Bonne Bûche de Nöel!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I made my first Bûche de Nöel this year. I thought I might start a new family tradition with this one, but it was a lot harder than I thought. I thought I had made a genoise cake before, but I guess not. I had to make a second one, cause the first one didn't rise and got all crispy. 18 eggs later, I had a spongy genoise, but it still didn't rise as much...didn't look much like the picture. The frosting was rich and fudgey, and the meringue mushrooms were awesome. but the cake left some to be desired. But it was fun to decorate. Here's the bûche!

Proteinaceous Nog

Try some nog. It's proteinaceous man!

Workshop, Christmas Survey & New Blogger!

Well it's been a while since I've blogged, so you would think I have tons to update you on, but not so much. I had a couple crazy busy days at work, lost time due to the barfing episodes, and attending my very first conference! Well it's not really a conference...rather a workshop. But it's close enough...and I think conference sounds cooler. Anyway, busyness and lack of blogworthy info has kept me from my undying fans.

So I update you from Columbus, Ohio. Home of OSU. Not the Beavers thank goodness! Rather the Buckeyes...or something like that. They have signs that say 'Go Bucks!'. Which made me chuckle of course because it's so similar to 'Go Ducks!'. I was chatting with a student here...a guy who used to live in South Carolina, who said that when he referred to USC, people were often confused between University of Southern California and University of South Carolina. Then he proceeded to tell me how everyone in South Carolina of course knew he was talking a about the Gamecocks. That of course made me, a non-football fan, do a double take. But he and another student repeated 'Gamecocks' without batting an eye...and possibly without understanding why I was chuckling in the corner. Anyway, it's my first trip to the Midwest, and it is VERY cold! But apparently very warm for this time of year for native Ohians. And I'm learning a TON about Interfaces of Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning (ICALL)...which is why I'm here.

Anyway, on with the random blogpost and update. As per Sarah's request...here are my feelings about Christmas...

Eggnog or hot chocolate? Definitely hot chocolate. I like the nog for about 2 seconds and then it makes me sick. Bridget and I tried making it from scratch at a college Christmas party, and it didn't make me any more of a fan.

Colored lights on tree/house or white? Either way...as long as it is not tacky.

Do you hang mistletoe? Nope...

When do you put up your decorations? Uhh...this year I have yet to even start. Usually a couple weeks before.

What's your favorite Christmas dish? FUDGE!

When and how did you learn the truth about Father Christmas? I was little, maybe 4 or 5, and I was in my parent's room and saw a big present wrapped in their closet. I was shocked and amazed simultatneously! Then, on Christmas morning, when I saw the same present with my name on it, and labeled from Santa...it ALL clicked.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? If I'm with my mom's family, we open ALL the gifts on Christmas Eve. If I'm with my Dad's or just my parents, I might be able to talk them into letting me open one gift.

Snow! Love it or dread it? Love love love! Those of us who never have to deal with snow regularly always appreciate it!

Can you ice skate? I'm no figure skater, but I have been known to skate backwards slowly.

What's your favorite Christmas dessert? I'm with Sarah...see above about the FUDGE.

What's the most important thing about Christmas for you? Jesus!

What's your favorite Christmas tradition? Going shopping with my Grandpa on Christmas Eve to get my Grandma a present. :)

What tops your tree? Apparently, I'm pretty picky in this area. I agree it's hard to find something that really deserves to be on top, but thus far it is a handmade star that I got at the ornament exchange at the Christmas party Bridget and I threw in college.

Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving! I love making or buying gifts and I get really excited about how people will react to them. It's a fun challenge to pick something good friends and family. Quite honestly, I forget about the fact that I will receive presents until I'm about to open them.

Candy canes? Overrated!


And...Last but not least...a new blogger in my sidebar! Yay for R&R!

Barfing Sucks...

...and everything else that comes with it.

Well I haven't posted in a while for a couple of reasons. Thanksgiving came around and I was distracted and lazy, and I've been sicker than I've been in 20 years! I can't believe that I use 20 years to reference ANYTHING in my life, but I guess thank goodness it has been 20 years! Cause barfing sucks! I got to visit the ER twice this weekend, even got to know a nurse and the admission staff. Wonderful really....

But a special thanks to Sarah and Wes....Sarah who stayed up with me all night the first night at the ER, watched me upchuck repeatedly, then picked me up fluids and medication, all the while staying very calm and patient...even though she had to go to work without any sleep. And of course thanks to Wes who was very proud to beat Sarah by staying up til well after 7am at the ER, and then bring me small amounts of liquid, despite my raging thirst, throughout the weekend.

