2011: Day 54

6:00 pm

I'd been home from work maybe 15 minutes and you could barely make out my tire tracks in the driveway.  It is snowing THAT much.  Hard to believe. 

Even more hard to believe:  In a mere 18 hours, I will be teeing off on a beautiful, green golf course...in the sun. 

Hey Mother Nature, put that in your pipe and smoke it! 

2011: Day 53

This is our boy cat...known by a variety of names:  Willie, Willie Lunchmeat, Willie Big Mitts, Wilbur, Man-Whore, Willboy, Whoop-Whoop Willlie, Will and my favorite, Sir...as in, "Good morning Sir!  Would you care for some hambone with your kibble?"

Well, Sir decided to come home after a week-long self imposed exile to Lord knows where.  I guess you'd need a good warm sleep after carousing in this cold weather for a week, too. 

Yep, this was our boy one week ago today, trying out Abby's new bed (because that's how he rolls...what belongs to her belongs to him!) while watching Biggest Loser with us:

One angst filled week (for us humans) later, he strolled home, howling on the back deck for sustenance.  And of course, we're happy to oblige.  He's a little scraped up and dirty and I don't even want to know what he's been doing.  We're just relieved he's home safe and sound.

 Molly's excited too...can't you tell?  For the record, her back is facing him.  She's had juuuust about enough of his wandering shenanigans.  Again people, she's big-boned.  Heh heh... 

Abby is very excited as well...

Haha...actually I found these shots of her on the camera when I downloaded the Willie shots.  I'm not sure who took them but finding these was like finding a $20 bill in your coat...good stuff! 

Homework can really take it out of ya, huh?! 

And last but certainly not least,  I share another photo that makes me smile.  Actually, it's two photos in one!  Woohoo...double prizes!  I give you Hayley and Kryger...holding Hayley and Kryger:

Kryger is Hayley's volleyball coach extraordinaire.  She rocks.  I could go on and on, but that is a whole nother blog post.  Last week was her birthday and she came over to celebrate Liebel style:  with killer burgies, home made fries and Dew dumplings.  And she brought her dear friends, the Jacksons, over too.  So much fun.  One of her gifts was this photo taken at Hayley's Senior Night.  Hayley was presenting a team gift to Kryger and I happened to catch this great laugh between them.  It so sums up their relationship and this one truly makes me smile.  Like I said, this season of volleyball deserves its own post...and it will happen.  Awards night is March 7th, so it will be shortly after that.  

Now, I'm going to go hug on my kitty cat.  And have a word with him about his less-than-stellar behavior! 

2011: Day 45

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

A little bit of Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Iced lovin'

 for all my Valentines!  The best part is...they're mini-sized!  Can you stand it?  The mini's are going into work with me.  The regulation sized cuppies, they're staying right here!

You say you need a close up?

Yeahhhhh...

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day with the ones they love. 

My Valentines? Couldn't live without 'em!  <3 <3 <3

One should note:  Photo taken after a very teary Senior Night celebration at Hayley's last home Volleyball match.  {{sniffle sniffle}}

 



2011: Day 44

So, I'm not doing so well with my Picture-a-Day plans.  Apparently I've been lax in other areas as well.  For example, this was at 1:00 this afternoon:

Hmmm...now that's just plain awkward. 

And at 1:03 this afternoon:

Much better, yes? 

Here's to a Happy Valentines Day!  Go hug your sweetie!   =)

2011: Day 23

ACCEPTED!

Hayley received her first college acceptance letter yesterday!  The University of Portland wants my kid.  This was a big moment, being the first acceptance letter and all.  But honestly, do you see the color of her shirt there?  UW purple baby!  She won't hear back from the University of Washington until March so while this letter is great, its more of a back-up plan.  Our girl wants to be a Dawg!!

Meanwhile, the studying continues.  Allow me to introduce one of Hayley's best buds, making his very first photo appearance on the blog:  JARED!

