2016: The Recap

Guys. 2016 was a game changer. A total and utter game changer. 2015 was full of world travel, educational advancement and baby prep, but in 2016 it actually happened. We had a baby.

A cute baby.

A very cute baby.

And now our life revolves around her awesomeness.

The photos below were posted to Instagram in 2016. They are the most liked of all the images posted and in an effort to have some kind of family record (because 2011 through now is a tumbleweed blowing across your computer screen) let's recap the year:

1. After 42-hours of raw, medication free labor, our Remy girl came into the world. My birth story deserves its own post (fingers crossed I'll follow-through) but it was dramatic, traumatic, and Paul and I agreed we wouldn't talk about future kids or future labors for quite some time. The short story is my body didn't absorb the epidural narcotics, a piece of the cervix was blocking the birth canal so I was dilated to an 8 for 7+ hours (middle of the night), hyperventilated every contraction, pushed for 3 hours, had a baby who wasn't breathing and it was just real dramatic like. The photo above was several hours after birth when we were reunited. So much hair on that little head!
2. For Halloween I wanted to do a costume fairly low-key that had high impact but didn't require us to invest a fortune (because babies are fickle and only want to wear a costume for minutes at a time). Hot glue gun cotton balls to a beanie and add a dollar store pair of reading glasses (lenses removed) to a sweater, brooch, and dress combo and wah-la! We sure love our little old lady.
3. I decided it was cheaper (and more fun!) to fly Alaina out to shoot our family photos than to pay someone in town, so for two short days in November she came for a visit. We spent one afternoon taking family photos in front of the Portland skyline and at Cathedral Park by the St. John's bridge. I'll absolutely always treasure this photo of me and Remy -- it's about the only one where I have nice hair! 
4. This photo is the very first full-face photo of Remy we posted to social media. In it we also announced her full name, weight (8 lbs 8 ounces), height (20.75 in), and a good look at that very full, very dark head of hair. 
5. After visiting Santa at the mall (wherein we paid an obscene amount of money for a reservation so we didn't have to wait in line) I saw this festive setup in Pottery Barn. We quickly set Remy on the couch and snapped this gorgeous keeper of a photo. I'm still waiting for Pottery Barn to return my phone call about including this image in next year's catalog. 
6. This family-of-three shot is one of my ultimate favorites from Alaina's shoot--it made it onto the backside of our 2016 Christmas card as well. I posted it on a Friday wherein I got some really bad news at work that rocked me back a step (nothing super personal, account and client news) but I posted this photo with a caption of how excited I was to go home and spend time with these best friends of mine. Being a full-time working mom also deserves its own post I think. (Add it to the list.)
7. A baby in a pumpkin! I mean come. on. I fully anticipated Remy would cry when we put her into a cold, wet pumpkin wearing only a diaper. She didn't, because our baby is the most even-keeled happy baby there ever was. (Oh, we also put a dish towel in there.) We put a few decorations up on our porch once Sunday after church and snapped this picture. There are about a dozen in the set and they're all ridiculously cute. 
8. Remy loooooooooooooves the bath. Like holy smokes that girl would be happy to bathe every night. Somewhere mid-Fall we started putting her in the bathtub with one of us and she's never happier than when she's splashing in the tub. This photo was the second night she got to bathe in our main bathroom--the first night she learned that splashing has cause and effect.
9. Christmas Eve we took a redye flight to Bermuda. I wanted to vacation somewhere warm for the holiday but options were limited as true Caribbean/Mexican destinations were off-limits due to the Zika Virus (I'd like Remy to have a sibling with a normal-shaped head you see.). My parents joined us (they committed less than 90 minutes after asking!) and we had a ball hanging out at a posh resort, riding mopeds, and relaxing together. This photo is at the resort's private beach on the day after Christmas (late enough to have slept in after Remy couldn't figure out what time it was in her crib in the hotel room closet). 

2016 is a year many called a dumpster fire, rife with political and social drama. My year, however--our year, was fantastic. Adding Remy to our family has added depth and meaning to an otherwise full and satisfying life. Paul and I have, much to our surprise, naturally snapped into parenting this sweet girl entrusted to us. What a year.

