My Big Four Legged Baby

On our Christmas morning, Buddy wanted attention. It was a nice treat. We knew he missed us while we were in Cincinnati. Normally, he is not allowed to climb up, but it was our Christmas morning!

Fortunately, he welcomed his ball and was content on his bed gnawing away.

The festive wear was removed immediately after opening presents. He does not like having that on at all!

The Forever View of Home

The Ohio River will always have a special place in my heart. I grew up in Cincinnati, but have not lived there in a long time. It doesn't matter. When I see it, it brings me right back home.

On Christmas Eve, the Bengals played. We were able to catch a glimpse or two from our hotel room. I am not up on the NFL, but was happy the Bengals won.

Christmas Eve 2011

This year, we changed it up a bit. We stayed at the Embassy Suites on the Ohio instead of at my mom's house. We stayed at that hotel on our wedding night. In honor of 20 years, we decide to go back.  It was wonderful.  The hotel was just okay, but the experience was wonderful. Pumpkin snapped the photo before we went to my brother's on Christmas Eve.

I snapped this one of my two boys.

We bugged out of our family celebration a bit early to make it to mass at the church we were married at. It is a tradition to head back there. It makes our visit to see the Pastor, Fr. Schappelle, who even married us. My niece came along too. It was a nice mass. We had to take a photo because they painted the church and changed the tabernacle. We had to document it to compare it to our other pictures.

After mass, we headed back to the hotel. We watched the Pope's midnight mass. I think more than one of us was dreaming about what it would like to be there.

After any trip, I ask what was best, what was worst, etc...kind of like an even better if analysis. It touched my heart that the boys said the liked watching the Pope's mass. In admidst all the commercialization, there are moments that they really get. Could not ask for more.

John Angotti Concert

We went to John Angotti's concert on Sunday night at the beautiful Cannon Center. He is an amazing Christian singer from the Memphis area. We've even had the luxury to have him sing at mass. What a treat! We all enjoyed the music. It was festive, moving, and a nice evening out. We need to do it more often. Pumpkin was moved by Angotti's singing. Peanut was affected by the electric guitarist. The next day he was googling guitars. This is from a boy that has not played a single musical instrument. I may need to run with it, but am wondering if Guitar Hero will fit the bill. Here are a few shots from the night -

I wanted a picture of my scarf to share with my friend in Hong Kong. Thank you, Justine! Peanut is not the most talented photographer. He snapped about ten pictures. You can't really see the scarf. I loved wearing it and was cozy when we walked out into the night air.

I am slightly near-sighted. About a year ago, I got glasses to wear when I need to see the crisp details from far away. Peanut snapped this photo before I got them off.

These next few days are action-packed. I'll relax after we entertain the Big Guy's team. I enjoy hosting, but dread this time before when it seems like the list is long and the visions in my head don't seem to materialize. I keep reminding myself that folks won't scrutinize. They will just be grateful for the time together.

Sill Alice

A friend recently read the book, Still Alice, by Lisa Genova.

My mother in law is battling the awful disease of dementia. I was intrigued by my friend's review of the book and promptly ordered the book as a gift for the Big Guy's sisters.

A little voice inside my head was nagging me to read the book myself. How could I give it as a gift and not read it? Sure enough. It was in at our library.

So, instead of knitting, decorating, list making, or cleaning, I spent my free time yesterday reading this book. It is a good book. I know it is fiction, but it opened my eyes to what my MIL might be going through. It is a deep book. Now. I am anxious for my gift recipients to read it. I am making the Big Guy read it too. It will open the door for more discussion.

If you know of someone dealing with dementia or want to understand a bit more about it, give this book a read. Image snapped from http://www.powells.com/biblio/7-9781439102817-1#.

On the topic of aging, we watched Water for Elephants. It got approval from the entire family. The boys weren't too sure about it at the beginning, but were quickly sucked in. I had read the book and was pleased with the interpretation of it.

