I hear wedding bells!

Congratulations go out to my brother Joe and his lovely lady Brianna! They got engaged on Christmas morning!

Joe had big plans for New Year's Eve proposal, but, as I'm sure most men can agree with, once you've made a decision and that little ring is in your pocket, you can't wait to just pop the question.

Brianna was surprised and Joe was shaking with anxious excitement as her family watched the proposal -- she said YES!

I'm getting a sister-in-law! I'm excited for another family wedding, bridal showers and engagement celebrations. Not necessarily in that order :) Let the good times roll!

Congratulations, you two!

Team Thompson is thankful for friends!

It might be Christmas Eve, but I'm going to write about Thanksgiving. Finally!

We spent Thanksgiving with our friends Brandon, Heather and 2-year-old Eva Brackett in Santa Clara. As fellow imports from Washington, the Bracketts and the Thompsons have spent a few recent holidays together when we aren’t able to travel to see family.

We’re so grateful for the Brackets and their friendship. What’s funny is that although all four of us attended WSU at the same time, we didn’t know each other – well, we recognized Brandon because he was an RA for the residence halls – but we didn’t know him. I was introduced last year to Heather via Facebook by a mutual WSU Coug friend. This friend, April, knew Heather and I, living only miles apart as complete strangers, were both caught in a simply devastating situation: neither of us had someone with whom we could watch New Moon, the second movie in the Twilight saga. Well, following the fateful Facebook introduction, we met up at the movie theater and thus began a beautiful friendship :)

We went to the WSU vs. Stanford game in October and took our friends, the Elletts, too (far left). I'm sure we'll write about the Elletts soon! Pictured: Travis, Leigh Ann, Justin, Brandon, Heather, Laura and Ben.

Thanksgiving was a marvelous feast. Heather made the turkey, which Justin volunteered to carve, and we and others brought lots of yummy side dishes and desserts. We all ate until we were full to the brim, played tea party and blocks with Eva, watched Christmas cartoons and looked over Black Friday specials in the circulars before it was time to go home.

Thank you, Bracketts, for hosting and taking in those with family far, far away!

Happy Birthday, MOM!!

Happy Birthday, MOM!!

I praise the Lord for all the blessings he's given, especially for my momma and family. Mom - you're inspiring in so many ways. Life, in the last few years, has thrown some rather sizable wrenches in your bike wheels, but you've remained a "glass half full" kinda gal, and that's something I aspire to be myself. Your steadfast faith and continuous thanksgiving for all things shows through in your actions and words, providing me with a frequent reminder that Jesus says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33).

Happy Birthday, mom! Thank you for all you do :)

Tough as nails

Hello my name is Christine and I’m a nail bitter. Yesterday was roughly my 48th day without (consciously) biting my nails to the nubbins.

However, just this last Wednesday while at work, I noticed part of my nail was rough around the edges. I thought I’d help round it out using my fine-tuned nail biting tooth. Before I knew it, the nail was gone. Then, within minutes, two more disappeared.

I was not happy with myself. Especially because they’re tender now…they’d been grown out long enough that my fingers had become accustomed to having more of a layer of protection at the tips.

I’m ashamed.

I’m even more ashamed as I write this because, as I was preparing pictures for this post, I noticed that the middle finger nail on my right hand has suffered the same fate. When this happened, I don’t know.

Here are pictures of my most recent work. I call them "Digits of Shame."

I’d like to point out that the ring finger of my right hand has a shorter nail because I filed it down after it chipped. I used an actual file! My thumb nails never really came along – I know I bite them during work, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays before my newsletter goes out.

Ah ha! It’s the newsletter’s fault. The newsletter made me do it.

PS - If you have an iPhone, you should download the Retro Camera app. It's awesome. These pics were taken using the FudgeCan option.

Happy Birthday, Joe!!

Happy Birthday, JOE!!

You've had quite a year, what with all this adult business you've taken on...getting a job, coaching a football team and helping out mom and dad as they both recovered from surgeries. I wish we lived closer together so we could take part in celebrating your recent accomplishments, but know that though we're far away, we're so proud of all you're doing and we're celebrating right along with you.


