A Year Later... Baby Steps

Yes it's been a whole year since my last posting... it's been a hard year and half and I haven't been the happiest person and haven't had many good things to say... so I haven't said much of anything.  And then the thought of catching up on everything from that time whole is really overwhelming - I still haven't done a post on my Tanzania trip (one of my favorite trips ever!), or about the 4th of July and how the Fire Department just turned on a fire hydrant and let it go for what felt like forever after the neighborhood parade and how the kids loved it, or about my new job and the trials and learning curve there, or how I haven't been able to run for about 8 months because my feet and ankles hurt too much, or that I got to go home for Christmas, or about my newest niece and nephew (I'm a proud auntie of an even dozen now!), or that Mom and Dad are headed back to Ukraine for their 3rd mission (!!), or ... I could go on and on!  But Mom convinced me that I just needed to take some baby steps and start with the here and now and go back and fill in things as there's time and desire...  So in the spirit of baby steps, here's something from the here and now - pictures from the photo booth at the annual health science center's employee BBQ - these are my co-workers!  The back row is Matt (clinical coordinator), Meg (the boss!), and me (that's not a head band I'm wearing - it's a fuzzy pink thing with antenna stars!) and the front row is Denise (in the knight's helmet) and Katie (princess).  And yes - I was laughing the whole time with a devil's pitchfork in one hand and a chocolate creamie in the other hand!!

Here's to a new start...

Pre-Africa summary

As I was cleaning off memory cards before going to Africa I realized I had pictures I'd promised to do something with that well... I'd done nothing with.  So a quick summary of life before the trip...

I guess first I should say that I had a semi-surprise at the end of March when I was part of a group that was informed that we had been selected for the workforce reduction program at Myrexis - corporate speak for layoffs.  I had a feeling for several months that I wouldn't survive the next round of layoffs, but I thought I had a few more months before it happened - therefore the semi-surprise.  But don't worry about me... I was fortunate to get a really good severance package and so I have a cushion while I look for a new job.  I'm hopeful that I'll be able to find something (and hopefully soon) in Salt Lake and be able to stay here - but prayers would be appreciated!!

You may ask what I've been doing with my free time ...  

For a while I got into making cupcakes - these are Oreo Cupcakes (recipe from BeanTown Baker)

And I've gotten a big kick out of watching the 4 legged creature... this was her napping position one day

And you know how when you move into a new place you have boxes that you say you'll go through later when you have time?  Well, I have now gone through all of mine and cleaned out a couple of closets in the process (and once again I wonder how I manage to collect so many precious treasures).  And I got a garden planted - I always have such high hopes going into gardening season and by the fall I'm thrilled if I get a pumpkin I can use at Halloween!!

I also had some visitors!  Mom and Papsan came and spent Easter weekend with me.  And Kirk and Luci and their boys came up for a day:

And then Marc and Ariane and their gang came!  We first celebrated this little girl's 2nd birthday (how cute is she??!  And she actually seemed to like me -  for the most part at least.

The next morning she wanted her hair braided like her big sisters... didn't work too well!

 We couldn't get the little miss to sit for a picture with Grandma and Grandpa, but look at her big brother and sisters!  I just wish there weren't so many miles between us.

 And before they flew home, we had some good times in the ottoman (of all things!)

How cute is this?!

Africa Baby!!!

Oh yeah - that's right... I am back home from an absolutely amazing trip to Tanzania!!  And you'd think after spending 40 plus hours in airports and on planes (including an unexpected trip to Twin Falls, Idaho) and taking a lovely hot shower and having a nice soft bed with clean sheets waiting for me that I could sleep.  But alas, a week of convincing my body that 1 am in Salt Lake is 10 am in Tanzania seems to have taken a stronger hold than I expected!  So a couple of the over 700 pictures I've taken during the last 10 or so days!

More to come!!!  But I now feel the urge to go curl up under the covers...

Are you kidding me?

It was 70 degrees yesterday... and the day before...  seriously Mother Nature, this is getting down right rude...

One of THOSE days...

Let me start by saying that one of my goals this year is to run a half marathon - not just finish, but run the whole 13.1 miles.  It's hard for me to run during the winter, and this winter has been harder than usual - fighting constants colds and sinus problems and then it has been way, way cold.  I've been trying to get back to running at least 3 times a week and for many reasons, it just hasn't happened.  One of my road blocks has been the showers at work - last year it took 10 to 15 minutes for the water to warm up, and this year it's just been cold.  I've started turning on the shower as soon as I get back in the building with great hopes for warm water, only to be disappointed.  So yesterday, I struggled to get up and get to work and get things going and then go running.  Then I almost took an asphalt digger while running.  Then I get back to work and turn on the shower, close the door and go into the lab to do what I need to do and get my stuff.  Back to the shower room, only to find that I locked the door, with the shower running mind you.  Back to the lab to find my friend Ashley and see if by any chance she knows how to pick a lock.  We decide that it shouldn't be that hard to pick a lock, so we get what we think are tools of the trade and head to the shower.  Picking locks is not as easy as they make it look in movies and on TV shows - I would love to learn how to pick locks (solely for the purpose of picking locked shower doors, of course).  The closest I got was almost breaking off one of my paper clips in the lock.  So Ashley heads upstairs to look for Bart, one of our building maintenance people, while I continue to attempt picking.  Bart, I'm sure loving that he has something else he can give me a hard time about, breaks into 3 offices looking for the master key.  We, meaning Bart, finally get the door open and I finally get into the shower, only to find the water temperature is room temp - which at least is not cold, right?  I then discover that I forgot to pack a towel.  Drying off without a towel is not easy.  Later I discovered I'd left my lunch at home.  Arrrrgggghhhh....

