Webchicky's Blog

Moved!

2010-03-29T13:12:00.002-04:00

My blog has moved back to my main site. Check it out here and please update your bookmarks!

Message Boards Down

2010-02-24T18:44:00.001-05:00

We're upgrading some backend things on the server for other projects and unfortunately the boards are down as a result. I'm hoping it's resolved quickly.

NYR Wk #3

2010-01-18T11:30:00.000-05:00

Last week I fell a bit short:
2000 calories burned (approx 4 workouts) - I burned 1150 in 2 bike workouts.
500 crunches - I completed 450 so closer to my goal this time.

The scale is still down about 4 lbs in total but I had a heavy meal last night after a headache all day that meant no bike time.

This week, same goal:
2000 calories burned
500 crunches

I have no work today and a late start (due to a late evening) tomorrow.

NYR Week #2

2010-01-11T09:45:00.000-05:00

Last week:
2000 calories burned (approx 4 workouts) - complete, did all 4 on bike.
500 crunches - due to continued back pain, I only managed 200.

Also, the scale is down 4lbs. Which still leaves a ridiculous amount to go.

This week:
2000 calories burned
500 crunches

NYR Week #1

2010-01-04T13:41:00.000-05:00

This week:

2000 calories burned (approx 4 workouts)
500 crunches

Not very exciting, huh?

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T20:44:00.000-05:00

Ahh, another year is upon us. Must be time for a post about resolutions I won't keep...

I'm not bothering with specifics. I plan to build on some things I set in motion last year both personally and professionally. 2010 will find me doing a lot more writing. Hopefully some of it will be here but I suspect this blog will continue to serve mostly as my personal log of workouts, etc.

Most of 2009 was spent battling an inability to sleep. The good news is that this seems to finally be under control again. The bad news is that I really fell apart in the meantime. I've reinstated my gym membership and am back on the wagon to make some changes.

Plans for 2010? My sister is due with a baby girl in just a couple of weeks. We'll be heading north to visit, probably in February. Mike's class from NDHS is due for a 15 year reunion. And I think we may be due for a trip to Europe.

"I like to write"

2009-11-20T12:28:00.002-05:00

It has recently occurred to me that I often tell people that while I have a job as a webmaster, what I really enjoy is writing, blogging, and building online communities.

And then I imagine (because I'm sure people find me that intriguing) that maybe they click a link on Facebook or Twitter or Google and end up here at my blog.

They read a post about how I'm going to workout three times this week (three!!!) and think "holy snooze - she says she blogs?".

Let me let you in on a secret. This blog is the blog associated with my actual name. It is part of the results that come up if you go looking for me online. Acquaintance? Church member? Potential employee? Yep, right here. So while the blog probably doesn't have to be quite so boring, it's not where I put the good stuff.

I do my writing on several blogs. I do a lot of writing offline. A lot of it is submitted under various names depending on my mood and planetary alignment that day.

Please don't just find this blog and assume I'm boring. Nope. Just assume this is very very abridged.

This week

2009-11-16T15:10:00.002-05:00

I will workout three times.
I will do three sessions of crunches.
I will drink 64 oz of water each day.
I will finish researching the list of links/sites for our project.

I will sleep?

Nah, that last one probably isn't a good example of an attainable goal.

NYR: Restart Week #2

2009-10-19T14:06:00.003-04:00

Not a bad week last week even though I didn't quite make my goals.

Tues/Thurs: gym
Sat/Sun: out of town

This week looks like this:

three trips to the gym
three sessions of crunches
massage
South Beach diet

It felt great to be back at the gym last week. This weekend we went away and I had one last hurrah for awhile. I'm determined to put it all together.

Still waiting on test results from the doctor and hopefully an appointment with him to figure out what's happening.

9 in '09 - Week #??? RESTART

2009-10-12T13:48:00.002-04:00

I have no idea what week it's supposed to be. I know that I completely lost my way. I'm hoping this can be Week #1 of a restart.

There have been a lot of health issues getting me down lately. And in order to figure out some of the health issues, there have been a lot of appointments and tests. All with no real results so far. I'm still coughing at night, still not sleeping, and still not feeling so hot.

I keep waiting for answers from the doctors but I have no faith that the latest tests will produce conclusive results either so I'm trying a new approach.

Yesterday, I reactivated my gym membership. That makes the plan for the week look like this:

Mon: gym
Tues: crunches
Wed: Wii, gym for personal assessment
Thurs: gym
Fri: crunches
Sat: gym
Sun: crunches
64oz water each day

As soon as I feel like I'm getting a handle on the workouts, I'm going to focus on the eating plan. I'm already keeping an eye on it more and plan to be full-tilt by next week.

Health Update

2009-09-24T16:12:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile but here's the latest on my health (mostly so I can keep track). I've been having a lot of problems sleeping because as soon as I crawl into bed at night, I start coughing. The ENT thinks it's my acid reflux.

On August 18th, I had a 24-Hour Esophageal pH Test. We arrived at Rex around 7am and by 8:15 we were on the way home. The nurse inserted a tube down my nose into my throat and the top of the stomach. The tube was taped to my face and behind my ear then attached to a recording device with a bunch of buttons. I had to push the buttons to record the corresponding symptoms as well as reclining and eating. It was very uncomfortable but not unbearable. At 8am the next morning we returned to the hospital and had the tube removed.

The results of that test showed that I do, indeed, have some reflux issues. At that point, the ENT referred me to a gastroenterologist. Since I really didn't like the last one I had, he sent me to a different office and a new doctor. This guy is great and I liked him immediately. As expected, he ordered another endoscopy.

The endoscopy was last Friday, September 18th. Instead of having it at the hospital, I had it at the endoscopy center in Cary. We were there early again and everything went well. They used a different sedative this time (Propofol), which meant I woke up a lot faster and a lot more coherent than my past experiences. I did suffer a bit of an issue with the nerve in my bottom lip/chin but the doctor says it should be temporary.

I won't have full results on the endoscopy for another week but his thinking at this point is that it may be the vicodin for my migraines causing stomach issues which are in turn causing the reflux and the coughing. I need to go see my primary doctor for a different migraine treatment.

Also, the gastroenterologist has scheduled another 24-hour pH test for October 8th. He wants to compare the results of the first, when I was off my reflux meds, with a second test in which I keep taking my meds. I'm not at all looking forward to it but if it helps with a diagnosis, I'll deal with it.

9 in '09 - Week #35

2009-08-31T13:18:00.002-04:00

Good news - my foot is very much on the mend! The doctor said it looked horrible which was a great thing in terms of progress so I don't have to go back now until the end of September.

My other health "stuff" seems never-ending but at least summer seems to be drawing to a close! I have a lot of walking planned for the upcoming week and then hopefully I can get back to some regular working out and possibly even some running!

9 in '09 - Week #34

2009-08-24T09:00:00.002-04:00

Another week of hobbling around on my bad toe. I head back to the doctor for that this afternoon. I also had some medical testing related to my reflux last Tues/Wed.

Nothing really to report. I'm hoping there is an end in sight now for this hot miserable weather because I'm looking forward to running again.

This year has totally not gone as planned.

Look at me!

2009-08-21T13:46:00.000-04:00

I traded in my old phone for a BlackBerry. This may mean more frequent posts!

9 in '09 - Week #33

2009-08-17T13:42:00.004-04:00

As expected, the doctor sliced and diced my foot. Treatment will continue for at least another week before I'm able to workout on it. I didn't eat that well but my weight is steady. With some of the health issues I'm currently dealing with, maintaining (even at a level I'm not comfy with) might be the best I can hope for.

9 in '09 - Week #32

2009-08-10T11:05:00.002-04:00

Last week was ridiculous. I did absolutely NOTHING. In part this was due to attitude but it was also at least partially attributed to a lightning strike on Monday night that sent the entire rest of our week into an uproar. We're still finding damaged bits, including the receiver on the upstairs tv that allows me to use the Wii for workouts. Then we went away this weekend for our anniversary

I honestly don't know what to expect this week. I have an appointment today for an issue with my foot. At some point the doctor will have to do something about it that will leave me unable to do a whole lot for some amount of time. Next week I have testing for my reflux. It's also ridiculously hot. I'm not sure what my plan of attack will be.

9 in '09 - Week #31

2009-08-03T16:26:00.002-04:00

Feeling kinda bad that I never seem to blog about anything here besides my weekly progress reports. A lot of the things we do together are being posted over in The Rogans Blog so check that out if things seem sparse here.

Last week:

64 oz water a day - probably at least five days
low acid eating - mostly very good
vitamins - no
workout (4) - five times
abs 3 times - once

My weight was actually down towards the end of the week. Then the weekend happened.

This week:

64 oz water a day
low acid eating
workout (3)
abs 2 times

Thursday night we have a concert to attend. This weekend is our anniversary. And today I have a headache. We'll see what happens.

9 in '09 - Week #30

2009-07-27T15:27:00.002-04:00

Last week:

64 oz water a day - I think I missed one
watch eating - better
vitamins - nope
workout (3) - 5!
abs 3 times - 2 but they were a lot more than usual
lots of little research projects - yes

It was a pretty good week. It was also a pretty awful week in some ways. I spent most of the weekend not feeling well, a combination of being tired, the heat, some other health issues that I'm trying to address.

This week:

64 oz water a day
low acid eating
vitamins
workout (4)
abs 3 times

I'm having some severe issues with my acid reflux and my appointment with the ENT didn't go as well as I would've liked last week. As a result, I'm changing medications (AGAIN) and making a more committed effort to eating foods that are lowr in acid. We have a concert to attend on Saturday night. Nothing else that I know of happening this week so hopefully I can be productive.

9 in '09: Week #29

2009-07-20T09:52:00.002-04:00

Last week:

64 oz water a day: 6/7 days
double my effort for eating better: I did better, still not great
vitamins: not so much
workout (5 EA Active): 4 EA Active, 1 day much walking
abs 3 times: just once
finish cleaning bonus room: yes

Not a bad week. I actually did the EA Active workout 4 days in a row. Just sorta forgot about abs. The bonus room is to a point that I can live with and my desks are both in good shape for me to work.

This week:

64 oz water a day
watch eating
vitamins
workout (3)
abs 3 times
lots of little research projects

Another busy week for Mike. I have a lot of things to keep me busy and we have plans this weekend.

9 in '09: Week #28

2009-07-13T11:32:00.003-04:00

Not a bad week!

Last week:

64 oz water a day: 6/7 days
watch calories: better overall, still room for improvement
vitamins: almost never
workout: 5 days EA Sports Active (wii)
possibly abs on EA-off days: 2 days
server decommissioning activities: yes

It was a good week. Especially once you factor in those massages...

