GTKY 3/7 Edition!

2MamazInSeattle

Hello all! Join in - especially if you don't usually do it - because in that case, we *really* need to get to know you!

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it?
2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever.
3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?
4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late?
5. What's going on this weekend??

Bonus: PIP something, maybe the pet from #2? Or something fun or happy!

KH826

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it?

• iPad & charger
• iPhone & charger
• My old laptop that still has all my pictures on it
• CDs with all of our professional wedding photos on them
• Thumb drive that contains a copy of our Will, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, and other legal documents
• Little make-up bag that has my toiletries, make-up and jewelry in it when I travel
• I would grab a handful of things out of my "Love Box" (cards, notes, photos, etc.) from the early days in my relationship with J, and stuff them in the backpack...
• The 1000 Reasons I Love You scrap book that J gave me on our 1000th day together
• Probably some socks and underwear (you know, to be practical!)
• The heart-shaped rustic door knocker we have on the wall in our kitchen that we bought at an antique shop in France on our honeymoon
• The "241" house number that we have hanging on the side of our house next to the front door

,,,, I guess I am now pushing the limits of my standard-sized backpack... BUT, I would also never leave without our dog, my pillow (it is from my grandmother and I have slept with it almost every night since I was 2 yrs old), the quilt on our bed from J's grandmother....I know, now I am cheating, sorry!

2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever.

Honestly, my most memorable pet would have to be our current dog, Reese. I grew up with dogs, but I never really felt close or connected to them. They never really felt like "my dog" and I don't have an abundance of fond memories of them when I was growing up. Honestly, I always considered myself to be "not a pet person," but I have done a complete 180 since we got our dog, Reese. I am completely obsessed with her, and I love her more than I ever thought possible. We have had her for 5 years now. We call her our little miracle pup. She was sick with parvo virus when we got her and she was in the "puppy ICU" as I called it for 10 days in an incubator. She weighed less than 2 lbs. We didn't think she was going to make it. We had only had her for 5 days when she got sick, but we fought as hard as we could to save her. 10 days and $3500 later, we brought her home and finished nursing her back to health. She is smart, sneaky, adorable, cuddly, moody, and awesome. She has a giant personality, though she is only 8 lbs (being so sick when she was a pup stunted her growth). I am super protective of her, and I worry about her feeling jealous when the baby comes. She has been our baby for the last 5 years. Anyway, I could gush about Reese forever, but she is seriously one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I learned about an whole different compartment of my heart that I didn't even know I had when we got her. We rescued her, but she rescued me too! (I know, cliche - you will have to forgive me...)

3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?

Oh gosh, this is a hard question...I think it would depend on who was coming over... but, I will pretend like it is our closest college friend and her husband to answer this question. We have this thing with this particular friend where we have her (and now her husband, and sometimes some other people) over to make quesadillas. It was something this friend and my wife used to do when they shared an apartment in college - make quesadillas. So we like to have her over and set up a little quesadilla station to all make our own. Usually we have other miscellaneous mexican themed food to go along with it as well. And there are usually board games involved. We haven't had one of those nights in a long time... we should invite them over for quesadillas and board games!

4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late?

Another tough question - mainly because I watch way too much TV at the moment and love lots of shows! But if I had to pick one that is particularly peaking my interest at the moment, it would be Law & Order: SVU. My wife and I have been huge fans of that show since the very start, but for the last few seasons it sort of lost my interest. I felt the story lines were getting old and recycled, some of my favorite characters had left the show, I wasn't warming up to the new characters, and some of the super graphic stuff they were showing more and more was making it hard to watch. For whatever reason this season has hooked me back in (particularly the last couple of episodes) and I have a renewed interest in the show. I have to be in the right frame of mind to watch it, but it is a long-standing favorite.

5. What's going on this weekend??

Tonght we are going out to dinner with my mother-in-law and picking up the cabinet for our family room that she bought my wife as a birthday gift. Tomorrow is project day at our house, and I am hoping my wife makes lots of progress on the nursery. I will do some cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. and help my wife if/when needed. Sunday, my wife is going out with an old friend from college, and I am planning to spend some quality time on the couch HAHA. Not sure what else might be in store for the weekend, but I am looking forward to not having a bunch of plans, and being able to hopefully relax a little...

