Chip Goes to the Vet

HISSSSSSSSSS!

RAYYYWWWRRRR!

GRRRRRRR!

Chip expresses his displeasure before the vet and his assistant even get the top off his cozy cat carrier. He has, in fact, been growling since we entered the veterinarian's office. His eyes are glassy but his reflexes are undiminished as heavily gloved hands try to lift him from the carrier onto the scale. He hisses, spits, snaps, and the assistant retreats to fetch a towel: the key ingredient for a kitty burrito.

An hour earlier, I had my good, sweet kitty perched on the forbidden kitchen table. He wrestled against me as I tried once, twice, three times to slip the tiny pink sedative pill into his mouth. In the end, I sat on him and used a stream of water to force it down. The chunky string of pink drool on the kitchen floor mocked me, and I could only hope he'd ingested enough of it to mellow him out a little bit. He sat in the kitchen and watched me finish making my cake, then ambled into the living room, stumbling slightly. Feeling at once triumphant and guilty, I cleaned the kitchen then scooped him onto my lap so we could cuddle until the dreaded car ride to the terrible place where they'd do awful things to my poor little cat.

The assistant drapes the raspberry-hued towel over the snarling mass that is my supposedly-sedated Chipper. Alas, he's too agitated to succumb to swaddling - so out comes the cat claw. This giant set of netted tongs completely encompasses Chip and effectively neutralizes him. The assistant lifts him from his carrier, gently shakes him further into the claw and good-naturedly teases him as he gnaws on the thick green net that is stretched taut over the metal frame. He's squashed helplessly on his side, then flipped over like a fried egg and subjected to his two overdue vaccine injections. He growls more as the vet listens to his hammering heart and is too angry to express any gratefulness when the hated claw dumps him into his carrier.

I'm sure he'll hate me when we get home. I drugged him; took him to his version of hell; and let strangers trap then stick him. To my great surprise, he staggers out of his carrier, looks up to me and seems to say, in his stupor, "Pet me, Mom." He follows me to the bathroom as I get ready to go out to dinner and, when I get home, climbs into bed with me and, still a little woozy, stays close all night long.

A Merry Christmas Indeed

Another wonderful Christmas; a white Christmas, even! It may have been a little nasty on Christmas Eve, but yesterday was nice and today, though icy and gray, isn't too bad. As much as I'm not looking forward to the forecasted 50 degree weather tomorrow, I might take the opportunity to wash my bike, which is still a little dirty.

So Christmas: we spent both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family. The food was great and everyone loved their gifts. Best memories from this year include: getting my cousin's son (my second cousin?) Steven to fall asleep in my arms; singing Silent Night by candlelight at the Christmas Eve service; watching my parents enjoy the DVD I made of their trip out West; and cheering on my husband, father, brother, uncle, aunt, cousin and grandpa while they did round after round of Irish car bombs!

Today, despite its lazy start, has been pretty productive. I did a little bit of homework while Mitch rode to Island Lake and did some of the trails, then I rode the trainer while he and Bobby played our new Wii. My parents got it for us as a Christmas gift, but let's not kid ourselves here: it's Mitch's toy! I never really thought we'd own one, but it seems pretty fun and it will give Mitch something else to do while I study.

I was proud of myself for doing the whole mountain bike workout on the trainer from memory. It's not super entertaining to ride without someone telling you what to do, but I managed just fine. I'm trying to be really motivated because I don't want to completely fail in sport next season. I'm way excited though: at our last MMBA chapter meeting, they were talking about the possibility of a team sponsored by a local brewery. Mitch and I did not join the chapter team last season, and I'm kind of glad we went though our first race season like we went through college: GDI. But now that we have a season under our belts and are comfortable (not to mention committed), I think it would be pretty cool to be part of a team. And of course, it would be nice if a sponsor could help defray a few costs since we have to travel quite a way for every race.

Well, Mom is home from the grocery store so I'm going to help her put stuff away and maybe make a trip to REI. Mitch needs something (can't remember what) and I need to exchange some underwear!

Christmas Countdown: True Meaning

Everything else about which I've written is great and all, but it's superficial. They're surface things, traditions that bring me joy. But they are nothing compared to the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amidst all the cookie baking, gift wrapping and family moments, He is there.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

...

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:5, 10-14

Christmas Countdown: A Few More

The snow is falling and my last work day before the holidays is winding down. I have a few gifts left to get, some wrapping to do and our bags to pack, but then I'll get to celebrate Christmas with some of the people I love best.

