12/31/10 The End

I've found that you can do just about anything for a year. Things that are intolerable in the long run can be dealt with for a year. If there is no end in sight, it makes that thing harder to do in the meantime since you never know how long it will last. For many things it is nice to have that deadline, that end date to look forward to. Research papers, final projects, moving, leaving a job you can't stand, a business trip that takes you away from family. Small or large, it doesn't matter. Of course, there are some things we want to go on forever and we don't want an end date. A good marriage, having good friends and family, you know the like. But for the things that are hard in life it is nice to have a button at the end to look forward to. Sometimes things ending is a good thing. It helps us to learn from the experience and take it for what it is and move on. There are always valuable lessons to be learned from even the worst of experiences and we can hopefully always find at least one positive thing from a bad situation.

What I like about the last day of the year isn't that something is over, but rather, that we can transition into something new starting. Appreciate the year for what it was and look forward to building on the good things that have been started in the year. Recognize the things that didn't go so well and think about how to improve upon them. Not making crazy new year's resolutions that are too big that you can't keep that will make you feel like a failure when you can't keep them all. Look at the relationships you have in your life that are important to you. Making sure to continue to cherish the people you do. Looking at how to improve relationships that need more attention. Things come and go. Stuff wears out. The people we have in our lives will always be there. Hopefully people can focus on surrounding themselves with good people and maintaining a positive support system with people they love and who are important to them. Tell them you love them. Show them you love them. Respect people for who they are. Also be willing to let go of things or relationships that, for whatever reason, are poison to who you are and drag you down and make you miserable. Love the people who may hurt you but be willing to let them go so that you can ultimately love yourself for the amazing person that you are.

I am thankful for the past year. I have learned a lot. I have been disappointed and I have been amazed. I have had ups and I have had downs. I have lost and I have gained. Through it all I have been surrounded by people who love and care about me. Thank you all.

kk

12/30/10 French Waffles

Growing up, my dad would bring French Waffles from Larsen's Bakery over for Christmas. I don't even know how to explain them. But they are out of this world. I haven't had one in ages, but at Thanksgiving when I visited Jennifer we went to the bakery and I had one. They are made slightly differently than when I was growing up. They used to have plain buttercream filling and the ends of them were dipped in chocolate. Now, they are no longer dipped in chocolate and the filling is slightly pink due to the raspberry filling. You can't really taste the raspberry but it still makes it look different. Still delicious. I was so excited to be coming up here at Christmas because I was going to bring one home to share. When I got there this morning, they were out! They are still trying to catch up from the holiday and they haven't had a chance to make them! They had a lot of bare shelves. I was devastated. Yes, not having a treat that I've been looking forward to can do that to me. Especially since I am going to start my healthful eating with the start of the new quarter. French waffles won't be on my list of good foods so I am sad I don't get to have one now, while I still can. So instead I purchased some cinnamon bread that I think will be good. I've heard it makes good french toast so I am going to try that this weekend. I am leaving the bakery still dreaming of French Waffles.

I am thankful for French Waffles from Larsen's bakery.

kk

12/29/10 RHS Honors English/History

Today I drove back up to Seattle to visit with friends from high school. Every year a group of us from the honors English and History block class get together to visit. What a bunch a nerds we all are. I love it. They are all great people who have gone on to do great and amazing things. We share a history that we can reminisce about, but we aren't all stuck in the past. We can relate to and enjoy each other for who we are as people today. And we can have intelligent conversations which isn't always the case with people I meet, unfortunately. I arrived super early, as there was amazingly enough no traffic, and helped Meredith finish getting her house ready for 20 people to come visit. She and her family had just arrived home from a week long trip to visit her family in California that afternoon! Busy. I ate some delicious food and was able to get rid of more holiday cookies. I think they are multiplying in my tupperware... I had a lovely evening visiting people and then was able to spend the night at one friends house and I get to see her 2-year-old in the morning! I'm very excited. Eloise is so cute.

I am thankful for the friendships that I have maintained with people from high school.

kk

12/28/10 Speaking of a delicious spread...

