Mar. 26: I gots me some x-ray vision

I had LASIK surgery on Friday. With the amount of correction I needed (I was nearly a -10), they warned me that I may not have perfect vision immediately, and that I might even have to have it done again eventually. So I was pretty surprised when I woke up yesterday morning and could see VERY clearly! Everything has sort of a "halo" around it, but they say that will probably improve. Vic likes the idea of looking angelic to me, so he's hoping the halo sticks.

The LASIK process was very strange. The only thing that actually hurt was when the doctor was pressing on my brow bone; otherwise, the numbing drops kept me from feeling much of anything. That was cool. Normally if I'm freaked out during any kind of medical procedure, I can close my eyes and go to a happy place, but they frown upon that during eye surgery. Whatever. Although it was mildly uncomfortable, it was over pretty quickly. I was a brave girl.

Yesterday I tossed my alarm clock. I've always had one with two-inch numbers because I've been so blind. I bought one with half-inch numbers, just because I can. That might just be the best part so far. Know what I don't like? Laying in bed and being able to see the cobwebs on the ceiling of our bedroom. Never had that problem before.

I'm trying not to spend too much time staring at the computer for a few days. I'll update again soon with pictures of baby Gwen, new ones of baby Dorothy Frances, and my awesome nephew's senior portraits.

Lovies!

--Jen

Mar. 1: Gwennie's here!

Greg just called!

Debi & Greg Nelson's first child, Gwendolyn Justine Nelson, was born at 10:05 this morning! She weighed 7 lbs, 4 oz, and is 20 inches long, with tons of auburn hair. Debi and the new little sweetheart are doing well. As soon as they e-mail pictures you can be sure to see them on The Nelson Family's page here at manullang.com.

Congratulations!

Feb. 23: Drunk with power

We so totally rock.

After a couple recent phone conversations, I got written confirmation today that our home has been selected as a member of a very elite group. But the letter states, "You, while a member of the panel and for a year after discontinuance of your participation, will not reveal to strangers or people in the television, radio, film, newspaper, magazine, advertising or Internet business that you are or were a member of the panel." So does that mean I can't publish the info here at manullang.com? Whatever will I do? How can I keep such a secret to myself?

To be on the safe side, I guess I'll just have to give hints. I don't want to jeopardize this privilege! Um, let's see... well, you know how I love a certain glorified VCR in my house, right? Turns out somebody actually cares. In fact, they are very interested in how I use it. You might even say they will help others make important decisions based on what I do with it.

If they really are paying attention, watch for all the stupid/trashy reality shows to soon disappear from our airwaves. Also, no more "Doodlebops" or Tom Cruise movies or football. It's just too bad this couldn't have happened in time for me to save "Arrested Development." Oh well.

The future in home entertainment looks bright! You're very welcome.

--J.

P.S. Almost forgot, today's our ninth wedding anniversay. Hooray for us, right? RIGHT?

Feb. 15: M-I-C-K-E-Y

We're home from Disneyland. It'll be a while before I can get our trip journal assembled into a legible fashion and compress our many pictures for viewing, but keep checking in... I'll publish it at manullang.com as soon as it's done.

Overall, the vacation was fabulous. Disneyland is a totally different experience with children, and we loved seeing Katie and Jack soak up the magic. We celebrated Katie's birthday with Mickey and Minnie--if you ever get the chance to do this, you MUST!--and Jack still hasn't stopped talking about his favorite rides (Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters and Monsters Inc.). We created some really wonderful memories. The 388 digital photos I brought home will help.

Dee talked me into going on the Tower of Terror ride. I was scared to death but only cursed once (I know, I couldn't believe it either). It was fun, fun, FUN! If we had gone on it before our last day, we probably would've ridden it several times. I loved it. Some of our other favorites: Soarin' Over California, Turtle Talk with Crush, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, Monsters Inc., Space Mountain... ah, we'll admit it... we loved pretty much everything. Even Small World!

One of Katie's favorite parts of the vacation was the Princess Celebration lunch at Ariel's Grotto in Disney's California Adventure. Darlene and I joined her for a girly afternoon and got to meet Ariel, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Jasmine. Their costumes were gorgeous, and they were all incredibly sweet with the children.