This week:

64 oz water a day
double my effort for eating better
vitamins
workout (5 EA Active)
abs 3 times
finish cleaning bonus room

No evening or weekend commitments for me. Mike has another super-busy week.

Ahh, Relaxation

2009-07-12T22:12:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, we went for massages. We did this for the first time on our trip to Topsail Beach last month with my family. Mike really created a monster with that treat because I've wanted to go every weekend since then!

But finally we went on Saturday. Mike had a crazy week at work so I called Massage Envy on Tuesday to schedule appointments yesterday at 1pm.

We arrived at 12:45 and filled out our paperwork. Mike was paired with a lady that specialized in athletes/runners. I was paired with a massage therapist that works extensively in necks/headaches.

The massage room was nice. The tables are heated and comfy. My therapist was a bit chatty but it was mostly in the spirit of making sure I was comfortable and she was addressing my needs. She did a lot of pressure point work on my neck and shoulders that caused me to be tender afterwards but I'm finally loosening up and thinking it was definitely worth it.

Afterwards, we were both glad we'd gone. Mike was more relaxed/sleepy than I was while I felt more "worked on" but that was fine. I've learned in the short span of only two massages that there are different kinds of sessions and that's great.

So great that we signed up for the membership which includes a monthly massage at no additional charge and more massages at a discounted rate. I'm hopeful that this will help my stress, tmj and especially my headaches. I'm very excited!

P.S. If you're interested in checking out Massage Envy, let me know. I can hook you up with trial passes.

9 in '09: Week #27

2009-07-06T11:15:00.003-04:00

Here we go, first report since recommitting myself last week.

Last week:

64 oz water a day (some days)
watch calories (stupid holiday weekend)
vitamins (not every day but much improved)
workout (2 days Wii Gold's Gym, 2 days Wii EA Active, 1 day walk 3.5 miles)
abs - no
server decommissioning activities - yes
complete transfer of webchicky blog - yes

A lot was accomplished last week even though I didn't exactly follow my plan. Still, I feel good about what I did do and it puts me in a positive frame of mind for this week.

This week:

64 oz water a day
watch calories
vitamins
workout (5 EA Active, possibly others)
possibly abs on EA-off days
server decommissioning activities

No evening or weekend commitments at this point. Mike warned me that he has a busy week at work so I'll probably have a lot of downtime while he's running around crazy. I plan to put that time to good use.

Look over there --->

2009-07-04T15:52:00.003-04:00

See that list of links? Those are the most recent entries on our shared blog. If you're only reading here and not there, you've missed family vacation, Ripley's birthday, and a yummy dinner!

Be sure to check out The Rogans Blog to keep up-to-date with happenings in our world.

Done!

2009-07-02T12:26:00.000-04:00

My blog move is basically complete. I need to add a few things and repoint my domain but at least the actual posts have been transitioned so the archives are complete.

From now on, all new posts will go here. Mark another thing off my task list!

9 in '09 - July

2009-07-01T10:15:00.000-04:00

The hard truth is that I've failed miserably so far at most of my goals this year. But today is the start of the second half and I'm determined not to let the entire year go to waste.

So this is just a quick post recommitting myself to those resolutions:

Private
Goal Weight
Daily Water
Run Successful 5k
Cleaner House Routine
Clear Clutter
Support Mike
Read 1 Book Per Month
Writing/Blogging Projects

Actually, looking back, I've been good about all of those but the private goal, weight and 5k. That makes my revised goal to continue with the last bunch and rededicate myself to the first.

9 in '09 - Week #26

2009-06-29T15:09:00.000-04:00

I haven't updated recently. One guess why?

This week:

64 oz water a day
watch calories
vitamins
workout
abs
server decommissioning activities
complete transfer of webchicky blog

I've had headaches for the past 3 days, today making that 4 days in a row. I'm going to attempt working out a few times but between headaches and the long weekend, I have no idea. I just know I'm pretty frustrated right now.

Moving My Blog

2009-06-28T13:32:00.000-04:00

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to work on moving my blog and all of its previous entries over to this Blogger location.

My original blog was hosted here at home using BlogCFC. While it was a fine piece of blogging software, we haven't bothered keeping up with updating the backend code. Now that there are many free hosted blog alternatives (that didn't exist back in 2004), we've decided to move away from BlogCFC. Eventually this move should make life easier and allow us to simplify our server here at the house.

In the meantime, I'm going to start posting new entries here to save myself the trouble of moving more than the existing 737 old posts already in need of manual relocation.

Please be patient while we make changes. Mike's blog has already relocated to Blogger and we've started a new shared blog as well. I'll update this post once we repoint the domains.

Ryan Star & David Cook , Take 2!

2009-06-01T13:27:00.001-04:00

Last night was our second Ryan Star/David Cook concert. And it was far superior to the first.This show was at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, about 40 minutes from home. The club has a capacity of about 600 general admission entries and was sold out. (The previous show was at a family friendly festival in an auditorium of about 3500+. The acoustics were horrible there but not so at this more intimate venue.

Ryan Star came on stage first. Due to scheduling with a show the night before, it wasn't possible for his entire band to join him. Instead, Ryan performed an acoustic guitar set that was amazing. He's very intense and puts a lot of passion into his performance. He also had great banter with the crowd. The audience was really into it - more than I can remember seeing for any opening act before. I honestly could've left after Ryan's set and been content.

David Cook and his band came out next. They performed a few old songs, a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Tell Me Lies", and several songs from his current album. David was also more laid back at this show in terms of banter. Also adding to the fun was the fact that this is their last show before a two-week vacation. All bets were off and the guys were all letting loose.

For the encore, Ryan joined David and the band for his song "Last Train Home". The performance was a blast to watch. The David and the guys finished up with "Light On".

It was a late night, especially for a Sunday but completely worth it to me. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a show that much. It probably ranks in my top five ever. And even though I was there mostly for David, I have to admit that after that performance, I think Ryan may have overtaken him.

Brilliant night and well-worth the heavy eyelids today.

Ryan taking the stage:

Ryan performing:

David and his band starting their set:

David performing:

David and the band:

Ryan during the encore (David in background):

Ryan, David and the entire band performing Last Train Home:

9 in '09 - Week #22

2009-06-01T13:24:00.000-04:00

Last week:

64 oz water a day - usually
low calorie eating - sometimes
vitamins - mostly
workout 5 times - no (2)
abs 4 times (1)
drop off at Goodwill - yes
clean house - no

Life is busy right now, I'm doing the best that I can.

This week:

64 oz water a day
low calorie eating
vitamins
workout 3 times
abs 3 times
clean house

No evening commitments but next week will be super busy. I'll do as much as I can this week.

9 in '09 - Week #21

2009-05-26T12:09:00.000-04:00

Organization is my hero.

Last week:

64 oz water a day - mostly
eating improvements - yes, until weekend
workout 4 times, abs 4 times - 4 workout, 3 abs
finish organizing kitchen - no
clean house - no
catch-up blog posts here - yes
start considering server move - yes

I did ok with vitamins. I planned to workout more on the weekend but wasn't feeling so swell.

This week:

64 oz water a day
low calorie eating
vitamins
workout 5 times
abs 4 times
drop off at Goodwill
clean house

Our only commitment is Sunday night late. I have a lot to do and I'm working hard to be organized and make progress.

The Color Purple

2009-05-21T14:08:00.000-04:00

This weekend, we went to see The Color Purple (the musical) at the DPAC. It was the final show in our Broadway Series and the least exciting.To be fair, we did miss a couple of shows along the way so the only other one we saw was Rent, starring some original cast members. Not much could top that.

The Color Purple is the story of Celie, a black woman and the rough life she endured, first at the hands of her father, then her husband, etc.

The first half of the show was very depressing to me. In fact, I considered leaving at intermission but we decided to stay, thinking it must end on a high note. And of course, it (predictably) did. Triumph and reunions and rainbows and puppies.

The performers were not the problem. The dialog was not the problem. A major problem for me was the music. What kind of musical doesn't leave you humming melodies and repeating lines when you leave? This kind. I couldn't recall a single big of song from the show by the time we made our way to the car. It was all pleasant enough but not catching.

Next season, our Broadway series includes some great shows, including Phantom of the Opera, Grease, Mamma Mia!, Beauty and the Beast, and Wicked. I can't wait!

9 in '09 - Week #20

2009-05-18T09:34:00.000-04:00

Not a bad week and feeling good about the week ahead.

Last week:

64 oz water a day - yes
begin regular workouts again (and abs 4 times) - yes (abs 3 I think)
organize kitchen pantry - yes

The new Wii game arrived and I've enjoyed incorporating that into my workouts. The kitchen isn't completely in order but we made significant progress.

This week:

64 oz water a day
eating improvements
workout 4 times, abs 4 times
finish organizing kitchen
clean house
catch-up blog posts here
start considering server move

I've also started taking my vitamins again. There are no evening commitments at this point so I should be in good shape for workouts. The Gold's Gym workouts are hard enough to be good exercise but not so miserable that I can't do them frequently so I'm going to really push on that this week.

The Porch is Awesome

2009-05-14T20:22:00.000-04:00

No idea how this game will end up but I'm currently cheering for the Canes in game 7 vs the Boston Bruins. From my porch. Does it get much better than this?

Asheville & Biltmore Festival of Flowers

2009-05-11T13:54:00.000-04:00

We made our second trip in six months to Asheville NC and the Biltmore Estate. However, the Festival of Flowers is a much different experience than the Candlelight Christmas.We both cut Friday afternoon short at work so we could hit the road at a decent hour. We made great time out to Asheville despite the threat of rain. In fact, we arrived before 7:30, making us in time for the hockey game! Too bad the hotel stations didn't carry it. We did our best to watch online and the Canes managed a win while we snacked on room service goodies.

The next morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast before heading into Biltmore. Storms were moving in that afternoon so we spent the start of our trip wandering around the gardens. We walked through the azalea garden to the waterfall and then back to the house by way of the walled garden. The weather was warm and the humidity was in full force. Much the opposite of the biting cold weather when we visited in the winter.

We attempted to tour the house itself but were only interested in the new rooms that had opened since our last visit. Unfortunately, there was no way to do this without visiting the entire house, which was completely jammed. We opted instead to head out to the winery.

By the time we reached the winery, dark clouds were moving in. We originally planned to eat at the outdoor cafe but wisely changed our mind and took cover at the indoor bistro. Wise decision - it wasn't long before the sky opened up. And the food was amazing. We had a really great lunch there.

After filling our bellies, we went to the wine tasting room next door. We tasted 8 wines in all, picking two that we'd like to buy. Unfortunately, the were both more expensive than we thought it was worth so we passed. We inquired about two wines we had bought from Biltmore in the past but found out they were out of them. Still, we somehow managed to find three bottles for purchase before leaving.