Bonus: PIP something, maybe the pet from #2? Or something fun or happy!

This was me with Reese in Christmas of 2011. My wife put her in that little fleece coat for her parents' Christmas party (she never wears clothes!). I love that little fur ball. I also loved that Christmas dress that I am wearing. This was the year that I hit my goal weight, and I was very proud of myself for fitting into that dress. It is still hanging in my closet. I hope to wear it again, if not this Christmas, then 2015. It will happen!  

Manada

I'll play - because I don't normally do it at all, normally I'm working hard on Friday to clear my plate before the weekend!   Today I'm distracted....

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it?
Okay - our dog and H. don't fit in the backpack, and I'll assume I don't have to fit my cat in it either (she has a leash and harness for fire alarms).   I'd put my laptop, my external hard-drive, passport and major forms of ID, the u/s pics of the Rockies.  Probably a photo album from when I was small (recent photos are mostly stored digitally on my hard drives).   My baby blankets, my stuffed elephant, any medications and things...  mmm...  otherwise I'm not sure.  Probably one or two of the sentimental things H. and I share, and something we bought for the Rockies...

2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever.
Well, Lulah is our current cat and I've had her for the past 10.5 years - so she's also my longest relationship.   She's my buddy, and we've gone through a lot together, we also have funny little routines like her methodically sucking on each of my fingers in turn while we cuddle.  

When I was small I had a grey/blue manx cat named Mokey who was fantastic.   Manx cats are something special and Mokey was beautiful and typical in her round features, demeanor and the characteristic hop to her run.   We moved when I was 10 and my bio father took her on at that point, but she got sick within a few years and he had her put down

3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?
Whatever H. makes!  She's generally in charge of nutrition for us both!

4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late?
I must say the Hunger Games books really impressed me recently, and they got me back into reading YA books - which is interesting.   I also read a TON of Infertility-related memoirs over the past year....
Movies:  I have a deep love for musicals.   Rent, Sound of Music, Annie, and Chicago are among my favs. 

5. What's going on this weekend??
I expect that I will be sleeping!   I'm feeling slightly better these days than last week in terms of sleepiness (ie.  I have made it through whole days without curling up on my office floor for a nap), but I love me some long weekend napping!       

I also want to swim in our pool, do laundry, and browse a few thrift stores for some pants with more stretch!   My jeans are already a bit too tight for comfort and I'm feeling like if both Rockies keep growing I'm going to be out of my regular work-pants within a couple of weeks!

trisholio

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it? 

I would grab our old computer that has all of our pictures on it

-our wedding photo album

-the 'hand of God' (it was my grandfather's)

-nail file and cuticle scissors

-phone and charger

-make up

-underwear 

-and def my yoga pants!
2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever.

We got a lab when I was 9 years old and he was my dog.  His mom lived next door and I helped take care of him since he was born.  His name was Alex and he was yellow and HUGE! He would sit outside of my door every morning until I woke up and was always getting in trouble.  He died when I was 21 and lived out of state.  I have never been more devastated.  He was cremated and is at my moms house on the mantel. 
3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?

It probably depends on the friends, but I have a go to baked ziti recipe that is always a hit and super easy to make.  
4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late?

WE have only had basic cable for almost a year so we only watched a few shows.  The shows I love the most is Grey's Anatomy and Scandal.
5. What's going on this weekend??

