Thanksgiving

This is a late Thanksgiving post, but I didn't want to skip it. We had such a nice Thanksgiving weekend, starting with Mass and then a coffee from Starbucks. My boss, Mike, had given me a $25 gift card! It was such a nice surprise!

In the afternoon, we went over to Mom and Dad Campbell's house which is always relaxing and fun. They made the turkey, and Christina and I split up the sides and desserts. Christina has a real talent for desserts and made this amazing pumpkin and ginger cheesecake. It was to die for. Sitting around the table with everyone made me realize how blessed I am to have married into this family. Joe was missing from the table, but he spent the holiday with the family of his roommate. We look forward to seeing him soon!

My mom and dad were in Dallas with my brother, Matt, his wife, Sayeda and her family. Can't wait to see some photos of the trip.

Joey, my mom and dad's dog, turned 14 on Thanksgiving! He got some extra kisses and some treats.

God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, fantastic family and friends, good health and a good job. Who could ask for more?

Canine Criminals

Last night I came home to a crime. One that was so bold, so arrogant, that I had to take photos. The perps didn't care about the mess they left. They didn't care that I had to walk into my home and see the disgusting sight. No. They only cared about going outside to go potty, followed by dinner in their bowls. After feigning anger to get my point across to them, it was really hard not to laugh.

The Crime Scene:






The Suspects
The Ringleader: Joey "Sticky Paws" Mahler




The Accomplice: Jill "Tail Chaser" Campbell


Jill, with tail wagging nervously and head down, brought me a used tea bag as a peace offering. Charges dropped.

I heard a rumor...

Recently, I had a conversation with a young woman who asked me some interesting questions about people I'm close to. If they had been questions that actually came from her observations, I would not have minded. However, they came second hand from what she'd heard and/or been told.
"Are you pretty close to _____? So...is she 'green'?"
In my head, "What?!"
Out loud, "Green? I know she eats well for good health."
"Oh, so she's not liberal?"
In my head, "What?!"
Out loud, "Umm...noooooooo."

When I started to clarify and answer the question, it hit home how gossip is really, really bad. This is something I knew, but also something that I engaged in sometimes. Seeing it done by someone else about people I cared about shone a bright light on the ugliness of gossip.

"_______ told me that ________ is really into attachment parenting."
In my head, "What?!"
Out loud, "Not unusually so."

It was the pejorative tone that got to me, like there was something wrong and weird about how this person raises her kids. Maybe I recognized it in her because I have said things like that before to people.

Unfortunately, I didn't question the woman asking me how she got these ideas. Instead, I tried to get out of the conversation by nervously talking rapidly about whatever. I guess I didn't want her to be uncomfortable that I was uncomfortable. However, that may have been the best thing I could have done for her in the moment. Whenever someone has called me out on bad behavior, it is embarrassing and hard to take. But--I do learn not to do those things again.

For me, this conversation was another lesson that if we say we're Catholic, let's be kind and not tear each other down. This is how rumors start and characters are defamed. It's very ugly, ladies. :)

Songs of Our Years Together

Last of the Mohicans. I remember watching this movie together at some point back in Dallas. John had the soundtrack, and we played it a lot when I was over at his apartment in "Old Mill."

Loreena McKennit Another memory of our time in Dallas and that apartment John shared with Joey, Joe, and Joseph. Why did I even bother cleaning that stinky kitchen of y'alls?

Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses This is by one of our favorite bands, U2. I'm a latecomer to the fandom of U2. I bought a ticket ($60!) to their concert because I heard John was going. Talk about putting all your money on one horse! By the time of the concert (during finals of our junior year(!)) we were dating. This song, though, was playing on the radio when we had a major breakup, and I thought we'd stay that way. Looking back, it may seem melodramatic, but we did a lot of growing up then. We both dated other people, and thankfully, found our way back to each other.


Oh, the deeper I spin
Oh, the hunter will sin for your ivory skin
Took a drive in the dirty rain
To a place where the wind calls your name
Under the trees the river laughing at you and me
Hallelujah, heavens white rose
The doors you open
I just can't close

Like the Rain This is Our Song. In college when we started dating, we took a walk one night and stopped at the tennis courts where we kissed and it started raining. John walked me back to the student apartments where he said to make sure I got warm and dry. A few years later, we danced to this song at our wedding reception and now enjoy many rainy days together here in the Northwest. :)


Waikiki (we celebrated our 6th anniversary in Honolulu and fell in love with this song and Na Leo. Magical. Having a "Tropical Itch" from Duke's on the beach didn't hurt either.

Lost Again This is by "Kalapana," which is another group we heard on the radio when driving along a beautiful road in Oahu. We went to see them in concert when they came to Seattle. Our trip to Hawaii affected us more than we ever thought it would.

Chances Are I really like this song. Don't know that John even knows it, but it reminds me of when we still lived in Dallas and had tumultuous times. :) Silly kids.

National Adoption Month

November is national adoption month. This is probably something I should know. This site told me about it. The woman who writes it has a really interesting story, and she and her husband just adopted a little boy.

I'd also like to see this movie which looks great and is based on a true story.

To those who say that every child should be wanted, the best answer to that is:

"There are no unwanted children, only unfound families."

Template

Like the new template? I can't seem to stay with one and am still searching for what I want my blog to be and look like. For the rest of November, the template "Audobon" will be the background. Fall and birds are two of my favorite things.

In a few minutes, I'll be ordering pizza for our Friday office lunch. Pizza and beer at work make for happy employees.

Happy Friday to you!

Quick Update

To make a long story short, we are doing well here. John is extremely busy with school and usually spends one night a week over at his grandpa's house in Ballard. It's a very nice and quiet place to study and allows him to be able to sleep a little longer and have a short bus ride to school. Although he's slammed with work and exams, he's doing well and learning so much.

I'm plugging away at work and look forward to a time when I'm not doing surplus lines filings. But until then, I'm VERY grateful to have this job during times whne so many people are struggling to find work. Jill is fine and wishes we were home more often. :)