dreaming

Things I don't own but would like to have:

Gustav Klimt...my favorite piece of art right now


Beautiful antique diamond ring...suits my fancy


A good knife, but I'm kinda afraid I'd chop off my finger


A indoor cycling gadget so I can ride in the winter

Thanksgiving

Last minute change of plans. All along I planned on spending all my Holidays with Josh and his family. When I found out the crowd that would be there during Thanksgiving I changed my mind. It worked out for the better. I made a Thanksgiving feast of my own, and it was the best I've ever had. I don't know if I am bias since I am the cook but I am a pretty good cook.
I made Turkey with cornbread/leek stuffing, the best most flavorful gravy ever,and amazing mashed potato. I owe those items all to Tyler Florence, chef extraordinaire on Food Network which I watched during my 1/2 Marathon weekend in Monterey (I owe a thanks to my friend Jen as well. I never would have watched the Food Network otherwise). I also made sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and cherry salad....And all for two. Yes I am spoiling someone besides myself I think.
Thanksgiving day I lounged around in the house all by myself, and went to a friend's in the ward in the afternoon. It was a good day as well. I felt so strange lounging around not doing anything.

My delicious meal and Mr. Turkey cup (I thought it was cute. Maybe I'll make it one day for some babies).

1/2 Marathon

Monterey, California November 2009



My best childhood friend, Jennifer Bradley and I trained for a 1/2 Marathon. I may have mention in another blog that I somehow convinced her to run with me. It is something I wanted to do and something I still pay for dearly.

We couldn't have picked a more beautiful location than Monterey California. The run wasn't until Sunday so we had all day Friday and Saturday. I both flew into San Jose where we picked up our rental piece of metal. The first night we spent in Santa Cruz. It isn't quite as cool in the winter...the Boardwalk wasn't open. You'd think I would have realized that one. We took scenic drives, walked around, did small amounts of shopping and relaxed. One day we spend in the car on 17-Mile Drive. Scenic gorgeous views of the ocean and we ended up watching the sunset in Carmel. I have seen all of California and this is one of the most beautiful areas.







The run? Well, all I can say is: 'I finished it' I ran the whole way. It was an accomplishment. No, I won't run a full marathon. The run went through history Monterey, along the coastline, through Cannery Row (which is the old Sardine packing plant area), and the rest of the way was coastline and breathtaking-not because I was running the whole way. Afterwards got our medallion, photo taken, and headed for the food station. Our hotel was conveniently located at the finishline of the race. We didn't have far to walk. The went straight up, showered, and had naps.



THANK YOU JEN!

Christmas time is here

I went to my brother's again for Christmas but this time it was just me. I like smaller gathering although it was strange not to be with my parents. I think that was my first year not having Christmas with them. My parents though far away were very near morning of Christmas via Skype. Which was cool for them but distracting for the kids. We ate lots of food, played games, watched movies, and went to the zoo. I went to a Penguins game with Josh. We had pretty good seats and the Penguins won.

A surprise this year for our family is that my brother got engaged. Everyone but my mom knew including a pair of Danny's friend's parents. By accident of course. Danny's way of telling my mom was kinda funny. My mom's gift was wrapped in 4 parts. 1) chocolates 2)tissue paper(Kleenex) 3)a Christmas card with scripture reference that a man will leave his parents and cleave unto woman and they shall be one flesh 4) a place card in a ring box saying 'Kate as a daughter-in-law' and under it the engagement ring. The ring it really beautiful, and danty because Kate is very danty.

Ring on my mom's not so danty hands





Christmas Eve we played all day. I took naps ever afternoon which was brilliant. We had yummy cheese fondue with tons of veggies and ham, and pineapple upside down cake for dessert. We acted out the Nativity story and exchanged our name gifts. I wrote Thomasin a story and illustrated it. She loved it.Emil had my name and I got a shirt with a iron-on picture of him giving kisses. Then it was to bed for the kids.

A few of my illustrations



Our Nativity Story:

Aren't I a beautiful angel?


Yes, we ended up having 2 Mary's. Marta was a Wise man with her Mommy but wanted a baby and a shawl over her head like her big sister.



Our little Shepard


The Narrator



Playing around after opening the name gifts

Gingerbread houses, ugly sweater party, and so much more

A friend of mine appeased my wishes of doing all the holiday things I have wanted to do this year:

Make a Gingerbread house




Make a paper chain (to count down until Christmas)

Go to the National Christmas tree


Go ice skating (or at least attempt to)

See the Radio City Music Show with the Rockettes

Watch holiday movies

Visit the botanical garden wooden monument models


See the small but worthwhile...Christmas exhibit at the Smithsonian American History Museum

We held a second annual ugly sweater party. This year it wasn't quite as crazy as last year. I would say slightly more intimate :) And we did have some ugly sweaters as well as ugly outfits.