Anyway, I'm feeling better, but I sure I hope I can go another 20 years without having this experience.

The Adventure of the Ts

A few weeks ago, I had some of my long held suspicions confirmed. I am a T. What is a T you ask? A T is a thinker. I'm a thinker! Who would have guessed. Are you a T too? Take this test to find out.

Recently, I've been noticing my T-ness come out in all I do. I even unconsciously turned my relationship into a mathematical equation. I think I might have a problem. Maybe there is a Ts Anonymous group I can go to.

But even though Ts are a little bit crazy...we can still have fun! Esp when you get together with other Ts. I had dinner with my friend Sean the other night, and while we were chatting he said...that's why I like you...cause you think like me! Then I realized...he's a T too! He's even more of a T than me! Our following adventure most certainly illustrates that.

After we had dinner we went for a walk around the shopping center to chat more and walk off our food. The shopping center was smaller than we expected, so we decided to take another loop. Keep in mind, there are multiple ways to walk around this center. You can walk around the circumference, or through the middle...or any way you want really. But when we decided to take another loop, Sean suggested we cut through the middle, and then double back. I asked why, and he said, "Well, then our path would be a perfect figure 8." I just about laughed out loud. If that wasn't a T moment, I don't know what was.

So we started our second loop on our figure 8 path. But then! Lo and behold we ran into some stairs! Sean suggested we go up them and explore the second level. I was shocked at his audacity because that might make our path less of a figure 8. So I deemed it 'The Adventure of the Ts' and off we went.

The top of the stairs was uninteresting, so that part of the adventure got quickly nixed. But then we decided to get a cookie at a shop near by. To my dismay, the cookie shop did not sell any milk, then Sean had the great idea to walk to Trader Joe's to get some milk...on with the adventure!

Unfortunately, we arrived just after closing, so there was no quenching of our milk need there. and you know how strong a milk need can be after a big chocolate chip cookie! Then we thought we would try Starbucks. I had 97 cents left on a card, and I thought perhaps I could get them to give me a cup of milk for that, killing two T birds with one stone (emptying out a quasi useless card, and quenching the milk thirst). But alas! This crazy Starbucks was not a real one and would not take my card. And they did not sell milk! Sean gave in, and bought some water anyway (it was way too late for Ts to be drinking coffee). Then it hit me! There must be a carafe of milk for coffee at the condiment station. Sure enough there was! So quickly...in a T defying haste, before I could be thrown out of Starbucks, I grabbed a mini cup meant for water and filled it with milk! Wha ha ha! I succeeded! Just a bit of milk to quench the thirst! I was T Triumphant! It was a wonderful feeling.

The T adventure continued with a drastic search of the parking lot trees to find the one that smells just like lemon verbena, but those of you who aren't Ts (and maybe some of you who are) are already thinking I have gone off the deep end. So I will spare you the details.

Long live the Ts!

How come there aren't any bagel holes?

My First Bike

Today my friend Lizzie showed me her new BMX bike. So I took her down memory lane and told her about my first bike...which was also a BMX bike. Like most little kids, I desperately wanted a bike, so my parents got me one for my 5th birthday. I was told to close my eyes, and when I walked outside an opened them, there was a brand spankin new BMX bike. The first thing out of my mouth was 'It's a BOYS bike!'.

I'm sure my parents were disappointed at my reaction because like with most gifts and things they buy, I'm sure they put a lot of thought into this. It wouldn't make much sense to buy me a pink Strawberry Shortcake bike, that I wanted, because I would outgrow it soon...and it probably wasn't nice quality. And of course it was very gender NON neutral. So instead, it would make perfect sense to invest in a bike a little bigger, and quite cool....to the boys across the street. But alas, I did not see their point of view at the age of 5. I wanted a frilly pink bike that was just my size.
As you can see, the bike was way to big, but with training wheels I could still ride it...but I do recall getting some teasing about it. Later, I even tried to make it more girly by putting a banana seat on it. Thank goodness I don't have any pictures of THAT. Needless to say I didn't ride bikes much at that age. But when all my friends were doing it, when I was about 8, I learned to ride my bike without the training wheels. And THEN my parents bought be a new bike...and yep...it was PINK!

Too bad I don't still have the good old blue BMX bike now. I could have gone to the track with Elizabeth :).

