Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Well, Christmas has past and it really was a fine Christmas, if I can judge by the amount of beer and food consumed.

Dave got an early Christmas present in a new phone and VR glasses--

The first time I wore them for a while it made me a wee bit nauseated. They gave Laura a headache. I guess it’s either a guy thing or something you have to get used to…..I have yet to find something that’s really fun to play or watch.

We prepared for a white Christmas.

PreChristmas , after it was up for a week,  we put the ornaments on the tree and decorated the house a bit---

The cat hut got some Christmas love

And no Christmas is complete without Thing One

I’m not sure I’d decorate in such a manner but Dave loves a tree. And once you’ve committed to a tree then you may as well go for it all.

We also put up some new lighting which we do love-a lot

Sort of dark but it’s a new light fixture, really.

Old fixture with lights shining in our face

New ambient lighting

I think people are going to have to come see the ambiance in person to appreciate the changes.

Blane and Melanie showed up on Christmas Morning. They outran the storms and made it just in time before the the hiway closed.

Blane got some sweet Seattle gear.

 

Save our Sonics……

Melanie hid for the picture—she also has some Hawks gear on. Too bad Seattle couldn’t win the game on Saturday……

Dave and I did a practice selfie

He has shorts on. I’m wearing the rest of the layers he should be wearing. AND I’m also wearing a Sonics Sweatshirt.

The cats enjoyed their day relaxing and getting jacked up on catnip

Puddy showed the world why we can’t have nice things. She was pretty stoked about snapping the antlers off our stocking holder

Damn I’m good.

After a day of nonstop eating (well, Blane and Melanie had a bit of a nap since they’d been up driving since about 4 AM) we had a huge dinner and the required Christmas portrait. And in our usual fashion, it was NOT a one take session.

Not quite…..

No, no, and all the nopes

And the winner is…..

Again, I’m laughing way too hard but after this no one would sit anymore.

So—Hope the holidays was everything everyone wanted it to be.

 

On to 2017.

November-no wait—December

What the heck happened to November?? I’m sure it was here for at least a month.

I finished up another class, and have now started Finance. The good thing about this class is the assignments are spreadsheets. Yes, math I can do. Papers? Not so much. I am struggling with motivation to keep going, that’s for sure. But after this only three classes left. I met with my potential preceptor for my final practicum. I think it will start next November. That should give me some time to think about things. We discussed potential projects. The good thing about Mayo is they do encourage this kind of thing. But ugh. There’s a 45 page instruction manual. That says it all.

I went to Oklahoma right before Thanksgiving to run my second annual Route 66 half marathon in Tulsa with my good friend Machelle. It wasn’t quite as cold as last year, not as much wind, and lots of sun. I took an insane amount of ibuprofen so my knee didn’t hurt at all. I stopped and went to the bathroom at mile 5—the diuretic effect of coffee. I don’t usually do that but it sure gave me a boost of energy! I finished in 2:06 and for not training much it was a great finish for me.  I always have such a wonderful time at Machelle’s. She has a cute house in the country, quite and peaceful and lots of stars.

The day before we went to the expo and had pre race hydration

Getting ready to start in the car…

and our new friend photobombing us at the start line.

Bad selfie at the finish line!

Yay I’m done!

After the race we took a drive to see her little lake house. It’s also very cute and for sale. She doesn’t use it much anymore so she’s fixed it all up and it would be happier with more company.

Oklahoma is still in the fall colors-here’s the view from her house-

The drive was beautiful

 

 

I seem to have lost my little camera so these are all from my phone. Dang it. I know it’s somewhere here…Waiting for it to show up in the most obvious place.

I got home the next day (the drive is long, but sunny and I listened to a book on CD)

Blane came down for Thanksgiving. His birthday was the 17th and I was hoping his present would show up-since I had ordered it over a month before. But no—it came the day after he left….

I’ll wrap them for Christmas I guess.

I’m doing a 4 part Christmas (idea from a coworker, or someone…)

One thing you want

One thing you need

One thing to wear

One thing to read

For the most part. It makes it a little easier I guess. I would like to add one thing to drink, but maybe not appropriate.