As we exited the estate grounds, we realized we had never visited the gate house shop. We wandered around a bit and noticed they also did wine tasting. We tried three more wines, bought a bottle of each, and then called it a day.

That night we enjoyed early dinner at a pub called Jack of the Wood. A couple of pints and some great sandwiches and finally we were ready to call it a night.

Sunday we slept in and then drove home. Considering how much rain was in the area, we managed to avoid it both while driving and wandering around. Not a bad trip!

9 in '09 - Week #19

2009-05-11T12:54:00.000-04:00

Seems I skipped a week... But I'm coming back stronger than ever.

This week:

64 oz water a day
begin regular workouts again (and abs 4 times)
organize kitchen pantry

I'm going to get serious about this again. Back under control with eating. This morning, I ordered the Gold's Gym "game" for the WiiFit and that will be here Wednesday to assist in workouts. Tuesday night will likely be a hockey game. Saturday night we have a show (The Color Purple), and Sunday morning Mike is running a half-marathon.

Brian Vander Ark

2009-05-07T13:01:00.000-04:00

Last night was completely made of win. A concert on our porch followed by playoff hockey.A couple of years ago, Mike's coworker at Duke introduced him to the music of Brian Vander Ark. Brian is the former/sometimes lead singer of Verve Pipe (you may remember The Freshman from the mid/late-90s). He is now putting out fantastic solo music.

For the past few years, Brian has been touring around on what he calls the "Lawn Chairs and Living Rooms Tour". Basically, you pay enough to cover his expenses and some extra cash in his pocket and then he shows up at your house for a couple of hours to sing and hang out. Rick hosted a Brian concert at his parents' place a couple of years ago. This year we decided to split the cost of a show and host it on the new porch. Last night was our night.

Everyone, including Brian, showed up around 6pm. We had eight spectators plus Brian out on the porch - just the right amount of people for the space. We were fortunate that the weather cooperated (I was concerned after the night before) so it was very comfortable.

In all, Brian played about 15 songs from our request list, stopping to talk in between about the song, his travels, life in general. And just like last time we saw him, he put on a great show. It was very intimate, just the small group and Brian on an acoustic guitar. Also, he's just a really nice guy. We enjoyed it more than I can really put into words. I can't wait to see him again.

After the crowd cleared, Mike and I went upstairs to watch game #3 of the second round of playoffs. Carolina Hurricanes vs Boston Bruins. Canes lost the first game badly in Boston before winning the second game. Last night was the first game of the series here in Raleigh. It was a great game, going into overtime. An even better game because the Canes won, taking the series to 2-1. Yay!

There's been some trash talk on my message boards lately about hockey. Seems we have someone local to Boston, one in DC, and a die-hard Pittsburgh fan there. Plus, a couple of us from NC. Yesterday, I decided to set everyone straight on who we're cheering for:

We're not in Kansas Anymore!

2009-05-06T13:15:00.000-04:00

For the first time since moving to North Carolina, a storm grew so violent we decided to take cover.

Last night, storms moved across the area, causing the formation of several tornadoes. One was less than a mile from the house. In the end, I think four actually touched down in North Carolina.

With the tornado warning, in addition to high winds, crazy rain and freaky lightning, we did something we've never done before - we actually took shelter in the bathroom downstairs. This is no easy task. The bathroom is a half-bath, about 3x8 maybe. There's room for a toilet, a pedestal sink, and space for the door to swing open in between. We somehow managed to fit both of us (plus our laptops) and both very unhappy cats (in their cages) in the teensy bathroom for about forty-five minutes.

We were fortunate not to have any damage, just some yard debris. Our garden even survived unscathed. Now to see what the rest of the week brings as they're saying the conditions will be like this through Friday.

Blue October in Charlotte

2009-04-29T13:01:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we attended a Blue October concert in Charlotte at Amos' Southend. We also made a couple of stops on the side.

I spent Saturday morning painting the kitchen while Mike took care of some work out in the yard. It was 3pm by the time hit the road but since it's only a two hour drive, not a big deal.

We drove straight to the Friendly's in Hendersonville (on 77 north of Charlotte). We grew up with Friendly's but there isn't one in Raleigh. We have a few within a couple of hours so we try to hit them occasionally. The food was greasy and delicious just like I remember it. Then we split a bowl full of heaven. Err, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup sundae.

From there we drove to the hotel and hung out for a bit before heading over to the concert at Amos' Southend. Then venue was pretty cool. It's definitely a concert hall. Stage at one end, lots of floor space, two bars downstairs. Upstairs there is a balcony for more viewing, as well as another bar. Thankfully, it's non-smoking.

We arrived around 8:30 and the opening act went on not long after that. To be honest, they weren't amazing and I didn't catch their name. And, not to diss them, but their performance didn't inspire me to go look it up. They weren't bad, just not... great.

Then came the longest stage turnover I have ever experienced. I've never seen such thorough testing of equipment between acts. After about 40 minutes of this, Blue October finally took the stage around 10:15. They put on a fabulous non-stop show for almost two hours, playing straight through every song on their new album, Approaching Normal. They then played about 5 or so older songs, including Hate Me which is the song most people are most likely to recognize.

The band was amazing but watching lead singer Justin perform is like watching some kind of insane trainwreck. And "perform" is definitely the right word. Totally intense. The way he throws himself in to music, it's like watching an actor on-stage. Given how dark some of the material is, I literally had nightmares that night from one of the songs.

It was after 12:30am before we made it back to our room so we took advantage of a comfy quiet hotel room and slept in Sunday morning. We left the hotel around 11am and drove to the new IKEA.

We started in the little cafe/restaurant and split Swedish meatballs, a buffalo chicken wrap, and soup. Yum! Then we spent about three hours wandering around the store. We found a few random pieces but didn't buy anything big. I was a little disappointed not to find any organizational things for the kitchen (they just didn't fit in our cabinets) but we still came back with some cool stuff.

I think it was around 5pm or so when we arrived home. Gone just over 24 hours but it was a jam-packed time and we had a blast.

Of course, then I came home to watch hockey (we won) and developed a massive migraine. All good by morning!

9 in '09 - Week #17

2009-04-27T16:29:00.000-04:00

Last week:

64 oz water a day - yep
start book - nope
kitchen wallpaper removed and all prep work done, ready for paint - one coat of paint is UP!

We had a great weekend away in Charlotte and managed to pick up some things for the kitchen.

This week:

64 oz water a day
book maybe?
finish paint in kitchen, start reorganization of cabinets

No plans for the week except to work around the house.

9 in '09 - Week #16

2009-04-20T10:50:00.000-04:00

Time to report a whole lot of nothing.

Last week:

2 workouts - nope
64 oz water a day - mostly
catch up on blog posts here - working on it
start book - nope
finish cleaning bedroom - yep
start on bonus room desks - change in plans

I've been doing well at keeping up with the housecleaning. Except then I get excited and start new projects... Like ripping apart the kitchen for some sprucing up! I had a fun week with migraine/allergy issues but still managed to accomplish a lot.

This week:

64 oz water a day
start book
kitchen wallpaper removed and all prep work done, ready for paint

Mike's on a short work trip and then we're going to a concert Saturday night. Most of my focus will be on the kitchen because I need to have it painted and complete before hosting a party on May 6.

David Cook Concert - April 2nd

2009-04-18T09:21:00.000-04:00

I'm a little late with this post but back on April 2nd, we went to Wilmington to see David Cook in concert. Ryan Star was the opening act and even though it involved a night in a hotel, a day off work, and an American Idol, I somehow convinced Mike we should go.

The concert was at Trask Coliseum which is the UNC-Wilmington basketball court. Our seats were way up high and to the far left of stage. My one complaint about the evening is that the acoustics were HORRIBLE. We couldn't make out a single spoken word though the music was largely recognizable.

Ryan Star, who was my favorite guy on "Rockstar: Supernova" (a show of largely suck) was the opening act. I'm really glad to see him touring and gaining some exposure. He's a really intense performer and sang five songs in all - 3 from his upcoming album and 2 (Psycho Suicidal Girls and Back of Your Car) from his last solo album which I've had and loved for a long time.

David's set was as I expected - awesome. I did think he'd hit the stage hard and loud but he actually came out and very quietly sang "The World I Know", a Collective Soul cover and the only song of the night from his Idol run. Here's the set list:

The World I Know (Collective Soul cover)
Heroes
We're Only Honest When We’re Sleeping (2007 unreleased)
Declaration
Mr. Sensitive
Souvenir (2008, unreleased)
Kiss on the Neck
Lie Little Lies (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Hot for Teacher (Van Halen cover)
Come Back To Me
Bar-ba-sol
Light On

Noticeably absent? A Daily AntheM and Permanent which are both for his brother (who is fighting cancer). And the "magic rainbow" winner anthem song.

However, I believe the best part of David is the banter and because of the acoustics, we caught almost none of that. Very disappointing from that perspective. His band is amazing though. Neil (guitar) was on our side of the stage and he was even playing behind his back at one point. Then his drummer, Kyle, totally reminds me of Animal from the Muppets but in a really good crazy way.

Overall I really enjoyed the show. Minus the screaming tweens behind us "WE LOVE YOU DAVID" literally every 10 seconds. Ugh.

Mike even said he enjoyed it - which made me brave enough to ask if he would mind going to see Ryan and David again once I found out they had added a show 20 miles from the house. He agreed to go so I bought tickets yesterday morning. I'm excited because this is a completely different venue - instead of the family-friendly Azalea Festival with about 5000 people, Cats Cradle is a small 21+ venue. Way more awesome.

Here are a few pics - the coliseum crowd, Ryan during his set, two from David's set, and one of Ryan signing autographs in the lobby after the show.

Migraine Hell

2009-04-17T12:22:00.000-04:00

Mostly for my own records, time to record another round of migraine fun. This one started on Monday and wouldn't let up. By Wednesday, I decided I had toughed it out long enough so Mike took me to the doctor's office.

Unfortunately Dr V was out for the week but the nurse practitioner was able to see me. In the end it took a shot of Toradol and a shot of Imitrex to bring me relief. This migraine wasn't accompanied with the nausea I usually experience so no need for the anti-puke shot.

She also hooked me up with some allergy meds. My allergies have been so out of control that the sinus issues were aggravating the migraine.

Thursday I still had a headache but decongestant and Excedrin finally knocked it out so I could breathe and feel normal again. Last night was tough but I feel pretty good today. Let's hope that's the last of the migraines for awhile.

Finished Porch

2009-04-15T17:30:00.000-04:00

This post is long overdue. The porch project has been finished for about a month now and we've been enjoying it a lot.