I've tried to share some of the things that make the Christmas season so special for me. I'll write about the most important one tomorrow, but there are a few more little things that put a smile on my face:

Christmas carols. Not the ones I listen to, but the ones I sang in Christmas concerts as a kid. My favorites: Away in a Manger, O Holy Night and Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. I think I could go to a Christmas Eve service and simply sing these and others the entire time, then walk away happy.

Christmas gifts. Like everyone else, I get excited to open gifties. But you all know how awesome it is to pick out the perfect gift and be able to watch someone open it. This year, I'm particularly anticipating giving my parents a DVD I made of their trip to the Grand Canyon. And of course, I can't wait for Mitch to open his gifts!

Wrapping gifts. I'm no Martha Stewart, but I love the look of all those brightly colored, beribboned packages underneath the tree. I choose my wrapping paper almost as carefully as I choose my Christmas cards (Hallmark, always) and curl enough ribbon to bury myself. When I was a kid, I used to make all the bows for my mom's gifts because, while my dad is good at the actual wrapping, he's not so keen on bow-making. We'd sit in the basement at a card table together, warning my mom repeatedly not to come down!

Family celebrations. Thanks to the gift of marriage, I have three different Christmases to celebrate each year: DeYoung, Eccles and McGrath. DeYoung Christmas is usually on a date other than Christmas, based on the schedules of Mitch and his siblings. It's a pretty laid-back affair, with tons of food and great reminiscing. Eccles Christmas is either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, depending on the year. This is a formal affair: ties on the boys, heels on the girls, Christmas music playing softly inthe background, drinks always full, china on the table, coffee with dessert. My dad just has one sibling, so it's a quiet crowd compared to the McGraths, who number well over 30. Like good Catholics, my grandparents had six children; all but one have families; and there are even a few great-grandkids running around. We still dress up and eat off china, but the whole day is a bit rambunctious, especially when it comes time to open presents!

Santa. My mom told me there was no Santa when I was eight or so, because my dad told her I already knew. I burst into tears, because I still believed with all my little heart. Even after my brother figured it out, we still played the game. Mom and Dad would wait for us to go to bed, then put the presents under the tree and sometimes, in the middle of the night, I'd sneak out to see what Santa left. One year, my dad heard me and came out himself, claiming surprise at the pile of presents and snooping along with me. Even though I'm married, we've still managed to wake up at my parents' every Christmas - and we still do the same things: put on Christmas music, make coffee, get out a plate of Christmas cookies, open stockings and pass out all our presents. AND we still make my parents wait 'til we've gone to bed to stack gifts under the tree!

Christmas movies. Rupolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and The Grinch that Stole Christmas...need I say more?

Well, that about does it. Safe travels to all who are visiting family and friends this Christmas!

Christmas Countdown: Santa Bears

Does anyone else remember the Santa Bears made by Hudson's (now Macy's)? I wouldn't say I collected them, but I did have quite a few and loved getting them as gifts. I even had a boyfriend in middle school who made his mom drive him all over Southeastern Michigan so he could buy me one! I think I have five all together, but here are my favorite three:



I also have two Santa Bear Christmas ornaments, purchased as "our" ornaments in 2005 and 2006. I had hoped they would be yearly additions to our tree, but Macy's stopped making Santa Bears last year. All the more reason to hold on to these little guys!

Christmas Countdown: The Nutcracker

Many of you know this, but I used to dance. From age three, I devoted a good number of hours each week to class: first, ballet and jazz, with modern and pointe eventually added. Our studio, the Dance Centre, did yearly recitals and mini productions of The Nutcracker at the Christmas party. But for three years, I auditioned for a received parts in the Brighton City Ballet's Nutcracker, a full-blown production. First I was a mouse, battling the Nutcracker Prince's soldiers and dejectedly carrying my own slain Mouse King off the stage. Then I was part of the snow scene as frost, which is not generally done. But I guess the BCB wanted to give some younger dancers then chance to perform in one of the most beautiful scenes. Finally, I was a snowflake and can still remember the feeling of my torso tightly encased in the white, shimmery costume, restricting my breath to tiny gasps while fake snow stuck to my sweaty skin in the most uncomfortable places.

