We didn't get back from the GWU Inaugural Ball last night until around 1am, and William and Thomas (our friends from AZ) didn't leave for the airport until 2:30am, but here I am at 8:15am updating my blog! I should still be in bed, but the kids have school this morning and Hubby has work, so someone has to be the responsible parent around here and get everyone moving. ;) I'll head back to bed in a minute, but just wanted to get a quick post out about last night. Pictures will be up as soon as I'm feeling more awake.
Our ride into DC was blissfully uneventful. There were more than a few well-dressed guests on the Metro, including an adorable Navy couple that scored tickets to the Commander-in-Chief Ball. (I gave them my email address, so hopefully they'll send me pictures of President Obama's dance with Michelle!) Once we got off the Metro, we hailed a cab to our pre-selected restaurant of the evening, Napoleon. The service was ok, but the food was fabulous! My Coq au Vin was divine, and the appetizers we ordered (Apple & Brie Crepe Chips and Croque Monsieur) were perfect matches for each other. Honestly, I think that I had a better time at dinner with Hubby and friends, having a great conversation over great food, than I did at the Ball!
The big reason that the Ball wasn't such a hit was the fact that they waaaaaay oversold the event. I read somewhere that there were 5200 attendees expected, and for all I know, there may have been more. You could barely move in most places; the coat checks were crowded (though we managed to get in and out quickly due to our exquisite planning!) and the ballrooms (several were reserved for our event) were so packed that you could not move for several minutes in any direction. There were far too many overprimped and inappropriately dressed young co-eds, though as Hubby mentioned, the painfully skewed male-to-female ratio made the evening more visually enjoyable for him (grumble!). We also felt like the old fogies of the night, as at least 80% of the crowd consisted of undergrads. It really was a prom-like atmosphere. I did manage to bump into two girls from my grad program, so the evening wasn't a complete wash. Hubby and I also got to do some dancing (if swaying in a cattle car is dancing) in the ballroom with the "swing" band. The dance floors were way too small, the areas set aside for food were way too big, and there was no place to sit down. And not only did we have a heck of a time finding the bar, drinks were $8 each! Even my tiny water bottle was overpriced at $2.
Still, it was fun to dress up with friends and have a night out, and at least I can say that I got to go to one of the many inaugural balls for the 44th President. I'm glad I did it, but unless I can score tickets to one of the "official" balls with the A-list performers and guests, I don't think I'll be going to another ball any time soon.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Merry (belated) Christmas, everyone!
Yes, I'm a slacker. I have long since accepted this about myself, so it really should come as no surprise that it's taken me until 27 December to post my "Merry Christmas!" blog entry. Besides, we're still receiving (and mailing, but that's another story) packages filled with Christmas goodies, so I figure it's okay to prolong the merriment. Ho ho ho, dangit!
Our Christmas was filled with orange frosty rolls (a family tradition), stockings and presents piled so high you could barely see the Christmas trees. Yes, that's plural - we found the glowy, fiber-optic tree that Hubby and K#1 had in Houston oh-so-many years ago. We needed it for all of the ornaments we had, and we still ended up hanging some of them on the garland around the fireplace mantle and on the wall next to the big tree in the living room. Note to self for next year: find a way to pare down the ornaments, or discover a new and creative way to display them.
Pretty much everyone got what they wanted this year, even me - I got lots of fabulous yoga and pilates equipment for my morning workouts (and a promise from Hubby to get up and work out with me!), a gift card to Williams-Sonoma (which I'll spend on Monday, my CWS day), some books and a new TV to replace the one that has been slowly dying in my bedroom. Hooray for new technology!
I hope that everyone out there had a wonderful Christmas, though it appears that folks on Oahu had a bit of a bumpy holiday. What I think is funny is that the media only now finds this phenomenon a big deal since the President-Elect is staying in HI for the holidays. As anyone who has lived on Oahu in the last 5-10 years can tell you, power outages aren't exactly rare. I seem to recall scheduling time every third Sunday to be out of the house and doing something at the park or the beach since we knew that the power would go out at home. Oh, and the major outage after that earthquake - that was great fun. Ice cream for breakfast, being jealous of our neighbors for having the foresight to have a gas stove to cook bacon and eggs... Yeah, lots of fun.
Anyways: Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever else you celebrate - hope you had/have a great time!
