Fretting the Small Stuff

HAPPY FREAKIN' BIRTHDAY!

By Andrea

DONALD SAYS:  HIGH FIVE!  IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR BLOGGING FAMILY!   PLEASE JOIN ME IN WISHING TED A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

What you have all been waiting for...The Seventies

Please excuse the poor photoshop job but our dear old father does not have many options on his scanner, or so he says, and he scanned this photo for me as a Word document.  I then copied the picture and moved it over to Adobe Photoshop.  Apparently, Adobe Photoshop and I do not agree with each other because I could not make the picture not look like we have some sort of dreadful skin disease.  Honestly, we don't.  We can't, however, blame Photoshop on our hair and clothes.  That would be the seventies fault.  Enjoy.  And please, don't spew your coffee on your computer. 

You can also find this picture on the about page. 

The Perfect Picture

Last night I decided what this blog needed was a really fabulous picture of the three siblings.  I called my dad and asked him to scan in a very special Sears portrait circa 1976.  Unfortunately, he did not scan it as a jpg file so I can't post it...yet.  However, he did send it to my siblings and my dear sister promptly responded, in all caps: THIS HAD BETTER NOT BE FOR THE BLOG!!!!!!!

What?  It's lovely.  Lorraine looks foxy.  She has her curly hair straightened and is working the pink turtleneck sweater.  I think Ted and I have a little bit more to worry about.  It appears he has his pants hiked up and is sporting a very 1970's rugby/polo shirt.  The photographer must have told Ted to place his hand in a somewhat awkward position because it looks, well, awkward.  For some reason, my head looks bigger than Lorraine's head and I'm wearing a very frilly dress.  And did I mention, I was essentially bald until I turned 5.  That might be an exaggeration but I fell short in the thick hair department until much later.  And I do believe the barrette in my hair is there for show because it is not holding back any of my sweeping locks. 

So all you delurkers out there, come out and vote.  Do you want to see this picture?  Place your vote and rationale in the comments. 

New Author

By the way, we have a new author on this blog... SISTAH!  Whee!  She wrote the weekend post.  Let's give her a BIG hand.  And also, let's encourage her to keep posting because she is more sane (eh) than me, has more life experience, and is more sane.  Oh, yeah, I said that twice.  Whoohoo SISTAH!

By Andrea

Last Minute Holiday Gifts!

I know, it's the 20th and really, you all should be done with shopping.  Because guess what?  I am!  In your face!  Sorry, I don't mean to gloat but this is a first!   Done!  Finished!  Yeah, I'm the bomb! 

Enough being completely obnoxious and let's get to the real point:  what to buy.  Well can I make a suggestion?    Head on over to Etsy and check out my sissy-in-law's shop called Chickibebe.  Her stuff is very cute and she is an extremely talented artist.  She has lovingly handcrafted children's costumes, amazing marionettes, cute little wood carvings, and much more! 

So head on over!  You'll be glad you did.  And if you want to buy me something from there or anywhere else, go for it.  I take donations, gifts, and cash!

She's Tricky!

This is where I talk about myself in the third person.  At least in the title I will.  And let us first say I am WICKED tired.  Our flight was rerouted due to weather in Chicago so we did not get home until 3 a.m.  And now I am freakin' exhausted and having lunch at work. 

And where did I fly do you ask?  You curious reader(s) you.  The Prof and I flew to Seattle on Thursday for my sister's birthday.  But, wait! you exclaim.  In your last post you stated you weren't going to see Sistah on her birthday.  Hmmmm...  Well that is how She (me) is tricky.  It was a surprise, you silly goose!  The Prof and I met Ma and Pa out in Seattle and hid out for a whole day and a half before we SURPRISED! Sistah at a restaurant the night of her birthday.  Hurray!   Everything fell in to place beautifully.  She had NO idea we were there.   The four of us did fun things like go to University Village to see Sistah's oldest working at Apple.  And "Can I Has iphone?  Okthanxbai"  I love the University Village.  I purchased these gorgeous plum cords from Banana Republic with a gift card and the bestest and softest tights ever.  Yummm and Purrrr.  Then we ate at an Indian restaurant because that is what we do when we are not in Dreerie.  Ho hum. 

