Vacation

I'm off for a few days of fun and sun in California this weekend. I'll be hanging out with some new friends, drinking coffee and eating Dad's waffles in my parents kitchen, holding my new(ish) nephew James, and learning the names of my 2nd cousins for the 7th time at the Van Laar reunion. Or the names of my 7th cousins the 2nd time... I can't keep them all straight.

Stop That Hearse!

Wait! Return the casket, give the flowers to your grandma, and divvy up the ham buns. This blog ain't done yet.


I took an unannounced hiatus from blogging to have foot surgery, as most of you know already. I was all set to provide a play-by-play on the experience, but medications and blank-stare types of exhaustion got in the way. Shoot. As my friend Karen said, "You should have written anyway; that would have been really interesting."


So I'll try to give you the short version of the long story, but since you all know me and how I write, I'm not surprised to hear your coffeepot starting to percolate or the teakettle starting to fire up, depending on your caffeine addiction preferences.


Mom flew up to Idaho on Wednesday night (March 12) to help me out for a while. The next morning we were getting ready to be at the surgery center at 9:30am and Mom is asking me... "Marie, where's the cereal?" "Marie, where's the coffee?" Now I definitely am not a morning person, but I am most definitely a breakfast person. I must have breakfast. My stomach growls at me and that's how I wake up. I can kind of laugh about it now... a little... but I begrudged Mom her breakfast and coffee. The first thing I said later when I woke up from the anesthesia was "I'm hungry!" Ask the nurse. He was cute, but he didn't know how to make an omelet. Too bad, or else I would have kept him.


Our friends/relatives/fellow troublemakers Merv and Diane happened to be on their way through Boise to an unknown destination Thursday morning, from Seattle. They knew my mom was here, so they tracked us down to come by and see me walk the runway in my gown and paper slippers. Then they all left to get lost in downtown for an hour before deciding to go to the doughnut shop 3 blocks away. It was raining, and my mom was driving my car for the first time, so she wasn't familiar with any of the controls. She found the windshield wipers and the headlights before an accident happened. Diane assisted.


The headlights are important to note. So important, in fact, that they got forgotten. All afternoon. All evening. All night. Until they died somewhere around 3:26am Friday morning. You have to cut Mom some slack here, because she's used to her fancy Tahoe with lights that turn on and off automatically. I guess you don't even have to mess with the lights unless you want to blind someone in their rearview mirror.

Meanwhile, as the lights lay dying, I lay dying in my bed because of my own stupid mistake. You're thinking "Oh don't call yourself stupid, everybody says that when they don't really mean it..." But oh yes. I mean it. I had my wisdom teeth removed in 2006. They gave me a prescription for Norco (vicodin). I don't think I used any of it, so I had a half bottle sitting in my cupboard. I got a prescription from the podiatrist for... Norco. Same dosage, in fact. Sweet! One less prescription to fill--I already have some! How smart am I?

The surgery prep crew gave me a "pop-block" by which they numb your leg from the knee down. The nurse said I wouldn't remember getting this pop-block after the surgery. I did. Anyway. The pop-block lasts 12-24 hours on most people, and I was at the shorter end of the stick. Something about metabolism. So my leg started to thaw at about midnight. No big deal, I'll take a Norco. 1 hour later. Huh, this Norco isn't working. This is really starting to hurt. Should I take another one? No, this is heavy stuff, I need to wait a few hours. 2 hours later. Hmm... I am in pain. This is not fun. This is really not fun. I think I'll take some Advil because the doctor said I could take it for swelling along with the Norco. 6 Advil later, still in pain. By this time it's about 5am and Mom wakes up, which is great, because she can drive to the pharmacy to get my (real) prescription!! Except the pharmacy doesn't open until 9am. And the car won't start. We had just the loveliest morning, drinking coffee and popping Advil, until AAA came to our rescue. I love AAA. I should write them a letter.

The Norco turned out to be almost useless, since it begins to deteriorate 6 months after dispensed, and so the ones I had taken did nothing. I was oh-so-happy to see that new bottle.


Mom and I basically hung out at the house for the next 4 days... she did everything from grocery shopping to laundry to cooking to bringing me ice bags whenever I asked to changing the DVD to a new episode of Gilmore Girls, while I sat, and sat, and sat. I had to keep my foot up the whole time or else I would have ended up with the Goodyear Blimp for a foot.


So I'll end this part of the saga with a few pictures.

Here's Mom:

The lovely tulips she got for me. Tulips are some of my favorite flowers!

Flowers from Meredith

And a cheer-you-up balloon from Meredith!