2015: The Recap (as voted on by the public)

Life continues to move, the days feeling long but the weeks speeding by. 2015 was a roller coaster of a year for me and Paul; there were many days in the first part of the year that required a near-daily reminder that we could do hard things and tomorrow was a new day. The specifics of 2015 are included in the yearly write-up he and I put together (offline for all the good, juicy, private stuff) but the passing of the year bears some sort of acknowledgement and recap.

The picture below is a collage of my nine most 'liked' photos on Instagram. They share themes which doesn't explain the variety of excitement and turmoil achieved in 2015, but it's a start.

From top left to right, down a row, from left to right: rinse and repeat:

1. We're expecting a baby! A few fun facts: I really felt like I was pregnant and took a test one hour before leaving for Hood to Coast. Of course it came back positive and Paul and I had about 45 minutes to celebrate together before I was off for two days in a 200-mile nonstop running relay where I couldn't tell anyone; especially my two sisters who were in my van. Paul and I kept texting each other, marveling in excitement, and the thought of the upcoming baby gave my brain something to work through on my few runs. We waited until 16 weeks to tell the general public, and as I'm still hardly showing at six months it could have been kept even bigger of a secret! Also, probably TMI but no one reads blogs anymore, so here goes! Baby Judd was conceived on the first cycle of trying, in Switzerland of all places. (Not a bad start to life.)
2. Paul passed the Federal Patent Bar test. Ohhhhhhhhhhh was this a big one. He didn't pass on his first go-round, so the pressure was on, and with a 46% pass rate, the test is no walk in the park. In addition to studying for the test he was also finishing law school and being our home operations manager. We both cried when he passed; sadly, I was stuck at work (on a Friday night) until 8pm working on agency rebrand stuff (see difficult turmoil description above) but I can't describe the relief we both felt his passing. Nearly a year later his test score is still taped to the cabinet in our kitchen.
3. This photo of my four nephews was our public announcement that we're having a GIRL baby. After a four-boy streak in the Wms sisters (Alaina and Kendall's little guys) we're shocking the world by introducing a baby girl into it. Our ward (which we've grown exceptionally close to this year as well) hasn't had a girl in nearly 2+ years as well, so needless to say everyone is very excited. Also, I can't stop buying clothes.
4. Paul graduated from Law School! Both our sets of parents came into town on Memorial Day Weekend for the Saturday celebration. We hosted a BBQ at our home with friends and family and took visiting parental sets to hike Wachlela Falls. Neither of Paul's parents are college graduates and he's the first of his siblings to get a graduate degree, so basically he's an all-star. (And now all of the Wms daughters are married to men with graduate degrees. Crazy.)
5. WE WENT TO NEW YORK CITY AT CHRISTMASTIME, it was divine, and I was pregnant. I needed to travel to Boston for some emergency work meetings and it seemed like a good time to take Paul with me and for us to do a quick weekend in NYC (my favorite city on earth). While there we walked 15 and 9 miles each day and the maternity pants I was wearing were saggy enough that they required me to pull them up basically always. Frustrating, but everything else was DIVINE. One of my long-term bucket list items is to be in the City at Christmastime in love, and boy oh boy this trip satisfied that requirement. Maybe this trip will get a post of its own (unlikely but hope springs eternal!) but it was glorious and one of my favorite things Paul and I have done together.  (Also, Paul beat ridiculous odds to win lottery tickets to see Hamilton, one of the main reasons for the trip, and my every wish came true, we sat dead center front row, and I basically died.
6. Athens in front of the Parthenon, in 105+ degree heat. To celebrate our survival of the first half of the year (my work, the Patent Bar, Paul taking the Oregon State Bar), we went on a European Extravaganza Adventure. The first week was an Eastern Mediterranean cruise (Venice, Split and Dubrovnik Croatia, Athens, Ephesus Turkey) with my parents and the second week was Paul and I driving through Bavaria--Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland. The fact that more of our incredible trip isn't represented on this grid shows you the kind of BIG news we had this year, huh? 
7. In November we celebrated two years of marriage. I love this side by side photo of Paul and I. We were happy then, but we're even happier now! 2015 was also the year I finally got my wedding book printed, so that's clearly an accomplishment of its own.
8. I continue to decorate our house like a crazy person for Christmas. I love it so much and I'm grateful Paul will help me put it up AND take it down. This year some visiting children counted 18 baby Jesus(es?) so my nativity game continues to be strong. We bought new ones in Germany and Austria this year.
9. Venice! The first stop on our Euro Adventure (from where our cruise ship embarked) and we hadn't really told that many people we were traveling so I think it was a surprise to most. I've been to several Italian cities, but Venice has been my favorite. We rented an AirBnb apartment 100 feet off the Grand Canal and spoke Spanish with our Cuban renter (in Italy of all places). The world is a funny place.

