O Tannenbaum

To help set the mood, I would like you to know that as I type this post I am listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio's version on O Tannenbaum (Charlie Brown music) and looking out the window at 7-8 inches of beautiful fluffy snow on the ground.  We are snowed in and I am happy.  So get ready for multiple possible posts today.

Last weekend Cliff and I had a really festive Saturday.  We donated food to the local Mission, bought Christmas presents to support Small Business Saturday, and went to Northern Lights Tree Farm to cut down our Christmas tree.  This is our third visit to the farm but only our second tree purchase (as we couldn't fit a tree in our original Springfield dwelling back in 2007).

Tree prices ranged from $4.50/foot - $7.50/foot.  In the past, we have always selected the cheapest as we are pretty frugal people.  This year, we decided to go fancy.  We opted for a $7.50/food Nordman Fur as we were told that they were the best at holding heavy ornaments.  Plus they are beautiful.  They look like how Christmas trees are supposed to look.  Their color is nice and mossy green and their undersides are white with green lines.  Pretty cool.

I always forget how difficult it is to select a tree at a tree farm.  You walk down rows of trees upon trees.  They all look ok and it is hard to compare.  You size up the tree, note the pros and cons and then walk to the next trying your best to remember which one was more awesome.  In the end, I always feel bad when we select a tree as that means we are going to cut it down from its home.  That sounds a little Eugene crunchy...but it is true...I get a little emotional and feel guilty.  We counted the rings and our tree was (is) nine years old.

This year we picked a winner.  Fun Fact: Nordman Firs take a long time to cut down.  In the past it has been a two minute process and we are on our way.  This year it was like five-seven minutes of sawing away.  Also, we always forget to bring something to kneel on so Cliff always has to get his pants dirty.

 Once back at the barn, we asked them to shake the tree and bail it.  We normally don't opt for the $3 bailing service but this year like I said...we went fancy.  Plus we knew it would help us get the tree in the Honda Fit.

Which brings me to the fact that I love our car.  We picked a winner.  We fit a 6ft Christmas tree in it! The seats all fold independently so the tree got the right side of the car and Cliff and I got the left.  Oh and we buckled it up for safety.

We learned a very important lesson this year.  Always know the size of your tree stand before you leave the tree farm.  When we got home we found that our tree trunk grew slightly curved and it was too fat in some areas.  It didn't fit.  We currently do not own a saw so Cliff had to use a serrated kitchen knife to trim it up.  It took us, no kidding, 45 minutes to get the tree to fit and stand kinda straight.  We got the tree up and I decorated it while Cliff rowed (holiday challenge).  It looks beautiful.  However, it is a pain to water.  It is still really round so it is pretty difficult to find an area that allows for water to flow down into the well.  It requires two people and a flashlight.

The house is now decorated and it looks like Christmas threw up all over.  I am particularly happy this year as I found the red, green, and white warm round lights that we used to have when I was a kid.  I loved them and have been looking for years.  I bought them at Walmart the day after Halloween (yes, I was that girl).  Oh man, I love Christmas decorations.  Love.  Love. Love.

Thanksgiving in Springfield

Happy Thanksgiving!  This year we hosted our first Thanksgiving not cramped in a tiny kitchen or shameless using our landlord's full size oven to cook a bird.  It was excellent.

Turkey Day started at 4:30am for Cliff and me.  I was off to work by 5:00am for the Turkey Stuffer 5K.  Cliff was awesome and got up with me to help load boxes upon boxes of bananas and pointsettas as I didn't want to leave them in the car overnight for fear that they would freeze.  After I left, Cliff rowed for an hour (as Thanksgiving is the first day of the Holiday Challenge!).  While I was at work signing in volunteers, setting up canopies, pumping water, cheering on runners, and doing other random stuff; Cliff was cooking a turkey, two pies, and generally making the house smell and feel cozy.

