Christmas Recap

Christmas eve and Christmas day was a success!

The Husband and I spent Dec. 24th with my in-laws. They have an annual Christmas eve party with bountiful food and family. This year it was held at my sister-in-law's. There are plenty of uncles, cousins and immediate family who come baring a selection for the pot-luck and a secret Santa gift. This year, my mom also made an appearance! It's nice to be able to spend more time with her around the holidays. Since she is a nurse, it's not always in the cards for her to have Christmas weekend off. After plenty of chatter, treats, and Sangria, we made it home in time to collapse into bed.

Christmas day went off without a hitch and we spent the day driving between his parent's house and my mom's. The day was full of hugs and kisses and I think turned out pretty dang great.

I was able to see Bennett delight in his new toys and experience Christmas for the first time. He especially enjoyed hanging out in the huge box my mom had set up for him, complete with a window to look out of. Seeing his little face peek through that hole in the box was priceless.

I got a few things on my wish list and was able to restrain myself from eating too many treats (which I will be restraining far more in the very near future). Mike was sweet enough to get me my much anticipated Eclipse on Blue-Ray as well as leather gloves from Coach and a shirt from Banana Republic. Beyond the 'things', the day was very relaxing and full of smiles.

I have the best family!

Here are a few pics taken by my mom to summarize my time at home.

Goings On

Hello all,

I know, it's been a good while since I blogged. What can I say? I have been busy!

I wanted to take just a moment and update you!

Over the last couple of weeks I have been busy filling my time with both friends and Christmas decorating.

I went to see Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows for the 2nd time! Yes, I know I'm a dork. That was establised a long time ago. Thanks to Philip and Nichole for going with me!

I have been shopping and gathering Christmas presents...

I have been up late watching Christmas movies...

Michael, Sharon, Amy and I braved the passes and spent last Friday in Leavenworth! So pretty! Mike and Amy even managed to get in a little sledding with the kids.



We ate lots of good German Food.

And went shopping for our annual tree ornaments at Kris Kringle's.

Not the best photos, but you get the idea!

Next - My sis-in-law Amy and her hubby William had their annual Festivus (for the rest of us) Holiday party. This time with the extra special theme of Ugly Sweater! Charlie, our pup, filled in for us slackers.

And then, I had a special visit from my gal-pal Lindsi last Sunday where we drank wine, ate BBQ and watched New Moon and Eclipse. I have the best friends a girl could ask for!

I am sure there is a ton more, but those are the highlights! Coming up?

Lindsi's Holiday Snuggy Party

The Perfect Christmas Present

This post is inspired by Nikki at Que sera sera!, who like me, has an infatuation with Robert Pattinson. Most of you know this about me. It is partially because I unwittingly fell for the Twilight series and therefore for Edward Cullen. And partially because, well, I have a thing for Brits.

So anyway, I got an e-mail from Michael the other day that both surprised me and made me laugh. Michael is well aware of my Pattinson crush and in fact...seems to support it. At least with good humor, which I appreciate.

This was the e-mail he sent:

Vampires for Christmas?!?‏

To Alissa Cook

From: guitarist24@hotmail.com
12/04/10


So, I figured out what to get you for Christmas...

He totally said he'd do it; I called his agent.



Yeah, he knows me well, and I appreciate that.

Maybe I act like a school girl when it comes to all things Twilight and Rob, maybe I swoon like a pre-teen at a Justin Beiber concert when Edward proposes to Bella, maybe I even made a "Team Edward" shirt to wear to the premier of New Moon...

but I have a supportive husband. One who knows I love him completely and is good natured enough to not only put up with my Robert Pattinson desktop wallpaper, but to send him to me for Christmas.


For me :  this face + a British accent + plays the piano = YAY!

And of course - my husband is a "YAY" for me also.

Something Has To Be Done

Does anyone else find piles of dirty socks in their living room?

This is what I come across on a daily/weekly basis.

That is our living room coffee table.

And below it, are about three pairs of dirty, stinky, husband socks.

Our house is small and our clothes hamper is maybe 25 feet away from the living room, yet here they lie.