(I found an amazing video of the snow scene if you'd like to watch. It's obviously performed by professional dancers, but we used similar choreography - not en pointe - even though I was only in middle school. And, interestingly, I've now discovered that the Brighton City Ballet has become the Fountain Dance Ministry, a Christian-focused dance school and company.)

I even have a couple Nutcrackers of my own:

Christmas Countdown: Snow!

No great childhood stories about this one...I just had to add it because of the massive amounts of snow we've gotten over the past few days! I was supposed to go to class in Flint on Friday, but they closed U of M so - because I already had taken a vacation day from work - I spent the day at home working on a Christmas gift for my parents and shoveling various cars out of our parking lot. Then today, we got even more snow and some wicked wind to go with it. We will surely have a white Christmas this year!

An Ode to My Flannel Quilts

You lie draped across the back of the couch,
one a brightly colored patchwork,
the other a subdued tribute to winter.
Both handmade, soft and oh-so-warm,
you beckon me the moment I sink into the cushions.
Together, we combat the chill,
(heaven forbid we turn the heat up!)
maybe with the cat contributing his furry warmth to our efforts.
And sometimes,
sometimes,
we snooze together
(but I try to drool on the pillows, not you).

(OK, so I may be in a weird mood tonight. I just finished a self-assessment for class, so cut me a little slack. We now return to your regularly scheduled program.)

(But first let me tell you: my Christmas tree drinks water like it's going out of style! And Caedmon's Call is awesome...I've been listening to them exclusively all night. Yes, I have enough Caedmon's music to last that long.)

(I hope we have hot water tonight. If not, we have to either fix the hot water heater ourselves or deal with it until January, because we can't call maintenance: we're not allowed to have a real tree in our apartment, but we do, and I'm not taking this glorious evergreen down!)

Christmas Countdown: Christmas Cookies

As a kid, I always helped my mom bake Christmas cookies. We didn't do the decorative kind (though I think I always wanted to be able to frost and sprinkle to my little heart's content); no, I was put to work painting egg yolk around the edge of the jam pocket dough. See, we had two kinds of cookies that always - and only - made their appearance at Christmastime: jam pockets and black forest cookies. Jam pockets are little pastries with raspberry preserves inside, and black forest cookies are cake-like with dark chocolate and black cherries. The black forest cookies are pretty easy but the jam pockets are time-intensive, so I pretty much remember standing on a chair at the counter assembling the little treats.

We never gave the cookies as gifts. If we were going to give edible gifts, we made something else, because those cookies were our cookies. Dad even used to make a big deal about putting our too many jam pockets for Santa, because he wanted them instead. And on Christmas morning, a new plate of cookies (not Santa's...those were gone...) would appear on the coffee table before we even started opening presents. Nothing like cookies for pre-breakfast!

In an uncharacteristic break with tradition, I made a completely different set of Christmas cookies the first year Mitch and I were married. I guess I wanted to try to put my own twist on the ritual, but my coconut macaroons flopped, my mocha cookies were less than spectacular, and everyone thought my orange creamsicle cookies were just a little too weird. So I went back to the tried-and-true, adding M&M cookies to satisfy Mitch's request for chocolate chip.

For the past two years, I've taken an entire day off work to bake with friends. It's such fun! Let's just say it's a good thing I'm making a special trip to the Rec Center at lunchtime!

Interruption: Trainer Ride

Just got off the trainer. Did the full mountain bike workout (about an hour). Averaged 10.8 mph. Legs ache. Body feels great. Rocked out hardcore to "Want You Bad" by Offspring and the like as motivation. Gonna keep it up and kick some serious butt during race season.

Christmas Countdown: Christmas Cards

When I let slip how much I spend on Christmas cards each year, Mitch was not particularly pleased. I give you now, as I gave him, an account of my love affair with Christmas cards.

Like most traditions to which I cling, this one started when I was a kid. My parents always made a big deal about the arrival of Christmas cards, dropping them on the counter with a flourish and asking who wanted to open them. We'd split them up equally, slit the envelopes and announce the senders. The best cards came with creative letters updating us on the lives of our far-flung family and friends.

My mom always seemed to pick out the prettiest cards to send: a habit that, to the distress of my husband, I've acquired. Unlike my mom, though, I'm rarely able to decide on one design, so I get multiple styles. When it's time to send them, I get out the special pen set my uncle gave me at my college graduation, settle in at the kitchen table or the couch, and entertain myself for the next few nights by wishing my family and friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And we even did one of those Christmas update letters this year! But, with a small concession to frugality, I do try to limit my mailing to those who also participate in the Christmas card ritual.

