The last post of the year

Wow, where did the year go? It seems every year goes by faster and faster.

This year was pretty rough. I spent most of the summer working my behind off, including weekends. I had to endure painful moments thinking of my grandmother's illness, and now my grandfather's. I lost my great-aunt a week after my birthday.

But there were good parts too. I joined a book club. I turned 30 (that was not so bad LOL). My not-so-little T turned 5 years old and is smarter than ever. I ran into my old friends during a trip to Brazil. I spent more time with my parents, especially my dad who now retired. I had my kitchen and powder room remodeled. My goddaughter came to visit. Yeah, I guess life is still good.

Then, there are books... I kept a new year resolution, I read more. I mean, a lot more. I started in February and slacked during my trip to Brazil, but even like that, I was able to read all of these (chronologically, last one on the top):

The Boleyn Inheritance (Gregory)
Marley & Me (Grogan)
One Fifth Avenue (Bushnell)
The Other Boleyn Girl (Gregory)
Married Lovers (Collins)
Blindness (Saramago)
The Constant Princess (Gregory)
The Opposite of Love (Buxbaum)
Memoirs of a Geisha (Gould)
The Secret Life of Bees (Kidd)
Nineteen Minutes (Picoult)
Jane Eyre (Bronte)
The Ivy Chronicles (Quinn)
The Friday Night Knitting Club (Jacobs)
Bee Season (Goldberg)
The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)

Most of these were pretty good, but the worse by far was Bee Season. Ugh!

In 2008, I was also able to see more movies in the theatre than I had done in a while.

Madagascar - Escape 2 Africa
Blindness
The Dark Knight
Space Chimps
X Files: I want to believe
Mamma Mia
Wall-E
Kung Fu Panda
Sex & The City Movie
Nim's Island
Horton Hears a Who

The best movies I saw this year were Wall-E and The Diving Bell & the Butterfly (even though the latter is technically 2007).
The worst? The X Files!!!!!!!!!!! It let me down... And Tropic Thunder, another 2 hours of my life I've wasted...

Well, Happy New Year, everyone! Health, Peace, and $$$ in your pockets as well (cause we need it, right?). Here's a wish for better days!

Feliz Natal!

Merry Christmas to you and all your family!

I didn't have a chance to compose a nice message, so I'll leave you with a few photos and one of my favorite Christmas songs. Just cause I know you love Peanuts too (who doesn't?)

Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year

Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share

Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there

Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year...

Rena, I didn't have a chance to try your cookie batter recipe this time. But I certainly will in the near future.

Just chaos!

There was a water main break this morning here in MD. It flooded the streets nearby and it stranded several people inside cars trying to get to work.

CNN was covering it live. The whole county decided the schools should close earlier. T's daycare closed earlier as well. It was mayhem, everyone had to get off work early to get their kids. A lot of people are without running water near the flooded area, but thankfully nobody got hurt.

Up! (2)

Remember this?

It opens May 29, 2009. Here's the new preview:

Christmas meme

I received this via email, and noticed Sunshine posted the same thing in her blog.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Unless it's an odd-shaped item, wrapping paper. It's more fun to wrap and to open!

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Artificial. We're had the same tree since 2001 and I don't plan to replace it. It's so cost-effective (I'll have to compose a post about having a frugal Xmas sometime)

3. When do you put up the tree?
usually during the thanksgiving holiday. This year we waited a week longer and the outside decor is not even up yet. It's been raining....

4. When do you take the tree down?
On or after January 6th (Three Kings Day). You're not supposed to take it down before that.

5. Do you like eggnog?
You mean UGHnog? No.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Barbie stuff hehehe

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My husband, and it ends up being the same gift every year: a shirt and a pair of pants.

8. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes. Not only it's beautiful, it was on clearance for $7 or so...

9. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I don't recall getting anything bad for Xmas

11. Favorite Christmas Movie?
It's a Wonderful Life!

12. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Not that I remember.

13. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Turkey

14. Lights on the tree?
Love seeing them. This year our old lights died and I bought colorful ones (a hit with the kids)

15. Favorite Christmas song?
Oh Holy Night

16. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Stay home, although in 2000 we spent it at DisneyWorld and it was just too awesome for words.

17. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
No, I cannot, in fact I didn't know the reindeer had names (other than Rudolph) until I moved to the US.

18. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star

19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas day?
One on Christmas Eve, the rest on Christmas Day.

20. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
97.1 Wash-FM playing Xmas songs all day long, and starting a week before Thanksgiving. Ugh! It's my favorite station, but I olny tune back in on Dec 26th (not mentioning they do it one day in July as well, they call it "Xmas in July"). Double Ugh!

21. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I like the Hallmark stuff, that I buy 50-75% off after Christmas (once again, frugal Xmas)

22. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I am going to be a material girl and say I want the end of the financial crisis, I want me to win the lottery so I can quit my job, built a hurricane-proof house in Florida where I can sit on my behind all day and do nothing.

And, just to illustrate, a picture I took of the Capitol a couple opf years ago while the white poop was falling. You can see the tree in front of it.

You make me feel loooooooooooved

Just say it like in the Paula Cole song hehehe.

I'm just a bit philosophical, it's the holiday season, let it go, ok? :P

I've had a tough time regarding friendships for the past couple of years or so. I sometimes feel like I don't have any friends locally.

Nearly 2 years ago, a 5-year old friendship ended. It was a rather ridiculous way of ending it. But it did, and it stayed that way. While it was incredibly painful and unbelievable what happened at the time and immediately afterwards, I moved on. Now I don't think we could ever be friends like that again. Or just be friends, period.

A few months later, a really good friend moved all the way to the West Coast :-)

My best friend also lives in the West Coast. Then I have a couple of friends in Florida and Georgia.

Then I have a couple of friends at work. But it's not the same, I mean, we don't usually hang out other than in the workplace or the weekly lunches, right?

So, back in February, I joined a book club. Yes, I admit, it's very desperate-housewifey. But I did, and it felt really good. The ladies were extremely nice and I felt very much at home. So I started attending regular books discussions and socials.

Time goes by and now it's August and I'm in Brazil. I get an email the book club is ending because of a spat that was going on among some whiny members and I go nooooooooooooooooo.

So, in a nutshell, the nice members of my book club got together and started a new book club, smaller, only with the great ladies from the previous one. And it's much better, and the events are way more fun. And they love me, they really do.

I brought my camera along to the past couple of events (Xmas lights walk and Cookie decorating party) and posted the photos on the group website. They made me honorary photographer of the group. Now I'm looking forward to the next events, me and my camera.

I feel good, and I feel loved once again :)

Always, no matter what!

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta

As in http://carriestuckmann.blogspot.com

Last friday we took a trip to Philadelphia. We left early in the morning and came back to DC after sundown.

- We met friends
- We took pics with the Rocky Statue
- We ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum
- We ate Philly Cheesesteak (yum!)
- We saw the Liberty Bell
- We tried to go to the Independence Hall but all the free tickets were gone
- It was fun despite moi stumbling around driving an automatic minivan (seriously, people, how can you NOT drive a stick?)

Here's the batch of pics! Roll over to read the caption and click on it to see the enlarged version.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Grandma @ The Improv

My Grandpa and my Uncle went to pick up a new mattress for my grandparents bed.

When they get home, my Grandma turns to them and say:
- What's the use of having a new mattress when I still have an old husband?

The entire room erupts in laughter, including my Grandpa.
---------------------

Come on, someone give the lady a job!!!

Just tired

The past week has been really busy with work and stuff...

- Tue, Nov 25th - T's birthday/get to work early/sit in traffic/pick up friend @ BWI
- Wed, Nov 26th - get off work early/go to Dave & Busters
- Thu, Nov 27th - drive to Arlington Cemetery, Iwo Jima, Freedom Park/Thanksgiving dinner
- Fri, Nov 28th - drive to Philly/run Rocky steps/eat cheese steak/meet friends/sighseeing/drive back to DC/shop @ Target
- Sat, Nov 28th - drive to Baltimore/lunch, sightseeing & Ace of Cakes/drive friend to BWI/stop @ Ikea for returns
- Sun, Nov 30th - attend Flamenco show @ Strathmore/hurt my knee
- Mon, Dec 1st - stay home from work/limp my way up and down/take son to pediatrician/take son for ice cream treat/take son to take photo with Santa/shop therapy @ VS
- Tue, Dec 2nd - son stays home with temperature/wacky morning @ work/knee still hurts a bit

I'm still alive!