This afternoon the girl's case worker is coming by, she is great and really sweet.  Tomorrow my wife's parents are coming into town and they are going to our ultrasound appointment with us to confirm the sex of the baby (We had an unscheduled appointment this week and might have found out on accident.  But we want to confirm it before we officially announce it)  Sunday I hope to get a few things done around the house and then go to my moms for dinner.  Our weekends are never dull, that is for sure!

shelly2314

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it?  That's a hard one. Umm, extra underwear and a bra, pics from our wedding and Germany, pencil and paper (you never know), passport, my great grandmas pics and ring, cell phone and charger, my laptop and charger, kindle, medicine for both M and I, lots of snacks, and my snake (would just bring dogs and cat in carrier)
2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever. If I am talking about past pets, it would be our cat we had growing up, Cotton. He was a HUGE syamese mix. He was an awesome cat and lived 18 years.  He hated my little sister, mostly b/c she dressed him up in baby clothes and pulled him around in a stroller. He would lay on the couch next to me when I was having a bad day and let me lay on his belly to hear him purr. We also laughed that he trained my mom.  When he was about 12 he developed diabetes so occasionally he would get weak. His food bowl was in the basement and me sat and cried at the door.  For over a week my mom walked him up and down the stairs b/c she thought he couldn't do it. One morning she was downstairs with him and I poured some cereal in a bowl---he shot up the stairs to come and get some and she was so angry!!! LOL
3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve? Probably pizza lol. The last time we had my in-laws over for dinner I made this chicken and pasta with a cream sauce that was delish!
4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late? I am a DVR junkie. I have a list of shows I watch regularly: Castle, Criminal Minds, Suburgatory, Grey's Anatomy, Nashville, The Following, The Voice
5. What's going on this weekend?? We have a funeral for our dear friend's father tomorrow and then off to Tampa for a bday dinner with my brother.  Sunday we are going to my co-workers church to hear him sing then I am planning on napping.  This is to be followed by laundry in the afternoon and grocery shopping

JGY

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it?

iPad and charger, phone and charger, wallet, passport, undies, DIAPERS and WIPES, my baby blanket (though S would fight me on this one as it could be considered wasted space), a few small baby toys, Gabe's birth certificate, social security card, and adoption paperwork, my favorite jewelry and a few extra hairbands.

2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever.

I didn't really have any pets growing up, so I glommed (sp?) on to S's dogs as soon as we became a couple.  I have been absolutely in love with every pet that we've had, but my longest relationship was with her dog Diggs.  He was just the most amazingly sweet, concerned, obedient guy ever.  I miss him every day.  PIP below from our wedding (yes that's a bowtie made out of the same fabric as S's pants).

3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?

Oh I LOVE dinner parties!  I love to cook, period.  If someone was taking Gabe for the day so I could prepare, I would love to make either Beef Bourguignon or Beef Wellington again (two of my recent successes).  If it's more casual, I have a go-to lean lasagna recipe that rocks.  If it's summer, I love to grill skirt steak or salmon with fresh veggies. 

4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late?

Well, it's not as of late since it hasn't been on in a while, but I absolutely love watching So You Think You Can Dance.  The passion and dedication that those contestants display is so awesome to see, especially the guys since you know that most of them fought a pretty big battle growing up as a dancer.  I also love watching Criminal Minds, though the older episodes are better.  I've never been a big movie watcher, though I do love them.  For books, I have been working my way through a novel that my Dad gave me, called A Man in Full.  It's great and I'm really enjoying it, but I have been "Working" on it for literally years.  I never seem to be able to sit down to actually read, and the book is loooooong.  Some day I'll finish it.

5. What's going on this weekend??

It's actually going to be 40 degrees this weekend.  ABOVE zero!  Amazing!  We're going to find a place to take a nice long walk.  Other than that, we have swim lessons (awesome), and I need to pick up my wedding ring at the jewelers.  It was being replated and I've felt naked without it all week.  When my little man sleeps, I'm going to do my best to clean out the MANY old bags of stuff that we have shoved into the closets.  Oh, and plan his birthday party. 

Bonus: PIP something, maybe the pet from #2? Or something fun or happy!

 

doodah1013

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it?

1. My blanket from childhood
2. My favorite camp sweatshirt
3. My Grandparents wedding picture, which also has a piece of my Grandmas dress
4. A's wedding bouquet (which we preserved)
5. The coords we used for our hand fasting ceremony (which are made out of old camp tshirts)
6. My ridiculous airbrushed hat


2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever.

