Well, goodness, since Wednesday morning, much has happened. Most importantly though, I have a new niece, a very cute little girl named Jonna, that was born very early Wednesday morning (April 17th). I've only seen three photographs (that I got via email on my phone today), and I can't wait to meet her in person! Meg sent me a text that morning that I didn't see until after class. I called Mike right away, but he had received it too... I ended up waking him from a nightmare, so that was alright. Dad called as well to make sure I knew, so overall, it was a very pleasant morning.
In the rest of the day, I managed to clean my house (mostly sweeping), re-stock the bird-feeder, trim the grass, eat a sandwich, finish all my laundry, and read the book of Colossians while I waited. It beats watching General Hospital any day of the week. I was subjected to a TV talk show while folding my laundry, though. I felt tangible relief when I walked out the open double doors to my car.
That evening I missed watching a movie because I spent the whole time coming up with an idea for Saturday after I bought a ticket to the ballet for Friday. It was quite an idea, and came to me after considering how far the Tides away games were (central NC and near Atlanta). Compared to those places it wasn't far, but for a day trip it would be ambitious. 9 hours of driving... but you'll read about that in Saturday's post. I was very excited as I told Mike about it that night. It was a beautiful, cool spring evening too, so I went outside to talk.
Thursday after class I decided to go to Hampton (just across the bridge/tunnel). Tried out the Hampton History Museum and Visitor Center... I had reservations about going... thought it would be mostly visitor center. But I was very mistaken! It was a very impressive walk-through of Hampton's early history. I really enjoyed the short film they showed about one of the first photographers of the area who had a studio. Besides the myriads of portraits (the samples of which are always interesting) the guy also documented the area with his glass plates. Fun little surprise. And not only that, but they had a temporary exhibit upstairs of Civil War artifacts from the area. This was also quite interesting and even poignant, with articles such as the frock coat of a local son who was killed in a battle just outside his hometown and brought home to be buried. God, I could not imagine. Something I thought very interesting were two photographs of a church next to a window. One pre-dated the war, the other showed its destruction... and looking out the window, the church stands before you.
I continued on from Hampton to Newport News where I picked up a few things at Walmart (like a stool to put drinks on next to the couches) and had an old-fashioned burger at a little take-out place next door. Then I continued down the street to the archery range where I had the lanes to myself for most of the time.
Friday's class time was practically non-existent. I went home and changed, stopped by the library, saw my ship coming in off shore, and still arrived at the Norfolk Indoor Pool by 10:30. I had all five lanes of that to myself as well! Did a continuous thousand yards for the first time... ever. It wasn't lighting fast or anything, but I certainly enjoyed twenty solid minutes of fine cardiovascular exercise. After taking a shower at home, my friend who just got out of the Navy was on her way back home from taking care of her car in Florida, so she stopped by for lunch. We shared Lipton's chicken noodle soup and a couple grilled cheddar cheese sandwiches for a delightful time together.
After she left, I watched a rather odd 90s movie about the WWII home front in Louisiana that I found at the library. And after that, I watched an old favorite, Ever After, as well. And then it was time to go downtown for the first major performance of the 2013 Virginia Arts Festival: The Birmingham Royal Ballet's performance of Coppelia. This was very colorful and funny too! The sets were gorgeous (and probably very expensive) and the story was unlike any ballet I had ever heard of. A crazy old man makes life-like dolls to confuse the rest of the town and cause distress between a young couple. And everything ends up alright in the end, except for the doll. :) I had a wonderful seat near the back with a full view. Before everything started I noticed a British vice admiral come in, and soon after saw what I found online to be the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, who was also in attendance.
Jw
Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts
Friday, April 19, 2013
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Two Long Weekends!
Well, I've somehow kept busy enough to keep away from here for over two weeks after pulling in from ten days out. So... it's been a while.
Way back on Saturday morning, the 23rd, just after 8am, I found myself back at my car after over a week at sea and a long night of standing watch. It is always such a pleasant feeling to find yourself back on land and back with familiar things. The first thing I saw in my car was a Virginia Symphony ad for a pops concert that very night in downtown... an evening with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I had left it there so I wouldn't forget about it, I suppose. Well, the first thing I did, even before going home was to head over to my favorite diner, the Sandfiddler Cafe, for my favorite... western omelet with hash and pancakes. After resting at home for a while, I headed out to Virginia Beach for a DVD player (for my new TV) and a couple frames for a couple puzzles that I didn't feel like breaking up.
The concert ended up being very crowded at the Chrysler Center downtown. I barely made it there in time because it was so hard to find parking. Ended up leaving the car at the MacArthur Center Mall garage, then walked the block or so back to the symphony. Then when I finally got to my seat in the back row, there was someone sitting in it! She got up and mentioned that she was only sitting there to be next to her friends, so I offered to take her seat, wherever that was (the one I bought was the cheapest price in the house, so it wasn't too magnanimous of me). She gave me her special seating in the second row on the extreme right... a view to die for, right behind the piano so I could even see the fingers fly! What a trade!
As for the concert itself, gosh, did I enjoy it! They're celebrating their 20th year this year and still have all their original members... I did want to swing in the aisles, as the flier advertised I would, when I heard them play. They were very energetic, and played very light, happy, jazz, swing, big-band and Dixieland sounds. At intermission, I ran out to the foyer and bought their new album Rattle Them Bones before the table got swamped. And I've been listening it in my car ever since. I was surprised by a sweet love song half-way through the album on the way home that they didn't play at the concert... called It Only Took a Kiss. Immediately, I was swept away with it as it plainly described my own love with Michael.
