Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful for...

1. My husband whom I love more than anything and I know that as long as I have him, I'm doing OK.
2. Two wonderful families who are amazing and don't make us hate the holidays.
3. Being debt free, outside of our mortgage, this Thanksgiving.
4. Our jobs that support us and allow us the freedom to enjoy ourselves.
5. Rylie (don't look so surprised, Jarrod) who hasn't eaten any of my shoes or Coach purses (knock on wood).
6. Great friends who we could turn to for anything.
7. Two amazing turkey dinners that we get to enjoy over the next two days (not to mention leftovers).
8. A five day weekend that starts at noon today!
9. The fact that, while I may not be at 100%, I'm alive and I'm not spending the holidays in the hospital or sick in bed.
10. The life that God has given me and His son for making that life mean something.

I hope you have a blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving!

STOMP

Wow, I just realized that this is my 100th post! That's pretty exciting. Seems a little pathetic that it took me about 15 months to accomplish that, but that's OK. I'm picking up speed from here and it definitely won't take another 15 months for the next 100.

But that's not what I'm here to talk about. I've been wanting to write this post all week, but just have gotten busy and had other posts to deal with first. But this past weekend a group of us went to see STOMP. I bought these tickets probably about 8 months ago and got online right when they went on sale, so I pretty much had my pick of any seats I wanted. So I grabbed us some 5th row center seats which were amazing, by the way! It's so much more exciting when you're that close to the stage.

I've been wanting to see STOMP for a while now. But even more than that, I've been wanting to take Jarrod to see STOMP. I knew it would be right up his alley with all of the percussion and music. Also, I love the theater so much and he just does not get excited about it, so I thought I'd try to ease him in a little. Maybe now I'll actually be able to get him to go to a show with me!

We definitely were not disappointed by the performance. The cast did a great job. They were very entertaining and so talented. It's amazing what you can use to make noise. I was also impressed how entertaining the show could be without any words.

I think everyone had a good time and it's always fun doing something different, especially where you get to dress up a little!

Now I'm sure this is totally illegal, but here's a little video I took for your viewing pleasure...

So much for my good intentions

I thought I'd be ambitious with my cooking this week. Plus, crab legs were on sale and we never get to eat crab legs. But I quickly figured out why you pay so much for crab legs at a restaurant.

Well the packaging said to steam for about 3 minutes. I put about an inch or so of water and steamer basket in my pot, got it boiling and everything, and put in the crab legs. Within about a minute and a half the thing was boiling over. It was very strange, since like I said, there was only an inch or maybe 2 of water in this huge pot. But it got all bubbly and made a mess all over my stove. So I did my best to keep it steaming without continuing to make a mess.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also was heating up the butter for dipping in on of my measuring cups and the cup cracked open across the bottom and spilt melted butter all over my microwave.

Then, once we got everything cleaned up, we gave them a try. And you know what? They weren't bad! Really good, actually. Only problem was we didn't have the right tools for eating crab legs. Then once we got about halfway through, I started noticing that the meat was mushy and kind of slimy feeling. And the smell... oh my goodness, seriously the smell was as acrid as hair dye in an enclosed space. The taste was about as bad. The problem was, by the time we realized they just weren't cooked enough, we'd already broken most of them open so we really couldn't try cooking them anymore and we just had to throw them out.

I really hate wasting food. Especially nice food that I don't buy often because it's expensive. To top it all off, my house now smells like crab. I've had to windows open and candles burning hoping to get rid of it, but it's still pretty bad. Even my jacket, which I had out last night, still smells like it.

But I suppose you live and you learn. Everyone's going to make a failed meal every now and then. I'll know better if I ever decide to try again to make sure that all of them get cooked evenly. For now, I may stick with forking over the extra cash to have them professionally cooked.

Christmas! ...a little early

I hate that I haven't written in a few days because I've had lots to write about! But it's been a busy weekend and even when I had some down time I wasn't feeling that great and tried to get some rest when I could. I've been feeling better today and ready to get back at it and get everything done that needs to get done this week!