There's one more picture, but for my fair readers who have fair stomachs, this would be a good time to stop reading. If you don't look away now, you might end up running for the door on the starboard side, dashing across the planks and grabbing the handrail and... the fish would never be the same.
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So au revoir...
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Ok you're still here. I'm warning you, this isn't pretty!
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Ok, if you're still reading you must not mind watching ER.
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There are two incisions: one down the side of my big toe (they adjusted the bone and shaved some off) and one across the top of my foot, where they installed the hardware. Yes, 5 screws and 1 plate. Just the thing to set off the suspicious airport security people. This is going to be fun.

I'll sew on patches to all you tear...

Off to the Ingrid Michaelson / Josh Radin concert tonight. Well, technically it's the JR concert with IM fronting. But I'm going mainly to see Michaelson, whose song "The Way I Am" has caught my attention. She has a unique sense of vocal phrasing; she doesn't always end a word in its logical place. I also think the use of bongos in "The Way I Am" is innovative. I heard her cover "Only Fools Rush In" on the radio today, live, and it was very sweet.
I actually haven't heard much of either artist, except for their radio releases, but my neighbor invited me, and this is the neighbor who will be moving away very shortly, so I wanted to hang out with her before she left. She's also one of my few sushi friends, and we have a pact to go to sushi by the time she moves. I was hoping for tonight, but twas not meant to be.
Here's to indie chill tunes...

Breaking and Entering

No I'm not a felon yet. I know you had your hopes up about sampling some of the prison food.

My friends and I were trying to check on an empty house owned by my parents, but we couldn't get inside. It went something like this:

Scene 1: Front door
Ri [trying to unlock the front door]: Well, I have two keys. But they're exactly the same. And they both fit the deadlock but not the door handle. What do we do now?
Meredith: [worried look] You don't have other keys?
Ri: No, the management company didn't send the others.
Meredith: Well that was nice of them.
Ri: Let's go around to the back yard. [Trying to get the fence unlocked, but it's very tall] Stacy, you're taller than me, and this gate is super-tall, can you reach this?
Stacy: Sure. [Tries to open gate. Meanwhile Ri calls her dad.]
Ri: Dad, the management company only gave me the keys for the deadbolt. So we can't get in the house, but we're trying to get through the gate.
Mom in the background: You're going through the people-gate, right?
Ri: What people-gate? There's a people-gate? Oh, it's on the OTHER side....
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Scene 2: Backyard
[Stacy, Meredith and Ri peer through the windows of the house to check for damage from previous tenants, after getting over their shock at the number of missing roof shingles.]
Ri: Man, I wish we could get in there. I really want to see if things were cleaned up after the last time I was here.
Stacy: Where there's a will there's a way. Hey, which direction should the window latch be facing for it to be locked?
Meredith: Oh no.
Stacy: I think this window is open! [Tries to pry window screen off.]
Ri: Ummm.... Stacy..... if we break anything we have to pay for it.
Stacy: Oh I've done this SO many times...
Meredith: Uh-huh. She has.
Ri: Well there looks like there's a gap at the top of the screen, so let's push it up and maybe we can get it out without breaking it.
[Stacy successfully pulls the screen off and opens the window.]
Stacy: Ta-da!!
Ri: Who's going to climb in there and how?
[Stacy and Meredith both look at Ri, then offer to hold her feet so she can climb in. Ri shrugs her shoulders.]
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Scene 3: Inside the house
Ri [On the phone with Dad]: Hey Dad, guess what? I just broke into your house!
Dad: Well that's just what I've always wanted to hear...

I love my job

I know tomorrow is President's Day. Which means we should spend the day recognizing the service of previous and current US Presidents.

But it means something else to me, in addition to the President-recognition thing.

To all of my dear friends and family who have to work tomorrow, BOO-YAH!

