Our naked tree

Here is the start of the decorating... And my Christmas cactus is blooming...

Our children

AKA - the beloved pups!

Whenever the dogs look right at the camera they look like deer in headlights.

This is pretty princess' drunken stuper...who couldn't love this face?

Sam has zero interest in playing ball. The only reason she takes the ball is when she is feisty and wants to play! Here she is in full feisty force.

Anyone who has ever witnessed a lab wag its tale knows it is like a baseball bat.

Apparently pretty princess has figured this out as well.

Go Army Beat Navy!

This weekend I will experience my first Army vs. Navy football game! I can't wait. Of course the husband and friends have done this many times before, but I am a newby. We will be meeting up with friends from all over for a tailgating party to remember! I will be certain to bring my camera.

I took photos of the tree last night, but of course did not download them. I also found a new way to motivate the husband. After we had taken the photos of the tree, we were sitting watching television when I looked over and saw a lazy mess on the couch. It was a bag and some paper just tossed there in an obviously carefree way. I grabbed the camera and said, "this is a perfect example of you for the blog!" He got up so fast for fear of the photo being posted and the mess was instantly gone. I am going to try this technique more often. : )

While I was sleeping...

While I was catching up on some much needed sleep my husband rearranged the living room furniture and assembled our Christmas tree. It now proudly stands in our bay window. Luckily, a few years ago we purchased a tree with lights already on it, so it is not completely naked. I am getting excited for the holidays and am really looking forward to decorating.

On a different note - I have been feeling badly leaving the dogs alone for such long days so I located a dog walker (http://www.petwatchersnj.com/services.html ) our area. When I told the husband he said he thought it was a waste of money since we take them out in the morning and evening and play with them then. The cost is 18 dollars a walking for the two of them. I am not sure how long of a walk it is. I am thinking 30 minutes or so. The other thing is that if we go away they do house visits and will take care of the pets while we are gone, so we would have a back up option so i don't always have to put out the sister or neighbors. I was thinking it was justifiable to have them walked two days a week to break up the week. Mind you they go out around 6am and then our home alone from 6:45 - at least 7pm on most days. That is a super long day of loneliness for a dog. What do you guys think I should do? 36 dollars a week? or no?

clarification

Since I was not quite coherent last night, actually I am still not very alert, but anyway the building in the photo below is where I work. I could not express that at 3:30 in the morning, so I wanted to let everyone know it is not a random building, but where I spend my days.

I am exhausted today. I am really hoping to leave early, but I am not sure that will happen. I have always known I don't function well without a lot of sleep, so this is a true test for me. I ended up getting about 2 hours of sleep last night. Not nearly enough!

I have nothing else to really talk about since my life is revolving around year end at the firm. I hope I have something exciting to post soon. Until then...

Sti

I am still here! The only difference is that it is dark now and I don't sit anywhere near a window to see the outside world.

Great news! I am leaving!

Stay awake

I will not fall asleep in my office chair. I will stay awake until I get home, and I will make it back to work in a few hours. It is currently 1:30am and I have been in the same building for over 17 hours without going outside. I have only left the 5th floor once for lunch. The kicker- I have a near hour ride home since they closed the Lincoln Tunnel until 5am for construction (unless I am going home after 5am which is not completely out of the question). My alarm for morning goes off at 5:50am. I am wondering if I will still be here, and if so what I will do. Do I wash my face? I doubt I have any make up left on at this point anyway. Do I pretend that I am wearing a new outfit? What about my teeth? I really want to go crawl in my bed. I have spurts of being very busy, and then the waiting time when I start to feel as though I am falling asleep only to realize where I am. And it is only MONDAY!

The NJ Family

There has been a lot of discussion on this blog about my sister and many of you do not have the priviledge of knowing her. The history is that we shared a room for 15 years and then lived distant from each other for ten plus more. We were reunited last spring when my sister purchased a home in NJ to be near us. She stayed with us for much of the summer and when we are together it is like we were never separated. She is my partner in crime. Here we are one summer night out on a rooftop bar.

When my sister came to town she did not want me to set her up with anyone. Anyone I ever tried to set her up with was of no interest to her. So, when I met a couple in the development who happened to have a twin brother who was single I was a little hesitant to make the match. I strategically planned "the set up" and after a little resistance she agreed to meet him. The rest is history. Here we are enjoying the summer across the Hudson from NYC. I really love this photo with the cloudy sky and the beautiful skyline. We had just feasted on Mexican food. This was prior to our summer vacation to Mexico. We have still not eaten Mexican since that trip, but when you visit this place is worth going to for fajitas!We were fortunate to move into a new community of young people and have made some great friends as a result. It is not nearly as easy to make friends outside of the military community, but we are making our way.

