The Big Hunt

A couple of weekends ago, we partook in our annual outing to hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. Color (not too green, not too blue), height, girth (hate that word!), and symmetry are all key for the perfect tree in our household. Especially symmetry. Keeps me awake at night worrying about all sides being even, the separation between the branches being even... Ryan probably just needs to send me away. I am obviously not sane enough to stay in mainstream society with my symmetry obcessions.

Anywho, back to the hunt. We typically attempt to find a good Christmas tree farm, you know, the ones that are dedicated to Christmas trees, with lots of variety for us picky tree-choosers. We have lost a few farms over the years to people moving away, selling their farms, etc. So this year we were on a mission to find a new one. List in hand of the local farms in the area (I use the word "local" loosely... most on the list were in the outskirts of Arlington, approximately 20-30 miles away from where we live), we headed out to find a dandy.

We ended up driving to a "farm" that was actually a former nursery. I'm not quite sure how they managed to make it onto the coveted Christmas Tree Farm list, but I guess they had a few trees that could be worthy enough to be displayed in our living room. I was skeptical, but I got out of the truck with an open mind. We searched around for a bit, and low and behold, Ryan spotted one. It had great height, a little larger girth than we needed, but still not too big to handle, had wonderful color, and best of all... obtained that required symmetry. It was perfect.... so was time for a photo-op.

The man helping us had a chainsaw that he was willing to cut down our tree with. But Ryan, being the rugged man that he is (umm...) announced that he would be glad to cut it himself with the hand saw that we brought along. Go, hunny, go! Tiiiimberrrr!

Load it up! Time to get back to civilization and get some hot cocoa to round out our adventure.

Dream of Peace

This isn't really a Christmas song, but it's one, that especially at this time of year with all of the references to peace, and love, and good will to man, that brings about the spirit of Christmas and about loving all people, no matter what your differences may be. This song makes me want to be a better person, in hopes that if we all do our part, we can make this world a better place for all. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCn9RKdx-XA

When I was young I used to wish for many things
All the things that children wish for in their dreams
Every night before I lay me down to sleep
I’d dream of all the things that tomorrow would bring
but now i’m older and i have children of my own to protect
and everywhere i look all i see is the hate and conflict
if i could have back all the wishes of my youth
i would wish for one thing only

I dream of peace
i dream of love
i dream that everyonewould throw down their guns

i imagine theres a future where all of us live
in a world of peace where people have more love to give
its a place where hate can never, never survive
its a place where war is always, always a crime
cuz i beleive theres a goodness in each one of us
if we could find the language to help us to trust
then we could grow the seeds with all, all that we need
we could find a better way

I dream of peace
i dream of love
i dream that everyonewould throw down their guns

oohhhh…i beleive that we can
make a difference this time
i beleive that we can
change the future one by one
i beleive that we can try…...

*guitar break*

When I was young I used to wish for many things
All the things that children wish for in their dreams
now i’m older and i see things through my sons eyes
all the innosence and hope

I dream of peace
i dream of love
i dream that everyone
would throw down their guns

i dream of peace…for you
i dream of love …for everyone
i dream of peace
i dream of love
i dream of peace…

My playlist

I made my own Christmas playlist, with 48 songs and counting! Feel free to tune in. :-) ..... http://www.playlist.com/playlist/18397316107

Christmas Music

Ok, I might be pushing it a bit, but it's just about time for the Christmas music to start a-playin'! I am totally getting into the Christmas mood, now that all of my Halloween decs are down. I want to decorate for Thanksgiving, but we won't even be home for that, so there is really no point. I'll just start in with the Christmas decorations, and then we can enjoy them longer. :-)

Anyways, if you'd like to listen to some great Christmas music, try out this site! It lets you type in a search term (I just type in "Christmas") and then you can click on the Playlist tab to see other people's playlists that they make. Some folks have great playlists already made, which makes it really easy to just pick one that looks good... and enjoy!

www.playlist.com

Fabulous Fall!

Fall... so fun! This fall has been great for us. We have been SUPER busy but it's been filled with Friends, Family, and lots of fabulous Fall fun!! Ok, enough "F" words for ya?? ;)

We grew some of our own mini pumpkins this year... :-) Can't wait to grow more next year and see how big we can get them! We even got a little quirky gourd this year!

Then I enjoyed my first baking session of the season...

In early October, we visited the Pumpkin Farm for the thrill of the hunt...

The weekend before Halloween, my parents had their Harvest Party... perfect day for it! I made my caramel apples... yuuummmm!

Our first year together!!! - Part 2: The trip!

On the day of our Anniversary, September 7th, Ryan had a secret trip planned for us! I was so excited! He gave me a couple of hints, but I had NO idea where we were going. It's always more fun that way :-)

We left the house about 11am, and got on the road. We headed down 405, then got onto I-5 near Southcenter. We drove for a bit, then a bit longer, and kept driving. For a second, I was wondering where the heck he was taking me. Then we headed east toward Bremerton. I have never really been out that way. We went over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and drove past a lot of scenery, but have no idea where we were. LOL! Eventually we started seeing signs for Gig Harbor and Hood Canal. We wound our way down toward Hood Canal, and ended up on this cute little road lining the water. How beautiful! Then, we slowed down, and there was a sign for the Alderbrook Resort! How fun! It reminded me a lot of Willows Lodge. Northwestern and rugged.

We hung out for a bit, found our room, and walked down on the dock to look at the boats and the water. Then we had to go back to the room to change. Ryan then surprised me with a sunset cruise with wine and cheese before dinner! So gorgeous! We slowly trolled around the inlet, admiring the mountains and the slow descent of the sun to create a beautiful sunset. Very fun! When we returned, we made our way to the restaurant for a great Northwest dinner of salmon and sides. Yum!

The next day, we tootled around, ate breakfast, and checked out. Then we took all of the back-roads to get back to I-5. So pretty out there! I would love to go back some day :-)

Our first year together!! - Part 1: The cake!

So we made it! Did anyone think we wouldn't? Still... the first year comes with new advantures, surprises, discoveries, and even more love than you thought you could have for someone. Our first year has been great! Very busy with lots of big important things going on. But we have had a blast and can't wait to continue on our journey. :-)

For our Anniversary, actually the night before the actual day, I made Ryan a "gourmet" meal that we ate picnic-style on our family room floor. Very romantic with candles and a blanket! Heehee! We decided to eat our cake that night since the following day, Ryan was surprising me with a trip to a secret destination. It was still just as delicious as our wedding day! And I had forgotten what flavor was on the top of the cake... but to my delight, it was my favorite of the flavors we had... banana with Kahlua creme filling. Yuuuummmmm!! I guess that's why I made it the top so we could enjoy it again ;)