Despite the larger venue we had a small crew again this year.  Kathy and Jill went back east this year to hang out with family.  At this point, we have spent quite a few Friendsgivings with them so it was odd not to have Jill taking photos of food preparation and Kathy laughing at stupid things I say.  We missed them! With this said,  they were there in spirit as Cliff made Jill's famous chocolate pie.  There is no turning back for us.  Every Thanksgiving from here on out will include Jill's chocolate pie. 

We were happy as Brie made the journey down from Portland.  She brought a really amazing salad.  It consisted of roasted butternut squash over mixed field greens with tahini dressing.  It was awesome.  She also brought her newest craft items and we got to see her do some pretty cool needle felting. I think she could sell her creations at Saturday market.  I would buy one!  It is really wonderful to have family near and it is always fun to hang out with Brie! 

My rockin' coworker, Jana,  also came as all her family is back in Indiana.  She outdid herself. Despite working the crazy morning shift for the Turkey Stuffer she also managed to make a green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and crescent rolls.  What?!  I don't know how she did it.  Several folks at work commended me on hosting Thanksgiving and cooking a turkey despite working that morning.  I corrected each of them and and told them that Cliff is the master cook/baker in our house.  We are all much happier because of it too.  I  pick the menu.  I buy the groceries.  Cliff does all the hard stuff.  I eat happily.  We are a great team.  

All and all we had the following: turkey with gravy, Cliff's homemade cranberry sauce, the squash and greens salad, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, wine, cider, sweet potato pie, and Jill's chocolate pie.  It was a feast.

Rudy also had a great time.  There were more people to pay attention to him and more food being dropped on the kitchen floor.  This photo shows his excitement.  Now just imagine him butt swishing and prancing like a show pony all around the house.  So good. 

After eating we chatted about family holiday traditions, looked at Black Friday coupons, and watched Wings on Netflix.  It was quite.  it was relaxing.  It was just awesome.  

The following morning Cliff and Brie went on a 7.5 mile run/hike up and around Mt. Pisgah.  I tried to take left over race food to a local food bank.  In that process I also found myself in Target finally getting my hands on a $6 copy of Pitch Perfect.  Victory. 

Gotta love Thanksgiving.   

Firsts on the Fourth

So Cliff and I lucked out this fourth of July.  Our good friends, Kerry and Todd, asked if we wanted to float with them down the Willamette River.  Heck yes!  Well, I was a little less "heck yes" in the beginning as I'd never been on a raft.  Never ever.  And I was a little hesitant.  With this said, I really want to be more adventurous and Kerry and Todd are pros.  Seriously.  They are former professional river guides with over 30 years experience between them.  Kerry has chatted with me about getting on the river for probably a year now and every time she assures me that I won't get sick.   She understands my crazy and so I trust her.  

They have their own boats (a professional big yellow raft, an inflatable kayak, and apparently a few more than we haven't seen yet).  They have all of the gear: various lifejackets, different types of oars, a trailer, a professional first aid kit, they even have an epipen on board!

We met around 10:30am to load up and get all of us to the river.  Vans, cars, and trailers were all over town to set up the starting point and the shuttle areas.  We put in at one of the local parks (go Clearwater!) and in a short time all of us were off.  It was not only my first time on a raft but also Gretchen's, their 18 month old daughter.  Delly, their almost 3 year old, is already a veteran with multiple trips under her belt.  

The float was beautiful! I was with the crew on the raft (Kerry, Todd, Delly, Gretchen, and Jana) and Cliff was solo in the inflatable kayak.  We were the only ones in sight for 90% of the time on the upper part of our run (we saw two boats of fathers and sons fishing).  We hit a little white water here and there but overall it was really smooth (obviously as otherwise there wouldn't be little kidos in the raft).  I didn't get sick.  I wasn't stressed out.  I even snacked while we were moving down the river.  I actually really loved it. 

We floated for probably around an hour or so before we stopped on a little rock bar for lunch.  There were so many bugs on the rocks.  Well, it turns out they were all just exoskeletons (that would explain why they weren't moving!) but they were still cool.  