Yesterday was my day off so I did homework and I broke the sliding glass door lock

Who knew I could sheer the steel off the mechanism. At least it’s the deck door so it’s unlikely anyone will shimmy up the post to gain entry. I did put the bar up in the door frame-just in case.

So, tonight is Lorie Line Christmas Concert.  It’s an annual tradition but  very early this year. Next Thursday is Snap Judgement Live in the cities. I can’t wait to see that as it’s one of my favorite podcasts.

Maybe my camera will show up for that event. My fitbit came back so maybe there’s hope…..

 

The cat responsible for my breaking the lock….

Finally, Happy and Jack…an uneasy truce.

Well, I did NOT see THAT coming………..sigh

I’m not sure I’m getting out of this year unscathed. I’ve tried, assuredly I’ve tried.

Let’s recap-It’s been almost a year since we lost Grampa, 9 months since we lost Beta, and 9 months since I started a new job which took 3 months of daily self talk to get out the door and to my desk.

My office, aka the Closet. Picture taken from my desk. Yes, that’s three other desks. In addition to mine.

I have been going to school non stop, we got a puppy and then sold a puppy (to a family that loves her and has the energy to keep her happy)

I miss her a ton

But she’s so much better off there----

Chloe having fun with her new family

We got Happy, and Happy wasn’t happy

Ruined carpet. If only this blog could include smell.

 

Happy gets off the airplane…..

and takes over the house

No problem Happy, you’re welcome to my food.

Then the politics and the election.

And here we are. I do have to say this though. I saw a lot of posts on social media that were racially motivated, bigoted, horrifyingly untrue. I refrained, for the most part, in participating in the rhetoric, however, I did get sucked in to a few posts by refuting the untruths with the facts. Some things just can’t be left alone. And now I read these same people saying Let’s heal, let’s come together, it’s a new start. Nope. Here’s what I think. I think that if you posted lies and hatred then my opinion of you is forever changed. If you perpetuated rumors and hatemongering without first fact checking your information then that’s the type of person you are. If you are going to talk that talk, then you will forever be walking that walk with me. The consequences for spreading evil are that I will always see you as a person who can’t be trusted. I hear all the talk about letting it go, it was just politics. So I’m letting it go. But I’m moving on without those who thought that taking words out of context, posting lies, and being mean was the right thing to do. Cause it’s not. Ever.

Rant over.

But really?—there had to be some good things that happened over the year. So I’m going to end my blog on a high note---

Funniest photobomb ever on a bus to a fabulous Seahawk win.

We were all here for Christmas

Stitches Happened—ahhhhh, sweet Stitches. We are set for 2017.

I spent my birthday and Melanie’s birthday up in the Forks.

 

 

Laura took a boat ride in Australia (ok, not me but this picture kills me as Laura is totally the only one waving at the camera)

I ran with my friends—lotsa runs with my friends

 

 

Went to Hawaii with Dave and Blane and Melanie

The got engaged there!

Met some babies

I saw my wonderful friend Kari whom I haven’t seen for years

Booked a trip to Ireland with Laura (Ireland—you’re on notice)

Cut my hair off

Julie came to visit—yayayayay.

And I still have these guys………

So, when you look at it that way, the good must have outweighed the bad. And there were some laughs in there—some serious laughs

Selfies gone wrong

and there’s always Dave…..

This helps too--

 

What does it say about us that our name is on Insight Brewing Wall of Fame?

Yeah, that.

So looking at it as a whole there were some seriously good times.

And I ended up, just last weekend, at Vogue Knitting Live

Seaming class

AND—the knitted presidents and this year’s candidates

Who knew James Buchanan had an eagle AND an elephant???

I’m still with her

So, see? Things can’t be that bad. I keep telling myself.

As Aaron Rodgers says

(Seriously Aaron, having a hard time with the losses lately, but point taken)

We all got this.

Next week—to Oklahoma to see my friend Machelle and spending some serious talk time. Because we can.

The places I’ve been…….

“These bruises make for better conversation
Loses the vibe that separates
It's good to let you in again
You're not alone in how you've been
Everybody loses, We all got bruises”