So there you go! The high points of 2015! So much more bears documentation and we've made a concerted effort to write some of it down. In case you're interested in doing it yourself (which I strongly recommend!), here's the format we complete at the end of each year:

• 10 Highlights
• 5 Disappointments
• Game Changers
• Things You Focused On
• Places You Visited

As blogs are going the way of the wind, writing something down, even as simple as the above (which usually ends up being about two type-written pages) is helping us document our life together. It's not a shabby one!

Phew! Did you make it through our year? We did. (Just barely.)

Coastal Memories

Not only is Memorial Day the official summer kickoff, it's also the first paid-vacation-holiday of the year... which means I generally try to get out and about. (See: checking out the Czech Republic, hiking the death march with Katie in Colorado Springs, visiting the Chinese cemetery in Baker City, camping at Acadia National Park in Maine, singing kareoke with sailors during Fleet Week in New York City, commandeering a beach house in Connecticut.) This weekend proved no different as a friend had a hook-up to a beach house at the coast here in Oregon.

Without a doubt, the long weekend proved to be one of the best of the year. It was colder than any of us would have preferred, but it didn't rain, most of us still managed to get into the crashing surf (even if forced because the losing volleyball team had consequences), and the sun managed to come out on Monday. Any trip where you come home with more color than you left must be deemed a success.

How many years of my life have I been the tallest person girl in my group of friends? Newsflash: I'm the shortie around here now. It's an alternate universe, I'll tell you what. These girls are my favorites:There aren't photos that capture what we spent the majority of our time doing, and that's eating. We brought groceries and foodstuffs for 25 15 and only ever had 10 people. Three full meals a day is 1.5 more than I normally eat, plus snacks, and two trips to Mo's and man oh man it's a miracle I didn't come home 10 lbs and/or two sizes larger than I left.
Perhaps my biggest accomplishment of the trip (besides being the first to bed every night... who am I anymore?) was that I got out running two times. Granted, I didn't go very far or very fast, but as someone who's never exercised on vacation, it was a crazy step in the right direction. I'm only sorry I missed the Insanity workout most of the other folks did... I'm running a dumb Half in less than two weeks, and surely you remember that miles are miles and they must be logged.
Though the pictures don't show it, we spent most of our time on the sand playing beach volleyball, inside the house playing games and laughing uproariously, or hip-shaking to the ghetto-thumper playlist we kept cycling through while playing, cleaning, preparing food, etc.

Getting back into the swing of things has been pretty gnarly, I won't lie -- who ever really loves going back to real life? I have a feeling this summer is going to be a good one...

When life becomes a movie

Do you remember when we partied in America's Top Hat for the 4th of July? My darling friend Brooke is a video editor and put together this fun fun amazing lil video of our three day adventure in the great white north. I've always wanted to have a tripvideo of something and Brooke did a fantastic job. And I don't hate the sound of my own voice for a change so double bonus!

4th of July in Canada from expect fairytales.

And now I'm ready to go back. Or for it to be warm. Or to travel. Or to light a sparkler.

pandamanium

Six glorious days in Panama doing a whole lotta this.

And this:
And this:
And this is how many swimsuits TWO of us went through in a week. TWO.

I'm back. I'm protesting our return by ignoring my winter coat and continuing to wear shoes without socks. (My coworkers are amused.) The weather is cooperating by keeping the weather in the mid-40's. In fact, it's supposed to hit SIXTY on Wednesday, December 1st. The first day back at work is always the hardest. But no worries -- I'm keeping my sanity by working on plans for my late Spring trip. Croatia anyone?