        

After lunch, Jana switched into the kayak and Cliff came on over to our floatation device.  About 30 minutes later we were out of snacks (the kids ate them all!) so Gretchen was starting to melt.  Todd went on Gretchen duty and Kerry took the helm for the first time. They promised Cliff that next time he will get a chance to steer the raft.  Awesome.  They also said we could use the inflatable kayak anytime.  So cool!  We are really lucky to have them as friends.  

The end of our trip took us right to downtown Springfield.  We passed under the bridges we travel over everyday to go to work.  There is a huge painting/mural under the bridge that says "READ".  Pretty cool message.  There were also tons of bird's nests.  Little birdies were flying in and out all over the place (see in my craptastic photo below).  We floated past Island Park as the Light of Liberty event was underway (Marty Stewart was the headliner).  When all was said and done, our trip was about 4 hours.  It was easy, relaxing, and something that I would like to do again...often. 

As we were unloading the raft I got stung by my very first bee!  Well, first outside bee.  First alive bee.  My only other sting occurred when I was little and I stepped on a dead one inside our house.  I did awesome.  I calmly asked Cliff to pick it out.  The first aid kit had tweezers so that made it pretty easy.  Todd put an epipen in my hand in case I swelled (to be honest I think we all expected for me to be since I'm the allergy queen).  Then once the stinger was out they even had anti-sting stuff.  I was totally cool.  Bees?  Apparently no big deal.  I feel like a big kid. 

Another great part of the day...we didn't get sunburned!  We lathered on the 50 SPF throughout the trip as we could tell that we were getting baked by the sun.  Cliff rocked the yellow Ducks hat (as we can't find the original green one..hum....) and I got to wear the road trip hat that Pam gave us.  With this said, we both realize that maybe we need better rafting apparel.  Maybe REI will have a sale soon on Chacos and those floppy brimmed river/gardening hats.  Or maybe it is a little too soon to purchase rafting goodies when we have only done it once.  Maybe?  Who cares. 

On the way home we stopped and got burritos and then I immediately went into a sun coma once I hit the couch.  I woke up around 9:00pm in time to catch fireworks on TV (although sadly we missed the ones where Usher choreographed the pyrotechnics).  The fourth had a first for Rudy too.  He was able to lay outside of his crate with us as fireworks were going off all over town.  He is really scared by them but he was able to self sooth enough to kinda chill out on the carpet.  Folks everywhere have been shooting them off this whole week so he has had a little practice for the big night.  Far more successful fourth that the others for him.  Good job Rudy.  It was a great 4th of July. 

The Holidays in Oregon

First off, happy new year!  I hope that everyone's 2013 is off to a good start.  It is hard to believe that the holidays are over (although Cliff keeps telling me that they aren't over until this upcoming weekend when we take down the tree and decorations).  This was an odd holiday season as this was the first time we were away from the east coast and on our own for Christmas.

Cliff and I did an excellent job of getting into the Christmas spirit.  We went with friends to see holiday lights (see Coos Bay post), we watched holiday movies, ate chocolate, listened to Christmas music, decorated the whole house, and drank egg nog.  We were in good shape until Christmas eve.  We were really homesick and sad.  So we made dinner, chatted with our lovely family, watched "It's A Wonderful Life", and headed for bed.  On Christmas we finished opening presented (we snuck a few ahead of schedule) and packed up to head to Portland to spend the night with Kathy, Jill, and our friend Zoe who flew up from California.  We were actually supposed to go up to Portland before Christmas but postponed the trip as Zoe's flight was cancelled and she came in a few days late.  I'm really glad we changed our plans as spending time with friends helped to make a really nice Christmas.  Kathy, Jill and Zoe made a delicious lunch/dinner (ham, vegetables, bread and cheese, green bean casserole, stuffing, mimosas, and homemade cookies!).  We Skyped with our friends Sam and Steve in Pittsburg.  Afterwards we all went to the movie to see Les Miserables.  The theater was packed.  I love going to the movies on Christmas.  We all really enjoyed the movie and cried a lot...well....I cried a lot.  I get so emotional with musicals.  They are magical to me.  After the movie we opened presents and ate Chinese food.  It was a solid day.

