is it over yet??

Oh my gosh...SO much has happened just in the past week,I don't even know where to start! Instead of typing it all out in super long,detailed paragraphs I'm gonna let all the pictures speak for themselves :)

First stop...Ballard for an Ugly Christmas Sweater pub crawl. My first one EVER! My friend Ashley threw it and it was sooooo much fun. My coworker Suzanne came with me and we(along with about 100 other people) crawled to 3 bars(and encountered 2 extremely rude bartenders) before leaving the group and heading to this bar that had 2 people in it. I don't remember the name of this place,but I'm gonna HAVE to,cause they had the BEST burger I've ever eaten in my life. I'll find out and get back to you...you gotta go!

Me and Ash,who received my vote for best ugly Christmas sweater...it's a Nativity Scene that she sewed onto a red sweater. Honorable mention goes to her jingle bell "over the pants"underwear and heels with tiny santa in them:


Me and Suz loved this pretty lit up tree:


Ok so did me and Ashley:


This night was SO much fun. More than I even expected...I can't WAIT until the 3rd annual Ugly Christmas Sweater pub crawl!

The very next day was my last day of work before my 11 day Christmas vacation!

On Christmas Eve I woke up early and drove to my parents house because...my SISTER was here with her family!!

We didn't do a whole lot that day. A lot of lounging and last minute Christmas present wrapping. My mom got the whole family matching pajamas,which was pretty funny. My mom LOVES to decorate the house like crazy,so I took a picture of some of the highlights:

All of our stockings!
Dad,Mom,Pepper(our old dog),Me,Kobe(the current dog),Justin,Samantha,and Connor


The tree! My mom gets all the credit for how beautiful it is(my phones camera didn't even come close to capturing it)


This is a cute little mini tree sitting on top of one of my moms cabinets:


The outside of the house is decorated too! You can't see everything,but there's candles in every window, and lights all over the place. I love it,it's soooo pretty:


This is just a random thing...this is hanging on my parents staircase...it's of me and every year of school I attended(except for 8th grade,apparently),with the middle picture being my senior picture. I was sooooo cool. Obviously.



More random...there was a super adorable little girl in my preschool class last year that I called Hannah Banana,so I thought it was super fun that there was an ACTUAL banana bread store called this!



The next day was CHRISTMAS!! I stayed the night at my parents house because it is tradition that me and my sister wake up SUPER early to open our stockings. Yes,we still do this. Even at 27 and 23. It's tradition!(we're big on tradition,in case you can't tell,haha). It was great to also have Justin and Connor up with us to open their stockings as well. A couple hours later mom and dad woke up and we were able to open presents.

Santa was here!


Cutest present ever!


The rest of the day was playing Guitar Hero and enjoying each others company and cooking!for our Christmas dinner. My dad made an AMAZING filet mignon. My sister made this great vegetable mixture that I need to get the recipe for, and I made crack cookies! They were,of course,devoured within hours of being made.

The Godfather:


getting tickled by grandma:


The Christmas dinner table:


My dad cutting the steak(yes,that is a Guitar Hero tshirt):


Sammy Pooh making the veggies:


This may have been the most delicious dinner I have ever encountered. Forget food baby,I had food triplets after devouring this meal.

Kobe was sooooo pooped after that long day!


The festivities kept going the day after Christmas. My sister's very best friends from high school came over for a gift exchange with each other. My mom(thankfully)decided that this would be a GREAT time to make lumpia, a delicious Philippine dish similar to an eggroll,but BETTER,especially when it's homemade :)

Mom making the lumpia, I helped!


The lumpia on the table with all the sauces:spicy chili sauce,soy sauce,and some sauce my sister made. Also,rice!


Connor got all dressed up for the occasion:


My beautiful sister and her beautiful lifelong friends:


That night grandma decided to try finger painting with Conman:


So, I must stop and explain that my nephew Connor LOVES music. He is always dancing to songs. He's obsessed with drums and we couldn't keep him away from the piano that's at my parents house. For Christmas my parents received this singing Snoopy that Connor learned how to turn on and off. The following video occurred after Connors previously mentioned finger painting session.(you want to watch the WHOLE thing,believe me)



The next day was SUPER sad because the Reynolds' left to go home to Texas. I'm not sure why,but it was especially hard for me and my sister to say bye to each other this time. We both cried,which I'm pretty sure has never happened before. But,hopefully I'll be able to make a trip to Texas fairly soon, I can't go too long without seeing those guys!

Now it's Monday and I go back to work in exactly a week. I haven't planned toooo much except to DEFINITELY get my room and bathroom cleaned up. Pretty sure they could both be classified as toxic waste dumps. Also, I'm sure I'll get a Forza/Phase 10 session(or 2) in with Amanda while I'm off.

New Years is coming up! I don't have specific plans for that quite yet. Me and a few friends are getting together,but we're not sure WHERE yet...so hopefully we figure it out and it'll be a blast!

This year really was amazing. I almost couldn't have asked for a better one. Talk to you next year! Cheers!!

Last one today,i swear....

Merry Christmas! From our house,to yours...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

'tis the season to be jolly

(our tree! yes,i realize it's crooked. it gives it character...)