Well... I currently have a dog who has been diagnosed with Canine Obsessive Complusive Disorder... And yes this is a real thing. He mainly manifest his symptoms by chasing shadows. He has been on Prozac, and for a short while Xanax... He also pretends to be hurt when he is not for attention ( I have read this is impossible for dogs to do... But he does anyways.) But most of all we have been through a lot together. He LOVES spooning and before I met A he would sleep right next to me every night. He also known when you are sad and will just cuddle up next to you and let you pet him until you are content again.

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3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?


Chicken breasts stuffed with provolone and prosciutto. Side of asparagus, bakery butter flake rolls with homemade garlic butter

4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late?

I am currently listening to "DR Sleep" audiobook. It is the sequel to "The Shining" and it DOES NOT disappoint.


5. What's going on this weekend??

Well... I got my big promotion yesterday so there is going to be some serious celebrating! We are headed to Akron and we are going to a wine tasting and then we will make our own bottles to take home!



Bonus: PIP something, maybe the pet from #2? Or something fun or happy!



This was right after we lost our little chicken wing. He was so content to snuggle with me and let me pet him.

And this one is a shot of my wonderful niece sporting "the hat".

JGY

CrazyAunt84 I'm not able to "Love" your post more than once.  Unfair.  Sushi is awesome and your story is wonderful.  What a great person you are!

redrockmama

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it? 

Laptop-it has ALL of our pictures on it

The sand from our wedding

Bubbles' ultrasound pics

Some of the cards and stuff from J

Our wedding license

I can't think of anything else other than passport, phone, wallet 

2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever.

I had this cat when I was 12 named Gus. His extended name was snuggleupwithgus. He was the ugliest and wierdest cat ever, but I loved him dearly, even though I'm not a cat person at all. He thought he was a dog. We had a great pyrenees and they were best friends. He would only eat dog food, slept with the dog, barked at the piano with the dog, tried to bark. It was bizarre. I wish I had a pic to PIP so you could see how ugly he was. I thought he was adorable though. We had just moved to Minnesota and I was going to Utah for the summer to visit my friends and before I left I reminded my family to take care of him. A month later when my dad picked me up from the airport he told me he had bad news. They said the neighbor dog got him. I was devastated. 

3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?

Definitely depends on the friends, but usually we like to try new recipes and invite people over to try them with us. We had friends over last week, one who is a vegetarian and make a vegetable dish with cheesy biscuits. They loved it. 

4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late?

We watch a few shows but I'm not liking any of them right now. I'm excited Grey's Anatomy is back on though. For books, I'm just reading birthing and parenting books these days. Right now I'm reading Gentle Birthing, Gentle Mothering, Better Birth and Raising Our Children Raising Ourselves. I'm liking all of them so far. 

5. What's going on this weekend??

Not definite plans. We've been so busy lately, I'm excited to just do what comes up. We are going to work on clearing out the soon to be baby room, which means organizing the basement, so fun! J wants to see if my dad can come down and help us with a way to redo our closet. Yoga on Sunday. 

HollynLeana

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it? Only things I could not replace, family photos and mementos, as many as I could.
2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever. My family rescued a great blind white german shepherd that went to bed every night when I did...he would follow me up the stairs close my bedroom door with his nose and sleep there until i let him out in the morning...he passed away while I was in the delivery room with my BFF
3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?Depends on who it was, but probs pizza...to make my life easy!
4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late?I am really loving GIRLS right now. It's so great. Lena Dunham is really fantastic!
5. What's going on this weekend??This weekend I will be cleaning and acclimating the pups a little better. DW will be visiting her grandparents in Chicago...and of course there's work too!

a happy Friday from Benson...

2MamazInSeattle

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it?

Everything in our fire box (important papers, passports, etc.); my wallet; phone/charger; laptop/charger; harddrives. My gramma's wedding ring. And then probably just run around and stuff in whatever I could fit that would round it out!

