ThanksgivingSmushyChristmasTree

Since I have been remiss in my posting duties and also am lazy and tired, I hereby present the smushed version of my "Thanksgiving AKA Stuffing Yourself Until You Explode" post and the "Great Search for the Perfect Christmas Tree!"

Thanksgiving was great but very quiet, I kept thinking that we had the date wrong or something since none of my relatives were up! Missed you guys! It was just my family and Nick eating a huge amount of food. I ended up making a sweet potato casserole, and, like my boss suggested, putting in about 2 cooked banana per 4 sweet potato, and then whipping and covering with brown sugar and butter and sticking it in the oven for half an hour. Delicious!

All of us (except Dad, he was watching the game) then walked around the circle and fought the dogs every step of the way. (We will soon be buying one of those poky collars for Sage).

Then Nick and I drove off to his grandma's house for ANOTHER Thanksgiving feast! And I do mean feast--there was enough food for about 20 people and there were only 10 there, but it was soooo amazing! Nick and I and Clair played pool and first Nick won and then I won. Then we all exploded, the end.

This morning I woke up dark and early and drove to Nick's to go search for a Christmas tree for his family, and we all hiked for TWO HOURS up hills and down. I fell on my bottom once and slid halfway down a hill on my slippery boots, but Nick kept catching me! So sweet.

I took probably a gazillion photos with his dad's expensive camera, and hopefully will be able to post some of them soon!

Finally we found the perfect tree, after about 200 had already been examined and pronounced faulty for being too small or too short or too fat... it was hilarious! Nick's dad hefted it and we walked back down, and then bought delicious fudge and adorable Christmas ornaments! It was a lot of fun, but I am exhausted now. (May also be partly caused by the beginnings of a cold and a lack of wanting to do math and spanish homework).

So probably next weekend my family and Nick will go to a different tree farm and buy one for our house, even though we are going to LA for Christmas! Wish us luck and sturdy legs, for we shall need it.

Kitten Expressions

Hey lady, you lookin' at me?! What! You woke me up from my nap, fetch me some delicious fish this instant!



Lazy woman. Never mind. I'll just stare up and dream of fishies.

And long fuzzy white haired kitten and blackie sez "ZZzzzzZZzzz"

Lipgloss Addicts Anonymous

I know I have a problem. You don't have to tell me.



Guess how many lip glosses/lip balms/lipsticks are there. Go on, guess.



There are 36. And that is not including what is also in my purse, car, schoolbag, and various pockets.

While cleaning my room I am going to sort through them and throw out any mostly used or old lipglosses. I fully expect that I will be so upset at losing them that I will have to run out and purchase some more.

Anybody have favorite lip balms/glosses that they want to suggest? My dream lipgloss would have a great look, slight gloss, and a great flavor without being sticky or thick.

Clean at last!

A few days ago I finally had enough.

I moved my cat Io's litter box out of my room (ew, I know) and also bought him a space-age litter box with a top and a clear door flap so he couldn't kick litter everywhere.

So I spent all day today cleaning my room from top to bottom. I vacuumed and mopped and steam cleaned, moved all of my furniture so I could get under and around them, washed walls and scrubbed, windexed and febrezed and ran loads of laundry, and sang along with music really really loudly while I was doing it all.

I also cleaned the kitten's bathroom and wrote a spanish speech and paper and worked on selling my car.

My back aches like a bad word and I really don't like Spanish right now, but my room is clean!

(Except I want to wipe down all of the surfaces of my closet . . .later. And I need to let my carpet dry before I move my dresser and bed back. But ohmigod I think it might not smell like poop. Amazing!)

Kali does not agree with my cleanliness and protests in her passive-aggressive way. I am NOT cleaning her this time.

Twilight

Guess who saw TWILIGHT today! Go on, guess!

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEEEEEE!!!!

And Vicky and her cousin Shasta! We had a great time, and it was an amazing movie! It was so like the book, which now of course I have to own all of them!