Our Christmas was filled with orange frosty rolls (a family tradition), stockings and presents piled so high you could barely see the Christmas trees. Yes, that's plural - we found the glowy, fiber-optic tree that Hubby and K#1 had in Houston oh-so-many years ago. We needed it for all of the ornaments we had, and we still ended up hanging some of them on the garland around the fireplace mantle and on the wall next to the big tree in the living room. Note to self for next year: find a way to pare down the ornaments, or discover a new and creative way to display them.
Pretty much everyone got what they wanted this year, even me - I got lots of fabulous yoga and pilates equipment for my morning workouts (and a promise from Hubby to get up and work out with me!), a gift card to Williams-Sonoma (which I'll spend on Monday, my CWS day), some books and a new TV to replace the one that has been slowly dying in my bedroom. Hooray for new technology!
I hope that everyone out there had a wonderful Christmas, though it appears that folks on Oahu had a bit of a bumpy holiday. What I think is funny is that the media only now finds this phenomenon a big deal since the President-Elect is staying in HI for the holidays. As anyone who has lived on Oahu in the last 5-10 years can tell you, power outages aren't exactly rare. I seem to recall scheduling time every third Sunday to be out of the house and doing something at the park or the beach since we knew that the power would go out at home. Oh, and the major outage after that earthquake - that was great fun. Ice cream for breakfast, being jealous of our neighbors for having the foresight to have a gas stove to cook bacon and eggs... Yeah, lots of fun.
Anyways: Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever else you celebrate - hope you had/have a great time!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Things I am thankful for this 27 November 2008: the world's greatest husband (who never complains when I have class or need to work late or travel); three adorable kids (who I love even when they make me crazy and leave Legos out for me to step on); extended family; amazing co-workers; my health, such as it is; the opportunity to attend grad school in Washington, DC; the batch of Joy the Baker's pumpkin pie bars that should be on their way back from Dayton at this very moment; fabulous friends all over the world; positive political change; crackling fires and hot chocolate; good books; Thanksgiving leftovers (which I won't get until Saturday!); one successful year in a job I love; tickets to GWU's Inaugural Ball; pancake breakfasts with my children every weekend; my newly discovered theme song; and the chance to keep on truckin' every day.
And here's a shout-out to Liz, who is thousands of miles from a homemade turkey feast (though at least she's in Germany, where the good beer floweth): I'm going to try and send a batch of these cookies your way. Not sure how, but I'll figure that out later. Hopefully Customs will let them through...
*Special thanks to Deb over at the Smitten Kitchen, whose recipes continually inspire me to try new things (and whose blog post gave me the inspiration for this entry)!
And here's a shout-out to Liz, who is thousands of miles from a homemade turkey feast (though at least she's in Germany, where the good beer floweth): I'm going to try and send a batch of these cookies your way. Not sure how, but I'll figure that out later. Hopefully Customs will let them through...
*Special thanks to Deb over at the Smitten Kitchen, whose recipes continually inspire me to try new things (and whose blog post gave me the inspiration for this entry)!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election status (10pm EST)
As of 10pm EST, Sen. Obama has a rather commanding lead over Sen. McCain in Electoral College votes (195-70 according to Politico). I find it interesting to compare the tallies between Politico, CNN and NBC. I don't even bother with Fox News since I know which way they're skewed.
I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be dancing in celebration of a Democratic win on 20 Jan...
;)
I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be dancing in celebration of a Democratic win on 20 Jan...
;)
Voting
I took my 5-yr-old with me to cast my vote this morning! He didn't really understand; he said he had already voted (in his kindergarten class, where they voted for their favorite animal - he chose the "buffalo"), so he wasn't sure why Mom was going out to vote. He asked if he could vote with me, but they didn't have the "Kids Vote" at our polling place. There was an extremely nice and gracious older woman who offered to give her "I voted!" sticker to #2 - he was most pleased and did remember to say "thank you".
As for the lines, there was a really long line at the school where I voted - luckily, it was only for those voters with last names that started with L-R. There was absolutely NO line for any of the other letters, which suited me just fine. I didn't see any reporters or exit pollers at my polling place, but when I went to my daughter's school for a parent-teacher conference, there was a young woman there. She asked if I had just voted, and when I responded that I had voted earlier at another location, she blew me off. Honestly, as if I don't have anything important to say as a voter just because I live in a different precinct up the street! *end griping*
In any case, I feel terrific about getting out today to cast my vote. It truly is our civic duty to exercise our right to vote, and it kills me that so many people choose not to, particularly in this historic election. Here's hoping that my candidate of choice wins!
