December 2004 Archives

1. We will not bake 5 different kinds of cookies.
2. I will not eat the majority of those cookies.
3. We will not make plans to do anything (other than wrap presents and marvel at the excitement of it all) after December 21st.
4. We will go to the zoo.
5. I will not be pregnant.
6. There will be another child in this crazy, getting-sick-all-the-time, not-wanting-to-fall-asleep, grumpy-until-coffee-is-served, compulsive-crossword-puzzle-doing, computer-addicted, snoring, anti-social-leaning, wishy-washy, picky-about-details, silly-yet-serious, not-sure-what-we're-doing family. That's gonna be one lucky kid.

So it's official. We've put down a deposit on season tickets for the M's 2005 season. We decided to get the same seats and the same plan as we did last year: 16 games in section 112. I think we'll have the same neighbors down the row as last year, too, which will be nice. The second half of the season will be a little different this year, with four of us trundling off to the ballpark instead of three. We'll see how that goes.

As for the Mariners, for once they've actually shown some willingness to spend money to land valuable free agents. Beltre and Sexson should help keep the team's offense out of the gutter next year. Now if they can just do something about their pitching staff, we'll really have something to cheer for. It looks like we'll probably skip the Spring Training trip this year, so we'll have to wait until April to get a real look at the team. I'm counting the days...

1. Cardboard cut-out cell phone
2. 1 piece of dried, tomato sauce encrusted spiral pasta, date of origin uncertain
3. Bongos
4. Kid sized guitar
5. Orange plastic monster finger puppet
6. Several pieces of red, yellow, and blue confetti made from construction paper
7. Kleiner crumbs
8. Green jeep-like toy car
9. Loop of track for miniature Tony Hawk skateboarder
10. Tiny hockey puck from Playmobil Advent calendar
11. Red lens from a broken pair of 3D glasses

I went to a memorial service today, for a man I used to work with, John Gehlen. He died in a plane crash last Sunday. We hadn't been in touch much since I left Amazon, but I still remember him as straightforward and curious, excited about life, genuinely interested in others. Definitely one of the "good guys" at work. We spoke about flying sometimes, since Brad was getting his pilot's license around the same time John was working on his. John even got his seaplane rating. I wish John was still alive; the world needs more people like him.

When Henry started to become mobile a few years ago, we hastily improvised a way to keep him out of the fireplace. We installed a soft baby gate and it has been there ever since. During the Big Remodel, we planned to come up with a better solution, but as the project dragged on, we just didn't have the energy.

Now that we have energy and gumption to spare (ha!), we've finally done something. No, we didn't order a new color-coordinated baby gate. A few months ago, we stopped by Sutter Home & Hearth to discuss custom fireplace doors. We decided on doors from Diamond W and a few weeks later, a guy from Sutter came out to measure our fireplace. When we were away for Thanksgiving, we got a call saying the doors were ready and they were installed on Monday.

They're gorgeous. The antiqued finish on the doors goes beautifully with the old tile on our fireplace. We were surprised by how much the doors changed the look of the room. We were concerned that the gothic arch shape of the fireplace opening might be hidden, but if anything it's been emphasized by the doors.

During the remodel, we had a gas line installed to the fireplace for gas logs. We had Sutter install a log set when they did the doors and they look great. Gas logs have come a long way since the ugly monsters of thirty years ago. From more than a couple feet away, these are indistinguishable from a real wood fire.

Just in time for Christmas!