Year End:New Year

It is well in to 2010 and I am finally sitting down to do a post. The end of the year really flew by. Holidays came and went and pretty quick New Years too. The end of the year did bring a big surprise...namely the best wedding present ever (even if it was really late) and I feel hopeful and positive for the new year ahead.
Now for the best wedding present ever....it is a bit of a long story, so bear with. Back in May of 2009, just a few weeks after Don and I got married, we went to a place in a nearby town that specializes in VW Karmann Ghia parts and restoration. Now, Don LOVES Volkswagens and especially the Karmann Ghia...and I must admit they are pretty cool and I have found myself falling for them too. While we were there, the guy showed us a '67 Ghia that was in remarkable shape and was slated for restoration...all it needed was a family to love it and pay. The price was very reasonable and the car was just in fab shape. All the way home we talked about the car and whether or not it would be a viable option for us to go ahead and get it...in the end I told Don that it was really his choice, since he is the one who knows what he is looking at, and I felt comfortable and would support his choice either way...and that was the end of it.
Ok, now fast forward to the second to last week in December. I was feeling awful, I mean terrible, like crawl in a hole and pull it in after me bad. Don came home and told me there was an open house at the Ghia place later in the week and the owner really wanted us to be there to see the new expansion and some new cars he had been working on. I agreed, hoping I would start feeling better by then...or at least be able to not be so cranky. The designated day arrives and Don comes rushing home to pick me up on the run to head to the Ghia place. I was still not feeling well at all and I really just wanted to stay at home, but I could tell that Don was really excited and I just needed to buck up. We get to the place and get out of the truck and the Ghia guy says, " you guys can start over here and then we will get to the new stuff" and points us in the direction of the old shop. After a bit of looking and admiring the new cars he has us head over to the new shop area (it never occured to me that there was no one else at the open house). By this point I was really feeling crappy so when they opened the doors to the shop and I could see someone holding a camera I was really confused. Don sort of pushed me in and there were all these people there...and a car...with a huge red bow and ribbons on it...and a tag that said From Don To Hilary. I was absolutely blown away and still very very very confused...until Don said "That's our little car Hon!" and I just lost it. I started to cry and kept saying "are you kidding me??" It turns out that a week after we saw the car the first time, he went back and bought it. And for 6 months got all the restoration work done and managed to keep it a.complete.and.utter.secret. It turns out that all those weekends of being "sneaky" and "doing holiday shopping" was a little more than that. I had no.idea. We still don't have it at the house, there is still a little more work that needs to be done in order for us to have it....but it was a pretty darn cool surprise. So the car is a '67 Karmann Ghia and it is restored to nearly original condition. There are a few custom things that we have done, but overall if you could go back in time to 1967 and ask for this car at a dealership...its what you would get!!! Now, don't get me wrong...I fully understand that this is a wedding present for him just as much (or more) as it is for me...but it is still pretty cool. We are very much looking forward to cruising around in the summer and taking trips to the coast in our new litte car!! I still can not quite believe it...maybe it will all make more sense when the car is in our garage!

Gingerbread Lobsters

Hooray for the weekend and not working on it. The rest of this week has been very busy and it is nice to have the weekend and not really have to do anything. Today I slept in, Don was being "sneaky" and left early for some lat minute shopping, then got up and ran an errand of my own. Once we both made it home we had some lunch and watched some cycling on DVD. I ended up falling asleep, me and the kitties all in a pile leaning on Don. We rented some movies for the evening, got some supper and then made some gingerbread cookies. Don really wanted to make some gingerbread people, but we didn't have a people cookie cutter so last week we had gone out and gotten one at a local cooking store. They have a large selection of cookie cutters and I could not resist the lobster. The dough was a little difficult to work with because it gets really sticky at room temperature so we had to keep stopping and putting it in the fridge to firm up again....needless to say, some of our people are missing parts, and there are several partial lobsters as well. We do have some tiny cutters that worked great and look just like what they are supposed to. It was a fun way to spend the early evening and the cookies are tasty. Which is always a plus. Tomorrow is another day with no real plan. We may be getting together with friends, or maybe not. We will have to see what the day brings.

An Update in Three Parts

Part The First: A Catbox Disaster

This weekend I decided to get a new catbox for our cats. The old one was just pretty crusty and smelly, despite my cleaning. Time for a new one. So off I went to the store on Sunday morning and collected a new one. I wanted a sifty one (like mom and da have) but couldn't find one with a top, which we have to have since Barley does not pee squatting down (nice, right?) so I settled on one that was pretty similar to the one we already had. With one minor difference...or so I thought....the new one has a little swinging door over the entry hole. I thought nothing of it, got it all set up in the afternoon and went about my day. Sunday night we were laying in bed, thinking ahead to our next day, and the cats were acting really weird. Roaming around, yowling, scratching at our bathroom door...all very strange. I talked to them a little bit, expecting them to settle...but they didn't....And then it hit me. They had no idea how to get into the litter pan. They could not figure our the swinging door concept. I flew out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Sure enough Barley has pooped right in front of the litter pan and once I took the door off Rye ran right in and started to pee. A lot. Once he finished he jumped out...right on to Barley's poop. Then Barley came in and went too. When she was done I grabbed Rye (who had run away, making a trail of poo footprints) so I could clean off his foot...or rather feet. Then I cleaned up the poop and replaced the towel. Then, finally back to bed. What a disaster.