On a consistent basis, I have to scoop socks from under the table and haul them back to the hamper because my lovely husband decides it's too far away to travel after a long day of work.

I find this habit disgusting. And of course, yes, I have talked to him about it. Has it changed? No.

I am not sure why he takes his socks off to begin with. It's like 30 degrees outside and we keep our house luke warm. Wouldn't you want to keep your socks on? Or at the very least go get some new socks?

And lastly, why, if you are going back to the computer room or our bedroom, wouldn't you take that pile of socks with you?

In my quest to find someone else with a "sock" debacle, I came across this blog and fell in love. I am attaching a post that has me breathing a sigh of relief that I am not the only one.

One of these days my husband is going to wake up covered in his own stinky sock pile. I don't know when this is going to happen, but something has to be done.

Tis' The Season

Today I am Thankful.

I am thankful for so many things and so many people.

I'm thankful for my wonderful family. With them in my life, everything is better and brighter. My mom and my sister are my rocks and two of my most favorite people in the world.

Baby Bennett makes me smile like no one ever has and I couldn't love him more. I am also grateful for his daddy (my brother-in-law), who has become such a good friend and integral part of our family.

I am thankful for my amazing husband who is a constant source of love, support, joy, and entertainment.

I am grateful for my in-laws. They are such a great bunch of people and I couldn't have lucked out more.

I am thankful for my doggie Charlie. He's the best little Chihuahua and I love him to death.

I am grateful for friends who continue to care and make me laugh. It's wonderful to have people in your life who know you inside and out.

I am thankful for a cozy place to live and the means to do many of the things I want in life.

Tonight...I will be thankful for all of that and maybe a little thankful for Cheesecake too.

Photo Challenges: Scavenger Hunt & Thankful

Today was SO pretty with the snow on the ground and the sun out! I was driving out around Issaquah today and stopped about every 100 feet or so to take a picture of one thing or another. Yes, I took my camera to work with me today. Here is what I came up with! Might as well include the shots in this week's scavenger hunt.

The View Above -

Something Hot -

Something Cold -

Electronic -

Sparkle - 

Thanksgiving Photo Challenge - A Sorta Fairytale

I am thankful for so much. My family, my friends, Mike and I still having a job in this economy...but this week's photo will be of my pup Charlie. I am thankful for him because he is such a source of joy and love each and every day. Even when I have had a difficult day, he makes me feel better. So here's my entry for Thankful.

Fall, meet Winter!

And so it begins - the first snow of the season.

It began early this morning and hasn't let up since. We've got between 3-4 inches now most likely and it sure doesn't bother me!

The leaves haven't even completely fallen from the tree out front and we've got snow piling up!

Charlie isn't having it.

He took 5 lightning-fast laps around the yard, marked the mailboxes, barked at a couple of cats,

and high-tailed it back inside. Any longer and I would have had to put him in his snow boots!

Many people dread when the snow hits, not me. I like the cozy feeling of a fire and hot chocolate, the look of fresh snow in the morning, and feeling the flakes hit my face as they fall. I'm not worried about driving (I try not to stress and take care to drive safely) and I am fairly certain I will be fine if I get stuck inside for a few days. My water, batteries, wood, & peanut butter are stocked!

So I will enjoy the snow for as long as it lasts, cause here in the northwest, that could mean it'll be gone tomorrow.

Food is good...when someone else makes it.

I like the Holidays.

Mainly when I say Holidays, I mean Christmas. I love the lights and the spirit of this time of year, but honestly I am not that into Thanksgiving.

It's not that I am not thankful for what I have, it's just that it seems to be about food. I feel like everyone goes to a whole lot of trouble for a big meal and it's over in 20 minutes. And the clean-up...sheesh!

Most people who know me, know that I don't cook much. I can cook for the most part (if I have a recipe), I just don't care to. Cooking has just always been sort of a hassle to me.

I like baking and I am sure this has something to do with my love of sweets and bread....but I try not to eat too much of that type of thing. So, I don't bake much.

I love the idea of cooking and wish I liked it more, but I just don't. I find that I want to make something on occasion and that if it's basically prepared I will most definitely throw a meal in the oven.