Until the last week or so when the pollen went crazy. Now our white porch is covered in so much yellow dust it almost looks like it was painted to match the siding on the house.

Here are a few pictures, including one of our (in progress) garden.

9 in '09 - Week #15

2009-04-13T13:51:00.001-04:00

Easter week.

Last week:

3 workouts - no
better food choices - yes
64 oz water a day - usually
regular blogging - I did pretty well
start next book - nope
finish cleaning bedroom - nope
thoroughly clean master bath - yes
finish bins in hall closet - yes

The house is pretty clean overall. I've been feeling lousy for far too long and it's killing my workouts. That and laziness.

This week:

2 workouts (yeah, right)
64 oz water a day
catch up on blog posts here
start book
finish cleaning bedroom
start on bonus room desks

Saturday will be busy this week. I think that's the only day with plans.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T22:34:00.000-04:00

Mike and I had a lovely Easter. Nothing too exciting, just the two of us. It was a beautiful day so he worked in the yard while I did some Spring cleaning. It's nice to open all the windows and air the house out.

The Easter Bunny left Ripley an egg:

And then Tasha probably ate the Easter Bunny because that's just how she rolls.

Then, last night, it was the Great Easter Miracle of 2009:

We were in the kitchen and looked down to see both cats sharing the same carpet. Side by side as if we had lined them up. Even crazier - they waited long enough for me to grab the camera and snap their picture.

Told you Tasha was mellowing out in her old age!

I hope everyone out there enjoyed their Easter weekend and ate lots of chocolate!

Happy 9th Birthday Tasha!

2009-04-09T13:38:00.000-04:00

Today is Tasha's 9th birthday. She started the party early by celebrating with Ripley last night. There was a lot of rawring and fur flying but I'm pretty sure they were just hugging.

This morning, they were chasing each other around again first thing. We had to wake up early anyways but if it had been a weekend, she would've started her birthday in her cage.

As of now, Tasha's enjoying a nice birthday nap in the middle of our bed. I'm crazy jealous because there's nothing I'd like more right now than a nap.

Happy birthday Tasha!

9 in '09 - Week #14

2009-04-06T14:50:00.000-04:00

Last week passed so quickly.

Last week:

2 workouts - I'm going to count 1 from outside work
South Beach Diet for realz - whatever
64 oz water a day - yes
regular blogging - I hit quantity but not quality
start next book - no
yard/outside work -- yes
finish cleaning bedroom - no
pick another area/room to clean - yes

Another week completed. Not sure it was successful but I survived!

This week:

3 workouts
better food choices
64 oz water a day
regular blogging (pre-blog, work on 2nd blog)
start next book
finish cleaning bedroom
thoroughly clean master bath
finish bins in hall closet

Hockey game Thursday night, off from work on Friday. No other plans.

9 in '09 - Week #13

2009-03-30T15:18:00.000-04:00

First quarter 2009 complete. First quarter 2009 a failure on most levels.

Last week:

3 workouts - I did one, plus some major cleaning Saturday
South Beach Diet - let us not discuss this
64 oz water a day - success!
pre-blog Sat/Sun - yes
finish reading book - yes

Not a perfect week but better overall.

This week:

2 workouts
South Beach Diet for realz
64 oz water a day
regular blogging
start next book
yard/outside work
finish cleaning bedroom
pick another area/room to clean

Thurs/Fri are going to be busy this week. I'm hoping to build on last week's improvements and keep pushing ahead.

9 in '09 - Week #12

2009-03-23T10:14:00.000-04:00

Last week:

3 workouts - total fail
South Beach Diet - good until weekend
64 oz water a day
regular blogging - struggling
sell Canes tickets for Saturday if possible - nobody wanted

I'm in such a funk. Nothing to say besides that.

This week:

3 workouts
South Beach Diet
64 oz water a day
pre-blog Sat/Sun
finish reading book

No real commitments. I need to get myself in gear. This is not productive.

9 in '09 - Week #11

2009-03-16T11:47:00.000-04:00

Last week:

3 workouts - again, nope
South Beach Diet - good til weekend
64 oz water a day - yup
back on blogging schedule - mostly
begin reading "official" March book - yep
sell Canes tickets for Saturday if possible - I had the dates wrong, it's this week

I don't really have any excuses. It just wasn't a great week.

This week:

3 workouts
South Beach Diet
64 oz water a day
regular blogging
sell Canes tickets for Saturday if possible

Commitments Saturday night but that should be it.

Cumulative Porch Update

2009-03-10T10:15:00.001-04:00

I haven't updated in a week so I thought it was about time.

Last Wednesday, we were able to go around with the project plan diagrams and mark up all of the issues we found. We also took a lot of pictures. I shared the photos with Dad and we spent awhile on the phone talking over what major issues he saw. Most of the problems are related to large gaps between the screens and posts which will allow in a lot of bugs, the access panel to the water connection being too tight, and shoddy repairs of the holes from the temporary rails.

Thurs and Fri the electricians were out. Looks like they failed their final inspection on Thursday and had to come back Friday to make some changes. After that, they passed.

Fri and Sat, the foreman and his crew were out to hang the door, rehang a light, and some other last minute issues. They also happened to drag a piece of siding back out with them, which the PM had said didn't exist anymore. Now that it does, we'll be even more insistent about those holes being fixed properly from the rails.

Last night, our project manager called to ask what our major issues were so we could schedule the walkthrough. When Mike called him back this morning to confirm the walkthrough appointment, the PM said instead he was sending the foreman back out in the next 48 hours to make some of the repairs we'd spoken about on the phone. THEN we'll do the walkthrough.

In the meantime, the weather has been beautiful so we've started using the porch a bit. We've eaten several meals out there, spent time on our laptops, I read a book, rocked in our chairs... It's going to be so fabulous when it's finished. We just need to iron out these pesky last issues...

Here's Ripley this morning on the webcam we've been using to keep an eye on things. I'm not sure if he sees squirrels, birdies, workers, or those invisible ghosts or whatever it is that fascinates him so much.

9 in '09 - Week #10

2009-03-09T10:09:00.000-04:00

A look back at last week which was full of fail

Last week:

3 workouts - nope, sick.
better eating - again I did well during the week, went nuts on weekend
64 oz water a day - missed a day or so
back on blogging schedule - horrible but did blog daily
determine March book plan - yes

Last week was tough. We had commitments every night for either one or both of us.

This week:

3 workouts
South Beach Diet
64 oz water a day
back on blogging schedule
begin reading "official" March book
sell Canes tickets for Saturday if possible

No evening commitments during the week so maybe it will be a more productive time.

Brixx Wood Fired Pizza

2009-03-08T10:26:00.000-04:00

Last night, Mike and I met another couple for dinner at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza. We met at the Brier Creek location here in Raleigh but there are about a dozen locations in all spread across Tennessee and the Carolinas.

We each ordered our own 10-inch pizzas after being assured the crust is thin enough that it would be ok. Really, they were the perfect size to sorta stuff yourself but not feel like a total hippo. We shared slices so that everyone had the chance to sample each flavor:

Mexican (my choice)
Margherita
Roasted Chicken Caprese (Mike's choice)
Bronx Bomber

The Roasted Chicken Caprese was my favorite though they were all very good. If pizza's not your thing (what?!?!), they also offer salads, sandwiches and pasta. And appetizers and dessert. Plus, they serve beer, wine and other assorted beverages.

So many delicious pizza places around. I just wish it was a little kinder to my diet. This is another really good one to add to our list.

9 in '09 - Week #9

2009-03-03T14:54:00.000-05:00

Last week:

4 workouts - none. Too much migraine and travel.
better eating - somewhat
64 oz water a day - M-Th but not weekend
pickup house - yes
stay on new blogging schedule - mostly
finish book - yes

Migraines Mon - Sat and travel Th-Sun made a mess of my workout plans. It also made eating and drinking my water difficult. My blogging really fell apart last week.

This week:

3 workouts
better eating
64 oz water a day
back on blogging schedule
determine March book plan

Another busy week. I'm not even getting this posted until Tuesday!

Porch Progress - 3/2

2009-03-02T20:57:00.000-05:00

With the travel, I haven't posted pics or an update but here's the current status.

The rails were temporary and have been removed. The only things remaining according to the project manager are hanging the door and rehanging a light fixture. Then we do final walk-through.

We're waiting for a day when it's warm and light (tomorrow after work?) to go over things on our own. We've started our own punch list with a few items and I'm already dreading the fight we're going to get on a couple.

But the good news is that it's SO close to completion. And the weather looks great for this weekend so maybe we can get moved in and enjoy it!

Porch Progress 2/25

2009-02-25T21:07:00.000-05:00

Are you tired of these updates yet? Because I'm not. I'm so happy to see work being done, especially now that we're nearing the finish. Though today we saw our first shoddy bit of work.

More screens were assembled and we mentioned that the light didn't work in the fan so they're going to look at that on Thursday.

The bad news though is that we failed our final inspection - "Hand rails must be installed at each end of deck". Just to be clear, we don't have a problem with the installation of rails. What we have an issue with is HOW these were installed. Check out the pics below. I could probably live with the rail attached to the porch (on the left). But the one attached on the right? No way. It's screwed into the siding of the house. It's not very stable and it looks awful, like we're boarding up to evacuate for a hurricane or something.

Mike called the project manager who was unaware inspection had even taken place, let alone that rails had been installed. He indicated they must be temporary. Mike's reply? "You bet they're temporary because they're sure not staying!". We're thinking free-standing rails would look a lot better, with slats/posts to match the bottom half of the porch area.

Other than that, we're very happy with everything and the work crew has been fabulous. I'm not sure when the stain will happen - rain this weekend - but I'd think by next week at the latest. Just in time to enjoy it!

Porch Progress 2/24

2009-02-24T18:21:00.000-05:00

So much happened with the porch today.

Soil, seed and straw were spread in the yard. A lot of caulking, touchups and finish work were done. Lights and fan were put back in place. Gutters were installed. And two of the pocket screens were put in place.

9 in '09 - Week #8

2009-02-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

Last week:

4 workouts - 3 wiifit, plus ran/walked a long way Sunday (hockey game) and did crunches
better eating - overall yes but weekends are my downfall
64 oz water a day - yes
pickup house - yes
make a few decisions about committees - think so
stay on new blogging schedule - yes!

I didn't quite make the 4 structured workouts but I did get in a good amount of exercise so I'm ok with that.

This week:

4 workouts (2 wiifit, 2 prob just crunches)
better eating
64 oz water a day
pickup house
stay on new blogging schedule
finish book

Busy week so I'm going to need to stay very organized to accomplish everything.