Keep on rockin'!

The Rabes visit their old stompin' grounds

Finally getting around to this post -- November has been a bit nutty for us as Justin started his six-day work weeks about three weeks before Thanksgiving. Also, in all honesty, I spend about 8 hours a day writing articles at work, so when I shut the compy down for the night, I often lack motivation to turn it on and write a blog post. Especially when Justin is at work on Saturdays, leaving me free to sit on the couch with a bowl of mac n' cheese and watch Twilight.

What?

Right, we'll get back to it.

My Aunt Kathy and Uncle Lou Rabe (who live in Illinois) came to visit us in early November. We were part of their travel circuit after they'd spent time with family in Washington celebrating Uncle Lou's retirement from the world of airline piloting. They were also visiting to celebrate Aunt Kathy & Uncle Robert's birthday (they're twins).

The Rabes came to California during the week, so we weren't able to play tourist with them, but we were able to spend the evenings together.

What's fun about the Aunt Kathy and Uncle Lou coming to the Bay Area is that they are quite familiar with this neck of the woods. Aunt Kathy moved down to San Francisco after college and Uncle Lou, retired Navy, used to be stationed at Moffett Field in Mountain View -- which happens to be a stone's throw away from our little place. Small world, eh?

The first night of the trip they came over to our place for dinner and I made Rachael Ray's Winter White Burgers. Now, listen to me when I say this, peeps. This burger is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. You forget how good it us until it touches your lips.

Here's the recipe: Winter White Burger

I use jalapeno jelly, just FYI.

The second night we went to dine at B Street & Vine, a fun little wine and jazz bar in San Mateo, for an evening filled with good conversation, fun appetizers, jazz and wine. We're so grateful the Rabes came to visit us down in California -- it's not often I get to spend 1:1 time with my aunts and uncles so I very much cherish these little moments we spend together.

Happy Birthday, DAD!!!

Happy Birthday, DAD!!!

This isn't just another birthday for you -- well to me it isn't, anyway. In your 63rd year, you have a refurbished heart that I would love to see give you 63 more years :) I don't know how Justin and I would be where we are today without you. We're thankful for your support, knowledge, motorhome, faithfulness, wisdom, encouragement, groundedness and, most of all, for your love.

Here's a birthday hug for you!

The Bucket List email

There is an email, a chain letter of sorts, going around in my family titled, "The Bucket List." It's a list of adventurous activities you are to place an X next to, acknowledging your participation in such activities.

As I went through the list, I found myself inserting comments and short stories about my experiences. I stopped half way, realizing that the email was to be kept to the point, and that if I had a hankering to elaborate, I should do so on a blog. Well, I have a blog because I get these so-called hankerings from time to time. So, here we go:

Have you ever:

(my commentary is after the --- )

This is for your Entire Life!!.......