But first, some fun stuff from this weekend. My bestest friend Rea and I went out to the Raleigh Christmas Parade. I have not been to the parade... well actually, I'm not sure that I've ever "been" to the parade. When I danced as a kid we used to perform in the parade, so we took part in that every year, but I've never attended the parade myself. So unless I went as a very little kid, this was my first time.

We got there about an hour early and the streets were already pretty packed. But we found a nice spot on Hillsborough right on the front of the curb where we hunkered down. It was actually really nice having that time before the parade started and before it got too crowded. We had such a good time talking. Reagan inspires me more than probably any other person I know. She makes me want to go after my dreams. I get so caught up in life that I forget about these things that I really want to do and she always reminds me. I love having her around. Maybe I'll actually accomplish something now that she's back!

The parade itself was wonderful! It was so fun watching everyone go by and seeing all the floats and participants. I've got lots of pictures! Coming up in a few... The only downside was my stomach started bothering me about half-way through the parade. I can deal with my Crohn's on any given day. But when it starts making me feel like I can't do stuff, that's when I really start getting upset. And I started having thoughts of, "maybe I shouldn't have come," and that really gets to me. I guess it just makes me want to beat this even more.

Well back to the parade. It was the most perfect day! A little chilly so that you had to bundle up in a scarf and blanket, but not freezing so that you're miserable. It was just what you'd want to see a Christmas parade because who wants to get into the holiday spirit in 70-degree weather??

So by the way, there was this adorable little kid that was sitting next to us and I creepily took a picture of him. Please don't think less of me.

Well, I have to say the horses may be my favorite part of the parade. They're so beautiful and make me want to go horseback riding again. Although, I will admit, they kind of stink up the place. Gotta love the guys with shovels and wheelbarrows following along behind them.

And the dogs are pretty cute, too, all dressed up for Christmas. I took a picture of the pit bull group because I knew Jarrod would like that.

I don't remember there being big balloons in the parades we danced in, but maybe I'm wrong. However, they seem kind of odd in the Raleigh Christmas Parade, because, as you can see, they have to bring them really low to get under the trees and pretty much the entire route is lined with trees.

But of course, I love the dancers! I don't feel that there were that many groups that actually danced the parade back when I did it, but there were a bunch of groups now. I'm upset that I didn't grab a picture of the group I used to dance with (well, different group, but same people), but I wasn't taking pictures at that point. But I snagged one of this cute group in Christmas outfits!

And I also saw my high school which now has a marching band! We didn't when I went there.

And finally, we have Santa to top it all off. I know I don't like celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving, but it was fun to start getting into Christmas mode a little early. Some radio stations have already started exclusively playing Christmas music, which I am not OK with, but I don't mind getting revved up a little. But now, I'm excited to be just a couple of days off from a great Thanksgiving holiday and finally the time to get decorating for Christmas!

The week before Thanksgiving

Can I just say how excited I am about the coming week?? I think what I'm most excited about is the food! First of all, of course we have Thanksgiving next week and I am a very big fan of Thanksgiving. I mean, a holiday that revolves entirely around a meal? Can't beat that! Plus, this year, Jarrod and I will actually get to enjoy two Thanksgivings. In an effort to coordinate among the Lindseys, Hugheses and Fryes, we decided to have dinner with my parents on Friday. So this means we get to have a full Thanksgiving meal two days in a row. Last year, we had the two back-to-back, so you don't get to really dig in at either of them.

I love the preps and everything. And my sisters and I decided years ago that someday when we're the ones hosting the family dinners, we'd each take a meal. Beka took Christmas, Hannah took Easter, and I got Thanksgiving! So I always go over to my parents' house a day or two before Thanksgiving and help get everything going. We make the stuffing, so it's prepared to actually stuff the turkey. I made the sweet potatoes last year (complete with pecans and brown sugar!) And making dessert is always fun, too, but let's be honest, dessert is great, but it's not the highlight of Thanksgiving. I often don't leave much room for anything after dinner.

But even not counting Thanksgiving, I've got some good eating plans this week. I'm going to give my first go at making crab legs. They seem pretty easy. You just have to steam them, so we'll see how that goes. Plus, I noticed that filet is on sale this week, so I may pick up a couple of those to throw on the grill, too.