Sunday the 24th I took pretty easy. I finished the Sleeping Beauty puzzle I had started before the underway... then I watched the first episode of Horatio Hornblower, made a very quick trip back to Best Buy to return the B/R player that wouldn't respond in the menu screen for a cheaper, but more reliable DVD player (saving $30). I started another puzzle (backyard birds this time), watched the extras disc of Sleeping Beauty to test out the new player, and ended up watching the entire "making of" film and found it very interesting. Interviews with the artists and actors, and lots of neat pictures and footage of what they went through to bring it all together. Actors in costumes, going through the motions for the artists. Casting selections, and inspirations for characters. Then I made a delicious dinner of shrimp, scallops and asparagus, and watched the live feed of Mike's church in Norman for service that night at 7pm, my time. I even saw him shake hands with people on screen during the meet & greet part.
Monday the 25, I turned 30 years old in the morning while working on a couple checks on the Sonar Dome at work. No one remembered, but before I came in, I had a message from my parents and husband on Facebook... what more could you want? :) And then I was let off early because of the evening class I had to attend, starting at 6:30 pm, lasting for 4 hours. So it was about noon-ish when I got groceries and gas at the commissary. Since I woke up late that morning, and had to rush to work, I made an excellent breakfast for lunch when I got home around 12:30. After that I worked on my puzzle, took a nap, and managed to stop for Burger King before making my way back to base for my class in Divisional Safety Petty Officer training. Oh, joy!
Because it was a two-day class, my supervisor (Senior Chief) let me off of work on Tuesday the 26th. Another fine birthday present, I think. I slept in, had cereal, watched Sleeping Beauty for a belated birthday movie, had Pad Thai shrimp for lunch, went to the shooting range on the Marine Corps base to shoot my own pistol for the first time (enjoyed it quite a bit although I was limited by the one clip of 15 rounds I brought with me... they were out of it at the store), then continued on directly to the laundromat in Ocean View and read more in The Caine Mutiny while I waited. More puzzling at home before the last installment of my class that night. Also got in a nice long call with my parents and sister Meg before talking with Mike.
Wednesday, I was allowed to come in late again! What a week! Slept in again! Didn't have to be in to work until 11am, so I heartily enjoyed a full breakfast. All I had time to do at work before we were let go to work out was get the divisional safety binder in order. And after the 30 minutes on the elliptical, another STG and I went to a public indoor pool in Norfolk for a wonderful half-hour's swim. I only did 600 yds, but that was because I stopped and talked with my friend more often than not. After dropping her back at her house, I returned home for a shower, then went down the street to Franco's Italian Cuisine for dinner and enjoyed spaghetti with meatballs the size of baseballs, hot bread and decaff for a treat. The next day was my duty day, so I saved half the meal for dinner on the ship (which ended up being much better than what they served!).
Friday afternoon, the beginning of my second wonderful weekend, I relaxed at home for a while, working a bunch on my puzzle and eating some pizza from the freezer for lunch. I had to stay long enough for UPS to deliver my push-mower from Amazon (which apparently required a signature - they tried to find me at home on my duty day and left a note) before I took off for Kristin and Dan's. It finally came around 6:30, so I made it over to Chesapeake around 7:15. They waited to have dinner until I got there too... so very sweet! We had pulled-pork sandwiches and coleslaw as we watched one of the TV shows they enjoy on Hulu... called "Revolutions". Then we finished the last of the John Adams series which we had started late last year.
Saturday the 30th, slept in til 8, and then we took off to have an Easter brunch with their close friends. I loved the egg & sausage casserole best... and had a good time meeting everyone. A couple notable things I enjoyed looking at at their house: not sure what type of fish this was, but the Naval Academy Press book dated from 1939! I was disappointed the Sears book did not have a toy section.
Upon returning to their house, Kristin and I watched the BBC Lord Peter Wimsey film (4 TV episodes) of Have His Carcase from 1987. This was the book I just finished reading underway, so it was great fun! It was the only L.P.W. dvd I could find at our library, but I didn't mind... liked it very much. Just like the BBC too... some scenes are pulled from the book word for word!. I think I shall see the two others with these actors before I watch the Ian Carmichael series. Then I picked up my book for a while (A Voice in the Wind - a Christian/historical fiction/romance novel that the other Lay Leader on the Truxtun lent me to read - after talking about it on watch together) before Kristin and Dan came downstairs and we watched a movie (Diamonds are Forever - forgive me) and more Hulu (New Girl) before going to bed.
Today! my brother's birthday and the day we celebrate our Lord's resurrection, the 31st, we all slept in. I was downstairs first, even after my shower, so I read some more in my book. There were leftovers from yesterday's brunch, and then I read some more and chatted with Kristin about church. While she went to go get ready for the day, I borrowed her sewing machine and sewed the crows and name tapes on a new pair of coveralls, then did more straight seams along a dark gray fleece blanket for the ship. When I finished, we broke out a puzzle on the kitchen table and nearly finished it before our Easter lunch of baked ham, sweet potato casserole, and green bean casserole. Mmm! Did more puzzle and then took off for an evening Easter service at the new church they're attending... Crosscurrent Church off Indian River Road in Kempsville.
What a surprise! It is so very much like the church I've been missing for ten months now... Mission Valley Christian Fellowship in San Diego. It's about the same size, also meeting in a classic, old-style chapel that is shared by another church. They only have a couple guitars and a drum set, and a very Biblical, down-to-earth, no nonsense way of teaching. I already met a couple nice young women my age who assume I'm coming to their small group too! They do communion every Sunday, and in the same manner as MVCF... everyone gets in two lines and comes to the front. Good Lord, praises for today's find! I said goodbye to Kristin and Dan in the parking lot, as we had drove separately, and we parted ways while getting on different ramps to I-64. Praise God! I am happy.