x	Shot a gun -- several. BB guns, rifles, dart guns, pellet guns
	Gone on a blind date
X	Skipped school -- a few of us in high school skipped our 0-hr class to go get lattes instead. Rebels. College, however, is a different story. I was known to take the occasional "personal day."
	Watched someone die. --- Dying, yes. Die, no.
X	Been to Canada -- band trips, baby.
	Been to Alaska -- I hear you can see Russia from there
	Been to Cuba --- I hear there was a missile crisis. Opt out.
X	Been to Europe/Asia --- I've been to London and Ireland. I went with my friend Jen!
	Been to South America
	Been to Las Vegas --- surprisingly, no. My friend Jeff lives and teaches there now so I'm sure I'll go at some point, but I've never gone to party or walk the strip. I guess I'm not in the cool club.
	Been to Mexico --- no, but I want to. I think it'd be a fun girls' trip.
	Been to Florida --- I don't care for sharks and I feel the same about alligators.
X	Been on a plane --- a time or two
	Served on a Jury
X	Been lost --- ha!
x	Been on the opposite side of the country --- If you count the Atlanta airport and Ft. Benning in Georgia as the other side, then yes.
	Gone to Washington , DC --- however, I'm still proud to be an American.
X	Swam in the Ocean --- yes, I've even been snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. I couldn't breath most of the time because I was terrified. I wasn't one to go any deeper than the length of my snorkel. That's a funny sentence to read out of context, btw.
x	Swam in the Ocean with Dolphins --- There were dolphins outside of the supposed "secure" snorkeling area on the reef. So...by association, yes. There was also a dumb woman who ventured outside the roped off area to get closer to the dolphins. Thank goodness I was back on the boat, with a beer, so I was safe inside in case sharks attacked. In my head I was screaming, "WOMAN! WE ARE IN AUSTRALIA. YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO DIE OUT THERE," but I didn't...I just watched from the window, too scared to actually say anything, so I just drank my beer. I drank a lot of beer in Australia. There, I said it.
x	Cried yourself to sleep --- it wasn't pretty. It never is. I'm an ugly crier. (That's for you, Heather B.)
X	Played Cops and Robbers
X	Played Cowboys and Indians --- I think we played more of this than cops and robbers
?	Recently colored with crayons (within the last 2 years) The answer here is possibly. I've colored with glitter markers, but I can't say absolutely yes to crayons.
X	Sang Karaoke --- the folks I worked with at my old gig in Seattle were big time Karaoke fans. We hit the Little Red Hen and some creepy places in Chinatown more than I'd like to admit.
	Sang in a band --- I was asked to be in a band that never formed, but that doesn't count. However, I was in an acapella group in middle school and chamber choir in high school... not necessarily bands, but groups singing together.
X	Paid for a meal with coins only --- If you count food from vending machines that have to act in place of a meal, then yes.
X	Made prank phone calls --- Heather P. and I got to be pretty awesome prank callers back in the day. Sorry, boys.
x	Laughed until some beverage came out of your nose --- it stings.
X	Caught a snowflake on your tongue
	Danced in the rain --- I do not care for the rain. I will not dance in it or for it.
X	Written a letter to Santa Claus --- he's never written back.
X	Been kissed under the mistletoe --- I like mistletoe.
	Watched the sunrise with someone --- Not intentionally, anyway. I've been places with other people when the sun rose, but I've never gone out of my way to take someone somewhere to watch it. I like the idea of it. We even talked about getting up to go watch one on our Honeymoon in Hawaii, but it didn't happen. I'm more of a sunset person.
X	Blown bubbles --- duh
x	Gone ice skating
X	Gone skiing --- don't want to ever again. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. I don't give up often, but when I went skiing (more like human snowball rolling down a hill) I sat down half way down a hill and waited for someone to come get me. I was also more sore the next day than I've ever been in my life. Horrible. Sledding, however, is fun.
X	Camped out under the stars --- a few times as a kid in our treehouse or on the patio to watch a meteor shower. Justin and I do enjoy camping, though we don't get to it that often in California. And here is a reason why.
	Took a vacation alone --- I'd feel bad leaving JT behind
X	Seen something so beautiful that it took your breath away --- I find it's hard to breathe when I look in the mirror. JUST KIDDING. Totally kidding. I have seen some beautiful sunsets, though.
X	Are or have been married --- Team Thompson, baby!
	Have children --- someday
X	Have or had a pet --- Yes. Here is a list, in case you were wondering. Goldie (cat), Jessica (dog), Playful (cat), Wilber (fish), tadpoles (I caught them in a pond in Pomeroy...some grew to be small frogs, but it's hard to catch flies to feed to baby frogs so they didn't make it too long), Willy (killer dog), Kirby (dumb dog), mice (yes, I found and kept field mice in a box, but threw them outside after I discovered one had died and the others were eating it. Sick.), Flopsy & Mopsy (Matt's gerbils, Pete (devil cat. A cat that I will never actually claim to be a pet, though my parents fed it and it lived on our back porch for more than 5 years).
X	Been fishing --- for small fish in the pond in Pomeroy, as well as in the irrigation pond at the Olmstead's house.
X	Been boating
x	Been Water Skiing --- more like water crashing. I'm not good at it at all. I can hardly get up. It's pathetic.
X	Been Hiking --- lots of fun hiking areas around us in CA
X	Been camping in a trailer/RV --- And I'm thankful for the time I spent there.
X	Flown in a small 4-seater airplane --- It was piloted by none other than my cousin Andrew!
	Flown in a biplane --- well, maybe, if the plane flown by Andrew had 2 seats instead of 4.
	Flown in a plane doing acrobatics
	Flown in a glider --- no thank you
	Been flying in a helicopter --- would like to
	Been flying in a hot air balloon --- not sure I want to, but my in-laws have!
	Been bungee-jumping --- I just can't see how that's good for your skeleton
X	Gone to a drive-in movie --- we had a good time with the Coxes!
X	Done something that should have killed you --- Yes, I drive in 24+ miles of California traffic 5+ days a week.
X	Done something that you will regret (feel sad about) for the rest of your life. --- yes, and I try very hard to forget about such things. They make my tummy flip and my face turn red. I'm not going to write about them, either.
	Been to Africa --- I'd like to see Egypt sometime
x	Ever ride an elephant --- at the circus!
X	Ever eaten just cookies for dinner --- C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me. Oh. Ehem. What?
X	Ever been on T.V. --- in the background of news reports, but never in a show or something in which I've been an ac-tor (please say this aloud as if you are Jenna Maroney from 30 Rock)
X	Ever steal any traffic signs --- I've attempted to, but chickened out. They're screwed on pretty well, I might add.
X	Ever been in a car accident --- In a 4 car fender-bender in 2008 while driving south on I-5 in Seattle. I also backed into someone in the parking lot in high school. My cars, however, have been in more accidents by themselves.
	Bailed out of Helicopter/Plane --- I've always wanted to skydive, but it's expensive and I'm a bit of a tightwad.