Wes' Craftsman Bachelor Bungalow

Beer Banana Bundt

Today was my first ever baking contest! Wes invited me to an Oktoberfest themed game night. There was going to be beer, bratwurst, and a Bavarian Banana Bread baking contest (ok, not really Bavarian, but they were trying to go with the theme). At once I was hooked! I can make some mean banana bread, so this was going to be the test! The one caveat I had about entering the contest was that most of my favorite banana bread recipes are fat free. Good for me, but not good for a contest of this proportion. So I had some research to do...

Friday night I went home after work and scoured my cookbooks for a good recipe. I know that most banana breads have nuts, which I personally don't like, but I also know that some glazed pecans can really win my heart. I looked my cookbook of family recipes passed down and now published through my aunt's family...and lo and behold I found a recipe for Granny's Banana Bread...with her favorite...optional pecans. So I called Wes, told him what we needed to bake, and he came over so we could get to work baking and testing.

Wes had another idea for a secret ingredient...BEER! And yes this was thought of BEFORE we actually opened a bottle. :) He thought since it was an Oktoberfest party it might just work. So we made to loaves...one with the milk as the recipe called for, and one with New Belgium Brewing Company's seasonal harvest ale. We also made a sugar glaze for the pecans and roasted them. When the two loaves came out it was amazing! The one with beer actually looked better. It had a beautiful cracked top, while the other was flat as could be. Wes, me, and another friend all tasted them both, and quite frankly, the beer one was better!

With our lessons learned, today we set to work again...this time focused on presentation. The nuts weren't quite sweet enough last time, so we added honey to the glaze...mmm they were good. Here is a picture of our beautiful Beer Banana Bundt straight out of the oven! Look at those glistening pecans!
We were so excited at the party. Ours was definitely the most beautiful banana bread there. Here is a picture of the lineup. Unfortunately ours had already been cut for tasting and looked misshapen. But it was still good! Oh, and I sneaked in a submission of my favorite fat free banana bread recipe to see how it would fair.
After all were eaten...the results were polled. There were prizes for best presentation, best flavor, and worst overall. I'm proud (and disappointed) to announce that we won for best presentation, and my fat free recipe won for worst overall (hmmm can you really call it winning for losing?). It really is good! I promise! Just not after you've had five other delicious fatty breads beforehand. I'm a little bummed we didn't win for best flavor, but we did have a lot of extra zing with cinnamon, nutmeg, and the glazed pecans...and beer of course. Not your traditional banana bread, but delicious none the less. I'll definitely make it again :) Here's one last photo of all the bakers.

Palo Alto Moonlight Run 2006

Well yesterday was the 22nd annual Palo Alto Moonlight Run for Palo Alto Weekly, and the 3rd annual for me. This was the event served as a catalyst for my triathlon madness. Rebecca and Sarah talked me into the 5k 3 years ago, and then Rebecca got me hooked on triathlons. Last year to test out my runners legs I trained and did the 10k. That showed me I could do the 10k, so then I worked on tackling long distance biking in the Cinderella 100k, and worked on my swimming. All this (and God of course, and my encouraging friends) helped me believe that it wasn't totally insane to attempt to do the Olympic distance course at Wildflower.

So, even though 2006 was my year for shin splints and bad running, I rested myself up after my last tri and then worked up slowly (and I mean VERY slowly) and did the 5k at the run yesterday. It felt good. A little painful, but not too bad. I love traditions and this one is a fun one to keep. It's a good reminder of how things start to change.

This year we actually arrived early enough to get some awesome goodies. The other two years I was late and just got my shirt. But THIS time I got some flashy things, some glowy things, and other miscellaneous stuff. Here are some pictures of Elizabeth, Judith and I showing off our cool temporary tattoos.









And of course here's one with Sarah who was adamantly opposed to the tattoos...but she still had a good run :).
Unfortunatley, by the time we met up with Donna and Jen, the camera was back in the car. But they rocked the course as well :). As per tradition we finished off the night with a late night breakfast at IHOP. Yay for traditions!

White & Nerdy & Ridin Dirty

White & Nerdy

Ridin Dirty

See Jane Tri - No Race Report

This morning I got up at 5am. Usually I would be exhausted, but today I wasn't. God granted me a good night's sleep before I got up to watch my friend Judith finish her triathlon season doing the See Jane Tri. I also had a friend from my swim class who did it, so I spend a couple of hours running from swim entry, to swim exit, to bike entry, to run entry, to finish line, to bike exit, to finish line. I think I got quite a work out, but not as much as the triathletes.

