Remembering Halloween
Two Halloweens ago, Chris and I had just moved into our house the day before. It had been a huge ordeal of a move, taking 2 days instead of the intended one, and included a mover puking in our neighbors bushes. We had slept on the floor for the past 2 nights, and I called in sick to work because I felt like I'd been run over with a truck. Steph came over that day and we sat among boxes in a house that still felt like someone else's, despite the fact that I had already spilled a beer on the carpet, which is usually the point at which a place really feels like home. Chris and I had just moved in together 4 months previously, and now we were moving again and had somehow instantly acquired 3 rental properties, 2 of which were vacant at this time. We had 3 mortgages and a blind faith that it would all work out and be a great move for us.
Last Halloween Chris and I were sitting at Carmax, me dressed as a vampire and Chris as something that I can't recall anymore. We were selling his car, a Chevy Blazer, and wondering if only having one car would work for us. We put him on the title to my car, and suddenly it was OUR car. OUR house. OUR car. We were engaged at this point, but it was still strange to watch our lives intertwine like this. (And yes, we are still a one-car family, and the only time we've missed it was during our wedding, when we had a lot of friends and family in town and a lot of places to be. But we rented a car for 3 days, and it was fine. I wonder at what point we'll decide we need another car again?)
This Halloween we are a married couple having a lazy night at home and waiting for trick-or-treaters. We are investigating a weird smell in our freezer. We are going to feast on salmon and (home-grown) butternut squash, and have fun-size candy bars for dessert. We are going over our health insurance options for the upcoming year, and considering plans based on our hope that we'll be a family of three in the next year. Two years flies by, but my god, how much happens in that short amount of time.
Future Mental Patient
It was a great weekend, despite how tired I was by the end of the week. The hockey game on Friday night was really exciting. It went into overtime and the Grizzlies won. The game was over by 10pm, so Chris and I decided to go to Brewvies to catch the 10:30pm showing of Superbad. It was funny, kind of on par with Knocked Up, humor-wise. Definitely not the best movie I've ever seen, but a good way to kill a couple of hours with a pitcher of beer.
Saturday night was Chris' cousin Steve's halloween party. I wasn't super into halloween this year, but I managed to throw together a decent costume (black widow) and the party was really fun. This is the last year they are having it. This was the 20th year they've had the party, so they are calling it good. Steve had put together a little retrospective slide show with pictures from the last 20 years that was playing on repeat. It was really cool; nostalgia is a funny animal. Chris and I have been to the last 5, I think? My costumes have been: Dark Angel, Flapper, Vampire, Gypsy, and Black Widow. So yes, 5 years.
Anyway, moving on. I slept late on Sunday while Chris studied (glorious sleep) and then I dragged my ass out of bed and into the yard. We harvested the rest of our garden and pulled all of the plants. *sob* We raked leaves and then I mowed the yard for what was probably the last time of the season. We got a decent harvest of red potatoes, concord grapes, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, green onions, and pumpkins.
And I also decided to bust up some more cement on the side our house. We dug out my old friend, the sledgehammer, and now I have a new project. I have clearly lost my mind.
This Weekend
Last night: Hanging out with Jessica. Going through the Taco Bell drive-through for Chris on the way home and scoring him a free drink from the suave employee who apparently tries to pick up chicks by giving them free drinks.
Tonight: Hockey game with the Castletons. It's the opening game and will be fun. Although I feel like I need a nap first, it just isn't going to happen. Need to remember to bring the cowbell. (Don't ask my why people bring cowbells, they just do.)
Tomorrow night: Chris' cousin's Halloween Party. Me trying to find spirit gum tomorrow afternoon.
Sunday: Harvesting the pumpkins from our garden and carving them.
In between: sleep, glorious sleep.
Now I Really Gots Nothin'
Seriously, folks. Could my life get any more boring? If anyone told you that I spent this evening drinking champagne and watching the Gilmore Girls, taking a break only to talk to Steph for 2 hours, THEY ARE LYING. DO NOT listen.
So, ask me anything you want to know. Ask in the comments, I promise I'll answer. I know who reads, ask a question of I'll seek revenge!!!!
And to placate you, here is a picture. Note that I look like a dork and that Chris looks HOT. As per usual. (Seriously, HOT.)
I'll be right back, I have to go and fan myself. (HOT.) Oh, and that's not smoke you see, it's steam from a fondue pot. I quit smoking 2 years ago. So there.
I Gots Nothin', Folks
Do you really want to hear about how I went bowling with Jessica and her boys on Thursday night? And how we went to John's for scallops and Wii on Friday night? And how I went bowling
again on Saturday? And how we had Jo and Melissa over for dinner and Desperate Housewives on Sunday and we ate tasty food and drank wine? I didn't think so. So here are some pictures from this fall (click for full sizes):
What do you do with wormy apples from your tree in the backyard?
