It makes no difference

if you stay up into the late hours when you are in a different time zone. You will (at least I will) still wake you at your normal time (actually a bit earlier than my current normal time-I have actually been sleeping until about 7-7:30 at home) when you are on vacation. So, for me that was 4:47 am when I went to bed around midnight, all Utah time. I am still exhausted, and my eyes would still like to be closed, but my brain is going strong. So for the past couple hours I've been watching tv, reading blogs, etc. Thank heavens for the internet when you are an early bird in an earlier time zone. And I don't really see anyone waking up anytime soon. Maybe Julia will be a dear and wake up to keep me company. I could always read my book, or hang out with my friends from SVU.

On another note, it's so fun to be with the fam! They were so funny and all crowded around the door to scream at me when I walked in. They really know how to make a visitor feel special. I can't wait for the days to come. KC, in an effort to feel more a part of this trip, has asked me to do something for him. K.C.Q.D. -that is KC's daily question. He has asked that I try to ask a question that I might hear him ask someone, so that when we talk, he'll be able to get the answer that he might get. He really does ask questions a certain way, so I tried it yesterday, and it worked. I am learning new and different things. We'll see what answers the other questions hold.

You've had a birthday, shout HOORAY!

That's right, KC turned 32 this past Wednesday. We kept it low key this year, with just the two if us. Partly because KC came down with a mild cold-type thing, and we were pretty busy with babysitting/work during the day and mutual/p.p.i at the church in the evening. We tried to celebrate in any spare moment. We started with breakfast in the morning. In my family we have a tradition of picking out your very favorite box(es) of cereal on your birthday. But since that is what KC has for breakfast everyday, I decided to make him Hootenannies (German pancakes) for something different. We don't have then nearly as often as we'd like (due to their fat content, and because I just don't think about it), so this was an easy and festive thing to have together quickly before he had to rush off to work, sniffles and all.
During the day Iris, donned with the princess gear I bought for her visits, and I had some fun making birthday cards. I also set up his birthday present from me. I figured it was about time we had a guitar floating around this house. It is how he proposed after all. I can't wait to hear some guitar playing around here. I even like picking it up now and then to play around with my four known chords. KC said he'd teach me more.
When I asked him what he'd like me to make him for dinner, he really couldn't choose. He has so many faves. So I decided to go traditional. He came home to a good old steak dinner, complete with mushroom, red wine sauce (he loooooooves mushrooms), slow roasted baked potatoes with everything, and sauteed green beans. I figured I couldn't go wrong with that. We enjoyed the food and the guitar in the few minutes we had before rushing to the church for our evening obligations. We had planned on coming home and eating cake, but with KC not feeling so hot, and me being exhausted, we decided to save it for tomorrow and watch LOST, during which we fell asleep.
On Thursday, we did get the cake out, light a candle, and sing Happy Birthday (birthdays seem to go on for days sometimes, don't they?)He even got to open more presents that came in the mail. The flourless, cinnamon spiced-chocolate cake topped with fresh whipped cream, was so rich, we could only eat a very small fraction between the two of us. It was seriously hard to swallow after a couple bites. I took about half of it to my book group later that night, but KC will have quite a task of finishing this while I'm gone. Maybe I'll freeze it for later.
And don't worry, we still have more birthday plans to come this weekend. I love celebrating with KC. He is constantly making me happy, so it's the least I can do to make his birthday as fun/drawn out as possible. Seeing him happy is truly a wonderful sight. I just love the guy.

Like I said, I am leaving this weekend for a 10-day trip to Utah without my honey. I am super excited to see family and friends, but get a little pit in my stomach when I think about being without him for that long. We've done it before, last summer, so I know we'll survive, and even have fun, but I also know I'll miss him like crazy. But never fear, we have webcams galore to communicate, and that will help a lot. We realized this is the 5th birthday of his that we have celebrated together, 3rd as a married couple. And I have made the cakes for all of them. Crazy how time flies. I can't wait for more birthdays to come.

And for your enjoyment (and since I finally have a scanner), and thought I'd add this little treasure to commemorate this day of his birth. His parents gave us a binder of all his school pictures. This was in the front. I could look at it for hours, but I try not to because it makes me cry a little. I mean, look at those dimples. Happy birthday honey!

