I am in love with Dammann Freres

Last year Blake's sister, Sarah, sent us a box of this unbelievably great tea, by Dammann Freres. I am by no means any sort of tea expert, but this is by far the best tea that I have ever tried. They have so many varieties, and each of them are pretty unique. So far I have tried the Earl Grey (which is delicious with a splash of milk and honey) and we recently tried the Green Tea with mint (yum!). If you enjoy tea, you must try it. For a description of various Dammann Freres teas, visit the tea link at the top of my blog and then click on the flavored tea links. You can also purchase this tea through amazon.com although, they don't have nearly as many flavors as the seattle teacup website. Or, perhaps you're really lucky and live somewhere that actually has a tea shop, and you can purchase it there. I highly recommend it!

Love Is In The Air

My sister, Debi, has informed me that she and her beloved, Barry, got engaged over the holiday!! This is wonderful news, and I am so happy and excited for them. Debi and I were talking on the phone, and laughing at the fact that once people learn of your engagement, the first question that is asked is "so when is the big day...?" Often times I would like to respond with "Well, it's not very often in life that one can claim that they are engaged. Can't we just enjoy being engaged for awhile?" But, of course I am polite, and say "well, we haven't set a date quite yet, but probably sometime in the next year." Or two. Or three.

In the spirit of your special day, I have included some appropriate video footage. When you do decide to tie the knot, may it be special and memorable:



You may want to consider this for your first dance as a married couple:



Barry, welcome to the family!! I am so happy that my sister found such a wonderful man to share her life with. Congratulations!! And, I wish you both the best.

Sneaky little visitor...

Blake and I were having our coffee this morning, and enjoying the view of our backyard. Who needs the nature channel? We put out some bird seed and suet, then sat back to enjoy the show. This morning there were about 30 birds taking turns at the feast. We put some seed on the ground for the squirrels to enjoy, in hopes of keeping them away from the feeders. Blake was taking some pictures of all the excitement. He was saying how he wished we could see some other wildlife, when all of a sudden, this little white animal raced across the hilltop. I completely missed it. He reappeared, racing all over the backyard, until he ran out of sight. Blake decided to look out the front door to see if he was in the yard, then lo and behold...there was the ermine right on the welcome mat! (He probably heard about Liisa's yummy Christmas cookies. --Blake) He is extremely fast - he climbed a tree in a flash. I looked him up online, and found he is a long-tailed weasel. These critters are brown in the summer, and turn white in the winter. They typically live in dens, and eat mice and rats. I don't know how he did it, but Blake was able to get a few photos... they are a tiny bit blurry because this weasel was so dang fast.

We returned from Montreal yesterday. I have to say that Cirque du Soleil was absolutely amazing. There were two women on the trapeze who were fascinating to watch. Although, they made my palms sweaty, and I think I was holding my breath for a bit. There was great comedy and live music between performances. I was disappointed to see the show end, I could have watched for countless hours, I am sure. I can't wait to attend another show!!

'Tis the season

We are getting ready to head to Montreal today for Cirque du Soleil!! After Blake got our tickets, and made our hotel reservation, (all non-refundable), he started feeling like he was coming down with a cold. He has been going to work throughout the week, ingesting some serious vitamin C and TheraFlu, and going to bed really early in hopes of feeling better. It seemed that he was progressively getting worse, and stayed home from work on Friday. We were planning on going to Montreal early to explore, but now it looks as though we will be going later in the day, in time to catch the show and then going straight to the hotel for a romantic evening of sniffling, sneezing, coughing, and SLEEP!! Poor Blake. Hopefully he is still able to enjoy himself. Our plan was to drive to Blake's parents house on Sunday, and stay for a few days through Christmas. We may end up coming home, resting up for a couple days, and then going to the parental homestead for Christmas day.