2008 Goals

Ok, I promised, or sort of promised, that I would post my New Year's resolutions. It's not exactly January 1st still, but they still apply right? And considering the likelihood of me reaching these goals based on the fact that most people give up on their resolutions by mid-February and I'm just starting them, it's looking pretty good for me.
In somewhat of an order:
1) Grow in godliness. This includes learning to pray in a more specific way, reading through and studying the 3 Forms of Unity (Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, and Canons of Dordt) and the Westminster Catechism, and reading the whole Bible this year.
2) Play through and become more familiar with the Psalter Hymnal. This item, along with my typical piano practice for congregational accompaniment, will be especially challenging since my piano is going into storage and I'll have to drive to church/BSU/etc. for access to the ivories.
3) Join a choir. Already accomplished! Woo-hoo! *ahem-cough* Tra-la-la....!
4) Have someone over once a month. Not just someone stopping by for half an hour before we head out the door, but bona fide dinner and/or dessert, and an evening of great conversation and fellowship. This might have to wait until May, when I move upstairs and I will have an official dining room area. Whether I have a table by then is still up for debate. Maybe another goal should be learning how to refinish old thrift-store furniture...
5) Run a 5K. This definitely won't happen until later in the year because of an upcoming foot surgery, but it will be done. "Do or do not, there is no try." ~Yoda. :-)
6) Put more time into creative pursuits, such as singing, drawing/painting, writing & reading, sewing, cooking for others. I would like to blog at least twice a week, and reading one book per month would be an ideal minimum.
8) Continue supporting the church through piano accompaniment, Sunday School assistance (through May 08), nursery help, refreshments, and Bible study participation. These aren't new goals, but they are things I already devote time to and I want to see them continue.
9) Pay off my credit card (April 08) and the smaller of my two student loans (June 08). Save up so I can visit family and friends in a financially comfortable way.

Aaaaannnndd....
10) Buy or make new towels. Yes this is a silly goal to have on a list that's supposed to last all year. But you haven't seen my towels. They are about 10 years old. Which means I have been meaning to replace them for about the last 4 or 5 years. This is the year! Carpe Towel!

Birthday Weekend, Day 4

Day 4: Monday, February 4

Lisa was planning on packing up the kids and going home by now, but instead she woke up to find Casey in her parents' living room at 6 in the morning! He had driven up from Nevada to drive them home himself. But as you can see, the weather had other plans, so we made it into a snow day...

The cutest niece in the world. I'm allowed to say that because 1) she's awfully cute, and 2) she's my only niece. Here she is getting ready to pummel somebody with a big mean snowball.

We pulled off somewhere halfway up the mountain and started to make our own sled hill. The fun part of making your own hill is that.... it's your own. The not-so-fun..*ahem* challenging... part is actually making the sled hill. Which means trudging up in deep soft snow multiple times. About 20 times by the end of the day. Should have brought my snowshoes.

"Let's hear it from the top!"
Casey taking Kiddo 1 down the hill. Check out those great clouds.
Lisa and Kiddo 2.

Casey and his cargo. I gotta say the knee board was a great idea--way faster than tubes. Especially going down backwards. Which I never would have thought of if Casey hadn't told me to do it.

I had such a great birthday weekend!

This little piggy had an accident

My toenail broke off for the third time. Apparently my case was brought before the Director of PATA (People Against Toenail Abuse) and I have been notified that I am now on observational probation for 2 months. Be thankful I am not allowed to present "Exhibit A" to you.

The Futility of Foam

Standing at Starbucks (*$ for the abbreviation-minded such as myself). Normally I get a grande skinny hazelnut latte extra hot. Today, switchin' it up a bit, I'll try the tall irish cream... "Here's your tall skinny irish cream latte, Marie!" And my drink about hits the ceiling because the cup weighs exactly 0.00438 ounces. I open the lid and it's half foam. This is why I never get a tall.

Birthday Weekend, Day 3 *continued*

Kudos to Lisa for all the great shots. Y'all know what I mean.

Starting out at my house...

Lisa, me, Anya, Meredith

Getting crazy and we haven't even left the house!

Then on to Pair for dinner....

Pair gave us white chocolate shots for our birthdays... mmm. And yes I will have everyone know that despite the rouge tint to my face, I only had 2 drinks the whole night. See the comments on Lisa's blog. :-)

Our waiter was hilarious, if not totally there. Maybe because he wasn't totally there...

The finishing touch at Melting Pot...

Balloons and a box of fondue chocolate were waiting for me at Melting Pot. There was also a little candle in the cheesecake on the dipping platter. They make sure you have an awesome birthday!

Yes, that is a bar we are sitting on. And yes, I am completely utterly embarrassed. Fun times! :-)

Birthday Weekend, Day 3

Day 3: Saturday, February 2

Snowshoeing at Bogus Basin...

It was Anya's first time going snowshoeing. After getting adjusted and tromping around the road area for a while, we decided to climb a hill "to see what was on the other side". We were actually looking for the trail.

We huffed and puffed our way up, falling only twice each in the hip-high soft snow...


and finally I reached the top with Anya close behind. We got a majestic view of.... cars.
Turns out it was another road-side parking lot on the way up to Pioneer Lodge. So much for finding a trail. So we just turned around and enjoyed the view instead.