I really need to remember to allow for cooling time when transporting food.

Right out of the oven, this Pomegranate Lemon Tart with an Almond crust was like bubbling lava while I was driving to my destination. Needless to say, I didn't make it one block before it had spilled over the edge, and I was taking it back home.


Before:
After: (Hey, I had to make sure it still tasted good.)

What is wrong with me? In my defense, it was a last minute idea, and I was being ambitious. Next time I'll know better. I suppose it's okay to buy dessert every now and then.

By the way

"Dear KC and Emily:

We are pleased to inform you that out Adoption Committee met and reviewed you file and confirm your paperwork complete and ready for placement of a child with you family as of January 12, 2009. . ."

I suppose I should share this bit of good news with my blogging buddies. KC and I have officially been approved by LDS Family services. Yes, they seem to think we will be good parents, when the opportunity arises. The approval process, though long and tedious, was a bit quicker than I had imagined, being told many different stories. We are thrilled to have completed this fairly difficult step, but are aware that many more steps lay ahead of us. It's a bit anticlimactic, I suppose, but a relief to be done with all the paperwork, nonetheless.

The weird thing is, someone could pick us any day at this point. Not that I expect it to happen any time soon, but we are pretty close in the long scheme of things. I still have some plans to get our name out there a bit more to get this party started sooner, but at least we can let the agency do their part now, while we do ours. With all the forces working together, the Lord included, this is bound to go somewhere.

They say that waiting in the hardest part. Probably because the lack of control you have in this part of the process. Even though "waiting" and "lack of control" and I have gotten to know each other very well over the past few years, I still find it quite annoying, especially with my micromanagey tendencies. If I think about it too much, I get all scatterbrained, become overstimulated with thoughts, and go somewhat crazy. So I'm doing what I can to stay sane during this exciting/anxious time, and trying to enjoy this kid-less stage while it lasts.

Our profile is available to view on the LDSFS website, but in a week there will be a fully renovated, new and beautiful website that they have been working extremely hard on and that they are all really excited about. So I'll wait until then to show you around.

In other good news, I'm feeling a million times better than I did during my last post. Thank you meds! I was able to sleep more than 4 hours last night for the first time in days, and without waking up gasping for air. I'm very glad I got it over-with before my trip to Utah this weekend. Here's to a trip that is free from any sickness, or trips to the ER (knock on wood).

"I suddenly have a headache of phenomenal dimension."

If I have to have a sinus infection (the achy skin and joints, dry mouth and lips, sore throat, can't- get-up-without-a-pounding-headache kind) then at least I have Cranford, my large bottle of lemon water, and antibiotics (thankfully my doctor was able to get me in this morning, and have the meds on hand so I didn't have to wait at the pharmacy) to keep me company. I hate that I had to slack on my church and babysitting responsibilities, among other things, but I wouldn't want to expose anyone to these agonizing symptoms. I can't wait to breath out of my nose again.

In case you were wondering the title is a line from Cranford itself. Though, the tragedy that happened following that line in the movie, will hopefully not be my fate. If it didn't hurt to do so, I'd be having quite a chuckle at this show. It's always so funny to observe what was inappropriate, frivolous, or extravagant back then. I know that the reason we girls love period pieces such as this is so that we can live vicariously through these women as they get dressed into their amazing gowns, and dance those charming choreographed dances with those beyond handsome men. But seriously, their pastimes of knitting, impressing people, and most of all, gossiping, might get old after a couple days. And beside, I can have ice cream whenever I want, whereas they have to wait for a fancy garden party to have any. Of course, there is something nice about being so thankful for something as simple as an orange, or precious lace, but I am happy with the "extravagances" I am able to enjoy by not living in that time period. Yes, our society is far more inappropriate now, as opposed to then. That is something I wish hadn't changed.

Anyway, like a said, it had provided me with hours of mindless, light-hearted entertainment as I recover from this nasty illness. I couldn't have timed our Netflix queue better.

Boo. . .

. . .on bikini girl and her terrible voice on American Idol last night. Also, why do some people move their faces so weirdly when they sing? She did that too.

I just forgot what I was about to say.

