The Last Day of the Year

Today I'm...

* Writing a birthday card to my almost-6 (!) niece.

* Sorting through all the books I own, since I gave away my tall bookcase and they no longer have a home!  My new rule is: if the book is easily available at the local library, it doesn't need to be in my house.  Might as well let someone else store them, right?  This makes me a little sad, since I love the look and idea of shelves and shelves of books, but I don't have the storage to hold them, so it's just not practical for me anymore.

* Renewing my dedication to a paleo diet, including buying and making fun new foods for myself: coconut butter, a strawberry-cardamom green smoothie, a whole ham (I've never cooked ham before!), Thai garlic-chili brussels sprouts, and shrimp lo mein for dinner tonight (subbing green cabbage for the noodles, mmm.....).

* Flattening all the tissue I received in Christmas present packaging so I can reuse it. Yes, I'm one of those frugal girls.

*Waiting for my new cast iron cookware to arrive on Tuesday (Christmas gift from my parents)!

*Pondering the likelihood of there being enough snow to go snowshoeing on Monday.

*Listening to three of my favorite podcasts: Joy the Baker, Spilled Milk by Molly Wizenberg, and Boundless.

* Taking a break by "allowing" (do you know what I mean?) myself to stay home tonight on New Year's Eve, maybe watch a movie, and go to bed early if I feel like it. I'm excited to start a new year on the right foot.

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope you are looking forward to a great year of blessing and growth.

My 2011 Christmas ornament

A sweet (and sparkly) reminder of Paris. Thanks Mom! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 25

Coffee and chocolate, two of my favorite things. Merry Christmas everyone! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 24

Another little birdie, to match the first! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 23

You just can't have enough chocolate. Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 22

Today is the bottom half to match yesterday. A little jewelry box! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 21

A sparkly top half to something that will come later... Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 20

Cheery cherry Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent Calendar, Day 19

Charlie IS charming... especially in my favorite color!

I had heard about Charming Charlie jewelry from one of the blogs I read, but I didn't know they had actual storefronts.  I will definitely be visiting one with my mom next weekend.

Advent Calendar, Day 18

More chocolate!

Advent Calendar, Day 17

A garland of cheese tags, because everything is better with a little cheese!

And I know someone who will really appreciate this post...

Advent Calendar, Day 16

Minty fresh!

Advent calendar, Day 15

A bluebird of happiness! This little clip-on bird is similar to another one that I have attached to the top of a plant holder... Now they will be pals! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 14

Mmm... Chocolate! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

The tree is up!

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 13

Special baking labels that read: "From Marie's kitchen" in different fonts. Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 12

A special sticker! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 11

An apple a day... Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

New haircut!

It probably won't ever be this straight again in my life (or at least until the next time I go to the salon)! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Christmas card display

My mom had a great idea when she used miniature clothespins to attach the advent calendar envelopes. I can use them after the envelope is gone to hang my Christmas cards! Sorry for the odd angle of today's picture; it's hard to get the right light when you have a bright window behind your subject! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 10

A little ornament for my little tree! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 9

Snowflakes for my table! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 8

A big old button from my late grandmother's sewing stash.  It's the color of wood, but with an iridescent sheen. Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 7

Another favorite chocolate: dark with a mint filling, yum! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 6

Pretty paperclips! At first I thought they were bobby pins, but the hook on the back only extends about 1/4 of the way down, just long enough to hold a stack of bills, or uh... recipes is more like it! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 5

Three lifesaver candies, including one of those fun swirly cream flavors. The card says, "Daughters: Little girls are cuter than a sack full of puppies" and of course Mom's note is edited to say "PUG puppies". :-) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 4

A teensy little battery powered candle! This might be coming to work with me too, to make my boring cubicle a little more festive. I don't think the safety staff will have any problems with this flame. Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 3

How did Mom know what my current favorite chocolate is?! Ghirardelli Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree (semi-sweet with sea salt and roasted almonds). Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 2

Today's gift is a tiny, itty-bitty garland for my computer at work! Sharin' the Christmas love... Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent calendar, Day 1

The stickers inside today's envelope read: "Baked by Ri / Christmas goodies for you". Some of you may be seeing more of these! :-) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

All strung up!