Weekend in Florida

2009-02-23T11:54:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Mike and I took a long weekend (Feb 19-22) to go see his Aunt Brenda in Florida. She had recently moved into a new condo and also bought a new laptop that needed configuring.

We left after work on Thursday night and our flight down on Southwest to Orlando was perfectly smooth. We arrived around 9:30, picked up our rental car, and drove the 45 minutes or so from the airport to Titusville. Since Brenda works 4pm-midnight, she wasn't in when we showed up and we were in bed by the time she got there.

Friday, we spent some time working on her computer before she went into work. Then Mike and I took off for a walk on the beach. The water was kinda cool but there were some people in it. That night we had fish and chips outside at an Irish pub. The food was ok but the chance to relax and enjoy the weather was even better.

Saturday, Mike went for a long run (longer than he intended) and we went to Cracker Barrel after for breakfast. Then we drove around a nature park and saw a baby bald eagle in the nest. Huge! We also checked out a teensy Amish store and bought a few goodies. Then back to Brenda's to hang out for the rest of the evening.

Sunday we didn't do a whole lot before it seemed it was time to head back to the airport. After getting ripped off for gas ($4/gallon but there's not price-gouging laws there so they got us just like all the other tourists), we returned the rental car.

The part I've left out here is the weather. It was cold and rainy in Raleigh all weekend but beautiful and sunny (75-80°) in Florida. Until Sunday. That's when a storm blew through and dropped the temps in Florida to around 50°. Also, the rain in Raleigh turned to winter weather.

We went to the airport early because we were concerned our flight might be canceled. Almost all the flights around us were canceled but we took off, just a few minutes late. The pilot told us our alternate destination if we were diverted would be Pittsburgh, which nobody on the plane seemed impressed with. Beverage service was abruptly ended just after it had begun and we had a bit of turbulence as we made our approach but it really wasn't too bad.

Not the most exciting trip but we really just wanted to get away and relax. Brenda's place is perfect for that. Plus we were able to enjoy her new screened porch, getting a taste of what it will finally be like to have our own.

Yeah, I'm posting this way late and back-dating it. Maybe that makes people crazy but all I care about is not making me crazy. So that's how it's gonna be.

Porch Progress - 2/21

2009-02-21T19:56:00.000-05:00

Painted!

The guys finished the priming on Friday and came out Saturday to take advantage of the warm weather. They taped everything up in the morning and then sprayed everything a nice clean white.

We're getting near the end. Stain, cable, screen installation, a few loose ends and we should be finished!

Porch Progress 2/19

2009-02-19T23:01:00.000-05:00

Priming was finished. I think.

The priming looks to be finished, as far as I can tell. Also, the siding was put up on the inside peak and our access panel was cut so we can still get to the water. Our other option for the water included a lot of expensive pipe re-routing so we decided to try the simple solution first.

Porch Progress 2/18

2009-02-18T10:20:00.000-05:00

Priming started this week.

It's a little hard to see but you can tell the rails and things look more "white". We've had some rain so nobody was out today - all of this happened yesterday.

9 in '09 - Week #7

2009-02-16T11:23:00.000-05:00

A look back at last week.

Last week:

4 workouts - 3 wiifit, ran/walked on Sat
better eating - sometimes
64 oz water a day - yes
pickup house - yes
pick new book - yes
stay on new blogging schedule - yes

I went out for a run with Mike to calibrate his new Nike+ sensor. I ran .25 mi, walked, ran 1 mile, then did .25 mile run, walk, .25 run again before walking the end. Not amazing but not bad considering how long it's been since I ran.

This week:

4 workouts
better eating
64 oz water a day
pickup house
make a few decisions about committees
stay on new blogging schedule

Nothing after-hours for me this week. Haircut on Saturday. Hockey Sunday afternoon.

Valentine's Dinner - Rey's

2009-02-14T15:03:00.000-05:00

Or, if you like, "Friday the 13th" dinner. Because that's when we went - on Friday. We had hockey tickets for Saturday night (though in the end we bailed on the game which was good because they lost badly). Anyways, this is my review of Rey's Restaurant in Cary.

Our reservation was for 6:30 and we were seated immediately upon arrival. Mike chose a wine (2004 Heron Pinot Noir) and we ordered scallops with garlic lime butter for our appetizer. We were also served a basket of complementary bread.

For our salad course, I ordered the spinach salad with warm bacon dressing and Mike ordered the fresh tomato, basil and Buffalo mozzarella salad. Both quite excellent and the perfect size - not tiny but also not large enough to feed a family of 12.

Mike ordered the special for his entree. It was a Louis the XIII Beef Tournedos - tender fabulous beef topped with gruyere and crab meat. I ordered the petite filet mignon which practically melted in my mouth. Sides are served family style so we had sauteed spinach and mashed sweet potatoes.

We had almost decided to skip dessert when Mike changed his mind and decided to go for the bananas Foster. They make this tableside, resulting in quite the show when they set the liqueur on fire. Very impressive.

Final verdict? Excellent meal. Also, expensive meal. But it was totally worth it. To give you a better idea of what to expect, I'm going to compare Rey's to two other restaurants.

First, Angus Barn. This is the "popular" local steakhouse. The food and service have always been excellent but the ambiance has really fallen off the last few times we visited. It's very crowded and loud. When I pay that kind of money for a meal, I don't want to be hoarse from shouting to be heard by my husband. Rey's was much quieter and much less crowded.

And second, Ruth's Chris. Rey's is actually located in a former Ruth's Chris building and the owner worked for RC for about 20 years. When they chose to relocate to a newer location a few years ago, he bought the old building. The menu is very similar though Rey's has also made some nice additions and tweaks.

Overall, Rey's was a fantastic dining experience. Just not one most people can afford very frequently.

Porch Progress 2/12

2009-02-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

A big day!

More siding replaced
More trim put in place
We have stairs!!!
The electrical fixtures were installed*

*Mostly installed - the electrician says the light kit we bought isn't compatible with the fan, the manufacturer was no help at all, and we're still waiting to hear back from our project manager for more information.

Porch Progress 2/11

2009-02-11T20:34:00.000-05:00

Some of the siding was replaced and the beadboard was put up on the ceiling. Also, pipe insulation was installed on the exposed pipes to/from the master bath to prevent freezing (again) before that area was covered up.

A porch update

2009-02-10T20:59:00.000-05:00

No pictures this time folks but progress is being made again this week.

On Monday, the electricians were out for about 5 hours to do their work - 2 floodlights, 2 electrical outlets, the wiring for the fan, and rewiring some switches. Today, we passed our electrical and framing rough-in inspections and then the guys were back out taking some measurements. They expect to arrive at 7am tomorrow and put in a full day.

9 in '09 - Week #6

2009-02-09T11:37:00.000-05:00

Let's see how I did last week. Also, a brief porch update at the end of the post.

Plans:

get healthy - yeah, I'm way better. And we did go for a walk with a little jogging on Saturday
64 oz water a day - yep
diet = no grains - sorta, not really
pickup house - another sorta
pick new book - nope
keep planning ahead and blogging regularly - I'm finding a definitely groove here which is great

I spent most of last week trying to feel better. Which I finally do. Now we can move on to this week!

This week:

4 workouts
better eating
64 oz water a day
pickup house
pick new book (way behind)
stay on new blogging schedule

I have an early meeting Tuesday night and hockey on Saturday. I should be able to fit in workouts and other activities with no problem.

Also, the reason there hasn't been a porch update? Because there's been no porch update. They've been waiting on the electrician since last Tuesday. He's finally there today so we should start seeing some action again now.

Maximillian's Pizza Kitchen

2009-02-08T11:22:00.000-05:00

Since I've mostly recovered from my cold, we finally went out for Mike's birthday dinner on Saturday. He picked Maximillian's Pizza Kitchen, which is right up the street from us. We've had takeout from there before but have never eaten in. What a treat!

It's a teensy place and related to Maximillian's Grill & Wine Bar (though I'm not exactly certain how). It's casual but also has a more upscale atmosphere than your average pizza place. Great service, muted lighting, etc. Their wine list had a lot of promising options and we went with the Ben Marco 2006 Malbec. It was perfect with our meal.

We started with two appetizers - calamari and a bread plate. The calamari was good, though not fried which is how I've had it in the past. Because of my weird texture issues, I didn't love it as much as I could've but it was still good. The bread plate definitely exceeded our expectations - this wasn't just slices of bread on a plate. It was warm rosemary bread with oil and cheese and olives. Delicious!

For our main course, we both ordered an individual pizza. Now, one pizza is enough for the two of us to split and make a meal but we went with two so we could have leftovers the next day. Plus, we were able to sample different flavors. I ordered the Bianca, which is sadly not listed on their site. I had several different mild cheeses, tomato, and a bunch of other delicious things I can't think of now. Mike ordered the Big Jeff - "baby shrimp, spicy demon pesto, arugula, prosciutto, goat cheese, lemon zest, mozzarella". It was a lot more zesty than mine and totally amazing.

Disappointment came slightly with dessert. We split a tiramisu. The flavor was good but it had obviously been frozen. The top layer had definite ice crystals. I don't know if they make it ahead of time and freeze it or if it's brought in from outside but that was a bit of a let-down. Also, we ordered a glass of port, just to try it. No fault of the restaurant there, it just turns out we're not fans of port.

Overall, it was a GREAT meal. And while we really made a big deal out of it, we also have plans to go back during the week at some point, order one $12 individual pizza to split, and make an inexpensive night out. Definitely check it out if you're in the area!

Screen Porch 02/03

2009-02-03T17:45:00.000-05:00

No work was done on Friday and not much yesterday (only a couple of hours) plus it was too dark for pictures by the time I got home. As of tonight, some of the facing is up and a lot of trim work.

9 in '09 - Week #5

2009-02-02T15:16:00.000-05:00

Let's see how I did last week.

Plans:

4 workouts - 40 min WiiFit on Mon
64 oz water a day - yes
diet - between Mike's bday and being sick and Superbowl? Let's skip this one.
pickup house - somewhat but not as thorough as planned
finish magazines - yes!
finish book - yes!
keep planning ahead and blogging regularly - mostly

Oh, I had fantastic plans which mostly went to hell thanks to coming down with a cold on Tuesday.

This week:

get healthy (not setting a workout goal until I feel better)
64 oz water a day
diet = no grains
pickup house
pick new book
keep planning ahead and blogging regularly

Nothing on the agenda for me this week. I'm going to focus first on feeling better, then worry about working out once I recover.

This also marks the start of a new month. My big January goals were to read one book and clear up the backlog of magazines, which I did. February means a new book and something else I'm too tired to think up at this point.

Screen Porch 01/29

2009-01-29T15:41:00.001-05:00

Another big day of progress!

The steps are taking shape and there are shingles and.. umm, stuff on the edge of the roof overhang.