I have used this statement several times in the last couple days. And it doesn't stop at forgetting things I want to say, but things I want to do also. This is very, very unlike me. I like to do things the moment I think of them and if I can't, I make a list, sometimes more than one a day, of things do to, because I know if I don't get to it at that moment, I might forget. Sometimes when I'm on the computer, I remember things I want to look at, or read, etc, so I have several tabs open just to remind me to go back to those others when I'm done with the one I am on (for instance, right now I have Netflix, Craigslist, LDS Family Services, Hotmail, Costco, and blogger all open).

While I try to remember what it was that I was going to say or do, I can't think of anything else until the thought is recovered, even if it was just a silly conversation with a friend (and it was better that I forgot anyway because I was talking to much already). But still, I hate that I can't remember. It's never that important, obviously, or else I don't think it would be forgotten so easily, but it's just not like me. I feel like, and I have seriously considered, carrying around a note pad and a pen in my pocket (I already try to keep some in my purse and car)to jot things down as they come to me. So this forgetting frustrates me to no end, and I am wondering what the cause of this sudden brain freeze is.

Recent events in my life have required my complete and total attention, having important tasks every single day. Forgetting one would be bad. So with me being between those all consuming events (for now anyway), maybe my brain is liking this monotone state a little too much. Maybe it was used to needing to remember things, that it's still in the mode of "remember or die", but now tries to remember less critical things. But I still get a panicky feeling if I forget, because that is what I would've done in times past.

I think the actual forgetting makes me more annoyed that doing or saying what I forgot. I guess I need to get my sudoku out again, or work on some brain exercise or some sort. I think this post was more a vent, than anything else.

On the town

(Dark pictures will be explained further down.) We don't go on many formal dates. With just the two of us together all the time, it's hard to find an excuse for a night on the town, especially when it's cold. Yeah, we do the occasional I -don't-feel like-cooking-so-let's-go-to-5 Guys nights, but it's not quite the same as marking it on the calendar and telling people you are busy that night with a prior engagement, that being a date. And thanks to a little push from a gift certificate from some friends that have since moved, we made our way to DC to eat a lovely dinner at a darling, quaint, French restaurant named Montmartre. It was surprisingly quick drive (less that 15 minutes), near Eastern Market, and had ample (FREE) street parking. I think we'll be making our way to this part of town, more often. Parking is my least favorite part of driving into the city, so the fact that it was this easy, made for an even more pleasant evening than we expected.

The food was absolutely delicious (my Kobe steak being cooked to a perfect medium, and KC's rabbit on a bed of linguine melting in my mouth) and the selection of French desserts took me back to my training at school. It was way too hard for me to choose, so I let KC. He opted for the Frangipane tart loaded with fresh berries, in a pool of creme anglaise and raspberry sauce. Good choice. It was a lovely night, with my lovely husband. It was nice to chat about things that might not so easily come up in regular conversation while moseying around at home. Things that are known, but not always vocalized. We really need to do this more often. You know, formally.

I was trying out a new little prize I got myself, and while trying to be inconspicuous in a nice restaurant, I didn't want to use the flash. So I know I wasn't using it to it's full potential, but it's nice to have a pocket camera again, nonetheless. The one time I did accidentally use the flash, I felt silly, but am now glad to have the picture of my delicious meal. Isn't it funny how mainstream taking pictures of food is?

And of course, one of the best things about getting ready and getting out, is coming home, putting on your most comfortable clothes, and being warm under your wonderfully cozy electric blanket. At least it is for me.

Does everyone have a list like this?

You'd think that when Christmas is all said and done, you feel fulfilled when it comes to things you want/need for the time being, and don't need to purchase anything significant for quite a while. So why is it that my list of things to buy lately is even bigger and better than it was before the holiday? I guess when you are in a mode of buying cool things, it's hard to shake. I know I'm not actually going to buy all of the things on my list right now, but I just keep finding myself saying to myself, "That would be really convenient right now," or "I'm just going to pull the trigger and get that." Then I talk myself out of it, feeling like a spoiled brat, and remembering we have much more important things to save for/spend on. And with KC's birthday around the corner, I should be thinking about what he wants and needs (and I already know what that is-he he). Although the things on our list are things we could both enjoy, but I want him to be surprised.