Hooray for leftovers! They were good the first time around and sometimes even better the second. And I don't have to prepare anything. Yay!

I am thankful for leftovers.

kk

12/27/10 AK visits the lower 48

8 years ago my dad moved to Anchorage in order to work with the FAA. Despite him moving thousands of miles away, we are lucky that we get to see him fairly often. Today was one of those days. He and his wife come down for Christmas and stay with her daughter on the coast. Which means that they can make the hour and a half drive to my house pretty easily to have a Christmas celebration with me, Erika and Scott, and mom. So today was the day. They drove over and we had a nice time visiting and opening gifts and eating a delicious spread. We are lucky that they are able to take time off to come down here and visit.

I am thankful for the opportunity to visit with my dad.

kk

12/26/10 Pit Stop

We woke up this morning and had a nice breakfast with my aunt and uncle. It is really nice to stay with them because we get to talk to them. When we are at my grandparent's house we have something like 30 people to talk to. Plus with all the activity of opening gifts, eating, etc., we hardly get to actually talk to everyone. And my uncle seems to be hard to track down at big family gatherings as well. So what I was telling my mom today on the car ride home was that it is really nice to stay there so that we get to talk to him. We had nice conversation last night and a good breakfast this morning. Then we packed up and headed over to Barb's. I think we were over there for about two hours as well. We had a nice time over there and then got back on the road for Portland.

We used to stop in Centralia for gas and a restroom. But if we don't need gas, an Arco restroom is not very desirable. On Thanksgiving my mother and I stopped at exit 72 instead of 82 and used the restroom at the McDonald's there and got a hot chocolate. It was much better. So today we did the same thing on the way home. No one else wanted a beverage but as I was hacking in the car to the point of vomiting, never fun, I got one thinking it would help coat my throat. And it did. I am sorry that the preceding was so graphic and gross. I am sure that would be labeled "tmi," but I feel it is important to note how bad my coughing was in order to appreciate how awesome a 12oz cup of hot chocolate was.

I am thankful for my hot chocolate from the McDonalds espresso machine at exit 72.

kk

12/25/10 Merry Christmas!!!

This year my mother, younger sister, and I drove up to Bellevue to celebrate Christmas with our extended family on Christmas morning. Last year we drove up Christmas Eve. I drove to my mom's and we opened stockings. I got a shovel and a hatchet! And then we went and picked up Erika. We got to say hello to Scott, her fiance, who isn't able to come with us this year since he works at 6am tomorrow. Then we headed up to Seattle. There is usually a lot of traffic and some always experienced slow down areas. Today was a different day. There was hardly anyone on the road and we made amazing time. I tried to rest in the backseat. I even brought a pillow and wore comfy clothes for the trip. We arrived in plenty of time for me to change without feeling rushed and get ready for the annual family photo of my grandparents plus all the grandchildren and great grandkids. It was a smooth ride and we were all in good spirits.

I am thankful for there not being any traffic this morning!

kk

12/24/10 Traditions

Every year on Christmas Eve my family goes to a movie. We started off doing family movies and family Christmas movies. Then as we got older, I still liked going to Christmas movies but my sisters felt that we had outgrown the Disney cartoon phase and we started going to "real" movies. I think it was Lord of the Rings maybe that started the marked shift in genre. We have found a way almost every year despite being far apart to make things work. In the past few years this hasn't been the case but we did pretty good for a long time. I have continued this tradition on my own. Movie on Christmas Eve? It is just what you do. So I have drug along significant others if my family couldn't make it. This year was no different. I had to figure out how to fit it in with different schedules, but we did it! This year I went and saw Black Swan. It was very good. I am glad I got to go. Christmas is my favorite holiday but often it is all of the traditions we have surrounding the actual day that I like. Getting a tree, decorating it, baking cookies, hanging up lights on the house, going to a movie, seeing family and eating yummy food. There are so many things to enjoy about the day. I also really like going to the evening service at church. This year kind of sucked since I am so sick. I couldn't sing any of the songs which is my favorite part about the service usually. Oh, and the candles we all hold at the end. But in general, it was still a good day.