I still love receiving cards, too. Yesterday, four lovely envelopes spilled out of the mailbox, putting a big smile on my face! I especially love the cards with letters and photos - after all, I just cleared some of my old photos off the fridge and need some new ones to spice it up. As this was the year of new babies, there are all sorts of fat-cheeked balls of Christmastime adorable-ness grinning at me when I'm working in the kitchen. I keep the non-photo cards in a basket and will go through them at least two or three times before bringing them back to the College for a service project.

Christmas Countdown: Christmas Trees

The saga of the Eccles family Christmas tree began every year on Thanksgiving weekend. Armed with a map and a list of cut-your-own Christmas tree farms, we'd meet up with another family, the Elkingtons, and begin the hunt. We were always looking for the perfect tree: a douglas or concolor fir, around 10 feet tall, with beautiful branches and no bare spots. See, my parents have a big living room with a vaulted ceiling and an expansive bay window that looks out over the front yard. We weren't just concerned with how it looked from the inside; it had to be spectactular from the road, too. Given all this criteria (and the fact that the Elkingtons had equally high standards), some Christmas tree hunts were astonishingly quick but most lasted through the afternoon and into the evening.

When we returned from our successful hunt, the bundled tree would be relegated to the garage, trunk submerged in a five-gallon bucket of water. Then, about ten days before Christmas, Dad would haul the tree through the front door, spend a good ten minutes making sure it was perfectly straight in the tree stand, and then meticulously string strands and strands of colored Christmas lights. He'd always invite Bobby or I - who were perched on the couch, anxiously awaiting our turn at decorating - to climb the ladder and place the star on the top of the tree, but for all our efforts, our little arms weren't long enough until we were teenagers. Finally, he'd carefully clip our two ancient strands of bubble lights front and center.

When the "boring" part was done, we would throw the lids off the boxes of ornaments and search for our "special" ornaments. Each year, we'd all get new ornaments for Christmas: Precious Moments for me, trucks for Bobby and Hallmark's special lighthouses for Dad. Mom got the short end of the stick until we were old enough to realize that she didn't have as many to hang, so we started buying them for her. We'd good-naturedly vy for the coveted spots at the front of the tree and hide the embarrassing, homemade ornaments Mom insisted on keeping around the back. We'd climb ladders to reach the highest branches, then shriek when Dad wriggled them. And all the while, Christmas music spilled from the speakers.

The result: a beautiful, eclectic tree that reflected our family personality. Each ornament reflected a gift, a time, a memory. There were no matching colored, generic balls on an Eccles tree: there were ornaments sold as fundraisers, or made in craft classes, or received from a thoughtful friend. Elegant, classic, wacky, tacky, old and new - we loved them all.

It should come as no surprise that Mitch and I carry on this tradition. We go Christmas tree hunting with my family each year and now that we have vaulted ceilings in our apartment, we get the tall trees, too. Mitch likes white lights better than colored ones, so we compromised: we have white lights, a multicolored star and one strand of colored LED lights that meander down the front of our tree. Eclectic is still the name of the game, as I brought all my "special" ornaments and my mom and I are working to catch Mitch up. We also received some wonderful ornaments as wedding gifts, including a set of five wooden ornaments depicting the birth of Christ. And of course, we set aside a whole afternoon for the decorating process!



Another gorgeous DeYoung tree...and in typical Mitch fashion, he's gone above and beyond to make me happy. Knowing how much I love to see our tree twinkling brightly, he has set a timer so the tree is on when I go out for breakfast and when I walk in the door after a long day at work. And Chip loves the tree, too. He snoozes underneath it and drinks from the tree stand. Now if we could just get the sap off his head...

Christmas Countdown: Giving

Christmas is truly the season of giving. I'm not talking about gift-giving for family and friends (though I will certainly over that in a later post). I'm talking about dropping your change in the Salvation Army kettle, picking out a special to for Toys for Tots, adopting families and choosing gifts for Head Start kids.

I take such joy in Christmas that I want to do what I can to help kids have a happy, magical holiday. For the past couple of years, my dad's side of the family has quit drawing names to exchange gifts; instead, we all contribute what we would have spent to a unique program at my grandpa's church. A group of women knit sweaters for Head Start kids in Detroit, and then they distribute them to people who want to buy outfits to go with each one. We usually take three sweaters and buy pants, shirts, socks, underwear, undershirts, hats, gloves, mittens and a toy for each one. It's so much fun! My mom typically does all the shopping, but this year I got stuffed animals and Curious George books for the kids.