I like to think I'll blog more stories, photos and memories from the trip. Given my follow-through of late, I'm not holding my breath. But everyone loves a surprise--including me--so it's possible (things are happening evvvvvveryyyyyydaaaaaay.[end musical reference]).

All around the world, statues crumble for me

Best. Trip. Ever.

Seriously, it might have been. And one I'd like to document, so saddle up, because I think there's going to be an outpouring of words here pretty shortly. Basically, I just spent 10 days laughing--and it didn't help the sights were great, the food superb, and the language barrier funny. Ironically, the Spanish we did know earned us kisses and perks from all kinds of strangers. I'm not going to lie, we were kind of celebrities on board.

I got home last night and forced myself to unpack and do laundry before I even sat down. Wise, because I would have fallen asleep for the night at 3pm instead of the 5:30pm I held out for. When I woke at 6 this morning fully awake. I stayed in bed only because I had nothing else to do. Wowza. That's a first.

While I attempt to get some work caught up and my words organized, I'll leave you with a little sneak peek at the last ten days of adventure:

Until then, au revoir!

the closest cut

Growing up, I was the one who packed a bag for vacation weeks in advance. (I'm looking at you Girl's Camp 1996 and '97.) Now, my life is unpredictable enough that despite my best efforts--and nerdy To Do lists--I'm sitting on my bed, working from home, on a conference call, surrounded by stacks of clothing not in a suitcase, and headed out of the country for ten days in less than two hours. And I need a shower. And have another hour conference call. BUT NO STRESS GUYS.

I went to Kansas last weekend to visit Alicia and it was one of my funnest weekend trips in years and years. How quickly five years melted away and I remembered why we consider ourselves sisterly. Sure, we've each got our own--but boy howdy do we get along well. We talked nonstop for three days and I refound some center before being thrown back into the storm of wild work projects. We shopped baby clothes (she's having a girl and I'm getting a nephew(!!?!) and talked baby names. The greatest lesson I learned this week is HOW GLAD I AM NOT TO BE NAMING ANOTHER HUMAN. Good luck ladies.

So I'm headed on a little trip tonight. Flying to Amsterdam and cruising to Barcelona. That means ports in Brugge, Belgium; Normandy, France, Vigo, Spain and a ferry to Isla Cies; Lisbon, Portugal; THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR; and then into Barcelona. I told you I love a cruise. The biggest stresser is making contingency plans with my gal pal Laura to meet in the Amsterdam airport, or at the port, or in Brugge should one of us get displaced by flights. Hurricane Earl, I shake my fist at you!

So, I guess I might have a photo or two to share when I come back. If I ever get there in the first place.

Using a pool hall to explain my life

One of you sasspot readers asked me if I'd quit answering questions after promising to do so. Well played sasspot, well played. However, the question is a valid one as I have an inbox of questions nearly two months old. (Including one about kissing! But I haven't formed an appropriate response yet, but it's hilarious, so stay tuned.) Tonight, I roll forward and answer the following question:

If you were to take a paid sabbatical, and could spend 6 months anywhere, where would you go?

My answer begins at a pool hall on Friday night. I do not profess to be great at pool. Decent perhaps, but I'm not about the fleece anyone $20. I attribute my ability to pocket balls to the Wms. Family Reunion of 1999 where our lodge had a pool table and I didn't have much else to do. (I attribute my ability to appropriately pen pool references to all the books I read about the seedy under belly of urban cities.) During any game of pool, I have within me the ability to sink balls two at a time or make a run of the table. Sure, I can make people sweat--but I'm no true threat.

So it was Friday night. Playing well enough to arch an eyebrow every now and then and keeping myself from soul numbing embarrassment, I still lost the six games we played. (Besides the point. And yessssss, there is one.) However, during the course of our time at the pool hall, I explained that I was not super great at anything, but decently good at most everything. (Don't let the fact that I lost six games skew your opinion, I got sharked by a rich kid who grew up with a table in the house.)

So it is with my travel. (Finally, we've turned the corner.)

I'm just interested in GOING. I don't care to where, I don't care for how long, I just like to go.