Christmas is one week away! In true procrastinator fashion,i have done zero Christmas shopping. This is how I roll. I have always worked best when under pressure and with a short amount of time. This forces me to focus. I do have a couple days in my week that i've allotted for shopping,so, hopefully, i'll be able to get it done in those two days.

I do have to give a shout out to my Grandma and Grandpa Ottoson who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend. All my aunts and uncles and a few of my cousins are attending a surprise celebration for them. I'm suuuuper sad I can't go, I couldn't get the time off of work, but CONGRATULATIONS to gma and gpa, I hope everyone has a great time, and i love you all!

As for celebrating Christmas, my sister and her family are flying in from Houston on Christmas Eve and staying until the 27th,so I will be spending the majority of my time at my parents house with them. I'm really excited because Connorman is talking and walking! Last time I saw him he was on the verge of walking and just saying "ba ba ba". Luckily,Christmas Eve is when my Christmas break starts so I don't have to work at ALL while they're here...or for a week and a half after!

It's been a while since i've posted a picture of Connor...so for your viewing pleasure,here are a couple!

sleeping on his cot at daycare,he's SO big!


talking to his daycare friends


May i remind you how tiny he was just ONE year ago???


Goodness,they sure do grow up fast...

I most likely won't blog again until after Christmas...so Happy Holidays everyone!! Make it great!

reflection

I'm pretty sure every adult says this every year,but holy cow, where did 2009 go??? it seems like it just flew by! i think back on things i did earlier this year and think "was that really that long ago? it seems like i did that last week!"

With the end of 2009 coming,i'm kind of forced to think back on this time. This year,has been,in recent history,by far,the best year. I've had so many wonderful opportunities and have done so many wonderful things. here are a few highlights:

*opened up the year seeing Joan Jett live!
*Sarah came to visit Seattle and set her hair on fire!
*i visited Sarah in Hollywood and had the best vacation ever!
*i got to go to Texas TWICE to visit my sister,bro in law and nephew
*4th of July in Minnesota is always fun
*my grandparents visiting Seattle from Oklahoma
*me growing,and learning more at work as well as becoming closer with co workers. i enjoy going to work more now than i ever have in my whole working career!

This is all on top of all the new friends i've made,the old ones that i've reconnected with,and the ones that i've grown a stronger bond with. I can't stress enough how great 2009 was for me.

Something i DIDN'T do in 2009 was MOVE!(technically i moved into my new house on jan 3rd or 4th,but that hardly counts) I've been moving pretty much every 6 months or so since 2005ish so it's been SO nice to take a break from that for a while. I also didn't change jobs,which i've been doing pretty much annually for the past 3ish years. I know I say this a lot,but i'm so so amazed how much I still love what i do. There have definitely been ups and downs,but by far,the ups outnumber the downs.

I'm not saying this year was perfect. I had my share of bad decisions, heartbreak, and general let downs,but that's just part of life, and i'll take that any day to not have anything that's happened in the previous 3 years happen again. As for 2010, I'm not quite sure it can top this year,but I'm willing to let it try :)

A Victorian Country Christmas

This weekend has been pretty eventful,and I'm loving every minute of it!

Earlier in the week me and my fantastical friend Amanda decided we were going to go to A Victorian Country Christmas at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. In order for us to do this,I had to take Friday off of work(our schedules conflicted this weekend so it was either then or never)...and the fun ensued...

I met Amanda when she got off work. Before we could head to the fair,however,we had to stop and get new tabs for Amanda's car. She was SO excited to learn that her brand new license plate started with the first three numbers of her phone number. When she realized it, she asked"How did they KNOW????" That was proceeded with my first of MANY huge laughs of the day.



To put it simply,VCC is held every year at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. It's basically a HUGE Christmas craft fair, full of homemade decorations, foods, As Seen on TV products, and clothes, all sold at a ridiculously high price in order to prevent me from actually buying any of it(how nice of them). There are also shows and concerts and all the people who are selling products are dressed up in Victorian era garb,much like this lady:



First and formost, I HAD to get my customary cup of coffee, and since we were on the Puyallup Fair grounds and the Puyallup Fair is KNOWN for their scones, I just had to get one. HAD to. It's tradition. And it was goooooood:



Now,we were ready to shop.

(amanda loves this picture but i do not)


(i love this picture but amanda does not)(now we're even)


Here are a few of my favorite things that we encountered during our walk of the fair:

if Dorothy was a stripper...



Quite possibly the most awesome ornaments I've ever seen in my life:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Donatello, holding candy canes(wait...it gets better):



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Michelangelo holding a wreath. But not just ANY wreath...a PIZZA wreath. Someone,buy this for me please. I MUST have it.