Screen Porch 01/28

2009-01-28T15:54:00.000-05:00

It's starting to take shape!

Deck rails, some stuff up "top", some more framing. Woohoo, a porch!

Happy Birthday Mike!

2009-01-28T15:19:00.000-05:00

Another year, another birthday!

Also, it's his one-year anniversary of starting his job at Lenovo.

So happy birthday to Mike! We're eating dinner at home tonight and going out on Saturday.

Screen Porch 01/27

2009-01-27T17:41:00.000-05:00

Today was rainy so not as much happened. Or maybe it did and I just don't realize it.

Some more substantial footers were put in place, as well as a bit of framing. It looks a bit more secure now, which is nice. Before, it seemed like it was being held up by toothpicks so this is good.

Screen Porch 01/26

2009-01-26T19:54:00.000-05:00

Today was a HUGE day of progress on the porch!

Footer holes and framing were inspected (passed apparently), concrete was poured, the floor went down in the screened area, and the deck extension was framed and largely floored.

I'm not sure what's next but it seems a lot of progress was made today. Yay!

9 in '09 - Week #4

2009-01-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

Let's see how I did last week.

Plans:

diet plan = eh, I could've done better
3 workouts - I did 3 days of WiiFit plus some heavy cardio cleaning
64 oz water a day - yes
pickup house - yes
12 magazines - I recycled 29
read 100 pages of book - yes

Other than the eating not being perfect, I did pretty good.

This week:

4 workouts
64 oz water a day
diet = do my best but Mike's bday is this week
pickup house
finish magazines
finish book
keep planning ahead and blogging regularly

Busy busy week ahead though more for Mike than for me. He has something going on every single night. His birthday is Wednesday so I will be preparing dinner at home that night. Thursday is the hockey game. Saturday we'll go out for his birthday.

Rent

2009-01-25T12:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we went to our second show at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Because I really want to see Wicked when it comes to town, the best way to guarantee tickets was to buy a "Broadway Series" pass. Rent was our first show.

Mike saw Rent in London over ten years ago and we both watched the movie when it came out. It was interesting for me to see the difference in how it translated to stage. A very different experience for sure.

Yet, it was an awesome experience. We were fortunate to catch this tour, which includes the original Mark (Anthony Rapp) and Roger (Adam Pascal). Also, the actress in the role of Mimi (I believe it was Karmine Alers) was amazing. In the movie version, I remember being fascinated by Maureen (played by Idina Menzel) but here I didn't connect with Maureen and Joanne nearly as well.

We've seen a fair number of musicals but we both agreed that this is one of the top performances we've ever seen. It was a great evening and if the other shows in our package are even half as good, we'll be in for a real treat.

"I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine." -Mimi, Rent

Screen Porch Commences

2009-01-23T18:22:00.001-05:00

After a long, drawn out process (thanks to zoning issues and City gov't), we're finally started on our screen porch/deck project! We started this back in early November and hope to be done in about a month. And now, I can share a few pictures. In fact, I plan to post pictures almost daily. Prepare to be bored.

I'm going to give a little background first. When we moved into this house, there was a 12x12 deck out back. We soon discovered mosquitoes made it next to impossible for us to enjoy that deck as often as we would like. Thus began the "someday, if we don't move first" dream of building a screened porch.

That day finally came last fall. What we're doing is lifting the existing deck several inches, adding a roof, and screening it in. A door will open to the side to a new deck, approximately 12x8 (running the long way across the house), which will become the new home of our grill. The plans look great and we're very excited!

But then we ran into the zoning issue and had to apply to the City for a variance. It was granted with no issue but it's a long process so that didn't happen until the 12th. When we finalized plans yesterday, our project manager estimated another 3 weeks, depending on weather and inspections.

And now I'll catch you up with pictures:

Day 1 (1/14/09): Demolition of old porch, removal of siding, footer holes dug, base of porch being reassembled and raised.

1/15/09: framing of sides and roof begins.

1/20/09: Hard to see here, in part because of the bizarre snow, but the roof has been covered now in plywood (I guess, I don't know anything) and felt or paper or something put on top of it.

Due to weather and some other issues, there was no work Mon - Thurs of this week.

1/23/09: Another layer of something has been put on the roof to prepare for shingles.

We're expecting inspections on Monday, then concrete will be poured, another inspection, then major progress.

Snow Day!

2009-01-21T12:19:00.000-05:00

When does the Raleigh area have the greatest chance of a winter weather event? Back home in NY/PA, that answer would've been something along the lines of "November through February". Here in Raleigh, the answer is "January 18-20". Yes, we are far more specific here in the South.
In 2000, just before Mike and I moved to NC, the area was hit with a massive snowstorm on Jan 22nd, dropping over 18 inches of snow and knocking out power for days.

In 2005, less than one inch of snow on Jan 19th caused such gridlock that we made the national news.

And now, in 2009, we received 7+ inches of snow here yesterday, January 20th.

The storm started as rain Monday night then turned to snow overnight. By the time I woke up Tuesday morning, work had been called off (mine was canceled, Mike was able to work from home) and we had about 3 inches of snow on the ground. It continued to fall steadily all morning and into the afternoon, stopping off around 7-8 inches.

Since we don't get snow here very often, it tends to paralyze the entire area, which is fine by me. It was great to just appreciate the beauty of the snow without having to go out on the roads. Plus, it meant we could watch the Inauguration events.

This morning I had a two-hour delay because water in the roads had refrozen overnight. The main highways were clear when I came in around 10am and only the secondaries and bridges/ramps seemed to be an issue.

By tomorrow, temperatures will rise enough that our snow will be completely gone. But I'm glad we at least managed a real snow this year.

All pictures are from yesterday's storm.

9 in '09 - Week #3

2009-01-19T10:16:00.000-05:00

Let's see how I did last week.

Plans:

diet plan = keep grains to a minimum, focus on fruits/veggies - I'd say 75% success on this
3 workouts - I only did two workouts but a total of over 90 minutes (60 Wed, 36 Sat on WiiFit)
64 oz water a day - yes, 80 oz on Wednesday
pickup house, deep clean 1 room - not so much
10 magazines - only two
read 1 hr per day - nope
catch-up a blog project - nope

Wow, what a failure of a week though it was pretty busy.

This week:

3 workouts
64 oz water a day
diet = minimum grains, eat lots of fruits/veggies/soup
pickup house
12 magazines
read 100 pages of book

Saturday is busy but the rest of the week should be uneventful. I'm home today (MLK) and have a lot I want to accomplish. There's a slight possibility of snow tonight that could be enough to put me home tomorrow as well so that would be a good thing for my task list.

9 in '09 - Week #2

2009-01-12T10:56:00.001-05:00

Let's see how I did last week.

Plans:

follow the diet plan I've set - yes, lost 7.4 lbs
3 workouts - 2 days of frantic house cleaning, 33 min WiiFit Sat, 10 min WiiFit Sun
6 glasses of water per day during week, 4 on weekend - 64oz (8 glasses) every day
clean entire house to "presentable level", starting downstairs - yes
10 magazines - 11 but then 5 more were added to the pile
help with email and blog tasks requested by Mike - sorta
11 hours of reading this week - big fail, only read 3.5 due to migraines
blog topic planning/pre-writing - I did some planning, no pre-writing

In all, I'd say a good week. I had 3 days of migraines that made reading tough but I still accomplished a lot.

This week:

diet plan = keep grains to a minimum, focus on fruits/veggies
3 workouts
64 oz water a day
pickup house, deep clean 1 room
10 magazines
read 1 hr per day
catch-up a blog project

Meeting Tues night, hockey Thurs night. Dr appt Thurs during the day for some test results.

A light week, overall, but with two evenings tied up that will cut down on available time. I also don't work from home this week so that will take away some time.

Happy Gotcha Day!

2009-01-11T12:51:00.000-05:00

Everyone's favorite stripey cat is celebrating his Gotcha Day today. Ripley joined our household on January 11, 2005.This year, he spent some time sick and I was worried about him for awhile. He's doing just fine now though.

He spends most of his days looking out the back window and smashing his tail back and forth at squirrels. He and Tasha still aren't great pals though we have caught them sleeping on the bed at the same time once or twice. He also loves to sleep on our Slankets.

We're hoping that in the next few months we'll have a screened porch for kitties to hang out on. They get so excited about open windows, I can only imagine what a three-sided "window" is going to be like for them.

Migraines

2009-01-09T15:59:00.000-05:00

I don't have much to say except to put it on record that I had a migraine for 3 days this week. It started Tuesday, left Wednesday afternoon, reappeared Thursday afternoon and finally left last night.

Boring. Zzzzzzzzzz...

A Few Of My Favorite Things

2009-01-06T12:58:00.000-05:00

I don't post many items of a political nature here (deliberately) but this clip has some of my favorite things. Anderson Cooper, Jon Stewart, Obama, puppies. How could I not?

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Road to the Doghouse - Puppedential Debate

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

9 in '09 - Week #1

2009-01-05T14:56:00.001-05:00

Back to weekly accountability posts since I failed so horribly last year at achieving my goals. Each Monday I will take a look back at what was accomplished the previous week and also look ahead to plan out the upcoming week.

This week:

follow the diet plan I've set (skipping the specifics here)
3 workouts, low intensity but do something
6 glasses of water per day during week, 4 on weekend
clean entire house to "presentable level", starting downstairs
January's clutter focus is magazines, 10 total this week (current total = 4 of about 60)
help with email and blog tasks requested by Mike
read 1 hr/day plus make up for 4 days missed = 11 hours of reading this week
decide on topics for my other blog for the entire week, start pre-blogging those

That should keep me busy but still be obtainable. We don't have too many interruptions in the evenings this week (a hockey game one night) and no plans currently for the weekend.

I'm actually looking forward to getting this started and making progress. It's well beyond time for things to get "back to normal" and on a routine.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-01-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

Mike and I watch a fair amount of movies. I wouldn't go so far as to say "a lot", mostly because I always intend to watch more and we don't.

However, it's rare that one stands out as truly great, especially to the point that I feel inspired to blog about it. But yesterday we saw Slumdog Millionaire and I want to encourage everyone to go see this beautiful movie.I originally discounted this film based on the name. Slumdog Millionaire just didn't sound like something I'd be interested in. Then I heard it was about the Hindi version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". No thanks! But yesterday, Mike really wanted to go to a movie and nothing looked good. I had heard this one received great reviews so I took a second look at the summary and we decided to check it out. I'm so glad we did!

The movie is about Jamal, a young man who grew up in the slums of Mumbai. Though uninterested in the cash prize, he appears on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". At the end of taping for the day, he has successfully answered all of his questions, leaving only the final question for the ultimate prize. Overnight, he is taken into police custody and accused of cheating. How could this poor man know all of these answers? Jamal explains how he knew each individual answer by telling the story of his life. Each answer was tied to a major event he experienced.