Holiday Update

Outside decorations - check
Tree up (minus ornaments) - check
Some presents bought - check
Seasonal cold passed around family ending with me - check
Procrastinating by reading blogs - check

Enjoyable high school chorale concert last night - check

LOTS, LOTS, LOTS, more to do!

Carols at the Peabody

The high school chamber and mixed choirs sang at the Peabody today. As always, it was lovely.

My seat was not the best. As a result, I was forced to savor the music.

Pumpkin is down on floor level off in the distance. The hotel is gorgeous. The wonderful voices just add to it.

I was able to snag a picture right after he sang. I keep having to pinch myself. Where is my baby boy? The Big Guy holds his left hand just like that.

We used the reverse photo feature on the iphone. My hair looks so bad. The inches and inches of rain did nothing for it! But, it was fun trying to snap a good photo.

Listened to lots of Josh Groban today on the drive to/fro. Beautiful, beautiful voice.

St Jude Memphis Grizzlies 5K

We live close to St. Jude. What an amazing place. For the past ten years, they have held a half and full marathon in Memphis. They have a 5K too. All of that occurred yesterday. This is the first time we participated. You have to register pretty far in advance or they sell out. Peanut wanted to do the half, but I think he is too young to run that far. Peanut and the Big Guy settled on doing the 5K.

The start time was 7:15am. We were up bright and early. I was very lucky and found a free parking space. I met back up with them fairly quickly.

They got a great spot at the start. Look just below the FedEx Forum banner.

The Memphis police were out in full force to escort the runners.

I caught the Big Guy, but missed Peanut whizzing by...

If I remember correctly, there were 16,000 runners. There were runners everywhere. It was amazing.

Peanut took 3rd in his age group (13-15) with a time of 21:09! He had a bet with the Big Guy if he ran sub 20, then he'd get an Ipad 2. Whew! I am excited for him, but glad we did not have to go to the Apple store. The Big Guy ran at just 24. We aren't sure what place he came in in his age group (45-49). If he'd been a few months younger, he would have placed in that age group. Oh! Well! It was all for a great cause.

I am not sure I can hold 'em back from running the half next year!

This post was edited to include the pictures my runners took with Elvis. The pictures were taken by MarathonFOTO. We aren't planning on buying them. Even so, I wanted to share. The Big Guy planned accordingly. The orange proof fades into his fleece.

Tree Lighting on Collierville Square

On Tuesday night, we braved the cold to head down to the town square for the tree lighting.

Three elementary school choirs sang and then the high school choirs sang. Man! The high school sounded wonderful. I can't wait for their concert on the 12th. They only sang two songs - didn't want to give too much away!

Here they are filing on to the bleachers.

A zoomed in shot of Pumpkin. I love that he is wearing the hat I made him:)

They have funny glasses on because the town employees were handing them out. When you look at the twinkling lights, you see snowmen.

Peanut is going to use his for the Christmas parade tonight. It won't be as cold, but cold enough to enjoy hot chocolate & cookies back at the house with a group of teenage boys.

Thanksgiving 2011

This Thanksgiving we took food to my inlaw's to celebrate a low key Thanksgiving. My FIL fell about 6 weeks ago suffering traumatic brain injury. His cognitive skills were affected. He is home now and improving everyday. It is just a slow process. Anyway, we tried to make this meal as easy and simple as possible. Our friends smoked turkeys for March of Dimes. It was my best donation! I searched the internet to try some new recipes. For stuffing, I tried one from Pioneer Woman. It was good. Although, Peanut missed the stuffing with andoulle sausage.
As for desserts, I went with a pumpkin brownie minus the walnuts. These were really good - enjoyed by all!

I made an Oatmeal Crumb Apple Pie. I used Jonagold apples from PA. The spices were fabulous. Shhh! Don't tell. I had to have some for breakfast one day too.

