Christmas in Kansas

It is that time of the year again. I don't know how it happened! Where did this year go!??!?!
Here in Kansas we have been saving up -so we decided to wait till the after-season specials to buy Xmas decorations. But that didn't stop the Xmas spirit because, well, it cannot be stopped! Yesterday at some point in the morning, while talking to my little sister A, I felt a burst of excitement when I remembered mom had given Q and I a beautiful angel last Xmas. I rushed downstairs to look for it in the basement. I found it in a box labeled "Xmas," of course, and discovered it wasn't the only thing there! There were a few more ornaments, mostly gifts from our very first Xmas as a married couple, and so the Xmas decoration craze began. Mom's angel saved our Christmas spirit this year.
Well, Q was working that morning, but he gave us the internet radio tip, and A and I turned on the Xmas station and went to work. We made little paper bows to decorate everything! We put gift wrap in our picture frames! We made a Christmas tree with some veil from the wedding! We jumped and danced and laughed uncontrollably! Q came home soon after, and he got us some egg-nog and made us some wonderful dinner. We watched "A Charlie Brown's Christmas" and ate Q's spaghetti (no one makes it better than him!)
We had quite a wonderful, Xmas-y day :)

Carrot cake!

My little sister A and I went a little crazy on Wednesday and made a carrot cake from scratch. The frosting was amazing! The rest of the cake is still under deliberation: A thinks it was not spongy enough; I think it was fine. Q has refrained from commenting much. LoL. Either way, it was fun. Or at the very least, funny. Look, a pic of me looking like I have an invisible hand. Hahaha! Yay for cooking!

3-day Extravaganza

Had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. I had to skip work on Friday, which made for a long weekend.. and Q and I were so tired from a hectic, crazy week, that we decided not to do laundry, or clean, or do anything productive... instead, we cooked, ate, went to downtown L, ate, came back, and ate some more (and did some other unmentionable stuff as well.. heehee). We just had such a great time! It was relaxing and lazy and cozy. And it was crazy and exciting and mindblowing! We had so much fun I had no time to blog. We ended up with a mess! But we don't care. It was perfect. A little vacation right at home.

Among our many (big and little) excitements of the weekend was our cooking adventure: potstickers (or gyoza). We have them all the time, but always at a restaurant or with our take-out. I'd been meaning to make them for a while, so there was great fear and anticipation. LoL. We made the wrappers from scratch, stuffed them, and fried them... and they were absolutely perfect! We even got the right blend for the sauce from an Asian cooking blog (email me for the link). We had them with ramen -I always get a watery mouth from watching Miyasaki's characters eating from their bowls. I felt like I was the 7 year old in Ponyo. YUM. Now we just need to get the special bowls with the lids and we'll be set!! Well, here's a pic of our little culinary accomplishment. Que rico!!


Today we saw Qs parents and had a great meal at Esquina. Q and I tried out the restaurant for the first time this weekend (part of our 3-day extravaganza) and loved it. Second time was not a disappointment. Can't wait for Thanksgiving dinner with the Ms! I still have work tomorrow, but after that I will only have a week left at BB, then I will be free! Yaaaay!!! Very excited to go back to my calligraphy business :)
Happy holidays everyone!

Life in the Midwest

Has been everything but what I thought it'd be. Good and bad -it's all been different. Entering a new stage (or an encore?!)... well, feeling refreshed and ready to refuel with positive energy! Feeling the good vibes already. You may have guessed it: I am handing over my resignation letter tomorrow.
It is not, logistically speaking, the safest bet. I have been playing on the safe side for a year, and I wonder if Q is going to be able to endure the "safe" me for much longer. I am so tired and upset and quite simply not myself. My work environment is truly affecting every other area of my life. It just is not worth the 7.25 (no benefits) hourly wage.
In any case, I am very much excited about the prospect of a different low-wage job (lol) and (quite incredibly) feeling warm inside. Must be relief. Very invigorating. Makes the waiting so much easier. Maybe when Q finishes his dissertation we can move to a bigger city! Will continue to apply for more serious jobs in the area... maybe if I keep throwing stuff at the wall something will end up sticking to it ;)

Maybe I shouldn't make such a huge fuzz about my professional frustrations as a preschool teacher. In all honestly, calligraphy jobs have been pretty fulfilling. There is something so satisfying about a completed hand-lettered envelope. However small it might be, it is a work of art, filled with personality, and color, and style... and even utility! Here's a pic, to finish off in a good note.

I can't believe I'm saying this...

...but I'm hooked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yes, it's incredibly cheesy and unrealistic to the point of ...but anyway, it's entertaining. Besides, most of the main characters in the show are incredibly smart. And it keeps me from thinking about the demonization of illegal immigrants in Arizona. *sigh* Now THAT is unrealistic stupidity.

Caffeine High

A musician friend of Q was in town last night and we went to see his performance at a local cafe. Since we had spent the day doing our closet spring cleaning, we succumbed to the temptation and ordered a couple mochas (he got iced mocha. I've never understood iced coffee.) We were up till the wee hours of the night -don't even know exactly when we went to sleep- and now we are missing church, of course. The coffee place was Christian, does that count? (hehehe... :">)
Funny how a caffeine high will take me back to my good old college times. Q had to sit in bed, tea mug in hand, listening to me ramble about faith, friends, and the meaning of life. It was like being 18 all over again.
Q and I have been living together for a bit longer than a year now. Marriage is quite a wonderful thing. Being roommates with your best friend can either go really well or horribly wrong. I got lucky. It's been all I hoped for and more. Q and I work so well together. I've always liked to brag that I make great decisions (can one take credit for falling in love?). Cuddling with him, eating with him, talking with him, dancing with him. It's been a constant high -caffeine not always necessary.
Some concerns are still there. If you pray, please remember the ministry in Anapra (the view of the border, it seems to me, will forever be extreme. The school has taken a hard blow this year because of the negative exposure Juarez is getting. Sometimes I wonder if Americans want to be afraid). And please do say a prayer for my grandmother's husband and for Q's grandmother.