One last thing: I just bought tickets to GWU's Inaugural Ball (20 Jan @ 8pm). How freaking cool is that?!?!
As for the lines, there was a really long line at the school where I voted - luckily, it was only for those voters with last names that started with L-R. There was absolutely NO line for any of the other letters, which suited me just fine. I didn't see any reporters or exit pollers at my polling place, but when I went to my daughter's school for a parent-teacher conference, there was a young woman there. She asked if I had just voted, and when I responded that I had voted earlier at another location, she blew me off. Honestly, as if I don't have anything important to say as a voter just because I live in a different precinct up the street! *end griping*
In any case, I feel terrific about getting out today to cast my vote. It truly is our civic duty to exercise our right to vote, and it kills me that so many people choose not to, particularly in this historic election. Here's hoping that my candidate of choice wins!
One last thing: I just bought tickets to GWU's Inaugural Ball (20 Jan @ 8pm). How freaking cool is that?!?!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Wild week in Nashville
I flew in Friday afternoon from Nashville after a week at the 2008 GEOINT Symposium. It was a truly wild week - I had tons of fun, but I am sooooo exhausted!
I thought I'd post some pictures from the event for your enjoyment. You can view pictures from the three days it took to actually set-up the booth, as well as some photos of the booth and some of our exhibitors. I also took some random pictures throughout the week; as a quick background, Craig is one of my co-workers (we work in the same branch - Greg is our branch chief), and the other girls are either fellow co-workers from other branches or exhibitors invited to participate in the show.
I had such a blast at this show. It was extremely hard work (too bad there aren't any pictures of me climbing the truss!), but a terrific experience. I met some wonderful new friends and made great contacts that I hope will pan out for future opportunities. All in all, it was a great time - I hope I can do it all again next year!
I thought I'd post some pictures from the event for your enjoyment. You can view pictures from the three days it took to actually set-up the booth, as well as some photos of the booth and some of our exhibitors. I also took some random pictures throughout the week; as a quick background, Craig is one of my co-workers (we work in the same branch - Greg is our branch chief), and the other girls are either fellow co-workers from other branches or exhibitors invited to participate in the show.
I had such a blast at this show. It was extremely hard work (too bad there aren't any pictures of me climbing the truss!), but a terrific experience. I met some wonderful new friends and made great contacts that I hope will pan out for future opportunities. All in all, it was a great time - I hope I can do it all again next year!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Off to Nashville
I'm heading out to Nashville today to participate in the GEOINT 2008 conference. My agency has a massive booth, so even though the show doesn't start until Tuesday, I've got to be there early to help set-up. Should be an interesting time, though I don't particularly relish the drive up to Baltimore to catch my flight.
I'm a little worried about how Hubby and the kids will manage in my absence. Hubby never cooks, and will only grudgingly reheat leftovers if I'm not available. He's far more apt to hit the drive-thru at some artery-clogging fast food place. Bleh! I've tried my best to fill the fridge with leftovers, and I've given him instructions on how to prep some of the kids' favorite (and fast) dinners. He won't try to prepare flank steak, which is definitely a good thing. He might try my weeknight version of spaghetti (which is similar to my MIL's), or maybe tacos (which I make with shredded rotisserie chicken vs. ground beef). He's taking all of next week off to cope, so hopefully everything will be okay...
Hugs to all, and I'll blog when I get back!
I'm a little worried about how Hubby and the kids will manage in my absence. Hubby never cooks, and will only grudgingly reheat leftovers if I'm not available. He's far more apt to hit the drive-thru at some artery-clogging fast food place. Bleh! I've tried my best to fill the fridge with leftovers, and I've given him instructions on how to prep some of the kids' favorite (and fast) dinners. He won't try to prepare flank steak, which is definitely a good thing. He might try my weeknight version of spaghetti (which is similar to my MIL's), or maybe tacos (which I make with shredded rotisserie chicken vs. ground beef). He's taking all of next week off to cope, so hopefully everything will be okay...
Hugs to all, and I'll blog when I get back!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Baking lesson learned
I tried making blueberry crumb bars last night. They turned out great, but I felt the need to add something. The crust on top wasn't enough - it needed a streusel topping.
So I whipped up a quick topping (flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter) and added it to the top of the mostly cooked bars.
Five minutes later, the topping wasn't crispy yet, and I was worried about over-baking my bars. So I changed to heat from 'bake' to 'broil', and set the timer for 3 minutes while I was folding laundry.