On Wednesday afternoon, Peanut and I went to my inlaw's. Peanut and Nana peeled the potatoes for the mashed potato casserole. John was at rehab and we used this time to finish up for the meal.

Peanut's annual request is for Strawberry Jello salad with a pretzel crust. This year, we made it with raspberries as I forgot to get strawberries. I have to say Peanut did not do the best job with the cheese layer in the salad. It gave the sides of the dish character.

He had to try it out to make sure is wasn't poisonous.

Peanut was a big help. I know Nana enjoyed having him there.

In keeping with their annual Thanksgiving tradition, Peanut and the Big Guy ran in the 4 Miler Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. I snapped this photo after Peanut got home. What is it with teasing the dog with a pretzel?? Peanut took third in his age group with a time of 27+ minutes. Pretty darn fast!

We convinced John to help us with the turkey breast. It all came back to him and sliced the turkey perfectly.

I forgot to get pictures of us eating. The meal was very enjoyable. We had plenty and everything tasted good. We are thankful for so much - most of all the love of family. It has been more pronounced as we work through the healing of my FIL.

It did not take long for the turkey to make everyone sleepy...

Pumpkin was out first.

In between naps, I rallied the men to get a picture on the couch - three generations. Gotta love it!

Lucky for Turkey

Peanut and the Big Guy participated in a Thanksgiving Free Throw Contest.

The competition was not really deep, but there was competition.

I snapped this picture after the warmed up.

They pulled out a win and walked away with a turkey!

I think we will end up enjoying it for Christmas.

Thanks so much, to Collierville for hosting the event.

Reflection Award

Peanut won a Reflection Award in the visual arts category. He took third place for the 7th grade. The theme was diversity. He drew a picture of a variety of drinks using colored pencils. He wrote a little blurb to go with it. I wish I took a picture, but did not think too much about it at the time he handed it in. I am sure we'll get the artwork back sometime soon.

It was a surprise and an honor.

Look at the male:female ratio of the 6-8 grade winners. Who knew?

Peanut doesn't like his art teacher this year. He's talking about switching out of it next year. I haven't competely agreed as he does have some talent. His teacher last year was fabulous. Unfortunately, the teacher can make it or break it.

Frigid Futbol

Last night Peanut had a soccer game. As luck would have it, the cold front moved in. It was cold, cold, and windy.

I had stopped into to Costco earlier in the day. They had down jackets for kids. I knew Peanut did not have something for the few days that we get snow. So, I picked one up. They only had bright green in his size. When I got home, I slipped it on. It is so soft, light, and long. Who knew it would be perfect for the soccer field?

The Big Guy deemed me Gumby. Did I tell you that I love green?

I think Peanut will end up wearing it. If he doesn't, I will.

I just might have to hit the other Costco to see if they have other colors available. I think he'd prefer black.

BTW, the team pulled out a win. The ball was cold and hard. I cringed everytime Peanut took a header.

Boeing Tour

While we were out in Seattle (it seems like ages ago) we got an insiders tour of Boeing. It was fabulous, one of those once in a lifetime experiences.

The warehouse is BIG! We started our tour seeing them use a 6ton crane to uncover the "rib" supports of the airplane wings. We followed the production all the way through.

FedEx is the largest US customer of Boeing.

Speaking of large, here we are in front of the 777's engine. Huge! In comparison, on our flight leaving Seattle, we flew on a 737. The boys could not believe how small the engines were.

This is the last plane that will be delivered to FedEx this calendar year. It was just about done. It was going to be wheeled out in the next day or two to get its full paint job.

Inside the belly of the plane -

The packages are put in containers which are then loaded on the tracks that you see. They can be configured in lots of different ways.

Behind us, workers were on their hands and knees sealing the tracks to prevent water damage. It is surprising how much manual labor is involved in making a plane. I guess that is one reason why they are so darn expensive.

When we finished at the plant, we boarded shuttles and headed for the finished planes.