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Advent Calendar

Look what my crafty mom made! Anybody who knows her knows that she is a very creative person. Last year, she started a tradition that I hope will continue, and this year it was confirmed. I got a handmade advent calendar in the mail today! I really appreciate having something Christmas-themed to enjoy because I live by myself, and therefore don't have many opportunities to celebrate the holidays. Each day of December, I will post what that day's packet holds. Since today is the 7th, I got to open 7! Coming right up... Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Happy Thanksgiving!

How was your Thanksgiving? We had a great time... That's Cherie, Alyssa, and Meredith there around the table. Our dinner was followed by several enthusiastic and sometime violent games of Uno Attack. Lots of slapping going on, but nobody was hurt in the making of this event... Only the Uno machine. And, well, the turkey. But he tasted great! And provided yet another amusement, recorded for posterity by my blurry camera... Watch for the next post! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Sunset over Seattle

Well... Not quite Seattle, but flying out of Seattle on my way home from Europe. You can never capture sunsets or sunrises the way your eye sees them, but the pictures are still nice to look at later. Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Kristiana

Isn't she cute?? My last visit to my brother and sister-in-law's was full of smiles and adorableness from this little munchkin. Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Tiny Prints is giving away free cards!

They have some really cute ones for Christmas right now, and if you post about their cards on your blog, twitter, or facebook you can get free cards!  What a cheery deal.

Techno Help!

Several of you probably already saw me post this on Facebook, but I am having so much trouble downloading those Europe pictures off of the SD cards I used in my camera onto a jump drive, via my laptop. Some photos will load and others won't, for seemingly no rhyme or reason. My next step is to try the cards in other computers (maybe my computer is the issue, not the card!), and if all else fails, I will simply be satisfied with the pictures I do have. I went to a coffee shop the other night to use the internet (the WiFi at my apartment complex has been down for the last week) and only got a third of the way through uploading pictures to an album on Facebook when I had to disconnect and cancel the entire upload because the shop was closing. Stymied again! Sooner or later, these pictures will see the world. We will prevail! Ha! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Coming Home

So many things to sort: Dirty clothes Emails Snail mail Voice messages Thoughts Schedules And... Europe pictures! Soon! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

These made me smile so big!!

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.



LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.



EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Watching autumn settle in...

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Questions for which there may be no answers...

1) why do women insist on walking into the bathroom and immediately pushing on the one closed stall door while there is an open door right next to it? 2) when will I have time to actually stop and listen to the random performers hanging out in the amphitheater behind the dorms at BSU, like the cool beatboxer I saw today? 3) why does every travel blogger out there hail the merits of credit card miles when they are so blasted hard to use? Money-saving, my foot... Only if you don't count your time on the phone with dungeon-sequestered customer service reps whose only job in life is to confuse you and gyp you out of money. You got any on this fine Friday? Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

New apartment

Here are some pictures from the first week i was in my new apartment! you can see i have a lot to do yet, but It's coming together. This first picture is of the living room. I like the fact that not all the walls are white!

Been a long time...

Since I got to open one of these!

Mileage yesterday

I spent yesterday on the cruiser, since my mountain bike apparently has an almost-cracked rim (although after the guy at the bike shop told me about it over the phone, the second guy I talked to when I picked up the bike couldn't find it) and I'm trying to sell it, so I don't want to push my luck and have something major go wrong.  Considering that my cruiser is a single speed, it requires approximately five times more manpower to ride than any other bike.  I shouldn't be surprised that I'm sore today (well, considering the hike to Table Rock too).

Home and back to the farmer's market in the morning with Taryn, Jenell, and Cherie: 4.91 miles

Home and back to the Botanical Gardens to hike with Cherie and Jenell: 2.71

From home to the Rose Garden downtown to meet up with some MAF friends (thanks for inviting me, Mere!), and right back to my neighborhood to have some really great frozen yogurt, then home again, home again, jiggety jig: 7.75 miles

Total: 15.37 miles

The best kind of Saturday!

It's a beautiful day in Boise

Hike to Table Rock.

