Fiesta de 40!

 

 

2011 - Thanks for the Memories

I think my mom put it best when she said, "you can relive memories, but you can't relive life."

2011, I am happy to relive your memories but quite happy not to live you again.

If pictures are worth 1,000 words, than the following "photo journal" should be enough to say "ok, shut up already!" about 2011.

Domestic Disburbance

Saturday night, Portland police responded to several domestic disturbance calls at the SW Portland home of Lindsey Marie Dery, a 30 year old woman who shares the residence with her husband, Joshua Owen Dery, 33. Police received several complaints citing that "recent baking and odd domestic behavior" was creating a confusion, jealousy and suspicion among neighbors.

"The smells are just too awesome" claims the neighbor next door. "Just two months ago their oven was broken and Lindsey didn't even know you needed yeast to make bread." In fact, police say the only proof that any prior attempts at baking had ever taken place in their home was the recent donation of "One Beat Pete" (their hand mixer with only one beater) to the local Goodwill.

Police believe the domestic behavior to be the work of a 600 series Professional Kitchenaid, the suspects mother, Dorella Marie Riggs and the purchase of a 2lb package of yeast at the local Costco. The attached photographic evidence was collected at the scene. Several pair of jeans that no longer fit the couple are set to testify.

The Happiest Kind of Girl...

I've been thinking a lot about a song and a story on tape that I listened to non-stop when I was a kid. I guess my 6 year old self knew that I would need to reference the gratitude attitude of Mr. Bear and Mr. Badger. The one line of the song that I remember and keep singing over and over in my head is "When you have a gratitude attitude you are the happiest kind of girl or boy, happiest girl or boy...happiest girl or boy."

Hmmmm - Happiest.

My own brand of happy has taken a few big hits this year...but could I really get my happy back? And not just happy, but HAPPIEST? This would require some serious recognition and expression of gratitude to my Heavenly Father, my Dad and Mom, my family and friends, my ward family and even my co-workers. I'm sure if I could focus my negativity into expressions of gratitude and my pitiful wallowing into acts of service for others, I could be the happiest kind of girl....

I will start today, here is my first open letter of gratitude.

Dear 6 year old, Lindsey. My first debt of gratitude is to you. 24 years later and I'm still influenced and inspired by the time and attention you gave to "self help" media at such a young age. It's like you knew that you would forget and would feel a little lost for awhile.

A gratitude attitude!...it's what the happiest kind of badgers, bears, and girls are made of...

No You Can't Read Our Poker Face

A great time was had by all in Utah for the family reunion, Grandma's 98th and of course Dad's surprise retirement party. Among the many festivities, we played a few rounds of I'm not sure what - but what I do know is that the Riggs family packs a pretty fierce poker face.

Watch the video for proof.

Fierce!

A Tale of Two Annie's

After this weekend it's become quite clear that every once in awhile I have occasion to live two completely, totally, separate lives. Two lives that are starkly, tragically and almost comically at odds with each other. I compare these two lives to Annie the burgandy-haired heiress to the Warbuck fortune and Annie, the red-headed orphan.

I left work on Thursday around 2p to attend a "Nike Appreciation" event at the Allison Inn and Spa. As an event planner and decision maker for team offsites, meetings and celebrations I have been thrown into a new and surreal world where I'm being schmoozed for my money...well, Nike's money. Vendors of every sort LOVE that sweet, sweet Nike money and as far as they know they are one of thousands anxiously waiting outside the pearly gates and to them I might as well be St. Peter, himself. The food, the accommodations, the spa treatments - it was nothing short of luxury and decadence. I barely had to chew, the food just melted. I barely had to lift a finger without one of their 100+ staff anticipating my every move and rolling out the red carpet. It felt like Annie's first arrival at Daddy Warbuck's house, in fact I even sang "I Think I'm Going To Like It Here" while soaking in my tangerine sage bath in front of the fireplace. Friday morning I woke to a stack of Lemon Buttermilk pancakes with berry compote and hazelnut butter delivered to my room with a truffle from the spa and a friendly reminder that my check-in time for my spa treatments was at 10:15a. Ha! Do people really need reminders??

24 hours later, it was time to check-out and check back in...to reality.

Laundry, floors, bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming, grocery shopping...and with a few hours for recreation we "scored" free tickets to the Sportsman Outdoor show at the expo center. Every hunter, fisher, boater and NRA member in the pacific northwest picked out their very best camouflage (from the dirty laundry) and moved like packed cattle from exhibit to exhibit breathing in and out the low hanging, non-circulating air that was heavy with bratwurst and beer burps. $1 redbox, microwave popcorn, 2p church, Sunday dinner and now my hands are pruned from heating water in the microwave and washing dinner dishes by hand since both our dishwater and water heater are currently out of order, indefinitely.

In summation:

Nike Annie: Pruned, from a hot tangerine-sage bath.
Lindsey Annie: Pruned from doing dishes...not quite hot, not really even warm.

Living it up with daddy Warbucks or living the hard knock life, two truths remain self-evident. You're never fully dressed without a smile and the sun will come out tomorrow. (or in my case, probably July)

Exactly Two Months Ago This Minute....

I was dead.

Technically.

My heart wasn't beating, my lungs were deflated and rolled up like sleeping bags, my chest cavity was wide open through my side and my ribs were pried apart wide enough for two adult male hands to fit between them. (Extremely soft, steady and capable hands I might add)

Under any other circumstance I would never post a picture looking this terrible, but that day considering what my body had just been through - I deserved to look dead, because I just woke up from being dead.

Two months later and the hardest thing I had to do today was wake up and get out of bed...alive. What shouldn't I be grateful for? I think today is going to be a really good day.