I am thankful for the tradition of seeing a movie on Christmas Eve with my family and loved ones.

kk

12/23/10 Ahhh

I have never been as sick as I am right now. At least, not that I can remember. No one likes being sick. It really sucks. Since I don't usually fall ill, I do not have any "medicine" to speak of in my house. I usually just like to ride out the sickness and let my body build more antibodies and duke it out. I knew that this was Christmas week so I was trying to be smart by taking a lot of medicine to try and get better faster. I can't imagine how sick I would have been if I hadn't taken any medicine. This is horrible. I've lost my voice and been coughing like I was dying. I haven't been sleeping well because of it and have no energy. Luckily, I no longer have a fever. I am in good spirits though so that is important. Lots of other things are going well so I am doing ok.

Tonight my mom came over and delivered some fruit popsicles for me to have to help soothe my throat. I don't think you ever outgrow popsicles or needing a mom to take care of you when you aren't feeling well. Thanks mom!

I am thankful for popsicles. And also thankful that they were delivered!

kk

12/22/10 Wrap it up

I thoroughly enjoy wrapping gifts. I spent the bulk of today doing it. Mostly because I am very sick and so everything took a lot of energy and effort and time, not so much because I have a lot of gifts to wrap. I like using different fun and pretty wrapping paper. I like finding cool ribbons or bows or alternative decorations to compliment the paper. I have done many different things throughout the years and like looking for new ideas. Thank you Martha for so many of them.

I am thankful for wrapping gifts in exciting ways.

kk

12/21/10 House Boat

I would very much like to live on a house boat. I'm not sure it will ever happen but it is a dream of mine. I would also like to live on a beach. I don't know how that would work feasibly either, but it would still be nice. An acceptable alternative to both of these was the time I lived in a Condo on the Portland waterfront right by the Broadway Bridge. I was right in between the railroad tracks so I got caught by the train several times. But, I loved to sit on my couch and watch the river traffic. The Christmas ships would go by this time of year, the Navy all came in during Fleet Week, there were many different barges and grain ships that would go by, in addition to all the personal water crafts that would sail or speed by. There was a grain elevator just across the way and it was fun to watch the boats rise in the water as they offloaded their supply or sink further into the water as they took on more weight. There was never a dull day on the river and I had a lot of fun living there for 2 years.

I am thankful for my time living on the Wilamette Riverfront in Portland.

kk

12/20/10 Cousin Cookie Day

When we were still young enough that we couldn't stay home all alone during Christmas break, my mother took us to my grandparent's house so she could work and grandma could watch us. We brought over all the ingredients needed to bake cookies. We started small. We made a batch or two of cookies and then spent the rest of the afternoon decorating them. Over the years we added several of our cousins to the tradition. My grandparents remodeled and now we had two ovens to work with and a giant kitchen to spread out in.

I have kept the cookie baking day tradition alive even though my cousins don't live in Portland with me. Last year my mom, Erika and I had a cookie baking day. This year, today, I had one with many interpreters from work. I had a cookie baking-a-thon day where people came at various times throughout the day and made a batch of cookies, hung out and ate food, and then went home. Some people came early, some in the middle, and some not until after work. I had company from 9:30 in the morning until 8:30 at night. It was very fun and nice to see so many friends of mine in a non work environment.

I am thankful for Cousin Cookie Day, in all its forms.

kk

12/19/10 Family Game Night

My dear friend Erin Shannon wanted "one of everything" from the Trader Joe's Frequent Flier. So that's what her boyfriend got her for Christmas. But since they are leaving town in the morning and many things are perishable, they decided to have a last minute get-together to eat food and celebrate with friends. When I arrived the group was in the middle of a board game.

Growing up we had Family Game Night. I can't remember if it was every week or every other week, or once a month... But it was super fun. We all got to pick one game that we wanted to play and then we would play together as a family. I always picked Nerts. We played Sorry. We probably played Chutes and Ladders since Erika was still so young. I don't think we played Monopoly since it is such a long game, but we may have. We played Clue. We played Know the USA. We played. It was so fun to spend time together playing games where we all laughed and had fun. We didn't have a TV. We actually interacted with each other. I think it is a far better way to spend time together.