Jw
Way back on Saturday morning, the 23rd, just after 8am, I found myself back at my car after over a week at sea and a long night of standing watch. It is always such a pleasant feeling to find yourself back on land and back with familiar things. The first thing I saw in my car was a Virginia Symphony ad for a pops concert that very night in downtown... an evening with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I had left it there so I wouldn't forget about it, I suppose. Well, the first thing I did, even before going home was to head over to my favorite diner, the Sandfiddler Cafe, for my favorite... western omelet with hash and pancakes. After resting at home for a while, I headed out to Virginia Beach for a DVD player (for my new TV) and a couple frames for a couple puzzles that I didn't feel like breaking up.The concert ended up being very crowded at the Chrysler Center downtown. I barely made it there in time because it was so hard to find parking. Ended up leaving the car at the MacArthur Center Mall garage, then walked the block or so back to the symphony. Then when I finally got to my seat in the back row, there was someone sitting in it! She got up and mentioned that she was only sitting there to be next to her friends, so I offered to take her seat, wherever that was (the one I bought was the cheapest price in the house, so it wasn't too magnanimous of me). She gave me her special seating in the second row on the extreme right... a view to die for, right behind the piano so I could even see the fingers fly! What a trade!
As for the concert itself, gosh, did I enjoy it! They're celebrating their 20th year this year and still have all their original members... I did want to swing in the aisles, as the flier advertised I would, when I heard them play. They were very energetic, and played very light, happy, jazz, swing, big-band and Dixieland sounds. At intermission, I ran out to the foyer and bought their new album Rattle Them Bones before the table got swamped. And I've been listening it in my car ever since. I was surprised by a sweet love song half-way through the album on the way home that they didn't play at the concert... called It Only Took a Kiss. Immediately, I was swept away with it as it plainly described my own love with Michael. 
Monday the 25, I turned 30 years old in the morning while working on a couple checks on the Sonar Dome at work. No one remembered, but before I came in, I had a message from my parents and husband on Facebook... what more could you want? :) And then I was let off early because of the evening class I had to attend, starting at 6:30 pm, lasting for 4 hours. So it was about noon-ish when I got groceries and gas at the commissary. Since I woke up late that morning, and had to rush to work, I made an excellent breakfast for lunch when I got home around 12:30. After that I worked on my puzzle, took a nap, and managed to stop for Burger King before making my way back to base for my class in Divisional Safety Petty Officer training. Oh, joy!Because it was a two-day class, my supervisor (Senior Chief) let me off of work on Tuesday the 26th. Another fine birthday present, I think. I slept in, had cereal, watched Sleeping Beauty for a belated birthday movie, had Pad Thai shrimp for lunch, went to the shooting range on the Marine Corps base to shoot my own pistol for the first time (enjoyed it quite a bit although I was limited by the one clip of 15 rounds I brought with me... they were out of it at the store), then continued on directly to the laundromat in Ocean View and read more in The Caine Mutiny while I waited. More puzzling at home before the last installment of my class that night. Also got in a nice long call with my parents and sister Meg before talking with Mike.
Wednesday, I was allowed to come in late again! What a week! Slept in again! Didn't have to be in to work until 11am, so I heartily enjoyed a full breakfast. All I had time to do at work before we were let go to work out was get the divisional safety binder in order. And after the 30 minutes on the elliptical, another STG and I went to a public indoor pool in Norfolk for a wonderful half-hour's swim. I only did 600 yds, but that was because I stopped and talked with my friend more often than not. After dropping her back at her house, I returned home for a shower, then went down the street to Franco's Italian Cuisine for dinner and enjoyed spaghetti with meatballs the size of baseballs, hot bread and decaff for a treat. The next day was my duty day, so I saved half the meal for dinner on the ship (which ended up being much better than what they served!).
Friday afternoon, the beginning of my second wonderful weekend, I relaxed at home for a while, working a bunch on my puzzle and eating some pizza from the freezer for lunch. I had to stay long enough for UPS to deliver my push-mower from Amazon (which apparently required a signature - they tried to find me at home on my duty day and left a note) before I took off for Kristin and Dan's. It finally came around 6:30, so I made it over to Chesapeake around 7:15. They waited to have dinner until I got there too... so very sweet! We had pulled-pork sandwiches and coleslaw as we watched one of the TV shows they enjoy on Hulu... called "Revolutions". Then we finished the last of the John Adams series which we had started late last year.
Saturday the 30th, slept in til 8, and then we took off to have an Easter brunch with their close friends. I loved the egg & sausage casserole best... and had a good time meeting everyone. A couple notable things I enjoyed looking at at their house: not sure what type of fish this was, but the Naval Academy Press book dated from 1939! I was disappointed the Sears book did not have a toy section.
Upon returning to their house, Kristin and I watched the BBC Lord Peter Wimsey film (4 TV episodes) of Have His Carcase from 1987. This was the book I just finished reading underway, so it was great fun! It was the only L.P.W. dvd I could find at our library, but I didn't mind... liked it very much. Just like the BBC too... some scenes are pulled from the book word for word!. I think I shall see the two others with these actors before I watch the Ian Carmichael series. Then I picked up my book for a while (A Voice in the Wind - a Christian/historical fiction/romance novel that the other Lay Leader on the Truxtun lent me to read - after talking about it on watch together) before Kristin and Dan came downstairs and we watched a movie (Diamonds are Forever - forgive me) and more Hulu (New Girl) before going to bed.