Sucker for Romance

I admit I am a total romantic fool. I love flowers, I love surprises, I love shiny things and being taken out. I also love chick flicks and romantic novels, and I cry when people on the radio profess their undying love.

What I never found romantic was Romeo and Juliet killing themselves because of a mistake. Tragic teen suicides, bah. Not my kind of romance.

I do, however, love the first part of the book, when Romeo and Juliet declare love at first sight, and sneak around to be together. Beautiful dresses, Romeo throwing pebbles and balconies...it makes my inner romantic sigh.

So obviously this is now my favorite music video. How could it not be?



I want her dress and her hair.

Drat. I just realized that Halloween is over and my chances of dressing up like that and convincing Nick to be Romeo are gone for at least a year...although having a whole year to convince him might actually be helpful. Hmmmm. MWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

EDWAAAARRRDDD!!!

I finally gave in to the pressure (from myself!) and bought Twilight, the awesome vampire and human love story novel by Stephenie Meyer. ("Soon to be a major motion picture! Free poster inside!").

The pictures were everywhere. My aunt and cousin were raving about the soon to be released movie. My friend asked me if I wanted to go see it next weekend. It had been like a whole month since I had read Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Pick any excuse you like, I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.

When I spotted it for $8.59 at Target I just couldn't stop myself. So now I have my very own brand-spankin' new copy that I barely have time to read . . .I dream of reading it while laboriously working on math, forgetting to study Spanish, or while I'm at work. Last night I stayed up to 11:30 reading up to a "happy part" so I could put the book down without fretting that OHMIGOD EDWARD IS UPSET. WHY?!? Never mind that I technically remember, I HAVE TO REREAD IT TO KNOW FOR SURE.

So yeah. If you haven't read Twilight, push off that rock you're under and prepare to fall in love. You can choose from all the amazing beautiful perfect characters! Edward is the perfect vampire. (Almost too perfect. Annoyingly perfect? Perhaps, but I will bury that thought, never fear!) (Okay, seriously. His character weakness is being overprotective. WTF? Doesn't he leave the toilet seat up too?)

I cannot wait to see the movie this weekend. I hope it is amazing because so many Twilight fans are waiting with bated breath and a sucky movie would....suck. But if it's not? I plan to buy the three next books and console myself with written vampire perfection.


EDWAAAARRRRDDDDDD!!!!!

Kittens + Boys = Cute

We've been very busy here--still--but here! Have some fluffy kittens!

This is my baby cousin Adam holding the black kitten.


Nick in the morning before school with sleeping kittens.


My mom with all of them, that I woke up trying to get a cute picture!


And little white kitten, off balance and blinded by the flash of my camera.


We are trying to get them to start eating real food, and they will suck it off our fingers but not eat out of a bowl. They just have to figure out that they can open their mouths and chew instead of sucking! They are definitely ready for real food however, because they spend half the time on the bottle now being frustrated and chewing on it. It is a pain in the butt to feed them now since they are eating so often.

They are also starting to play a lot more! Right now two of them are wrestling next to me on the couch (while fluffy white kitten sleeps on mom's lap). They were tentatively named Edward (black) Jasper (short white) and Bella (long white) by my cousin and my mom, but we think that Edward might actually be Edwardette. Or something. Soooo we are not sure of names still!
They are growing well and still oh-so-cute!

Sad Day

Today I, along with my extended family, buried my Grandma and Grandpa.

It was a beautiful day, they were buried in a very peaceful and lovely cemetery. But I want them to be back with us, not in the ground.

Then I went straight to work, we had a easy but busy night. A ton of fevers! Then I came home and realized that I did not complete my online college assessment that was due last night at midnight.

Sad, sad day.

Remembering Shirley and Alan

Today was my grandparent's memorial service, a day that has been simultaneously anticipated and dreaded. My mom has exhausted herself trying to make today as perfect as possible, and all of the family has done so much . . . and it worked! Even the weather cooperated today, it was a beautiful slightly cool day, the sun was shining and there were perfect little white clouds in the sky.