We came back from Portland on Wednesday so that I could work the rest of the week.  Cliff and I were both looking forward to the weekend as REI was having their scratch and dent sale.  We really want to start backpacking but are missing a few essential items and we had Christmas money burning a hole in our pocket.  We got there 2 1/2 hours before the doors opened and we were about the 70th or so folks in line.  It was cold but dry and a friend waited with us so the time went by pretty quickly.  Once inside, Cliff did it.  He found the exact tent we wanted.  The tent sells for about $350 and we got ours for $70 because a non-essential zipper was broken.  Totally excited!  We also got a fuel bottle for our future stove and I got a fuzzy fleece jacket.  We were pretty proud of ourselves.  We put the tent up in the living room quite a few times that night.  Rudy was very confused.  We are now a few steps closer to our first spring backpacking trip.

Last night we went out to dinner with a friend from work and stopped in at our neighbor's for a get together.   The clock struck midnight as Cliff and I were going to bed.  We decided to ring in the new year with sleep.  This morning we got up and Cliff suggested that we climb Spencer Butte.  It has been dry this week (awesome) and the sun was out.  Everyone and their mom, brother, cousin, and dog was at the butte today.  We all wanted to take in the view and the sunshine on the first day of 2013.  There was quite a bit of frost and even some ice on the butte.  I took a photo of some as it was a cool shape. It was clear and we could see the Three Sisters and even up to Mt. Hood.  The whole hike was relaxing and wonderful.

I've failed to mention that Rudy had an awesome Christmas.  He got a new bed, treats, a long and leggy Santa monkey, a Rudolph rope/squeak toy (via Kathy and Jill), and a new tie (via mom).  He has been a happy camper.  He won't leave his new bed and when he does it is to either eat, go to the bathroom, or frolic with his new toys.  You can't see them all, but he is sitting on top of them in this photo.  He likes to snuggle with them.

As for the new year, 2012 was full of transitions for us and for the family.  We are looking forward to 2013 and the new challenges and the opportunities that await.  We don't really do resolutions but Cliff and I have a few hopes for the upcoming year:

• Spend more time outside
• Start backpacking (the goal would be once a month in the dry times)
• Be more active and eat healthier (we both have quite a big sweet tooth)
• Finally get the dog to walk properly on a leash
• Cliff wants to row another marathon before April
• I want to improve my ability to balance work and life

May the new year bring you all lots of love, laughter, prosperity, and happiness!  Bring it on 2013. 

Coos Bay Adventure

This weekend Cliff and I did a few activities to get us into the holiday spirit.

On Friday, we had our Winter Wonderland event at work.  We had photos with Santa, two live reindeer, face painting, a ton of holiday crafts, hot chocolate and sugar cookies at Mrs. Claus' kitchen, snow, violinists playing holiday music, train rides, a gingerbread competition, and a festive sweater contest.  Cliff even volunteered and decorated the top of the bouldering wall to look like a penguin village (think snow, lights, inflatable penguins).  It was adorable and the event was a success.  

Yesterday, we went with my awesome co-worker, her husband, and two kiddos to Shore Acres State Park for holiday lights.  Shore Acres is south on the coast (that's right we got to see a part of the state we hadn't before!) and for the holidays they put up over 300,000 lights.  It was a long day in the car but it was totally worth it as we got to see a few pretty cool things:

1) Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area:  On the way down to Coos Bay there is an elk viewing area.   The area is a year around home to about 100 Roosevelt Elk.   We decided we needed to stop by to see if we could actually see any. Holy cow they were there!  There is a little pit stop area where folks can have a picnic, go to the bathroom, and watch the animals.  They were super close to the road.  I felt like we were back in Yellowstone.  I'm a big fan of elk. 