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Moved in

Pictured here you see the only remotely pretty-looking corner of my new apartment. I've been taking breaks from unpacking to go to the movies and the farmer's market with friends. This is how I keep my sanity. Only a few more boxes to go in the living room, and then i am done with the 'public' areas. All I will have left is the bedroom, which is often the hardest because... Nobody can see it. I also tend to spend more than a few minutes every day staring blankly out the back windows over the deck. It's been several years since I've watched a sunset - I'm taking every chance I can get. Needless to say, I'm very happy here! More pictures soon.

Moving Day

The Mute Button

One of my favorite bloggers, artist Katie Sokoler, is part of a hilarious improv group.  Check out their latest work for the Guggenheim, via Color Me Katie:

Holiday

How was everyone's Memorial Day? Did you remember to remember?  Most of the time, I forget to remember - it's amazing if I even remember it's a holiday.  In fact, the only reason I do remember is because I get a day off work.  That's probably not something I should have admitted out loud, but it's the truth.  A bit shameful, I agree.  I don't think I know many (any?) servicemen personally, so it's not often on my mind... except I do know one or two of my uncles served in the war(s).  Maybe my mom will comment on this post and remind me. (hi Mom!)  In case you're wondering, yes, I am grateful for the US military and our freedoms!

I spent the day getting ready to move.   The count-down begins, folks.  T-minus 9 days.  I took down everything from my walls and spackled the little nail holes... which was kind of fun! It made me feel like I was finger-painting.

We've had a few dates to celebrate in our family in the last few days!  Sunday was my parents' 35th anniversary!  woo!  Way to go Mom and Dad!  I can only hope to get to 35 some day.  Yesterday was my Grandma H's 80th birthday.  And ditto... I can only hope.  I think it's great that my grandparents still travel around "at their age" and that they are active.  It looks like fun.

Not much else going on here except workworkwork.  I don't typically work outside of the normal 8-5 bounds, but when I'm really busy, I come home exhausted and don't feel like doing anything in my "free time" of 5:30-10.  And so it feels like I just worked that day and that's all.  Which I guess is ok...  making a living, right?

Alrighty.  Hope you're all doing well.  It's almost summer!  Please send a bit of whatever sunshine you have our way.  We've only got rain, rain and more rain.  But it makes for some great rainbows.

There's a reason humans are compared to sheep

A lot of the things I post on this blog are primarily for my own recollection.  On occasion, I will read back through old posts and consider what I was doing then, what I was thinking about, and where that succession of events has taken me. 

The following little quote gave me pause; maybe it will do the same for you.



"Forces are afoot right now, negotiating how to get you fat enough for consumption and how to get you calmly and without struggle to the cosmic slaughterhouse floor. The easiest life for you will be one in which you don't question these things, a life in which you simply do what seems natural. The ease of it all will seem to be further confirmation that this is the way things ought to be. It might even seem as though everything is happening exactly as you always hoped it would. You might feel as though your life situation is like progressing up a stairway so perfect it's as though it was designed just for you. And it is.

"In many ways the more tranquil you feel, the more endangered you are. As you find yourself curving around the soft corners of your life, maybe you should question the quietness of it all. Perhaps you should listen, beneath your feet, for the gentle clatter of hooves."

~Russell D. Moore, via The Gospel-Driven Church

The Minnesota Marriage Amendment

Next year, the constituents of Minnesota will be voting on an item which could have national consequences.  John Piper has posted some thoughts on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment. 

To those who sit under a faithful pastor who preaches from every part of the Word, these points will not be new ideas, but they are worth repeating anyway:

1) There is no such thing as so-called "gay marriage".
2) Same-sex sexual relations are sin.
3) Not all sins should be proscribed by human law, but some should be.
4) The legal significance of marriage makes a statutory definition necessary.
5) It is wise that our laws define marriage as between a man and a woman.

Attack of the Killer Vine

Ok, so maybe it's not a "killer" vine, but it does look like it could strangle somebody, given enough time.  And those thorns are vicious.  As you can imagine, this window in my living room takes on a particularly chilling quality after dark.

Repeat after me: "I'm moving in three weeks.... I'm moving in three weeks... I'm moving...."

Bakeoff!

Last weekend, we had a silent auction bake sale as part of a fundraiser for the high school youth group at church.  Of course I had to make something... uh... several somethings!  With the help of my trusty sous chef Alyssa, we divided and conquered 4 different desserts in 6 hours.  Hop over to Molto Gelato to see the recipes!