I also really enjoy going out to dinner. It's sort of what I spend my entertainment money on. I don't buy myself expensive things, go out drinking or go shopping a lot, I just like to eat out. Everyone has their "thing" and that's mine. It seems to be Mike's as well, which works out great because I have someone to go out with.

 I know that we could save a lot of money by eating in more often, but I have to have something that I really enjoy doing and can look forward to. Most of the time I save a lot by staying in on weekdays, so I think it probably balances out. Not to mention that I never have all the ingredients to cook, so I always end up going out to the grocery store and buying a bunch of food! If I spend $20 on groceries for my meal, isn't that just as expensive as going out? Except when I go out to eat, someone waits on me and I don't have to clean up afterward!

Thanksgiving is a great time to spend with family and I enjoy that the most, but it's a little overwhelming for someone who isn't that into cooking. And even though I am not much of a kitchen whiz, I still plan on having my very own little Thanksgiving one of these days. One where Mike and I spend it together learning to make everything ourselves. That would be interesting....what? I can't make stove-top stuffing? Yikes!

Maybe Mike and I should practice and have a "pretend" Thanksgiving, so when we do attempt it on the actual holiday, we don't end up with a full trash and eating pizza.

This is our usual contribution for Thanksgiving dinner!

No, we don't make it. It's a Costco request.  :)

Wordless Wednesday

Charlie, Jeffrey,.......meet Sydney.

Double Whammy! Confessions.

Two postings in one! Aren't you lucky?

1st Confession - I really and truly believe I am addicted to lists.

I was realizing the other day that I make lists for everything! I think I am addicted.
Everywhere I look around my house and especially my office is riddled with lists. I don't know if I feel like my memory is horrible or I just like the organization that comes with writing things down. Maybe both. For instance - in front of me right now are four lists. FOUR!
1. bills due this paycheck
2. passwords
3. books I want to buy and/or check out from the library
4. blog subjects

Oh my god. I just made those lists into a list! Sheesh!

You name the list, I probably have written it. I have lists for: groceries, X-mas gifts, songs to download, movies I loan out, errands to run, etc., etc.

I even just recently started a "What to pack for vacation" list. No, I don't have a vacation planned, but it would be nice to have something to print out for when I DO go on vacation next. I was talking to my mom about this around the time we went to San Francisco. We thought it would be a great idea to make a master list for packing so you wouldn't forget anything. Makes sense right? Right? ....No?

I won't even go into my list-mania going on in my office right now. You would commit me.

Even better than writing the list itself, is being able to cross items off. I think that is my true obsession. Being able to cross things off my list makes me unbelievably giddy. And I don't mentally cross off as I go - I need to slash a big, dark, pen line through each item. It just feels like accomplishment, a little pat on the back for a job well done.

I have to confess something else that it totally nuts.
Shhhh....I add things onto my list (that I didn't remember to add, but took care of) after the fact, just so I can cross it off! I know.

My favorite paper to use is post-its. The square ones. Unless it's a long list, then I need to type it. If I don't have paper...I write on the back of my left hand. And no, I don't cross off the items I wrote on my hand. That would be disturbing.                    

OKAY! We're really cookin' now!


2nd Confession - I am currently in love with Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. ( I know, nothing new)

I fell in love with T.S. when her second album came out. Then I was really excited when her 3rd came out in October. Speak Now is a really good junior album! Back to December is probably one of my favorites, but it's hard to pick! The best things I can say about her, are as follows (in list form):
1. she writes her own music. I really admire this (she's like 20!)
2. she puts a lot of songs on her albums so you get more for your money.
3. I can listen to the whole album, without wanting to skip songs.
4. she has her head on strait and treats herself with respect and dignity. She's a good role model for young women.
5. she's a proclaimed nerd and so am I. We would bond.
6. Ellen scared T.S. on her show and her tall ass fell over! Hilarious.

As for Keith? I F'in love him. I have been to at least two concerts and they have been amazing. He is a great entertainer with mad guitar skills and you just can't help but swoon for that Kiwi/Aussie accent. I won't make a list about this country artist. It would go on too long. I haven't had much time to listen to this new album Get Closer, since it just came out today, but I am sure it won't disappoint.