Unfortunately / Fortunately : )

The computer was not working with me the last few days, so unfortunately I have not been able to update. Fortunately, not much excitement has occurred to report.

Saturday morning I ran around shopping. I really enjoyed the mall at 7am. There was nobody there. It was relaxing and enjoyable. By 10:30 that had all ended. I was home by noon with a lot of Christmas shopping accomplished. I managed to pull off all of the shopping for the husband, so that is a relief. I got home and took a nice long nap.

I did pull out my sewing things with a bit of a crash in the closet.It has been a long while since I have looked in this box. As I was going through the bin of "stuff" I found a bottle of wine. It was funny because this has been happening to us since we moved. The movers in Germany did not want to ship our wine so we hid a great deal of it. Every so often a bottle pops up. So, to my surprise I found a bottle of wine in my sewing box. - I have material I purchased a while ago and would like to start a new quilt. So, my question is to the mama as to how I make "her style" quilt with the inside out look. If you could provide instructions I would like to try your technique. Thanks~
I did do a little sewing this weekend and it felt good to look in the craft box.

On a separate note, a very bad thing happened in my neighborhood this weekend. Someone bought and placed outside of their home a giant gift with Santa Claus popping out of it! Yes, it is true, I now have a blow up thing in my neighborhood. I am not sure what to do about this...

Yesterday, I spent the day with my sister helping her move some clothing from my house to hers. It was a pretty uneventful day, which in my book is a good day. I quickly wrapped the husbands gifts last night before I picked him up at the airport, so he would not "accidentally" see what I bought him. I did not feel like wrapping gifts, but I don't have the hiding spaces I once did, so it seemed like the best option.

So, the husband is home and we are back to the grind. Hopefully, we will be heading to the army navy football game this weekend in Philadelphia. Otherwise, it will be operation decorate for Christmas.

Here he is

One thing this blog lacks is family photos. I am aware of the problem, and working to solve it. Since the husband and I are apart for the week I received a few photos of what is going on in the south. I was happy to see that the husband is relaxing since he works too hard on most days. So, here he is at his best - relaxing on a swing with dad.

It appears that they had better weather for the holiday then I did - It poured extremely cold rain all day yesterday. The Mini was challenged by a few floods on the ride to my sisters house. I even checked for water in the car after one of the lakes I went through, but cooper did me proud! She was a champ, didn't even sputter or kick.

Christmas is going to be at our house this year. I plan to decorate the house next weekend. I am really looking forward to it. We have not decorated for Christmas since 2003. In '04 we were apart and in '05 we were living out of suitcases, so this year is certain to be festive around the house. I can't wait to see all of the things I have collected from the Weinachts Markts again! I really miss the markets. I actually saw a couple of markets in NYC set up in parks that remind me a little of them. I am going to check them out. I am sure there will not be Gluwein, but luckily I still have a little stashed from Germany.

Black Friday

While most of the world battles the malls today fighting for a sale I am stuck in the office. I new that I would be working today for a while, but the bitterness did not come until early this week. On my short ride to the bus stop this morning I saw a flurry of shoppers carrying their bargains out of Kohl's and Bed Bath and Beyond. I looked on with envy wishing I were going somewhere fun. I waited for the bus an unreasonable amount of time and when I did finally get on it there was not the usual crowd of business dressed people. There was me and them. The others were wearing jeans riding happily into the city to frolic in the holiday season. I walked to the office passing shoppers carrying large toys r us bags and all sorts of other bargain filled bags. I ont he other hand was rushing through the streets as usual because I thought I was running late. I arrived apparently early because I was the first arrival in the office. For a split second I thought nobody told me...I shouldn't be here. After about ten minutes or so another co-worker arrived. I have been here an hour now, and the remaining five members of the team are nowhere to be found. The boss emailed he is going to be late- I wish I could do that and the rest- who knows. I am here, feeling like a hostage, hoping for freedom before sundown. Wish me luck.

I am thankful!

What are you thankful for this holiday? Other than the obvious – family, friends, and health, I am thankful for: The husband walking the dogs in the morning before work! What a rude awakening this morning – 2 pups jumping around me as I try to hit snooze and then crawling out of bed to go out into the brisk 30 degree air. I am very thankful that the morning walk is not part of my regular routine. This leads me to my next thought. I am super thankful for a warm home filled with pillows and blankets to snuggle under after coming in from the brisk air.

Whenever I see a homeless person (which unfortunately is quite often) I wish I had my closet handy, because I would certainly be able to walk in there and find a sweater or sweatshirt that I could spare. It is getting colder and the homeless remain homeless. The other night when I was leaving work late I saw a man across the street bundled up lying down asleep on a cardboard box to protect him from the cement. I thought that was a good idea to help keep warm, but then I also thought of how lucky I was taking a car service home. They say if you can make it here you can make it anywhere, but the truth is a lot of people can’t make it here. I am thankful I am making it.