Today! my brother's birthday and the day we celebrate our Lord's resurrection, the 31st, we all slept in. I was downstairs first, even after my shower, so I read some more in my book. There were leftovers from yesterday's brunch, and then I read some more and chatted with Kristin about church. While she went to go get ready for the day, I borrowed her sewing machine and sewed the crows and name tapes on a new pair of coveralls, then did more straight seams along a dark gray fleece blanket for the ship. When I finished, we broke out a puzzle on the kitchen table and nearly finished it before our Easter lunch of baked ham, sweet potato casserole, and green bean casserole. Mmm! Did more puzzle and then took off for an evening Easter service at the new church they're attending... Crosscurrent Church off Indian River Road in Kempsville.
What a surprise! It is so very much like the church I've been missing for ten months now... Mission Valley Christian Fellowship in San Diego. It's about the same size, also meeting in a classic, old-style chapel that is shared by another church. They only have a couple guitars and a drum set, and a very Biblical, down-to-earth, no nonsense way of teaching. I already met a couple nice young women my age who assume I'm coming to their small group too! They do communion every Sunday, and in the same manner as MVCF... everyone gets in two lines and comes to the front. Good Lord, praises for today's find! I said goodbye to Kristin and Dan in the parking lot, as we had drove separately, and we parted ways while getting on different ramps to I-64. Praise God! I am happy. Jw
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Twenty-Nine
Everyone was so nice at church, wishing me a happy birthday. I enjoyed the message on listening to the Spirit's direction about big decisions, and also liked the spaghetti and meatballs for lunch afterwords.
From there I decided to enjoy a hike at Mission Trails State Park. It's only a couple miles down Friars Road from church, so I thought it'd be a good Sunday thing to do. I drove across the park and then back around, just exploring. Then I parked at the visitor's center, bought a patch, studied a map, and then changed into my hiking boots. And good thing! I decided on the steep climber's path (to the base of the climbing rocks). It was a one-mile loop, with a 400 ft. elevation gain. What views! It was difficult to distinguish where the trail continued at two or three places. Once there seemed to be one going up and one going down, so I tried the high road. :) It quickly got too steep, and seemed to go straight up... so I went back down and around.
On the way back home I went to Fry's Electronics and picked up the ESD grounding strap that STG1 suggested we get for ourselves. And then I stopped in Old Town at my favorite burger place for a late lunch. Back home, I watched my Darling's sermon from last week online, and then it was time for small group... where we had a special salmon dinner for my birthday, and watched the first half of Fiddler on the Roof. Mom & Dad called, sang me Happy Birthday, and we talked for a moment. :)
Jw
From there I decided to enjoy a hike at Mission Trails State Park. It's only a couple miles down Friars Road from church, so I thought it'd be a good Sunday thing to do. I drove across the park and then back around, just exploring. Then I parked at the visitor's center, bought a patch, studied a map, and then changed into my hiking boots. And good thing! I decided on the steep climber's path (to the base of the climbing rocks). It was a one-mile loop, with a 400 ft. elevation gain. What views! It was difficult to distinguish where the trail continued at two or three places. Once there seemed to be one going up and one going down, so I tried the high road. :) It quickly got too steep, and seemed to go straight up... so I went back down and around.
On the way back home I went to Fry's Electronics and picked up the ESD grounding strap that STG1 suggested we get for ourselves. And then I stopped in Old Town at my favorite burger place for a late lunch. Back home, I watched my Darling's sermon from last week online, and then it was time for small group... where we had a special salmon dinner for my birthday, and watched the first half of Fiddler on the Roof. Mom & Dad called, sang me Happy Birthday, and we talked for a moment. :)
Jw
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Twenty-Eight
Yesterday was fun! ...after class was let out, of course. We were kept rather late (especially compared to last Friday!), not getting out until 3pm. I spent some time relaxing and cleaning up before I went out on the town with Ferry, the guy I sit next to in class (he had asked me out on Wednesday, I think). I've always been interested in San Diego's "Little Italy", but especially after Mike mentioned it during our trolley ride.
Italian sounded really good, so that's where we went. Little Italy's Spaghetteria was exactly what I had in mind. Gosh, they had some sort of symphony soundtrack playing in the background, and the waiters could actually speak some Italian. It was great to be able to talk to one of my shipmates and get to know him. He's from Pittsburgh, actually, and told me about it a little. He was also homeschooled a few years, but I found out Pennsylvania's "commonwealth" is a bit different from liberal Washington. There isn't any standardized testing for homeschoolers! Wow! Anyway... I had something called "Lumaconi Ripieni" and we shared some incredible cheesy bread.
Afterwords, we got back on the trolley and went further to downtown, just to walk around. We explored the historic "gas lamp quarter" and looked at all the fancy restaurants and touristy shops. They have an Old Spaghetti Factory, just like Washington does! It was a fun little walk, especially with all the bustle of the early evening. We got back on the trolley and returned to base via the 28.
It was some unexpected fun!
Jp
PS... tonight I'm going to "Peter Pan" at the Symphony for another trip downtown. They're accompanying the silent 1924 version... I've never seen such a thing, so it should be neat.
Today I slept in to the natural Saturday sleep-in time of about 9am. Volunteered to be a line judge for a couple hours of the volleyball tournament for our chapter of CSADD. Besides that and a few errands around Point Loma, I stayed on base until nearly 7pm for the concert.
