stuff jen says: November 2002

Happy Thanksgiving! We spent the day at home doing a lot of nothing, and then went to Dad & Dotti's in the evening to eat their leftovers. Two of Dotti's kids and their families were there, and we had fun visiting with them until Jack had a meltdown and we made a quick exit.
We're preparing to put our Christmas cards in the mail, and I wanted to get the latest news posted, given that this will probably be one of my last updates for a few weeks. The holidays, no matter how un-busy we try to make them, always end up being hectic, and I doubt I'll have time to update again until after the new year.
At Jack's 1-year checkup he weighed 24½ pounds. He's a monster. I mean that--he really is! Lately he climbs on top of all Katie's Little People toys, ala King Kong. He's making Mommy & Daddy crazy because he's at the stage where he screams if something isn't right, which is way too often than we really think is necessary. Anyone who can truly remember having a 12-month old will understand. We are not especially fond of this stage, and looking very eagerly to him moving on to something else.
We've enjoyed several weekends at home in the past couple months. It's nice not to be on the go all the time, to actually relax and spend our weekends the way the gods intended.
What's kept us busy this month are play dates, work, Christmas shopping, and doctor's appointments. I'm finally getting some treatment for my chronic pain--I figure nine years of dealing with it is pa-lenty long enough. We still haven't identified the source of the problem, but I'm finding a little relief in some medications and a little yoga and Pilates.
I've almost completed my Christmas shopping, thanks to my favorite Internet shopping sites. Amazon has been especially good to me this year, as well as SmarterKids.com. If you need any help or suggestions on finding stuff, let me know--I've got tons of new resources for coupon codes and discounts, just haven't had time to update my Shop with Jen page.
This past week we've been getting some of our Christmas decorations up. This will be our first Christmas at home since Katie was born, and we want to make it very special for the kids. Darlene & Wellington will be down to spend the holiday with us, and Curt & Dotti will also join us on Christmas morning. We're drawing from our childhood Christmases to create some traditions of our own, and are thankful that our families were dedicated to making the holidays special in so many ways.
No new additions to the site except for pictures of Katie's bedroom and our Christmas letter. I'll try to get some portraits published in the next couple weeks, but otherwise I'm signing off for 2002.
With love and warm Christmas wishes--

facts of jen's life

So, who do you think you are? I think I’m Jen. People who don’t know me sometimes call me Jenny. That’s weird.

Tell me about yourself. I was born a small black child, and am now a grown-up, or at least my kids think I am. I’m in my mid-40s and live in the ‘burbs of Portland, Oregon. My husband is Victor, and my kids are Katie and Jack. Read this if you want the real and very long scoop.

Tell me things people might not know about you. I am an ordained minister and can perform marriages. Why no one has asked me to do this for them yet, I do not know. ● At the request of my Disney-hating friend Ed, I got mouse ears embroidered with the name “Satan” and I didn’t even get kicked out of Disneyland. It’s quite possibly the ballsiest thing I’ve ever done. ● I “helped” write this book, published in 2012: You Take it From Here, by Pamela Ribon. My name is in the back, and I’m still geeking out about it. ● I recorded a song in a studio in 1994 and it got local radio play for a few months. At least two times I turned on the radio in the car and my song was playing at that moment—very cool. ● I nearly died from a zit in 1986. I am not making this up. ● Victor and I once appeared on The Tonight Show. Really. If you can find a VCR, I’ll show you the tape.

I read some of your posts and I think you might be an alcoholic. I drink way less than I write about drinking. If I ever STOP talking about booze, then it’ll be time for an intervention.

What do you love? Books. Coffee. Fonts. Broadway musicals. San Francisco. Bacon. Rum. Law & Order. Naps. Butter. Home. Crack cocaine. iDevices. Words. Disney vacations. You.

If you could punch anything or anyone in the face, what/who would it be? Cancer. I was diagnosed with lymphoma in November 2009. I kicked its big fat ugly ass and am in remission now. ● Comic Sans. ● People who won’t take responsibility for their problems—the “I didn’t do anything to deserve this!” attitude. Look in the mirror. That’s who to blame. ● Celebrities who are famous for no reason. Y’know, if we stop looking, they’ll go away... ● Bad grammar and spelling and the dummies who use it.

You seem bitter. Did someone piss in your Cheerios? I’m not bitter. I think unicorns-and-rainbows stuff isn’t very interesting to read, so I tend not to write that way. But also, now you’re being kind of a jackhole.

It seems like no one ever comments on your blog posts. Why is that? Most people comment on the Facebook links. I don’t know why.

What if I want to tell you something? Two ways to reach me: leave a comment on a post, or e-mail me at jenniferTAKETHISPARTOUTmanullang at gmail-dot-com.

November 28, 2002

November 10, 2002

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