I'm not generally impressed with child actors and this movie had a lot of them as his story was retold. Really, it's the story not only of Jamal but also of his brother and an orphan girl, Latika. Three different sets of actors portray these characters at various points and the two younger sets were absolutely amazing. I've never seen such fabulous acting by any young child, let alone six of them.

The movie was sad, funny, horrifying, and heart-warming. Even though much of it takes place in impoverished areas, the cinematography is bright and beautiful. It's been nominated for "Best Picture" and definitely deserves the honor. A lot of people haven't seen the film though as it's not playing in most of the major theatres. Of probably 12 major theatres we checked locally, it was only appearing in one (plus the independent "arty" theatre).

Do yourself a favor and see this movie. If it's not playing locally, make a note to rent it when it hits DVD. We'll be adding this one to our collection as soon as it's available.

For trailers, photos, and more information, check out the official site. Or don't - because we hadn't seen any trailers and knew very little about it going in (no more than you've read in this post) and it was a great way to experience this film.

Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference. -Virginia Satir

Resolutions - 9 for '09

2009-01-01T12:57:00.000-05:00

Welcome to 2009! And welcome to the annual Resolutions post. /p>

First, I'll just say that I failed miserably on just about every resolution I made last year except for the blogging more often, which I didn't do here.

Enough of that, let's go forward. My pal Chix (who introduced me to the awesomeness of the Slanket) said I should do "9 for '09" so here goes!

Private so I'm not sharing except to say that it's the reason I failed at a lot of last year's goals. Progress has been made and will continue.

Reach goal weight. I realize this is here every year but a new medication this past year has really made a mess for me.

Drink daily water. 6 glasses per day by the end of January, 8 glasses per day by the end of March.

Complete a 5k (running). Another repeat goal. THIS will be the year. If Mike can run a marathon, I can run a 5k.

Keep the house cleaner. Not that it's bad but I need to figure out an actual routine to do this regularly.

Clear clutter. This involves reducing and reorganizing, etc. I'm starting immediately with my magazine piles.

Support Mike. This includes some new endeavors, his running, and his hectic schedule due to work. It's the very least I can do for all the support he offers me.

Read one book per month. Another repeat. This shouldn't be so hard. I love to read. I have time to read. I have books to read. So each month I'm going to post the book title and then a review when I'm done.

Blogging/writing projects. I spent most of 2008 with no desire to write but I have one project that's been developing nicely since last Fall. I'm feeling very into it now so I'm going to keep it up. I'm also working on another small blog project that was supposed to launch today but I'll be content with back-dating a few posts in a week. Also, I plan to blog more frequently here.

I'm also returning to the weekly NYR update posts. I need to hold myself accountable - I really think that's part of where I went wrong last year. Almost nobody reads this blog anyways so I'm not too worried about boring people. For anyone that is reading (thanks!), feel free to skip the Monday NYR posts and I'll try to make up for it with more regular other posts.

2009 is going to be awesome, I've already decided. There are some exciting things on the horizon!

2008 in Review

2008-12-31T09:41:00.000-05:00

New Year's Eve. Must mean it's time for my annual year in review. 2008, it seems like you started just yesterday and now you're gone.

Mike started his new job on his birthday in January. They've kept him insanely busy (especially towards the end of the year) but he's done a great job and learned a lot.

In February, Mike bought his spaceship. Err, Prius. Being kind to the environment was a big focus for us in 2008 and wil continue going forward.

March was apparently boring because I only bothered blogging twice. My birthday was at the end of the month and I turned 25. Ha!

We took a quick getaway to the cabin in early April. I always love going there. It's so relaxing. My sister had her baby on April 15th. Corbin David. Such a little cutey.

In May, Mike ran the Biltmore Estate 15k early in the month. Memorial Day Weekend, we made our way to PA/NY to see my brother's first house and my sister's first baby.

June brought yet another failed Race for the Cure. I'm starting to think I should find a different race to target.

In July, we shelved our "Independence Day in DC" plans in favor of a weekend later that month in Alexandria. We went to a going away party for some friends, checked out the Newseum, and finally spent some time in Old Town Alexandria.

August 8th was our tenth anniversary. We celebrated by watching the opening ceremonies for the Olympics in Beijing.

In September, we spent a week at the Outer Banks. Despite a tropical storm sitting off the coast, we had a good time.

October was the month of sick cats. We were at the vet's so much that I think they're going to put our names on a plaque on one of their benches. Mid-month, Mike completed the Baltimore Half-Marathon in great time and feeling good afterwards (huge improvement over his last half).

November brought the election, Thanksgiving, and a screened porch project that launched a massive dig into some local history.

We kept busy this December. Some of it was even Christmas-related! We finally made it to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. We also made it out to Biltmore Estate to see their Christmas decorations - it was a cold but wonderful weekend. And finally, one of the nicest Christmases we've had in years. Not that things were much different from past Christmases but somehow it seemed better.

I didn't blog much this year as we were dealing with a lot of offline issues. Some of which will continue on to 2009. I'm hopeful though that 2009 will bring us good things. Which I'll save for tomorrow's post.

DPA at DPAC

2008-12-30T11:46:00.000-05:00

Sunday night, Mike bought tickets to see Divine Performing Arts, a Chinese classical dance and music group. The show gave us our first opportunity to visit the new Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC).The show was really amazing. The costumes were beautiful and the dancing was cool to see. Things got a little slow during the operatic solos and I could've done with about half of those but overall it was stunning to watch.

I will say that the political side was heavy handed, especially towards the end. DPA is a nonprofit organization and practitioners of Falun Gong. From their site:

Based in New York, Divine Performing Arts is a nonprofit organization that is independent of China’s communist regime and which seeks to revive the true, five-millennia-old artistic tradition of China that thrived before decades of suppression by the Chinese communist state. The company seeks to breathe new life into traditional Chinese culture while providing audiences everywhere with an experience of sublime beauty.

Agree or disagree, I wasn't expecting so much political preaching to be part of the evening. Other than that, it was great.

As for the DPAC facility itself, it's very impressive lit up from the outside at night. Inside, the lobbies seemed a bit bare to me. Our seats were way up in the rafters but fairly center. After making our way up to the third level lobby, we were directed basically to a fire escape staircase (nicely carpeted and painted) that took us up even further to reach our seats. But even though our seats were in the last row, the view was ok. It was warm (heat rises, you know!) but we could see fine.

We have tickets to the Broadway series that will be presented there this Spring so we'll have plenty of opportunities to visit again.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. -Mary Schmich

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T09:29:00.000-05:00

Another Christmas come and gone. And while our activities didn't differ much from years past, somehow this year seemed especially nice.I was wrapped up in my 12 Days of Christmas Blogging and some non-holiday things so I never got around to posting the annual decorating report. Since we went to Biltmore Estate on Dec 7/8, our tree went up late this year. It was the weekend of the 13th. We didn't overdecorate this year. Our little artificial tree (with carefully chosen cat-proof ornaments), the nativity, our wreath, Mike's lighthouse and a few candles. After inspecting the boxes, Tasha lost interest and went upstairs. Ripley helped with the decorating and was "rewarded" with decorations of his own.

Cards went out later than usual this year as well. I almost always mail them early in the month so I can focus on other things but I ended up focusing on the other things first this time. We rushed to get cards in the mail on the 20th and didn't do as many as usual. We also sent a lot of e-cards. It was a combination of laziness and caring for the environment.

Christmas eve, we spent the day relaxing and doing some baking. We attended Christmas service at 5pm instead of 11pm because there was no way I was going to be able to stay awake that late. We opened one gift each before bed that night and crashed around 11pm.

Christmas morning, I was awake before 5am (I haven't been sleeping well recently) but let Mike sleep until around 6:30. We showered, made hot cocoa, and opened our gifts from our families. Then we stopped for Mike to make baked apple pancake for breakfast.

After breakfast we opened our gifts from each other. Again, Tasha wasn't interested but Ripley had a lot of fun chasing papers and bows. He's much more excited about the little mouse/hamster toy we bought and spent quite awhile attacking it.

The highlight for me was the rocking chair Mike bought me for our screened porch. Yes, the project is delayed (it should've been done by now but we're still waiting on permits to even start) but he knows how much I'm looking forward to it so he bought me a chair to enjoy once it's complete. He even assembled it for me and hid it in the garage with a big bow on it. And I bought him white LED lights, also for the porch.

Dinner was prime rib, mac & cheese, rolls, deviled eggs, and French onion soup. Dessert was a pumpkin pie cake recipe Mike had picked up at work. It was all very yummy.

The rest of the day was reading, playing with the new WiiFit (Tasha was a total motivator for working out) and talking with family on the phone. Before bed, we watched A Christmas Story for the first time ever, and then called it a day. A very good day.

I hope everyone out there had a very Merry Christmas!

12 Days: 1 Christmas Wish

2008-12-25T11:14:00.000-05:00

On the 1st day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 1 Christmas Wish.

I wish anyone reading this and celebrating Christmas today a wonderful day full of love and fun and food. Maybe not in that order.

Short and sweet so I can get back to enjoying our Christmas.

12 Days: 2 Gifts to Receive

2008-12-24T11:37:00.000-05:00

On the 2nd day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 2 gifts I'd like to receive.

Uninterrupted Inspiration - Primarily for writing ideas. I suppose I should couple that request with "ability to follow through". And I wouldn't mind it spilling over into other areas of my life a well.

Health - Between my migraines and some other issues recently, it would be awesome to just be completely healthy for awhile.

And I'll put in another request for world peace, just for kicks.

Tomorrow, the finale of my 12 days of Christmas blogging.

12 Days: 3 Gifts to Give

2008-12-23T09:34:00.000-05:00

On the 3rd day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 3 Gifts I'd like to give.

Ridiculous Amounts of Money - I can't give this one because I don't have it to give. We do what we can. But I would love to be in a position to write huge checks to some worthy causes. This time of year, Duke Childrens Hospital (and sick kids in general) weighs heavily on my heart. I'd like to make it all better for those children and their families.

Supportive Husbands - I'm not going to pretend that Mike and I have the perfect marriage but we work at it and it works for us. However, he's very supportive and patient with me. I have a couple of friends right now struggling with husbands that aren't supporting them in the ways they need and I wish I could fix it for them. It makes me realize how fortunate I am.

A fabulous vacation - This one's for Mike. He works too hard, both at his job and at things around the house. I'd like him to have an awesome vacation full of fun and just hanging out. He deserves it.

Oh, and of course, world peace. But that goes without saying, right?

