First Signs

I think we got tomorrow's forcasted weather today; clear skies with temperatures in the upper 40s to low 50s. Actually, it got up to 57 degrees! It was so good to see some clear skies and we were able to get out and do some long over-due cutting back of perennials. LOVED. IT. In the process, I saw the first signs of the promise of spring.

Witch Hazel, getting ready for its winter bloom

Autumn Joy seedums are sending up new growth

Blueberries with buds

This is the winner of the "spring is on its way" survey, a blueberry stem with its first leaves already out!

Fish Wish

I am one of those people who think spring should happen the week after New Years Day. I want the flowers to be out. I want to see the trees budding. The grass should be greening up and starting to grow. Dang, it never works out that way. There is usually that one really nice week in February. You know the one: 65 degrees and sunny, you think spring is really here and then BANG it snows the next week.

Anyhow, along with wishing for spring comes a desire to BBQ. That made me think of pictures I took last summer of some salmon that Jack caught with Brad when they took a charter boat out of Westport for some deep sea adventure. They came home with 2 fish each!

My favorite way to prepare salmon is on the bbq, and either with a little brown-sugar and butter on it, or using this awesome marinade.

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 to 5 cloves garlic, crushed

ground pepper to taste

crushed parsley (a good handful works)

2 to 3 T lemon juice

Mix well in a blender or food processor.

Marinate salmon for 60 to 90 minutes. I've actually left it for the day in the refrigerator and it turns out fine.

On the BBQ, first cook flesh side down (assuming you have a fillet) for 5 minutes. The flip to skin side down and brush with more marinade if desired. Cook on medium heat until done, 5 to 10 minutes.

I have used a fish basket or like in the picture, an aluminum pan instead of putting the fish directly on the grill. This eliminates the problem of loosing fish through the grill. When using a pan, there is no need to flip the fish. Just cook on medium heat until the fish is cooked through.

The marinade seasons the salmon perfectly: lots of flavor, yet the taste of salmon is still clear in your mouth without being fishy tasting. In spite of it using lots of soy sauce, it doesn't make the fish too salty, but I suppose you could use low sodium soy sauce and still get a pretty good result.

Resolutions

I'm not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions, but after a couple of days to think about it, I have two:
1. to blog more frequently, and
2. to improve my 5K time to something under 35 minutes

Neither may seem like a big deal, but both require me taking time out for myself to work on the goal. So, maybe the resolution should really read, "Take time out to do some things for myself." Nah, I like the first way better. Sounds less selfish and more ambitious!

New Year's Eve quickly caught up to us and as has become tradition, the Carlsons came over to help us greet the new year. For dinner we had hamburgers and baked beans. It tasted so good to me, like a little blast of summer time! All that was missing was the watermelon and flip-flops. Oh, and sunshine.

Now, Amanda has requested that I complete the 20 questions about 2009 that have been popping up here and there on some other blogs, so here it goes!

1. What did you do in 2009 that you had never done before?

Lots of things:

• drove and rode on a WaveRunner (thanks Leanne for the pic!)

• started a blog (this one)... started another blog (http://www.runningarends.wordpress.com/... returned to the first blog...
• ran a 5K race- TWO of them

• made a "jelly roll" style pumpkin cake

• had all three kids in public school at the same time!
• was a Summer Hummer camp councilor

2. Did you keep your New Years Resolutions? And will you make more?

I don't recall having any resolutions. My resolutions for this year are above. I'll add another: to try to remember my resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No, but we did get a new kitten, Lewis. Lately, after watching season 1 of "24", we've taken to calling him The Senator. Also, he chases our fat girl cat, Dot, around after we are all in bed. They loudly zip from one end of the hallway to the other, up the stairs, on and off beds. Their feet pound the floor the whole way. Did I tell you it's loud? Anyway, since Dot has been advised to "loose some weight" by the vet, it's almost as though Lewis is putting her through a work-out. Now we also call him "Bob" (ie: trainer on "Biggest Looser") and say that he is running Dot through her last chance work-out. Now, what was the question?

Lewis finding us at the pet shelter

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thank goodness no, but we did loose a cat, Dixie. After we were sure of her not returning, we got Lewis/The Senator/Bob. (see above answer if you have cheated and skipped to this question because you won't know what I'm talking about)

5. What places have you visited?

Oooo, really exotic places like Bellingham, Yakima, Ferndale and Westport. You should go to these places some time. The food is wonderful and the people and customs are so delightful.

Amanda and Emily pulling a razor clam from the Westport sand

Cousin time in Bellingham/Ferndale

Kaisha, Collin, Amanda, Alissa, Emily, Thomas, Mia, Ania

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

Money for travel to real exotic locations. Truthfully, I don't think I lacked anything in 2009. It was a very blessed year.

7. What date in 2009 will be etched in your memory and why?

A date in 2009... I would have to say it was coming home from my work to greet Amanda after her first day of high school. She was one distressed and stressed girl who was just starting the adjustment to public school after 4 years of homeschooling. Don't worry though. In 3 days she had found friends, decided her teachers were not freaks, and she looked forward to heading off to school with Jack driving her each morning.