We had the service at the country club in their home area, in a lovely large room with big round tables covered in white cloth, with blue accents everywhere. The flowers (the main ones from a florist, the table flower centerpieces we made, courtesy of our creative aunt!) looked and smelled great, and the pictures and remembrance cards were set up perfectly, and the food ended up delicious! The priest was very kind and well spoken, my uncle presented a fabulous slide show of their life, the eulogies were sweet and made me cry, (even my little cousin Nathan raised his hand to go up and speak, he was so brave), and Troy and I each played a piano song. I performed "Chanson" by Nancy Faber, which is French for song. It was the last piece that Grandma gave to me, just a few weeks before she went into the hospital. And I played it for her when she was still at home, and she said I played it so beautifully . . . it was also the last piece that I played for her. Troy performed an untitled piece that he wrote himself, in honor of Grandma. It was so beautiful!

I met so many family members I did not know, and friends of Grandma and Grandpa that I also did not know. They were all so sweet and friendly, the only problem is that my feet were dying from standing so long talking to them in my high heels! Four inch pumps are a no-go methinks! (But oh-so-pretty, I will probably bear the pain for the looks). Also, on my short (like seriously, 20 feet trip) to get coffee after our delicious lunch it took me about ten to fifteen minutes to get back to my table! Walking to the coffee I was stopped three times, getting coffee once, then walking back three more times! All they wanted to do was be friendly and nice and say that they loved the piano and they loved my grandparents and they'd be so proud, but man, it took forever! Even when I stepped outside with the little boys for a break nearly five people followed us! I don't really mind though, they were so sweet.

All-in-all, my grandparents were amazing people. How many people do you know that can meet and marry within 23 days and then be best friends for 54 years? My Grandma was 19 when she married Grandpa, and they were lucky enough to meet and marry the person that was perfect for them. It's so weird to think, that if they hadn't met and fallen in love like that, our entire huge, loving family wouldn't exist! They were great parents, the perfect grandparents . . . they were loved, and I will miss them so, so much.

Goodbye for now!

Three Weeks

We figured out our three kittens are about three weeks old! They actually now look like fluffy kittens, not hairy rats. We are trying to get them accustomed to eating out of a bowl now, but every time we try they inhale through their nose, step in it, and then wobble and fall in . . . So they are still bottle fed. Which, as you will see, they absolutely love!

Sleeping on my lap!


Tangled up between Kali's legs!


Squish!


Still squished!


So cute! Curled up on mom after eating.


Then eating again!


OMG where is the bottle we need food right now!!! They're sucking my hand!


Practically running after the bottle! While oohing over the kitten, take a moment to admire my Victoria Secret smoochie kiss lip pajamas. Am sexiness personified right here!

Decisions, 2008

By my last few posts you can obviously tell that I am a liberal democrat, pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, pro-alternative energy/fuels. I really did not like McCain or Palin that much, as they are against what I believe in.

However, after watching our country's decision on November 4th, I can now say that I respect McCain. He gave a very gracious concession speech, pledged his support to Obama, thanked his own supporters, and urged them to give Obama a chance.

Nick says I'm opinionated, especially about politics. It's true! I was working and found out Obama was our next president from a phone call from Aimee, and I squealed and danced in a circle in our back office. And I came home and watched Obama's speech on the TV and it brought tears to my eyes.

I realize that Obama is not going to turn our country around on a dime, and that I will probably not agree with everything that he does in the next four years, but I feel so happy and filled with hope. We have a new chance.

I am happy that Prop 4 was denied, (mandatory notification of guardians of a minor in order to procure an abortion) because I do not believe that 1) the government should have any say in abortions and 2) that it is not safe for some minor's guardian's to be notified, and that violence or homelessness would ensue.

I am so disappointed in Californians, however, for supporting Proposition 8, the ban on gay marriage. Religion has no part in our government. "Separation of church and state" is what we are supposed to be, yet we are definitely not separate. I feel so badly for all of my friends or anyone whose life is affected by this ban, and I hope that it will be overturned soon. Equality for all!