This year, our office also decided to sponsor some local families in lieu of getting staff and boss gifts. We have two nice, large families and I had a blast choosing outfits for the little twin boys. We also adopted an additional family through the Administrative Personnel Committee, so I got to select a little girl's outfit, too. Again, I love the thought that something I've done will put a smile on a child's face on Christmas morning, just like I had each year.

Christmas Countdown: Christmas Music

All my favorite Christmas traditions have one thing in common: Christmas music playing in the background. When I put out the first holiday decorations, strains of The Nutcracker Suite fill my ears. I tap my toes to Mannheim Steamroller while we string lights on the gigantic tree and hang our eclectic assortment of ornaments. Nat King Cole croons his way through O Tannenbaum as my family gathers in the living room to open gifts on Christmas morning, and The Carpenters provide the soundtrack for family celebrations.

Selecting Christmas music was an important part of all these festivities when I was growing up. We'd never start decorating the tree without something in the CD player, and everyone noticed when the music ended. On Christmas morning, we'd load up an album before tearing into our stockings. And when guests arrived later in the day, they'd be greeted with their holiday favorites. Thanks to modern technology, though, I don't even have to remember to put in a new CD when Mitch and I decorate, celebrate and host: all 118 of my favorite Christmas songs are on an iPod playlist for our constant listening enjoyment.

Christmas Countdown: Nativity Scenes

There are so many things I love about Christmas, so I thought I'd start using them to count down the next fifteen days 'til Christmas! Please please please share your stories, memories and comments!

Now, nativity scenes:

I collect Precious Moments. I probably could have put that in the "Six Things You Don't Know About Me" post, because it's kind of a girly or old lady-ish hobby, but I love them. I used to receive one each year as either a birthday or Christmas present, and my dad even built me a special shelving unit on which to display them.

As a little girl, I loved all my Precious Moments. But the most special ones, my mom's Precious Moments nativity scene, only came out at Christmas. On the day we decorated our big family Christmas tree, my brother and I would set the manger my dad made on the living room bar and carefully place the three wise men, the shepherds, the sheep, the harp player, Mary, Joseph and finally Jesus in and around the manger. We loved Baby Jesus best and even took turns putting him out each year. Since we knew the three wise men didn't arrive until after Christmas, we put them outside the manger and inched them closer each day. There was ever a tiny pine cone that Bobby called "the dove cooing in the rafters" that we stuck up in the top of the manger.

As a wedding gift, I asked for and received my own Precious Moments nativity scene. My dad made me a manger identical to my mom's, but Bobby has yet to get me my dove. One of my favorite Christmas moments is still laying Baby Jesus tenderly in the center of the manger.







I also have a second nativity scene that I set up in my office. It's made of lovely glazed pottery and its rich tones go well with the deep cherry color of the credenza upon which it sits. I love looking over at it during the day and giving myself a few moments to think about the meaning of Christmas, even in the midst of my lengthy to-do lists and many meetings.

Training Review

Training has been going relatively well in recent weeks. I've done a pretty good job of getting to strength training class 2-3 times each week, but I haven't been so disciplined with the trainer. I want to give some grand statement of commitment here, but it would just be hollow. I'll get on it soon...

Today, I went to the weight room at lunch because we don't have class this week. I found a couple things:

During my upper body series (10 reps/3 sets of lateral raises, bicep curls, shoulder presses and chest flies), I could definitely tell what muscles I haven't been working. Though I previously did this series with 5 lb. weights and 12-15 reps of each exercise, I bumped up to 10 lbs. today because I thought I'd be significantly stronger. Not exactly...in class, I can do 30 standing military presses in a row with 10 lbs. in each hand. But when I went to do full shoulder presses today with the same weight, I got tired much more quickly. Lateral raises with the 10 pounders were also challenging. I think my classes have been more focused on toning than building strength.

I decided to alternate core and legs, and found that both of those muscles groups were much stronger, regardless of the specific exercises. I did 3 set of squats, (20 full squats, 20 pulses), rolling a fit ball up and down the wall as I went. Then I did 25 sit-ups on the fit ball, followed by 30 seconds of regular plank and 30 seconds of each side plank. Back on my feet, I did 3 sets of sumo squats with a 10 lb. weight (20 full squats, 20 pulses), alternated with 3 sets of a back exercises I like to call "Superman." I finished off with 3 sets of lunges with a 7 lb. ball alternated with 3 sets of 25 sit-ups on the fit ball. My legs were a little shaky by the end of the lunges, but my core was in great shape.

