Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving this year was super fun - we had it at our apartment (but Kevin had to work)

Dad peeling potatoes 

Marisa, Sherri and Mom

Danny helping peel

Jared with the turkey they're going to fry

The frier 

The fried turkey

Wishbone

Sherri so happy

Mom, Dad, Erik, Sherri, Marisa and Jared

Jules, Danny, me, Mom

Very fun year - the fried turkey is definitely one to remember :)

The group - Danny, Jules, Mom, Dad, Sherri, Marisa, me, Jared and Erik

The epic pyramid - everyone should do a Thanksgiving pyramid!

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - #4

I have a love/hate relationship with this book.  I heard so many great things about it so I decided to give it a chance about two years ago.  I got about 30-40 pages in and couldn't continue.  For my birthday, my good friend Carrie bought it for me and sent it to me (she lives in N.Y.)  I attempted to read it again and got to about page 100.  However, it's been a thorn in my side because I really wanted to know what everyone was talking about and Carrie bought it for me, so I put it on my list.  

I finished it on December 1st (instead of working on a big paper) and I have to say, it took awhile but I did manage to get into it.  I still wasn't obsessed with it but then I started reading the sequel:

I really really liked the sequel - it read much quicker and you already knew the characters (something I felt took the first book forever to establish) and now I'm reading the 3rd one.

30 for 30 Item #3 - the crock pot

One of the things on my list was to finally use the crock pot we got for our wedding about 2 1/2 years ago.  It has been nicely collecting dust in it's nice box on the shelf that is above our sink and runs along the ceiling.  Along with the crock pot sits a box full of champagne glasses, a quesadilla maker and a box of bowls.  

I decided that Thanksgiving was the perfect day to bust it out.  

Kevin opening the box - tearing through the tape.

Pretty, shiny new crock pot :)

I'm attempting to make a spinach artichoke dip for my first go.

Nervous!  Putting it in.

Yum!  2 hours later - delicious dip.

And Sherri, the Queen of dips, gave it a thumbs up

Disneyland with Carrie and her Family

One of my very dear friends, Carrie, left me for New York last year, but she came back to visit for Thanksgiving.  Luckily I was able to meet up with her family and meet her boyfriend at Disneyland (the happiest place on Earth) the day before Thanksgiving.

Justin and Carrie

Carrie's crazy/fun family - Sam, Rachel, Carrie, Justin and Lily

In line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

The boys had their hoods on

Love it at this time of year

Justin, Sam, Rachel, Lily, Briana and Carrie

Carrie's two cousins were hilarious and so much fun.  It was also great to get to know Carrie's siblings, Sam and Lily, and I was so happy to meet Justin after hearing so much about him.

It's always so hard to make time for friends when visiting from out of town (or state) so I was really happy that I got almost 8 hours at Disneyland with Carrie - and spent most of that time in line for all the fun rides.  This gave us lots of time to chat and catch up - and I hope I can visit her in N.Y. soon.

B-I-N-G-O! #2

So, for the past six months to a year, I have heard about Bingo night at the Catholic Church in Redondo Beach called St. James Catholic Church.  I always have school on Thursday nights but our teachers went on strike two weeks ago (the night after my big test) and lo-and-behold it was Bingo night!

Sherri and Jim Joe (expert Bingo player)

Me and Sherri with our Bingo cards and blotters

Me, Susie (with Seger in the carseat) and Dalia

Serious business - Danny, Sherri and Jim Joe

I don't think I have ever really played Bingo before (Jim Joe was pretty much the only expert) and let me tell you - it is intense!  These people take it very seriously and even bring lucky charms like Troll dolls and rubber duckies.  We all had a blast and plan on going back soon - with lucky charms!

30 for 30 - Item #1 - Thai food

The first thing I managed to cross off my 30 for 30 list is to try Thai food.

We asked around (Kevin had never tried it either) and this restaurant was given a thumbs up

We ordered a spicy seafood soup - it was really good except I bit into one of those red things in the bowl and oh my gosh - I have never tried anything so spicy!  I was literally crying, coughing and felt like I could hardly breathe.  I almost wish I had a picture of my face lol

This was really good - I forget what it was called

Overall, big thumbs up minus those red things - do not ever eat them!

I also liked that this was my fortune:  especially considering that my big comprehensive test was coming up in 2 or 3 weeks at this point

1 thing done - 29 to go

30 by 30 - in progress

• This is my list [in progress] - I have already done a few things so I need to start blogging about it.  
• 
  
• Bring it on!
• 
  
• 
  
• Play Bingo at St. James w/friends
• Visit Carrie and Jamie in NY - and Somer in Boston
• Make Something in my CrockPot
• Hike the Waterfall in Malibu
• Read the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Eat at the Stinking Rose
• Try Thai food
• Finish our Wedding Album - and Order It
• Actually visit Erik in Pasadena
• Trapeze again at Santa Monica Pier
• Snowboard Mammoth
• Hike to the Hollywood Sign
• Visit La Brea Tarpits/Museum of Tolerance
• Visit Lindy's apartment in Huntington Beach
• Score a perfect score on Just Dance
• Fix my headlight
• Visit Catalina Island
• Meet my nephew Lincoln Triplett
• Do a 1/2 Marathon
• Run Runyan Canyon in L.A.
• Drive Highway 1 in the Porsche
• Get a Real Job aka A Job as an Adjunct
• Pass the Comps/Graduate Grad School

p.s. Any suggestions would be appreciated :)

Comps are OVER!

Monday, November 14th and Wednesday, November 16th were the two days of my comprehensive exams.  There were 3 parts total - one part Monday, two parts yesterday, and today I feel like I got run over by a truck.  My head hurts, I'm exhausted, but I definitely feel the relief and weight lifted off my shoulders that the test has been taken and, for the moment, I don't have to worry about it.  I find out my results in about 3 weeks - so, until then, I only have to write two short papers, have a midterm and write a 10-15 page paper.  No sweat haha.  I should be posting things more regularly now that the stress of the test is over - but for now here are a few funny slides to show you guys all the rhetoric I have been learning:

Plato is the theorist I wrote my last essay for the exams on - I hope I was right in what I wrote about him 

This one cracks me up

And this is great too