Winter wonderful.

Life is damn near perfect. This holiday season has been the perfect way to finish off an amazing year.
Mr M was back and forth on Christmas eve for work, so we opened all our gifts to each other and our stockings that night. Besides some really great zombie books, I received;
the Wii Fit Plus I had wanted,
a digital Sony camera and 2G mem card,
A stuffed monkey we have now named Gertrude Green,
The Notebook on dvd,
various candies, tons of Reese's minis and I have still more presents that he is giving to me this next week.

Add this to the pile of M.A.C. cosmetics and wonderful earrings my sister and her man got me and I made out like a bandit.

We topped it all off with dinner at my sister house, my parents attended as well, then spent the rest of the night killing zombies and laughing.

Today was a lot of the same, home in the morning- afternoon with Kelly- evening shooting zombies at Kelly's- night time blogging while Mr M sleeps. As for the rest of my night, I plan on eating some yummy left-overs from yesterday and watching Love Actually (again). Perfect end to the perfect day.


I am just so very thankful at times like these for how far my life has come this last year, and all the wonderful people that made it all happen!

Mise en plas.

Tonight I am attempting something I dread, baking by myself.

While I hold a natural talent for cooking, baking eludes me. I studied pastry in addition to culinary arts in general, but baking was not my thing. I assigned baking to students, oversaw that it was being done properly, and taught the techniques. But I hated, (loathed, even) when I had to wait for some roll or bread to rise. I am impatient, to say the least.

Cooking is natural- I prep, I plan, I follow though, I instruct, I manage, and things all come out on time, hot and fresh. With correct mise en plas, everything works. Done.

Baking is measurements, restriction, and time consuming (also, slave labor in my opinion). I am a slave to weights, measurements and the time each step takes. No thank you.
I am more apt to assist in baking, I will stir or mix, craft a chocolate ganache or ribbon for decoration. I am more likely to be there for the finish or the start than the middle.

As a child I loved 'helping' my mother bake cookies or the like.
Why? Because I didn't do much!
I was able to crack a few eggs, stir in some of the flour and scoop out dough onto a pan.
Flash forward an hour and the cookies had been finished while I played Barbies in the next room. All reward, little work.

As a student, I made my required list of items as quickly as possible and never revisited them again.
As a Sous Chef I assigned other students to bake the required item for that dinner, party, or catering event and all I wanted to hear back was "yes chef".
Ahh the good ol' days when I could make some 18 year old bake me french rolls at the snap of my fingers.
Alas, here I am now, having to make things by myself. I consider this my re-education on the subject.

While I am less inclined to bake, it is for a few very good reasons;
1: baking requires a recipe, while cooking is techniques committed to memory and executed.
2: baking is restrictive to creativity, cooking encourages it.
3:baking is a waiting game, cooking can and will bring swift results.

While I am not so sure I will ever forget how to roast a chicken, cook a curry, or saute perfect asparagus- I know I have forgotten the 15+ ingredients for making brownies from scratch, not to mention the steps or in what order they go.

This is my dilemma, and while I loath the wait- family, friends and loved ones are a good reason to work my baking muscles back into shape. Is this what they call personal growth? It better be.

Ohh Curry.

Yuckk. Over slept to the Nth degree. Wasn't feeling well so I figured I could use the extra sleep. Wrong, it's only made me feel worse. That of the fact that I haven't eaten anything in over 12 hours could be a factor. Hmmm good thing I am fixing that as we speak. (err, as I type)

I had a wonderful idea to make Korean style curry for myself the other day, and it being for just me- I happened to make enough for it to last for days. I am now eating it for the third day in a row.
The first day i made it, it was super delicious- perfectly hot and spicy. Second day it had changed on me, seeped in hot peppers all night- it was a fiery blase in my mouth.
Today I am afraid. So now I am waiting on the rice to cook so I can eat my impending doom, know fondly as "hot curry death". Why?
Because I didn't think to make enough rice the first day, and now have had to make individual servings each day. What can I say, I like to wait, that and I like danger, hence eating a volcano.
So while I am waiting on said rice to cook, I am watching amazing youtube videos., with wonderful names like;
"NWA Day 'help the police'" , "Man vs Toddler" and the all important "The Good Word II: Missionary Rap". Epic win.

Oh and on a brighter note I have named Mr M's laptop Gretchen. Very fitting I think- I'm sure I'll hear about it later, but now that it is posted online, not much he can do to change it.

