Orphan Thanksgiving

Just because it's still on my mind, I thought I'd recap our Orphan Thanksgiving for you...because it was a blast! Definitely not something to be sad about :)

Just in case you doubted the size of my turkey, use the beer bottles for scale...or my gigantic red kitchenaid mixer. Or the sink. It was ginormous. And amazingly tasty! And wouldn't have been the same without Nolan's turkey carving skillz, as you can see from his first prime slice.
And our orphan thanksgiving was a hit! So much fun to host all these lovely people (there were 17 total, so Nolan (taking the picture) and a late arrival aren't in this photo). I'm the chunk of hair in the lower left corner. We're still trying to finish the delicious leftovers in our fridge. Blah.

To burn it all off, I hiked up Windy Hill on Saturday morning with some girlfriends, and immediately put it on my list of things I like. It was a GOOD hike, and we weren't even going that fast! Plus you're on a ridge in the Santa Cruz mountains overlooking the valley - what's not to like about that?

Anyone up for a good hike?

Thanks Giving

I decided to bridge the gap between my thanksgivings by writing this post today instead of yesterday. Nolan and almost all of his colleagues were working yesterday, so we're throwing a potluck-style thanksgiving feast tonight. I was told yesterday that everyone's been calling it the "Orphan Thanksgiving" since we're all not able to celebrate with our families this year. Secretly I like little nicknames like this, like how I discovered people call our entryway the "Caldwell Shoe Mountain" because we force people to take off their shoes in our narrow little hall and you have to dig through the mountain of shoes when you leave to find your pair. Anyway: Orphan Thanksgiving...I'm going with it. And who knows, maybe it will be an annual thing for these three years at least. So I fortunately made everything in advance, and today only have to worry about my 21 pound turkey and stuffing. Which will sit in the oven for 5 hours as I relax!

Yesterday morning in between baking things, I was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade per tradition. But I'm pretty sure someone else saw more footage of it than I did. I was telling my in-laws on the phone that Milo had been watching the parade all morning, and my mother-in-law said, "You personify that cat!". Which I think is probably very true in most cases. But...well, I took these pictures every 30 minutes. You tell me:

I feel compelled to tell you that his eyes were wide open in each of these pictures (he wasn't napping), and he wasn't paying ANY attention to me when I'd offer him a treat. If you know Milo, you know he must have been pretty fixated to not want food.

This morning, I'm sitting wrapped in a blanket after my workout and coffee, waiting until my hair appointment at 10, and then I'm going to come back and stick the turkey in the oven, and relax for the rest of the day. Tell me that doesn't just sound blissful! Granted, I'm pretty lucky to have today off and be able to just enjoy my favourite time of the season, and celebrate with friends tonight over good food. I'm lucky in a lot of things. Let me elaborate:

1. I'm so thankful for Nolan. Residency is tough, and I miss him a lot, but we're making it work in our own way. I am so grateful for the time we do get together, and the memories we're making. He is the best part of me, and I am immensely blessed to call him my husband.

2. I'm thankful for my family. Both sides, all of it. No matter what happens, we're all still family, and we love each other. I'm so lucky that our families not only love us and support us, but they get along with each other. So we just have a giant big family, as it feels at times!

3. I'm thankful for my job. Don't I say this every week? Well, it's true. My job is great.

4. I'm thankful for our home. It's a relaxing, cozy little piece of us. It's a place where we feel safe and at ease. I could stay in here all day. Sometimes I do! And the surrounding area? Beautiful!

5. I'm thankful for our friends. All of them, in all areas. Some are far away and some I see several times a week. But they are all wonderful and mean a lot to me. I'm so thankful for such a great support system.

6. I'm thankful for so many things God has blessed us with, and sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed with how much I've been given. Most of all, I am daily grateful for His presence in my life, and His hand on my shoulder. Sometimes I don't stick as close to His side as I should or as I want to, but He is always there, waiting. I hope I never take that for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

stuff of nightmares

I've been waffling for awhile now about how big of a turkey I need for our thanksgiving feast. Since we have a tentative headcount only, it's a little hard to plan. Nolan started telling me we might need 2, and I just pointed at our oven, because the obvious response is, "Oh. So just one then." Our oven is a ridiculous tiny old thing that won't even cook a full-size pizza, much less fit my large cookie sheets, much less allow for 2 turkeys (not that I could cook them simultaneously anyway!). So instead, we have a big 21-pounder that's just going to have to fit, because we will NOT have thanksgiving without turkey for all!

Also: today we got our thermostat fixed. Hallelujah.