Italian sounded really good, so that's where we went. Little Italy's Spaghetteria was exactly what I had in mind. Gosh, they had some sort of symphony soundtrack playing in the background, and the waiters could actually speak some Italian. It was great to be able to talk to one of my shipmates and get to know him. He's from Pittsburgh, actually, and told me about it a little. He was also homeschooled a few years, but I found out Pennsylvania's "commonwealth" is a bit different from liberal Washington. There isn't any standardized testing for homeschoolers! Wow! Anyway... I had something called "Lumaconi Ripieni" and we shared some incredible cheesy bread.
Afterwords, we got back on the trolley and went further to downtown, just to walk around. We explored the historic "gas lamp quarter" and looked at all the fancy restaurants and touristy shops. They have an Old Spaghetti Factory, just like Washington does! It was a fun little walk, especially with all the bustle of the early evening. We got back on the trolley and returned to base via the 28.
It was some unexpected fun!
Jp
PS... tonight I'm going to "Peter Pan" at the Symphony for another trip downtown. They're accompanying the silent 1924 version... I've never seen such a thing, so it should be neat.
Today I slept in to the natural Saturday sleep-in time of about 9am. Volunteered to be a line judge for a couple hours of the volleyball tournament for our chapter of CSADD. Besides that and a few errands around Point Loma, I stayed on base until nearly 7pm for the concert.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
New Day
Our weather cleared up yesterday and we had lots of sunshine amid a few sprinkles. Mom and Dad were still gone when I went home for lunch, so all the little extra tidbits of cleaning up I did before work were for naught... although that meant I didn't need to do it at lunch. I ate up the leftover grilled chicken with the leftover buttered broccoli, and boy, was that good!
The night before when I was interrupted by a bolt of lighting I was going to mention that my tax refund came... and the government added the "making work pay" credit automatically, like I heard they would after I filed my return without knowing about it. I've been out of touch with the news lately. So it was a sizable one, and I deposited it on my way back to work.
Mom and Dad had returned by the time I got home, and we had a hodge-podge dinner because everyone was tired. "Ray" had come from Netflix, and at 2.5 hours, we thought we'd only watch part of it, but we went through the whole thing because nobody wanted to quit. Good movie, but I'd only want to watch it once. In my room afterwords, I tried out push-ups again (I haven't done any in a couple weeks) and I did a dozen or so with not much trouble. Need to start building on that again. In bed I opened my Bible to random places and skimmed Matthew 6, read Psalm 86 and a passage in Ecclesiastes 7 that I found very comforting. It was odd, because verse 12 caught my eye, and then I found that I was reading verses I memorized as a kid (verses 13-14) and I kept on through 15-17 and verse 18 really stuck in my mind. I went to sleep in peace.
It's my co worker's 40th birthday today, so last night my other coworker and I conspired to put signs up all over the stairways last night, and this morning we really put smiles on her face! :) This noontime we're all going out to eat to celebrate.
Jp
The night before when I was interrupted by a bolt of lighting I was going to mention that my tax refund came... and the government added the "making work pay" credit automatically, like I heard they would after I filed my return without knowing about it. I've been out of touch with the news lately. So it was a sizable one, and I deposited it on my way back to work.
Mom and Dad had returned by the time I got home, and we had a hodge-podge dinner because everyone was tired. "Ray" had come from Netflix, and at 2.5 hours, we thought we'd only watch part of it, but we went through the whole thing because nobody wanted to quit. Good movie, but I'd only want to watch it once. In my room afterwords, I tried out push-ups again (I haven't done any in a couple weeks) and I did a dozen or so with not much trouble. Need to start building on that again. In bed I opened my Bible to random places and skimmed Matthew 6, read Psalm 86 and a passage in Ecclesiastes 7 that I found very comforting. It was odd, because verse 12 caught my eye, and then I found that I was reading verses I memorized as a kid (verses 13-14) and I kept on through 15-17 and verse 18 really stuck in my mind. I went to sleep in peace.
It's my co worker's 40th birthday today, so last night my other coworker and I conspired to put signs up all over the stairways last night, and this morning we really put smiles on her face! :) This noontime we're all going out to eat to celebrate.
Jp
Friday, March 26, 2010
Last Night
Way too busy to post yesterday!
Before lunchtime I remembered about Denny's birthday special this year: a free Grand Slam on your birthday. So Dad took me out (we swung by home first for my workout clothes for tonight and the Backgammon game) and we played four games before we got our food. :) Oh, was it great! I had the turkey sausage patty and hashbrowns and the usual buttermilk pancakes and scrambled eggs, along with a tall glass of orange juice. When we got back to work, my coworker Deanna had put up some "Happy Birthday Jen" signs at the top of the stairs and on our department door... so lots of people wished me a happy birthday from then on :)
After work I went to Jazzercise, like usual, but after I got home I changed and we all headed out to Anthony's Homeport Restaurant for a yummy dinner. I had reserved a table, and even though it was on the very busy and crowded Kirkland waterfront we got parking because they have their own parking garage. My dinner came with the creamiest clam chowder! And for the entree I had garlic butter shrimp with a bed of rice and spears of asparagus. And there were baskets of the warmest sourdough bread... It was excellent!
We went straight home after dinner and after replying to my brother's "happy birthday my weird sister" post on Facebook (he even called later and wished me one audibly!), I opened a couple presents and we had some chocolate cake while we watched "The Male Animal"... LOL! It was very good!
But by the time it finished, it was just past midnight and time for bed!