You make applesauce!
You core the apples, peel them, and put them in a big bowl. Do you like our assembly line? The tub in the middle is the one we use to collect the kitchen scraps that can go in our compost pile.
Here is the final product!
And what do we do with the cats while we are trying to be productive? We are bad parents and we let them zone out in front of the TV! Hee!!
Oh, and I DO NOT have a mullet, even though it looks frighteningly like I do.
I had a board meeting for Community Council tonight from 7-9pm, so feel like I've barely had a night. I'm going straight to bed after I upload this. I was so tired this morning that I took a nap after work, which I never do. I seriously haven't had a nap since our honeymoon. Joanna came over last night and we were up a little too late. She brought her dog, Daisy, which is always good for the cats. They need a little excitement in their lives.
I took off from work for an hour today to go to the hospital to see a friend's new baby. He was adorable, and only 2 days old. I wondered if seeing a baby would make me baby-hungry, but it didn't at all. My friend/coworker (the baby is her nephew) held the baby most of the time while the baby's mom and I chatted. He was really cute, though, and so is his sister. She wears glasses, and is there anything cuter that a toddler with glasses? I mean, I know how much having bad vision sucks (I've worn glasses since I was 7) but there is some serious cuteness going on there.
Okay, really now, I'm going to bed.
I tried to update yesterday, but I was having issues with technology. I'm sure you missed me. I did manage to update my sidebar picture with one from when we went on The Price is Right last year. If you can't post dorky pictures of yourself on the internet then why have a website?
So, the weekend. We went out drinking at The Bayou with Melissa, Jo, and one of Melissa's friends on Friday night. It was a perfect night outside and we enjoyed our walk to and from the bar as much as our time at the bar itself. The rest of the weekend was lazy. Chris studied, we watched movies, and we made a ton of good food. Jo came over on Sunday for the Bachelor and we thought drinking wine on empty stomachs was a good idea. It wasn't.
It's starting to feel like fall, which is probably why I spent so much time in the kitchen. It's nice to be able to have the oven on again without the kitchen feeling like hell itself. We made sugar cookies, biscuits, penne with shrimp, quesadillas and empanadas. With all of that in the house you would think I wouldn't drink on an empty stomach.
Barfy Day
Today was a barfy day. I was tired, I had a cold sore, I had a stomach ache, and was whiny. You might have already picked up on that. It's funny how something as simple as a cold sore can make you hate your life. It's also funny how something as simple as wearing a fun new lipstick can make you love your life. Maybe that's what I needed today, a fun new lipstick.
Community Council was last night, and we had the mayoral candidates come and take questions. I am voting for Becker, without a doubt. I didn't like Buhler at all. They also did nominations for next year's offices at council. I accepted a nomination for Secretary. Elections are next month. I don't think I've been elected for anything since I was elected President of the Drama Club in high school. Hee.
Bring It On
Last night was awesome. Chris didn't have school, because it was his one whole day of fall break. (And as an aside, what is this fall break crap they have in Utah? The whole University - but not Chris' program - gets a week off in the fall, like Spring Break. We didn't get that shit when I was in college, is all I'm saying.)
It was a GORGEOUS evening, one of those nights that makes something as little as walking to the library with your sweetheart seem like heaven on Earth. When we were finished at the library, I decided to take Chris out to dinner. It had to be somewhere with outdoor seating, because it very well could have been the last night we were able to eat outside until the spring. We picked The Oasis Cafe, because they have wonderful food and a great outdoor patio with lots of plants and a bookstore attached. We had some wine, shared a cheese and fruit plate and enjoyed being alive. We both had the ahi tuna, which was awesome as always. Our server was being very slow, probably on purpose because it was so beautiful outside.
We ran into the woman from the Unitarian Church who taught our theology class, and she sat and talked with us for a while. After dinner we spent some time in the bookstore before we went home. I feel rested and relaxed today. Bring it on, Fall.
For Your Viewing Pleasure
I don't have much time tonight, because it is Chris' ONE DAY of fall break and I want to go and spend time with him since he doesn't have school. So for your viewing pleasure I present Ami at the finish of the Alpine Slide in Park City (from our Sunday outing a couple of weeks ago):
Chris finished first, so he snapped this picture when I was on my way down.
Yawn
I just arrived home from watching "The Bachelor" at Melissa's house, with Jo and Melissa. Before I left for the big event, Chris and I harvested some produce from our garden (tomatoes, chilis, green peppers and eggplants) and winterized our patio. We put the table and chairs away and pulled the fabric from the chairs to wash and wait for next year.
