Decorations

We have a door decorating contest at work.  Some of the teams are decorating by theme. Our theme is supposed to be Winter Wonderland.  Originally, it was going to be Twelve Days of Christmas, but it got changed.  I was a bit disappointed, because as the first door on our floor, I'd gotten the coveted First Day/Partridge in a Pear Tree.

I wasn't too interested in the run of the mill snowman or Christmas tree.  I wanted to make a bit of a statement about the CHRIST in Christmas.  Robert and I pieced this together, and there's a little ornament in the middle of the wreath that says "O come let us adore Him."  I went in early one morning last week to decorate.  I'm VERY happy with how it turned out and have gotten several compliments already too.

Random photos 1

When Holly was home at the beginning of November, she completed her absentee voter ballot and turned it into the Registrar.

Robert fixed her pancakes for breakfast.

Trevor fixed her chimichangas for dinner.

She's more than happy to have us cook for her when she is home. 

At school, she's been sharing her roommate's mini-fridge.  A friend of mine posted her mini-fridge for sale at a steal, so I picked it up last month, and I took it up to Holly when I went to visit.

It's just a year old.  It's given her a lot more room to store cold food, so we can keep her well stocked.  It's a whole lot better than eating so many meals on campus (she tires of the food), and it's a whole lot healthier than the processed ramen-type food she was eating before she got the fridge.

SNOWING in Fairfax!

Holly forwarded this to me this afternoon.  It's snowing in Fairfax, and she's loving that!

The view from her room

And the view from outside.

Alton Brown!

Trevor's birthday back in August included tickets to see Alton Brown on his Edible Inevitable! tour, which came to Roanoke in early November.  We scored terrific seats, second row up in the Loge section of the balcony, about 13 rows back from the stage.  Alton took this picture for the audience and later posted it on his Twitter page.  Unfortunately, he was the only one allowed to have a camera--there was a no-pictures rule for the audience!

The show was great--pretty much like a long Good Eats-lite--a few quirky cooking demonstrations, wry comedy, puppets on the big screen, and a couple of songs.  We picked up sushi and poppers to finish the night off at home.  It was a fun, fun time to spend with my kid.

In other busy weekend news for Trevor, Kurt had stayed over the night before, and the boys went to see Thor 2 in 3D earlier on Saturday. Following the Alton show on Saturday night, Trevor had a 2 a.m. slot to beta test Dark Souls 2.  Needless to say, he spent a few nights catching up on his sleep!

November leftovers

Here are a few photos from November that have not yet been posted.

The backyard feeder has been quite popular. And colorful.

Thanksgiving dinner:  Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, roasted squash, cranberry sauce, and the two Stars of Every Holiday Meal, pretzel jello salad and spinach madeline.

Animals

Vader, on a blanket, in the sun, under the table.

Lucky, in his favorite spot. We recently replaced his bed with an old couch cushion. It's kind of like his very own platform bed.

"Did someone say, 'Dinner'?"

And Pumpkin.

CAUGHT on FILM! Cat in the Christmas lights!

Robert and me

It's not often that we get a photo together! This was from our soccer banquet a few weeks ago.

Blast from the past

Shared by my old neighbor on Facebook.

Me, Wendy, and Brett (we think), apparently taken at Wendy's grandma's house in Los Gatos. Wendy said she thinks this was a birthday party (we certainly didn't eat cupcakes regularly!), and that we would take flowers from her grandma's garden and put them in our hair.  She remembers this well, and obviously has the pictures to prove it, but I have no memories of this at all!

Halloween at home!

It was a different Halloween, but not in a bad way.  Robert had gone to pick up Holly.  As her last class gets out at 5:45 p.m., it makes for a later driving--and that's why he goes at night and not me.  He's always enjoyed driving in the dark. I am not fond of it to begin with, and living here, I worry too much about hitting deer, even more so at this time of year.

Trevor and I carved out our pumpkins the night before, pretty much last minute.

Trevor's design is from a TV show he's been watching lately.  He's always so creative with his carving.  He did outline this on his pumpkin before cutting, but he drew it freehand, both drawing and cutting it out very quickly.  He's always had such a gift for putting out exactly what he sees in his head.

I'll never forget when he was four, sitting at the table in Colorado Springs, and making a simple line drawing of Arthur (from Mark Brown's books/PBS cartoon).  It was easily recognizable as Arthur, and questioned him over and over in an attempt to figure out how he could get such perfect perspective down on paper. He's never been able to explain it, but we've always said that he just sees things differently than the rest of us (family).

