Peter's Christmas Present

I've stooped to a new low!

I've always spent hours preparing for Christmas - decorating the house (inside & out), writing personal notes in every Christmas card, locating the perfect gift for everyone on my Christmas list.....but I just don't have the energy or that many hours anymore. So I've given up and did the following this year:

• Put a wreath & swags on the front door so it looked like I did something, but that is the extent of my decorating this year - the first year I've EVER not put up a tree!
• Signed Christmas cards in the car while traveling to Indiana and mailed them once I got there.
• Purchased identical gifts for all my friends (instead of getting each of them a different gift selected just for them.
• Gave my teenaged nieces and nephews $$ (which I'm sure they like better than a gift I have chosen anyway!)
• Usually my kids give me a Christmas list and I surprise them with something on their list. This year, there were no surprises. Laurie & Andrew picked their gifts out & knew ahead of time what they were getting. Amy & Trevor chose to wait until their visit in January and hit all the sales for belated Christmas gifts. Kris and David got $$.
• Although he got a wonderful gift, Peter didn't have any surprises either........stay tuned for picture of his Christmas gift.
• I am ashamed to admit this, but I also re-gifted something this year.

Well, there you have it......my embarassing confession. I'll try to do better next year.

Good times with Old Friends

We spent Christmas in Indiana.....visiting friends and family. It was great spending time with loved ones - some we hadn't seen since last Christmas.

Just doesn't seem like Christmas when it's 80 degrees

It's really hard for me to get in the mood for Christmas this year. I finally managed to put up a wreath & swags on the front door yesterday. I'm flying to Dayton, Ohio this coming weekend for our Annual Dubach Sisters Christmas Shopping (Amy is coming this year too, but I don't think she will bring Kalli)...........that should put me in the mood since it will be cold. I hesitate to say this, but I really am hoping for snow in Indiana for Christmas this year. Some of you might remember what happened 3 years ago (our first year in SC) when I prayed for snow for Christmas - we drove home to a blizzard (24 inches of snow)! When we got to Dayton, we found that Interstate 70 was closed and had to call the highway patrol to find a road that was open. So......I'm NOT praying for snow this year.....I'm just hoping for it

I lied

We actually were never in Cancun - we were a little more than an hour south in Playa del Carmen.

We had to return to the scene of the crime

This is the exact spot where we were married 10 yrs ago. Cozumel was just a short trip by boat from Playa del Carmen.

Cancun - Here we come!

I have to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow - which you all know will be a struggle for me! But tomorrow at this time, we will be here. I will post pictures when we return.

My favorite salad

Mixed Greens w/Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Walnuts - serves 8

3 bags mixed greens
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
2/3 cup Lemon-Maple Vinaigrette
11 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Combine greens, cranberries & walnuts in a large bowl. Toss with 2/3 cup lemon-maple vinaigrette and top with goat cheese.

Lemon-Maple Vinaigrette - makes 1 1/2 cups

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Holiday thoughts

Lots of changes at work recently have me stressed so I'm really looking forward to some time off. Today is my last day of work until Dec 4th. No family is coming for Thanksgiving this year, so we will be spending it with neighbors instead.........we will golf in the morning and then have dinner at the Club. It won't even seem like a holiday (except when I call my Dad & hear everyone in the background)..........it is times like this that I regret moving so far away......I have a close family who get together every holiday and I miss that so much.

We leave on Monday for a week in Cancun with 2 other couples. We will also be celebrating our 10th anniversay while we are there.......very appropriate that we celebrate it in Mexico since that is where we got married.

Travel woes

As most of you know, I love to travel.....but lately it has been a pain. In the past month, I have had 4 delayed flights - so I've been spending a lot of time in airports - even had to spend a night in an airport inn in Atlanta without luggage (which meant no clean clothes, toiletries, hairbrush, curling iron, etc). I'm re-thinking my packing strategy for my next trip to Cancun in 2 weeks. I plan to put a change of clothes in my carry-on bag and will pack half of my clothes in Peter's suitcase and put half of his in mine. I don't think I will go so far as to put half of my golf clubs in his bag though. If they lose my clubs......I'll just spend more time on the beach!

