Everyone Likes a Feast

Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving

Pied Beauty
Glory be to God for dappled things--
For skies of couple-color as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut falls; finches' wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced-fold, fallow, and plow;
And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change --
Praise Him.

Gerard Manly Hopkins

Chick Flick with Fangs

I participated in the "Twilight" frenzy by going to a midnight show with my friend Rebecca on Thursday. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!


Here we are sporting our glow in the dark fangs!

8 Things . . .

8 TV Shows I Watch
(8 is a lot! There are only a few that I watch practically every episode.)
1. Man vs. Wild
2. The Office ****
3. Mythbusters
4. John and Kate plus 8 ****
5. House Hunters
6. The Amazing Race ****
7. Oprah (I'm strangely ashamed to admit that I fit this stereotype. I don't tune in religiously, but I do watch on occasion.)
8. What Not to Wear

8 Restaurants I like
1. Elizabeth's Bakery and Tea Shop
2. Docetti's Gelato
3. The Mikado
4. Bombay House
5. Mazza
6. P.F. Chang's
7. The Bakery - real name!
8. Art City Trolley

8 Things that happened yesterday
1. Drove to Logan for a surprise visit with the in-laws
2. Had interesting conversations in the car with Gabe
3. Finished folding laundry
4. Put away laundry
5. Read "Good Night Moon" three times
6. Tried to make creme brule with Gabe, but it didn't turn out
7. Visited Grandma White
8. Listened to David Sedaris audio book

8 Things I'm looking forward to
1. Christmas in Hawaii
2. The Midnight movie of "Twilight" with Rebecca
3. Finalizing our adoption
4. No more student loan payments
5. Making cookies/forts/crafts etc. with Persephone someday
6. Becoming a world class fiddle player (who knows? I may have a secret talent and all that is missing are the lessons!)
7. Deep fried Turkey on Thanksgiving
8. Buying a home

8 Things on my wish list
1. My own washer and dryer
2. A Super hero outfit that really works
3. A life-time supply of Ferro Rocher chocolate
4. Snazzy sun glasses
5. A shopping spree at "Anthropologie"
6. My own vegetable garden
7. A personal chef
8. 1000 years to sleep

8 Things I love
1. My Family
2. Sharing a pint of Ben and Jerry's
3. Digging my toes into the sand
4. The sound of the dish washer
5. Hazelnut Gelato
6. When a long and stressful day finally comes to an end
7. The scalp massage you get when you have a hair cut
8. Baby giggles

8 Things I can't stand
1. The DMV
2. Rude behavior
3. Driving in the snow
4. Getting on the scale after a particularly festive weekend or vacation
(That's all I can think of right now. I'm in a pretty good mood!)

8 People I tag . . . Whoever wants to do it!

Tagged

I've been tagged by Laura.


What is your husband's name? Gabriel
How long have you been married? 6 years
How long did you date? Almost 2 years
How old is he? 29
Who eats more sweets? It's about equal. We are a terrible influence on each other.
Who said "I love you" first? Me!
Who is taller? Gabe, I think he's the perfect height.
Who can sing the best? I can, but it is nothing to brag about.
Who is smarter? Gabe, this guy is absolutely brilliant! We do get competitive about certain subjects though.
Who pays the bills? Gabe- when we first got married I was paying the bills, but being in charge of the finances when money is tight really stressed me out. There's more peace at home now that Gabe looks after the money.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Gabe
Who mows the lawn? Ahhh the joys of renting. . .
Who cooks dinner? We both cook. Gabe is an amateur chef and cooks for company as well as on the weekends. I do more the everyday stuff. We also eat a lot of cereal.
Who drives? Gabe
Who kissed who first? I did! :)
Who asked who out first? Gabe asked me out to a fireside on our first real date.
Who wears the pants? It's equal.

I TAG: whoever wants to do it

Rainy Days in Portland

This week, Gabe had depositions to do in Portland. I got to be a tourist with Persy while he worked. It was rainy during our entire stay, but that was to be expected.


My favorite outing was to the Portland Zoo. Persephone was pleasant and awake for the entire time. I didn't think she would get much from the experience, so I was surprised to see her following the animals intently with her eyes and making funny noises at them. She really enjoyed being snuggled into my jacket at a height where she could see everything.


On Wednesday, we saw the Japanese Gardens. I thought they were all the more romantic and charming in the rain. Oregon is such a gorgeous state. I would love to see more of it. My brother reminded me that this was right near the Rose Gardens where I got bit by a squirrel when I was about 6 years old. I was feeding the squirrels nuts and was so excited by how close they were that I decided to put a nut in the middle of my palm to see if the squirrel would climb into my hand. Squirrels aren't that clever though and when the bugger approached my already salty fingers he bit down with a vengeance! There was a tremendous amount of blood and my parents were frantically calling animal services to see if I would need to get rabies shots.

Gabe is sampling the famous bacon and maple donut from Voo Doo Donuts (It was a bit disappointing after all the hype and in a pretty dodgy neighborhood.)


We took a short stroll through Powell's the largest independent bookstore in the world.


The Vacation MVP position goes to this little cutie who was pleasant and fun for almost the entire trip. We think we'll reward her with more adventures!

Semi-Activisim

In honor of National Adoption Awareness month I participated in a walk yesterday. It was kind of lame though because Gabe had to work and I didn't know anyone and felt ultra introverted. Basically we just met and meandered around the park wearing orange. There really didn't seem to be a lot of energy in the group. I decided that next time I'm an activist their needs to be chanting or picketing of some kind. I mean really! I thought the Falun Dafa crowd that was meditating near by exhibited more passion than us. Anyhow, they had free burritos so we could refuel after our athletic little saunter, so I guess it wasn't a total waste.

Speaking of adoption, a friend of mine from high school adopted a little girl on Friday. They had been planning for the adoption for nearly the entire pregnancy. When it came time for the birth mother to deliver they drove up from Texas. I guess the birth mother started to have doubts at the hospital. They were really nervous that she wouldn't sign and so they gathered the whole family together to go to the LDS temple. When they got out of the temple there was a message on their phone saying the birth mother had signed the papers and the baby was ready to be picked up. I was so happy to hear their news that I literally cried knowing the anxiety and joy they must have felt during the experience. I have such a deep respect for the maturity and love that it takes for a birth mother to make this difficult choice for her child. Although I've never met Persephone's birth mom, I pray for her constantly and feel incredibly grateful that she has given us the opportunity to be parents.

Something to Cheer You Up . . . .

Call of the Cougar

Do you ever have a day when your kids wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Today, Persy woke up with a slightly stuffy nose and when I tried to suction out the snot it threw her into a torrent of crankiness. If I even go near the spot on the couch where the torture occured, her face twists up in a most unbecoming manner and she howls like a wild cougar. Every new infraction sends her into a new wave of rage.

"What?! Change my onesie? The injustice!"
"Lay me on a blanket to eat breakfast? You'll be hearing from my attorney!"

The only good news is that her fierce feral roars have completely exhausted her and she now snoozes peacefully. I hope when she awakens we can begin the day anew.

Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee

Traveling may be worse with a child, but holidays are a LOT more fun! I haven't had such a great Halloween since I was a child, and Persy isn't even old enough to trick-or-treat yet. I have a feeling that it's just going to get better and better.

On the porch at Grammy and Grandpa's


Persy was mesmerized by this blinking skull that my mother was wearing. She wanted to eat it.


I dressed up like a Bollywood star. I got this outfit when Gabe and I lived in Washington, DC. I've actually worn it to church a couple of times, but I got some strange stares!