Who else is excited about a short week? Because I'm SUPER excited about it. Holiday weeks are generally lots of food, festivities, and out-of-office messages...which means that work comes to a grinding halt for the most part. It's a good thing for people like me, who are still trying to catch up on normal work items after a big deadline has passed. I love these kinds of weeks. I also have a lot to look forward to, like sleeping in (kind of) for 4 days in a row, getting my hair done, hosting a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner, and then having only 1 more week of work before our week-long vacation! After that I think I have just 1 more full week of work before Christmas is here (for me) and I have endless days off of fun and festivus. Who else is excited that this time of year is here at last!?!

Quote of the day:
Last week, I was showing Nolan I was happy he was home by kissing his neck, when he peeled me off and told me "no". To my horror, the reason was because he had been splattered with someone's blood all over his neck and chest and hadn't showered yet. This is the stuff of my germaphobic nightmares, folks.

"Me: Dare I ask if you are clean or if there's something on you I should be aware of? Blood? Fecal material?
Nolan: Yeah, the question isn't what is on me as much as who is on me...
Me: *gag*"

Thankful Thursday

Another late-night Thursday post! I guess I'll keep this one brief.

1. I'm thankful for warm food. Our thermostat hasn't been fixed yet, so our house gets pretty chilly. Luckily, I've been cooking more, which means the oven is on, which means the living room heats up a bit. And warm food always makes me feel warm inside :)
2. I'm thankful for the time with my in-laws last weekend! It was such fun to catch up and see the Ducks STOMP on Stanford.
3. I'm thankful that our bible study is going to continue meeting up on Tuesdays informally until the Spring study begins. It's so refreshing to have time with these girls, and build good friendships.
4. I'm thankful for my job and work situation. I have such supportive coworkers, and I like what I do! Such a rare thing nowadays!
5. I'm thankful Thanksgiving is almost here, because it means a couple extra days off, and God knows I need it. After this phase of my killer project? Whew. A couple days' rest sounds like heaven.
6. I'm thankful for peace of mind. Conflicts and issues may arise, but prayer, thoughtfulness, and patience really help when it comes to taking a deep breath and trying to look at things objectively. This is something God has been teaching me lately.

What are you thankful for?

Cornbread without the bread part

Latest obsession? Polenta. I started experimenting with it awhile ago, making little rounds in the oven and covering them with oil and herbs and sundried tomatoes. Then I moved on to fancy mascarpone-covered rounds with berries, honey and shaved chocolate. Lately, it's been plain old cooked polenta. Which isn't so plain, as it turns out:All I do is boil some polenta with milk, honey, butter, a shake of salt, and cream it all together. Once it's piping hot and thick, I toss on some blueberries and sliced almonds, and drizzle more honey over it all. Pure deliciousness!

On that note, if you're like me and you stocked up on Trader Joe's cornbread mix, let me also tell you that it isn't worth it. Betty Crocker (or homemade!) is much better and doesn't taste vaguely lemony. Though the real corn chunks in it are definitely charming.

Thankful Thursday

Well, it's almost midnight, and because of the sudden urge to finish this book (I'm not giving in), I've been glued to this couch reading for hours. My right buttock is officially numb. If you're curious, I've been reading "The Passage" by Justin Cronin. It was recommended to me by an author that I met a few weeks ago, and I've been sucked in ever since! It is absolutely fantastic. Apparently it's the first of a 3-part series, but the second two haven't yet been published. If you liked "Pillars of the Earth", it's written in a very similar style, although about an entirely different theme and time period. That's all I'll say! I don't know what it is, but I've been reading nothing but really EXCELLENT books for months now. No duds whatsoever!

Since Thursday is almost over, I'd better get to it, right?

1. I'm thankful for the gift of time. Time with Nolan, time to read this book, time to relax, and time to prepare for the weekend. Often I don't have enough time, so getting little bits of it today have been super nice.

2. I'm thankful for my commute. Even though it's long, I officially can say that it could be a ton worse. I tried a different route this week: biking in the freezing cold to Caltrain Redwood City, waiting 30-45 (!) minutes for Caltrain to arrive, transferring at Millbrae to BART, and then doing the same thing to get home. I discovered (to my delight and relief), that it saves $0 money, costs more time, and it much more hassle. So I don't feel guilty at all now about the luxury of driving to Millbrae. Plus it buys me more time at home with Nolan. Win.

3. I'm thankful for these little pets. Even though one of them isn't mine. It just kind of makes me smile when I hear them galloping around the house, chasing each other with this kind of reckless joy. Like, it reminds me that life is simple.

4. I'm thankful for patience. I've learned to have patience with certain situations, whether at work or home, and I've become keenly aware of the consequences of not "waiting" for things. It makes me appreciate when I catch myself just taking a deep breath and being willing to be patient. Life is so much more peaceful when I allow myself to be like this. Sorry if this is vague.

5. I'm thankful for good deals! I just spent $6 for $50 of gift certificates to our favourite Thai restaurant. Tell me that isn't something to be thankful for, with the usual upcoming holiday expenses!