Some of the planes were out there without engines. Instead, they had heavy weights hanging from where the engines would be. We found out the engines are leased property. And, GE doesn't like having its engines out there subject to weather and damage. I guess if a plane is not sold, then the engines get removed until it is sold.

We got to go into this almost finished FedEx plane. I think it was about a week away from FedEx taking ownership. When they complete the sale, there is an entire enterage involved in the process. Our tour guide commented that it is very impressive to see the transfer take place.

This plane, in particular, was contracted to achieve certain mileage. It had been on a few test flights and was going to do a few more in California before coming "home" to Memphis. These 777s are the planes FedEx uses to fly to Asia. Behind the cockpit were a row of four very nice "jump" seats. Someone mentioned they may use those seats to carry additional pilots depending on how far/how long the trip is.

There is one pilot that picks up most of the brand new planes and flies them back to Memphis. It turns out, that pilot is the father of Adam's sixth grade teacher. What a small world!

Just incase we did not see enough, we got another treat. We got to get on a just-about-finished Emirates plane. They are the airlines known for luxury. Their tickets are extremely expensive. The plane was over the top. We got to see the coach, business and first class. I just could not figure out when you would need all this. You'd have to be going on an extremely long flight.

Peanut got to sit in a fist class seat. Each passenger gets a room-type area.

We went into the tour thinking it would be a couple hours. Over four hours later, we were leaving Boeing. It was so impressive! We saw the 777s, the 747s, and a 787s. Everything is so big that you lose perspective. All is very organized and clean. It was an amazing tour. Pumpkin deemed it the best part of our trip!!

Lucky Duck

On Wednesday, Peanut went out to shoot some hoops. Basketball, afterall, is upon us!

I took the opportunity to run to the bank and make a deposit for the swim team.

At the bank, in front of the teller, my phone rings. It is Peanut asking if I am at the bank. He wanted to know if I was in the drive thru or inside. I could not figure out why he cared.

As it turns out, he put his phone on the top of my car when he started shooting. He did not remember until I was at the bank.

He was one lucky boy. The phone was resting peacefully on the top of the car.

Peanut was smiling broadly when I got home!

Oregon...We Enjoy You Too!

After an amazing tour of Boeing, pictures forthcoming of that, we headed down to Portland. I had never been to Oregon. The city is filled with bikers and lots of folks outdoors. It is a city full of microbrews. After checking in, we headed out to dinner to taste some local ale.

The Big Guy enjoyed his dark stuff. I enjoyed the Bavarian pretzels we ordered with the beer!

This is such a statement to how Portland really is. I love that you are free to be yourself.

The streets are narrow and one lane is designated for buses. I love the use of public transportation and the use of bicycles.

Peanut is an Oregon Ducks fan. So, we drove down to Eugene and toured the campus. The Big Guy and I loved the setting. This is outside the building that houses their business classes. They put that O decal up the week before just for ESPN Gameday. There were bikes everywhere!

The stadium is off campus. We swung by there on our way out.

The next morning we got some local donuts at Voodoo.

You have never seen so many choices of doughnuts. I broke the mold and ordered a berry fritter. It was good. I just wish they left the sugar coating off of fritters. I'd really enjoy the fried dough all by itself.

We worked off the sugar high by walking through Powell's Books. What a place! It was so refreshing to see an independent bookstore that is thriving. I'm gonna order my books from there from now on.

On our way back to Seattle to catch our flight, we stopped at Mount St. Helen's visitor center. We got there right before it closed, glanced around, and snapped this photo. This is the only time we encountered rain on our trip.

It was raining and grey. You have to trust me on this one that Mount St. Helen's is in the background.

I'd go back to the Washington or Oregon any time... I'd go see the rocky coast. We were so close to the ocean, but did not make it out there. I'd go to an apple orchard. I'd go on a ferry. I'd go to Canada. I'd go to the Olympic mountain range. I'd drink a coffee that I never drink. I'd people watch. I am not complaining. We had a great trip even if we only scratched the surface.