We have had a couple of snow storms, and have had 30+ inches of snow accumulation for the month of December. This is in the top 10 for snowiest December's on record. According to the Farmer's Almanac, we are in for a pretty brutal winter. I think it might be fun to have a really snowy winter. I haven't experienced one for quite some time. I was watching a show on public television about Vermont history, and there was an older gentleman talking about the winters he experienced as a boy. He remembered times when you couldn't see out the first floor windows of his house because the snow was so deep. Okay, that would be a bit much. I couldn't imagine digging myself out of the house, or being marooned for several days, unable to go anywhere. But, a white Christmas will be nice. And, for now, it sure looks beautiful.

Cirque du Soleil

I am so excited!! I have wanted to see Cirque du Soleil for quite some time... and the opportunity has finally arrived. Blake noticed that Cirque will be visiting Montreal next weekend, and asked if I would be interested. INTERESTED?? Uh, I'll go pack my bags right now. He discovered there were still some seats left, and we decided to sit one level up from the ground, hoping that it would provide the best viewing opportunities. The show we are going to is called "Saltimbanco." Saltimbanco is an old italian word for street artist. Saltimbanco is a Cirque du Soleil signature show inspired by the urban fabric of the metropolis and its colorful inhabitants. Decidedly baroque in its visual vocabulary, the show's eclectic cast of characters draws spectators into a fanciful, dreamlike world, an imaginary city where diversity is a cause for hope. www.cirquedusoleil.com This is one of Cirque's longest running shows, and should be a wonderful treat. On another happy note, I received 100% on my math presentation, and an "A" in the course. I received 100% on my seven page research paper for Psychologoy, and an "A" in the course. The reason I am sharing this, is for a couple different reasons. I have never in my life received an A in math. And, I was very excited about the grade on my research paper, because I haven't written a paper in a very long time. I was a little stressed about it. So, it's just very rewarding to see that all of my hard work paid off. : )

It's Official...

Winter is here. We had some freezing rain and sleet overnight, and we are expected to get 5-10 inches of snow today and tonight. It will continue to snow throughout the week, with some additional accumulation on Friday. I wasn't feeling ready for this a couple of weeks ago, but now I am getting excited at the thought of strapping on my snowshoes, heading out the back door and enjoying the season. I found a picture of this snowy path, just begging for someone with a sled or a pair of snowshoes. : ) We stocked up on hot chocolate and Fluff (mmmmmm), and I'm going to make a big pot of stew this week, so we're all set. I made an appointment (about six weeks ago) at Costco to have my winter tires put on. Today was the first opening they had. Unfortunately, today is also the day of our first winter storm. Blake, being the wonderful fiance that he is, volunteered to drive my car to work today, and then stop at Costco on his way home to have the tires put on. I guess next year I'll need to make my appointment in September!!

I am up to my elbows in my research paper and math project. I will be happy to have everything done... then I can relax and have some fun! My psychology research paper topic is about Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder). It's really quite interesting, and it's been fascinating to read about. The research paper has been slightly stressful, considering I haven't written a paper since like 1989....

Stay warm, Vermonters!

Two More Weeks

Just two more weeks of studying... two more weeks... two more weeks... I have to put together a presentation for my Mathematical Concepts class, and write a five page research paper on Multiple Personality Disorder for Psychology. Oh yeah, in addition to my regular homework and tests. Actually, this has been a pretty enjoyable semester. I actually enjoyed my math class (I never thought I would put the words "enjoyable" and "math" in the same sentence). And, Psychology has been pretty interesting. But, I am really looking forward to a five week break. Ya-hoo!! I would like to spend some time reading, drawing, cooking, playing in the snow, and spending some time with my betrothed. Next semester I will be taking Anatomy and Physiology II and Vermont History, both of which will be online classes. After winter semester, I am looking forward to taking the summer off. I will be applying to the Dental Hygiene program in March, and if accepted, I will begin classes in Fall 2008. So, keep your fingers crossed for me. : ) I have been told not to be surprised if I don't get in on my first attempt. But, I am really hoping to get in. I really don't want to wait another year. There are approximately 100 applicants and 24 slots. Did I mention it would be great if you would keep your fingers crossed for me??