Friday, the four of us took a tour of Boeing which was sooooo cool.  It made me not so scared of flying (that's another story for later).  Then we went to Pike Place market like the tourist we were and dined at a awesome Russian diner/restaurant.  Seriously I had the best perogies ever (beside my friend MD's who made them with whole wheat flour and wowzer).  We returned to our hotel and relaxed (The Prof graded or worked on his answer key for an exam). 

At quarter to six, we drove over the the restaurant for the surprise.  I was bummed to learn I was WAY overdressed and whenever I am WAY overdressed I feel a little pissy.  But it was okay because it was a special occasion so a glass of tasty local Shiraz ended the period of pissiness.  Approximately after half hour, Sistah and family showed up and Sistah screamed in delight (not in horror I hope).  And the silly woman (who does NOT look her age AT ALL) grinned the entire time and hugged me like five or six THOUSAND times, which is okay because she is my sister and is allowed.  Strangers, not so much, please keep your ten foot radius (and I mean you weird YMCA instructor man). 

After dinner, we headed out to the parking lot where her husband led her to (in the Price is Right announcer's voice) A NEW CAR!   Actually, a new rented car is what it was.  Her family is buying her a new Toyota Hybrid Hylander (however you spell it - I'm tired).   We followed them back to their new house (which Prof and I hadn't seen) and hung out for a few ours before Ma and Pa declared they were tired and wanted to go back to the hotel.  Success!

The next day, Prof and I met a friend from law school at a delicious vegetarian restaurant called Cafe Flora.  I had the best veggie gravy and biscuits with scrambled eggs.  It was absolutely fabulous to see my friend Lilly (she's tiny so I feel Lilly will be the pseudonym for her).  She looked lovely as usual and catching up was a blast. 

We returned to Sistah's and made our way to her town for a tour (which lasted 20 seconds - small town), a trip to a used bookstore (hurray used books!), and a stop at the coffee shop (small local shop - not Starbucks).  I bought Three Cups of Tea and look forward to reading it after I get through my two library books. 

For the rest of the day, we looked at cars online and then got ready for another pseudo-surprise party where tons of Lorraine's friends from when she first moved to Seattle to the present came.  I enjoyed seeing a couple of Lorraine's older friends I know pretty well and meeting a few new ones.  Such fun!

Finally, on Sunday morning, we drove my parents over to Sistah's house and had breakfast (delicious scones! Sistah.  Recipe.  Please).  Then we looked at Doc's (her husband) photos from his trip to Ghana last week before heading to the airport.  Our flight was switched and we flew through Las Vegas where in hindsight we should have gone to the Strip for lunch and brief sightseeing.  We did play the slots (yawn) and ate lunch in the really loud airport.  It's the most unrelaxing (is that a word?) airport I have ever flown through.  We made it to our house at 3 a.m.  And I feel somewhat comatose today.  Let's hope I can prevent drooling and nodding off at around 2 when I'm sure I won't be able to stay awake any more. 

So all and all, the surprise shockingly working and now I can face my next adventure:  THE LAW PROM!

Her Sisterliness

Hmmmm.... What is today?  Yes, December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day.  A significant day in history, of course.  But what else?  Let's see, could it be a certain someone's big birthday?  Could it be someone's BIG birthday?   Oh yes it is!  It is someone special's big birthday.  I won't say the number but if you looked out her, there is no one you would ever ever guess she is ___.     The fabulous Sistah is celebrating her big birthday today and I wish I could be there to celebrate.  Sigh.  But alas, work beckons me. 

So I just wanted to say, Happy Birthday to the best Sistah a girl could ever have!   Kisses and hugs!