Other than that, Christmas is looming- and I can't wait for it get here so I can eat my fill and move on to the pretty dress I need to get for New Years Eve.

Time to go check on the rice and watch Star Trek, live long and prosper kids.

Nightmare before Christmas?

So a recap of what happened in the wee hours this morning, before Mr M got home form work.
I decided to clean up all the dishes, and clean the kitchen (ask Mr M, I hate doing dishes).
Afterwards I felt the need to dress up a little seeing as we've had no time in the last few days for anytime together- this meant getting all cleaned up and finding something a little risque to wear.

Everything was going normal, sang all sorts of songs from Moulin Rouge and Chicago, got all scrubbed up and wonderfully clean. Now here's where this story goes terribly wrong.

I turn the water off in the shower, all warm and happy- then i reach for my favorite orange towel, start by drying my left leg, then right. Open said towel to wrap around my body and step out of the tub.
All good right? WRONG.
Out of the corner of my eye as I step out of the tub, I see a black spot.
:dun duhn duuuuhnnnn:
What was it? a big ass spider that had been chillin in my towel. The same towel I had just been drying off with.

~I'm going to take a minute to break down my thoughts on spiders real quick so you can fully grasp this situation.
I CANT STAND SPIDERS!!! Thinking about them makes my skin crawl, my heart pounds and I get a panic attack. If that's not bad enough, if one happens to be near me- I scream. Loudly and in a panic. Even worse is if one touches me. I have to fight my gag reflex, I just about pass out and I shake like a leaf. To say I have arachnophobia is a understatement. Ok now back to the story.~

I freaked. I threw my towel to the ground, moving faster than the flash (no pun intended) to the hall way where I proceeded to have my mini panic attack. Then it dawned on me Mr M is at work- I have no one that will kill it. OH. MY. GOD. FML.

After a good 5 minutes of coaching myself about how "you can do this", I reentered the bathroom to vanquish the prehistoric size arachnid trying to desperately escape the confines of my tub. Thinking quickly I decided the best course would be death by boiling water. I'll spare you the gory details, but lets just say the score is now; Spiders 0 - Megan 1.

I've also come to the conclusion that we need a can or two of Raid, I'm bound to come across bugs in the homestead over the next year. I'm going to make like a boy scout and be prepared.

Starving.

I need hotwings hard core.
Like I am on the verge of murder, (well not really, but I might be tempted) or a really really long cry.

Why isn't hooters open at 1:33 am? This sucks.

Oh sugar, sugar.

Today was fantastic. Period.

[ Quick side note as to why I am still up, despite the fact I post most often in the wee hours:
I am so very tired, but sleeping in a house without Mr M kinda sucks. Well it really sucks to be exact.
I get myself worked up over every little sound, my imagination wanders to thoughts of little ninjas and cat buglers breaking in and stealing all sorts of things- including; cookies, our TV, the couch, my breath. Yes, I said "my breath", a very real fear i assure you.
It's all very ridiculous, but it happens all the time while he is working away on hydro all night. ]


But on a lighter note, and back to the fantastic day I had.
I am soooooo looking forward to Christmas this year, & it is only a week away!
I never thought time would fly by so quickly, and yet again it has.
Today I was able to sleep in to ungodly hours thanks to my lovely Mr M being so quiet for me. I also spent some wonderful time this afternoon with my bil Mike, helping him round out his ever so thoughtful gifts he is going to be giving my sister this year. I must say, well done Mike.. well done indeed!
This also gave us a chance to talk about the dinner plans for the family- Kelly and I will be cooking all but the pies, our parents plan on bringing a pumpkin cheesecake (yummmm!).
The boys will be playing Left for Dead 2 or CoD while we slave away on a uber delish dinner. Follow with our gift exchange and call it a night, with our plans already set for New Year the following week. Utterly Perfect.

O, & did I mention I love those parts of the holiday? I really do enjoy cooking all day just to have a few hours of loved ones devouring tasty treats, opening gifts in two minutes that had taken twenty to wrap, seeing our family enjoy each others company. That's what the season is about, at least for me it is. Again, Perfect.

This week we will also be making our Christmas cookies and candies to give out (and eat, of course), as well as finish up any last minute shopping we may have. And this year we decided to make a gingerbread house to boot!!! The two year old me is very excited.

