Is it still January?

Wow! This month is really creeping by. I think maybe I'm a bit too excited about Maui. Oh well, we have plenty to do before then. Right now, I'm in the middle of (hopefully) the last piece of drywall that I'll ever have to finish. We've ordered new carpet for the living and 2 bedrooms, so we wanted to rip out the one wall of paneling in the living room, and get the drywall installed, finished and painted before the carpet gets here. My second layer of mud is drying as I type this. Hopefully, one more layer on the tape and screws will be enough. After that I have to try and match the texture of the other walls with my last layer. This may be more difficult than I'm anticipating.

Work has been as busy as it's ever been for me. Luckily, I did some good work last year at this time that has made my annual reports a much easier job. I think that being an environmental and safety coordinator is a good, interesting position, but maybe I should be looking for more out of life. Maybe I should be doing something more interesting or fulfilling and worthwhile? Or, maybe I should be looking for something that will allow me to stay home with my future children. I'm looking into an opportunity that may be all of these things, but I don't know if I have the guts or wherewithal to do it. I guess I'll have to look to Dad for inspiration. [I know this is making no sense, but if something comes of it, I'm sure I'll be writing more later.]

January

For me, January is always is bit of a bore. After the excitement of the holidays, and the anticipation that comes with Christmas and New Years, I find that January brings the doldrums. So, this year, I decided to plan a vacation. Yep, Jeff and I are going back to Maui. Maybe I'm being a tiny bit frivolous, but you only live once. Right now, we have no kids, we both have good jobs, and we can afford to spoil ourselves, so why not? (Please, if you have an answer to that, keep it to yourself.)

We'll be staying in Kihei, Maui at the Kauhale Makai (aka Village by the Sea) Condominium Complex. The one-bedroom condo is on the ground floor and overlooks the pool and garden area. The complex sits right on the beach...it's not a great swimming beach, but is excellent for walking, sunsets and whale and windsurfer-watching. There are great swimming and snorkeling beaches a couple of miles down the road. We'll have a car, so there won't be any problems getting there. We'll also be taking a side trip to Oahu, where we'll give our respects to the sunken ships of Pearl Harbor and tour the rest of the island.

My plan is to remember my trip in my blog. Jeff thinks I'm the biggest NERD in the world, but I can't wait to document our vacation! I'm going to take pictures, and narrate the whole thing. You lucky readers....

Three Glorious Years

Okay, so I'm laughing a little bit here. Jeff and I just had our 3rd wedding anniversary (married on 1/3/04). So, on Wednesday morning, I told Jeffy, "Happy Anniversary." He then said, "Yep, three glorious years." I told him that he shouldn't be so sarcastic.

All joking aside, our first three years of marriage were pretty good. Personally, I like being married...coming home to Jeff every night makes for a very nice life.

Bad Beagle

My sweet, little, cuddly beagle is a bad boy. Chance, who usually walks around like a puppy-version of Eeyore (from Winnie the Pooh) gets all excited when strange dogs are around. He starts off by yelling in his hound dog voice, and then the hair along his spine stands straight up. Finally, he goes in for the attack. Of course, he doesn't really attack - he just shows his teeth and acts scary.

Today, the neighbors walked by with their dog, Brittany the Brittany (original name, huh?), and all of a sudden I hear Chance go into attack mode. I didn't get all bent out of shape, though. Usually, he just runs up and down the yard, staying inside of the invisible fence. Unfortunately, today, he tore out of the yard and started chasing Brittany (and her owners) around in circles. By the time I got out to the road, the neighbors had chased away Chance and were trying to console Brittany. How embarrassing! I was a little mortified, but I apologized profusely, and thankfully, nobody was hurt.

So, being the good doggie Mom that I am, and because Brittany the Brittany was a little shook up, I took it upon myself to put together some treats for her. I wrapped them up, and wrote a little apology note (To Brittany, From Chance), and stuck the package in the neighbors mailbox. When I told Jeff what I did, he laughed for about half an hour, telling me how "gay" I am. Hmmpf. I thought it was a nice gesture for Chance to make for scaring the bejeezus out of the poor dog.

It's Like a Cooking a Show!!

Tonight, I had my first real dinner party in my new kitchen. Have I mentioned how beautiful the new kitchen is? Jeff just got the under-cabinet trim and most of the kick-space trim finished, and boy is it sharp. Anyway, I love it. Someday, my blog will be full of before and after kitchen photos.

Jeff, Hannah and Corey, Jen, and Julie, Casey and Lindsey were the victims for my first ever dinner party in the new kitchen. I decided on an Italian-style meal because of all the things that could be prepared ahead of time, and made lasagna, a lovely salad, and stuffed mushrooms. BiLo made some great Italian bread which we paired with DaVinci EVOO and rosemary-mix dipping spice. Hannah provided a chocolate-almond cake, frosted festively, in green icing. I hate to toot my own horn, but everything turned out great. The food was satisfying and the conversation was full of laughs. We also oohed and aahed at the beautiful new baby, as we all took turns holding and hugging her. Julie and Casey seem so happy, and Lindsey has to be one of the most content babies I've ever met.

Oh, and I got a great compliment from Corey. He and Hannah were the first to arrive, and shortly after they sat down in the kitchen, I pulled out the stuffed mushrooms. Corey looked around at all of the food and said, "I feel like I'm on one of those cooking shows!" I said, "Thank You!!"

Wow, must have been a combination of all the good smells, a hungry belly and a beautiful kitchen - all prerequisites for gourmet television.

Where Are My Cookie Cutters?

Oh, yeah. Dad borrowed them to make Christmas-shaped smoked cheese last year. What a nut! Good thing Paula attached a star-shaped cutter to Candide by Voltaire...or else I would be making heart-shaped Christmas cookies. Tis the season!

A White Christmas Tree

Usually, I am very intent on have a real, live, Christmas Tree. However, with all of the extra work we have this December with getting the floor down, I've decided to forgo the real tree for one year. Luckily, I was able to find myself a bargain last January. While I was perusing wonderful (please sense the sarcasm) Wal-Mart, I found myself a 6 ft, pre-lit, white artificial tree for $7.00. That is not a misprint, people. Not realizing that I would even need an artificial tree this year, I purchased the $7.00 beauty (more sarcasm), because I wasn't able to pass up the good deal.

Now that I have the tree up and decorated, I am second-guessing my decision to pass up the real tree. In the end, however, like our admirable president (final bit of sarcasm), George Bush, I am going to stay the course. So, when you visit the Eckert household this Christmas, please be prepared to Oooh and Ahhh at a stunning, white, artificial tree.