The Littlest Penguin

Do you take this penguin. . . ?

Thursday, June 18th, 2009 | family, friends, fun stuff, penguins, pictures, travel | 3 Comments

Last weekend William and I embarked on our second ever road trip together – 4 hours south to Chapel Hill, NC for Kevin and Stephanie’s wedding. We got in late Thursday night (technically it was Friday, but just barely) and checked in to a nice suite. (He spoiled us and got the suite because it wasn’t that much more and we could have friends over that way.) On Friday our job was to go pick up the food for the rehearsal dinner from Chipolte, but we ran into some issues when about 10 burritos and other tasty dinner items seeped through the bag and fell to the ground when lifted. Add to that delay about 45 minutes of running around wondering where in Durham we were, and you have dinner on the table approximately. . . 2 hours late. Everyone was good natured about it, but we did feel bad. Kevin was super stressed trying to get us there and William and I both get a little jumpy when we’re lost. But we did get there, the food was still yummy, and Kevin and Steph said if that was the worst thing to happen they’d be happy.

And I think it was the worst thing that happened. At least that I’m aware of. Saturday’s ceremony was lovely. I had my typical trouble singing (since getting pregnant singing and standing has been a challenge to my ability to stay conscious), but I listened to William and Sheri sing next to me and that was a good substitute. I helped guide folks through the digital guest book interface, which was kind of fun and easy. Then there was a really nice spread of light lunch foods – salads and bree and crackers and some little sandwiches. The bride’s cake was beautiful and had fruit preserves in it, and the groom’s cake was . . . well, look for youself. It is a brownie penguin. Very Kevin.

After the wedding, Jared, Sheri, and Tony came over to the hotel to play some Carcassone and some Gloom before we went out in search for some supper. William’s only other experience with Carcassone involved “the City” version, which we played with Jared, Sheri, and Tony several years ago. It was terrible and I’ve never exponged the guilt of telling him he’d enjoy it. (I thought it was like normal Carcassone!) But this game redeemed Carcassone for William, and Tony taught us how to play Gloom. We’re taking it with us to visit his family for 4th of July weekend – his mom loves silly games like this.

Sunday morning we had breakfast with some of my family on our way home. Uncle Ben took pictures, so I’m sure I’ll have something to link here eventually. It was fun to see everyone. I actually hadn’t seen my cousin Aaron in years; I’d never met his kids! They’re darned cute, by the way. I think William charmed Hannah out of some shyness, too. Hopefully I can do a better job of keeping in touch with everyone, especially now that we’re all on Facebook.

This weekend’s a “break” from trips and visits, but next weekend. . . Southeast Meetup!

Tags: Kevin's wedding

It’s not dead, it’s pining for the fjords!

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Well, with several months of near-inactivity on this blog, you’d think I would throw my hands up in frustration and just let the thing die. But not this penguin! I kept radio silence for a while partly because it’s tough to know who’s reading out there and I had some things going on that I didn’t want certain people to find out about until I could tell them in person. (My parents, family and friends, my boss. . . ) Also because blogging while stressed and busy didn’t seem like fun to me. Sorry.

However, that means that a ton of stuff has happened and you don’t want a novel of a blog entry, so let’s begin.

Back in November William and I started dating again. (We dated when I was a college freshman. Insert mooshy “we’ve been friends ever since” story here.) He spent Christmas with me in Tennessee, which was really wonderful even though I felt bad leaving him alone all day while I went to work. We started to talk about me finding a job in Virginia, near him, and plans. And then in February I realized I was pregnant, so we sped up the moving and planning parts of our conversations. Changing that much that fast is scarry as hell, and I have to admit I had a few anxiety attacks in the process. Not fun. (Telling your parents something like this, even at age 29, also not fun.) But I had a lot of support from William, from his mom, and from my friends. Mom and dad, too, once they got over the shock and the weirdness.

So my last day at the archives was May 15 and two weeks later my friends, who deserve more thanks than the pizza I got for them, helped me pack up the UHaul. William flew in to help me pack and drive the truck, and get me through a pretty tearful good-bye to everyone over dinner at MidCity. Next morning, Robb and Edie came over to help me throw the last few things into the truck, clean the apartment and load up the kitties (one with me, one with William). The drive up to VA wasn’t too bad, for the humans at least. Paddington and Anselm hardly came out of their carriers the whole time, and Anselm cried for maybe 3 hours striaght. Poor William.