Part The Second: A Wonderful Memorial

Monday our friend Don Krebs was interred at Willamette National Cemetery. It was a very moving memorial service. We were very honored to be able to attend. There was a full honor guard presentation and three gun volley, a very heartfelt eulogy and lots of sharing of good memories and love. It was a rather cold day and gray, but the rain held off until after we left the cemetery. Everyone gathered at a nearby restaurant for wine and dinner and more sharing and honoring of our dear friend. The National Cemetery here is very peaceful and very beautiful and I know Don would have loved it very much.

Part The Third: The Return of Oregon Winter

The past few weeks it has been very clear, sunny and cold here. Almost like Denver weather really. It was a bit odd having so much cold, but the sun was wonderful! Now we have had a complete return to normal. Lots and lots and lots and lots of rain. And I mean RAIN. *sigh* I guess that is what we get for living in Oregon.

Doldrums

Things have been going along quietly as of late. I have been feeling a little bit down, but managing to get by. Work this week has been really busy. We have had all full days. It is good for the bottom line and it makes the day go fast, but it is a little stressy. Today I did errands and house work and cooked a very spicy chipotle chili for supper with corn bread. It was very tasty. Tomorrow we both have work and then Don's office holiday party in the evening. Saturday Don works in the morning and I am going to see our friend Joanne. Then in the evening we have my office holiday party. Sunday we are meeting up with Joanne again in the evening. The memorial service for Don is on Monday at the National cemetery here. Don and I both have taken the day off so we can attend the service and not have the stress of work on top. The end of the year is approaching quickly and it seems weird. Don and I have already been married 7 months and a new year is just around the corner. This has been a very full year and I can only imagine what next year will have in store for us.

Cold Snap

This weekend I had work. Don and G went to P-town for the holiday ale fest and stayed up there for the night, so I had the house to myself for the weekend. After work I went to A's baby shower. It was fun and they had some great games. I left early to go see my friend J prior to going back to work for kennels. After kennels I picked up some Thai food and headed home. I watched a movie, had some wine with my Thai and mostly was a slug. I didn't sleep very well though...it is weird with no partner in bed. Sunday I got up and did kennels and then came home to have some breakie. Don got home midway through the day and we had a little rest time together before heading out for some errands and kennels again. After supper we both were feeling pretty worn out, having neither one slept well and made it an early night in preparation for work today. We both had really long days today. I got home at 7 and Don was still at work! After a quick supper of left-overs we are finally getting settled in. It is FREEZING! The high today was 29. It was wonderfully sunny but man oh man very very cold...and windy. I guess it is well and truly winter now. Tomorrow is another busy day of work. I will be ready for the weekend again.

Productivity

I had a half day off yesterday (as I work this weekend) and pretty much just relaxed. I ran a few errands then came home and read my book for a little while. Today I got up and did house cleaning and laundry. Then I headed off to the grocery for pie makings, apple cranberry and pumpkin strusel. A and G are coming over tonight for the Civil War game and we are having supper with them. The boys are having steak and A and I are having salmon. I am also making mashed potatoes and maybe biscuits. Tomorrow I have work and work again this weekend. I am looking forward to A's baby shower on Saturday and then a little time on my own while Don and G are in Portland for the beer fest. The weather has been nice lately, sunny but cold and I am hoping that the sun sticks around for a while longer. It is strange having that big yellow glowy ball in the sky so much lately....we are used to rain.

BarkyBarkyBarky

Lots of noise was the theme for today. We had barky day boarders, barky patients, barky people. It was just loud today. Things did go smoothly and we all got off on time, which is always good.
The weather has gotten a little nicer...at least it is not raining. It is clear and very cold. The wind has been blowing quite a bit here too. It makes it seem more like winter, which is good I suppose since it is December now.
We have already eaten our way through quite a few of our holiday leftovers. The pies went very quickly, and since we have company coming Thursday evening it has been requested that I make more. I think it is a good thing I have a half day off tomorrow and then Thursday also. We do still have some turkey leftovers not already in the freezer, but after turkey lunches and suppers for the past few days I think I am ready for something else tonight. I am not sure what...but something.
I suppose I should go and get that figured out. Especially if I want to eat in the not too distant future.