It was fun to be a spectator. Here are some definite pros I noticed:

1. You get to wear real clothes. You don't have to show every curve to the whole world.
2. You aren't nervous. It's exciting and fun, but not scary. I WILL watch my friends finish no matter what. No risk there.
3. You get to watch people light up as you cheer for them. Being a triathlete myself, I know how much it means to have encouragement. To know you are giving that to someone else is pretty cool.
4. You get to take the photos...again...no photos of me in spandex!
5. You get to wave the cool sign! I made a reversible sign to cheer on Judith and Erica. Here are Judith and I with one side.And last but not least...

6. You get to see the crazy things people do at races. If you are in it, you are oblivious to almost everything, but if you are a spectator you get to see this:Happy Triathlon Season Everybody!

My time has come...

When I was a kid, I DESPERATELY wanted to wear glasses. There was some time in elementary school when the first wave of classmates started to get them. I thought it would be so much fun. In fact, I even tried to ruin my eyesight so I could get glasses. I would try to strain my eyes as much as I could. Once, a friend even asked me what I was doing...I was embarrassed, so I said "nothing", and relaxed my eyes. I didn't actually know what my version of 'straining my eyes' looked like until I saw a picture of myself at a friend's birthday. My eyes were opened as wide as could be. No wonder my friend asked me what I was doing! I realized how stupid I looked trying to 'strain' my eyes, so I quit.

Since then, I have become incredibly proud of my good vision. In high school I was labeled with 20/15 vision! I was so proud! It shows how much I enjoy getting good test scores. :)

Alas, now that I spend 8 hours a day in front of a computer, my eyes have been feeling quite tired. I don't think I had a vision exam since that glorious high school moment, so I decided to get it checked out...Just to see if it was just fatigue or something else. It turns out I have astigmatism. Minor, but there none the less.

As they eye doctor was explaining astigmatism, he showed me a little diagram of two makeshift eyes. One was slightly football shaped, while the other was normal. He was trying to explain the condition to me, but all I could think about was the spelling. 'ASTIGMATISM'. All these years I've heard people say 'I have astigmatism' and I thought they were saying 'I have a stigmatism'. I felt like a fool. But obviously I saw some humor in it, or I wouldn't be posting it for the world to know. And apparently, I am not alone.

Anyway, I was given the recommendation to wear computer glasses. I wondered if relying on glasses at work would make my vision worse, but he said that was not the case with astigmatism. He said wearing the glasses would let my eyes rest and not have to work so hard to focus, and maybe they wouldn't get worse. So I decided to try it.

I've been looking at frames here and there, but it sure is hard to do alone! So yesterday my friend Sarah went with me and helped me pick out some hip and trendy ones...Well as hip and trendy as Elaine can get. So, I'd like to introduce part of what will be the new professional face of Elaine...
Maybe after I get used to wearing them, I'll post a picture of me with them on. But I don't know about that yet...This whole thing might become an identity crisis for me.

I call this one...'Yellow Prickliness'

A photo from a walk through Stevens Creek Park in Cupertino. I liked it. Maybe you will too.

Freakiness of Genetics: Results!

Well, I was waiting for that last comment from Karen before the results were posted. I have to admit I was wondering which way she would go. ;)

But I'm very pleased to announce that despite the freakiness of my genetic code, you all know me and my handwriting quite well. A is correct! Nice work everyone!

Freakiness of Genetics

Those of you who know me well enough to recognize my handwriting will find this post most interesting...if not challenging ;). Those of you who know me by my witty banter via typing only, I hope you will appreciate the freakiness of this post.

A few years ago, I was visiting my grandma. She had a 'Thank You' card on her table. It caught my eye because it looked like my handwriting. I picked it and tried to remember the occasion on which I wrote it, but I could not. Then I began to doubt that I wrote it...but there was no signature. So I asked Grandma who wrote it...and she said it was my Uncle Gonzo (my mom's youngest brother). I was shocked because it looked so similar. Then I asked her to read me the contents of the card, and I wrote out the same words. We compared and they were almost identical.

The next time I saw my uncle, I told him to write out a few words on paper...and I did the same. Then we swapped...and were amazed! So now for fun at family gatherings we freak out our relatives with our insane genetics.

So now, its your turn! Which one is my handwriting and which one is Uncle Gonzo's?