2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever.
This one is hard! But, I will tell you about Lars. He was the first cat I ever got to pick out myself. J didn't even want to go with me ("honey, just get a cat, I love all cats so it doesn't matter to me.). So I had just lost my awesome calico of 18 years so I wanted another girl - when I got there, they had 7 girls and 1 boy. Well, I slowly picked off all the girls for one reason or another, and then was about to leave...and thought "I should at least pet that little boy cat." And that was it. He went home with me and J LOVED him. He was a buddha. He was odd - he loved being cold (so not cat-like) - he slept in the cold bathtub, on the tiles in front of the fireplace (only when it wasn't in use so they were cold), in front of drafty doorjams. He slept on his back with his feet in the air. He was HUGE, a maine coon for sure (like Manny, who we got after losing Lars). He also was NOT food-motivated, which is sad because the night he died - hit by a car - he wouldn't come in and nothing I could do would get him to...there was no food, toy, etc. that would entice him. We found him the next day, he'd made it back home and was under the car in the driveway when we pulled out. Awful, awful day. He was only 2 years old, but we could not be happier that he was ours while he was here.

He had a spectacular tail, and loved sparkle balls but would only play with orange ones, and in desperation, pink. After he died, J got a tattoo of sparkle balls on the inside of her forearm in his memory. (That, btw, is her second "cat memorial" tattoo - with three living cats, I think we're in trouble when they make their exit...)

3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?
Living in Seattle, this can be hard. I swear - I have had to accommodate this: A vegan, a dairy-free, a gluten-free, a "i only eat meat and vegetables" paleo type and a "I only eat fish" type. Sigh. My mama taught me you eat what is served when you are a guest! Kidding. Kinda.

Sooooo I do love to make a nice caramelized carrot puree (one of my specialities, it takes like an hour but tastes like candy and is bright orange and pretty!), sear a piece of white fish (halibut? or if going cheaper, rockfish), and some sort of green veggie. I also like to make a fancy salad - something like butter lettuce with pickled onions, smoked tuna and blood orange sections, topped with hazelnuts. Or something like that.

4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late?
Enjoying the end of HIMYM, Scandel being back, Amazing Race, Downton Abbey, Walking Dead, Parks & Rec, Girls, Mindy Project (!! so funny!!), etc.

Reading I'm finally about to bring up my pregnancy books! RIght now I'm re-reading Origins to remember all the important things I should be doing/not doing whilst lil'mamaz' is in there cookin'.

5. What's going on this weekend??

A dear friend brought over "some baby stuff" last weekend - it was the entire back of her pickup truck!! So, this weekend is the beginning of Massive Basement Purge'14 with J's BFF Mel, who is a nerdy Boeing electrical engineer and loves to organize and purge and tidy. Amen. I just have to feed her! She was giddy to help, which is awesome, but J is decidedly NOT giddy to help (though willing). So, that is huge. Prenatal yoga on Saturday. Breakfast with a good friend to plan her 50th bday party on Sunday! She is a cancer survivor (during her 40's) so this particular milestone birthday is HUGE and I'm super excited to help plan it! If money were no object, I would totally be a professional party planner!

Bonus: PIP something, maybe the pet from #2? Or something fun or happy!

While Lars looks a lot like Manny (our buff kitty now), they could not have more different personalities! Manny is a cat's cat - he is very food motivated and loves warm things! We think Lars may just have been born into the wrong species...but we still are soooo grateful to have known him!

JGY

This whole thread is getting me today with these animal stories.

@redrockmama I apologize, but I have to ignore the incredibly sad part of your story.  I'm too distracted by what an awesome name snuggleupwithgus is!

 

StacyLH24

1. -Theodore, the teddy bear I got for my first Christmas
- My baby blanket
- phone with charger
- clean undies
- both CDs with our wedding and engagement pics
- car keys
- important papers, ID, debit card, credit card and checkbook.
- baby/childhood pictures
- the doll my Mom made that is of my Grandma
Theodore is pretty big, so taking him doesn't leave much room.

2. I have had a few dogs and cats. Probably the one most important to me is Zeppelin, my miniature poodle. In April, I will have had him for 7 years. He has been my constant over the past 7 years. He is my little buddy and I love him dearly. He is full of life and can make the cutest faces and noises. He has such a personality. He is spoiled for sure. I will PIP him at the bottom.