I tried a design I found on Pinterest last year--and it actually turned out!!  That's not always the case with Pinterest crafts, haha.  When I was done, I was a bit concerned about the resemblance to Jason (Friday the 13th).  Robert also rigged up a brighter, double light bulb system inside the pumpkin, because a candle wasn't enough.  I am sure he never guessed his drill would be used in a pumpkin!  We were very pleased with the end product though!

So Robert was gone, and Trevor and I went out for an early dinner at  Cook Out.  He's been there a few times before, and I was looking forward to finally giving it a try. 

Somewhere along the way, over the last four years, there's a rumor in our house that we go out for onion rings and shakes on Halloween.  It stems from my fail a few years back to go to a local corn maze on Halloween.  Everyone else (no surprise!) was quite dubious--and when we got there, I found that it was the weekend before, and it was already closed for the season.  Robert salvaged (ha!) the night by heading to Red Robin where we feasted on shakes and onion rings instead. I don't believe we've ever repeated that tradition, but it's wishful thinking around here that that happen every Halloween.  I can't stand Red Robin, so Trevor was happy to go to Cook Out instead.

We got home just as it was getting dark, and we settled in with computers and tv, waiting for our neighborhood trick or treaters--who never came!  Such a surprise, as several families moved in this past year with younger kids, adding to the few we already have on our street.  And I don't think we got home too late and missed them. 

Enjoyed my time with Trevor and was of course very happy to have Holly and Robert back home later in the evening.

Halloween at work

We had a Halloween party and costume contest at work.  People could compete individually or as a team.

This is SOOOOO not me.  Even my kids were surprised I would join in.  I actually DROVE to work like this--and home again!  (Note that I was even wearing a Halloween-themed dog collar!)

Hmm, this picture's a little light.

It was a fun morning, complete with a Halloween potluck brunch.  The conference room is on our floor, and we had decorated the hallway with dalmatian spots, with the intent to make it look like we were throwing up puppies.  My boss was Cruella.  We had a good time, and we placed second in the team event.

I stayed dressed like this for the rest of the day. Next year, I'm already planning to opt out--unless someone comes up with another brilliant idea. 

Midnight at GameStop

Trevor asked if I would take him to the midnight release of Assassin's Creed IV. About a year ago, we had planned to do this for an earlier game in the series, but the stormy weather that night changed those plans. I agreed to try it again.

The weather was perfect--at midnight, it was about 60 degrees outside. There were maybe 100 people there, in two separate lines: prepaid, and not prepaid. We were about the sixth group in the unpaid-for line, which was much shorter, and we had to wait for the longer line to go in, about half a dozen groups at a time.

I may have been the only mom there. Trevor wasn't embarrassed by that at all. Such a sweet testament to what a great kid he is!

 He was wearing his Ronaldo shirt, which sparked a conversation with the couple in front of us. They chatted with him quite a bit about soccer and other things, and mentioned that it was cool that his mom brought him. :) GameStop does this all of the time, has the procedure down pat. We were out of the store by 12:20 or so, and I was in bed by 1:00. A fun and different kind of night with my son, and great to share with him something he enjoys so much.

Soccer banquet

Just a few photos wrapping up our wonderfully blessed soccer season!

Our 13+ team table--a young group that came together in a way that took us all by surprise.

Our top-voted MVPs.

Yay, Trevor smiled for me!

Robert was having a good time, really--just inhaling as he prepared to say as many wonderful things as he could about Trevor in one breath!

Midterm grades

Yes!!!!!  Great job, Billie!!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!

Parking one-oh-one

There is not enough parking in our lot at work to accommodate all employees. There is a lot across two streets and one loooong block away.  Subsequently, we vie for the limited untimed street parking that is close to our building.  I have to leave for work quite a bit earlier if I have much hope of parking close, and even then, it can be a challenge.

But when it comes down to it, I can sometimes parallel park.  I think I'm getting the hang of it!

Soccer team pics

Team photo . . .

followed by the traditional gag photo.

Such a blessing to be a part of this team this season!

Trip to Fairfax

Trevor and I took a trip up to Fairfax in the middle of October.  We ran by the mall, ate lunch at the Peruvian chicken place, and when we returned to campus, Holly treated us to coffee.

Trevor sneaked in a few pictures of us in the lobby of Holly's dorm before we headed for home.

Wish she were closer; glad she's not further away!

A few things from Holly

Notes from her Global Affairs teacher on a paper Holly submitted, including "Excellent paper," "great job," "100%," and "A+"!