They've been classmates in the ORCA program for the past 2 years and became fast friends.  He came over last night to work on a lab with Hayley.  There may have been Milano's and chocolate brownie FroYo involved.  Just sayin'.  Jared is one of my Blog Nazi's...he keeps me honest by ohhh so gently urging me to update the blog when I lapse into blogging apathy.  For example, a gentle Facebook prod from Jared...please do enjoy:

Last blog update was on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2010

                                       do you see a problem here?

That was written on December 24, 2010.  He makes a very good point.  Thanks Jared...I actually need the prodding!

Well, the hubby comes home from a SoCal business/golf  trip tonight.  Yes, that is an emphasis on golf!  He stayed at Pat and Andree's gorgeous desert hideaway, but got to go salivate over the new Liebel/Fischer condo in Palm Desert.  Someday sweetie....someday!

We've got two babies to get through college!  =) 

And since this is a post about college acceptance, how could I not include this??

It'd be really cool if you guys wouldn't tell people I scream like that. 

Heh heh...have a great week!! 

2011: Day 16

So I took a week off from my Picture a Day.  I was gently urged to get back to it (Hi Jared!!) 

This is what my living room looks like right now:

 Animals living together in harmony.  Missy Laura knows what that's all about.  Molly baking by the fire.  Willie sacked out on one side of the couch and Abby doing her thing on the other.   All of them watching the football game...or not.  Today is one of those days where its cold and rainy outside, so it feels nice to stay inside.  I'm getting caught up on laundry while watching our Seahawks get their @sses handed to them by da Bears.  I'm happy for our friends, the Zideks... long suffering long time Bears fans.  Sad our boys couldn't catch the dang ball when it mattered.  Sorry, I'm just bitter.  Just kidding...it was fun while it lasted, huh?

The dryer alarm just beckoned me back to the laundry room.  More tomorrow!
 

2011: Day 8

Its been snowing all day on and off but it really took off tonight 

Some of the snowflakes were over an inch across...

and there must be at least 3 inches of snow piled up out there!

And by the way, well played SEAHAWKS!  Well played!

2011: Day 7

Breakfast while checking emails:  

Hammy Cheesy Scrambled Eggs and an English muffin. 

Courtesy of my own personal Top Chef.  Lucky girl...that's me!

By the way...TGIF and go Seahawks, huh??!! 

2011: Day 6

Fresh, hot, fudgy brownies.   Mmmmmm!

That spatula there...Dan's mom put that in my Christmas stocking a long, long time ago.  It's still my favorite serving spatula, even though now it has melty lines on the handle.   =)

2011: Day 5

She's not fat...she's big boned.  Heh heh...

2011: Day 4

   Consider us addicted.

2011: Day 3

It must've been some New Years celebration for Willie Big Mitts...

he showed up tonight after being gone since the 1st. 

What happens in Vegas... 

2011: Day 2

All the Christmas goodies packed up and ready

 to go under the house for another 11 months.

Oh One Oh One One One

Cool date, huh?  I actually wasn't tuned in to it until I saw someone post that on Facebook as their status.  (Hi Alyssa!)  I love stuff like that.  Can't wait for 11/11/11...and judging by 2010, that date will be here before we know it.  Time flies, eh?

So I was thinking last night that it would be really cool to take a photo every single day of the year.  Not of the same thing...just a random photo in our lives.  Then it dawned on me that I could kill two birds with one stone and post my photos every day and really increase my blogging frequency.  Every few months just doesn't cut it.  Part of my problem is that I can't do a blog post without a photo.  And then I feel like I have to write a long post...because apparently I have a lot to say.  But I get busy and don't post and life moves on and then I haven't said anything at all.

Resolution #1:  A photo a day on the blog...with some commentary even!  I'll toss in my usual photo/word heavy blogs, too, but I think this might be just what I need to jump start my blogging mojo while keeping it doable with my busy life.  Deal?  Deal.  (We just did a virtual pinky swear.)

Without further ado, I give you...

