The Doorway Into Summer...

It's January.  It's cold outside.  I may have the winter blues.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE winter.  I love snow and we've had such a beautiful winter so far!  Just today it was snowing softly on the already 6" of lovely powder, re-coating the cleared spots with some more icy sugar.  But I must say that these days can get to me.  There is no color and it's quite chilly out.  I had my hair done this morning and added some more gold to it...I don't know, maybe in hopes that it will warm up my days!  I was talking to my Mom while I drove home and she was telling me a little story - a man and his wife owned a cat and one winter, the cat would go to every door in the house (that lead outside) and would paw at it until they would come over to open it, letting her outside.  Only she wouldn't go outside...she would simply look out for a  moment and then turn back into the house.  Finally, the husband said, "Why does she do that!  What doesn't she just go outside?"  To which the wife answered, "She's looking for the doorway into Summer".  Really folks, aren't we all?

Aren't we all longing for lazy afternoons and flowerbeds?  Snow cones, garden vegetables and the 4th of July parade?  Tan lines, BBQ's, lawnmowers, screen doors and leafy trees?  Since I can't create June out of thin air (or can I?...), I may have to get creative.  Perhaps I'll make some BBQ chicken for dinner, with corn on the cob and lemonade.  Ice cream for dessert, anyone?  It may not go along with the healthy foods Cody and I are trying to live by, but what better way to create Summer than with a little indulgence?

Taking down Christmer

Anyone else feel like their house is bare?  Like they are moving?  I'm taking down Christmas today - seeing that we're nearly half-way through January, I thought it might be time - and I'm not excited about it.  My house looks so empty and sad!  I think I'll have to get creative with Valentines Day so my walls aren't so bare.  

Last night Hannah and I went to our first Thrillionaires workshop.  The Thrillionaires is a group of actors who put on an Improv show twice a week.  Hannah and I auditioned a few weeks ago and got it!  Sweet!  We have to do a few workshops before we'll do a show with the seasoned veterans, but I'm very excited.  Well, scared to death and excited.  They basically come out to the stage before the show begins, get some ideas from the crowd then put on a show - making it up as they go along.  They cover all kinds of genres - film noir, sci-fi, and even musicals (which is sheer brilliance, Hannah and I got to witness them doing musical stuff last night).  We'll have classes every Wednesday and next Friday we're going to see one of their shows.  Perhaps you should come see us sometime!...unless we're terrible and they never ask us to participate.  I'll keep you posted...

What I'm Loving Wednesday

What am I loving?  My Coco-Motion...

This was given to us by Cody's family a few years ago as a Christmas present.  I have NO idea how I ever lived without it!  You simply add milk, cocoa, push a little button and 3 minutes later?  Hot chocolate.  It mixes it perfectly and heats it up so it's nice and toasty.  It's the best thing ever!  I must admit, I wasn't sure what to post about for WILW.  All morning I've been trying to think of something...but as I was looking at the falling snow outside I realized that a nice cup of hot chocolate would be a perfect little treat.  Yummy!

Phone Phriends

I have two friends who I never see. First, lets talk about Whitney. Ah, dear Whit. Whitney and I actually went to Junior High and High School together. We were in Orchestra, went to some date dances in the same group and like many friends, we lost touch after graduation. I would flip through old dance pictures or random things from High School and wonder what had happened to those people, Whitney included. Then just last year, I got a comment on my Blog that read something like this, "Hey Julia, it's Whitney, do you remember me?..." Ahhh! I as so excited! I immediately wrote her back and since then we have become closer friends than we were 10 years ago. We have TONS in common, she is so hilarious and she lives about 10 minutes away with her husband and two little boys. LOVE HER! Um..have I mentioned that we never see each other? Yeah, still been 10 years since we've played. We email and comment on each others' blogs, and just recently we have started texting and chatting on the phone (soon the stalking will commence), but we have yet to hang out. I so want our little boys to meet and become pals. Her husband has a lot of the same interests that Cody does, so maybe we should just become next door neighbors? Here's hoping! Our lives are just so crazy, we have attempted to get together in the past but something always comes up. We're planning on doing something this year, so that gives us about 11 months to make some plans and stick to them...what do you think, Whit?

My other friend is Katie. Now, Katie is different than Whitney in the sense that we have actually never met in person. How did we meet, exactly? Online dating snafu? Not exactly. Her husband is an old friend of mine. He lives in California and I called him up a few months ago to talk to him about restoring cars (his family has mucho experience and this was before Cody bought the Coronette). We talked for a bit, talking about our families and what we were up to. A couple weeks later I called to get his address so I could send them a Christmas card. His wife answered the phone and the next thing I know, we talked for 2 1/2 hours! Hello! Again, we have loads in common and she is just so much fun to talk to. Brad has dubbed me Katie's 'girlfriend' since we spend so much time on the phone...ahem, sorry Brad. I love it when we get to talk for hours, she is just so rad. We have those conversations were we keep saying, "Ok, I better go..." and then 20 minutes goes by...I hate that she lives so far away! I wish she lived here so we could go grocery shopping or have lunch. We talk a lot about when we'll actually get to meet - maybe Cody and I will head out to California this Summer, or maybe she and Brad will come out to see his family, who knows. I just love her to death!

Sigh, however - all I have to look forward to is huge phone bills and random text messages. Maybe I should write Oprah and see what she can do about getting us together...

Here's what I know...

