Officially Technological

Friday, December 28, 2007

2007 in Review

NEW FAVORITE RECIPE:
Heart-attack Sticky Buns (aka "Pull-Apart Maple Pecan Sticky Buns") from the Kraft website. Basically they are sticky buns with cream cheese in the center.

NEW FAVORITE RESTAURANT:
The Italian Connection. It's a quaint little authentic Italian restaurant in downtown Fort Wayne where the cook is the owner and sings like Frank Sinatra.

FAVORITE MOVIE RELEASE:
"The Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith. It was a refreshing change from all the lousy sequels that came out this year.

NEW FAVORITE PAIR OF SHOES:
A $29 pair of insulated boots that I got at Value City with obviously fake fur and huge buttons.

LATEST HOBBY:
Quilting

LATEST SPORT:
(Not that I participate in many/any sports) Biking. Brian got me a nifty new bike for our anniversary and I can hardly wait for it to get warm again so I can use it.

BIGGEST BUMMER:
Breaking the lid for my favorite kettle because I stacked it badly.

BIGGEST TRIUMPH:
Finishing my nieces' and nephews' stockings that we filled for them for Christmas. I had this genius idea to make them all myself. I thought, "I've made quilts in a matter of a few weeks, how hard can six stockings be??" Apparently pretty hard. It was almost the death of me (and Brian).

BIGGEST NUISANCE:
My on-going muffler saga.

NEWEST FAMILY MEMBER:
Maggie the Boxer/Lab mix, who is getting cuter and bigger every day. Not to brag or anything, but Brian and I have the cutest, funniest, overall best dogs in the world (not to brag). LOL!

BIGGEST UNDER-TAKING:
Ugh. Our yard. Just thinking about all the landscaping we did and how much more we have left to do makes me tired. It is literally a never-ending battle.

Now that I've bored you with all of my 2007 details, I'd like to hear some of yours. Happy NEW YEAR!
posted by Julie at 1:38 PM 1 comments

Monday, December 17, 2007

People Just Don't Write Thank-You's Quite Like They Used To...

The following is a thank you note from my cousin, Paul, to my Uncle Jim and Aunt Marlene. Apparently, he spent some time with them, and their four daughters (Beth, Deb, Wendy, and Natalie). I'm guessing by the date that he was 9 or 10 years old when he wrote this. My cousin, Beth, found it recently added comments (in red) and forwarded it on. My comments are in green. I can not possibly keep up with his eloquence. Hope you enjoy!

August 22, 1978
8:51:35 I assume this was the exact time...

My Dearest Uncle James Albert Ramseyer and Family,

It is my wish to in some small way convey my deepest appreciation for the many kindnesses bestowed upon me. It has recently dawned upon my realization what great effort was put forth by you and other members of your wonderful family during my perfectly lovely stay. Words fail to express my deepest joy at being able to spend a week at your place of abode. I was perfectly enraptured, enchanted, encharmed. I wish I knew "encharmed" was a word, I would have been using it more frequently.
Since my delectable stay it has been made known that my dearest cousin Debra has fallen in to misfortune. Deb busted her leg on that fated skateboard and needed surgery. My mind fails to find words to express my heart felt sympathy. It is my deep wish and fond expectation to find her healthy and hole not a misprint upon our reunion.
I wish to express my unbounded gratitude for the effort of you and Clifford Jones to bring about a most delightful fishing excursion. Please extend my gratitude to him.

Your Sincerest Nephew and cuz
Lovingly Gotta love the second farewell
Paul Alan Getz

I mean, what a great thank you note! It doesn't get much better than that!
posted by Julie at 8:47 AM 8 comments

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

7 Things

Beth at tagged me for this game.

Here are the rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2) Share 7 facts about yourself.
3) Tag 7 random people and include links to their blogs.
4) Let each person know they have been tagged and comment on their blog.

Seven Facts about Myself
1. I can fall asleep mid-sentence. I think I developed this habit when I was a kid and would always force myself asleep when people were scratching my back so I wouldn’t have to return the favor. Lol. Now, I just randomly fall asleep… sitting up, laying down, talking, listening… whenever.

2. I love, love, love snakes. I think the way they move is really cool. I didn’t know I liked them until I worked at Science Central with a particularly neat/small one. I would get one, but Brian doesn’t like them and has threatened to get a whole room of spiders if I get a snake. I can’t allow that to happen.

3. I used to eat lemons like normal people eat oranges. I still really like them, but apparently it’s not good manners (as an adult) to hold a lemon wedge in between your front teeth and suck out all the juice at a restaurant.

4. I used to (by “used to” I mean up until 5 minutes ago) plan out the sound-track to my life (for when it becomes a movie). I was at least 25 before I realized that should be something to be embarrassed about.

5. When I was in college, I had a seasonal job at HoneyBaked Ham, and on the 23rd of December after working the entire first half of my vacation 12 hours a day, standing in one spot for the entire time, I was about ready to walk. I just couldn’t justify leaving them high and dry. Well, I had finally talked myself into leaving after lunch and never going back, when my boss came out and asked if I would be interested in working part time after the holidays. Of course, I needed a job (I almost perpetually need a job), and I worked there for 3 years.

6. I hate the game Apples to Apples. Reason? I totally don’t get it. I mean, it’s not a game! (Yes, I am aware that I'll catch some flack for this.)

7. My dream one day is to own a boat. Not as a status symbol, but just for fun. I want to live by a large body of water and boat places instead of drive. My aunt and uncle used to take me boating some times and we would boat from Grand Haven, MI down to Holland and eat dinner and come back. It was awesome.

And now I'm going to tag:

1. Jim
2. Dona
3. Hannah
4. Ann
5. Caitlin
6. Tonia
7. Aaron
posted by Julie at 3:09 PM 3 comments

Monday, December 03, 2007

The Newest Member Of Our Family... er... Pack

This is Maggie. She is (don't tell Brian I said this) a mutt. She's mostly lab and boxer, yeah... a mutt. I like her better for it. Sam's doing better than anyone thought he would. He's cranky and tries to make sure Maggie know that she's inferior, but what's new??

Yes, we're crazy for getting a new puppy that we have to take out in the middle of the night in December, but yeah... that's us. A little crazy.

So, meet Maggie. More to come.
posted by Julie at 9:23 PM 5 comments