As It Turns Out...

I have a slight jealousy problem.  This is where my sis, Carla, is right now.  Mt. Blanc in Italy.

This is a part of Italy I have never been to.  After seeing the pictures I can't believe I have yet to make it that far north.  She is staying with family and this is what she sees when she wakes up in the morning.  Mt. Blanc.

Here is a view of Pre St. Didier, the town she is staying in.

I know it is not logical to be jealous.  It is Carla's first time in Europe and I am truly excited for her that she is getting to experience it and meet our family.  But, ummmm, can I go back?

Love you Sister.  Soak it all up!

Manzanita Madness

Jay and I descended upon Manzanita, OR over the weekend with approximately 30 of my relatives from near and far. WHOA. Good thing it is a slow season at the beach so we didn't get any complaints from the neighbors. When you get 30 people in one house because it is raining outside and we are eating and drinking and telling stories, well, we are pretty darn loud. Like, cover your ears loud. People said Jay should get the "Saint of the Weekend" award for being so brave and coming with me. I would have to agree.

We went down on Thursday and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon and following day on Friday before everyone else arrived. Then it rained all day Saturday and was beautiful yesterday when we left. Of course. Murphy's Law.

We call this weekend the April Birthday Bash. (Great) Aunt Mary and I have the same b-day. Then Grandma's b-day is the following day. Then cousin Connie and (Great) Aunt Zoe have the same b-day and (Great) Aunt Nancy also has a b-day in April. This year we were all there even though Zoe just turned 84 and came from West Virginina. I hope I inherited some of the good genes floating around in my Grandma's family. 

What a weekend! I know I needed another day to recover, I would imagine I am not the only one. And a BIG THANK YOU to Mary and Gene for opening their house to all of us yet again to enjoy beautiful Manzanita together.

Aunt Paulette and Uncle Geno

(Great) Uncle Joe and Uncle Bill

ummmm, did I mention we like to dress up in silly hats and wigs?

(Great) Aunts Zoe and Mary

Cousins Georgia & Natalie, Uncle Mike, Grandma

As Jay puts it "We are all comfortable in our own skin."  That is for sure. I love my family!

More Adventures of the Antarctic One

Gina called last night.  It is so entertaining talking to her.  I think it is because she is so far removed from our "normal day to day life" that even the small things exicte her.  It is a bit like speaking with a child who sees the beauty in our daily life that the rest of us have grown so accustomed to we take them for granted.  Not that Gina is like a child, I don't mean that.  Am I making sense? Maybe some of these stories will help explain it:

She was in a fashion show recently to showcase the new items in the gift shop.  She modeled a zip-up hoodie, but the big excitement is that they have a new cribbage board shaped like Antarctica!  Can you believe it?! In talking with her, I am pretty sure it is the best thing since sliced bread.  Apparently I did not show the appropriate enthusiasm so I will not be receiving one as a gift...Dang it!

It is her turn to have a two day weekend and I asked her what her plans were.  I was thinking that it might be a bit boring to have two days off somewhere it is too cold to go outside for any extended period of time.  Wrong.  She gave me a brief overview of her extensive list which included: practicing her juggling; working on her quilt; playing Wii; playing ping pong and going to dinner at the New Zealand base about a mile away.  The New Zealanders only have 14 people that winter through. 14! Can you imagine?  Gina said they come over to McMurdo all the time though.

The garden is not faring so well these days.  A couple weeks ago during one of the first cold snaps it froze solid.  She had to weed out most of the plants that died.  Now though, she has a beet, which is really the star of the show.  You can see it in the back corner in its own bucket.  And actually, I am a bit surprised to still see a fresh apple in the other corner.  I wonder if that is one of the last ones before they have to start eating dried and/or canned fruit.

And last but not least, she sent me a highly entertaining story of how she was mopping the floors in a hallway behind the kitchen and it was so cold she inadvertently turned the floors into a skating rink.  She had to salt the floors to melt the ice, which turned into a big mess in itself.  Then a pipe froze, burst, and thawed and flooded everything all over again!  They don't close the door between the kitchen and the hallway anymore to try and keep it a bit warmer.

Like I said, always fun to talk to Gina! Love you Sister.

It's a Tie!

My Uncle Sam sent me this card:

My Mother-in-law Kathy sent me this card:

I can't decide which is funnier...I think they both win for funniest birthday cards this year! :-)

My awesome neighbor and good friend Kyla made me a delicious cannoli cake: it was three layers and had a filling of ricotta cheese, orange zest, mini chocolate chips and probably some other good stuff with a buttercream frosting. YUM. She also gave me a really cool water bottle. I love it. I met Alice and Lindsey for breakfast and ordered biscuits and gravy. Don't worry though, I went to spin class first. I went to Lowes, voluntarily, and bought spring flowers and planted pots for my front steps. Jay took me to dinner at McGlinn's even though I was so tired we went at 5:00! I thought I was a few years away from the blue plate special, but maybe not. On Sunday we went to my parents house where my mom made me spaghetti and a huckleberry pie and my dad built me a bonfire. It was a great birthday weekend. :-)

We also did some work around the house. We no longer reside in the "den". We officially have a living room again! Aside from the fact everything will have to move AGAIN to redo the flooring at least we can spread out for now. Chloe is enjoying the rug and Ralfie had to do a thourough inspection (he hates it when we move things), but we are pretty sure he is happy to have the couch back to sprawl out on.

The "den" aka our second bedroom.

The living room. Hooray!

Please ignore the pile of flooring and that khaki chair. They are only temporary fixtures.

Don't Let Him Fool You: Jay Loves Our Animals

How can you not love this face?

Jay got sucked in. Then this happened. Chloe climbed on his lap. Ralfie could not quite figure out where his normal spot went. He paced around Jay until Jay put him on his shoulders.

The next thing you know they are all relaxin'. The only problem was there was no room for me!