Eventually we got down off the hill without sliding onto someone's hood. We drove up around the corner to the lodge, but by that time the wind had kicked up and it felt like frozen sand blasting your ears. Time to head home and get ready to go out to dinner with Lisa and Meredith.

Tonight's feature movie will be continued after a short commercial break...

More cool McCall pics

"I have cell service up here!"

A mountain of snow. Literally.

Moxie will rule the world.

Icicles... from inside.

Sunset on the way home

Birthday Weekend, Day 2

Day 2: Friday, February 1 *my 27th birthday!*

Anya and I headed up to McCall, with the requisite pb&j sandwiches that she eats every day...

The Rainbow Bridge

A storm was coming in just as we got there, but the light made for great pictures.

Anya looking cute. When does she not look cute? The girl wears a beret for crying out loud.

The view from downtown McCall across the lake, just incredible.

See Tamarack slopes in the distance?

We spent more time driving than walking, but it was all fun. I love McCall.

Anya made me dinner when we got back to my apartment: spaghetti, garlic bread, and caprese salad. And leftover Mai Thai chocolate cake for dessert. Oh yes, and my favorite white--Ste. Chapelle Winemaker's Series Riesling.

Birthday Weekend, Day 1

... and yes, it really was a whole weekend of partying! :-)

Day 1: Thursday, January 31
Anya flew in from CA at 9am and was very grateful to have her luggage show up on the same flight she was on. The desk clerk in Fresno told her it might not make it because she was almost late for her flight. Are you surprised? :-) So we made it back to my house through a foot of new snow and more coming down, then made breakfast and visited for a while. We decided to go shopping for the afternoon and then go out for sushi.
Earlier in the week I had been cleaning my house and I decided to go through my box of "important papers". You know, old paystubs, tax info, health insurance info. I sorted through my car insurance info and found a copy of my last car registration... which expired September of 2007. *shoot* So the first order of business on Thursday was going to the courthouse downtown and renewing my registration. Which was convenient enough because the new Anthropologie just opened a few blocks from there. We are such girls. :-) I got my new stickers, licked my thumb and cleaned off the old stickers on my plates, put the new ones over top, and we were good to go. I was A.MA.ZED that I had not gotten a ticket in the last 5 months for overdue registration. This, after last year's incident when the cop was beside me in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the interstate and made me put the new stickers on in the pouring rain, in a skirt and heels, in front of all the other drivers. And no, the cop wasn't a man.
Ok. Back to our story. So we got my car registered, went to the always-so-incredibly-I'm-in-love-fabulous Anthro, then to the mall for a while... then back home and back downtown, where we proceeded to wait an hour to be seated at Mai Thai and then another half hour before our food came. Keep in mind folks, this was a snowy Thursday in Boise. No excuse for a wait. Meanwhile we overhear one of the waiters saying to the other, "Man I'm glad it's a slow night..." Um, excuse me? I'm so not one to stick up for herself, but fortunately Anya is much more bold than I. While I was in the restroom she complained to the waiter, who sent the manager over (whom I know because I'm there so often, usually with great service) and so he proceeded to apologize over and over, ad nauseum, for the rest of the night. At least we got free dessert. Woo-hoo Anya! :-)
We were just leaving to make a marathon trip through Winco, when I turned onto Capitol and suddenly saw those captivating red and blue lights in my mirror. Great. Was it the pedestrian standing on the corner who waved me on to go ahead and turn even though pedestrians have the right-of-way? Was it because I made a right turn onto a 4-lane one-way and immediately drove over to the far left lane? I did have my left blinker on.... hm. So we pull over, hello officer, yada yada... "Miss I pulled you over because I ran your plates and your registration is expired." Anya and I started laughing so hard I saw him pull out his ticket book right there. We both started talking at once and were trying not to laugh hysterically, while telling him "Seriously officer, we were just at the courthouse to renew it this morning!!" His face said it all... umm yeah. So we pulled out the registration papers and showed him and he was really nice about it. Apparently it takes a few days for your new registration to go through the computers. No ticket. Thank you Lord.

Ok, that's all the exciting stuff for Day 1. More pictures, less talk, coming up in Day 2!

Beezus!

My neighbor Kimberly is often out of town, and I get the pleasure of playing with little Beezus here... I miss having a dog around! Ok let me explain Beezus' name. Remember the Ramona books from Beverly Cleary that we read when we were about 10? Yeah, Ramona's sister was named Beezus. *ahh...*


Beezus' favorite activity (besides snuggling and begging for belly rubs) is running in circles at full speed around the yard. Snow or no snow, doesn't matter to this puppy.