We didn’t have nearly as much help unpacking, but William did a lot and my brother-in-law Paul helped a bunch. I’m still unpacking some boxes, but most everything is unpacked and integrated into the apartment. It’s a nice 2 bedroom place near the Occoquan River – our back windows have a view of trees instead of more apartments or highway. Anselm and Paddington have settled in and have made friends with Fezzick and Sapphire and the four of them keep me company during the day.

On the 29th our families came in and William and I did an itty-bitty exchange of vows at a park on the river. It poured down rain right up until we started, but it stopped in time for some pictures to be taken. My brother-in-law Jared did the vows and I wrote the short service. The dress I wore wasn’t the one I was hoping to, but it was still pretty and William looked very handsome in his suit. The we all went to Madigan’s next to the park and had a really nice dinner together. Mom and dad gave us two nights in a bed and breakfast in Manassas. The place was beautiful and the hosts were fantastic. And it got us away from the stacks of boxes at home. We only invited our parents and siblings to the vows, pretty much. Next year we’re planning to have a big reception-style party for everyone else. William sort of wants to run it con-style. We’ll see.

So here we are. I’m still learning the roads around here, and we’re planning a busy July of going to see our families in VA, PA, and FL. But first, I need to finish getting my name changed and there’s a Southeast Meetup that needs to be attended!

That’s not all the news that’s fit to be told today, but I’ll cut this short and blog about Kevin’s wedding and other fun later.

new niece!

Saturday, April 4th, 2009 | family, niece, pictures | 2 Comments

Alyce, Amy and Jared

My niece arrived on March 27. Meet Alyce!

Cupcakes man was not meant to eat

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 | food, friends, pictures | 3 Comments

I’m weeks behind on blogging, but I also have a cold and am exhausted. May I appease you with the cupcakes Rucht made for Llama’s birthday party a couple weeks ago?

Ia! Ia! Cupcake pthagn!

Tags: cupcakes

going away

Friday, January 23rd, 2009 | family | 2 Comments

Today my grandpa died. He slipped into a coma while my dad was out of the room. WIthin the hour he had slipped away all together.

I feel bad for not feeling bad. I am sad that he died, but there is no great feeling of loss. I was never close to my grandpa, and certainly his health and living situations have caused mom and dad a lot of stress (some of it undue) over the last several months. I’m upset about this more for dad’s sake than anything else; dad was blindsided by how fast it all happened. Grandpa has eaten very little over the last couple of months and was not breathing well. He’d lost a dramatic amount of weight. Still, we all did figure he had a little more time left in him. I’m glad he went quickly.

scooter surprise

Monday, January 19th, 2009 | fun stuff, play, pranks, silly | 4 Comments

My neighbors had a little surprise waiting for me when I got home this evening. Isn’t it cute? All he needs is a helmet to keep his snowball head safe.

Tags: snowmen

good news

Friday, December 26th, 2008 | food, work | 7 Comments

I had an email this morning telling me that a long-awaited raise and promotion to salaried status would be effective January 1, 2009. And there was much rejoicing.

And a special dinner of cocktails and Indain food with William.

And so this is Christmas . . .

Monday, December 22nd, 2008 | Christmas, birthdays, friends | 1 Comment

I’m taking a break from cleaning the apartment. Ohmygoodness. I got sick in early November and to some degree I feel like I never caught back up with myself. Having a birthday party or a trip almost every weekend since then might have something to do with that. Over the weekend I started a really good cleaning of the place (mopping, washing even the shower curtains, rearranging furniture to accommodate guests . . .), and I’m doing the final touches tonight.

I haven’t even finished Christmas shopping. I guess that’s ok for now, though, since I’m not going to Florida for Christmas this year. First time ever I’m spending the holiday away from mom and dad. My boss seems to have somehow missed the part of the email where I reminded him that my vacation time reset December 1st; when he gave me my Thanksgiving time off he told me I would have to work every day we were open over the Christmas / New Year holiday. Later he seemed surprised that I wasn’t taking time even though I had it. By then I had alternate holiday plans. If he ever realized his mistake, he sure didn’t tell me (or apologize). So I’m working, William is coming to stay until a little after New Year’s day, we’ll spend Christmas with Jared and Sheri and her family, and I’ll go to my parent’s sometime in early January. This has actually cut down a certain amount of holiday stress since I didn’t have to do whirlwind Christmas shopping, make food for all the parties, attend all the parties, clean the house, pack, and fly south. This week should be nice and peaceful. I don’t even have to sing at Christmas Eve service.