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

I hope you enjoy the challenge! I've been told we also have the same hands, esp the cuticles, the same cowlick, the same eyes, and I might even venture to guess the same face shape. Sometimes ya gotta wonder!

Great Quotes

Last night I got together with Jane* and Rachel*. We were talking about quotes from each other that have gotten us in trouble. (Since my name cannot really be anonymous on my own blog, I'll leave my embarrassing quotes behind...But I do have their permission to post their quotes as long as I protect their identities.)

After watching Psycho, Jane very honestly exclaimed...
"Now that's why you should never shower alone!"

Rachel, having recognized the blunder here, gave the suggestion...
"You should just set up a shower web cam..."

Both excellent ideas ladies. I think these important guidelines will soon help lower casualties resulting from shower murders worldwide.

*Names have been changed to protect the actual identities of the people involved.

Hope...

What is it?

words?

images?

videos?

maps?

definition?

So what is it?

Catching up

Another bonus for my business trip to San Diego was I got to catch up with an old friend. I went to high school with Amber, but we haven't really spent a whole lot of time together since then. Little things off and on, and now she is married with a little boy named Kyan in San Diego. Since we are both in CA, we always try to catch each other on a drive to Oregon or something, but usually miss each other. But this time it worked! She picked me up after work and we headed to the beach, something I wanted to do while I was in San Diego. We had quite the adventure chasing little Kyan all over the place. He's really big for his age and FULL of energy and spunk. Quite a riot really. Here he is in action after spotting the water.Here he is running with Amber trailing very patiently behind.
Here he is walking with mom on the beach.And here he is after falling in the water...he's a little concerned...not sure if being soaking wet is good or bad.But soon he was very happy after finding an exciting stick to play with.And of course, Amber & I got a self portrait at the beach.After Kyan was tired out from running up and down the beach, Amber and I got some good catch up time while he rested. Then we went out to some yummy Mexican food for dinner. It's great to catch up with old friends. I've been doing that a lot this summer, and it never seems to get old :)

I'll leave you with some of my favorite close up beach shots. Enjoy!

Birthdays Galore

The beautiful thing about not planning a birthday celebration for yourself is that each of your groups of friends wants to celebrate with you. So instead of one birthday dinner, you get dinners with friends and family scattered over the month. I guess that worked out eh? The weekend before my birthday, I got to have dinner with Karen & Donna on Friday, lunch with Sarah & Inka, and dinner with Elizabeth & Judith and the fam. I'm a lucky one I am!

Then, as if anything could top that, I went to San Diego on a business trip. It was a very interesting convention actually. But I try to keep work and blogging separate. :) Let's just say the people we worked with were really awesome, and I even got a serenade. That evening my AWESOME cousin Nicole drove about 2 hours from college to come take me out to dinner. How cool is that? I feel truly spoiled. Here we both are with a crazy look in our eyes after a delicious dinner at one of the bazillion Mexican restaurants in Old Town.


















And on the walk back to my hotel...
And since I was away for my birthday, I think I may have some more dinners & lunches coming up. Like I said I'm spoiled. ;)

Happy Birthday To Me...

A visit to Karen & Evan

I had the pleasure of having lunch with my wonderful friend Karen and her little Evan today! I stopped by In-N-Out and picked us up a delicious lunch. The meal must have been blessed because the total was $7.77. All the Yellow 7's, esp my dear A will get a kick out of that. Here's the proof!

The rest of our time was good catch up time. A much needed rest and talk that we don't get often enough. I felt more relaxed just watching little Evan sleep. So here you go, maybe you'll feel the same way.

I couldn't resist

Maybe I should have. Or could have. But I didn't. I was going through some old photos, and I ran across this. I had to share. I was 19!

A blast from the past

When I was visiting Jess and Barry, we looked through some old photos. We came across this one. There are lots of pics of me from my high school days, but for some reason this one struck me as interesting. It's not the best shot ever...But as a candid, it captures a moment in time. The hustle and bustle of a marching band bus off to some event. A senior in high school sits next to her boyfriend laughing, in an obviously good mood, when Barry turns and says "Smile!". What happened just before the photo was taken? And what happened just after? And what was going on in my head for that split second. Hmmm... What does this photo say to you?

Let's Play

Watch out for an email you may have gotten from me inviting you to play in an online bingo game. I got it from a good friend and it looked legit, so I fell for it. Anyway, please disregard the email and don't give them yours,

Elaine

Oregon Wedding #2

Oregon Wedding #2 = Bridget and Jeff. (Lot's of Jeffs getting married these days.)