Lastly, I tossed a few calf raises in the mix. At class, we just do them on the flat ground but I like to do them up on a step so I can get a more full extension. What used to really make my calves ache was pretty much cake today. I finished up with a more thorough stretching session than I've done in quite awhile, which felt great.

I think I need to mix it up a bit. I need to keep doing the classes, for sure. They help me look good and feel good, but there are areas where I need some good, hard-core strength work. So I think I'll try to do 2 sessions of class plus one session in the weight room each week. And I'll get on the trainer at home...really, I will...

Caedmon's Call, "A Thousand Miles to Go"

1. Put your iTunes (or iPod or iPhone or iAnything) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the meme as well as the person you got the meme from.
5. Add a pic that you think represents you at this moment in time.

OK, I'm going to do this, but here's the catch: My iPod Shuffle here at work has only songs I deemed appropriate for lunchtime training. So this might be even weirder than otherwise...

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Sublime, What I Got
Hmmm...

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Shaking Tree, Revisiting
Again, not a clue...

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Caedmon's Call, Share the Well
Generosity, maybe?

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Third Day, Other Side
Not really...I'm very content right now.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dani California
Oh boy...

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Big and Rich, Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy
Well...

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Garth Brooks, Papa Loved Mama
Not really...I'm pretty secure in my marriage!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Dierks Bentley, What Was I Thinking?
Depends on which "best friend." I question some of their actions!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Chris Daughtrey, but I don't know the title. Thanks, Shuffle, for not displaying anything. But listening to the song, it seems pretty sad. Not accurate.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Jars of Clay, Carry Me (Dead Man)
Oh gosh, I hope not!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Jim Croche, Don't Mess Around With Jim
A pool hustler?!?!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Some punk band, Girl All the Bad Guys Want
Since Mitch is neither bad nor a girl, this one doesn't work, either.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Counting Crows, Hangin' Around
That would have been interesting...

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Guns n' Roses, Welcome to the Jungle
I heard that song at every home football game in high school, and I was a cheerleader for awhile, but I'm not so dedicated to SLHS that I'd necessarily want it at my funeral...

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Third Day, 'Til the Day I Die
Couldn't this be a biking song or something?

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Offspring, Self-Esteem
I don't hate myself, if that's what you think!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Some other punk band, Girl at the Rock Show
I do a little drinking with my best friends...

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Third Day, Slow Down
I don't think slowing down is always that bad - I don't want to rush through life.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Gin Blossoms, Allison Road
Nada...

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Caedmon's Call, Coming Home
I have some memories tied to Caedmon's that make me laugh.

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Garth Brooks, Standing Outside the Fire
This video features Special Olympics athletes...I get a little sentimentally teary there.

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Aerosmith, Falling in Love is Hard on the Knees
If you could all the bumps, bruises and scrapes I've gotten since marrying Mitch and getting into crazy stuff like climbing and biking, this could work!

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Jimmy Eat World, The Middle
Mitch rewrote this song to describe grilling and eating an elephant!

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Gin Blossoms, Follow You Down
What's that supposed to mean?!?!

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Foo Fighters, Everlong
???

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Shaking Tree, Memory of Me
I'm not remembering anyone or thing that hurts!

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Caedmon's Call, A Thousand Miles to Go
What do you know!?!? It's the title of my entire blog!

I'm not tagging anyone...this was just my reward for wading through all my emails this morning. If you want to do it, have fun!

For Andrea and Jake...

...who both tagged me to share six things others may not know about me.

1. I get super nostalgic over old toys. Just typing that gives me the overwhelming urge to dig my old toys out my parents' basement and attic. I'd go right for the My Little Ponies, followed closely by Rainbow Brite. I had a lot of Barbies, but they don't hit me the same.

2. Mitch and I have a very full bed. In addition to the two of us, we share space with my favorite stuffed animal, Teeny the money; a stuffed bear; and our cat, Chip. Why the two stuffed animals? Well, I can't shake the childish idea that animals have feelings. Teeny, as worn as he is, would be devastated to be relegated to a bookshelf (think The Velveteen Rabbit). Mitch made the mistake of joking about Bear's feelings one day, and now we have another bed companion. And Chip just does whatever he wants, but I like the feeling of him curled up next to me.