With that very thought in mind we decided to donate to the local food pantries through online virtual kitchens. It was neat because you could select the actual meal you wanted to donate and it was like shopping at Sam’s club. For instance, if I selected gravy I got a case of gravy. Hopefully, as a result a few more people will find their bellies full tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Fasting

Next week I am planning to begin a cleansing diet. I am going to fast for a week. I will drink a mixture that you can read about here: http://www.neerasupercleanse.com/programdetails.htm . I will be allowed to drink tea and water, but that is it. I have a friend who does it seasonally and she claims it makes her feel so much healthier. The first day apparently is the hardest and then you start feeling better so you don't mind not eating (?). I have to admit I am a skeptic and am not sure I can pull it off, but I am going to try. Food is such a mental thing for me that I don't know how I will react. How often do we eat when we are not hungry? I am going to let myself chew gum for sure. I will let you know how this goes.

Is it a cog or a dat?

Has anyone seen this? I can't believe this... apparently in Argentina a cat mated with a dog and had a litter of six. Three resembled cats and died, while the other three with dog traits are alive. They plan to do tests to see if this is true, but see for yourself. There are dog noses on those kittens!

One more quick thing about this photo- Do you see the background? That ladies boobs are being viewed around the world!


The actual text of from the story: Brazilian student Cassia Aparecida de Souza, 18, holds her cat Mimi together with what Cassia claims are Mimi's own offspring, born with dog traits last Friday, three months after mating with a neighbour's dog, in the southern Brazilian city of Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul state, November 15, 2006. REUTERS/Edison Vara

Mondays...

I haven't gotten this whole blogging thing down just yet. I had a post last night with photos that I somehow managed to delete and I was too frustrated to start over again. This is a learning process.

So, the temperature finally dropped here on Saturday making it feel a little more like the holiday season. It has been very warm here making it seem silly to see holiday decorations. I think it is still a little too early for Christmas decorations personally, but there are some people that live across from our development that feel differently. I have to photograph it to share with you. There is more junk in this person's yard then house. They have Santa, carolers, reindeer, a nativity, snowman, and other non holiday related lawn ornaments. It is rather amusing (as long is it is not in my neighborhood). I actually have a huge problem with lawn ornaments. I don't like them. If anyone in our development tries to put up an inflatable Santa this year... A photo of this neighbors house will follow.

No excitement here. My sister is supposed to close on her new place tomorrow. I am hoping for her it happens. In the mean time we have little Romeo back on freedom lane. He loves playing with the big dogs! I don't think any of them realize the size difference. It is pretty entertaining watching them run around together, but it often gets to be a little too much in the house.

My daily commute

If your anything like me you have not ridden a bus daily to and from a school or work since at least high school. For me it was junior high, but now daily I go to the bus stop and wait – rain or shine for the bus. I say I like my commute because each day is an adventure. It starts with the bus and a mile walk and ends in the reverse order.

During the commute I encounter the most interesting things. I love seeing the man with the boom box walking down the street. That is always a pleasure regardless of what is booming out of the box! My favorite boom box incident was the man with the boom box tied to his bicycle. I thought that was super creative.

When it rains I feel like I am playing a video game – dodging umbrellas. It is a dangerous sport. People whip around with those pointy spikes like nothing. It is almost impossible to pass slow walkers with umbrellas. You are so much wider with an umbrella. I think large golf umbrellas should be banned in the city. They take up the entire sidewalk. It makes the sidewalk an instant no passing zone.

When I first started commuting I had a real problem. Mary Poppins is opening on broadway and every day I passed the signs that read: Chim-Chim-er-ee Chim-chim-er-ee and just a spoonful of sugar…you can imagine how catchy that is- you are probably cursing me right now. So daily I would walk singing. In the morning it was just a spoonful of sugar and on the way home it was chim-chim-er-ee. It was painful. I now walk a different route.

There was the day when the lady brought her cat into time square to have an artist draw it. The cat was sitting on her lap petrified and she was covered in fur. Meanwhile, the man sat drawing the cat perfectly.

The stories are endless. I invite any one of you to commute with me one day and observe your surroundings. You are sure to get a laugh…

Freedom Lane, USA

Yes, it is true. We live on Freedom Lane. It fits us pretty well. This is the first time we have sent out photos of the house. Here is its debut!

The kitchen is finally finished. When we moved in we were without a kitchen sink, had no tiles on the back splash, and a whole where the whine fridge would eventually be (not photographed). It took a while. We figure the housewarming will be at the one year. I chose to photograph the parts of the house that look good - our work is not done.