2011:  Day 1

New Years Day is generally my day to pack up the Christmas decorations.  I find it a melancholy yet satisfying task.  We decorate for Christmas right after Thanksgiving and enjoy every minute of Santa-Snowman-Rudolf-Gingerbread- Christmas Tree in Every Room-Candlelit-Vintage holiday decorated goodness.  I always think I won't want to ever take the decorations down.  But by January 1st, I'm good.  I'm ready to simplify again.  And so it went today...



I took a break from my task to have some leftovers for lunch. Mmmmm, who doesn't love leftover pasta?  This is a Pioneer Woman recipe.  Specifically, Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce.  We were scheduled to go to a New Years Bunco party last night, but Danny wasn't feeling all that great and I was tired, so we decided to hunker down at home.  Hayley was babysitting some dear little ones early and Brian was heading off to a friend's house to spend the night.  I needed to whip up something yummy but quick so Bri could eat before he left and Hayley could eat when she got home. I threw some seared Italian sausage in and with some garlic bread, this got a resounding thumbs up from everyone.  But the best part of pasta is almost always the leftovers.  Mmmm...what a nice, homey way to start off 2011.

With that, I'll let you in on a little secret.  Whenever anyone (be it family or friends) leaves my house, I always stand on the porch or in the window and watch them drive away and I whisper a little prayer.  As we leave 2010 and all head off into 2011, I thank God for each and every one of you...may He keep you happy, healthy, safe and strong.  And bring you home safely.   

The Christmas Card Photo Shoot

After some gentle prodding from the Blog Nazi's out there, (HI JARED! HI HAYLEY!) I decided to make good (only one day late!) on my promise and update my neglected little blog!

Insert applause here.

Okay then. What shall I write about? There is no shortage of things I could fill you all in on. We had a season of Volleyball with Hayley that was pretty darn good. But that is a long post with lots of photos that aren't yet edited. Besides, due to unforeseen circumstances (and a blog post all its own!) the Volleyball awards ceremony had to be postponed until further notice and that probably needs to be included in the Great Volleyball Post of 2010 2011.

We're right in the thick of Bowling season for Brian. But thats going pretty darn well (can you say 175 average?!) and I don't want to jinx anything...so we'll wait on that, too.

I went back to work pretty much full-time (hence the serious lack of Blog posts) but due to those pesky HIPAA laws, I can't really say much other than I absolutely love my job and all the co-workers and patients I get to see every day. Oh, and if you're in need of some killer Physical Therapy, might I suggest NorthSound Physical Therapy? You'll be glad you did!  =)

Dan is still busy as ever representing ADC Engineering up here in Washington.    He just returned from a week-long business trip down to SoCal in mid-December so that's always fun for him because he gets to visit with family and friends while he's down there.

We just celebrated our 4th Christmas up here in the Pacific Northwest.  And our first non-White Christmas!  What's up with that???  It's actually just a little late...we're due for a nice snowfall in two days.  Yay!  Even though the kids are 16 and 18, they turn into playful little kids out in the backyard on their little snowdiscs when it snows. 

So, since I can't send a Christmas card to every single person we've ever met, I like to take a photo of the card and post it here or on Facebook as our Christmas greeting.  This year, we decided to feature the kiddies holding the kitties on the card.  I hope you've enjoyed the series of shots that I took...just trying to get a decent shot of the Christmas card.  It's like Molly wasn't happy starring on the card...she had to make sure she was front and center for the photos! 

We hope you all had a very Merry Meowy Christmas and may you all be Blessed with a wonderful 2011.

Shiny Happy People

I had every intention of updating my little blog quite often.  Really, I did.  Then my old dinosaur of a computer started rebelling.  As in, it wouldn't let me sign in to update my own dang blog.  Or leave comments on other blogs.  Blogspot took a hit out on me and I couldn't do anything but hide out...until my new baby arrived.  New baby?  Huh?  Well, Pete the FedEx man delivered an anniversary present from my sweetie last week in the form of a shiny new laptop!