Erin and Brian have lots of board games and often have game night. I really enjoy going. Now I need to have a game night, but the game I really want to play is BINGO. It is so much fun. I don't know how other people really feel about it though. I think I'm a little more excited than most.

I am thankful for game night.

kk

12/18/10 Secret Santa

When my parents first got divorced my mom had been out of the work force for over ten years. She found herself trying to figure out how to re enter it and figure out how to raise three kids at the same time. She needed updated skills and job leads. A resume and an idea of what she could do while still being able to be at home with us for most of the evening. There were times that she struggled and times where things were working out well. Right at the beginning was a time of struggle. One day she received a gift in the mail. An unsigned card containing 100 dollars. This is something she has never forgotten, a story I don't get tired of hearing and feeling blessed by, and something we both think about as we strive to pay-it-forward.

I was talking on the phone this evening when there was a knock at my door. I looked through the looking glass and didn't recognize the bald man holding two huge packages standing on my stoop. I opened the door, he asked if I was Kirsten and I replied yes. He handed me the packages with a card addressed to Kirsten and said Merry Christmas. I didn't know what to do or say. I said thank you and he turned around and walked away. The card had nothing more than my first name on it. The inside was not signed. I have no idea who sent me these gifts, but Thank You! My flannel sheets are worn out and have several large holes in them. I was trying to not turn the heat on in my house because I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to afford it. Suffice to say this fall and early winter was very cold. My secret Santa sent me a new pair of micro fleece warm sheets and a queen sized electric blanket. Now I can return the twin size I have been borrowing from my mom. These were really just what I needed and I feel fortunate to have people looking out for and taking care of me.

I am thankful for my Secret Santa delivery.

kk

12/17/10 I can see!

We had a "cold weather snap" recently complete with ice and freezing rain. I melted the ice off my windshield before I drove to work and thought I had waited long enough that I could hit the windshield wipers and help speed up the process. Only, they were still frozen to the windshield and so basically I ripped them off and broke them. Not terribly bad but they were not securely attached anymore so I decided to get new ones. I don't actually remember the last time they were replaced and they mostly smeared the rain rather than got rid of it. While at Jiffy Lube yesterday for my oil change I asked them to put new ones on. Today I had reason to use them and My! What a difference. My windshield is something I can look through so clearly now. How exciting. The new wipers are a big improvement over the old ones.

I am thankful for my new windshield wipers.

kk

12/16/10 Hollywood

Tonight was the premier of my first movie! This summer I shot a movie, called Pamilya, in a gorgeous house in Hillsboro over my birthday weekend in August for a Senior Project for Jerry Monckton, a student at AI. I played Melody, the older sister of a boy who the entire family ignores, except grandma, until grandma dies and he gives a moving speech at her funeral about how she saw people for who they are on the inside, not on the outside. Then we become better people and welcome him into the family. The movie is less than 10 minutes long, but I made it! Yay! It was fun to go and see it on the big screen at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland. Hopefully I will see many more.

I am thankful for my role in the movie Pamilya.

kk

12/15/10 Here comes the bride

Today I met my younger sister at The English Department to try on her wedding dress which has just arrived. The English Department has fantastic dresses and I really wanted one to wear to her wedding. I've missed the boat on that one since they take 14 weeks or something to order. But their dresses come as wedding dresses or bridesmaid dresses and I thought I could get a bridesmaid dress and look so great. Their dresses are not froo froo-y or over-the-top. Everything is simple and elegant and classic looking. Just what us Kyllingstads prefer. As I waited for Erika I was talking with the gal who worked there and she said I could go ahead and try some on. Since she had a customer I felt bad doing that since I would just be playing around so I declined. Then when the customer left and Erika still wasn't there I asked if it would really be ok. She said of course, so I played dress-up and tried on 4 different dresses. They were all so cute and fun. Then as I saw Erika coming in, I changed back in to regular clothes since today was all about her! She tried on her dress and it looked fantastic. She is wearing a green dress instead of white and I am so excited. I am glad that she is not intimidated into doing what the "norm" is when she really wants to do something else fun and exciting. She is going to look great.