Jp :)
Before lunchtime I remembered about Denny's birthday special this year: a free Grand Slam on your birthday. So Dad took me out (we swung by home first for my workout clothes for tonight and the Backgammon game) and we played four games before we got our food. :) Oh, was it great! I had the turkey sausage patty and hashbrowns and the usual buttermilk pancakes and scrambled eggs, along with a tall glass of orange juice. When we got back to work, my coworker Deanna had put up some "Happy Birthday Jen" signs at the top of the stairs and on our department door... so lots of people wished me a happy birthday from then on :)
After work I went to Jazzercise, like usual, but after I got home I changed and we all headed out to Anthony's Homeport Restaurant for a yummy dinner. I had reserved a table, and even though it was on the very busy and crowded Kirkland waterfront we got parking because they have their own parking garage. My dinner came with the creamiest clam chowder! And for the entree I had garlic butter shrimp with a bed of rice and spears of asparagus. And there were baskets of the warmest sourdough bread... It was excellent!
We went straight home after dinner and after replying to my brother's "happy birthday my weird sister" post on Facebook (he even called later and wished me one audibly!), I opened a couple presents and we had some chocolate cake while we watched "The Male Animal"... LOL! It was very good!
But by the time it finished, it was just past midnight and time for bed!
Jp :)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Exactly 27 Years Ago...
My Mom felt a lot better. She spent that night in the hospital watching strange movies on TV with Dad.
How time flies. :)
What can I say about Wednesday? It was gorgeous! So I took more pictures in the front yard because the Japanese Maple and the tulip tree were starting to really bloom and blossom. And I got a couple rather neat self-portraits. Mom made a yummy steak dinner, we watched "Notorious" together and I cursed Alfred Hitchcock because he is so good at suspense. I opened a very cool package from Mike, and I brought in this morning doing what I love... talking to my friend.
Beautiful sleep last night, and I rose right away, ready to meet the day.
Jp
Thursday, March 18, 2010
First Birthday
The Preliminary Party
The ladies at work are so nice. Every birthday we go out and celebrate, and today we went out for mine in advance of next Thursday, since one of my coworkers will be unavailable then. We went to our regular haunt, Coho Cafe in downtown Redmond. Some people tried new things! We all have our regular favorites, and I had one of mine, the Northwest Seafood Fettuccine. It's in an Alfredo sauce with hunks of fish... I think it's halibut, shrimp, scallops, and sun-dried tomato. Mmmm. And since the restaurant gives you a dessert to share if it's your birthday, I had the baked apple crisp with ice cream and caramel on the side. Oh, gosh, that was good.
At about 4:30 I remembered about Jazzercise being at 5:30, and I hadn't brought workout clothes with me... this makes for two weeks in a row I've had to go back home and quick change and then go a little further into Redmond for the hour-long class. It was a particularly hard set today, and I felt great afterwords. I took myself out for a veggie sandwich at Panera, then came home, took a shower, then washed my bed and continued reading in Meg's dissertation. I even got to the part where she mentions Rupert and Linda in a footnote! :)
On the drive back home at 7pm as I came down 132nd St., the sun was sitting just on top of the Olympic mountains in the distance. Thin, wispy clouds melted into a golden sky above the impressive peaks. I love how you can see just the one mountain if you look west at 132nd square. It's one peak that rises out of the road as it slopes up, keeping the following stoplight out of view. It's a view I savor, especially with a sunset like today's.
Jp
The ladies at work are so nice. Every birthday we go out and celebrate, and today we went out for mine in advance of next Thursday, since one of my coworkers will be unavailable then. We went to our regular haunt, Coho Cafe in downtown Redmond. Some people tried new things! We all have our regular favorites, and I had one of mine, the Northwest Seafood Fettuccine. It's in an Alfredo sauce with hunks of fish... I think it's halibut, shrimp, scallops, and sun-dried tomato. Mmmm. And since the restaurant gives you a dessert to share if it's your birthday, I had the baked apple crisp with ice cream and caramel on the side. Oh, gosh, that was good.
At about 4:30 I remembered about Jazzercise being at 5:30, and I hadn't brought workout clothes with me... this makes for two weeks in a row I've had to go back home and quick change and then go a little further into Redmond for the hour-long class. It was a particularly hard set today, and I felt great afterwords. I took myself out for a veggie sandwich at Panera, then came home, took a shower, then washed my bed and continued reading in Meg's dissertation. I even got to the part where she mentions Rupert and Linda in a footnote! :)
On the drive back home at 7pm as I came down 132nd St., the sun was sitting just on top of the Olympic mountains in the distance. Thin, wispy clouds melted into a golden sky above the impressive peaks. I love how you can see just the one mountain if you look west at 132nd square. It's one peak that rises out of the road as it slopes up, keeping the following stoplight out of view. It's a view I savor, especially with a sunset like today's.
Jp
Monday, February 8, 2010
Surprise!
Well, today was full of the unexpected!
In the first half-hour of work, I was trying to find a spec for an engineer... and when my coworker and I were looking for it in the old KM files, we happened upon yet another stash of documents, released and unreleased from our former Doc. Control clerk who left the company 11 months ago. It took up nearly the entire morning, sorting it out and cleaning it up.
I spent the rest of the day doing all sorts of jobs... scrapping parts, entering part numbers, completing change requests, finding paperwork... and then, near the end of the day, as we were getting ready for our new employees to make it over from HR, I go to my boss's office to give her a change request of hers, and she and her boss ask me to come back in. And then they tell me all our jobs in the Data Center have been re-assessed by the company, and they're giving us a 6% raise... effective today! How utterly unexpected!