And she's understanding Facebook posts that are written in Chinese.  LOL

Championship night

We ended up in the top two teams for soccer and played the (Trevor's friend Kurt's) Flames in the soccer championships!  In the rush to leave the house, I was so disappointed to realize I left my camera at home.

It was a super-exciting, evenly matched game, with everyone playing fairly.  That's not always the case, but this is a great team, and it was a privilege and truly great fun to have the chance to play them for first place!  We lost 2-0, but we were all pleased with how the game was played.

We had virtually a brand new team this year. Several of our players graduated last season, and these were kids who had never played together before. They gelled in a way that thrilled everyone, most of all themselves. Trevor said it was his favorite team that he's ever played on, quite a testimony for his tenth season of soccer!

In other super-exciting news, Trevor was named one of the MVPs of the team.  This is a special honor as it is voted by the players themselves.  It won him a spot in the coaches vs. MVPers game at the end of the evening.

We had a spectacular night, really quite a spectacular season!

Conversation with my sister

A few weeks ago on the phone. She was talking about her dog befriending a "raft" of turkeys.

Me: A what of turkeys?

Lori: A raft.

Me: A flock?

Lori: Yes. A flock of turkeys is called a raft.

Me: A rast?

Lori:  (Getting louder) RAFT.

Me: Yes, a rast. R-A-S-T.

Lori: (Aggravation setting in)  F.   R-A-F-T. 

Me: S, as in Sam?

Lori: (In utter disbelief)  F!!   F AS IN F*CK!!!!

-----------------------------------

I couldn't stop laughing/crying.  I got a stomach ache from laughing so hard.

More soccer practice

Trevor continues to perfect his kicking.

I chased a few balls and generally enjoyed the view.

Fall foliage

In front of our house, looking toward Tinker Mountain.

Ahhhh. 

Holly and her roommate

A perfect match.

A day out with my kid

It included lunch out at a new little Vietnamese dive, where he had Banh Mi. I tried the Noodle Bowl, which was okay and I'm glad I was able to try it (and taste test it for Robert!), but I'll have the Banh Mi next time too.

My Finger!!!

Seriously.

Why does anyone trust me with a knife? Cutting mushrooms, finger got in the way.  That little flap was like a cap that moved up and down on my finger.

In extreme pain, would not stop bleeding.  Slapped neosporin and bandaids on it for two weeks.  Made typing tough, not conducive to training at work.  And not good for any kind of food prep, washing dishes, etc.  After it healed, the edges curled up, peeled away, and it was like a callous until the whole thing grew out.

And then they let me have knives again, so I don't know what to think.

Trevor practices kicking

Trevor's been visiting the nearby soccer fields to continue practicing and perfecting his kicking.  Sometimes I have to chase the balls, but I don't mind much.  In fact, I kind of like it; his enthusiasm is contagious!

Back to school

Holly's dorm entrance

A beautiful drive, a great day, taking Holly back to school after her birthday.  We spent time at the mall shopping, ate lunch at Q-Doba, and ran errands on campus.  Fall is gorgeous up at Mason!

Holly's birthday, Part 2, and Mom and Mike's visit, Part 3

I am terribly behind on blogging and am backdating posts to get photos up.

Following Trevor's soccer game on Friday, Mom and Mike took us to Cheddar's to celebrate Holly's birthday. It was a delicious dinner and a lovely time. We stopped on the way home and got her cake, but we were far too stuffed to eat it and saved it until the next night!

Mom and Mike came over on Saturday, and I guess mostly hung out. Grandma braved Walmart with me and Holly to stock up on food and other supplies for Holly to take back to school. At Holly's request, Robert made chile rellanos for dinner, and we finally got to eat birthday cake!

A wonderful visit with everyone, such perfect timing that worked out so that all of us could be here together. I know that won't always be the case in the future, and I'm grateful for these times.

Mom and Mike's visit, Part 2, and Holly's Birthday, Part 1

Holly was excused from her Friday class, so Robert picked her up Thursday after Chinese while I was at work.

Soooo wonderful for me to wake up Friday morning, knowing both of my kids were asleep in the house!  I can't describe it, and I certainly don't actively think about it--but just a different sort of peaceful feeling that my friends in similar situations also understand.

Friday was also Holly's birthday, and Mom and Mike caught up with us mid-afternoon.  We headed out to Trevor's soccer game.

We've had a great season, undefeated at this game (although I'm typing this a few weeks later).

Trevor kicking the ball away; 

not quite sure of the dance our goalie, Carson, is doing!

 

Looks like a pro to me!