3. I would probably make beef and vegetable stir fry. It is quick, easy and you can make a lot for pretty cheap.

4. I'm going to have to go with a TV show for this one. I haven't been making time to read nor have I watched many movies. Anyway, my favorite TV show of late is The Fosters. Right now that is the only show C and I make a point of watching. I love that Steph and Lena are going to try and have a baby. It is so great to see a family on TV that at least somewhat resembles us!

5. Well, at approximately 6 pm we are hitting the road for Florida! We are going to try and drive until 3-4 am, stop for some sleep and then get going again. I can't wait! It is about a 21 hour drive for us. We both need this vacation badly. I'm hoping it will help me be relaxed and refreshed for our next, and probably last, IUI cycle. Maybe it isn't so financially responsible since we may be looking at IVF in the near future, but oh well! Sometimes you gotta live and enjoy the moment. I'm trying to learn to do this. I'm usually a planner and not so spontaneous. I managed to save more money than I thought we could for this trip. I'm looking forward to indulging and relaxing.

Here is Zeppelin!

Jazibel

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it?
- iphone, charger, wallet and our blue folder with passports and other important docs.
-the file with our marriage certificate (needs to be placed in the blue folder - oops)
-jewelry
-Old laptop and old hard-drive
-new hard drive
-recent papers from kitchen storage (i.e. tax stuff, bills)
- a handful of photos from our wedding and travel (pre-digital era)
-one or two of the small paintings we got in Cambodia
-Kadens blanket and stuffed alligator
-toothbrush and toothpaste
-kaden's little bag of homeopathics/medicine
-any random toys, clothes and knickknacks I could fit (and believe me I can stuff a backpack full
(When we were living and working at a Retreat and Conference center in Northern CA there was one day when a huge fire was raging across the road from us. Fires in CA can climb a hill of dry grass and brush in seconds. So we evacuated the staff, and ran back to our house. I packed said items (it was many years ago - so slightly different list), but I was impressed by my speed and accuracy. Definitely prepared!! ;-)

2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever.
Our crazy and amazing dog Lily (a Weimeraner).  We got her as a puppy from a rescue agency, unfortunately her early weeks had been tough and she never quite recovered. She suffered terrible anxiety (as in destroying over $10-15K of property and stuff in her lifetime) despite behavioral training and drugs from our awesome vet.  Still she was the most beautiful dog you could imagine, and such a sweet, sweet love.  I'll have to find a pic to post of her. Our cat "Kitten" is a close second. He died way to young (1 year old) by being run over by a car.  We were and still are heartbroken. He was the BEST cat ever.  EVER.. He was like my little kindred spirit, and used to sleep under my chin. 

3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?
Today it would be Filet Mignon, maybe with potatoes and rainbow chard and mushrooms (or some such variation).  Because that's what's on the menu.  Unless I request In and Out instead....  Seriously we usually stuff our friends full or cheeses and bread and other appetizers and eat a light=ish dinner with salad, etc.  Have to save room for dessert too. But I loooooove bread/butter/cheese.  Yummmm

4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late? Personally I can't wait to watch Hunger Games Catching Fire this weekend (I saw it in the theaters but I'm excited to watch it with EV, who hasn't seen it).  Books I'm reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series again and actually got EV sucked in (not a Fantasy novel reader AT ALL).. I've read all but the last one, but started from the beginning. I think I'm stuck on #7ish - I had to put it aside.  I'm also in the midst of reading the latest Game or Thrones book, but again had to put it aside to focus on school..