Other than that- Mr M got me Twilight on Bul-Ray for our latest anniversary ( that being yesterday), & much to his dismay, he will have to watch it with me at least once. Though he is now back at work for the holiday schedule, I'm looking forward to getting some time with him this week to just relax and watch movies.
We already have a long list of holiday movie we have to watch together, making new traditions with Mr M has to be hands down best time of my life. I look forward to the day we get to have our own family traditions that will make the season amazing for our kids.

Tis' the season, so be freaking jolly kids!!

Super size that? Are you sure?

Who's house? Lakes house!
(or so the chant goes...)

I've been looking at some of my HS "friends" facebooks, not what I expected at all.
I am so happy that I am not as "fat" as some of the people I went to high school with.
I just don't understand how in the last six years, the majority of girls I knew have gained at least a good 50 to 70 lbs... a piece!
I understand baby weight, but most of these women have no kids to speak of- and given their hefty size I don't see marriage or kids for them if the given weight gain continues.

I'm just so thankful that I am healthy and happy, I wish these girls would get on board with getting healthy.
Most were over overweight to begin with, but now I'm concerned these people are content with being this way.
Call me vain, a bitch or whatever- all I know is that that much weight is not good for anyone.
And it just grosses me out.

You might as well be chewing on red crayons.

"Smart men devour books, and poop words.
Godly men eat scripture and spit red words.
Righteous men devour scripture and hold it in."

Get it?

I tire of "new Christan's" trying to enlighten me.
I ate scripture before you could walk, so do me a favor- keep your "church club" thoughts to yourself. You impress only your friends (that think they are as holy as you perceive yourself to be at this point) and yourself.
A better man would focus on being the student- not the teacher.

ceci n'est pas une moi.

Ughhhh. I had the great idea to nap yesterday afternoon, it was truly wonderful up until now.
I now feel like it should be 8am and I am wide awake and bushy tailed.

Thus I am now eating cold Thai noodles and hoping for some sort of sleepy-ness to befall me.

Oh well- in other news, happy anniversary to Mr M & I. Seven months passing seems more like three years to us, in the best of ways.
Mr M is quite the catch and a dreamboat to boot. I am a very lucky girl!

Oddly enough I am most looking forward to watching Serenity tonight with him- why?
Because Mr M doesn't like "sci-fi" movies- I know! Se redicule'!
Next I plan on getting all the "Alien" movies for him to watch and hopefully if things go well with Serenity, I'll make him watch the whole season of Firefly.
It's times like these I realize how much of a nerd I can truly be, good thing Mr M adores me none the less!

The couve.

I miss my trips to Vancouver and Portland.

While I have chosen to stay behind and finish up Christmas shopping (is it ever really done?), Mr M is with our friends in Camas, moving said friends parents' furnishings into a new home. Wicked nice for him. Lame for me. And here I thought I would be having the "cooler" day. Wrong. Haha.

Don't get me wrong- I love and adore spending time with my sister, & shopping is one of my favorite things to do..... But the couve holds so many cool things to do, people to see and places I love to go!

First and foremost:

Holly June Slocum. She has turned out to be an amazing woman, & I am proud to call her a friend. Her and I share an affinity for Hooters Hot Wings and pictures where we look anywhere but the camera. Adorable.

Close second:

The Slocum Family. Kelly, Roy, Anna, DeeJay, Holly, Joe and Dace. One of the best family units I have ever found. Just utter bad-assness oozes from their pores. Not only are they intellectuals and enjoy the fine arts- they are SAR volunteers and sure know how to party!

Other places I love & should mention:

Muchas, Voo-Doo Donut and Burgerville- so good it's sinful.

Rouge Ale House and Hooters- Oh how I love a great beer, titties and hot wings.

The gardens- Flowers, trees and cherry blossoms galore.

Calacamus Towne Center- Because (we covered this) I love to shop!

The Farmers Market- Local grown awesomeness.

So naturally I am feeling a bit down-ish, though it just makes me look forward to the next time I get to go visit and finally introduce Mr M to my couve family.

Life is amazing, and I feel lucky to have such great people in mine!

4 am & jealous.

As much as I like looking at other peoples blogs, I always feel a pang of jealously each time I see a; "mom-to-be" blog, a look at my adorable little family blog, or a I have 6 kids and going for 7! blog.

Jealous hardly describes the feeling that go on in my head and heart when I come across the writings on being so blessed.
Not to mention the heartbreak and fear each time I come across a blog on infertility.
I think every woman that wants children at some point fears that her body may not be fit for such a blessing.