Tomorrow, 2 gifts I'd like to receive.

12 Days: 4 Christmas Memories

2008-12-22T17:36:00.000-05:00

On the 4th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 4 Christmas memories.

Childhood tree - I remember, at least one year, my parents set up a little Christmas tree for me in my bedroom. Since I had the bedroom to myself, I'm guessing it was either before my brother was born or at least before my sister was so I would've been in the neighborhood of 5-7.

Christmas mishaps - This is much more recent (last year) but somehow we managed to both fry our oven and render our garage door inoperable both shortly before Christmas. In fact, it was the morning of Christmas eve that the new oven arrived and it was returning from Christmas eve service that the garage door died.

Christmas eve service - Christmas eve is my favorite part of Christmas, I think. After all the crazy preparations are finished but before the actual day itself, I love Christmas service. Whether it be an early evening service, like the church I went to growing up, or a midnight service, it's nice to take that moment of quietness in the middle of a hectic season.

Hot cocoa - Another more general "memory" but somehow Christmas always goes hand-in-hand with hot cocoa for me, even as an adult. As a kid, hot cocoa was part of our Christmas eve tradition. After church, we'd have hot cocoa while reading the Christmas story. Now, I still like a mug of cocoa around the holidays.

Tomorrow, 3 gifts I'd like to give.

12 Days: 5 Least Favorite Christmas Songs

2008-12-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

On the 5th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 5 least favorite Christmas songs.

Blue Christmas - Elvis
Feliz Navidad
Mele Kalikimaka
Christmas Shoes
12 Days of Christmas

I could've come up with a much longer list, especially if I included specific versions. Instead I narrowed it down to the 5 songs that make me run to change the station, regardless of the version. I realize I'm not going to be able to really explain my dislike of some - it's just there.

Blue Christmas by Elvis just annoys me in the same way a lot of Elvis songs annoy me. I admire what he did for the music scene as a whole but I'm not a fan of most of his work. Anyways, this song, with all the "wooOOOooo" in the background, makes my list.

Feliz Navidad is way too perky and busy and chaotic. Similarly, that Hawaiian song also bugs. I group them together for some reason. "Songs I Can't Sing Along With Because I Don't Get Those Words". In fact, I had to look up Mele... to figure out the spelling. I always refer to it as Mele Kalikiblahblah.

For those of you haven't had the pleasure of hearing the Christmas Shoes song, seek it out on YouTube. It's a Hallmark sort of song that exists only to ruin your Christmas cheer by making you sob. Which I don't. Because I have no heart?

And finally, 12 Days of Christmas. First, it goes on forever. Second, it inspires too many obnoxious alternate versions. Exceptions are the Muppet version and the 12 Pains of Christmas (which actually made my favorite songs list).

So what songs do you least look forward to hearing at Christmas? And come back tomorrow for four of my favorite Christmas memories.

12 Days: 6 Dinner Dishes

2008-12-20T11:44:00.000-05:00

On the 6th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 6 dishes served for Christmas dinner.

Dad's Deviled Eggs
Gramma's Mac 'n Cheese
Mike's Prime Rib
My Mashed Potatoes
Mom's Chocolate Pie
Tiramisu

Not sure there's a whole lot to explain with these. These are items that are usually on the table for Christmas meals. Even though we've moved away and don't make it home for Christmas, we've managed to replicate most of the dishes in a reasonable fashion. We don't always adhere to this (I'm still trying to sell Mike on the idea of lasagna for this year) but it's what I would list if I was pushed to define "traditional" Christmas dinner.

Tomorrow will be my five least favorite Christmas songs.

12 Days : 7 Christmas Movies/TV Specials

2008-12-19T11:56:00.001-05:00

On the 7th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 7 favorite Christmas movies/tv specials.

National Lampoons' Christmas Vacation
A Christmas Carol
Gremlins
While You Were Sleeping
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Love Actually
A Charlie Brown Christmas

Ahh, Christmas specials. It seems like I remember a lot more of them on tv when I was growing up. I remember something about a mouse and a clock. Garfield. Claymation. But these are my favorites as an adult.

It's been awhile since I saw Christmas Vacation but there's a scene with a kitty and the tree that cracks me up every time. It could be that I'm easily cracked up but it's a hilarious movie.

A Christmas Carol is my most ambiguous choice on the list because I like several versions. The Muppets have a good one, there are several movie versions, and then my favorite may be the Disney version. I'm also a big fan of the local production here in Raleigh each year.

Gremlins may not be a traditional pick but it's Christmas-related and fabulous fun. I should rewatch that sometime soon.

While You Were Sleeping will always hold a special place in my heart because it's the movie I saw with Mike on our first date back in 1995. Now that I think about it, it's kind of weird that a Christmas-related movie opened in early May.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is always a good choice. And while I don't have the hatred for the Jim Carrey version that some people seem to feel, I'm much more interested in the 1966 cartoon version. All those adorable Whos down in Whoville without a clue in the world.

Love Actually is my most recent addition to the list. I never got around to watching it for a long time until my friend Sarah finally convinced me. Wow, I had no idea what I was missing. This ensemble cast movie was amazing. Funny and sad and warm and fuzzy and an actual intricate storyline as well. I'd gift it to everyone I know if only it didn't have the subplot about the porn stand-in actors.

I end my list with A Charlie Brown Christmas. It makes you laugh and cry and at the end really puts me in a quiet Christmas mood. I think it really says something that the message has stood the test of time and this simple animation is still so popular. The music is also fabulous.

Quick note: I've never seen A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, or Miracle on 34th Street. I have plans to remedy two of those next week which may lead to my list needing revisions.

Tomorrow will be the six items I want to see on my Christmas table this year.

12 Days : 8 Travel Guides

2008-12-18T09:16:00.000-05:00

On the 8th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 8 travel guides I'd like to find under the tree.

China: The Panda Experience
Southern Europe: France, Spain, Italy, Greece
Mexico
South America: Chile, Argentina, Brazil
California Coast & Wine Country
Grand Canyon
Chicago
Savannah & Charleston

Maybe this is a bit of a stretch but I have travel on my brain since we didn't take a "big" trip this year for many reasons.

Mike really enjoyed his trip to China and if I thought I could handle the culture shock at this point in my life, I'd love to see Beijing and Shanghai as well as travel to some areas he didn't get to. But I could probably find a way to make the trip if we focused on Chengdu and pandas. There's not much I wouldn't do for the experience of holding one of those beautiful creatures.

Southern Europe has been on our shortlist for awhile now. We've been to London, Paris, Dublin, western Ireland. And Mike's been to Scotland. Our next trip, we'd love to do a more southern tour. Southern/coastal France, Italy, Rome, Spain. Maybe even Greece. Unfortunately the dollar's very weak right now compared to the British pound and the Euro so we've put those plans on hold.

Mexico is appealing to me mainly from a historical perspective. I'd love to see some of the ruins and natural areas.

South America is also on my list due to the ancient ruins but mainly because of the beautiful landscapes there. And especially in Brazil, I've read some amazing things about the culture and artistry that I think it would be an amazing place to experience.

Heading a little closer to home, I've never been to the West coast. I'd really like to cover all of California though I'd be content to skip LA. I'd love to go up the coast from San Diego to San Fran and also hitting the wine region.

I flew over the Grand Canyon when we went to Vegas for a conference a few years ago. It looked amazing from the sky. I'd love to see it up close. I'm not a camping girl anymore (I was in another lifetime) so definitely no roughing it with a tent for me. But I'd love to do some hiking, some water activities, some climbing.

Chicago has been on my list for some time now. It just seems like a really neat city, despite being in Illinois. I definitely wouldn't want to go during the winter though. Brrr!

And finally, Savannah and Charleston. The closest to home and the only locations on the list that I've been to before. In fact, I think I've been to both of them twice. But there's something about these Southern cities that I really love. The history, the architecture... I still feel like there is ground to be covered there. And although Atlanta is much larger, I'd also like to go there to see how the big modern city and historical town work with each other.

That concludes my list of travel guides I'd like to see under my Christmas tree. Totally a cheat on the theme. Tomorrow will be more traditional: holiday tv shows and movies.

12 Days: 9 Christmas Treats

2008-12-17T09:37:00.000-05:00

On the 9th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 9 of my favorite Christmas treats.

Sugar Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
Gramma's Fudge
Potato Cookies
Peppermint Bark
Starbucks Peppermint Mocha
Candy Canes
Eggnog
Peanut Butter Cookies w/ Hershey Kisses

As much as my other lists haven't really been in any order, this one certainly isn't. I realize a lot of these aren't traditionally associated with Christmas but they are things I associate with Christmas.

I love sugar cookies. And my favorite ones are very small with various frostings. I usually make mine with either mocha or peppermint frostings and some colored sugar sprinkles. They're awesome for dipping in coffee.

I love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Ideally, I like them with some walnuts or pecans but since Mike's not a huge fan of nuts I usually skip them. A lady at the church I attended growing up always made a version of these that was amazing. I still think of her when I have any version of them.

Gramma's "Fail-Proof" Fudge, which I manage to fail at about 80% of the time. No way I'm sharing the recipe but it's supposed to be easy because it doesn't involve candy thermometers. It's not as sicky-sweet as a lot of fudge and I love the stuff.

Potato cookies, which are known by about a million names. I think they're more like candies myself. I'm including a recipe on this one because so many folks have never heard of them. However, this isn't the exact recipe I follow. I think mine has a more measured amount of potato to add. Other than that, it's the same. They're sweet sugary peanut butter goodness in the form of a jelly roll. Keep them cool or they'll melt. Also, a little goes a long way. But so good!

I'll address the next three treats together - peppermint bark, peppermint mocha, candy canes. Peppermint bark is awesome though I've never made my own. And we all know how I adore a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha. And when all else fails, a candy cane is easily portable and long-lasting when I need a peppermint fix. I keep a stash of the small ones around at all times. They're also perfect crushed and sprinkled on sugar cookies.

Eggnog, whether it be "doctored" or not, is definitely a Christmas treat. I tried to make it once. And failed. So now we just buy light eggnog in the store. We've also used it to make ice cream which was quite tasty.

Finally, peanut butter cookies with the Hershey Kisses plunked on top. I've recently seen recipes that roll the Kisses in the middle of the dough so they bake up all yummy in the center. I'll have to give that a try.

So there we have it. Some of my favorite Christmas treats. And how many of these have I made this year? Not a single one. Though I need to make a treat for work on Friday so I'll probably see what ingredients I have in the kitchen this afternoon. It may end up being a box of brownies, which are also awesome with some mint frosting.

What are your favorite treats this time of year? Did I miss some?

Come back tomorrow for the 8 travel guides I'd like to see under the tree on Christmas morning.