Of COURSE there was a booth set up full of Twilight memorabilia. For the record,I am not a Twilight fan in any way,shape, or form. HOWEVER. I think Taylor Lautner is the most adorable kid ever and if I was a Twilight fan, I would most definitely be Team Jacob:



I really wanted to see a show. The one that just happened to be playing while we were there was some sort of family variety act. They were ok. There was lots of out of sync dancing and off key/out of tune singing to cheesy country tunes(none of which I knew). Me and Amanda kept ourselves entertained by the girl who had the most extreme facial expressions we'd seen on a person ever.(sorry the pics are hard to see,my phone doesn't have zoom)

some flipping:



some dancing:



some little girl singing with dancers behind her:



By the time we got done looking at everything (FIVE hours later) it was dark outside,the streets of the fairgrounds were all lit up and I thought it was really pretty...i looooove trees with Christmas lights:







This is a fountain that is at one of the entrances of the fair:



And that was our night! It probably seems old and cheesy and like something that only people over the age of 65 would enjoy,but it's really not. There were TONS of yummy free samples and I'm pretty sure me and Amanda tried every single one. Afterwards I went out with a couple of friends and that was my Friday.

Today,Saturday, I went to one of my kids' 4 year birthday party. It was my first birthday party for a 4 year old since I WAS 4 years old. Needless to say,it was an experience. It was held at The Bouncy Place in Kent. It's basically a bunch of those inflatable big toy things we've all seen at fairs,carnivals, whatever. I didn't know anyone there besides the birthday girl,her parents, and the birthday girl's cousin(who I've previously taught in my preschool class),but it was a blast. The two little girls made sure I got my work out for the MONTH by running around each toy and going down each slide. After all the jumping and bouncing it was cake and presents time. The theme for the party was Disney Princesses and Barbie.

The cake was SO GOOD. It was a marble cake and it was so soft and the icing was perfect,and it was filled with raspberry filling. They got it at Something Delicious Bakeryin Kent,which is actually owned by the parents of some former students of mine.

(that's Barbie sitting on the cake,in case you can't tell)



my place setting:



Lucky for me,without even knowing the birthday theme, I had gotten Kacey,the birthday girl, a CD where the Disney Princesses sing songs that include her name in it, and some Disney Princess stickers,crayons,and magnet toy. It was a fun time,and I would definitely attend another 4 year old birthday party in the future,should the occasion arise :)

That's about it for my weekend. Tomorrow I have nothing planned, just gonna run some errands, call my grandma(Sorry it took so long,grandma!!!!),and maybe clean my room. Maybe.

Looking forward to Christmas break! 19 days!!!

back to the daily grind

Well,my Thanksgiving break is officially coming to a close. I start back to work tomorrow. I'm sooooo not ready for it, this 4 day weekend went by WAY too fast!! In typical me fashion I took pictures and am going to share what I did on my 4 day weekend!(luuuucky you!)

Thursday was ACTUAL Thanksgiving, and since both my parents worked(as i previously mentioned in my video blog)I just had pizza...no pictures,but it was pepperoni,and it was GOOD. Also,I managed to watch Sleepless in Seattle for the FIRST time EVER!(most of my friends are both shocked and appalled at this fact,having grown up watching this movie). It was cute,Meg Ryan is pretty enduring in it.

On Friday we had roommate Thanksgiving with me,Heidi,Justin and Heidi's boys. I unfortunately had to eat and run because I had previously made plans,but the food I did get to sample before leaving was deeelish! They weren't all your traditional thanksgiving foods or they were twists on traditional Thanksgiving foods,which made it a lot of fun.

Here's our feast...Noah and Parker really wanted chips for some reason,who were we to deny them?? Clockwise starting at the bottom there's the rosemary infused turkey(mmmmm), noahs plate, stuffing(not a stuffing fan,but i heard it was good), Heidi's take on green bean casserole which included a lot of cheese and crumbled up potato chips(again,heard it was good),asparagus, deviled eggs(i looooooove deviled eggs!), and chips.


There was also mashed potatoes,gravy and rolls. Not to mention FOUR different kinds of pies! Cherry,pumpkin,oreo, and of course,the best one, my homemade cheesecake with fresh strawberry topping:


After my eat and run I headed to Forza to meet Amanda for Phase 10 and coffee. It's a tradition that we've been doing for a couple years now, and don't get to do that often. So,usually,when I happen to get a weekday off,we take full advantage.

My nonfat white chocolate peppermint mocha in a "for here" cup decorated all pretty!(not as good as Starbucks,I was a little disappointed,but at least it looked good?)


We also tried their sugar free raspberry gelato,which was quite tasty:


I lost :(


After I got whooped playing Phase 10 I got a tiny bit of Black Friday shopping in. I have been looking for the perfect pea coat for over a year now...and I found one at Macys! To put it mildly,I'm ecstatic and can't wait to show it off to the general public :)

Saturday was Thanksgiving with my mom and dad! I was looking forward to this because practically EVERYthing is homemade and ALWAYS delicious. The mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce,sweet potatoes, usually the gravy, everything,homemade. We usually have wild rice,which I recently learned is not common? apparently it's a regional thing, one my dad had growing up in Minnesota,but there wasn't enough this year I guess.

I even tried some red wine!(i'm usually a white drinker).(p.s. yes,i'm the classy broad who has a tall glass of milk next to her fancy glass of red wine)




All in all,it was a pretty good Thanksgiving, I had 3,so I can't really complain about anything! Less than a month til Christmas!!!