(Also, OMG, 10 billion dollars to built a train?! Potentially 100 billion dollars?! We have a huge deficit, is right now really the best time? I do think it can be a good idea, but right now?)

President Elect

Ohmigod. Obama is going to be the next president.
YEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

C-Section

Last Thursday I saw a human c-section!!!

For my college career planning class I had to do a job shadow (still need one more) and luckily got ahold of a nurse in the local hospital, so the Friday before last I shadowed her for four hours and learned SO MUCH. I had a wonderful time, she was so nice and explained everything that she was doing, had me feel a fundus and told me about different medications. I got to hold a c-section baby that was only two hours old and then help bathe the baby, and hold two other babies that were just a day old! (Soooooo cute!)

And THEN she asked me if I would like to see a c-section, because they had one scheduled for Thursday! I was so happy and excited!!!

So Thursday rolls around and I go into the hospital and say hi to everyone, meet the expectant mom and father, (who are so nice, they had no problem with me being in there and were very friendly), meet the nurse anesthesiologist, some other nurses, the assistant surgeon, and the surgeon and we all go in the surgery and get things set up.

When the nurse anesthesiologist started prepping for the spinal block, I was so excited to see it, and got right up close with another student.

When he started to stick the needle in multiple times . . . we got woozy. The mom was flinching away from the needle and . . . I just don't like needles! I'm fine with them near animals, but near me or humans I get all weird. I started feeling odd and went and sat down with the assistant surgeon, but then the anesthesiologist called me back up to see him pulling out some spinal fluid and then injecting the drugs through the huge needle.

Lights started flashing in front of my eyes, my vision went blurry, my face went numb and my body felt detached from my head. It was all I could do to concentrate and tell myself "I am not going to faint. I am NOT going to faint."

I have never felt like that before in my life and I don't want to feel it again! I was totally out of control of what my body was doing. I went over out of the way (they were prepping her stomach for the incision) and sank down against the wall on a stool. Several of the nurses came to see if I was okay. The other student had to leave the room, I later heard she thought she was going to vomit.

A nice nurse gave me a cold cloth for the back of my neck and I slowly got control of myself. I looked up and saw they were just about to start, and right as they started to slice open her stomach I felt better. This is familiar! I see DR cutting into dogs and cats all the time. So I stood up and felt much more like myself, and watched the rest of the surgery just fine!

It was SO cool. They cut her right open, used really big hooky things to pull the skin apart, cut open the uterus and out came baby butt! And then feet. And finally a head! A beautiful baby boy! It took them longer to suture her back up than it did to get him out! Also the surgeon gave me an anatomy lesson by pulling out her uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries and showing me intestines. Totally cool.

I hung around for a few more hours, peered over their shoulders at paperwork, ooohed over the baby in the nursery, hung out with the mom, and generally had a lot of fun!

Seeing a baby born is an incredible experience, and I would totally recommend it to anyone!

Also a bonus: grossing out anyone (like Nick) who doesn't like blood and guts with your awesome stories. Like the large amount of blood and the clots and slicing flesh.

(One more thing to be excited about--Aimee might let me be in the surgery room when her baby is born! Wheee!!!)

Halloween

We had a good Halloween. 

Nevermind that we ate all the candy about a month ago! We don't really get any trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood--houses are too far apart! 

It was my mom's birthday and she woke me up hollering for me to make her breakfast! So I made a delicious apple cobbler coffeecake. Then mom, dad, two of their friends and Nick and I went to pizza for dinner and went through a baby haunted house. Dad and the other guy friend drank a whole pitcher of beer and we all told funny stories and tried not to debate politics. 

Then Nick and I rented "Fido", a hilarious zombie movie (God help me, I am addicted to the zombie movies!) and watched it with my parents. 

And then we all went to sleep. We're some wild party animals! 

Happy Halloween!