… the team that I rooted for growing up (niners) played the team that i now root for (giants) in the NFC championship game. talk about a nail biter. 17/17 and into overtime….aaahhh…but then san fran fumble + giants field goal = 20/17 victory! superbowl, here we come! giants vs. patriots, a repeat of 2007 (hopefully a true repeat ;-)). coincidentally, this too falls under the moisture category because it was a rainy, crappy day in san fran. compliments of Fox, here is a picture of my TV showing ol’ eli with water droplets covering his helmet. my apologies that the droplets don’t show very well, but like our tv, as you can see, my cell isn’t quite up to speed. they are there though, i promise :)

and, last, but not least, next up for week 25, winter. oh the possibilities are endless.

This beautiful little girl was born a month early, right at the tail end of that lovely Oct blizzard that hit and left us powerless for over a week. Yes, that’s right, my last post was in March just before I found out that I was pregnant, and I am just getting back now, over 2 months after she was born. No real excuses, life just got incredibly busy. Not saying it’s not now with a newborn, but I am forcing myself to get back into the swing of things. And, what a better way to start than to look back at the craziness that filled 2011.

Not only was I pregnant for the first time, but I also experienced my first earthquake and my first hurricane. Yes, that hurricane would be Irene, who I believe technically ended as a tropical storm when she finally hit us, but either way, it was an experience. We only lost power for about a day, but then the blizzard in Oct was the kicker…over 2 feet of snow and it was longest we have ever been without electricity – 9 days! Lucky for me, especially being 8 months pregnant, my parents got nothing more than a dusting, and so I was able to stay with them while my poor husband held down the fort. Then, on day 8 of no power, still over two hours away at my parents, little Lorelei decided she just couldn’t wait any longer and so said poor husband got the call, “Honey, my water broke.” Fast forward 10 and 1/2 hours and wala, we’re parents. Talk about emotions… never been so excited, and yet so scared, in my entire life. But, she was born at the same hospital both of us were, and most of our family, so that was pretty cool.

Overall pregnancy treated me fairly well, so I can’t complain too much. I was one of those lucky ones, the ones most women hate, who didn’t have any morning sickness or get the dreaded “kanckles”; although had she held out for that last month, one never knows. All throughout I did look further along than I was, though, so I guess it was appropriate that she came early and was still almost 6lbs.

In the spring we also lost our well pump in the thaw out from last winters massive snow dump, which was no fun. Our “first” major home repair. And then there was just basic lunacy that lasted all summer long and straight into the fall. We were constantly on the go for one thing or another.

But, don’t get me wrong, besides that sweet bundle of joy, there were plenty of other good things that happened in 2011 too. One of the best being that my husband, who has wanted nothing more than to race cars his whole life, finally got the chance. Not where he ever imagined it would be, but a good friend put him in a Sprint car on the dirt track of Accord Speedway. And, as we always knew, he was a natural. Only got to race in a couple events, and in a car that was half the horsepower of the others out there, but it’s a start. Hoping this year will bring a bigger engine and more races so that he can really show ‘em what he’s made of :). And when he does, his two biggest fans will be right by his side.

So here we are now, January 13, 2012; yup lucky Friday the 13th. We’re proud parents of an amazing little girl, and of course our Indycar, who we can’t leave out. Life is looking pretty darn good!

yup, ladies and gentlemen, she went through three boards at a time…

pre-practice warmup…

look at her go…

don’t mess with those guns ;-)

victory lap…

and last, but not least, my turn… right through it on the first try … i know, not even close to suz, but go me :)

“May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live”

ps. today’s regularly schedule weekly pic will be delayed slightly while i try to find something fun and green to shoot today! salute!

since it’s more or less her debut, here’s a brief bio on pace. she just turned 3 on feb 27th, though she acts much older. she doesn’t play too much anymore. every time we try, she just looks at us like we’re morons. or she pretends like she’s stalking the toy, but then just sits it out until we eventually get bored and quit. she does enjoy harassing indy every now and again, though. she’s a quarter of the size, but she owns every encounter. she is a very good mouser, and she is without a doubt the hairiest cat i’ve ever know. not only does it add about 10 lbs to her appearance, but it literally streams out of her ears and feet. not too mention those whiskers. i think she gets radio stations with those things. and last, but not least, as you will see, she is a great model for pics. unlike indy who runs the other way when you pull out the camera, pace seems to enjoy it, though she’ll never admit to it. so, without further ado, she’s ready for her closeup…

and as promised, here are a couple more from the shoot of pace and indy, who i think was just a wee bit jealous and made her way into the shoot…

or so i thought. i made it through the entire ball and only have about 1/4 of a blanket. no problem, i’ll go to jo-ann to get more. they didn’t have it. hmm. well micheal’s sells yarn too, so off to michael’s. yeah, no. they didn’t have it either. okay, well jo-ann has a website. score, found the brand. click on the image of the correct yarn. scroll down to click add to cart. hmm, select the color you want. crap, it’s not listed. how is it my luck that the first project that i dive into, i end up at a dead end when i’ve barely started? guess, it’s back to the drawing board. on the bright side, i still have the other ball to make a scarf, so i’ll have to give that a go. after all, winter is almost over.

maybe someday i’ll happen upon the rest of my blanket. i’m sure if i search the web harder, my luck might change. anywho, here’s my soon-to-be-scarf and my quarter-blanket, all cozy and resting in their new basket. right along side my electric blue crochet needle. notice how small the basket? what can i say, i’m a realist. i do enjoy it, but time is my enemy. it gets hard enough to find time for this challenge, but i am determined, so enjoy :)

ps. here’s a better view of the quarter-blanket …

happy (belated) valentine’s day! enjoy!