Turkey Day

I spent Thanksgiving in Portland with Scott and his girlfriend Andi. It was her first turkey and it turned out perfect!! We had a wonderful meal and a relaxing day together.

My 41st Birthday

I was not ready to turn 41 - had not even gotten used to be 40 yet! This year was a low key celebration. Scott came over and we got a pizza, beer and watched the Blazers game and a couple of movies. It was great!! Then the next day I got up and pretended like it never happened and I was still 40...:)

Thanks youAngie for the beautiful flowers and gift certificate!!!

Judene and Dad, I love my new pink NFL Eagles watch!!

Scott thank you for the Nike jacket and Blazers shopping bag and for spending time with me on my birthday. You're the best!

Eagles game - Christmas early this year

What a great wknd! Brett flew in thursday night around 10 pm. We started off Friday with a trip to one of my favorite sushi spots and pigged out on sushi - yummy! Then we stopped by the hospital, so I could see my friends Renee and Kevin's new baby boy - Jack. He is a beautiful baby! Renee went through absolute hell...but that is a whole other story. Poor girl!!

Next up we headed downtown to Rockbottom Brewery and met up with Scott when he finished up work for the day. We grabbed a couple happy drinks an appetizers amongst all the halloween crazies and then hopped on the max train to go to the Blazer's game. The game was amazing! So much fun...stadium was sold out and the crowd was totally into the game the whole time. We yelled so much that I could hardly talk the next day. Blazers beat San Antonio 100-99!!! It was a great first home game for the season.

Saturday - Scott, Brett and I drove up to Marysville to spend time with Dad and Judene. When we got to their house we had a bunch of snacks and soda. I also got a chance to look through Judene's Avon and Scentsy candle stuff - ended up getting myself a couple things (of course!)

Scott's girlfriend, Andi, met up with us at Dad's. She had to drive seperately because she had to go back to Portland the next day for practice.

Dad took us all on a tour around town and down by the water. Really pretty place. For dinner, we had dad's famous fried rice - so good! Afterwards, we all hung out, talked and watched college football. Good, quality family time...:)

Sunday - GAME DAY!!!! Dad and Judene fixed a big waffle breakfast for us - yum! Then we headed out to Seattle for the big game!!!! I was so excited I could hardly stand it. We had a fabulous day! It was even sunny off and on. We got to our seats, which were great, about an hour before kickoff. Gave us a chance to relax, talk and check everything out, including McNabb during warmups.

Game kickoff was at 1:00 pm and when McNabb and my Eagles walked out on the field - I wanted to cry I was so happy!! McNabb played the whole game, so the Esplin curse if officially over. For those who don't know what the Esplin curse is about - first Eagles game I went to in Indianapolis with Brett - McNabb got injured the week before and was unable to play. 2nd game in Philadelphia over my sabbatical - he got hurt first quarter and didn't play the rest of the game. 3rd game was the charm!! Got to see him play the whole game!!!!

Eagles beat the Seahawks 26-7!! It was amazing and so great to see my team play with my family...:)

Celine Dion

Scott scored me three tickets to the Celine Dion concert, because he is an awesome brother...:)
I took my friends Nicole and Brenda and we had a fabulous time!! Celine was AMAZING!!!!
So glad we got to see her concert.

Guys and Dolls

Last wknd my friend Stephanie and I went to the Armory Theatre to see "Guys and Dolls" put on by the Portland Center Stage. Loved it!!!

No matter how terrible a fellow seems, you can never be sure that some girl won’t go for them.” - Miss Adelaide

How could a bunch of rough and tumble gangsters end up singing about “the boat to heaven” in a Times Square mission? Anything’s possible when love is on the line, and never more so than in Guys & Dolls, one of the greatest American musicals of all time. Based on Damon Runyon’s gritty tales of the 1930s NYC underworld, bursting with colorful characters, and with a score that features iconic hits like “Luck Be a Lady” and “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” Guys & Dolls promises to light up the night.

Renee's Baby Shower

Nicole and I hosted a baby shower for Renee and baby Jack. This is her first baby, so she needed everything. Her friends and family were most generous, so she is set up great for Jack's arrival the first of November. We're all really excited for Renee and Kevin!!

Gotta love it!!! Go Obama!!!! Renee you look fabulous!

The Biggest "Non" Loser

That would be me...:) It's interesting that someone could have so much motivation in other areas of her life but cannot find the motivation to get the weight off. Honestly...it overwhelms me and I shut down - push it out of my thoughts and think of something else. I am a happy person and love my life, so focusing on the one area where I am a complete failure is not fun for me.

I am of course watching "The Biggest Loser" and cry tears of joy when the people do the walk of shame to the scales and lose weight every week. It is so incredible to watch their dramatic transformations. Maybe I need a trainer like Jilian....somebody to yell at me...get my butt back in the gym.

Everytime I see a story of someone who is waiting for a heart transplant or little kids who can't run, I think "What is wrong with you that you can't enjoy this healthy body that God gave you?"

The crazy thing is I've been the skinny girl and I love to work out, exercise and play sports. I used to thrive on getting a good sweat in every day. But, I was also obsessed with my looks and keeping me weight way down. Don't remember being all that happy back then either.

Somewhere along the way, I found great joy in my intelligence and like being the smart girl much more than being the pretty one. But, I do miss being able to buy smaller sized clothing and really miss the active lifestyle I used to enjoy.

So...following Oprah's advice, I am sending this thing, this failure in my life out to the universe in hopes that it will somehow give me that push that I so desperately need.

And I joined Weight Watchers AGAIN!!! :)

OR maybe the answer is Laughtercise - there is a new fitness craze that incorporates laughter into an exercise DVD. http://www.comcast.net/data/fan/html/popup.html?v=866293919