The past weekend was fairly uneventful. We accomplished A LOT on Friday in terms of various appointments and errands, but then I stayed up until 5am on Friday night, rendering me useless on Saturday until the afternoon. We went to the Japanese food fair at the Buddhist temple in the afternoon and then went to John's house that evening to hang out with John, Monica, and John's friend Jim who was visiting from out of town. It was a great night. John has great friends. I have yet to meet a friend of his that I don't like.
On Sunday, we drove to Jesse and Sharon's house in Sandy to watch football and make sushi. It was yummy sushi and the Chargers won, so I was happy. After the afternoon games we met up with John and the aforementioned gang (plus his son, Ethan) for Indian food. Chris and I got a brain and went to bed at 10pm on Sunday night, so I was really well rested when I got up at 7am this morning. (We slept in a 1/2 hour. We usually leave the house at 7am.)
Tonight I am being bad and not sleeping yet (it's 11am) so I will probably hate my life tomorrow. When I started working at age 21, I would routinely stay up until 2am on weeknights. How I did that, I will never know. And on that note...
Oooh, I went a day without posting. I'm so crazy and unpredictable. What will I do next? Who knows.
Because you are all dying to know what I did last night, I will tell you. I got home from work, went to the gym with Chris, showered, played Blackjack, made and ate dinner, and watched
Young Guns. Chris had seen it before, but he's a cowboy and likes Westerns, so he watched it again. I fell asleep during the last 15 minutes, but I can say with confidence that the movie was good until that point. Except that Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez are not good-looking, in fact, they are creepy and weird.
Tonight I have to attend an Open House for the U's Transportation Master Plan. Thursday nights are the nights I usually hang out with Jessica, so I'm kind of bummed that it's on a Thursday, but I don't have to work tomorrow and the thought of that cheers me right up.
In fact, we have no plans for the entire weekend. How that happened, I have no idea, but I'm going to catch up with all of the stuff I've been meaning to do lately. SHUT UP, I am.
Tuesday Night
It's Tuesday night at 8pm, and Chris is at school. Guess what I'm doing? If you said "watching an episode of
24" you would be right. HOT. Have I mentioned that? I dropped Chris off at school at 6pm, shopped for food, and did the dishes. Such a good wife, I am. I think I've earned a little
24 time. (HOT.) You might wonder how I blog and watch an intense show like
24 at the same time. The answer is that I pay no attention to the plots, I just look up when Kiefer is on screen.
I have a half hour before I'm going to start dinner, otherwise it will be done WAY before Chris (also HOT) gets home. I'm making penne with shrimp in a white wine sauce. Mmmm. It will be a surprise for Chris, because I've never made it before. He will like it, because he likes pretty much anything. I made empanadas on Sunday night that were HOLY SHIT awesome. I made the dough in my new food processor (getting married is great) and I stuffed them with roasted poblano chiles (that I got at the farmer's market), salmon, and goat cheese. I served them with a cilantro-yogurt sauce and tons of wine. You can't go wrong with a side of wine.
Yowza
Chris had school on Friday night, so I spent the night feeding my Kiefer obsession by watching old episodes of
24. SO HOT, PEOPLE. I actually only made it through half of one episode because I kept pausing for things like phone calls and, ahem, refilling my wine glass. Chris got home after 10pm, and I was up for maybe another half hour before I passed out on the couch. Nothing says "how was your day at school, honey?" like a drunken wife.
We woke up to a rainy day on Saturday, so we spent the day cleaning, making cookies, and winterizing our swamp coolers. The rain turned to snow and everything felt perfect. We were hosting a game night at our house that night, so we put out some appetizers and started testing the wine and beer to make sure that it was still good. John, Monica, Jo, Melissa, and Pat came over, and we played Catch Phrase and Trivial Pursuit. It was great fun.
We slept reeeeeeally late on Sunday, so late that I'm not going to tell you what time we eventually got up. But get up we did, and it was a gorgeous sunny day, so we drove to Park City to ride the Zip Line, Alpine Slide, and Alpine Coaster. OH. MY. GOD. ZIP LINE. Holy shit, I haven't had that much fun, maybe ever. The roller coaster was fun, too, and the slide was fun, but in a "whee!" kind of way and not nearly as much fun as the coaster or the zip line. Someone gave us tickets to do all of those things for a wedding present, and Sunday was the last day of the season (zip line season?), which is why we went. We had wanted to go on Saturday, but it was snowing. But now I am hooked. The zip line made me feel like I was a stunt man or something. On
24, natch. :)