But still, a lot of things can be justified, like a new lens and flash for our camera to prepare for, ahem, upcoming events, or a new vacuum since ours is on it's last leg (we bought a cheap one to start with, and we won't make that mistake again). But still, we could go one living without any of the things on our list just fine. I don't want to be a never-satisfied type person, but with what the world has to offer, it's hard to stop dreaming. Why not make life more comfortable? I know people on both ends of the spending spectrum. Some that don't buy anything, and I mean anything, extra. They just make due. There's hardly a desire to buy any more than the bare minimum they have. And then there are the people that seriously wouldn't be okay without the latest and greatest of what is out there. I'm wondering where I am, and where I want to be. Middle of the road is fine with me, but is my idea of being in between skewed? I mean, I have plenty of unnecessary luxuries, just not the best of the best, or the bells and whistles that go with it. So do I really have it all, and I just act like I always want more because there is more out there?

I am incredibly grateful for what we have, that is the truth. I know things aren't what's important, boy do I know that, and maybe I'm just trying to make up for what I'm lacking at the moment. But I will still admit, just like everyone else, that it's fun to have the things that make life more convenient and enjoyable.

So for now, my answer to all my wondering and wanting is my Amazon wish list.

Of course, some things on the list are not practical, or realistic. Of course, I could add things to it, until the cows come home, but I just add things when I've thought about them time and time again. A few of them are the "best" of the actual item that we would buy in reality (should that ever happen),but that's what wish lists are for, right? Some might actually save us money in the long run if we just went ahead and bought them. But at least the list is created to get the items off my mind and are in a place to refer to them when we are ready and prepared for our next big purchase. KC tells me to start a little "kitty" for myself (i.e. stop buying clothes even if they are on sale), and when I've saved up enough, go ahead and get one of my "fun" things. It's a good idea, and I have the self control to do it, it just comes back down to wondering what kind of person I am. You know, I should really start to think about the major purchases we'll have to buy in the (hopefully) near future pertaining to our little addition.

KC is a master at finances (and he is trying to teach me) and we totally agree with each other on this subject. So until we make any big decisions, we will continue to be smart as far as our wants and needs, and maybe surprise ourselves with a little prize now and then. Money is for spending, right?

Interesting

Here's something random. I was just browsing through my live traffic feed like I sometimes do, and found that someone had arrived on our blog from CheverlyCommunityMarket.com. Slightly confused, because I usually only see people arrive from familiar blogs, and the occasional person googling Cookie Monster Sings Chocolate Rain on You Tube (yes, we still get a few hits a day on that one). So I went to the source to search where the link to my blog is. Sure enough, on their about page, on the In the News and on the Web section, they had a link to my post when I had attended the market. I guess they google around now and then to see what testimonials they come up with. I actually gave a pretty good one (unknowingly) describing the beautiful neighborhood, the great selection of what they sell, and the crowds that were present, so I can see why they'd want to use it. Funny how blogs really put you out there more than you know it.

But here's the thing.

A while ago, I'm sure you noticed that I went ahead and took my last name from our blog, like many other fellow bloggers, in an effort to protect our family the best we could without going private. And with our adoption nearing, we need our name protected for that as well. So, I wrote the Cheverly market people, and told them I would be happy to provide my testimonial, as long as they changed the link, not provideing my last name. And I suppose it's time to ask you all to do that same. I've never liked it when blogs go private (though I understand why people do), and I'd like to keep mine as open as I can (I kind of like the random comments, and visitors), but I know times are changing, and I feel, and our adoption agency has reccommended, that we try to keep really personal information to a minimum. The Cheverly website is not a dangerous place, by any means, but it just reminded me of just how easy it is to access anything on the web. Crazy.

So, if our last name appears on your link list, or anything like that, could you simply remove it to show just our first names? Thanks friends. And, you might want to google your blog from time to time and see just where you have ended up.

Highlight, Low-light

We rang quietly in to the new year, just like last year (except KC wasn't throwing up this year, thank goodness). The whole week has been pretty quiet actually. Let's see if I can recall the happenings.

