relatives on Thursday, my mom had decided that hiking this mountain would be cool (I don't think she considered that the people who told her this was a cool hike are 25 years old). I've heard of this hike and have been meaning to go. It's one of the hardest hikes around... it climbs 1200 feet in 1 mile. No switchbacks, just straight up. There are actually 50 foot poles to help you up in some places because you are going straight up. After you get past the poles, you basically rock climb the rest of the way straight to the top. It's really rather challenging. I thought it was great and I can't wait to go back. My parents were hurting... my dad, brother, Tim and I made it to the top, my mom had to stop after one of the first pole climbs because it really is crazy hard. The view at the top is amazing, though... you have a total panoramic of the whole valley. Awesome. I was so tired Friday night though, that I could not keep my eyes open. It was so surreal. I would be in the middle of a sentence and I would fall asleep. Tim would be answering a question and I would fall asleep. I'm told it was really quite humorous.
Saturday we all played golf. Amazingly, my swing has come back! I was hitting almost as good as I used to. We played a scramble...Tim, Jon, and me against my mom and dad. We lost by three (although after the first 9 we were winning by 2). It was fun anyway. After golf, we went and laid by the pool until we had to leave to take them to the airport.
The weather was perfect all week. Yesterday and today it has been freezing here! And I may be reprimanded for complaining about how cold I am but it is FREEZING. The temperature yesterday was 60 degrees and the same today. Big difference from last week when the highs were upper 70s to 80. So, I'm double layered with a sweater on top. Laugh if you want but it is dang cold...although I know it could be worse.
Anyway, the week with my parents was great. I ate too many oatmeal raisin cookies and junk food but I guess that Thanksgiving is about eating right? I guess that justification enough. It was so good to see my family and I will get to see them again in just 3 weeks... and hopefully by then they will not be hobbling around anymore after the climb up Camelback.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Baking phenomenons revisited
So, the other day my parents flew into town. Saturday, to be exact. Against my better judgement I went out with some people from work on Friday night. And planned to be home by 7. Which was extended to 8. Which was extended to 9. Which ultimately ended up being 10. Luckily, Tim cleaned the bathroom when he got home from work so the house was pretty clean in time for their visit.
However, I felt compelled to cook. Whenever I go to my mom's house, it's like visiting my own bake shoppe. There are goodies everywhere and good meals too many times a day to count... I honestly gain about 5 pounds every time I visit for a week. It's amazing to me that I stayed small when I still lived there. So I was going to cook Friday night. But seeing as how I picked something I wanted to do over something I needed to do, Friday night was scrapped.
So we got up Saturday morning and cleaned some then I began the baking marathon. I baked chocolate chip cookies, strawberry cookies, energy bars, pumpkin cookies, dips, and a lasagna. It was a lot. I've never cooked that much in one span of time in my life. Well, everything turned out ok, at least so it seemed. I was having a bit of a problem with the maple syrup icing on the pumpkin cookies. But I let it harden and it seemed fine. So I stored them away in a container. Two hours later, the icing was gone. What was hard icing decomposed to the consistency of water and pooled at the bottom of the container thus making the cookies look like I went out and dug up some mud and poured some pool water on them. Yuck. So, the thing I spent the most time working on (and the thing that was the hardest recipe) was ruined. But, BUT, everything else turned out great... That is progress, right?
Anyway, aside from baking, it's been great to see my family. My brother flies in today. We've shown my parents around and while we've been at work the last couple of days, they've been spending time on the golf course and at the pool. It's been a lot of fun...even without the pumpkin cookies!
However, I felt compelled to cook. Whenever I go to my mom's house, it's like visiting my own bake shoppe. There are goodies everywhere and good meals too many times a day to count... I honestly gain about 5 pounds every time I visit for a week. It's amazing to me that I stayed small when I still lived there. So I was going to cook Friday night. But seeing as how I picked something I wanted to do over something I needed to do, Friday night was scrapped.
So we got up Saturday morning and cleaned some then I began the baking marathon. I baked chocolate chip cookies, strawberry cookies, energy bars, pumpkin cookies, dips, and a lasagna. It was a lot. I've never cooked that much in one span of time in my life. Well, everything turned out ok, at least so it seemed. I was having a bit of a problem with the maple syrup icing on the pumpkin cookies. But I let it harden and it seemed fine. So I stored them away in a container. Two hours later, the icing was gone. What was hard icing decomposed to the consistency of water and pooled at the bottom of the container thus making the cookies look like I went out and dug up some mud and poured some pool water on them. Yuck. So, the thing I spent the most time working on (and the thing that was the hardest recipe) was ruined. But, BUT, everything else turned out great... That is progress, right?
Anyway, aside from baking, it's been great to see my family. My brother flies in today. We've shown my parents around and while we've been at work the last couple of days, they've been spending time on the golf course and at the pool. It's been a lot of fun...even without the pumpkin cookies!
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