Not bad for 21 years of wedded bliss, huh?  We laugh because for the last four anniversaries, we've celebrated by sitting in the bleachers of various high school gymnasiums, eating popcorn and Tootsie-Pops, watching our first-born play volleyball.  This year went something like this:

Ferry ride to South Whidbey:  $21.60

Admission to Volleyball match:  $10.00

Dinner (Cup O' Noodles from snack bar):  $1.00

Sitting with my honey watching our kid play volleyball on our anniversary:  PRICELESS.

We've been busy in these parts with work and volleyball and bowling, so it took a day or two to unpack the 'puter and get her all set up and I'm still learning the in's and out's of working on a laptop, but wowza...it's pretty cool.  I feel like such a grown-up now.  {{ If I could just figure out why my nice big text just got all small...what did I hit?  Gahhhh!! }}   Sorry, I need to turn off my internal dialogue...

Okay, so what's been going on?

So, today is my Daddy's birthday!  Happy Birthday Daddy!  Yes, I'm 46 and he's 78 and I still call him Daddy.  =)  I just got off the phone with Josie Grandma and Grampa after wishing him a Happy Birthday.  It's raining where they are (in hot, dry Arizona) and I had to chuckle because it's pretty darn gorgeous here in the stereotypically rainy Pacific Northwest.  Regardless of the weather, I am glad to report that all is well with the Josies.  =)

It's been a lovely day, starting off with coffee with my dear friend Diana.  Can I just say I love my Tuesday mornings with Diana?  Then it was off to the bowling alley for my weekly league.  I threw a 183, 126 (oops!) and a 201.  Good stuff!  Then I got a message from a friend telling me that Hayley made the Everett Herald today!  She was selected as their Prep Athlete of the Week for Volleyball!!  Cool beans!

 She's having an awesome season this year and having a blast doing it.

Last Thursday night, she broke the school record for Kills in a game.  She landed 22.  Sa-weet!

None of it is possible without a great team...and this is it.  The Dream Team.  It's a good year to be a Cougar.  Football, Girls Soccer and Volleyball  are all doing so much better than anyone ever expected (well, we did, but our opponents didn't!) and they're all quite the talk of the town!  Go Cougs!

By the way, that is Brian in the back row, right side in the team photo.  He is one of the team managers for the 2nd year in a row.  He and his bud Nick take stats, set up all the video equipment, run errands and basically do whatever the coaches or girls ask of them.  Good men!! 

Then there's this little bit of joy...

Our Girl has a Boy.  His name is Luke and Hayley's not the only one that likes him.  We think he's pretty neat, too.  He adores our girl, treats her well, they go to church together and he's there to cheer at all of her games.  And he seems to like Dano's cooking, so there's that!  =)

 

And so with that, I'm off to another Volleyball match.  We're only halfway through the season...thankfully!  This being Hayley's last season of volleyball ever, we're enjoying every minute and soaking it all up!  Thank God Brian has two years of high school bowling and baseball left!  What will I do when I have no more of their sporting events to attend??  Luckily I don't have to contemplate that reality yet!   Whew!  =)

 

Edited 10/05/10 10:15 pm:  Just got home from an awesome match vs. Cedarcrest.  Our Lady Cougs took 3 of 5 games for another notch in the Win column, elevating them to 6-2 this season!  Added bonus:  our Libero, Allie broke the school record for Digs tonight and Hayley tied the record she set last Thursday with 22 Kills!  And our Girls Soccer team won again so they're still undefeated at 8-0!!  I'll say it again...IT'S A GOOD YEAR TO BE A LAKEWOOD COUGAR!!

18 years ago...

8:00 am.  We had just arrived at the hospital to be induced.  Our first baby was 10 days overdue and frankly, I didn't think he or she was ever going to decide to make an appearance on his/her own.  The doctors concurred.  Thirteen hours and one blessed epidural later, Hayley was born.  Two became three.  Such a defining moment.

 

   
Flash forward eighteen years.  Can it really be that eighteen years have gone by and this sweet little baby...

has grown into this sweet young lady, ready to take on the world?