Bridget is one of my dear friends from college. We met in the dorms (GO DECOU!) and most of our second floor girls and some first floor boys have kept in touch throughout college and beyond. Bridget and I were also roommates our senior year. That year, we experienced much suffering through thesising, much change in relationships and future plans, and much laughter ranging from chasing Koshka around the apartment to late nights talking about anything and everything on our favorite living room rug. Bridget met Jeff at UO the following year, and he is a wonderful guy. I was very pleased to be able celebrate their wedding with them.

So the festivities started with a fun filled bachelorette party. I only stayed for the first half with the girls, but I hear I missed a rousing good time when the girls had kareoke night with the boys. But I did get to participate in many fun games involving Captain Kirk. Here, he is just a bystander as Kristi MCs the newlywed trivia game for Bridget. (Bridget did quite well I might add.)And here is a photo of Bridget and I before I took off.A couple days later, we had a wedding on our hands! Bridget looked absolutely AMAZING in her princess gown.As did all the bridesmaids (and Veronica and Evan's head)After a beautiful sun and flower filled ceremony, Bridget and Jeff were married! And we were on to dinner and dancing!They had the cutest wedding favors! Jeff is into monsters of sorts, so we all got our very own monster finger puppet and some colorful Jordan Almonds. Here is Sarah modeling them all for you.
I had a wonderful time celebrating with the couple and visiting with old friends. It was quite a Decouvian reunion. Here's the photo.

Top: Evan & Luke
Middle: Veronica, Kristi, Jaime & Me
Bottom: Sarah, Bridget, & Marci

Hopefully we get to do it all again soon with Sarah & Matthew !

Ya-Ya Wannabees

Another wonderful part of my trip to Oregon was getting to hang out with my friend Jessica! Actually she is my wife...we got married at a Sadie Hawkins dance in High School. I love you wifey!

We had a wonderful time together. We laughed like I haven't laughed in a while it was great. We went to Cafe Yumm and I got to experience my first ever Yumm bowl! It was delicious. I'm really bummed now I didn't bring any Yumm sauce home with me. Maybe I can get an Oregonian friend to send me some for my birthday...hehehehe.

Later that day we stopped by Barry's office to drop off his apartment key. He and Jess lent me one of theirs, so one of them was forever without a key. So anyway...Barry is now a REAL lawyer! I couldn't believe it when I saw him at his desk. A REAL workin man. I just had to take some pictures. (It may not look so shocking to all of you, but Barry is a year younger than me, and we have been friends since our old high school band glory days...so seeing him all grown up is just craziness!)
















Then Jess and I decided to go wine tasting. But unfortunately by the time we neared the wineries, it was too late...cause they closed at five. So instead we decided to go wine tasting at her apartment instead. I had also been telling Jess how I had been listening to the 'Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood' throughout my driving. She said she had it on video, so we decided to make it a girls night with wine, homemade Yumm bowls (yes they were so good I wanted to have them for lunch AND dinner!), and a chick flick.

So off we went to Trader Joes to get some wine and snacks for our night. When I saw a bottle of wine called Moon something, I insisted that we get it, because the Ya-Ya's are daughters of the Moon Queen. So we had to have Moon wine to go with our Ya-Ya night. We debated it for a long time cause Jess had another kind of wine she wanted to get...but they didn't have it. She said she had another bottle at home, but wasn't sure what kind it was. In the end I convinced her to get the Moon wine. The funny thing was, when we got back to her house, it turned out she already had a bottle of the exact same kind of wine! So we laughed over that one for a while, but decided it was meant to be! Here we are trying to get a picture to chronicle our Ya-Ya night...with our 2 bottles of Moon wine, meringues, Yumm, sauce, and chips...As you can tell we were having some trouble with the self timer on my camera, but it made for some pretty fun pics.

This was such a fun trip visiting with so many wonderful friends. It seemed so appropriate to me that I had been listening to this book on tape about a band of women friends and their sisterhood. I got to visit with my own sorority sisters, my crazy foursome of friends from high school, and my awesome dorm buddies (stay tuned for pics from wedding #2). It reminded me how precious friends are and how deeply we need each other. I have wonderful friends in my new home here, but nothing can replace the feeling of hanging out with old friends who have known you for years. Nothing can replace the bond of silliness, sadness, and joy from experiencing crazy times in life together.

Anyway, enough of my sap. But thanks to Jessica for being a Ya-Ya with me for a night!