Last Friday, like I mentioned, we were Mary and Joseph at the DC Temple Visitor Center. KC was also helping direct Traffic until it was our turn in the manger. It was very similar to when we did it a couple years ago, but we had a few new moves thrown at us. We had a fun time doing our little set of actions continuously for about an hour. And the lights were amazing of course. I helped with a tree or two during a youth service project. There were thousands of people there. nice music, and a beautiful photography display. It was a great way to end our Christmas season. The weekend was relatively normal. I took advantage of the outrageous Target clearances (but not too much, just a few things I've been keeping my eye on) We saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and loved it. It's high time there were some good movies to see. On Sunday we were invited to dinner by one of KC's college buddies that was in town with his in-laws. It was fun to catch up with them,

Monday I did some returning/buying more-than-I-should, at the mall. Hey, I found some great deals. What was I supposed to do? And I did some babysitting that night. The kids were very excited to show me their new toys. KC was also excited-to play with the toys.

Tuesday I did some more shopping (I didn't find everything on my list before, and I was finally successful). Then the kids came to my house so their parents could do some work on their house. Iris was elated to be able to take her nap in my bed. She had everything she needed from the white noise machine, to specific books she liked. She asked me to close the blinds, and asked if she could use my blanket too (it was actually my bathrobe, but it's the same material as her blankie). We read a story together and she was out like a light for over 2 hours. I loved laying there with sweet Iris. Such a cuddly girl. Wade couldn't stop watching The Muppet Show DVDs KC's parents gave us for Christmas. They were right up his ally, and I had a good time watching them too.
Wednesday, the kids came over again for a few more hours while the work on the house was getting done. We made cookies, ordered pizza, and of course, watched more Muppets. It was a very blustery day outside, so it was fun to hang inside with the kids. They loved picking which apron, out of the many that I have, to wear while we baked. They looked so cute, and the cookies were quite good.
That night, being New Years Eve, we were wondering what to do. Join some friends, call the Turpins, go out for dinner, or go see a movie (yeah we are real party animals). . . But instead of deciding, we did none of the above, made some nachos, and watched our latest Netflix, Ghost Town. I fell asleep a good 15 minutes into it, around 10 or maybe earlier, and slept through any ball-dropping at the stroke of midnight. But that's they way I like it anway. I'm no fun to be around when I'm tired. And I was plenty tired.

I woke up and made breakfast. I copied Melody's tradition again, and made crepes. I like this tradition. We love crepes, but don't think to make them on any regular days, so this is a great occasion to get my crepe maker out. I made pomegranate curd, and layered it on the crepes with sectioned clementines, and freshly whipped cream. It was a great, and rich way to start the day. Now I have to figure out what to do with the rest of the pomegranate curd. I'll post the recipe on EE soon. It's a fun way to use up any stray pomegranates you have lying around. After breakfast, we slowly got ready, after I finished watching (and loving) Ghost Town, and went to do some window shopping, see a movie, and afterward get a burger at Five Guys. Seriously, nothing can compete with those burgers and fries. On our drive home, we took my mom's advice and play a game, Highlight, Low-light, hence the title of this post. You take turns each saying a highlight of the year, and then do the same with a low-light. There are some times this past year that I'd rather not revisit, but there were times that I wouln't trade for anything. It was a good way to reflect on our good times, and what we learned, and how far we've come from the bad. The rest of the night we spent relaxing, and watching a couple BBC Office episodes.

See, nothing too special about our New Year celebration, or our whole holiday season for that matter, but I loved the low key feeling we maintained through it all. It feels like forever since Christmas, though it was only a week ago. Maybe it seems so long because we took down everything Christmas related the morning after Christmas day. The space under the tree was depressing with it's lack of colorful gifts, and the accumulation of stray needles. I couldn't stand to look at it any longer. And besides, that tree was DEAD. I think our vacuum broke in the process of cleaning up this mess.I love the freshness and rejuvenation that a new year brings. Putting away the holiday decor is, to me, kind of a metaphor for the new year. Put everything in storage, clean all the nooks a crannies, and get ready for a fresh start. The house feels more open, clean, and relaxed, just like my mind, body and soul. I can feel that this will be the year of changes for us. And yeah, we're ready.