Let me know if you want a copy of either album. I don't have a problem with burning and sharing good music.

(photo I took at Keith Urban's last tour)

Anyone care to go to one of these concerts once they are tour?! Hit me up!

Laundry Day

Nothing much to post here today except some cute pics I took of my nephew Bennett the other evening. We were playing in the guest bedroom/computer room and I decided to dump out my, just washed and oh so clean socks, on top on Bennett. Who might I add loves laundry, laundry baskets, and rolling around on the bed.

He would lay on his back and I would continue to drop Mike's long socks (tube socks?) on top of his head, until he was covered. He would leave it a moment and then pull it off his face and laugh. I got a photo of him peeking out from the pile of laundry! :)

(Bennett - almost 10 months)

Then I gave him a vibrating neck pillow I had in the closet that I know he LOVES. He lays his head on it or chews it and giggles! Here's the other photo of him laying on this magic pillow.



Good times with my favorite little man! Isn't it great how kids are entertained so darn easily?

Bucket List

Do you have a Bucket List?

I started a list a year or so ago. I need to see in print, the things that I wanted to accomplish at some point in my life. Some things went on the list right away and were quite obvious to me, while others are still being added to this day.

The list isn't that long right now and I have already accomplished a couple things since starting the list. Earlier this year, as you can read in this blog, I met one of my favorite authors Richelle Mead. This was on the list. I felt great that I went out of my way to do something I always promised myself I would.

The other weekend I was visting some friends in Bellingham and I had the opportunity to cross off another thing on my bucket list. Shoot a rifle. Elan and Ashley have a rifle, a handgun and a shotgun...so we set out to the outer Nooksack area to find a spot to shoot.

Let me tell you that I have indeed shot a gun before. They don't scare me and I have a good respect for both the guns and people who use them for the correct purposes. I think that if you decide to get a gun ( I haven't decided if I will own one yet or not ), you should first learn to be proficient at loading and shooting. Then you need to have a proper place to store the gun, whether that be in a closet or a safe, and make sure you have a safety setting. I know that many people are nervous about guns and safety with children in the house. I believe that rules and regulation, education, and a safe place to lock them up should be in place. I also think that if you are smart about the storage and handling of a gun, that they can both be a great protection and a fun sport.

I enjoyed shooting again. I like the challenge of aiming and hitting your target, the feeling of power behind the kick-back, and doing something out of the ordinary. We three had a really great time...when the gun didn't get jammed (some of the bullets were not the best). The rifle I am shooting had a great scope on it and was very quiet in comparison (which I prefer!) and Elan put it together himself! That thing was heavy though...a few minutes and my arms hurt!

Other things on my Bucket List to cross off?

Sky Diving

Hot Air Balloon

Attending a World Series baseball game

Sponsoring a needy child in another country

Visiting all the major Roller Coaster parks in the U.S.

Vacationing to Greece and Italy

Owning a house

These are just a few things, and hopefully it will only get longer so I have more reason to look forward and do things that make me happy. I already got the guy ;)

Greatful

A photo I just love and wanted to post for a challenge this week:

Eyes ~ Simplicity

This is my good friend's cat Tatum. Her eyes were so piercing I HAD to take a quick picture. I don't think  she was very happy with me however. ;)

My dear friend Katie has really been there for me this past year. She is someone I was close with back when I worked for the bank and I sorta kept in touch with her over the last few years. This past year or two however, she has really stepped up and shown me that people can really BE there.

As you get older, one tends to find that many of the friends she once had are not quite "there" anymore. Whether it be because you have grown apart, are in different stages in life, or have just changed. Some people you never really believed you would end up close to at this point in life, end up surprising you. They really show you that even in a bleek moment, they can be exactly what you need. And beyond that, they can listen and try to understand even when they don't - they can put themselves in your shoes and really feel what you are going through.

This same person may not be in your life later...life changes...happens...but, I can be greatful for having her in my life right now. Be greatful that I have an unexpected confidant and comedic relief. Thank you to Katie D for being available to become someone important to me.