1 - Tender things make me cry.  I'm not talking about lame tender things like kittens or dandelion fluff (no offense), but tender heart things.  I have become teary watching a commercial, a marriage proposal in a movie, listening to a song or even singing one.  I must have inherited that from my Mother, I cry at everything.  Well, everything except kittens and dandelion fluff.

2 - I'm a total pansy.  I am so not ashamed to admit that I am scared of the dark and other things that go bump in the night.  I stay away from scary movies because they stay with me for months and I still sleep with the hall light on when Cody is at work.  I know what you must be thinking, "She's such a wuss!"  Yeah well...you're right.

3 - I love singing with Cache in the car.  It still surprises me when I hear Cache singing along to something I've been listening to in the car for a few days.  Whether it's my fave band of the moment or a musical of sorts (oh yeah, Cody looooves that), it's hilarious when he busts out during the chorus.

4 - Something I'm totally proud of?  When I'm cooking tortillas, I can flip them in the air with the pan.  Oh yeah, that's flair for ya.

5 - Never underestimate the power of a white t-shirt and jeans.  This ensemble is fool proof and acceptable for almost every single outing.  Why?  Because it can be dressy or casual.  I have fallen back on this rule for years and it has never let me down.

6 - I love impractical shoes.  You all know of my passion for stilettos, but I'm talking about the style of stilt I love.  Embellished, saucy and different.  I don't go for anything super crazy, but I do own shoes that sport tweed, rhinestones and feathers.  The colors of shoes I own?  Lets see, red, emerald green, metallic pink, sky blue, purple and white patent leather.  I realize that they are not practical and I certainly don't wear them around the house, but I can't help myself - I am a sucker for heels.  Besides, since I basically live by #5, a fancy set of stilts is the perfect thing to sass up an outfit.

7 - I do my best housecleaning late at night.  After the kids are in bed and I've had some down time - watch out.  That's usually when the frenzy kicks in.  In and hour I can do more cleaning than I can in an afternoon.  I usually do this when Cody is at work, so of course I stay up late (I never sleep well when he's gone, anyway) but it feels great to wake up to a shiny house!  Or at least a shiny room.

8 - You know that TV guy, Billy Mays?  He's the dude in the blue button up, beard and yells at you to buy some cleanser or whatever?  That man needs to be stopped.  I don't care how it's done, but he must be stopped.

9 - My sister is the strongest person I know.  She and her family were in town for the Holidays, and I watched her as she took care of her kids and husband, cooked meals for everyone and planned stuff for all of us to do together.  I realized then and there - I am the sloth sister.  Andrea can (and does) everything.  She is brilliant beyond belief and even though I feel inadequate around her, there is no one on the Earth I would rather have as a sister or as my idol.

10 - Expensive jeans really are worth it. 

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Ah, the first WILW installment of 2008! I wish I had something overly profound for the first one of the year, but alas - I could think of nothing but the usual trivial dribble I normally post about. There were a few favorites I thought of, enjoy!

What am I loving? Previews.

I tell ya, I love getting to the movie theater early so I can watch previews! I get so excited, I could easily watch 15 or so. Mmmm, upcoming flicks.

What am I loving? Our remote control that turns our Christmas tree lights on and off.

Hello! Where has that been my whole life? Cody and I were thinking about purchasing one of those foot pedal things, but he saw the remote and we opted for that instead. Genius! I mean, could I be more lazy? Probably not, this is why I love the remote. Brilliant.

What am I loving? Our memory foam mattress pad.

So much praise should be given to my dear sister-in-law Stephanie for giving Cody and I this little slice of Heaven. We got it for Christmas and we LOVE it! Have you tried one of these? Do you have one? Man, getting out of bed has become almost impossible - it's just so comfortable! Quite delish. Guess I'll have to use the remote to turn off the tree, climb into my uber-comfy memory foam bed and find some movie previews. Thank you, goodnight!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It's 2008!  Last night Cody and I were planning on spending the evening at home, just hanging out with the kids.  Then after dinner we decided to head up to Jim and Heather's to ring in the new year!  I'm so glad we did, it was such a blast.  We chatted and snacked and laughed, then Chris brought over "Rock Band" (don't worry, I already know that we now HAVE to have it) and we jammed for hours!  It was so much fun! 

Just before Midnight we turned the channel to watch the ball drop and we kissed when the clock struck 12:00.  Woo-Hoo!

  

As is customary, Cody and I talked about some resolutions for the new year.  Nothing super crazy, mind you - but just some realistic plans that we hope to accomplish.  What are they?  See, I'm not sure I'll tell you...only because if I don't follow through I'll have to answer to myself and you.  I can tell you that we're hoping to finish our house projects, go on some vacations together, things like that.  I certainly want to make better use of my time - organize it better. What resolutions have you made for yourself?

It's also a little crazy to think about how different things are than they were a year ago.  We have a new baby, a new job, a new car, new friends, this BLOG!  I ran a 5k and Cody bought a car he wants to restore.  We have had a very good year, I certainly feel very blessed with the many things I was able to experience with Cody and my family.  I loved being with my whole family on Christmas...not sure when that will happen again.  I love that I have strengthened relationships with Cody's family and my own siblings.  I wonder what this next year will bring...a new home in PG, perhaps?  Maybe another addition to the family?  It's crazy to sit and think about it, so many possibilities.  I'm very excited for 2008!  So raise a glass, here's to a great new year. 

*PS- I finally updated my fitness blog (I know, right?), go have a looky!