When you travel, there are two kinds--invest and discover or hit it and quit it. I'm not a scholar well versed in Italian art. Nor am I endlessly fascinated by the religious uprising of the twelfth-century peasants in the region. This doesn't mean I haven't any interest in these things, it just means I have limited focus. I'd rather keep going and see more. Breadth over depth is my passion. It's not important to me to know the minutia of any one topic or place, but rather expose myself to the world in all it's vastness. (Does this make me shallow?!)

This all starts to make sense when you see my travel patterns; my love of cramming in as many cities, regions, and countries as possible. I have minimal plans to repeat vacation destinations. (It doesn't mean I won't, I just relish the thought of exploring something new.)

What would I do with a six month paid sabbatical cruise? (Found another corner!) Easy breezy. I'd go on a six month cruise of the world. All you could see, all you could take in, a cornucopia of visual and intellectual delights.

AND I LOVE A CRUISE. (more to come)

O Canada

Back to the Real World is the name of today's game. In more crybaby ways than you can imagine, but none so important as the fact it's a 95-degree Boston summer day, and the AC is out on our floor. The 11th floor. And only our floor. We're insulated to some degree, but it's still a harsh reminder of how vacation is over.

Oh wow. And a vacation it was. Sixty-six hours door to door, and you won't believe all we did and everywhere we went in those 66 hours. I'm still processing all of it and will surely have more to say. How could I not? I basically spent 3 days in France by way of Canada.

Everything was supreme about our trip to Montreal, including the following:








We hiked, we ate, we danced, we told stories, we read, we made food, we drove (and drove [and drove]), we rode gondolas, we tried to learn French, we fell in love with the front desk reception girls, we photoed, we rode bikes, we lit sparklers on the deck, we talked about why we loved America, we swam, we played games... and more!

Now if it could just hurry up and long weekend again soon, that'd be great, thanks.

Where there's a will there's a wall

It always catches me by surprise when someone everyone makes reference to the fact I travel a lot. I mean, I wasn't always this way. A few years ago, I decided I was going to make it happen and, well... look where it got me. A few stamps in my passport and a lot of miles on my wheels. (I know, what? Sorry, it's 11:58pm on a Friday night. My ability to make correct metaphors is impaired.) When I booked a trip to Kansas City(!) in August(!!) to see Alicia(!!!) on the spur of the moment, I think I finally realized that it isn't all in people's heads.

My love of travel, my love of photos, and my tendency to start planning extravagant vacations when I'm feeling super stressed (true story) joined forces in decorating my bathroom. Not the greatest execution, but it gives me something to look at when I'm forever blow-drying my hair. I'm clearly behind in updating my photos (Buenos Aires y Mexico City, my loving apologies) but this is what I look at every day:

Rome, Barcelona, Ireland, London, Monaco, Paris, Mexico, Prague. It's a pretty fun where's where. But seeing this collage every day isn't really seeing it. In fact, I'd completely forgotten Montreal was on the list of "Wants" in the upper left.

Subliminally though, my brain knew what my eyes see multiple times a day. This is an alert to let you know I'm going off the grid for a few days, and the title of this coming long weekend trip shall be "Patriotic Party in America's Top Hat."

The Fourth of July is upon us. While I'm severely (and at times handicappingly) patriotic, the 4th also presents a long weekend for those of us not used to having a rigorous 4-day-a-week school schedule. Free time off! Warm weather! 3-day weekend! Good exchange rate!

That's right. I'm talking Canada. Nothing smacks of patriotism like taking our BBQ habits to the French Canadians.

I found a deal on a "200-acre mountain top domain with luxury mountain residences that offer breathtaking panoramic views with spacious balconies for your outdoor relaxation." (Do you think their copywriter gets paid by the syllable?) Condos with full kitchens!, wood-burning fireplaces!, outdoor BBQs!, heated pools!, hot tubs!, tennis!, surrounded by hiking, biking, outdoor curling and other natural Canadian forestry. Including Sasquatch. We play outside, we cook our own food, we light sparklers on the deck. Sounds like a win to me.

But who knows, maybe it'll be a giant bust and I should get more exclusive with the classy post-it notes. Maybe I'll learn my lesson and stay home for a change.