 I wish I had more baby pictures scanned in to post right now.  Alas, that was in the pre-digital era and they're in a box upstairs and I'm on a tight schedule here.  See, little Hayley plays volleyball.  Really well.  And we're headed to Yakima today to watch our girl play tomorrow in a tournament at the Sundome.  Go Lady Cougs!  (They played their first game of the season last night and basically taught Cedarcrest a lesson and it only took 3 games to do it!  Ten kills for my girl...woot!)

So, for now, my baby gets to finally sleep in today, we'll make her a yummy birthday breakfast, and then there will be a fun bus ride to Yakima for the team this afternoon and we'll all meet up for dinner at the Olive Garden.  My girl dies for their soup!  And no doubt there will be some napkin folding going on at the table too.  (Guaranteed photos of that coming!)

HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY HAYLEY!   We love you and couldn't be prouder!

Edited live from Yakima, Washington!
I told you there would be napkin folding at the Olive Garden!

Hayley taught her mad napkin-folding skillz to her fellow Lady Cougs!  That's Brian in the bottom left corner...pretending he doesn't see  the antics!  Well, either that or he's hungry and just wants to order his Seafood Alfredo already!

Then there was this little surprise that came with Hayley's dessert...eighteen gorgeous pink roses from her boyfriend Luke! 

Hey Luke?  Well played Sir...well played!

I'm off to bed.  I know the formatting is all off on this, but I'm tired and we have to get up uber early to watch some awesome volleyball!  LAKEWOOD COUGARS IN THE HOUSE!!  I can't wait!!!

A new beginning...sort of.

I'm back.

My apologies to those of you who checked in now and again to see if I'd had anything to say...and left with no news. And many thanks to those of you who asked if I was ever going to update my blog...I have a hard time believing that more than a few people read it, until one of the kids friends mentions it (and the lack of posts...Hi Jared!)  Plus, I got on Facebook and its so easy to just post a photo with a caption and carry on.    But for some reason, here I sit at my computer, and I want to write.  I could post a photo or two on Facebook, but I think some photos just need more than a one-line caption.  For instance, this photo:
 

Holy Cats!  Who is this 6' (at least) dude?  In front of his own car?  Smiling?  On the first day of his JUNIOR year of high school? You know where this is headed, right?

Just yesterday Brian was still letting me send apples for his teachers on the first day of school.  Ten years people.  TEN YEARS....poof!

In case you're wondering where the girl-child was on this fine September 1st morning, she was around.  But since she's on the college schedule, Hayley doesn't start school until the 20th.  So, instead of heading to school, she headed south on the freeway to meet up with friends at the mall to do some back-to-school shopping.  Sniffle sniffle...almost 18 and she doesn't need her mama for that anymore.  Honestly, I can't wait to see what she comes home with.  So before she left, she posed with her little brother on his first day of school.

Seems we need to do some measuring tonight.  Hayley pointed out that Brian is now taller than she is.  I measured him a few weeks ago at an even 6', but she's just shy of that so he must've grown...again!  (You have to say that like Forrest Gump, "...and I got invited to the White House.  AGAIN."   Heh heh!

So, that was our morning.  I met my good friend Diana for coffee.  Then Dano and I took our morning 2 mile walk through the neighborhood.  Then I read the local newspaper and found Hayley's picture in it with an article about how awesome her school volleyball team is hoping to be, which was kind of a nice surprise to come across that with no warning!

Hopefully, soon I'll have some posts catching up on the Liebel Family Summer 2010.  It was busy (visits from Missy Laura and Corey, Uncle Pat & Aunt Andree, Josie Grandma & Grampa, Uncle Keith, Uncle Pat (AGAIN) plus two really cool volleyball coaches for our school VB camp, a visit for Hayley and I down to SoCal, Brian kicking butt at the bowling alley and life in general.) 

But for now...I'm back.  =)

Envy and a Trip Down Bird Memory Lane

Last week I received this picture in an email from my good friend, Jeanne. I call her my JeanneDeb. She knows why. We bowl together on Tuesday mornings and I love her to death. She gets me. And that is why she knew I'd DIE when I saw this photo...taken right outside her window! She sees this action all the time. I admit to full-on envy.