This is my favorite part...

Finally, I have a photograph of our upstairs foyer which includes a built in desk. You will notice that their are paint swatches all over the wall. We can't decide what color to paint the hall so we now have an interesting design techinique...See for yourself.

Come and visit us soon!

Riveting Existence

There is not much exciting going on in my life today. There isn't much time for news when you work most of your waking hours. Yesterday I spent about 13 hours at work and when you add in the two hour commute it becomes apparent why the man on the bus gets the quote of the day. I live in the office Monday through Friday. I have a box of cereal and a stash of tea - it is a home away from home. The only difference is there is no relaxing or nap time. Two of my favorite things. Today will be a day of no less than 12 hours of work. It is year end at the firm and I am learning what that means: No Sleep! Lucky for me I have made friends with the girl next to me. We have many things in common that sometimes seem almost scary. For instance, today we are wearing the EXACT same outfit. That would be a black blouse from Express and tan pants with black shoes with our brown hair pulled back. Seeing how we sit right next to each other we have gotten a good laugh out of this many times today.
I know, you are all jealous of this exciting life I lead. I am sure you are finding my blog riveting. Stay tuned. It will get better - it has to. Maybe next time I will talk about paint samples.

Quote of the day...

Said in a southern accent by the man from Winston-Salem, North Carolina when getting off the bus this morning:

"This aint like anything we got from where I'm from. This is like us herding some cattle or something."

Reading List

I have placed a book list on the side of the page. I have said for years that I want to read more and my new job is affording me the opportunity. Every evening on my bus ride home I get about 30 minutes of reading time in. This has helped me get through a few books. I tend to like the lighter reads and have never been into murder mysteries or science fiction. I am more of an US Weekly kind of girl. I have been a faithful reader of US Weekly for a while now, but it does not take the place of a good book.

I picked up Marley and Me for the pup. Having a chocolate lab I could not resist a book about owning a lab. The book was laugh out loud funny at points, but may only have been since I could relate so closely with the experiences I have had with my lab. The theme is the most obedient disobedient dog. It fits perfectly. A great dog lover’s book.

The next book I picked up was given to me by my sister – Four Blonds which was written by one of the writers from Sex and The City. It started out pretty good, but was more of a fizzle. She had not read it yet, so I told her it was not necessary to place on the top of her list.

I am now reading another light read, Everyone Worth Knowing, which is written by the author of the Devil Wears Prada. So far so good. I just started reading it, but it is about a girl who works in NYC for a major financial firm…Hmm sound familiar? That is why I picked it up. The difference is she leaves for a PR job and then (I am guessing because I have not read this far) her social life and private life merge into a mess.

Finally, Living the Seven Habits I purchased over the weekend. It looks like a good read, but I have not started it yet. It is based on the best seller, The Seven Habits of highly effective people, and the Eighth Habit. I have not read either of the others, but it does not appear that it makes a difference. We will see. The book is full of motivational short stories about how people changed their lives to be more effective.

Thanksgiving Plans

This year the other half and I will be spending Thanksgiving separately. This is not the first holiday apart, but it is the first where we have had control over the situation and opted to be in separate locations. We had been planning since July to go to NC to visit the in-laws and in early October my plans were disrupted. I happily accepted a new position within my firm, but the stipulation was that November is the busiest month of the year. In other words- don’t even think about taking time off. Although I was disappointed I could not travel there was nothing prohibiting the other half from going. So he is leaving Tuesday evening and returning Sunday. I will work Wednesday and Friday and possibly some of the weekend. It has not yet been determined. The up side is that my sister is a new resident in the area as of November 22nd! She will close on her loft the day before Thanksgiving and we will most likely spend Turkey day shifting furniture and looking through boxes. Plan B is to spend the day at my place with the beloved pups. I probably will make an apple pie at the least. I haven’t given much thought to the meal…I am not cooking it…hmmm…or maybe I am? Is it a sin to not eat Turkey on Thanksgiving? I guess it depends who you ask. It looks like I have some grocery shopping to do.

Photo

Ok...Here we are relaxing in TN before heading
back to our chaotic lives.

The beginning

With so many friends using blogs these days it only seemed natural to start my own. So, I started with a basic google search on how to create a blog and here I am, but it was not that simple. I had to name the blog. I had never though about naming a blog only starting one and posting emails and photos from time to time. So, I was briefly haulted while I tried to decide what to label my life. I decided not to think too hard and move on. So, here I am attempting to communicate to many people without emailing everyone the same stories individually. We will see how this works as the days go on, but this is where it begins.

My goal is to post photos for our friends and family that are far away and post updates of the happenings in our life. Of course, right now I have no photos to post, but the inspiration has struck and I am seizing the moment to begin this blog.