The Death March

I went to Colorado last week and climbed 550 stories straight up a mountain. No switchbacks, no lazing about hiking -- just a steady incline that didn't quit. Already at 6500 feet above sea level, you must climb another 2000 before you can quit. Air. Thin. Can't. Breathe. Heart. Explode.

This, from a girl who can't stand the stair stepper.

In the old days, the Manitou Incline was used to support construction and then turned into a touristy scenic ride.
Today, the incline is used to train Olympians. Which makes sense, because you have to be fit to do this hike. If my stamina was any indication, it's like I never exercised in my whole life. To my credit, my legs never hurt--it was just my lungs that burned and wheezed. Katie was a dear and a good motivator; she was probably happy to have a leisurely stroll. The good news was that my recovery times were good; a quick break, some deep gulping breaths of air to recenter my lungs, and off we went again.

The trail is tended well with railroad cross beams you have no choice but to climb. One step, then another, then another. 2800 times. Two thousand, eight-hundred times. I worked with varying rhythms to see what worked best. Answer = anything that put me closer to the top. There were middle sections so steep I had to use my hands and half crawl -- and I'm quite tall! (Again, major ups to shorty Katie.)

Everyone on the trail was chatty and kind--we ran into several of Katie's coworkers from the Olympic Committee. I had to remind myself I work a desk job and to quit getting anxious for being slow. I FINISHED AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS, RIGHT?!

Someone wisely didn't forewarn that the run down the mile was 3.5 miles. I only would have stressed about having energy storage, but all the run entailed was picking up your feet and keeping your balance. Quite exhilarating actually! Check out this sweet elevation map I found. It kind of hurts to look at, but it's a good hurt.

Oh right, it's also illegal. So don't get hurt on your 550 story climb to the top. I won't lie when I tell you the biggest motivation to finishing was the Diet Coke promised post-hike. You know me, I'm an easy sell.

I guess I can see why Katie keeps going back. In hindsight, it seems pretty cool and I feel pretty freaking tough for doing something so insanely strenuous on ill-prepared lungs. Then I remember what it feels like to feel your heart beating in your brain and imploring Katie to tell my family I was thrilled to be on the other side should it be my turn to up and die.

So the next time you find yourself in Colorado Springs, try being as tough as me huh? That means no Diet Coke at the finish line.

I can see Canada from my house

Surprise! I'm in Detroit.

I travel so rarely for work so this last minute trip for a client pitch was somewhat unexpected, but I all but volunteered to go. I love traveling for work. Why? Let me count the reasons.

1. I love staying in hotel rooms by myself. It feels glamorous. I let the maid have a break and didn't even have my room cleaned today.
2. Chocolate cake via room service last night. Chocolate cake via PF Changs today. (Filled my yearly quota now thanks.)
3. I can see Canada from my hotel window. Apparently my Midwestern geography is crummy because I had no idea the border was so close. The next time I'm here, I'm definitely getting a car so I can drive to Canada.
4. Um, look who's staying at my hotel?
Well, I'm headed to Colorado Springs tomorrow for the long holiday weekend. I haven't had a camera for several months, but I'm sure Katie will take enough photos to share. Happy Memorial Day everyone.

scaling back my priorities

As hard as I tried, I couldn't convince anyone to go on an exotic vacation with me over Memorial Day. Believe me, I tried. Any one, any where; I'dve done it.

Now, Colorado is no Prague or Zurich, but I'm happy to announce that I'll be relaxing and probably lazing around not doing much partying with the amazing Katie over the long weekend. (In one of the four corners states that's not Utah or Arizona! Gasp!)

Thank you JetBlue, for not realizing that's a long weekend and hyper inflating your prices. (Oh crap. Did I book the wrong weekend? Panic.)

Thrilled to death, and sharing the good news I had the following conversation with Julie:

Me: Last year it was a quick weekend jaunt to central Europe. This year is Denver. Exotic, huh? Oh well, 2010 is the year of scaling back.

Julie: Scaling back for me means packing a lunch. For you, it means flying domestically instead of internationally.

Well. She has a point. But I'm now taking applicants for this year's Thanksgiving Week. Save me from a trip to Toledo*, huh?