I'm also really looking forward to tomorrow night because we have tickets to go see STOMP with a bunch of our friends. And I bought these right when they went on sale so we literally have 5th row, center seats. We've never all gone out to a show, so I'm looking forward to doing that together. I've also always wanted Jarrod to see STOMP since I think it's a show he'll really enjoy and maybe he won't turn his nose up at theater as much.

And to top it all off, even though I do have to work Thanksgiving morning (the life of a broadcast journalist), I have a five day weekend starting at 12:30 that day. I'm excited to have that time to spend with my family and friends and... start decorating for Christmas!! Next Friday and Saturday, IT BEGINS!

400 charges? Is that all I get?

I've been somewhat without a computer this week. OK, that's not really true since I'm typing on it right now, but it's been more difficult to use. Suddenly the other day I went to turn it on and it wouldn't start up, so I figured it was out of battery. I charged it overnight and used it for a little bit that day. But the next day when I went to use it, it wouldn't start again. I started thinking, "the battery usually does not die that fast." So I plugged it in, started it up and noticed that up at the top, instead of charging, it now says, "Not Charging." And the battery indicator lights are off, so I'm thinking I may be in need of a new battery.

This hasn't been the end of the world since I can still use the computer when it's plugged in. But now I have to turn it on and off every time I'm not using it. Thank God it's a MacBook and starts up in about 30 seconds, compared to Jarrod's brand new HP computer he got from work that takes about 15 minutes to load everything up. Also, I have to be careful when I'm using it, because if I accidentally knock the plug out, then I have to start all over again.

I'm planning on taking it in to the Apple store this week, just to make sure that's the issue and I'm not going out and buying a new battery when that's not the problem. But, I mean, what's the normal life of a computer battery? I've had this computer about 3 1/2 years (seems ancient in computer time). It tells me I've charged the battery 400 times. Like literally, I've charged it exactly 400 times? Does it just quit after 400 charges? What's also weird is that it wasn't a slow death. Prior to this issue, it would stay charged for at least 3 hours.

I keep telling Jarrod I need to get a new laptop, but he tells me it's crazy to spend $1500 on a new one when this one works just fine, but I feel a little like a loser saying my laptop is a 2008 model. OK, I think I made myself just sound like an even bigger nerd.

New Meds: Round 2

Second dose of the meds went well today. Nothing earth shattering to report. The infusion was fine and I'm feeling alright now. Wish I had something more to report and hopefully I will in the coming weeks. 'Til next time.

Waiting for Round 2

I'm in the waiting room right now waiting to start my second infusion of my new meds. A brief update of the past four weeks: I've been feeling pretty good. I would say I've maintained my typical "normal". Which I suppose is a good sign with the new meds considering I haven't been off my previous meds before now. The past couple of days have been a little rough, so I've been looking forward to this appointment. I'll be sure to update following the infusion.

This is my first time posting from my phone, so we'll see how it goes. Speaking of that, how does blogger not have an app??

Engagement Party Success!

I threw my first engagement party this weekend. Well, I had a lot of help. It was actually hosted by 3 of us and we held it at Jarrod and my house. Whew, it was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun and totally worth it in the end.

As I've said before, we threw the party for my brother-in-law, JT, and his soon-to-be wife, Alysia. They actually got engaged back at the beginning of August, but we hadn't had to chance to really celebrate it and mark the occasion.

Emily, Sarah and I decided to do a fun Italian theme and we set up cafe tables with wine bottles as candle holders and vases.

We decorated with gerber daisies because they're Alysia's favorite.

I also borrowed some fat Italian chef' decorations from Jarrod's mom to put around the kitchen.

We cooked up some Italian appetizers like bruschetta and pepperoni poppers (those are authentic Italian, right?) and had baked ziti and chicken alfredo for dinner. And! Alysia's mom is a cake artist and made these amazing cupcakes!!

Each one had its own engagement ring on it! And they were in fabulous flavors like funfetti or filled with pudding!

We ended the night with a bonfire out on the deck, which was great to just sit around for a while with some of our best friends.