I am thankful for Erika's fun and exciting wedding dress.

kk

12/14/10 The most important meal of the day

There is a restaurant that opened fairly recently by me. It is called Slappy Cakes. This restaurant joins the millions of breakfast options here in Portland. They have various "normal" breakfast options, but what makes this restaurant so special and fun is the make-your-own pancakes. They have several different kinds of batter to choose from including buttermilk, whole wheat, gluten-free, peanut butter, and I think potato or sweet potato or something. Then you get to choose your mix-ins. They have different sweet items including chocolate chips, my favorite, and savory things like pecans, bacon and goat cheese, and specialty things like lemon curd. You get your batter in a squeeze bottle and get to make the shape and size of pancake you like right at your table. You can add your mix-ins while it is cooking or spread them over the top when it is finished cooking. It is a very fun experience. I also very much enjoy the various options to tailor the pancake specifically to me. I think they have around 30 different options. I usually get chocolate chips, but today I got bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and goat cheese. Delicious!

I am thankful for Slappy Cakes.

kk

12/13/10 Sock it to Me

One local business woman has come up with an amazing idea. Cool knee high socks. I first saw these socks at the Portland Saturday Market. They now have permanent stock set up at Sock Dreams in Sellwood. You can visit their website and search Sock it to Me socks to see all the cool designs they have. Today I am wearing bright pink socks with black handlebar mustaches on them.

As a sign language interpreter I have to wear solid dark colors. I am much more exciting than all black so my creativity tends to be in my skirts/pants, and more so even with my sock/tights apparel. I am also a person who tends to be cold and I have found that knee highs are almost essential for me to be remotely comfortable. Sock it to Me socks are a great fit for me. Yesterday I wore grey socks with dinosaurs on them who were saying "Rawr." The day before I had on green socks that had a few trees to represent a forest, a few red-capped mushrooms, and a fox hiding partially behind a tree on the bridge of my foot. Friday I had socks with birds sitting on telephone wires. They make me very happy.

I am thankful for my Sock it to Me fun socks that make me smile and keep me warm.

kk

12/12/10 Rhodies

I hate Rhododendrons. They are sticky. My mom loves them so I grew up with a lot of them in the yard. Now, they are evergreen which is nice, and the flowers are ok, and they do have super awesome trunks once they are hundreds of years old and really tall. I do like the Rhododendron Garden in Sellwood. What I do thoroughly enjoy about the one in my front yard is decorating it with red and silver balls for Christmas. They are so funny and make me laugh when I come home.

I am thankful for my decorated Rhododendron.

kk

12/11/10 Crafty Wonderland Goodness!

Renee Rugh and I started this morning with a plan. We were going to a craft fair. Not just any craft fair. This was "Crafty Wonderland!" All local artisans who make some really cool stuff. The first 150 people get really awesome goodie bags. Last year my mother and I went. We got there about a half hour early. We weren't even close! So this year I was determined to be there early. We got there an hour and forty five minutes early. There were already 30 people ahead of us! But we made it. We had bagels for breakfast and some delicious hot beverages from Dutch Brothers. We had fun talking to each other and the people around us. I have never been to Black Friday. I have never camped out over night for seats to watch the Rose Parade. I have never waited for hours for concert tickets to go on sale. I have never been to a midnight release of a movie. This was super exciting. I guess I'm kind of nerdy to be as excited as I was for a craft show. But I got an awesome re-useable goodie bag filled with stuff, a free chinook book, and then I bought a sweatshirt and a hat. I walked away very happy. I also saw a man who used to teach at Clark who I hadn't seen in a few years. I really liked him and he just kind of disappeared. He started this amazing thing called "Supportland." So catchy, right? It is a point earning card for local businesses. A way to promote living locally and being rewarded for that. Hooray! So I got one. Now I can't wait to look up the local businesses involved. Today was a good day.