Yesterday was uneventful... besides a nice little celebration for Meg, for her birthday this week - we had steak for dinner and chocolate cake for dessert - otherwise, I spent a lot of the day sleeping. There comes a time every month where I greatly dislike being a woman... and yesterday was it. I slept on the comfy chair in the kitchen for hours... and then I laid down on the couch and watched the last quarter and a half of the Super Bowl with Dad. A rather good game, actually. Both sides played really well; there was lots of movement on the field, lots of 1st downs.
Later on, Mom and Dad and I watched "The Caine Mutiny" (1954) Bogart. It was very interesting, and I liked it a lot. Very different role for Bogart, compared to the roles I've seen him in. Oh, and tonight, Mom and I watched "Bringing up Baby" (1938) which I was completely unfamiliar with... and I was a bit surprised by the storyline, but I spent nearly the whole thing laughing. :)
Jp
In the first half-hour of work, I was trying to find a spec for an engineer... and when my coworker and I were looking for it in the old KM files, we happened upon yet another stash of documents, released and unreleased from our former Doc. Control clerk who left the company 11 months ago. It took up nearly the entire morning, sorting it out and cleaning it up.
I spent the rest of the day doing all sorts of jobs... scrapping parts, entering part numbers, completing change requests, finding paperwork... and then, near the end of the day, as we were getting ready for our new employees to make it over from HR, I go to my boss's office to give her a change request of hers, and she and her boss ask me to come back in. And then they tell me all our jobs in the Data Center have been re-assessed by the company, and they're giving us a 6% raise... effective today! How utterly unexpected!
Yesterday was uneventful... besides a nice little celebration for Meg, for her birthday this week - we had steak for dinner and chocolate cake for dessert - otherwise, I spent a lot of the day sleeping. There comes a time every month where I greatly dislike being a woman... and yesterday was it. I slept on the comfy chair in the kitchen for hours... and then I laid down on the couch and watched the last quarter and a half of the Super Bowl with Dad. A rather good game, actually. Both sides played really well; there was lots of movement on the field, lots of 1st downs.
Later on, Mom and Dad and I watched "The Caine Mutiny" (1954) Bogart. It was very interesting, and I liked it a lot. Very different role for Bogart, compared to the roles I've seen him in. Oh, and tonight, Mom and I watched "Bringing up Baby" (1938) which I was completely unfamiliar with... and I was a bit surprised by the storyline, but I spent nearly the whole thing laughing. :)
Jp
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Guess Who I Met at Work?
Oh, only my favorite ball player of all time; Mr. Edgar Martinez.
He is retired and runs a small company that might do business with our employee store. He played 18 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, won 2 batting titles, 5 Silver Slugger awards, and was an All-Star 7 times. And he's an awfully nice guy.
I was often a DH (designated hitter) my last couple years in softball and I wore number eleven in his honor: he was my inspiration. My boss introduced me, and I was able to tell him what I practiced saying on the way over in case I met him. I thankfully didn't have to ask for an autograph, as my sister got one for me when she ran into him at the airport a few years back.
What a birthday present!
Jp
He is retired and runs a small company that might do business with our employee store. He played 18 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, won 2 batting titles, 5 Silver Slugger awards, and was an All-Star 7 times. And he's an awfully nice guy.
I was often a DH (designated hitter) my last couple years in softball and I wore number eleven in his honor: he was my inspiration. My boss introduced me, and I was able to tell him what I practiced saying on the way over in case I met him. I thankfully didn't have to ask for an autograph, as my sister got one for me when she ran into him at the airport a few years back.
What a birthday present!
Jp
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Exactly 26 Years Ago... right now.
I was born!
Yesterday I wrote my first letter to my brother, and finally got my room in a semblance of order. And we watched a few more episodes of MASH. Great show, really. Today, the ladies are taking me out for lunch to our favorite place, Coho Cafe. And tonight, Mom is making me a dinner that I got to pick. Salmon and pasta, with fresh strawberries and pineapple and red potatos. Too bad I was too tired for Jazzercise this morning! And I've been promised Bolt, and Season 2 of F-Troop! Rarely do we surprise each other in my family! LOL!
Jp
Yesterday I wrote my first letter to my brother, and finally got my room in a semblance of order. And we watched a few more episodes of MASH. Great show, really. Today, the ladies are taking me out for lunch to our favorite place, Coho Cafe. And tonight, Mom is making me a dinner that I got to pick. Salmon and pasta, with fresh strawberries and pineapple and red potatos. Too bad I was too tired for Jazzercise this morning! And I've been promised Bolt, and Season 2 of F-Troop! Rarely do we surprise each other in my family! LOL!
Jp
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
And the Rain Came Down
Just sittin' here, listening to the rain pound down on the roof.
Just like I did yesterday and last night for the 30 seconds it took me to fall asleep.
Monday was so insanely busy, I barely took a breath all day long... mostly MRB actions, for a change. Yesterday and today have been much nicer though... still busy, but not pulling out my hair anymore.
A belated "happy birthday" to Rupert Holmes (thanks, Linda) and my 3 year old nephew... both born February 24th. We celebrated Micah on Sunday, and yesterday I listened to "Swing" and "Widescreen". The lady on the track "Our National Pastime" sounds exactly like "Jane Smith" from "Caller ID"... huh.
[yeah, okay... it was Alice Playten... just checked Linda's site. LOL]
As a side note: You know you've been reading Narnia too much when you start saying "bother" and "rot" and "I shouldn't wonder"... and you're an American. :)
Jp
Just like I did yesterday and last night for the 30 seconds it took me to fall asleep.
Monday was so insanely busy, I barely took a breath all day long... mostly MRB actions, for a change. Yesterday and today have been much nicer though... still busy, but not pulling out my hair anymore.
