Eight Track

8 Things I'm Passionate About:

1. My family
   
2. My friends
3. My photography/art
4. Teaching
5. Football
6. My business MyLife Photography
   
7. Expanding my family
   
8. Painting (which I suppose could go into the art category but it is worthy of it's own for me)
   

8 Things I Want To Do Before I Die:

1. Live to be an old eccentric grandmother with funny glasses.
   
2. Adopt a child
   
3. Travel to see art/culture around the world
   
4. Publish a book incorporating storytelling and art/photography
   
5. Be an amazing photographer (still a ways to go...)
   
6. Obtain another Master's Degree
   
7. Learn to belly dance
   
8. Get another tattoo! :)
   

8 Things I Say Often:

1. That's funny. (without laughing)
   
2. Dude.
3. No No!
   
4. I love you
5. I need a break.
   
6. I'm exhausted.
   
7. What did you say?
   
8. Give to Mommy.
   

8 TV Shows I've Recently Watched:

1. American Idol
2. Anything on Disney Playhouse
   
3. Maury(sorry haha)
   
4. NFL Football Playoffs and an Amazing Superbowl!!! Go Giants!
   
5. Project Runway
   
6. Springer ( I don't really know how that happened!!! help!)
   
7. The Shot
   
8. Anything on Bravo
   

8 Songs I Could Listen To Over and Over:

1. Sitting (Cat Stevens)
   
2. Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley)
3. Prophecy (Remy Zero)
4. Carry the Zero (Built to Spill)
5. California Here We Come (Phantom Planet)
6. Sampson (Regina Spektor)
7. Game Over (yep, by NSync)
8. Waiting on the world to change (John Mayer)

8 Things That Attract Me To My Friends:

1. Loyalty
2. Honesty
3. Trustworthy
4. Faithful
5. Funny
6. Understanding
7. Creative
8. Forgiving

8 Things I've Learned (or been reminded of) This Past Year:

1. Life is too short
2. Patience is harder than I thought.
   
3. My husband does more than I give him credit for
4. Life often throws you a curve ball.
   
5. My body is never going to look like it used to! ;)
   
6. Other peoples negative thoughts about my life, family or decisions don't really bother me.
   
7. I sometimes need to focus more on the positive sides of things. (weird statement after that the #6 revelation...hmmmm)
   
8. I am a pretty darn good cook!!! Just ask Joy or Lori....except don't ask Lori about the Greek salad...hehe...just kidding, but not really...really don't ask her!)
   

8 People I Think Should Do "8":

1. Heather
2. Jessica
   
3. Jennifer
4. Joy
   
5. Kristin
   
6. Chevella
   
7. Julie
8. Tracey

Chaos and Cake!

Sunday January 20th was our son, Owen's 1st birthday. We had his party this past Saturday.It was a frigid snowy day and we thought that maybe most would not venture out but to our surprise it was truly a party! We had enough cake and playtime for everyone! Family and friends drove from all over to be here for his special day. He is still learning the concept of opening presents but trust me we have been playing non stop since Saturday night. We have also had animated movie marathons that cause Owen to burst out into fits of funky dance steps!!!

He was a bit delicate with his cake until I encouraged him to just take a big heaping bite!!! After every successful mouthful he would clap and then everyone would join in!

It was a bit more chaotic than I had expected and I think that perhaps our party next year will be at Chucky Cheese!!!haha We had a good time nonetheless.






He got some amazing gifts: movies, bath toys (which he loves), a wagon and bike, and They Might Be Giants "Here come the ABCs" a must for any child of a generation X Mom and Dad!!


Dive In!!!



OK, now everybody clap!!

Home Cookin' via Africa!

Last night was my first attempt at cooking an African Meal! I want to start incorporating these meals into our lives so that they will just become apart of us. So once our daughter is home this will be our normalcy. Just another meal. I want to blend our cultures so that our family will have it's own culture and traditions.
I was a little concerned about how it would turn out. I used lots of different spices that are not a typical blend for the foods we are used to here in the US. It was a lot more complicated and time consuming than my usual Rachel Ray recipes but, to our surprise it was really good! My husband had two huge plates! I will most definitely make it again and am looking forward to more experiments in the kitchen!


Chunky Mashed Veggies
Sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, green beans and a lot of spices including berbere!


Bobotie
As I was making this I thought it would end up to be something like a meat loaf but turned out to be something different completely. I am not sure how to describe the taste but trust me you should try it!


The finished result. I did serve it with soft bread too just in case it was a little too much spice for my guests!


It was a little too spicy for baby Owen but he was happy just the same!

George W. and New Year's

Here is Owen helping Mommy take down the Christmas tree. It is what he had been hoping to do the entire time it was up and was euphoric now that we were finally ripping all the glittery stuff down! I took photos to remember his first destruction of a Christmas tree. My only regret....why didn't I put him in a different shirt? Now forever when he is 20 showing his girlfriend baby photos from his first Christmas he will see himself in an Anti Bush shirt. Don't get me wrong this household (Daddy especially) is not a Bush fan, thus the shirt, but I didn't really want him to have Christmas photos in it! Stupid me....but I guess it will make for a funny story later in life.


!!!!KABLAM!!!!

Now on to New Year's Eve.

It was nice, quiet, and I did have some alcohol (which doesn't happen much any more). We had a few friends over for some 7 layer dip, vodka and pyrotechnics. We had a good time talking, drinking, playing games, and setting things on fire.

This New Year's made me a bit sad though.

I must admit that I miss the old days, the single days, the before children days when we all got together for these events and random poker parties. I miss Friday night movies. I miss the old Lot One days where we might be known to do a thing or two we regretted the next morning. :)

Life changes so much after marriage and children and I love my family. I especially love being with Owen every morning to watch Higgly Town Heroes and talking to my Husband while he half listens because he is playing WOW. But even though my life has changed drastically in the past two years I still feel like the old Catherine and the old Catherine misses her old life sometimes and her old friends.


Big Nick and Dustin running for their lives!

Joy, Kristin and Me

Big Nick, Dustin, and CB

PS
Check out that thermometer on the right!!! It is movin' on up!!! Yay! Only $9,900.00 to go! ha!