Greetings all! I am tardy, as usual, but, what else is new? You all know my feelings on “catch up” entries, but it seems to be all I write! I’m actually processing this entry in word because I’m on a flight to Seattle with no wifi. Ahh, the luxuries we adjust to!
Needless to say, my time at home and in the DC were well spent and immensely enjoyed. The trip started out with my mildly amusing run through JFK and only got better. I left Syracuse that afternoon and Mom and I enjoyed our ride home in balmy 19 F weather. Needless to say, I was a popsicle. I snapped this with my blackberry on the ride home.
Balmy, no?
The days before Christmas were spent shopping, baking, cooking, layering my clothes, visiting, and being a PY barfly with some old friends. Owing to the time change from PST to EST, I was easily able to be a terrible night owl. I was alert until 2 am every night! This is both expected and humorously ironic considering that I literally have to prop my eyes open to stay up past 1030 pm! 4 am used to be a regular event for me, but evidently I’m becoming an old woman.
Christmas Eve…Mom and I spent the day prepping for Christmas day. In the evening, we went up to my cousin Miranda and Gavin’s house to visit for a while. My mom ended up teaching Miranda, and me, how to make a roux to make macaroni and cheese. I make MEAN mac and cheese, but I do so by layering! I don’t make mac and cheese too terribly often anymore, but I am now going to quest for great tasting roux based mac and cheese that is high protein, lower carb, and with a reasonable amount of fat. Watching my Mom cook was always one of my underground favorites, and I learned most of my basics from her, especially with regard to baking. Did you know the North family owned and ran a real bagel shop? I learned a great deal while making bagels with the family! After we left Miranda’s, we went to church with the Folts family at the Bluff Point Methodist Church, where my Mom and her siblings went as young children. I’m not methodist, maybe not even Christian, so, most of the service was lost on me, but it as nice to be with my mom and extended family at an event steeped in tradition and love. We ended up partying with the Folts clan for a while (we took short ribs…we North’s make MEAN shortribs, too! Which sadly, those of us that have been surgically altered (2/3) cannot enjoy!) and I returned home to wrapping and then sleeping…waiting for Santa! Here we are on Christmas eve, at Miranda’s!
Christmas day was very nice. My mom, dad, and I got up and ate our traditional breakfast….sausage gravy over English muffins. It is FREAKING AMAZING. We opened presents! Santa was good to me! He brought me a Wii and Wii fit, some gift cards to buy CLOTHES THAT FIT!, a heart rate monitor, some slippers, and a very cute and monogrammed purple suitcase. I seriously love my purple suitcase…it’s perfect! Do you think I could smuggle one of these dogs back to California in it? ☺ My mom's cat, Holly, loved me too! She would definitely fit in the suitcase!
I haven’t tried out the Wii, but I will let you all know it is! Christmas afternoon, the Spence family came over for abundant food and cheer. It is always nice to catch up with them, and due to geography, it doesn’t happen frequently enough! I snapped a photo of my beautiful dessert table, which was plentiful! Luckily, it was plentiful enough for me to share with the Robideau’s! ☺
Christmas was very nice. My paternal grandparents and uncle, who normally join us, were unable to join us, and their presence was definitely missed! We certainly had enough food to give them…but they were celebrating in Florida with my Dad’s sister. Christmas day menu did not include a sit down mean, only grazing. Mom and I made stuffed mushrooms, ribs, fruit breads, shrimp, ….I can’t even remember! I wasn’t feeling great on Christmas eve or Christmas day, so I did not do a whole lot of eating. And when I did eat, it was chocolate based! In any case, it was a day filled with fun, food, and alcohol (Fox Run 2007 Cab Franc-Lemberger, if you were wondering). At the end of the day, the dogs looked like this…and the humans weren’t too far behind!
In the days following the holiday, I went shopping with my cousin Miranda and met me Aunt Vick (her mom) and her brothers for breakfast. Aren’t we cute?
Miranda and I are good shoppers…and we got lots of bargains! I also did a little mini wine tour on Seneca Lake, which, as it happens, terminated in a great brew pub in Watkins Glen, (insert name), with Brett and Travis. I do like beer, and would like to make some of my own sometime. The night ended up in Lloyds, one of PYs watering holes, wth some additional friends and catching up. Here’s Trav keeping it classy….because Lloyds wouldn’t allow us to pay a cork charge and drink the 2007 Merlot from Fox Run. (Which was hands down one of the best wines I have had in a long time….this is especially funny if any of you know my usual feelings on merlot!)
On the 30th, I hopped on a plane to Washington, DC, to visit that area. I stayed in Frederick with my BFF Jen for most of the time, but satellite visits were abundant to visit other loved ones in the area. This entry is lengthy, so I’m going to quickly give you a few photo highlights:
Here is the Dom and Red Baron I cooked up:-) Happy New Year!
And here is my delayed flight board at Dulles. There were gale force winds that forced them to only run one runway. This resulted in my reasonable getting back to Livermore time of 1030pm being totally blown out of the water for the actual time of 0100. C’est la vie.
I’m hoping to get a few visits in this winter (San Diego, Seattle, maybe DC if someone sends me a flight deal), learning to ride my bike, run the Chinese New Year 5k, read more books for leisure, take classes at my gym (Zumba, Tai Chi, Yoga), do well at school, among assorted other things I cannot mention in a public forum! For those of you keeping tabs, I’m down 125 lbs. I’m charging forward!
Currently on a flight to Seattle to celebrate Anna Banana’s birthday, along with her havenese Pow and Oscar! So far the plan includes hot yoga, dinner at her favorite restaurant, and nothing else. I’m excited to try hot yoga…I might not make it.
Miss you guys! Happy New Year!
Cheers
Catrina
PS- I don’t know if any of you read about JR, but I saw she and her amazing family twice over my vacation and she is doing leaps better. She is a lucky girl. I am still thinking of her and praying for her, just she has a lot of people cheering for her, and she knows it. Her mom said she should be released next week, hopefully. Love you, JR!
