Our Christmas Break has officially begun. It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I finished my first semester of grad school in fine form, while Scott spend most of his waking hours studying for finals. I kept myself busy with Christmas preparations. It’s been good, but it’s even nicer to get a break. I left for Mesa on the 18th of December, while Scott stayed behind to take his last final. He finally arrived last night (the 21st) and it feels like the real holidays have begun.

So far, we’ve been busy spending time with family and getting reaquainted with my mother’s visitors. Anita, Rob, Jip, Wouter, Maxim, and Jeske all came to visit from the Netherlands. My mom and Anita have been good friends for years–they visit each other every so often. My mom, younger brother, and father all spent a great part of the summer visiting them at their home in Holland this summer. After a long journey (they got stuck overnight in JFK’s airport) they finally made it to Mesa and we were so excited to see them.

We’re very excited to have two weeks of relaxation, family, fun, and good food. I sent out Christmas cards (for those who live out of state), but in case anyone else is interested, I’ve included a copy here for you. We hope you have a fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Lonica Stuff, No Place Like Home | 2 Comments »

Or at least that’s what I’m calling it.  It might be winter, but this is what I was in the mood for today.

Ingredients:
Plantain (grilled or broiled)
Mango
Cilantro
Lettuce
Fresh Lime Juice
Olive oil (just a little)
Kosher salt

Culinary Creations, Scott Stuff | 3 Comments »

Hey, if Keats can write an Ode to a Grecian Urn, I ought to be able to write one to snow.

This morning we woke up to this:

Actually, we went to be when it looked like this too. Only, it’s a bit more difficult to take pictures at midnight, than on a bright sunny Sunday morning. I have to say, it looked ten times more beautiful last night though. I’ve decided I love snow. Here’s why: (in case any of you are even slightly interested)

It puts you in the mood for Christmas; and goes perfectly with my Carpenter Christmas CD.

I can spend hours looking out my widow all day Saturday as it slowly falls.

Everything is so quiet while it’s snowing.

The nights are brighter and the moon reflects more.

Trees look beautiful with their branches filled with snow.

It’s amazing how everything changes with a blanket of snow covering it.

It gives you the perfect excuse to wear a hat, gloves, and scarf.

I know that lots of people dislike the cold weather, the need to clean off your cars, the wet-ness and messy-ness, but none of that really matters to me. It just looks so fantastic! Obviously, I haven’t gotten over the “I grew up in a desert and haven’t had enough snow in my life” mentality. But, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Life in OH-IO, Lonica Stuff, Proof of the Existence of Four Seasons | 2 Comments »

Okay, so it isn’t really a “winter wonderland” outside right now, but it is rather chilly. And I got off work early and Scott was home. That’s pretty wonderful! Glory Be!

We decided to take a walk—the sun was out—in which I learned all about the virtues of wearing a beanie over a cute, stylish new hat. Did you know that beanies go all the way down to your eyes? And they cover your ears? And it covers your neck down to your collared shirt?!? Basically, beanies are pretty much amazing. We ended the conversation by agreeing to disagree.

We also discussed some really philosophical questions, like: You know they way your skin feels after it’s numb—like when you’ve been to the dentist and had Novocain—and you can only feel the touch on your fingers and not on your fingers and skin too? Well, I’ve felt a bit like that lately; do you think that’s a sign that I’m getting old? Like my skin is starting to sag? Call us eternal optimists, but we decided that funny skin feeling was a result of cold weather, rather than sagging skin. On this issue we both agree.

Essentially, we had a good afternoon discussing some really heavy issues—you know world peace, global economics and the like. You know life’s good when you have someone to talk with about all the stupid things that cross your mind. And that is pretty wonderful.

Life in OH-IO, Lonica Stuff, Proof of the Existence of Four Seasons | 3 Comments »

Much to my joy, Scott was more than willing to help decorate the Christmas tree. In fact, he was so willing that he actually made it through the entire project, helping the entire time. In years past he has always participated in the ever-so-fun “saw off the trunk of the tree and work really hard to get it to stand straight in the bowl of water” part of the project, but backs out later when it comes to hanging all the ornaments or straightening out the lights. This year, however, I had fantastic help.

Our tree now sparkles and shines. I love plugging it in and turning all the lights on.

I also love looking at the Christmas ornaments we’ve collected from all of our travels together. Here you can see our ornaments from Washington DC, Mammoth Caves, Boston, Thailand, Valley Forge, Alaska, Niagara Falls, Amish Country, and Gettysburg. These are some of my favorites. Hopefully, as the years go by I’ll have even more favorites.

We got our tree up just in time for December to welcome us with cold and snow nights. It snowed all day Monday, but never really stayed on the ground. However, when we woke up Tuesday, we were greeted by the first signs of a snow fall that actually stayed around. Even though there was hardly any snow on the ground, it still made me very excited!

Lonica Stuff, Proof of the Existence of Four Seasons | 4 Comments »