8. What was your biggest achievment?

Biggest achievement in 2009 was probably work on our back yard. There's still a lot to do, but we got a lot done last year.

9. Did you suffer any injuries or illness in 2009?
Nope. Just sick from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Bummer, but temporary.

10. What was the best thing you bought?
Does re-financing the house count? Other than that, I would say my red couch. Love the red couch. Did I buy that in 2009? Well, if not, let's just say I did.

11. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage. Hands down, the mortgage. Taxes run a close second.

Our home last winter in 13" of snow

12. What song will remind you of 2009?
Any song by The Lads. They played at Summer Hummer and their songs ran through our heads all summer. What fun!

13. What do you wish you could have done more of?
Individual time with Jack and each of the kids. I should add that to the resolutions list.

14. What do you wish you could have done less of?
Less eating. At Christmas. That, and laying in bed, waiting to fall asleep.

15. What was your favorite TV program?

For shows I currently watch, it's either Biggest Looser or Desperate Housewives. For shows on DVD, 24. Jack Bauer is so cool. Did you ever notice that he never has to comb his hair, use the bathroom or charge his cell phone? He is just THAT amazing. He's almost as cool as my Jack.

The resemblance is uncanny, don't you think?

16. What was the best book you read in 2009?

Jane Eyre... read this along with Amanda this summer. Turns out she didn't need to have read it, but I'm still glad I did. There are so many classics that I've never set hands on.

17. What was your favorite movie of the year?

The Blind Side or This Is It (Michael Jackson's movie). I was not expecting to like the Jackson flick as well as I did, since I'm not a big fan of Michael Jackson as a person, but it was fun to see that show be put together. I was impressed at how much work went into it, and of course we all know the curtain never opened after MJ's death. It was like being a fly on the wall in the rehearsal hall.

18. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you turning?

Honestly, I don't remember what I did on my birthday. OH, I know! Went with the fam to Fujiyama, a Japanese grill type of place where they cook on a hot grill at your table. Fun and yummy. I turned whatever age it is you turn when you graduated from high school 26 years ago. You do the math...

19. What political issue did you strugle with this year? Health care reform. I'd like to see costs come down but some of the changes around insurance make me nervous.

20. Who was the best person you met?

My husband, Jack, of course. Now, I realize that we didn't meet in 2009, but the question didn't ask that. It just asks who is the best person I met. For what it's worth, we met in 1983. WSU, fall semester, Kimbrough hall, upstairs classroom for music theory with Doc O. We were friends all through college, but didn't date until we were out of college. That's for another post!

Christmas

Amanda and me at my Mother-in-law's home in Westport

Thomas with Grandma's really cool carousel      

So, a quickie Christmas recap- Christmas Eve took us to Jack's mom's house in Westport.

As is the usual way, many little bowls of things to nibble on were set out upon our arrival. It's like dim sum a la Westport. Cheese, crackers, summer sausage, grapes, little oranges all peeled and separated into sections, mini carrots. When the kids were little there was always a bowl of something like Froot Loops or Coco Puffs. New this year were two things: guacamole (yum) and chopped up pieces of smoked razor clams that someone gave my sweet mother-in-law who I think likes all things from the ocean. I had to draw the line at the smoked clams. This picture gives an idea of the set up of little bowls. Amanda will want you to know it is ROOT beer, not a fresh cold Henry's.

Scott cooked, food was great! Ham, potatoes au gratin, salad. All just yummy. It's hard not to like something when it is cooked in cream and has cheese oozing through it.

Gift giving, as always, was super fun. But, the piece of the evening that will never be forgotten is when my BIL Todd announced his engagement to Coral-the-former-girlfriend. You can imagine our surprise! After getting caught up with how we got from "She needs to get on with her life, which won't include me" to "I love her and we're getting married", congratulations were offered all around. I look forward to getting to know Coral and her family better. This probably includes the proper spelling of her name. Sorry Coral!

Christmas Day we were at home. Emily was sick and had been up coughing most of the night. Of course when the sun came up, she was finally getting some quality sleep. The only problem was that presents and stockings were waiting downstairs and her siblings were doing their best to be patient and let her sleep. They know the rules: don't come downstairs until you are invited to by mom and dad. So, Amanda and Thomas kept busy in Amanda's room. They were shooting the new super blaster nerf shooting gun received from Grandma the night before, and Amanda read Calvin and Hobbes comics to Thomas. By 8AM nobody could stand it any more and we had to get Emily up.

Look at the little darlings. Nothing says "Christmas Morning" like new jammies and a gun in your hand.

Such fun to unpack the stockings! Santa usually fills them with random things and this year was no different.

Giant Hershey bars, little craft kits, gummy candy, peppermint sticks and flarp. Flarp is this amazing goo that comes in a plastic little can. When you push your fingers through it, it sounds like, well... a fart. Thomas especially appreciated the flarp gift. It's great to be an 8-year old boy at Christmas!

From the stockings we went to the tree and by the time we got done there, it looked like a bomb went off at the wrapping paper factory. Such fun to open gifts, and a great time to count blessings.