I am thankful for the Crafty Wonderland where I can get things totally unique, often recycled, and see so many different choices. Over 200 vendors to choose from!

kk

12/10/10 Mmmmmm

Our Fall office meeting is one of the best. Secret Santa gifts are exchanged. Gift exchange gifts are exchanged. Birthday gifts from our head boss for the year are distributed. We have a great potluck. But best of all is the Shortbread Amazingness that my boss makes. Shortbread with caramel and chocolate. I look forward to it every year. I am a bit notorious for my love of it. One year, my friend, Laura Likes, who also worked as our front desk gal before moving to the HR department, and I ate so much that we had the craziest sugar highs. We laughed at everything and had so much fun and then were in sick agony. I know we had fun, but apparently we were very entertaining for the other people there. That meeting will go down in infamy. They still talk about it and every year they remind me to not eat all of it at once. Today is the day that I got my treat box from Heather and I have already eaten one. It is so sad to me that it is a secret family recipe and that she promised a dying woman she would never tell anyone else the recipe. I will never be able to replicate it for myself. I think I have to go over and help her make it one day and try to spy and see her technique. But I am so happy she makes it for us.

I am thankful for Heather White's delicious shortbread.

kk

12/9/10 O Tannenbaum

Today I had the day off from work. I scheduled it this way so I could go get my Christmas Tree! I had a job from 10-11 and after that I was free. Turns out the sofa people were coming today at 10. So I sweet talked Jason Glick in to meeting them at my house and accepting the delivery for me while I went to my job. Then he came with me while I looked at tree farms for a tree to bring home. I am so glad he was available. I would have had a much harder time getting my sofa and I would not have had any fun getting me tree.

I heard about this great place out in Boring. So we drove there. No one was there and no one answered the phone when we called the posted number. So we drove to one of the dozens of places we passed on the way there. No one was there and no one answered the posted number. Where was everyone? So we finally ended up at this one place where a very elderly gentleman came out of his trailer to "help" us. Pretty much the only thing he did for us was hand us a saw and some twine. I really wanted a Noble Fir, but they didn't have any so I got a Douglas instead. It is not my first choice of tree but I couldn't leave him after his being so cute. So I found one that was good enough and Jason cut it down for me. Then he carried it with one hand to the car. That's some muscles. I have never tied a tree on my car before in my life. The tree guys always do it. Neither had Jason. Well, the old man wasn't going to do it for us, so we tied it down and hoped for the best. It arrived home safely still attached to the roof.

It was pouring down rain all day except for the 10 minutes we were out chopping it down. Getting it into the house was a very wet experience. The water was running, not dripping, off the tree. I used up all my towels to dry off my hardwoods and then lay around the base while it continued to drip.

My tree is looking a little drier here in the evening and hopefully by tomorrow I can put some lights up. The Christmas Tree is one of the best things about the holiday. I am very Martha Stewart in many ways, but Christmas Tree decorations are not one of them. I have things that are all totally random that remind me of places I've traveled, things I've made, things I've been given. Nothing really matches and I like it that way. It is always nice to see the tree lights in the window as I pull into the driveway and then see the tree as I walk in the house.

I am thankful for me Christmas Tree.

kk

12/8/10 Sharing is Caring

I like the fact that I live so close to family and friends that I can depend on. I am borrowing a saw from my mother today so I can go get my Christmas tree tomorrow. She doesn't know this yet. I will leave her a note. But I am so thankful that this is something I can do! I like to share things I have with other people. Well, I suppose only as long as they are grateful. I don't really like sharing with people who are rude and demanding. I think that is normal though. But I think we all have enough to do in this world alone that it makes things so much nicer and better for one another when we can help each other out.

I am thankful for sharing.

kk

12/7/10 Creativity at its best

Monday I arrived at work before the sun rose and left after it had set. Bummer. But this morning while driving to work in the dark a Suburban passed me. On the top of his car, the man had built a "tree." There was a 2 by 4 in the center of the car that stuck up about three feet. There were strands of lights from the top of the post to the roof of the car. Each strand touching a point on a circumference of a circle, forming the shape of a "Christmas Tree." If I have to go to work in the dark, I'd rather do it next to a lit tree.