We were really spoiled with wonderful California weather. It was in the 80s and 90s every day. I heard it was dry in Portland too, but it was cold and rainy when we got home so I'm not sure I believe it.

The driving part of the trip really blew (literally). We left home on Friday night and drove to southern Oregon, spent the night, and drove all day Saturday to Anaheim. Coming back, we left Anaheim Saturday around noon and spent the night in Redding. Sunday we were on the road most of the day. Just as we were getting to the Portland area, one of our tires a-sploded; fortunately it happened right near an exit so we were able to pull over quickly and safely. Still, it was a pretty sucky way to end our vacation. Not to worry... I got some great pictures of Vic and Wellington changing the tire. They weren't too pleased to pose, the party poopers.

In case you were wondering, I will never, ever, ever drive or ride in a car for 2000 miles again. It's insanity.

All six of us came home sick. Disneyland is pretty much a big germfest, I've decided. Feeling pretty yucky yesterday made celebrating Valentine's Day not so fun. Katie and Jack didn't let it slow them down much--they still stuffed their faces with pa-lenty of candy--but the last thing Vic and I wanted was a dinner out that we couldn't really enjoy. We'll combine our V-Day with our anniversary on the 23rd, I think.

Now that we're home I need to get back into work mode, finish up with my reunion responsibilities, and think up a good anniversary gift for that husband o' mine. What I need right now, though, is a nice long nap. Toodles--

Jen

Jan. 27: Bob Loblaw's Law Blog

I'm so glad it's Friday. Actually, it's past midnight so I guess it's Saturday now. I'm even gladder about that. I swear, I practically lived in my car this week. Between taking the kids to and from their schools, driving back and forth from work a couple times a day, and running everyday kinds of errands, I think I spent more time in the car than anywhere else.

I've also been busy trying to track down 20-year-old photographs to put in a slide show for my upcoming reunion. My friends Linda and Rissa have been great about sending me lots of stuff from their photo albums, but I need things from others too! Right now most of the pictures I have are of me, Linda, Rissa, and our friends. I doubt very many people will enjoy a slide show with just us. So, I'm desperate enough to plead from manullang.com: if you have any pictures of our high school years, please e-mail them to me!

While going through my boxes of old pictures I found this one from 1991:

If it doesn't frighten you, it should. We met Vic at a restaurant dressed like this. He wasn't at all embarrassed, and in fact sat at the table proudly. We thought for sure he'd make us go home and change clothes, but he didn't. 'Course, this is the guy who willingly ate kipper snacks and frosting on saltines for our blind taste test. You can pretty much get away with anything around him. As his wife, I never take advantage of that though...

I found this picture of my nephew Stephen on his school web site. He may be almost 7 feet tall, but he's still a little boy at Christmastime. I asked Kathy about it, and she said Stephen wrapped a gift and put his name on it to be sure Santa would call him up during the school Christmas program. Is he his mother's son ("it's all about ME!"), or what?

We're getting very excited to head off to Disneyland. I think I'm more excited to get the stupid drive over with. I mean, geez, it's a thousand freakin' miles! Cars were not made to drive that far with me in them. I'm still watching for cheap last-minute airfares, and will continue to do so until the minute we leave. And I will probably not stop whining and groaning about this until the minute we get to Anaheim.

That is all.

--Jen
xoxoxo

Jan. 23: All Lori, all the time

I don't want to ramble on about my usual nothingness today, because today is extra-special. We should be thinking of nothing but Lori-ness on a day such as this, the anniversary of Lori's birth. Also, I think she'd want me to mention that Kathy is older.

Have a great day, Lori, and take it easy because you're older than I am.

Jen

Jan. 7: Gas brake honk. Gas brake honk. Honk honk punch.

Happy new year.

We had a great Christmas. Katie and Jack were really excited about every part of celebrating the holidays and that made it even more fun. It also made it more stressful for us, making sure they had equal numbers of gifts, they were opening the right things at the right time, etc. I suppose the next few years will be like that. And the next phase is when they hate everything we get them, right?

I must have been a really good girl this year, because Santa left some great stuff for me. I got lots of books (something I will enjoy on kid-free days!), a wonderful selection of scrapbooking things, and some jewelry. My favorite was the necklace Vic got for me: it's got three aquamarines (my dad's birthstone) with sapphires (my birthstone) in between. It's beautiful, and very special. I'm still amazed that he put so much thought into it! (Not that he's incapable, but he's the first to admit he never knows what to get for me.)