Thomas and Jack received matching Mariner's pants

We spent the day playing with new toys, picking up a bit and I did a little baking. That evening we had some friends over for dessert so I had to get a cheesecake and pie ready to add to the mix of other sweet treats.

The dessert spread

I fell into bed that night, exhausted from the day's activities, but very happy. To celebrate the birth of our savior with people you love, great food and fun gifts... it gets no better than that!

Running Arends... and a Carlson

Time to play Blog Catch Up again. We're stepping back in time. It's just a week though, so it shouldn't hurt your head too badly.

Stop when you get to December 19. Saturday. The day of the Santa Runs 5K that Jack and I ran in. Well, I ran and walked. He ran. Our times prove the difference in our strategies. Brad Carlson also joined us. He ran too, but he ran fast.

The picture above shows the three of us before the race. If you pre-registered, you received the nifty gloves and Santa hat. The race was supposed to start at 9AM, but because so many people showed up to register on the day of the race, it was delayed to about 9:30. So here we are, waiting inside the warehouse area, trying to stay warm, stretched out and ready.

Noticeably absent is Leanne, Brad's wife. She couldn't run because her foot was still recovering from a stress fracture and a sick daughter needed her home that morning. Maybe next time she can join us, either running or for moral support!

Me and Jack, moments before the horn to start. The race was in the same place as the St. Patty's race we did last March, along the Tacoma waterfront. It's actually quite an industrial type of area, hence, the trains you see in the background.

Moments into the race. Yes, I stopped to take this picture. I have no pride in my race time.

This group was really fun! The "reindeer" were all lashed up together and Santa was behind them, pushing a stroller (sleigh) that was attached to the reindeer. They sang Christmas songs the ENTIRE race. I can barely talk and run at the same time. I don't know how they had the breath to actually sing, but they were fun to be with... until they passed me.

I stopped again  to take a picture of the 1/2 way turn-around. It's fun when the race-worker people cheer you on and tell you that you're half way done. This is the point in the race where my brain starts wondering why in the world I thought running a 5K would be a good idea. I am tired and bored and the only reason I keep running is simple: to get to the end.

Brad finished 10th in his age category! 26:39.8

Jack finished at 31:41.9

I huffed across the finish line at 38:23.1

So at long last, we all ended up back at the start/finish line. Brad first, then Jack, then after a while, me. Maybe my time would be better if I didn't stop to take the pictures, but then how boring would this blog entry be?

Look at these two fine athletes! It's hard to know who looks better in their Santa hat.

After re-hydrating and walking what seemed like another 5K to our parked car, we went where any respectable athlete goes after a major event.....




here it comes.....






keep going.....






wait for it....






NOW!

KrispyKreme. We had to carb up. Some people say you should load on carbs before a race, but I'm thinking that it doesn't really matter.

Look at the CUTE donuts they had for Christmas time! Snowman donuts.

Who knew a donut could be so cute? I will run a race again if I get such a great treat at the end.

My Amazing Husband

So Jack takes a listen to the new music on my blog and tells me how much he loves the Rutter Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind. I knew he would like it because he had programmed it for his groups several times when he was teaching high school choir. And he loves Rutter. Who doesn't? I was pretty happy with myself that I chose something he would like so well.

Then as he takes a closer listen, he realizes it's a REHEARSAL recording for the tenor part! He had me listen and by-gum, he was right! Listen yourself and after the women sing the first few bars and the men come in, the piano is BANGING out the tenor part. He said there are web sites where you can listen to recordings of choral music with each part played out separately. Soprano, alto, bass, and on this one, tenor. That is one smart man, my husband with the good choral ear!

Now, stay here at this blog for another minute, and you can hear the piano part I'm talking about. Wonder why playlist.com uses a rehearsal practice recording for their web site. Oh well. You still get the essence of the piece.

I guess coming to my blog is now a good way to learn the tenor part to a beautiful piece of choral repertoire. Maybe one day we can all get together and sing it. Just the tenor part.

Can't wait for break!

Amanda (14), Thomas (7), Emily (13)

Jack and I are, of course, just about to turn 29

Did you know that kids are out of school in just 1.5 days? Only one more morning of getting up and a school/work day, and then it's officially Christmas break. For two weeks!

these shortbread type cookies are soooo yummy with a cup of coffee

We are plugging away with prep for Christmas:

• tree is up
• lights are on house
• presents are taken care of
• some presents are wrapped
• candy canes are in the elf bowl
• attended the children's Christmas Play at church
• opening the doors of the advent box... each holds a slip of paper with an old testament prophecy about Christ that came true in the new testament AND candy!
• ipod is updated with new Christmas tunes

How do you get ready for Christmas? Do you have a favorite tradition or way to celebrate?

Decorated Christmas cookies

(go see Leanne's blog, chocolatechipsandsnickerdoodles.blogspot.com

for the recipe)

A close up of our tree at home

Me, Leanne and our beautiful Christmas Forest tree

"All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Creatures Great and Small"

"Who's that behind those Foster Grants"

Yikes. I hate heights. I love my husband for being on the roof so I don't have to!