I am thankful for people's ingenuity and creativity when it comes to decorating their cars. (For whatever reason. Today's just happened to also be Christmas related.)

kk

12/6/10 Down to the wire

Today is the first day of Finals Week!!! Yea! I can't wait for my three-week break!

I am thankful for Finals Week which signifies an impending well deserved rest.

kk

12/5/10 Jingle Bells

Today was my Christmas Carol concert. My choir starts rehearsing in September. I love Christmas Carols. Bring 'em on. I have no problem starting so early. I know people who literally get angry if they hear Christmas music before Thanksgiving. Maybe they are just sick of the fact that there isn't enough variety in places of business so they hear the same songs over and over again. Anyway I love them and I listed to them in the car and I don't care that they are the same ones I hear over and over because I just sing along and have fun.

People really appreciated our concert today and I think the carols help people get in a festive mood. Also, being able to come to a church and listen to the music with good acoustics and not in a store with a lot of banging band in the background or with people pushing and grabbing and trying to have the best Christmas they can have and they don't care who gets in their way is a nice way for people to really enjoy the sounds of Christmas music, as well as the meaning behind Christmas.

I enjoy singing the religious music as well as the secular fun things. Except Rudolph. With all our other songs with crazy jazz and tight harmony I am fine. Simple little Rudolph? I suck. It always stressed me out. But I wouldn't give up singing in some way for the rest of my life for anything.

I am thankful for Christmas carols.

kk

12/4/10 Hell's Angels

I forgot about this day! Today I passed about 30 motorcyclists all traveling together in a pack. One passenger carrying a big pink stuffed bunny under her left arm while her right arm held on to the driver. Every year at the Holidays there is a toy drive that the motorcyclists participate in. I am not sure who they all are. Are they a part of a club/group? Are they also individual motorcyclists who just know about it and participate? I would like to know more. So they all drive to the bus depot on 17th (14th?) and Holgate. They congregate in the parking lot there and collect toys to give to needy children. I think it is a pretty awesome thing for people to do in general and also crazy awesome when it is a bunch of burly motorcyclists carrying stuffed animals. It makes me smile and laugh.

I am thankful for the annual motorcycle toy drive.

kk

12/3/10 Up to 4"

What's great about women's shoes is that we have so many options. It does make it a little unfair that men can wear the same pair of shoes for almost every outfit and women really need several different pairs because they don't match everything like men's do. Anyway, I have many, many, many pairs of shoes. In six locations throughout my house. I have some great rain boots, snow boots, hiking boots. I have running shoes, walking shoes, tennis shoes, trail shoes. I has work shoes in a variety of styles and a multitude of dressy shoes. I do not wear high heels to work on a regular basis like my older sister does. She is always super fancy. I wear slip on danskos since I spend most of my time standing. I do however like to wear high heels when I am dressing up. I also have to dance on stage in up to 3" heels so it is always good to practice walking in them. I have some very nice high heeled shoes and also some fun high heel boots. I know that high heels are not very good for women. They give us freaky weird posture and are not good for our backs. But they do make your legs look nice, so every once in awhile I am all for them.

I am thankful for high heels.

kk

12/2/10 White Stag

When driving on I-5 passing downtown Portland, one can not help but see the large neon sign of the deer. It is an historic piece of Portland and has been the subject of much controversy lately. It currently reads "Portland Oregon." It used to say "Made in Oregon" because the Made in Oregon store owned the building and had its shop there. Before "Made in Oregon," it read "White Stag" after the White Stag Clothing Company that resided in the building, and before that it read "White Satin" for the sugar company that occupied the space. The University of Oregon bought the building it is on and wanted to change it to "University of Oregon." There was an uproar and they compromised and changed it to something more neutral instead. The one thing I especially love about the sign is that during the Holidays, the stag/deer is given a red nose and becomes Rudolph. Just a little light change on this large sign shows the celebration of Christmas. Religious and non-religious people who celebrate Christmas can all enjoy Rudolph.

