Here kitty kitty...

So, we're not cat lover's, but after having Tucker for 3 weeks now we've kind of grown attached to him. Except for the meowing...all day...all night. And I'm not sure what my brother did while we were on vaca, but he is apparently too good for dry food now.

Gary thinks he's been less grumpy since Tucker arrived because the cat can bug me all day and Gary can laugh at me and not get in trouble!

You don't choose your family...

...but one day you come to realize that all the unsolicited advice and comments on your life are only done out of love. It's probably around the same time that your true friends no longer blindly support you in everything you do and tell you how great you are, but offer you that same unsolicited advice and comments on your life. And guess what? You did choose your friends!

Human natures boggles my mind everyday. We are more willing to accept things from people we've known half our lives, over those that have loved us unconditionally since the moment they found out we were growing in our mother's bellies. Yet, in the end, no matter who the advice is coming from, we still do what we think is best for us. Because who knows you better than yourself (and a lot of us don't know ourselves very well either). But again, in the end, the family you didn't choose and the friends you did still love you despite the fact that you rebuffed them at every turn.

On the menu tonight

It's been years since I've had a dinner party. I'm nervous, but everything seems to be happening smoothly so far (I'm getting an early start). Here's my dessert recipe from my last dinner party:
1) Take homemade cheesecake out of oven
2) If you have no oven mitts, use kitchen towels
3) Think how incredibly hot cheesecake is
4) Notice that kitchen towels are on fire
5) Dump cheesecake in the sink
6) Call best friend to pick up cheesecake on the way over
So, you can see why I'm a bit nervous!

On top of that, I've never been very good at cooking meat. I have set my oven on fire (not once, but twice) trying to cook chicken drumsticks. Most recently, I set our BBQ on fire. So, my biggest worry is the meat.

On the menu this evening:

Appetizers:
Shrimp with Spicy Chipotle Roasted Red Pepper Cocktail Sauce & Lemon Tarragon Sauce
French Stick with Lemon Oregano Oil and Tapenade (these are the only store bought items)

Dinner:
Citrus Roasted Pork
Brown Rice
Asparagus and Baby Carrots in Butter

Dessert:
Chocolate Mousse with berries

Wish me luck!

Trippin' out

Gary and I are cruisin'! We've decided that after 10 years we finally deserve a real vacation. One where we are not visiting family or driving to cottage country. So, instead of our original plan of driving to Calgary to visit Matt, we're going on a cruise. Gary returned from his business trip in Florida pumped about Disney World. Well, there's no way we could afford to top the 4 days he spent in one of the top Disney World resorts, but I thought a cruise might! And they are surprisingly affordable. We'll be spending 4 nights on the Sovereign of the Seas, then 1-2 days at Magic Kingdom/Epcot on our return. I'll be sure to get a picture of Gary and Goofy.

Happy birthday!

...to me! It was a good one. In standard fashion, Gary and I stayed up until midnight so I could open my present (okay, I stayed up and woke him up later). He got me a pink Nintendo DS...so unexpected...and the best gift ever! I think he was trying to tell me something though with his choice of game...Brain Age 2. It says right on the box:
Keep your brain young and sharp
I was kind of insulted until I found out my brain age is 48!

If you know me, you know I love food...so, the next best part of the day was roti for lunch and Red Lobster for dinner...Ultimate Feast all the way!

And then I was very excited for the lunar eclipse tonight...I went out and got film today (yes, I said film). My camera died 20 minutes before it was to start, so I ran out to Shopper's to get a new battery. Only to remember just as I was walking back in the door that it's not until next Wednesday!

Well, now I have something to be excited for all over again!

Winter wonderland...

I can't wait for the snow tomorrow! Yeah, right! At least, for once, Gary will be home. He will finally get to shovel for the first time this year! I hope it snows a lot...I had to shovel four times last weekend.

So, I'm working on my family tree again (4 years in the making!) My grandmother lent me a box of old family photos to scan, and I have to post one to show how beautiful my Grandmother is!

Long time no see...

Ha! Well, I guess I did give up quite quickly....

You must excuse me though, as June 14 would have been about the time I started planning my wedding. Yes, mine.... I did all the organizing, he did some of the heavy lifting. It was a great time though, and turned out to be exactly what we wanted after 9 years of flip-flopping (Vegas, Caribbean, cottage country weekend, in-laws backyard...the Little White Chapel in North Carolina). Our thanks to my Dad for making it possible, and our wonderful wedding party for all their efforts.

So, my last post said I had good news (as you may have guessed by now, no I'm not pregnant). I vaguely remember what the news was, and I think it will happen this month....and no, I'm still not pregnant.