In hind sight, that was a really stupid idea.
Three minutes later, with my timer beeping at me, I emerged from the laundry room to a smoke-filled kitchen. I turned off the oven, scurried around the house opening windows, doors and calling Drew for help.
Did I mention that it was 9pm, 50-ish degrees outside and we were trying to get the kids in bed?
So my adventures in tinkering with a perfectly good recipe resulted in a freezing cold, smoke filled house. Lesson learned: Don't broil baked goods, even if you are trying to achieve a perfect crust without over-baking the rest of the item.
So I whipped up a quick topping (flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter) and added it to the top of the mostly cooked bars.
Five minutes later, the topping wasn't crispy yet, and I was worried about over-baking my bars. So I changed to heat from 'bake' to 'broil', and set the timer for 3 minutes while I was folding laundry.
In hind sight, that was a really stupid idea.
Three minutes later, with my timer beeping at me, I emerged from the laundry room to a smoke-filled kitchen. I turned off the oven, scurried around the house opening windows, doors and calling Drew for help.
Did I mention that it was 9pm, 50-ish degrees outside and we were trying to get the kids in bed?
So my adventures in tinkering with a perfectly good recipe resulted in a freezing cold, smoke filled house. Lesson learned: Don't broil baked goods, even if you are trying to achieve a perfect crust without over-baking the rest of the item.
Monday, October 20, 2008
New iPod and other tidbits
I bought a new iPod yesterday. It's cute - one of those blue 8GB nano thingys. I guess it was some kind of defiant act of thumbing my nose at the world for having the last one stolen. Oh, and the fact that I'm flying to Nashville on Saturday for a show, and I hate flying without music (I need something to distract me from my hatred of flying). So while said new iPod is synchronizing and charging, I thought I'd post an update for everyone.
This weekend, I created a new family blog. I would like to add more pictures, but the battery in our digital camera has died and needs to be charged. I had to purchase a universal charger since we can't find the box with the original charger so.... yeah. I'm hoping to get it taken care of today so that I can drive around and take some pictures before all the leaves fall. The colors are just amazing!
We had our first frost last night, and let me tell you - it was dang cold this morning!! I had to go in search of all of our thick blankets last night, because it went down into the 20's. Brrrr!
iPod sync update: Finally done, and I still have 3.5GB left!
I'm off to buy new pants for Cameron, as he's grown more than an inch and all of his pants are too short for him now. Hugs to all!
This weekend, I created a new family blog. I would like to add more pictures, but the battery in our digital camera has died and needs to be charged. I had to purchase a universal charger since we can't find the box with the original charger so.... yeah. I'm hoping to get it taken care of today so that I can drive around and take some pictures before all the leaves fall. The colors are just amazing!
We had our first frost last night, and let me tell you - it was dang cold this morning!! I had to go in search of all of our thick blankets last night, because it went down into the 20's. Brrrr!
iPod sync update: Finally done, and I still have 3.5GB left!
I'm off to buy new pants for Cameron, as he's grown more than an inch and all of his pants are too short for him now. Hugs to all!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Stolen iPod
At 3pm today, I went out to my car to retrieve the garage door opener so that Hubby could replace the battery for me.
Instead, I discovered that my 80GB video iPod had been stolen from my vehicle.
I'm angry, hurt and depressed. I know it's only an iPod, and I am incredibly grateful that they didn't invade my home and hurt my family. Still, it happened to have pictures of my family and information for some of my contacts on there (I'm always forgetting addresses when I mail packages, so I put the info on the iPod since I don't have a Blackberry or anything). I hate the idea that some low-life creep now has access to that information. I feel.... violated.
I was really enjoying my new home and our nice, quiet street. Now I'm scared and paranoid, and I won't go out to my car after dark anymore, even though it's just in the driveway.
I wish I could just curl up in my bed and cry.
Instead, I discovered that my 80GB video iPod had been stolen from my vehicle.
I'm angry, hurt and depressed. I know it's only an iPod, and I am incredibly grateful that they didn't invade my home and hurt my family. Still, it happened to have pictures of my family and information for some of my contacts on there (I'm always forgetting addresses when I mail packages, so I put the info on the iPod since I don't have a Blackberry or anything). I hate the idea that some low-life creep now has access to that information. I feel.... violated.
I was really enjoying my new home and our nice, quiet street. Now I'm scared and paranoid, and I won't go out to my car after dark anymore, even though it's just in the driveway.
I wish I could just curl up in my bed and cry.
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