Thursday, December 31, 2009

New Year

Well, I've been a very bad blogger as of late and will remedy it as soon as I am back in WA and have access to my Hawaii photos and can upload photos from our visit home. We leave here (Ottawa) on Saturday and I'm already sad to be leaving. I hate leaving. It's snowing right now and my suburb looks like its been captured in a snowglobe. Everett is the complete antithesis of a snowglobe...anyways...I am happy to be returning to my Moose and the new adventure that awaits me on Monday.

What adventure is that you ask? Well, I got a job. A real full-time permanent employee status job! And I start on Monday with what appears to be a week of orientation and then maybe expected to hit the ground running after those 5 days of grace. I'm looking forward to starting anew and to learning all the ins and outs of my new company and new field, it will be both interesting and a challenge - exactly what I've been looking for!

Anyways, this is my last post for 2009. 2009 wasn't a totally stellar year so here's to 2010 - may it be fun-filled and spent with those I love!
I hope to get online with photos at the ready on Sunday!

Peace out and Happy Happy New Year!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Mele Kalikimaka!!!

Or the alternative title of: Robyn has a lucky feather stuck up her bum!

This is just a quick check in to say that tomorrow morning mike & I will be flying off to Honolulu for the week! Hellzzzzz yessssssssss! How did this all come about? Well, Mike will be in Honolulu for a week long training course and I'm tagging along because this is one of those trips that the Navy says its ok to bring your spouse! Yay Navy! My accompanying him was a last minute decision - we decided Monday and I don't really feel prepared or like its actually happening but we're getting up at 4am tomorrow morning so I guess its real! :)

In other news and lucky feather related - I have an incredibly thoughtful and generous husband! I got my Christmas present today - 20 days early but for good reason - Mike bought me a digital SLR Nikon camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT!!!!!!!! I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!! Its something we've both been wanting for a few years now and Mike already owns 4 Nikon lenses so that's how he came to purchase this camera. Nikon has been pretty consumer savvy, they could have made the SLR models with their own specific lenses thus forcing consumers to buy all new sets of lenses, but they didn't. If you have a Nikon lens that was made in the last 60 years, it will work on today's SLR models. I like things like that. I haven't figured out how to use it yet (we've been busy packing and tidying) but that's what the 6 and a half years of flying time is for!!!!

I'm bringing my laptop so I'll post photos of this weekends activities and Hawaii in the coming days!

PS - Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaiian for Merry Christmas! Think Bing Crosby...

Thursday, December 3, 2009

So many little things...

To get caught up on! I've been both busy and at times a little lazy! But here's a little catch up from the past few weeks.

1) I finished my year-long contract on November 17th and while I'll miss some lovely friends I made there, generally, I'm relieved the year is over. It was a bit of a rough go.

2) I've been keeping myself busy with applying and interviewing for work and being a little Susie Homemaker as evidenced below...

3) American Thanksgiving was last Thursday and my mother-in-law prepared a lovely and tasty feast! I contributed to the celebration with Paula Dean's Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle! It was very tasty y'all!

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4) I really like to bake, its fun and I like the level of concentration it requires, focus without intense focus. Anyways, the only hindrance to baking is that it leads to high caloric consumption! Therefore, with my extra time, I've decided to fatten up my puppy instead of myself! I've taken to creating dog biscuits for my Moose.

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Check out my newest toy! A 3 cup Cuisineart chopper/grinder! De-lightful!

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These tasty treats are the result of leftover chicken thighs & drumsticks from Mike's birthday dinner (frozen raw, not caked in jambalaya!), pinto beans, whole wheat flour, chicken broth, canola oil, grated carrots and grated apples. Moosey approves of them and when I pull them out, he actually licks his lips! He will be sharing them with his buddy Angus.

5) Lastly, last weekend I went to this neat little shopping area in the city of Bothell called Country Village. Country Village is a little western looking 'town' that was built in the 1970s. It has been and continues to be home to a variety of antique, decor, clothing and toys shops owned and operated by women. In one of those antique shops, I found a vintage travel poster for my favourite place on earth, Edinburgh!!!! I saw it and absolutely had to have it. Sarah, brace yourself!

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Edinburgh is (in my opinion) one of the best places on earth. It is beautiful, majestic, historically rich, fun, and filled with kind and cheerful people. I was very lucky to spend a year and a half there, doing my master's degree, working and meeting some of my nearest and dearest friends - Sarah (http://themcwoods.blogspot.com/) is one of those people and Mike & I are thrilled to be crashing in on her family's Christmas on our way back to Ottawa for our family's Christmas! You should check out her blog and Christmas card, which is fantanbulous!

Anyways, at a later date I'm going to do a Edinburgh post! Bonne nuit.