What I've been up to...

Hi Everyone!

So, I noticed it's been nearly a year since I updated my blog! It feels like there is so much to tell, and yet there's hardly anything to tell! If I was to sum up 2011 to this point, I could say "Jeff and I purchased a house, got a dog, and I turned 30."

Yes, that is how boring my life has become. And yet, it's wonderful to be boring. It's such a nice change from working 60+ hours per week.

Last September Jeff and I bought a magnificent house in a suburb north of Seattle. Here's a gorgeous picture for your enjoyment. :)



Last February, Jeff and I "adopted" an Australian Shepherd puppy. He was 8 weeks old the day we brought him home. I never thought that I could become attached to an animal the way I have, but I can honestly say that he may as well be my baby. I love him so much. His name is Duncan Dougal. He is now almost a year old and so dang smart! Too smart for my own good! He's very high energy which keeps me on my toes! For your enjoyment, here is a plethora of pictures of Duncan from the first year of his life. :)

The day we brought him home:



The first few days after that:




The first few months of his adorable little life:





And now that he's getting a little older:




So there's a few cute pictures of my little fluffy man. I hope you like them as much as I do!

Let's see here...what else have I been up to? Ooh! I've become a gourmand! I was seriously considering culinary school for a while, and haven't yet given up entirely on the dream. However, I'm having a hard time justifying spending $50k on school and not doing something with it. I literally want to go simply to have that extra skill.

I had taken up the hobby of crocheting when I saw most of you last...I am now pretty darn good at knitting! I've knitted many sweaters for myself and the people I love, and they always turn out pretty good! Here's a picture of me wearing the first sweater I ever knitted...



I've also been to Disneyland again twice since I last talked to all of you. Yeah...you're jealous, right? Don't lie, I know you are!! Jeff surprised me with a trip a couple weeks ago to The Magical Kingdom to see it all beautified for Christmas. It was McGorgeous!! If the Kardashian's were there, they would have given it a GORGEOUS AWARD!

I've been singing in The Everett Chorale under the direction of Lee Matthews. It's been such a treat to be musical again. This year I am the section leader of the Alto group. It's so much fun, and it helps me to feel super important. December is a crazy month for the Chorale. We have so many sing-outs and concerts planned! If you have any interest in coming to hear us sing, we'd be delighted to have you! You can find out more information at www.everettchorale.org

Jeff and I will be traveling to Austria with The Everett Chorale. I am excited. I'm going to have the opportunity to see where my favorite composer (Mozart) lived his life. Get to see the piano where he played his music...all sorts of awesome stuff. I get chills just thinking about it. In addition, we'll be doing "The Sound of Music" tour. I can't wait to dance in the gazebo with Jeff singing "I am 31 going on 32!" Heh.

Well, I think that's it for now. I hope that everyone's having as happy of a time as I am!

Love to all ya'll,

Racheloni

Oh wait..I almost forgot...I went back to being a redhead...



And now for your enjoyment, here is my favorite picture of Jeff Bridges:

I've Been Watching Too Much Food Network

We recently got cable again, and I have been enjoying watching Food Network. I was also thrilled to have the cable up in running in time for the season 2 premiere of my favorite telly show V. Well, we all have learned by now that what I watch and read seems to effect what I dream about. So, without further adieu, my most recent wacky dreams.

The other day my mum had her tooth pulled, and I (being the good daughter I am) decided to keep her company. I introduced my mother to my favorite telly show, V. I brought over my blu-ray of the first season so that she could better understand what was happening in season 2. I fell asleep on her couch while we were watching it. The entire time, I dreamt that I was with Alton Brown, and he was cooking aliens. Like, chopping them up, tossing them in a food processor, pureeing, sauteing, boiling, baking, deep-frying, aliens! And unlike what he normally does, which is to explain what he is doing while he does it, and the science behind is actions, he just kept screaming AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another dream that I had the other night is also related to watching too much Food Network. I really enjoy the shows Chopped, and Worst Cooks in America. I believe this lead to me having a very wacky dream in which I was a contestant on a show that was a cross between those two shows. We needed to cook up a meal using a certain set of ingredients, with no formal training in the art of cuisine. One of the ingredients called for was jalapenos. However, the jalapenos had not been provided the way the rest of the ingredients were. Well, the show luckily was being filmed at Pike Place Market, so I offered to run out to one of the fruit stands and get the jalapenos if the judges were willing to stop the timer. They all agreed on this, and I ran out to get some lovely jalapenos. (The fruit stand, in case you were wondering, was run by chef Robert Irvine. It was a fruit stand/fine leather handbag stand, also in case you were wondering.) I got the jalapenos, and even had Robert chop them up for me for good measure, and headed back to the kitchen studio. Upon my arrival, the kitchen studio was in utter chaos. But not food chaos. No. All of the chefs/judges/contestants had become ninjas. Killing each other with spatulas and wooden spoons and Kitchen Aid Mixer attachments. I tried to run to safety behind a wall. Also hiding behind the wall was Gordon Ramsay, and favorite of both me and my husband. I stood their star struck as Gordon skewered other kitchen ninjas with a pair of BBQ tongs. He then turned to me and said "come with me if you want to live." I said "ok Gordon, but I should probably let you know that I'm married." That's when I woke up.

I should probably stop watching late night Food Network.