Recipe for you to try!

I served this at our weekly 'Dancing w/The Stars' Dinner/Viewing party and got raves from everyone. Too bad the best dancer got booted last night.

Pot Roast with Sweet Potatoes and Onions serves 4

Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp fennel seed, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 lb boneless pork loin roast
1 can chicken broth

Place sweet potatoes and onions in the bottom of a slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine all of the spices and mix well. Rub the seasonings into pork roast. Place pork on top of potatoes & onions. Pour the broth over everything. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours. To serve, remove pork roast from slow cooker and cut into slices. Serve with potatoes.

You know how you get caught up in the moment sometimes?

Traveling in Europe several years ago, I became enamored with these cute Austrian dresses (I think they have a name - just don't know what it is) and hunted all over for the perfect one. I bought it and when I got home and showed it to Peter, the first words out of his mouth was "Where exactly do you plan to wear this dress? and you don't plan to wear it when you are with me, do you?" It was then that I realized maybe I had gotten caught up in the quaintness of it all - not an inexpensive purchase either! Well......I finally got a chance to wear it last Saturday night at the Oldfield Halloween Party. Can you believe that not only did I wear it with Peter, but that I also got him to wear a lederhosen?

Another Road Trip

We went to St Augustine for the weekend. I've never been there before and really enjoyed it. I must not have paid attention in History class - I didn't realize that St Augustine is the oldest city in the US. We stayed at a B&B, which was quaint.......there was chilled champagne and chocolates in our room upon arrival. We took a carriage ride and our driver told us stories about the history of the city........we aren't sure how much was true - he seemed to be embellishing them to make them more interesting!

I must have been a good girl!

No pictures of me for awhile.........

The oral surgeon was unable to install the implant after my tooth was pulled because the empty space is too large and we will have to wait for the bone to fill in first - his best guess is that it will take about 3 months until that can happen. Obviously, I am not happy about this. The dentist said he could make me a flipper if I want one (a removable tooth), but I'm going to wait and see if it is noticeable first. It is at the back of my mouth and might not show........we'll see.

And I didn't even win at Keno

Last Tuesday in Vegas, I was eating popcorn while playing video Keno. I bit down hard on an unpopped kernel of popcorn and chipped a filling on one tooth and cracked another one. Waited until I got home to go to the dentist. Last Friday I had temporary crowns put on both teeth.

Everything seemed fine until I ran out of Darvocet on Monday. Of course, Peter thought I was exaggerating so I suffered all night. Tuesday morning, I called the dentist and asked when the pain would stop or could they give me more Darvocet....... they told me to come in immediately - there shouldn't be pain after 3 days. Dentist sent me to Endontist for a root canal, which ended up (after an hour of drilling) putting the temporary crown back on. Tooth was cracked all the way through to the pulp and can't be saved.

Tomorrow morning, I will have the tooth pulled and an implant put in. Pray for me - you know I'm a wimp when it comes to pain and needles.

Ocoee Trip

Kalli & Igore

Beach babe

4th of July @ Oldfield

Road Trip to Charlotte

Cruise anyone?

We are cruising the Mediterranean next fall. Anyone care to join us? If you book before Aug 31, you will get the cruise for 1/2 price plus free airfare from select airports. It is a 12-day cruise beginning in Rome and ending in Athens. We already have 12 people from Oldfield booked. Let me know if you want more info.

I spent Mothers Day weekend with Amy in Las Vegas. We had a great time. Amy didn't really enjoy gambling - even with Peter's money!

Elton John

Saw Elton John's show "The Red Piano".

For Kalli - Senor Frogs

Something I hope to do again

Some things you may never see again

View from our balcony

We had a wonderful oceanfront room on the 6th floor. Here are a few pictures taken from our bedroom balcony.

Grand Velas

We ate breakfast and lunch in this open-air restaurant with the thatched roof.