3. I took dance lessons from age three through my freshman year of college. I have all my dance recital costumes, including my first pair of pointe shoes. I was in Brighton City Ballet's production of The Nutcracker three times, but loved the recitals at my studio best. Recently, my two favorite dance instructors found me on Facebook and I was thrilled.

4. In high school, I thought my best friend and I should move to British Columbia and work at Whistler for a few years. Ski all day, party all night...now she works as a physical therapist at Beaver Creek and Vail during the winter, but she's married so I don't think she does the kind of partying we imagined! I can't wait to visit her.

5. I am often beautifully naive by choice. And I like it that way.

6. I didn't like country music growing up. We listened to classic rock a lot at home, then did the typical "whatever's cool" thing in high school. When Mitch and I moved to Cadillac, we got hooked on The Bear, an awesome classic rock station, and completely shunned "Top Forty" stuff. When we moved to Mt. Pleasant, the lack of classic rock and our distaste for pop led us to the country radio stations. Now I'm hooked!

So, tags: Charlotte, Ryan, Marc and Robin should do this. Tim should just give us a blog entry, period. How long's it been...June?!?! :)

Thanksgiving Weekend in Review

Some of my favorite things about this glorious four-day weekend:

Flowers on our anniversary! Last Wednesday marked four wonderful years of marriage, and Mitch treated me to a pretty bouquet featuring gerbera daisies from a "real flower show." They're still perched in a vase on our kitchen table, vibrant in all their red, yellow and purple glory

Spending an entire day with Mitch's family. My sister-in-law, Mariah, had it right in her most recent email to me when she said it was nice to have a whole day without having to rush around. We ate a leisurely meal (two turkeys - one from the deep fryer - plus tons of side dishes and desserts), cleaned up together, shared gift ideas for our husbands, played with our youngest nephew and engaged in a marathon game of Apples-to-Apples.

(Let's talk about Apples-to-Apples for a second: if the word was "odd" and someone played a card that said "The Pentagon," wouldn't you get it? No one got it! A building with five sides...an odd number...come on!)

Another favorite thing: spending two lovely days in Traverse City with Mitch. A couple months ago, we wanted to go on a getaway for the two of us, but we were really burned out after all the weddings, races and other events this summer. We decided to take an anniversary trip to a place where we could book a hotel, show up and have a great time: no researching, very little planning. For us, Traverse was the perfect choice. Mitch made reservations for Friday night at a nice B&B in Sutton's Bay, and we spent Friday and Saturday touring local wineries and shopping for Christmas gifts. Some of the best things: Enerdyne, a nature/science/toy store in Sutton's Bay; tasty cheese purchased at Blackstar; passion fruit margaritas at the Red Mesa; and Forty-Five North, a new winery on the Leelanau Peninsula.

You might think this one is weird: cleaning the apartment. I am a neat freak, but ever since I started graduate school in September, big housework things like dusting just don't seem to get done as regularly as I'd like. After church on Sunday, I spent most of the day cleaning, reorganizing and completing my Christmas decorating. Our apartment looks, smells and feels just perfect!

I just hinted at this one: the beginning of the Christmas season. For me, Christmastime begins right after Thanksgiving. I love my nativity scenes (yes, I have two: a Precious Moments one for home and another one for my office), my snowmen, my Santa Bears. Most of all, I love our gorgeous tree, but I have to wait for that beauty. We're cutting it this weekend and putting it up the following weekend. You can bet I will post photos!

Speaking of Christmas, I am pleased to report I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. I still need to buy for a few family members and the twin boys from one of the families our office adopted, but that's it. My favorite gifts so far: probably the cool Built lunch bags I bought a couple friends. Mitch's gifts should be pretty sweet, too...but no, baby, I'm not going to post those on here! :)

And finally, the snow. We got quite a bit by mid-Michigan standards last night. It's pretty thick and heavy, so all the trees are coated and campus looks like a winter wonderland. Maybe we can build a snowman this evening, if Mitch doesn't get to go downstate to pick up his new mountain bike. Or maybe I'll just curl up under my favorite flannel quilt with hot cocoa, Christmas music and a good book (I'm currently rereading Little Women, which I've surprisingly read less often than Gone With the Wind), and admire the snow outside.

'Tis the season!