Kitty Treatby Angie
29 Nov 2007
8:11 am2
Last night, Jim & I were curled up on the couch watching the Jazz game (which we won!). Jaquie was curled up in Jim’s lap, half asleep. I suddenly noticed one of those annoying, tiny black bugs flying around above the couch, so I said, “Jaquie, look! A bug!”
She didn’t seem to care, and didn’t move at all. Unfortunately, the little fly chose that moment to zoom down near her, and buzz around near her whiskers, where she couldn’t help but notice him. She opened her eyes wide and stared at it for just a second, then… SNAP. She ate him.
It was so sudden and bizarre – Jim and I laughed until I had to wipe away tears. For those of you who have seen “Enchanted,” it reminded me of the end of “Happy Working Song.” Jaquie jumped down from the couch, apparently offended that we were laughing at her slick catch. I have to remind myself that she was born feral: she spent the first year of her life living on the street, where she probably ate bugs all the time. Who knows…maybe they’re delicious.
Start ’em youngby Jim
28 Nov 2007
4:11 pm1
Isaac (my nephew) is a bright kid, but this seems a little extreme (he’s not even 2 yet). Apple would be pleased.
Isaac chllin’ with his mom’s iPod.
Here’s a link to one more picture.
I took these photos during our Thanksgiving trip to Portland.
A New Friend for Jaquieby Angie
28 Nov 2007
10:11 am2
Now that we’re home, I wanted to post a follow-up on my previous cat-sitting dilemma. Actually, there was a great lesson learned from it: Relief Society Presidents know everything. It’s true – I told our ward Relief Society President my strange problem, and immediately she responded, “Kayla Coolbear. She’s your girl.”
And she was! Kayla is a college student who lives with her parents, in our ward. I met her before we left and tried to introduce her to Jaquie, but she ran under the bed and hid (Jaquie did, not Kayla). I apologized, but Kayla told me that she also has a very shy cat, so she completely understood the reaction, and didn’t mind taking some time to gain Jaquie’s trust. She was wonderful!
When we arrived home late Sunday night, Jaquie was very pleased to see us, but she wasn’t totally wild all night or the next day, like she was the last time we left town. I really think it went well, and I’m glad Jaquie has a new friend.
342 Days left…by Angie
27 Nov 2007
9:11 am3
So much debate about who to vote for in our next Presidential election! They are still so far away; it’s amazing how high emotions are already running. And such a variety of people and backgrounds on the docket! I have some ideas about who I’ll vote for, but I haven’t decided for sure yet. Of course, a part of me wants to vote for Mitt Romney, but I have also been interested in, and impressed with, some of the others running for office: Mike Huckabee, for instance, and (I know I’ll get in trouble with certain people for this) Barak Obama. I’m interested to know what our friends and family are thinking: Are you planning on voting (you should!) and, if so, have you already picked your candidate? Or are any of you, like me, glad that we still have plenty of time to decide?
On a lighter note, maybe we should all vote for Gladys Knight: Then we’ll have our first female, black, Mormon President all in one! …though, I don’t think “Gospel” counts as a political party.
Airport Securityby Angie
26 Nov 2007
3:11 pm0
So, last night, we were standing in the security line at the airport, getting ready to head home from Portland. I left my shoes and purse with Jim and stepped out of line to inform one of the security personnel that I have a pacemaker (which means they don’t let me through the metal detectors – they have to pat me down instead). The man I spoke with said to stand to the side for a minute and a woman would be with me shortly to screen me.
I happened to be standing near a thin, elderly woman, when the female attendant came over. The security woman walked straight up to this older lady and said kindly, “I’m here to pat you down because of your pacemaker.” The poor lady looked positively alarmed and stammered, “I-I don’t have any pacemaker!” I felt so bad for her! I jumped in and showed the woman my pacemaker card: she looked very surprised, but the harassed-looking older lady was immensely relieved. Jim and I had a good laugh about it as we headed to our gate.
That was the most eventful moment of our trip home, except perhaps our first few minutes back with Jaquie, which were filled with much joy and purring. It was a wonderful vacation, but it’s also good to be home.
Thanksgiving Feastby Angie
23 Nov 2007
10:11 pm1
What a Thanksgiving Feast we had today! We wanted to eat at about 1pm, so we all started pitching in this morning. Kelly already had the turkey brined, Kathy woke up early to start deviled eggs, and while I started toasting bread for stuffing, my sweet husband made me scrambled eggs for breakfast. He also looked up napkin-folding online and directed the folding of the cloth napkins to help make the table look lovely. We all spent the next few hours cooking, cleaning, chasing children, and asking Kelly for directions about her kitchen. We had additional guests over for dinner: Joseph & Kelly’s Bishop and his wife joined us and stayed into the evening for pie and treats.
After dinner, we shared things we were grateful for and all helped in cleaning up. Kathy, Jim, Jon, and I made a run to the store to pick up more firewood and some marshmallows, which we brought home and put to immediate use. We talked, played games, ate some more, and cleaned some more, until we were all plum tuckered out… which brings me to now. It’s only 10pm, but it’s been a long day, so I think I’ll say goodnight. Here’s hoping everyone had a wonderful, delicious Thanksgiving!
Portlandby Angie
22 Nov 2007
7:11 pm0
Here we are in Portland, visiting Joseph & Kelly (Jim’s brother and sister-in-law) for Thanksgiving. It’s a big Hoffman family gathering, since Jim’s parents and brother, Jon, are all here to celebrate with us. Jim and I left at about 7am, and were met at the Portland Airport by Jon and Roger, who had just flown in from Utah as well. Here at Joseph and Kelly’s house, we spent the afternoon cooking, chatting, and taking turns with the little boys (Isaac and baby Eli). As Kelly and I were making dinner, we sent the men out to gather firewood, so this evening we could enjoy a fire in their old-fashioned wood-burning stove.
Dinner was… Jambalaya! Ok, I’m teasing. Well, we did have jambalaya for dinner, but that’s because we’re going to have our traditional Thanksgiving feast (read: “turkey”) tomorrow, when we’ll have the whole day together to prepare it. Now that we’ve eaten and cleaned up dinner, Jim and Jon are working on our cozy fire.
Despite our delayed feast, I’d like to end my Thanksgiving Day post with some of my most precious blessings: I am so grateful for my wonderful husband, my amazing family (on both sides!), and for the gospel that has blessed every day of my life. We’ve been so blessed, in this new phase of our lives, to have a job and a fair amount of security, and a wonderful ward and new friends to help us along.
Happy Thanksgiving!