5. What's going on this weekend?? Fondue party with my Baby-sitting Co-op moms from the towns Mother's Club.  It starts at 7:30. I was super excited last week, but now I'm tired I just want to stay in my comfy clothes...
Other than that I'm working in SF doing my new part-time gig driving folks around.  Again I'm not "looking forward" to it - but I know I'll be so excited once I get out there.  It's so fun to meet people, and to be doing a non-mom related activity.  Plus it feels great to be earning money for our family, even if it isn't very much.

ball.and.chain

1. Hmmm.  Laptops, phones and chargers, my mom's portrait, our box of important documents, a few pieces of jewelry my wife bought me (engagement and wedding band plus a necklace she bought on our honeymoon), and meds.  I'm assuming I also get to take the cat in her carrier...otherwise, empty out the backpack and put the cat in!

 

2. Most of my pets have been memorable -- our guinea pig because it was our first pet when I was a kid, then we had a dog with emotional issues who got hit by a car a month or two after we got him, then we got a cocker spaniel we had for years who was HORRIBLE -- vicious, territorial, sneaky.  Scout, my cat who had to be put down this summer, was the first pet that was MINE and was notable for her grouchiness.  But our current cat has a VERY big personality and I think she is going to be a stand out over the long run.

 

3. We are, in fact, having a couple of friends over for dinner tomorrow night.  It's sort of a celebration of my wife's birthday, which is next week but our friends will be away then.  She really wanted seafood, so that's what we're having.  Probably some kind of shellfish (raw oysters and/or steamed clams -- I won't be eating the oysters if that's the case) for an appetizer, and then we are having steamed lobsters and a salad (shaved fennel and blood orange? and beets maybe?) for dinner.  I haven't decided on dessert yet, but I usually bake something.  We don't really have a "go-to" menu for guests -- we entertain family or friends fairly often, and what we serve depends a lot on who's coming (some family members are very picky!), how many we're serving, and season (what's in season and whether we have access to the grill).

 

4. Hmmmmm.  I was kind of into Girls, but then we ditched HBO.  And I like Downton Abbey, but not as much as I used to.  In terms of recent movies, I really, really liked Philomena...but I wouldn't say it is a favorite of all time.  I read a lot, but haven't read a really great book in a while.

 

5. A lot.  Maybe too much.  We're going to a baby shower on Saturday morning, then having friends over for dinner (see #3), which means we need to clean and buy food before the shower.  On Sunday my wife works, and I have yoga and brunch plans with a friend.  We often have Sunday dinner with my family, but I'm not sure if I'm feeling it this week.

ball.and.chain

2MamazInSeattle said:

Sooooo I do love to make a nice caramelized carrot puree (one of my specialities, it takes like an hour but tastes like candy and is bright orange and pretty!),

Recipe please!

GoaliesWife123

I'm late to the party, but I'll play!

1. Inspired by @Healz413 - If you had one normal-size backpack to fill and leave your house forever within 15 minutes, what would you put in it? 

Oh man...my cat, some cat food and two of her favorite toys. I'd grab both of our tablets and my pc, my external hard drive, our fire safe box with all of our pictures and important docs. Some clothes for both of us, my jewelry that I was given from my grandmother as well as a set from my aunt and uncle and one from my wife. I'm an expert packer (we can thank backpacking), so I'd also add anything I could from our hiking/backpacking stash. Oh and chargers for everything!

2. Tell us about your most memorable pet ever.

Definitely my current cat. I've had Emma for almost 11 years and we have gone through a lot together. It wasn't until she became an only cat (DW is allergic, so the other two babies are at my Mom and Dads), her personality really flourished. She has more personality than any other animal I've ever met. She beings us pure happiness! She does two things that I love: (1) she is a guard cat. If she hears something that is out of the ordinary, she growls; (2) she loves to sleep under the covers. She will paw at my head until I lift the covers up and then go under and snuggle in the bend of my knee. 

3. If you were having a couple friends over for dinner, what would you serve?

That's a tough call. I love to serve anything Italian. 

4. Favorite TV show or movie or book as of late?

Hmm, my wife and I love to watch modern family. 

5. What's going on this weekend??

Hockey. Lots of hockey. Hockey tonight and hockey tomorrow. In between, I'm going to work, ice my back and that's about it. 

Bonus: PIP something, maybe the pet from #2? Or something fun or happy! 

My girl. I love her. 

GoaliesWife123

Double post, sorry!!