I am thankful for the Portland Oregon neon sign with Rudolph.

kk

12/1/10 Special Delivery

My younger sister and I used to play all different kinds of things. School, Store, I think I baptized her several times in Bathland, and we used to write or draw notes to each other and slip them under the other person's door. We had so much fun playing postal carrier.

My mother's roommate from college, who is also my older sister's godmother, has taken it upon herself to keep the art of letter-writing alive. She started writing to all three of us girls when we went away to college to help us not feel alone when we left home. She wrote at every major holiday. She used to always include seasonal confetti that would get everywhere when you opened her letters. She has continued this with all three of us and she has added many others to her list as well. I am not sure if my sister's keep up with her but I always write back to Marilyn. It is more like twice a year now, rather than six or so. Which is much easier for me to keep up with.

With the advent of emails, instant messaging, and texting, letter writing is becoming less and less frequent. Many people still send out Christmas cards but I think more people even do those online. Event and party invites are online now. Virtual greeting cards. It is evident that snail mail is becoming less frequent with the amount stamps go up every year! When all we are getting in the mail anymore is junk or bills, an actual letter handwritten and addressed to me is something I get very excited about.

We can call people on the phone and say beautiful things to them, but there is no memory of it when they are gone. We can send an email with flowery words but it won't be personal. I have a birthday card from my Grandma Kari, who died when I was in 8th grade. She lived in Chicago so I did not see her very much before she passed away. It had my name at the top with a comma before the Hallmark sentiments and ended with Love, Grandma Kari. That's it. Four words. But she wrote them and so a part of her is there that I can see. Her writing doesn't look like any one else's and I know it is from her and that she loved me. I still have that card and I think the idea of letter writing for posterity's sake is very important. Some people throw everything away. Other's save everything. I'm a big saver. Sometimes I keep ridiculous things, so perhaps a middle ground would be better. When people I love are gone I will have memories of them, but sometimes memories fade. With the letters I've saved from them, I can read them and it can help to trigger my memory and remember them.

I am a big fan of leaving notes too. So if you know me well, then I've probably written a note for you and left it somewhere for you to find. Just a little something to let you know I am thinking about you. I like finding notes on my windshield or in my luggage or in my lunch.

I am thankful for letters. Actual real physically written letters sent through the mail.

kk

11/30/10 Marionberry Pie

Visiting my friend Meredith this weekend was great since I hadn't seen her in so long, and the last time I did see her I only got to talk to her for about 5 minutes. This way we could visit for several hours. Not only did I have a great time with her and her children, I also walked away with their old microwave. I didn't have one and they just redid their entire kitchen with all new appliances. We were able to help each other out. I didn't realize how much a microwave really comes in handy. I had taken some leftovers home from dinner with my mother for breakfast the next day. When the next day arrived I had no idea how to heat it up. I didn't want to put it in the oven for a crazy long time before it would heat through and I couldn't put it on the stove top and I didn't have a container small enough for my toaster oven. So instead I found an errand to do at my mother's and ate over there. Today I ate some delicious Marion berry pie my Aunt Sharon had made for Thanksgiving that I heated up in the microwave and ate with some Vanilla Bean ice cream. Mmmmm.

I am thankful for my new-to-me microwave.

kk

11/29/10 I got ssssssteam heat

I have only recently turned the heat on in my house. My thermometer was registering 50 degrees for far too long. I was grumpy and depressed. So once I turned it up to 60 I was doing much better but it was still cold. So my mother lent me the electric blanket from her guest room twin bed. A twin size electric blanket is a little smaller than a queen size bed, but it isn't too bad. And It Is Amazing! I put it on my bed once I got home from Seattle and slept in it for the first time last night. I didn't wake up once during the night shivering from sheets having slid off my shoulders. I slept so peacefully and it made me so awfully happy. Ahhhhh.

I am thankful for my electric blanket!

kk