I'm en route to Utah at the moment (currently above Boulder, CO), and I am so excited to spend Christmas with my family, especially considering we will be in Africa this time next year. Tonight we will be going out (ordering in?) for Chinese, having our annual book exchange, the kiddos will be putting on the Nativity play and I'm sure I'll spend many hours helping my sister wrap presents. Tomorrow we get to watch a bunch of cute kids open presents, and then eat our traditional Christmas brunch made up of baked apples, lil smokies and orange rolls (an integral part of the feast, Mom). It will be great.
Who knows what next year will bring. Will I be desperate for things to be exactly as I remember them (I can see myself demanding my mom send me a package of lil smokies and whatever familiar ingredients we won't be able to find in Guinea), will we adapt the holiday to be Africa friendly, or a mix of the two? I can't wait to find out.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Christmas came early!!! (for real this time)
Because we're headed to Utah before the sun rises tomorrow, we celebrated our little Christmas today.
I kind of struggle with gift giving, so every time Mister would mention something he wanted, I would run out and buy it. Sadly this meant that he found out what most of this presents were, because when he suggested we go to the store to buy said items, I gave him a look that he correctly interpreted as meaning that I beat him to it. Despite the lack of surprise, he was pleased with the gifts he received.
Here he is wearing practically all of the clothing items he received. Love that the camera's flash made him look like the movie Tron.
Here I am wearing a few of my presents. The hat was one of those things I mentioned in my last post that I wrapped just so I would have lots of presents to open. The sunglasses are my first real pair (meaning they cost more than $10) and they are RAD. They double as mirrors. I may or may not still be wearing my hat.
This picture is blurry, but it totally captures the frantic way Mister opens his gifts. It's quite funny.
Lastly, a little video of my handsome fellow.
Merry Christmas everyone!
I kind of struggle with gift giving, so every time Mister would mention something he wanted, I would run out and buy it. Sadly this meant that he found out what most of this presents were, because when he suggested we go to the store to buy said items, I gave him a look that he correctly interpreted as meaning that I beat him to it. Despite the lack of surprise, he was pleased with the gifts he received.
Here he is wearing practically all of the clothing items he received. Love that the camera's flash made him look like the movie Tron.
Here I am wearing a few of my presents. The hat was one of those things I mentioned in my last post that I wrapped just so I would have lots of presents to open. The sunglasses are my first real pair (meaning they cost more than $10) and they are RAD. They double as mirrors. I may or may not still be wearing my hat.
This picture is blurry, but it totally captures the frantic way Mister opens his gifts. It's quite funny.
Lastly, a little video of my handsome fellow.
Merry Christmas everyone!
footwear
I so wish these slippers were appropriate to wear in public. They are like wearing a warm hug. A very ugly warm hug. I love them. You probably need a pair of your own.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
December happenings
-I was feeling like a grinch last weekend, so Mister and I went on a tacky lights tour. We saw some doozies, including one set to music. Here's a little taste:
-In all the years I've lived in DC, I've never seen the National Christmas tree, until this year. Here's the artsy fartsy semi-successful photo I took. Can you spot it?
-I've been living off clementines, peppermint ice cream with homemade hot fudge, and candy cane joe-joe's this week. Totally worth the 5 or so pounds I've likely put on.
-The one exception was the Thai Ginger Chicken Burgers I made one night. They were unique and delicious! If you'd like to try them out, let me know and I'll send you the recipe.
-To off-set the above, I've actually been running (shuffling). I went 5 times this week, ranging from 2-4 miles each time! The weather has been less than pleasant, including one day when I spent more time running sideways and backwards, thanks to the wind. (At least with treadmills you're covering some distance, instead of going a negative distance when you're being shoved back by the wind). Still, I'd much rather run outside in horrible conditions than on a treadmill.
-We bought Mister some cold weather running gear so he can go with me, including running tights. His legs are better looking than mine.
-Speaking of running, I'm not sure if I'm building up some stamina or if it was pure luck, but I ran so much better today than I did the other times this week. I could go farther on my running stretches and it felt a little easier. Yay for me.
-On New Years Eve, we're going to run a 4 mile race with our friends Ben and Erica. Instead of a t-shirt, they're giving us sweatshirts. I'm kind of excited about that.
-We saw Tron Legacy last night. I really enjoyed it. Especially the 80's-esque techno soundtrack and the Daft Punk cameo.