By contrast, the last couple of weeks were crammed with parties and events. I made cookies and nacho dip for our student workers and for Phi Alpha Theta’s (sparsely attended) Christmas party. I was up til midnight making those goshdarned cookies, and hardly anyone touched them. It took a room full of teenagers at Mahto’s birthday party to help me eat them all. They were good cookies, darn it! We had Mahto’s rockin’ 16th birthday party, Sheri’s Ticket to Birthday party, the annual choir party at the Lowry’s (last time this year, sadly), and Jared’s D&D themed / playing birthday. I opened Just Coffee one night, got to know my next door neighbors over a couple episodes of The IT Crowd, worked, gamed, and did a lot of laundry. Now, really all I have left to do is wrap a few gifts and make some pound cakes.

Happy Hannukah and Merry Christmas, bloggy friends and family!

Steam-powered birthday

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 | birthdays, costumes, friends, fun stuff, pictures, steampunk | 7 Comments

It is 1896 in the Year of Our Lord. It has been seventy-four years since Charles Babbage has developed the Difference Engine – a clockwork device capable of making advanced calculations in the blink of an eye. Since that time, the Difference Engine has shrunk from a clockwork tool that filled an entire room to Desktop Counters and Hand-Held Butlers.

It is a world driven by steam and iron. Zeppelins sail the skies. Machines of all manners and sorts are propelled by the power of the piston and pneumatics. It is a world where the Information Revolution took place in the year 1822, instead of the year 1946.

You all are former graduates from Bethlehem University, meeting on the eve of your 10th graduation anniversary. The invitation reads as follows:

Dear Friends,

It has been too long since I have seen all of you. You may not know that dear old Uncle Henry passed on last March. Though his passage from this world has proved untimely, I find that his magnanimity find me even now, after his absence. He has bequeathed to me the estate of Misty Island.

I am most eager to see each of you and discover what great adventures you have undertaken since our departure from University. Can you believe that we have reached the ten year mark? Just a scant decade ago, I watched you all grow into your own and become some of the finest students I have ever known. Though I have no children of my own, I need not say that I see you as my own kin and have such fondness for you that surely only a mother could know.

After the settling all affairs of estate, I found an annuity of sufficient funds that provides me to become a Gentlewoman of Leisure. I have been here at the island since August of last year. I shall count it an honor and privilege if you found it in your hearts to arrange your holidays this year and spend them with me on Misty Island. Should you find it convenient, the week of June 23rd shall be an excellent time in which to convene and reflect upon our fortunes – the very week your graduated from the esteemed Bethlehem University.

Since I am the only one on this three-mile isle, you will need to take the dirigible which arrives twice a week. I suggest taking the one from Vancouver B.C. Be sure to arrive early enough to get to Pier 6 at 8:30 in the morning on the 23rd.

I have a full-fledged staff of caretakers on the island as well, so you need not fret with bringing your own manservants, nannies, or chaperones.

I’ll be expecting all of you.

Eagerly Yours,

Gertrud “Mother” Hesseldorf

Ladies and gentlemen, this was the invitation to my 29th birthday party, the awesomeness of which may never be surpassed. I mean, really. How could I not be impressed that my friends dressed up in steampunk gear and acted as players in a murder mystery for me? And to top it off, they managed to keep the whole thing secret until two days before the party. And even then I was only told what was going on so I could choose what character I was assigned and get a costume ready. And aren’t their costumes wonderful?! Jared’s pictures are online here, and many of mine can be viewed here.

Among the presents they gave me were a steampunk style necklace (watch gears artfully repurposed), Nerf guns, a new camera bag, and an iPod interface for my ancient car. But my favorite gift by far was the goat my dad bought in my name for a family in Africa. William visited me for a long weekend, and Kevin for a short one. Ah, and for the curious . . . William (Choryt in the comments section) and I are dating. *glow*

My birthday party is this weekend. . .

Monday, November 10th, 2008 | friends | 1 Comment

. . . And what you guys have planned is so freaking cool!!!