What are you thankful for?

Train to nowhere

Favourite thing of the week? Starbucks' cheery new red cups, complete with cheeky nutcracker!

Maybe I'm a week or two late on this, but it's a good thing that it's my first Starbucks in awhile...right?

Recently, I was browsing Milo's facebook page (what can I say, he's a social media rockstar), and found this old post on there that cracked me up. Especially since I know EXACTLY what Nolan was talking about:

Speaking of which, have I mentioned that Milo has a friend over this week? We've been cat-sitting a pretty, if not obese, kitty named Harley. See:

She's made herself totally at home, which has been an adjustment for an only child like Milo. There was a lot of hissing and walking in WIDE circles around one-another for a couple days, but now they've become BFFs, and spend most of their days hurtling around the house chasing each other, napping together, sharing food (and litter boxes - gross!) even though they each have their own, and doing this cute thing where they touch noses and just stare at each other before flying around the room again. They're usually going so fast, that this is the best picture I've gotten of them together so far:
I can already tell Milo will be depressed when she goes home.

And as promised awhile ago, there happened to actually be a picture posted of our real Halloween costumes:

We're LEGOs. So it was an easy idea. Needless to say, these boxes stayed on about 2 minutes before we discovered we couldn't really move in them. So we spent the rest of the night simply as "red" and "yellow" since our outfits underneath were purely those colours. Thanks, Nolan, for bringing me bright yellow tights from China.

As it turns out, there were a lot of really random pictures from our party, but not a lot of the decor, except this crappy one from my phone (I had the flash off...oops), in which you can see some random decorations we had. Oh well.

Thankful Thursday

Last night I woke up at 3 to put Milo out as usual, and the tip of his paw touched the wardrobe, which naturally he thought was an intruder instead of the same old wardrobe that's always there. So he flipped out and dug his claws deep, deep into my ribcage, where I had to actually pull them out one-by-one before crawling back into bed with bloody streaks across my abdomen. Freaking Milo. When I woke up, I also couldn't move my neck, because I apparently slept directly on it while trying to avoid sleeping on my painful scratches. This combined with my still very sore legs from gym class on Tuesday has produced the delightful Igor effect, in which I limp around the office with straight legs and not able to turn my head or touch my sides. Attractive.

All complaining aside, though:

1. I'm thankful it's almost the weekend, not only for the days off, but because Nolan has both days off and I finally get to see him! The only physical communication I've had from him this week was more of a request than a love letter:

And although I vastly appreciate text, email, random notes, etc. to let us communicate more when we can't see each other, I'd rather be able to talk face to face! Also hug. And kiss. I really just miss him. Which leads me to say that this weekend is also fantastic because it's the end of this rotation where he works nights. Yippee! That's something to be thankful for.
2. I'm thankful for November being here, and all that entails! I've already gotten to the bottom of my canister of hot cocoa, and I'm roasting another batch of hazelnuts tonight. I've brought out the legwarmers again (hello, old friends!), and I'm wearing gloves in the morning so I don't freeze on my commute. I love all these things! And Starbucks' red cups! And baking and chocolate and OMG SO MANY GOOD THINGS DURING THE HOLIDAYS. I also love that I can officially say it's THE HOLIDAYS.
3. I'm thankful for my packed schedule. Even though it's been a little stressful, I've been more and more aware of my extrovert needs, and have managed to stay really busy, which helps when I'm missing my husband. Plus, who wouldn't want an excuse to hang out with so many fabulous women? It's really fun getting to know each other better as time goes by. So thankful for them.
4. I'm thankful for music. Nothing inspires or encourages me as much as good music. Here's my most recent fave:

5. I'm thankful for good books. Reading another killer novel, thanks to a recommendation from an author I met recently. I'll post the title once I get a little farther into it. A good book goes a long way towards making my commute fun!

What are you thankful for?

It's alive!

This is how my commute looks when I am waiting for the next BART train. I'm loving having a camera that can make my boring pictures a little more artsy looking. Even though they're not.


I got this picture in an email from my dad, and at first I was like, "....the?" but then I read the tiny caption underneath:
""Please check your stock before you buy dear". The only thing mom has a greater supply of is Coke."

Because, you know, the world could end and we could possibly run out of Triscuits.

And in case you were wondering how long cheap LED tealights can last while lit, so far the answer is 48 hours. I took this picture last night, and they were still burning bright this morning. I've had them going since Monday. Aaand those are our pumpkins, too. In case you were wondering. The star one is Milo's, the angry one is Nolan's, and the uncarved, weird green one behind them is mine.

Quote of the day:

"I'm just waiting here to have my colonoscopy...yuk..after all the study, what could possess a Doctor to be a butt Doctor. I would not choose to specialize in any of the orifices. Just random thoughts." - Pops