So here I am at 4 am once again, praying that someday Mr. M and I will have a family of our own to blog about and make some girl jealous.

Cindy-loo-who.

I officially feel like it's the holiday season. Here are some reasons;
1: I've now watched "Elf" on DVD 4 times
2: It's been below 20 degrees for the last week and that is too cold to do almost anything.
3: I have wrapped gifts (Kelly's gifts to her man, but they still count) for almost 3 hours.

4: Mr. M & I will be attending his Xmas party for work this Friday. I get to dress up even!

5: Kelly and I will be shopping for groceries for a wonderful, home cooked Christmas day dinner for us and

our family. This includes our men too

6: I keep expanding my wish list, as Christmas gets ever closer.

7: Snow.

8 : Holiday classic movies, and lots of them!

Pretty amazing right?!? I feel extra Christmas-y this year, must be all the good vibes going around.

So in regards to number 6 I have made my Xmas list and decided to post it- I'm pretty proud of it.

Pretty much my new addiction, aside from tattoos- MAC cosmetics. Totally worth the expense! This adorable little bento box, I could fill it with yummie curry and rice!

A coffee table picture book of totally ridiculous Japanese street fashions, perfect for our new place!

Wii Fit Plus, I love doing Yoga at home, and who doesn't like hula-hooping for fitness???
A iPhone 3 gs in white, nothing says "I'm a girl who stays in touch with flare" than a iphone in white.

So that's about it- I'm really not the picky type, and I adore and appreciate any gifts I get for the holidays. But nothing makes you feel like a kid again than making a list (that and taking a picture with Santa...which I am doing this week!!)

Stay frosty!

Eskimo kisses

I am so ready for date night.
Ninja movies are > or = a romantic chick flick.
Besides, you can never go wrong with hooters hot wings and hello cupcakes in mocha.
I'm all about the simple pleasures in life.

We are our fathers daughters

Today and tomorrow are dedicated "sister" days, days where I spend the entire day in the company of my older sister & (mostly) shop.
This sounds like a normal thing but while I was thinking about the fun I will be having with her over the next 48 hours- I couldn't help but think of how we got to this point in our adult lives, where we can enjoy spending time together.


Kelly and I are as far apart in appearance as possible for full blood relation.
While I top out at a meager 5 foot 4, she towers over me at 5 foot 9. She is fair with Carmel and red hued hair, ice blue eyes and a thin frame- I am tanned, spanish black hair, hazel eyes and have curves for days.

We come from a large blended family, our parents divorced while we were toddlers- both to remarry and give us more siblings. We spent all of our time together- not by choice but from visitations to see our father back home. This often lead to people thinking we were twins, much to our disgust.
I remember vividly that when standing next to each other for introductions throughout our lives, the phrase "they are their fathers' daughters" came up entirely too much.
I have my fathers coloring, she his family's features, and to his dismay our mothers tongue.
But as children and for much of our adolence we were as far from sisters as possible.
When asked if we were each others "best friends", we would reply that if we were not sisters, we would never speak.
So far apart were our personalities that we rarely had a kind word for the other and we were very content with the relationship that we shared.

But thankfully, as years have progressed that changed. We made ourselves available to the other when each was dealing with the hardships life throws at you.
We found our lives on similar paths for the first time about two years ago and created a relationship that most sisters had cultivated since birth. We stood as a united front when we left our abusive relationships this last year, helped each other find stable ground and gave each other a shoulder to cry on when needed (if at all).
We were women reborn, we laugh long and hard (mostly at our own jokes) and find joy in our new lives as happy adults in loving relationships with our men.
And here we thought we would never get along.

I look back and reflect often on how lucky we are to have come to this point.
We share so much these days, including our time as often as possible.
Now when we stand next to each other- people see how much me share, the way we speak, that we share the same laugh and mannerisms. I am thankful for that.

I'm very happy to say that I couldn't be in a better place than I am now in my life-
Things just get better and better, it means the world to me that Kel and I can share these good times together.

4am purging.

It's now after 4am and I am still fidgeting with every detail of my blog so that it's "just right".
I've decided to give fb and my ms a break from my updates when a blog is oh so much easier to maintain and keep up my daily thoughts in writing.

I decided to make this blog about my daily endeavors in this new life I've so luckily fallen into.
This year has been full of so many wonderful and surprising changes that quite frankly, writing my thoughts down in "notepad" doesn't quite cut it anymore.

This should be a fun. Right?