This is the photo attached to our evite:

O Boise

Do any of you recall a potato chip called O'Boisies? Well it was kinda like the Crystal Clear Pepsi...it didn't last very long. But since I am from Boise, it was cool! Then they disappeared.

Have you ever walked through the aisles of the Dollar Store to see if you get an awesome find? Occasionally there are things in the Dollar Store that you just can't pass up and this is one of them.

I was buying a few things for our Christmas party and I was walking around and they jumped out at me...




These chips taste different because they are slightly saltier, and somehow in the process have developed air pockets in each chip which makes the chip crispier. Yeah they are pretty good. Maybe you'll never know.

Hospital Beds

Most of you know about the severe weather storm we, East coasters, had little over a week ago. Well, I had no part in the fun, nor did I get to play in the snow. The first day, I unburied my car and drove to work. That was my weekend.

All day at work, we were consumed with the thoughts of having to stay the night at the hospital. The hospital can declare a state of weather emergency and require staff to either report or stay at the hospital. It was kinda stressful. All day I looked out the window as more snow gathered, 8, 10, 12...18 inches of snow. Every patients room had the news on, so we all received updates about the weather continuously. The worse part about working was the possibility of working 4 hrs shifts through the night and the next day if the next shift couldn't make it. I'd never slept in a hospital bed before and this might have been my first experience.

Luckily all the night shift nurses showed up, and even more fortunate was a co-worker, Ashley, on shift with us lived a 10 minute walk from the hospital. Our manager allowed a few of us to walk to her house for the night instead of staying in the hospital. Workers were put up in patient rooms, in the ED bays, and my co-workers unfortunately slept on the pads from the transport stretchers. I leaving late in the AM disregarded the fact that I might have to stay, and didn't bring toiletries, a change of clothes, nada. Ashley's boyfriend picked up other co-workers in a huge SUV he had and also bought frozen pizza for us to have dinner. The four of us who stayed with Ashley called it a night early, anticipating another long day ahead.

Let's just say it was a very long, stressful, not fun snow storm for me. I just so happened to pull 4 days in a row as well. Everyone else got to play in the powder, build snowmen, go sledding, skiing etc and I 'saved lives'

My roommates were kind enough to shovel part of the street for me to part and one even helped me clear my car the first morning of the storm.

Since I wasn't able to get any photos I pulled some from the Internet I really liked.

What's next

I think the school is finally getting sick of me and gave me my certification so I can sign up to take the boards and practical exam to get my Esthetics license. Better believe it...just got to finish out the month. Then what...maybe laser, master's, GRE but definitely gonna fill my time with something worthwhile. Life is too short. :)

The most exciting news of the month, my Josh and Cindy are pregnant again. I am secretly hoping for a little girl, a little Harriet Eloise.

I went crazy with my pumpkins the other week. I wanted to use the 12 sugar pumpkins that grew in my garden. Let nothing go to waste, and I went to all the efforts of caring them from seed to fruit. I cooked some and froze the flesh, made soup in pumpkins, and pumpkin butter. I just have a few more babies that need a placement in a recipe. I was thinking of pancakes, muffins, and somehow making a pasta sauce with it. We'll see I also have to find the time to cook.





I also made an apple pie with white cheddar crust. I was inspired by one of the fabulous gourmet cook's I know, Remi Rawlings. After I tried it while living at her house I always wanted to attempt it myself. Although it wasn't quite as delicious it was a worthy attempt. Cindy bought me some white cheddar from a cheese auction she goes to in amish country somewhere. And I hate to admit it but I ate the whole pie myself minus one small piece in a matter of 3 days. Yikes...good thing I've been running like crazy (well considering I didn't run at all 11 weeks ago).

Another addition for October...5th annual reunion with my Zoobie roomies

I can't believe that it has been 5 years since I graduated from BYU. It seems a little crazy, but then again thinking of my 10 year high school reunion coming this summer and it is even more of a shock. My roommies from my Sophomore and beyond are some of my favorite people in the whole world.

The chosen destination was Provo, UT our old stomping grounds. Previous years were Orange County X2 (for weddings), Las Vegas, Oakland/SF (another wedding) and now Provo Utah. The weekend's events: once we were all picked up at the airport we drove to Barbara and Con's, my second set of parents. They were so kind to let us stay there. We visited the Y campus, the Colony which is the place that brought us all together, went for a little run, watched a BYU football game, attended temple session, cooked, laughed, and reminisced together. The only disappointing part was we had two roommates missing, one recently had a baby, and other other was too far along in her pregnancy to come along.