Suz's Stories: November 2007

Friday, November 23, 2007

Thanksgiving Recovery

Well, apparently I did some damage yesterday...3 lbs. so far. I won't know the full extent of the damage for another several days but hopefully it won't be too much worse. Everything was delish but it felt good to eat a salad today.

Anyhoo...still trying to decide where I'll be going for Christmas. Hawaii? Vermont? Stay in Washington? Too many decisions.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a great day. I went over to see Steve & Heidi and their daughter (my goddaughter - Sophia). It was a small, relaxed gathering...just the way I like it. Here's a shot of Sophia taking her nap before the festivities began. Check out the rest of the pics below.

Eric & Susan

Sophia & Chasten

The Menu

The Menu was carb-loaded...and oh so good!

Fresh Turkey
Garlic Roasted Mashed Potatoes
(Unadulterated) Stuffing
Pork Sausage Stuffing
Green Bean Casserole
Creamed Corn
Fresh Cranberry-Orange Sauce
Pumpkin Souffle (otherwise known as Cakey-Bakey-Pumpkin-Crack)
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie

The Peeps at the Dinner Table

So there were 7 adults and 1 child at the Thanksgiving Dinner table. This is Jenny who moved to Seattle this year. She's the one who got me re-interested in knitting and cooking Mexican cuisine.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Susan & Eric

Esteban & Chasten

Heidi & Sophia

Thanksgiving Dinner Casualty

Sunday, November 18, 2007

The Happenings in November...

This has been such a busy month and I can't believe it's not done yet. I got to spend one week in Hawaii for business and pleasure (sort of). I went to 3 college fairs which was a new experience for me. I also went home because it was the one year anniversary of my father's death. So while it was a beautiful place to be, the trip was bittersweet. Here's the rundown:

Tuesday, 11/6
Arrive in Honolulu
Dinner
The Lion King

Wednesday, 11/7
Evening fair in Nuuanu

Thursday, 11/8
Morning and evening fair in Honolulu

Friday, 11/9
Morning and evening fair in Maui
Arrive in Honolulu for 1 year memorial service

Saturday, 11/10 & Sunday, 11/11
Work at home and hangout with family

Sunday, 11/11
Catch the red-eye back to Seattle

A whirlwind of a week, and I was glad to get home. Here are the pics from the trip.

Hawaiian Memorial Park View

Here's a view of the mountains as I'm leaving the cemetary.

Just Relaxing

I got to the college fair earlier than I expected so I hung out in the car. I reclined my chair and opened the sunroof...here's the view. Nice, no?

What I see when I think of Hawaii...

I know that most people think of beaches when they think of Hawaii, but I think of mountains. Here's a shot of the Ko'olau range as I'm driving down the Likelike Hwy.

Mika

My brother and his wife have 2 inside dogs, Bear and Mika. Bear is a wiener dog, but Mika is a lab mix. Here she is hanging out under the coffee table.

Maui

The third leg of my college tour was spent in Maui. I met some women at the fair in Honolulu and I hitched a ride with them from the Kahului Airport to the fair. We made a quick stop at the Komoda Bakery, known for there bread and cream puffs. Yes, I'm on a carb restricted diet, yet I seemed to have bought the baked goods.

Komoda Bakery

Carbs galore!!!

Kamehameha School, Pukalani Campus

The college fair was held at the Kamehameha School in Maui. There was a morning and an afternoon session w/ a big 5 hour break in between.

Lunch Time!!!

After the morning session, the women took pity on me and invited me to lunch w/ them. We went to the 808 Cafe...plate lunches galore!!! If you don't know what that is, you're missing on taste and probably pounds, as well. The roast pork was soooo ono!

The Lavendar Farm in Kula

After lunch we headed to a lavendar farm. The farm was situated on a steep hill which required careful navigation. However, the view was stunning and believe it or not, there was a lot to buy. Notice the bouquet w/ the protea flowers. The ladies talked me into getting the protea bouquet which was wonderful...I was able to place that at my father's altar.

The Lavendar Shack

We passed by this lavendar shed where lavedar bunches were hung to dry.

Protea

The Country Life

One of the best things about visiting my mom is I get to go home to a rural area. And while there has been a lot of development, there are still pockets of farm life. Here's a pic of a rooster I saw walking by the side of the road.

Ma-Chan

One of the highlights of the trip to Hawaii was spending time w/ my nephew, Ma-chan. While he only lives 30 minutes away from me in Washington, in Hawaii he was just down the hall.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Roar!!!

I'm in Hawaii!! I arrived yesterday afternoon and got to relax a bit. Dean, Sheri and I went to see The Lion King in the evening. It was a great production. I'd definitely go and see it again!