Have a nickname?	Queen Latifah, Lady Aberlin, Sister Hazel (these three were assigned by my brothers...the first two are for reasons unbeknownst to me), Chris, Chrissy-K, K-Rabe (long story)
Body piercings?	currently: 2 Previously: 6 (2 in right ear, 3 in left ear, 1 in belly button)
Do you drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle?	4
Favorite NUMBER?	5
Favorite movie?	Love Actually, Goonies
Favorite dessert?	ice cream
Where do you see yourself in 10 years	I've tried to stop planning ahead -- someone else is in control :) however, if it's an evening such as this, I'd like to be snuggled up with my hoosband and some kiddos, eating popcorn and watching a movie
Furthest place you will send this message?	Better yet, reply to this with a comment to let us know where you're reading from
Mother’s name	Ginger (Virginia)
Favorite Drink	coffee

California Girls

My dear friend Linsley came to visit the weekend after my birthday. Whenever the three of us are together, it's guaranteed there will be at least three instances where laughing attacks threaten to send food or drink shooting from our noses.

Linsley and I grew up together in Grandview. On occasion, I would babysit Linsley and her two little sisters. It was probably one of my more favorite babysitting gigs because their mom, Gina, would pick me up to take me to their house for the evening, and on the way there we'd pick up a Morrie's pizza for dinner. Also, the girls were not babies, which made watching them easier because they were fun, well behaved and quite delightful. They had a relatively early bedtime, they had endless supplies of Diet Dr. Pepper in the garage and they had That Thing You Do on VHS. Every time I watched the girls, after they had brushed, flushed and put to bed, I'd pop open a Diet Dr. Pepper and pop in That Thing You Do.

But I digress...

Linsley and I came to be great friends over the years and spent a lot of time together when I lived in Seattle and she attended Seattle Pacific University. She got to know Justin well, too, and when the time came, we asked Linsley to be a bridesmaid in our wedding. After we moved away, she was one of our first California guests and was lucky enough to visit when we lived in the motorhome in Morgan Hill. We called her our Motorhomie.

We went to San Francisco the first time she came for a visit, but we were just newbies ourselves and didn't know the first thing about playing tourist in the city. We went back this time to see some new sites, such as Coit Tower, Lombard Street and The Painted Ladies (a.k.a. the Full House houses). We even went on a 1-hour Bay cruise that took us under the bridge and next to Alcatraz.

Listening to the cruise commentary.

The mighty Golden Gate.