Happy 5th Birthday!

Today my little T turns 5!!!!

He was born on Tuesday, November 25th, 2003, 8:17 am, 9 lbs 3.2 oz (4,170kg) and 21 1/2 inches (55 cm). Yes, it was a c-section :P

I can't believe how big he has gotten. He's not my baby anymore, by the time he's 6 he'll be as tall as his Mommy!

I have a ton of photos. It was really hard to narrow it down, but here's a bit of his life in images (please click to enlarge).



First Photo!















He was even shifting gears. That's my boy!!!!

A bit of hope

I have been avoiding my Grandma's subject for a while. Yes, I know, I am in denial, just not trying to suffer.

During my last visit to Brazil, I found my Grandmother bedridden and not moving much. She had had 2 seizures a month before (triggered by blood pressure spikes). Those were scary times, but nobody prepared me to see her like that. It was quite a shock to me. But I put on a brave face and pretended everything was okay.

She was not doing well at all. She had always been the happiest person ever, always in a good mood, cracking jokes. But she was just there, lying quietly. Every time someone tried to move her, or sit her up, her blood pressure would spike again.

The day we left, I wept silently in the car, thinking that was the last time I was ever going to see my Grandma alive.

Today, out of the blue, my aunt called my Mom (who's here) and said Grandma wanted to speak to her. Plus she said Grandma had been standing in the bedroom today, with the help of the physical therapist, and even attempted a couple of steps. In which Grandma yells in the background: "that's a lie!" and everybody starts to laugh (my Grandma is the queen of deadpan humor, she would give Steve Carrell a run for his money).

Mom said she hates when people tell on her, especially if she's making progress. She doesn't think that's considered walking, since she didn't go anywhere, like the bakery or the grocery store.

So, in a nutshell, I'm happy! I feel good, and hope I can see my Grandma once again.

Wedding Photos - Rena's challenge

Rena posted her wedding photo and is inviting everyone to go ahead and post theirs.

We got married @ the courthouse on 06/22/2001. Nearly a year later we had our church wedding in Rio, on 03/23/2002.

Note that my husband is one foot taller than I am. I am wearing platform shoes so I don't look too short. Seriously, he can rest his head on top of mine and laugh at how short I am compared to him. Easy to say that when you were 6 feet tall by the time you were 12!!!!!

I found these two photos of us leaving the church (I'm at work and don't have all my photos with me now). I may post more photos later.

I like to... MOVE IT!

T had been doing a countdown for this movie for the past month. The first Madagascar is one of his favorite flicks. Finally on Thursday he came to me and said: Mommy, Madagascar II opens tomorrow!

So we just had to go see it on Saturday. And guess what? The penguins stole the movie, again! Plus there is the return of Ninja Old Lady! All the characters are pretty much back along with the original voices, and some new ones are added. It was nice they gave King Julian a bit more of screen time, Sacha Baron Cohen is really funny!

The story is, the penguins fix up the old plane we see in the first movie and take off towards NYC. But they run out of fuel and crash somewhere in continental Africa. This time, though, the 4 main characters find other animals like their own.

BTW, there is a great reference to a Twilight Zone classic episode in the film. If you're as much as a geek as I am, you will know it!!! There is also a reference to "Roots", and a subtle one to "West Side Story".

I admit I got a bit choked up when I heard Bernie Mac's voice for the first time. He was so young, such a tragic loss. During the credits, you will see the movie was dedicated to him.

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta

As in http://carriestuckmann.blogspot.com

The Colors of the Fall

Fall is the most beautiful season out there. Just not my favorite. It reminds me it's getting cooler everyday, soon the leaves will fall and the white poop will come.

These are some of the photos I took in my neghborhood. It was good that I did, because last night was very windy and most of the leaves are now covering the ground.

Click on the images to enlarge. Enjoy!

This tree is in my front yard and it's now bare


My street


Multicolored leaves in neighbor's tree


Close-up of a leaf (I wish I had macro lenses!)

I sure hope he can fix it...

I was going to play with the idea, but someone already did. I found it online somewhere...