Merry Christmas!

Good bye, readers!  Jim is at home cleaning and packing, Trooper is at Opportunity Barks (we miss him already!!), and I am heading home to pack and open our presents.  It was nice enough to ride my bike to work today, a good send off from Oregon.  We are really fortunate to be able to spend the next week with our loved ones (and will miss the ones we can't see this year.) 
Sometimes my husband is a little bit of a Scrooge, but his message is right when he says that Christmas shouldn't be about consumerism and presents, but being thankful for what we have and the ones we love. 
I'll be back to Blogger on Jan. 2nd!

Real Deal Curry

Last night Jim made this awesome curry dish for us.  It was really great and fresh.  It also took a cruise through the bulk foods aisle (if you don't have cardamom pods on hand) and a trip to the Indian market (if you don't have red Kashmiri chili (maybe you do.)  It was great for dinner and great for lunch. 
I have five books books piled up for vacation, including January's Book Club book: Paula by Isabel Allende.  If you've never read anything by her, I highly suggest it.  Her writing is beautiful, and I only wish I could read it in Spanish, which I am sure is even more beautiful.  I've also borrowed The Hunger Games from a friend, which I am excited about.
I'm also mentally preparing to register for my first half marathon.  I've been reading about training online and you really only have to get your "longer" runs in on the weekends.  The Eugene half marathon is April 29th, and my friend has an 8 week plan and I've found a 12 week plan online.  If there's anywhere to train for and run in a half marathon, Eugene is the place!

Tinga Tacos

Oh, it is so nice to have Jim as a little House Husband this week.  He's been helping out a lot and doing the majority of the cooking.  Last night he made these Tinga Tacos.  They were really good, but he felt they were a little too "tomato-ey."  We also left out the Mexican cheese, as we are watching the ol' pocketbook.
Just a few more days until we head to the land of the Midwest.  We are both very excited to see friends and family and eat pizza and hot dogs.  I'll be absent from Blogspot from Dec. 24 until Jan. 1.  I am also trying to mentally prepare for returning to work on my 31st Birthday.  Gotta grow up sometime.

Multnomah Falls

 Today we drove to Multnomah Falls, just east of Portland.  It was about a 2 hour drive.  It was pretty rainy and misty, but we've been planning to get there for awhile, so we went anyway. 

 I believe that at least one of the Twilight movies filmed scenes here. 

 We hiked to the top, which was almost a mile, but 11 pretty steep switchbacks.  Trooper loved it.  Then he passed out in the car listening to Bon Iver. 

 Someone got pretty brave at the top and jumped up here.  That's the Columbia River there, with Washington on the other side. 

There's a little restaurant and shop at the base, but we packed sandwiches and had the dog, so maybe next time.  We didn't make it to Ikea or for burritos, but we had a great day and made it home in time for a doggie bath and 60 Minutes. 

Foggy Weather

Although this isn't the best quality pic (taken at the dog park with my phone) it shows you the weather we've had lately.  Not too cold (freezing some nights) and hardly any rain, but lots of fog (some freezing fog) and clouds, clouds, clouds.  Hopefully we'll see in the sun in Illinois.
Last night we had drinks with friends which was so nice for both of us.  This morning was Martial Arts day with BBBS and my LS had a blast.  I think we are having a family movie night tonight and are heading up to Portland for Family Fun Day tomorrow.  (Which might consist of hiking, burritos, and new lighting from Ikea.) 

Holiday Scenes

Done!

Get a load of these guys.  They both deserve a good veg out session. 
Dinner was fine last night for BBBS.  Interestingly, the church it was held at is a warming center when temps drop below 30 degrees, so there was an interesting mix of people in the area.  I tried to tie it into a discussion of homelessness, but I think it was lost once the toys were taken out for the kids.
Jim was done at noon and had a gentlemen's lunch with friends after.  Rumor has it he's making me dinner tomorrow.  Pretty excited about that.

Almost There

The Legal Beagle is almost done.  With finals.  And then half of law school!  Can you believe it?
I have a BBBS dinner tonight (trying not to be cranky about having my schedule thrown off) so he is equipped with a frozen pizza and cookies (which he probably ate hours ago.) 
I've decided that next year I need to start my Christmas crafting earlier and devote more time to it each day.  Checking out sites like craftgawker and Pinterest just make me think, aw, I should have done that.

Happy Holidays

 We are going to an open house today that is hosted by one of Jim's coworkers.  I made peppermint bark to take.  It's relatively easy if you don't mind the double boiler method and can give it enough time to set.  The blog I found it on was The Hungry Housewife (fitting.)  I omitted the peppermint extract as I was feeling particularly frugal at the grocery store.  It was yummy.

 If you want this dog to do anything, you're going to need to pay him in the form of treats.

This picture cracks me up.  Jim took a short break to take it for me.

Otherwise it was a nice weekend.  While Jim studied I tried to get out and about, hanging out with my LS and friends.  Two weeks until Christmas in Chicago!

Grilled Cheeses

Did you know that I love grilled cheese?  I love it.  There are so many fun variations you can make.  Last night I made it with ciabatta bread, sliced mozzerella, pesto, and prosciutto.  We had them with a side of tomato soup, which isn't my fave, but it was warm and Jim requested it. 
Monday morning is Jim's next final, then his last one is Wednesday morning!  Almost there!
In other news, one my new girlfriends and I may sign up for the Eugene half marathon this spring.  Yikes!  Am I ready to run 13.1 miles?

Sheperd's Pie

I made this yummy Sheperd's Pie on Sunday to thrown in the oven on Monday.  I liked it a lot, but Jim prefer's one I make with my own "recipe" that has a tomato base.  I don't make too many Rachael Ray recipes, but this one took well over 30 minutes (even the recipe says it takes at least 40.)  It was pretty good comfort food on a cold Monday night after yoga.  It's been freezing every night.  We haven't had much rain (knock on wood) lately, just crisp days with temps around 30 in the morning.  Jim's made two nice comments about my Christmas decor, saying that our apartment is very cozy and that it looks like a Christmas palace.  That just warms my heart! 
Jim's next final is on Thursday morning at 8:30am.  He seems pretty calm and even washed the dishes at lunch time today!  Almost ready for Christmas vacation.

Christmas Decor

 There can't be a cuter dog out there.  Anywhere. 

 Look at our darling tree!  It's a 4 foot tall Noble Fir.  In keeping with a Eugene way of life, it's a no-spray, organically grown tree that was grown about an hour north.  To elevate it, I put the tree stand on a box and covered the box with my tree skirt (which, by the way, I bought for 80% off after the holiday season last year.)

I baked spicy chocolate cookies and made stuffed peppers for dinner and listened to a little of Phil Spector's Christmas album.  I highly recommend it. 

Book Club

Book Club was great fun last night!  Eight women showed up, which is a good turnout.  We have a few more on the email list, but it's rare that everyone can make it.  Everyone brought great snacks and we met a few new gals who were invited to the group.  It's become a nice time to talk, drink wine, and meet new women every month.  I'm pretty proud of starting the group, if I do say so.
I'm just filling up my dance card to keep busy while the Legal Beagle studies away.  I am going to a Spin class in the morning, taking my LS out, then going to a movie with a friend.  On Sunday I have a dog park date and my favorite couple has invited me to go pick out Christmas trees.  Even though we are leaving on Dec. 24, I love decorating for Christmas and looking at all of my ornaments.  I'll post pictures if the tree goes up!