It's quite an ordeal hosting a party for 25 people, but I think the three of us really pulled it off. As far as I'm aware, everyone had a good time and the food all turned out pretty good. I know we didn't have a ton of it left. However, I will say it will probably be a while before I host something this big again. Yesterday morning I woke up having a slight panic attack about getting everything ready and by the time we got a couple hours into the party, I was so tired I could hardly stand.

But I am glad we got the opportunity to do this. We all love JT and Alysia and wanted to show them how much we appreciate them.

So congratulations, you two! Can't wait to add another Mrs. Hughes to the group!!

An update

I've been so neglectful of my blog this week and I didn't even realize it! We're 9 days into the month and I've hardly done anything. And it's not for lack of things going on. Actually, it's probably because there have been so many things going on.

Of course Jarrod is home, which has been great! So any extra time in the evenings has been spent with him. And last week I actually had a little bout with something and ended up going to Urgent Care. Nothing big, but I've been a little under the weather this week and extra tired. Getting back on track now, though. Then on top of that, I'm co-hosting the engagement party for my brother-in-law and future-sister-in-law this weekend, and since I haven't been feeling 100% I've been a little behind and playing catch-up now. But now things are coming together and I'm thinking it's going to be a great party.

OK, since this is such a lame blog post, we're going to step it up for the rest of the month. I'm not crazy enough to think I'm going to stay on top of it this week with the party, so we'll say 10 posts by Thanksgiving. Yah, I like that plan.

Happy November!

There are officially no cute alliterations to use for a November post! What am I supposed to say? Nice November?

Anyways, I can't believe we are officially into the Holiday Season. Every year it comes faster and faster. But once we're into November, I don't mind seeing the Christmas decorations starting to go up. I, personally, do not start "celebrating" until after Thanksgiving. I believe in giving attention to one holiday at a time. Plus, I'm much too big of a Thanksgiving fan to let Christmas totally steal the spotlight. But at the same time, this is the month for getting everything ready for Christmas: buying decorations and shopping for presents and picking out what you want other people to buy for you! And I think having malls and stores already decorated really gets you into that mood and makes it more fun. Now stores that are decorated before Halloween... I think that's ridiculous.

But I started off my month right this time. I had to day off (because who wants to have to go into work at 4:30am the day after Halloween?) so I took to the opportunity to sleep in a little and stop by Dunkin Donuts for a coffee. I pampered myself a little with some shopping at Urban Outfitters and a pedicure, so I once again have pretty toes! I chose "Don't Toy With Me" as my color (and yes, I do choose my nail color based on the name). I ended the evening with my wonderful family (sans husband...) to celebrate my mother's birthday. It was a great evening, but I'm feeling it now because it's always so hard to leave family gatherings and I didn't get up getting to bed until about 10 last night, when my alarm is set for 3am.

But as we move into the holidays, the month is already filling up. Jarrod's still in Canada for another 3 days (eesh), the engagement party is coming up, so lots of party planning over the next week-and-a-half, we've got tickets to see STOMP with a big group of friends (I'm so excited!), and then here comes Thanksgiving!

Last month I said I wanted to focus on me and I think I did a good job of that. I've been feeling pretty good over the past couple weeks and I have another dose of the new meds coming up in less that 2 weeks, so I'm excited to see where things go from there.

I have 2 sets of goals for this month. The first are a couple of health-related goals and the second are my personal goals.

Health Goals
-I realized this morning (not for the first time) how tense I am pretty much all the time. I want to get up some sort of stretching regiment. That's always so hard to start, but healthwise, I think it's necessary for me. Need to drill that into my head!
-Also, I've fallen out of the habit of taking some OTC meds that I really need to be taking. Need to start that up again.

Personal Goals
-Party Planning! And, of course, actually throwing a fabulous engagement party!
-Read! ...something! I should probably pick this out by the beginning of the month. That way I'm probably more likely to stick to it. I'll try to figure something out today.
-Help put on a great Thanksgiving dinner with both of my families.
-Finish Christmas shopping. Doable? I have no idea.
-Decorate for Christmas!! (After Thanksgiving, of course)