Coincidence or not??

A few years ago I got to go to Peru with these lovely ladies - it was one of my favorite trips.  I know B from work and got to meet her sister C and cousins L and L on this trip and I just had so much fun with them (swedish fish anyone? cards? how many flights can get cancelled during a single trip??!).  I was talking to B today at work and a few things started to fall into place.  If I remember right, we were all single on this trip with few prospects...  at one of the cathedrals in Cusco, a resourceful guide took us to an alcove and introduced us to a patron saint for single women.  I forget who it was and a google search comes up with St. Agatha and St. Catherine and St. Andrew and St. Anne and St. Emily and... and... and... so maybe she was telling us the truth, maybe not.  Anyways, if memory serves, B and L and L all jokingly stepped up to this saint's statue or made remarks about leaving the saint an offering and C and I kind of stepped back.  One of the L's got married not so long after that and B got married a few months ago and just told me today that the other L is engaged and getting married in a few months... and C and I are... not.  

Hmmm.... coincidence or not??

Holly Jolly Season...

This Christmas was a little different for me.  It was the first one I've spent without family.  I am grateful for the good friends who adopted me and let me share in their family Christmas traditions!  I spent Christmas Eve with a dear family - and enjoyed a wonderful meal, sharing favorite Christmas traditions and memories (mine - the Monday before Christmas my family would always go Christmas caroling - more about that further down...) and worst Christmas memory (mine - Christmas when I was in 6th grade - I had the chicken pox... bad and then I got a staph infection in my pox so they didn't scab over, which resulted in outie chicken pox scars, which a doctor later tried to convince me were really cigarette burns - nice, huh?), reading the Christmas story from the Bible, and singing Christmas carols accompanied by the piano and trombone, all accompanied by much laughing and caring - it was really a lovely evening!

On Christmas morning, I made my way across the street and opened presents and had breakfast with another fun family - I got a kick out of watching the kiddos open their presents:

And Benny the cat really enjoyed the curling ribbon on one of my presents:

And sweet little girl had to come back to my house and help me finish opening my presents here!!

All in all, while different and quieter than my usual Christmas', it was still a good day!!

On another topic... the last few weeks, for various reasons, have been tough.  First I tried dealing with it by eating therapy - only encouraged by all the lovely, delicious treats that magically appear on my doorstep

It is only with a tiny bit of shame I admit that this is only a small bit of the goodies that occupied my treat drawer that is now just about empty....

Next, I tried retail therapy

which then led to baking therapy

These are loaves of Cinnamon Orange Bread - now let me tell you about Mom's cinnamon orange bread.  Simply, it is one of the best things on the planet.  Period.  I love this stuff.  So much that when my first 4 (yes, that is correct - FOUR) batches didn't turn out (bad yeast - you know the sugar test?  where the volume is suppose to double in 10-15 minutes?  Yeah... try way over an hour - which made me feel better that I wasn't completely clueless in the kitchen), I had to consult with the fount of all wisdom - Mom, because I was determined to get it right and share some of this lovely, delectable treat with my neighbors and friends.  Mom always made this for neighbors and friends during Christmas.  In fact - back to the Robinson Christmas caroling tradition - people who let us sing Christmas carols to them... and we are not good singers, we have enthusiasm and desire, but in all reality, we are just not singers (how many people have had their choir teachers ask them to please only mouth the words?  More than 1 Robinson...) would be rewarded for their patience and endurance with a loaf of cinnamon orange bread.  When I was packing up the house for the big remodel, I found a loaf in the freezer that even once thawed, was hard as a rock - we're talking serious freezer burn.  But this is so good that to waste it would have broken the 13th commandment (Moses just never had the pleasure - didn't know what he was missing!)... so I got out the electric knife and carved off pieces and toasted them and ate every last crumb.  So now I have some to share - or not ....

weekends and snow?

People often eagerly ask me on Mondays what I did over the weekend - like I have these amazing and exotic adventures on the weekends just because I'm single.  This cracks me up because I probably have the most the mundane weekends of anyone I know!  Seriously, weekends are my try-to-get-caught-up days - housework, yardwork, laundry, and if I'm feeling really wild and crazy, grocery shopping.  Just to prove my point - I recently spent a Friday night cleaning up and organizing my garage so I can actually park my car in the garage (so nice not to have to scrape the windshield in the early cold morning!!)

And so now that my car is in the garage and my new snowboots arrived (how cute are these??!!)

I figure this means it's not going to snow anymore this winter in Salt Lake!!