A belated "happy birthday" to Rupert Holmes (thanks, Linda) and my 3 year old nephew... both born February 24th. We celebrated Micah on Sunday, and yesterday I listened to "Swing" and "Widescreen". The lady on the track "Our National Pastime" sounds exactly like "Jane Smith" from "Caller ID"... huh.
[yeah, okay... it was Alice Playten... just checked Linda's site. LOL]
As a side note: You know you've been reading Narnia too much when you start saying "bother" and "rot" and "I shouldn't wonder"... and you're an American. :)
Jp
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Memory... all alone in the... nevermind.
Gee, I loved that song from 'Cats'. Just looked outside and there is moonlight, but I guess I'm not alone, here at home.
Anyway, it was a long trip down memory lane today. I got the notion to put all my old negatives from when I started shooting - in 1998! - into the extra negative holders I had left over from last quarter. I looked at every single picture as I sorted them and put them in sleeves.
And then people had the idea to watch a family home video this afternoon... my sister and her family were over, and we were celebrating my other sister's birthday... and so we were taken back to 1991 and on... trips across Montana, South Dakota, British Colombia, Wyoming, on the way to and at Minnesota... interspersed with birthday parties and Christmases... me, actually crawling onto an exhibit of dinosaur bones when I was 8 years old... LOL! me taking a record five minutes to jump off the dock... "Jump in, Jennie!" LOL! I was such a brave kid... LOL!
And then between watching the last episode of MASH (which was a present), and 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' (with Martin Landau) from Netfilx, we had some lovely cake.
Another week. (sigh)
Jp
Anyway, it was a long trip down memory lane today. I got the notion to put all my old negatives from when I started shooting - in 1998! - into the extra negative holders I had left over from last quarter. I looked at every single picture as I sorted them and put them in sleeves.
And then people had the idea to watch a family home video this afternoon... my sister and her family were over, and we were celebrating my other sister's birthday... and so we were taken back to 1991 and on... trips across Montana, South Dakota, British Colombia, Wyoming, on the way to and at Minnesota... interspersed with birthday parties and Christmases... me, actually crawling onto an exhibit of dinosaur bones when I was 8 years old... LOL! me taking a record five minutes to jump off the dock... "Jump in, Jennie!" LOL! I was such a brave kid... LOL!
And then between watching the last episode of MASH (which was a present), and 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' (with Martin Landau) from Netfilx, we had some lovely cake.
Another week. (sigh)
Jp
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Saturday (that was yesterday).
So I actually slept in! That was fun! Biking was cancelled, but I wasn't going to go anyway, because of it being my Mom's birthday and a good day to go (horse) riding too.
I remember making myself breakfast, and wiping up the kitchen door from the condensation... I think I must have just messed around for a few hours before M and I left to go riding. We went to to post office and Fred Meyer's on the way and didn't get to Carnation until around 3 or so. My! It was biting cold outside! They were still eating their hay when we arrived, so we spent a little time scooping the poop from the field. (Hey! It's fun when there's two doing it! LOL) Besides a few fights with Roo, everything went swimmingly; and it was such lovely fun to get back in the saddle again. We deviated from our usual path a little, and that was the major cause of resistance from Mr. Stink-a-Roo. (Buck-a-Roo is his real name.)
When we got back to the house, we all went for a celebratory dinner to Fishbone, for our first time. Yummm! And they had beautiful paintings of freshwater fish too... my gosh! I love that place! I had a spicy shrimp fettuccine. During a chat that I was very late getting to, 9:15!, I watched Star Trek VI with my siblings, followed by a hysterical episode of "Scrubbs" and then two later episodes of "Fresh Prince" and two of "Home Improvement". I have to say, ST 6 is probably my favorite Star Trek movie... at least it makes the most sense. LOL! I do enjoy 4 and 2&3 as well. But I felt very distracted during chat... I only did it because my brother is leaving in... oh, would you look at the time... 3 hours... and I needed more time with him. :( Don't think I could ever have enough though... funny! I don't think I'd ever imagine myself saying that... especially if I was 14 and he was 10... :) lol :(
Jp
I remember making myself breakfast, and wiping up the kitchen door from the condensation... I think I must have just messed around for a few hours before M and I left to go riding. We went to to post office and Fred Meyer's on the way and didn't get to Carnation until around 3 or so. My! It was biting cold outside! They were still eating their hay when we arrived, so we spent a little time scooping the poop from the field. (Hey! It's fun when there's two doing it! LOL) Besides a few fights with Roo, everything went swimmingly; and it was such lovely fun to get back in the saddle again. We deviated from our usual path a little, and that was the major cause of resistance from Mr. Stink-a-Roo. (Buck-a-Roo is his real name.)
When we got back to the house, we all went for a celebratory dinner to Fishbone, for our first time. Yummm! And they had beautiful paintings of freshwater fish too... my gosh! I love that place! I had a spicy shrimp fettuccine. During a chat that I was very late getting to, 9:15!, I watched Star Trek VI with my siblings, followed by a hysterical episode of "Scrubbs" and then two later episodes of "Fresh Prince" and two of "Home Improvement". I have to say, ST 6 is probably my favorite Star Trek movie... at least it makes the most sense. LOL! I do enjoy 4 and 2&3 as well. But I felt very distracted during chat... I only did it because my brother is leaving in... oh, would you look at the time... 3 hours... and I needed more time with him. :( Don't think I could ever have enough though... funny! I don't think I'd ever imagine myself saying that... especially if I was 14 and he was 10... :) lol :(
Jp
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