Can you stand it? I cannot. Anyone that knows me has no doubt had to listen to me rave about the wildlife up here in ye olde Pacific Northwest. Not once did I ever see this type of action in SoCal. The closest I came was once when an unseen wayward skunk "exploded" under our bedroom window, causing us to think there was a massive chemical spill in the area that was going to kill us. True story.

Anyway, I thought I had it made last week when an eagle flew right over Brian and I as we were pulling around our corner. Then I laid eyes on this picture. JeanneDeb really has it made...and she knew that sharing it with me would make my day. Thanks JeanneDeb!

So, what kind of wildlife do I have hanging around my house? Well, check out Exhibit A: Baby birdies! Okay, so they're not baby bald eagles, but I take what I can get. But there is an interesting back story to this nest. It's a story of recycling. (And yes, that is my very high-tech device that I refer to as my "compact mirror lens." Fancy schtuff.)

Remember this? (scrolllll down past Laura making googly eyes at the coffee maker....heee!)

Look familiar? I couldn't bear to just throw the engineering marvel of the nest in the trash, so I put it back up on the beam. And there it sat, undisturbed for the past 10 months. Last week, Danny asked if the nest was still there. I'd actually checked the week before he asked and told him, "Yep, still there. Still empty." So, while sitting on the deck steps the other day, I saw blue shell fragments. Horror!!! You can imagine my surprise when I went and grabbed the nest, expecting the worst only to find three tiny babes fast asleep (I think there are 3...I didn't look too long for fear an angry mama bird was going to dive-bomb me.) I checked again today and the mama is obviously caring well for them because they've easily doubled in size. Now I have to worry that the big, bad raccoon that frequents my other deck just about every night will discover them. GAHHHHH!!!

So the weirdest part of this is that my Missy Laura and her Corey were up visiting last year when the nest massacre went down. And they were just here two weeks ago. (Exciting blog post about that coming next!) Laura, I'll bet you that the nest had pretty blue eggs in it while you were here and WE DIDN'T EVEN LOOK!! We must've been busy drinking margaritas that your man whipped up for us. =)

In other animal news, Willie didn't come home this morning. We always worry...and then he always comes home. Sigh. Just not yet today.

Edited Thursday morning: He sauntered home last night around 10:30. Right after the raccoon ate all his food that sat out all day. Serves him right! Ha!

When Pigs Fly

While these two tolerate each other, and I use the term "tolerate" very loosely here, they've never had a relationship that involved this much trust. People, this is big. For those who haven't met the key players, allow me to introduce Willie and Molly. While they share an uncanny resemblance, they're only related by the bonds of adoption. In other words, we adopted sweet, stray Willie last July (as an outside mouser kitty only...ha!) and Molly has been wondering when the vagrant boy is going to leave. He comes in now and then (okay, 3 times a day) for lunchmeat snacks and naps on Dad's bed, but the boy fa-reaks when shown the litter box inside, so he can only stay in for so long. Imagine the confines of a proper litter box when the whole world had always been your litter box.

I digress.

So, they normally do a cursory once-over and sniff noses and then ignore each other. Lately though, Molly has taken to batting Willie in the face. And that doesn't go over so well. So, imagine my surprise when Dan brought Willie inside (people, it is COLD outside!) and he hopped up onto our bed to find Molly in his spot. I expected kitty fireworks, but instead got this: Utter and complete indifference.

Ummm, so not what I expected. He got busy chewing dirtclods from between his toes.

Not to be outdone, Molly decided a quick toe-clean was in order. Unreal.

Then, like men will do, he fell right to sleep. He's a funny guy. I think outside life is so stressful for him sometimes that when he comes inside, he's out like a light in mere minutes.

Molly's thinking, "Seriously? Dude, you're like, a foot away." He was unfazed.

So she gave in and fell asleep, too. They're still like this...an hour later.

When pigs fly. Go figure. =)