 

2)  Fun Food:  We ate at the Blue Heron Bistro in Coos Bay.  It is a German/seafood restaurant.  What could be more fun?  At our table we had fried oysters, cod fish and chips, steamed muscles, bratwurst, sauerkraut, stewed red cabbage, German potato salad, and cucumber and cabbage coleslaw.  It was tasty.  The whole restaurant was covered in old Norma Rockwell images.  

After dinner we went to Cranberry Sweets and More as we heard they had tons of free samples.  They literally have a sample for every item they sell.  Every. Item. They.  Sell.  No joke.  They even had free coffee and cider.  It was all decked our for Christmas.  We sampled cranberry and raspberry chocolates,  cookies, candy canes, fudge (Cliff was really brave and tried their neon cheddar cheese fudge) , jelly candies, spicy chocolate and a ton of other things.  It was nuts (but I didn't eat any...haha).  I asked to buy a chocolate covered cherry and they gave me two for free.  Awesome.  I highly recommend the stop for anyone who is going to Coos Bay. 

3) Shore Acres Holiday Lights: So apparently Shore Aces State Park has some of the most amazing scenic cliff and coastline views in Oregon.  With this said, we got to the park once it was dark.  But that is ok as  we could hear the ocean so we knew it was close.  We will need to go back in the summer when it is light, green, and the flowers are in bloom.

Every year for the last 26 years, Shore Acres State Park has decorated with lights.  Each year, more and more lights have been added and now there are over 300,000 lights in the park.  We all got bundled and walked around the gardens.  We enjoyed more cider and cookies and listened to girl scouts singing Christmas carols in the gazebo.  It was pretty great.  

They had little light displays of marine life (whales, seals, crabs, frogs, herons, etc.).  A few of the light displays had actions.  The frogs jumped and croaked.  There were underwater glowing Koi.  They had lights in bushes to create glowing hydrangeas (I love hydrangeas!).  They sold these special 3D looking glasses at their gift shop.  When you looked through them at the lights every bulb turned into a gingerbread man, stocking, and candy cane.  I tried to take a photo of the effect.  See below for the first of my terrible photos.  The one to follow is actually of Cliff and I.  My photos rule.

It is crazy to think that we are just a week out from Christmas.  All of our gifts are in the mail, the tree is up, and we are all set to watch Christmas Vacation or Love Actually tonight.  It is finally starting to feel like Christmas. 

Christmas Parade

This weekend I got to be in a Christmas parade. 

Every year my work helps to sponsor the event and they always enter a float.  When I was first hired I thought that maybe I could sneak my way into the parade.  Well, I lucked out as my coworker and I ended up being responsible for our whole thing.  We came up with the design, did the decorating, and then got to walk the 2.9 mile route yesterday.  How cool is that?

Our float's theme was "we've caught the holiday spirit!".  It involved a magical penguin ice fishing house that was filled with 20 little pre-schoolers with penguin hats on.  The pre-schoolers also made fun watercolored fish to which we glued "holiday spirit" words.  Our words included Joy, Peace, Love, Family, Friends, Hope, Wish, and we even added Rain since we do live in Oregon after all.  The little fishies went on the poles hence "we've caught the holiday spirit!".  I'm biased but I think it was stinkin' cute (that is a fish joke FYI).  Plus, I got to incorporate my super-cute thrift store penguins.  Yard decorates never looked so adorable.

We lucked out as it only rained a little yesterday.  It wasn't super cold and we didn't get soaked.  Plus I managed not to step in any horse poop.  We handed out thousands of pieces of candy and wished many people merry Christmas and happy holidays.  It was a lot of work to put together (heck Cliff even pitched in to staple tinsel icicles to the house) but it was really fun.  I can't wait for next year to do it all again!