* Though I'm sure it's lovely there**.
** Right? Has anyone actually been to Toledo***?
*** In one of those horoscope books, Toledo was actually called out as my lucky**** city.
**** Oh snap, I think this means I should. Newsflash: now recruiting for Thanksgiving in Toledo 2010*****. Who knows what wonders await!
***** I actually wrote 2008 and then had to delete it. What the time warp?

La Dia de Gracias

Last Thanksgiving, it was Sicily, Italy by day, cruise ship by night. This Thanksgiving, it was Buenos Aires, Argentina by day, Mexico City by night. Hot, humid, and festive!

Contemplating the homeland:
The pilgrims and indians still getting along (even after eight days of 24/7 togetherness):
While you were carving a turkey, we dined on all-you-can eat Argentinian beef:
The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620. This conquistador discovered this flag in 2009:
An armed guard at La Casa Rosada. Yes, the President lives in The Pink House (translated).
The best we could do of us and La Casa Rosada:We spent quite awhile listing the five things we were most grateful for this year. A few tears may or may not have been shed--but it may have been due to the high carbonation in the Coca Light or Fanta we were drinking... but most likely not. The things I'm most thankful for this year:

1. My job; the challenge and the learning and the fact I'm getting better
2. Modern technology (nerd alert!)
3. The way I've learned to love myself this year (which I feel is directly related to...)
   
4. The Temple
5. The people in my life--both family and friends

I hope you each had good food, good company, and a good time reflecting on how much we each have to be thankful for. Until next year!

Last Thanksgiving

I'm kind of obsessed with Taylor Swift's cover of "Last Christmas." (I'm happy to send it to you should you be so interested.) Consta-repeat over here. But that's not what this blog is about. This blog was supposed to be about Turkey Day in Buenos Aires, but it's not about that either. (I keep distracting myself.) Instead? It's about last Thanksgiving.

You see, I started what was supposed to be today's blog by comparing and contrasting this and last year's grand events--both which took place overseas but which had very different experiences. I got to reviewing the photos from the cruise with my cute grandparents and my gorg sister Alaina, and I got sucked into the photos. And then I was sorry (again) for not being a better blogger last year. (How can I remember my life if I don't publish it? It's like that tree that fell in the forest but no one heard about it.) But Thanksgiving on floating city with tuxedos, formalwear, an ice turkey sculpture, and an on-board casino? That stuff can't be left alone.

And how can I live a complete life if this photo isn't posted? Really. How could I? Hello new desktop background.

Not going to lie, I love the slots. And I may have corrupted Alaina--she was the big winner of the trip. A one-night addict! I can't complain though, she was kind enough to share her quarters with me.

Where they tried their best for a turkey dinner, it left something to be desired. I may or may not have had a shrimp cocktail (or two) and a hamburger instead. But on holidays (and cruises) you do what you want, right? And per tradition, we followed up our nightly three course meal with a piece (or two) of pizza and a cherry coke on the way back to the room. Happy Thanksgiving indeed.

So this blog isn't what it was supposed to be about. Big deal, I'm the sheriff of these parts. If you aren't ready to put me in blog jail yet, I'll tie this blog post into a nice neat package and give you the T.Swift version of Last Christmas. Because this blog isn't supposed to be about that either. Oh well. Happy Thanksgiving 2008.

Death (of) photos

I felt really awkward taking photos on my trip. Perhaps it was because we were traveling outside of the common tourist destinations, or maybe because every inch of my very tall, very blonde, very straight-off-the-Mayflower look just didn't blend too well in Latin America--but I couldn't bring myself to photo too much of our surroundings. Mental pictures will have to do until I can rewind it all in Heaven.

On our first full day in Buenos Aires (martes for those who care), we cabbed our way to La Recoleta Cemetery to check out where the rich Latins go once they up and die.

I've tried to weed it down, really I have. But this place begged to be photoed. And none of these folks were alive and kicking long enough to be bothered by the photos I took.


It's hard to describe how insane these memorials were--the glass work, the granite work, the coffin work. It was awesome. And kind of creepy; we saw more than one coffin with the lid all askew--in fact, that one had a window broken out of the tomb as well. Ai yie yie!

All in all it was nice to take a little break from shopping, eating, and relaxing. But soon enough, we were back at it.