-There are a handful of people in training right now that are headed for Conakry in the next 8 months and we had an opportunity to meet a few of them at a little happy hour on Thursday. They all seem really great and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.
-I am almost done with my Christmas shopping! I just need to get my mom's present (I already know what it is, I just need to go get it) and finish the scarf I'm making for Mister. (shhh...don't tell him.)
-Maybe I've been wrapping the things I've bought for myself this month (not necessarily intended for the holiday) and putting them under the ficus tree so that I have more things to open on Christmas.
-Oh, we strung lights up on the fake ficus in our apartment. Very festive!
-I took an English teaching seminar a few weeks ago. One of the little segments was taught completely in Russian so that we'd have a little taste of what an English language class might be life. It was terrifying and practically impossible. If French class is anything like that I'm basically screwed.
-I went to the travel office to see what immunizations I need to get before we head out in August. The grand total? 7 immunizations, but 10 shots total. My poor arms!
-Speaking of leaving in August, I was talking to another guy headed to Africa as an ARSO about it, and he said that if Mister gets a 2/2 (speaking/reading) proficiency on any of his progress tests (that's what he has to test at before we go to Guinea), they might send us sooner. Oh please no. I am mentally prepared (but not really) for an August departure. I don't think I could handle leaving any sooner.
-I'm counting down the days until we fly out to Utah for Christmas. (6 days!) I love Christmas with the nieces and nephews. They're so much fun!
-In all the years I've lived in DC, I've never seen the National Christmas tree, until this year. Here's the artsy fartsy semi-successful photo I took. Can you spot it?
-I've been living off clementines, peppermint ice cream with homemade hot fudge, and candy cane joe-joe's this week. Totally worth the 5 or so pounds I've likely put on.
-The one exception was the Thai Ginger Chicken Burgers I made one night. They were unique and delicious! If you'd like to try them out, let me know and I'll send you the recipe.
-To off-set the above, I've actually been running (shuffling). I went 5 times this week, ranging from 2-4 miles each time! The weather has been less than pleasant, including one day when I spent more time running sideways and backwards, thanks to the wind. (At least with treadmills you're covering some distance, instead of going a negative distance when you're being shoved back by the wind). Still, I'd much rather run outside in horrible conditions than on a treadmill.
-We bought Mister some cold weather running gear so he can go with me, including running tights. His legs are better looking than mine.
-Speaking of running, I'm not sure if I'm building up some stamina or if it was pure luck, but I ran so much better today than I did the other times this week. I could go farther on my running stretches and it felt a little easier. Yay for me.
-On New Years Eve, we're going to run a 4 mile race with our friends Ben and Erica. Instead of a t-shirt, they're giving us sweatshirts. I'm kind of excited about that.
-We saw Tron Legacy last night. I really enjoyed it. Especially the 80's-esque techno soundtrack and the Daft Punk cameo.
-There are a handful of people in training right now that are headed for Conakry in the next 8 months and we had an opportunity to meet a few of them at a little happy hour on Thursday. They all seem really great and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.
-I am almost done with my Christmas shopping! I just need to get my mom's present (I already know what it is, I just need to go get it) and finish the scarf I'm making for Mister. (shhh...don't tell him.)
-Maybe I've been wrapping the things I've bought for myself this month (not necessarily intended for the holiday) and putting them under the ficus tree so that I have more things to open on Christmas.
-Oh, we strung lights up on the fake ficus in our apartment. Very festive!
-I took an English teaching seminar a few weeks ago. One of the little segments was taught completely in Russian so that we'd have a little taste of what an English language class might be life. It was terrifying and practically impossible. If French class is anything like that I'm basically screwed.
-I went to the travel office to see what immunizations I need to get before we head out in August. The grand total? 7 immunizations, but 10 shots total. My poor arms!
-Speaking of leaving in August, I was talking to another guy headed to Africa as an ARSO about it, and he said that if Mister gets a 2/2 (speaking/reading) proficiency on any of his progress tests (that's what he has to test at before we go to Guinea), they might send us sooner. Oh please no. I am mentally prepared (but not really) for an August departure. I don't think I could handle leaving any sooner.
-I'm counting down the days until we fly out to Utah for Christmas. (6 days!) I love Christmas with the nieces and nephews. They're so much fun!
Monday, December 13, 2010
running in place
Today I learned that running into 25 - 35 mph winds is not quite as effective as running on a treadmill.
I'm POOPED!
I'm POOPED!
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