Justin was so happy to be on a boat with two beautiful ladies, he couldn't keep his eyes open!

Alcatraz.

The descent: Lombard Street.

A Trip Down Lombard Street. Narrated by Team Thompson and the Motorhomie.

Linsley, a man and The Painted Ladies (the houses shown at the end of the Full House intro)

The supposed real Full House house.

Justin and Linsley at Coit Tower.

Team Thompson with the Bay Bridge in the background.

On the way home we stopped for burgers at Burger Meister in Daly City and then drove out to the beach to catch the sunset. Afterward, we had a little ice cream birthday cake at home.
Lins and I left JT at home Sunday and walked down the road for a pedicure before we took her back to the airport. We were so glad to have another of our friends from home come visit. It was a great weekend of catching up, eating, girl talk, laughing, touring and enjoying each other's company.

My, my...what long nails you have

I've discovered that a decent amount of will power and specific goal will help me keep my finger nails away from my chompers.

I am happy to report my nails have gone nearly untouched for about two weeks now, and we're making good progress! The only time I've caught myself (so really, who's to say how many times I've slipped up and it's gone unnoticed) was last Wednesday when the newsletter I put together for work was due to go out and the program which we use to send it was experiencing technical difficulties. There are few things more irritating and nerve-racking than that.

It was Misters Pointer and Thumb, on both hands, that were the unfortunate victims of my anxiety about the newsletter being delayed.

Here are a few pictures, for good measure.
It may not look like much, but to see any white part of a nail on my hand is a rarity. As I said before, the only other time they've had much length was on my wedding day.

Mom, I'll look for your check in the mail ;)

We're Golden

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes, calls, cards, gifts and love. This year marked my golden birthday, meaning I turned 28 on the 28th -- an event I've been looking forward to for some 20 odd years now. Fun fact: Justin and I both celebrated our golden birthdays this year...his was in May!

Justin made birthday breakfast, decorating in all things gold to start the day. I bumped up some of my meetings so I could leave work a bit early as Justin had plans to get us to an undisclosed location for birthday dinner, which meant leaving in plenty of time so we'd miss traffic.

A Golden Birthday Breakfast

We headed west and ended up in Half Moon Bay for dinner at the Moss Beach Distillery. I've heard about this place from a few co-workers who've enjoyed the restaurant's great menu and outdoor seating around the fire pits where you can watch the sunset. I love sunsets and I love great food, so Justin's pick was perfect! If you ever go, you must try the fried artichoke hearts!

Team Thompson at the Moss Beach Distillery in Half Moon Bay

Justin was so excited about dinner he couldn't keep his eyes open!Thanks to Maggie, my outfit was complete with darling danglely gold earrings!

We came back home for presents and phone calls. We also caught the end of the Giants vs. Rangers game, where the Giants cinched their second win of the series!

Some of the loot!

Thanks again to everyone who joined in celebrating with us -- you sure know how to make a girl feel loved!

Happy Birthday Lee!

Happy birthday to a wonderful father and father-in-law!
May this day of celebration be filled with much love, cake and mountain biking.

We love you!

I have 7 days

No, no. I didn’t watch a video and then receive a phone call from a creepy-voiced character telling me I have 7 days.

I have 7 days to kick a habit.

A habit I’ve had all my life.

I bite my nails.

The only time I managed to stop was right before my wedding. I wore a rubber band on my wrist and snapped myself anytime I realized I was biting my nails. I guess the wedding was motivation, but as soon as it was over, so was the rubber band snapping and soon my nails were gone again.

The reason I have given myself 7 days is because today is 7 days away from my 28^th birthday. My mom has always said she had a habit of biting her nails when she was young, but stopped when she was 28. Her reason: she got engaged at 28 and didn’t want people looking at her ring and then turning up their nose at her short fingernails that had obviously been destroyed by her own teeth.

Whenever mom would tell me the story about how it took a ring at age 28 for her to stop, I would simply reply, “well I have ___ years left then!”

Well, D Day has arrived. It’s time. I can no longer cling to my last “reasonable” justification for a bad habit I believe developed in the womb.

We’ve tried the liquid you paint on your nails that burns and leaves a horrible taste in your mouth if you bite. We’ve tried scraping a bar of soap (a Grandma Chris recommendation), but my nails were barely long enough to do much scraping. We’ve even tried bribes…my mom offered me $10 a fingernail if I could grown them out and keep them that way for a certain amount of time. We’ve tried all sorts of tricks, tips, punishments and bets.

So, with the 28^th in sight, I have painted my nails to help me out in this all-or-nothing attempt to stop. I’ve already repainted my two pointer fingers and as you’ll note from the pictures below, I’ll need to repaint them again tonight.

These were taken at 11:44 a.m. this morning. I’m going to post pictures from time to time to help hold myself to my challenge.

Wish me and my 10 buddies luck.

Why Scrambled Eggs Remind Me of My Cat

I had a friend named Kristine when I was little. We met in Sunday School and quickly became friends because we shared a name and because were wearing the same sweater the day we met. It was red and black with several black bows attached to the front. It was pretty stylin’.

Kristine and I would go to one another’s houses almost every Sunday after church. At her house we’d play outside in the tree fort or their motor home, inside throwing things down the laundry shoot and we’d even go down the street at her neighbor’s house so we could jump on their trampoline.

Kristine’s family had a few farm cats around, and one Sunday, one of the momma kitties introduced us to her new litter. I fell deeply in love with the runt. I felt bad that he was small and I felt even worse when Kristine’s dad explained the likely fate of a runt. I scooped him up, called my parents and begged them to let me bring the little guy home.

I had to do a lot of begging, but I got to bring Runt home. We’d only ever had a pet dog that we called our own. Her name was Jessica. We had all sorts of stray cats and dogs wondering around, but Jessica was ours. She got run over by a cement truck right in front of my brothers and me one day while we were out with our mom who was turning on the irrigation pump. But that’s another story for another time.

Runt was a playful kitty and grew to be one of the larger cats I’ve ever seen. He enjoyed attacking his rainbow colored bear and joining me in a game of “chase your brothers around the house.” He was so playful that my second-grade self decided that his name should be Playful.

Yes. I named a cat a verb. I was in second grade, ok!

Playful, in true farm cat form, would sometimes take his playfulness a little too far. Without notice, he would attack, claws bared and sharp teeth glinting. We quickly learned that he didn’t enjoy being petted anywhere but his head. Once in a while, he’d let us stroke his back, but if you liked your hands, legs and even face scar free, it behooved you to stick to his head only.

Playful, being the lucky animal we called our real pet, was allowed to come in the house from time to time. Other animals had to tough it outside 24/7.

Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for…

Sometimes he even got bowls of leftover salmon. What a lucky kitty!

If we ran out of cat food, I’d scramble an egg in the micro for Playful. Good golly did he love scrambled eggs. I think he liked how it kept his coat shiny. He’d scarf them right up and then go back outside to hunt gophers, birds and the occasional, unfortunate, bunny.

Playful was in our lives until the fall I went to college. My mom called me at school to let me know that shortly after I left for WSU, Playful disappeared. They hadn’t found him anywhere, but she just wanted me to know. I was ok with that, he was old. However, I did like to pretend he was roaming the Palouse in search of me because he missed curling up, one foot over the other, next to me on my bed. And no one else at home was going to make him a scrambled egg.

I went home for Thanksgiving break my freshmen year. At some point during the week, my brothers were outside raking leaves, and I was inside helping mom in the kitchen. There was a tap on the window by the kitchen sink so I stood on my tiptoes to find the source. It was my bro Matt. He had a sly grin on his face and then he said, “Hey Chris, I found your cat!” As he said “I found your cat” he lifted up the pitchfork. Lying (not speared) across it, legs crossed, was the barely-there (and still furry, sorry) carcass of my cat.

Playful had passed in his sleep, right in the bushes lining our back yard. I can’t really remember my reaction to the cat on the pitchfork…I probably yelped, chuckled and felt a twinge of sadness, especially because my theory of Playful on the Palouse was busted...but I do remember grabbing a shovel and going out in the orchard with Matt to bury the ol’ Playful.

Playful on the Palouse…now there is an interesting movie name.