We also got several family activity things, like the Disney DVD "Scene It?" game, puzzles, a book of ideas for family celebrations and traditions, etc. I love that kind of stuff. It's a good excuse for the four of us to sit down just to have fun; usually when we're all together it's for meal times, or in the car, or whatever, and quite frankly, it ain't always fun!

Both Katie and Jack were thrilled to go back to school this week. Vic was home during most of their vacation and they loved that, but they were eager to get back to their buddies. It's kind of nice to be back on a schedule too.

Yesterday my mom and Len's divorce became final. Mom has a lot of support from some very good friends, and called me last night just to say she was on her way out with them for the evening. I'm glad she has lots to do and fun friends to be with.

My niece is engaged! After the wedding sometime this summer, you'll be able to call her Erin Boyardee. And you should. She loves that name.

We're planning a trip to Disneyland next month. In an insane moment, I agreed to go even though we are DRIVING. No one in their right mind would drive from Portland to southern California, would they? I didn't think so. Here's the plan for Day 1:

4:00 a.m. Alarm goes off.

4:05 a.m. Jen drinks a whole bunch of NyQuil.

4:10 a.m. Vic leads bleary-eyed wife to car.

4:11 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Jen is comatose, Vic sings praises to the drug manufacturers.

I hate hate HATE long car rides. They make me whine and complain. I haven't driven/ridden a thousand miles straight since sixth grade, but it's a pain I will never forget. And I have this feeling that Disneyland's going to be closed when we get there, I just know it. And then I'll go crazy, and the SWAT team will show up, and, well... you know how the rest goes.

We're planning to go to at least one character meal for the kids. Jack's first stop is the Pooh ride, which he LOVED in Disney World, and Katie's is Dumbo. The new Monsters Inc. ride is supposed to be open by then so we're looking forward to trying that out too. And all the 50th anniversary celebration stuff ought to make this trip especially memorable. If I can make it through the drive down and back, all the better.

My first trip to Disneyland was in 1980, during the 25th anniversary year. What I remember most about that time is my mom and me on the Matterhorn, which I immediately regretted getting on and kept my eyes tightly shut the whole ride... well, except for when I decided to give it a chance and opened my eyes just in time to see that glowy-eyed yeti coming at me. I also remember wanting to ride Pirates over and over; lines were ridiculously long (it was summer, after all) and we only went on it twice. But my strongest memory of the whole trip was that god-awful drive. Kathy and I were bored to death in the back seat, trying to get truckers to honk, waving at people with our feet, pretending we were being kidnapped, etc. Y'know, the funny stuff that made our mom so proud. Oh, and Pea Soup Andersen's. I remember stopping at Pea Soup Andersen's.

Fortunately I've made up for those memories by going to Disneyland a bazillion times in the past 15 years. Now it's Katie and Jack's turn to find parent-embarrassing ways to entertain themselves down I-5 and back.

--Jen

Dec. 24: Neener, neener

Yummy things I won't share

While I was in college I spent several Christmases at my sister's. Her in-laws always Fedex-ed Kringles from Wisconsin, and I learned to look forward to the delectable treats every year. Alas, she eventually stopped inviting me to Christmases at her house. I'm pretty sure I know why.

Imagine our glee when a few years ago we started receiving Kringles at OUR house! This is now an annual tradition and Kathy is no longer allowed to let a Christmas pass without sending them. She knows that, doesn't she? Vic and I turn into ravenous, paranoid recipients, each accusing the other of eating more than his/her share, or suggesting that three were sent but Vic ate a whole one by himself before I got home. He would totally do that.

I shed many tears for you if Kathy is not your sister, or if you've never had a Kringle. You can find all you need to know about them at www.kringle.com. My favorite is almond, but I like the pecan ones too, and other flavors are probably good too but I haven't tried them all. An important point: these are Racine Danish Kringles, which is not to be confused with "raisin" Danish Kringles, which would be disgusting, as we all know baked "goods" that contain raisins are actually baked "bads." Who came up with that ridiculous idea anyway?

And don't forget this important serving tip: The best thing to eat with a Kringle is...

More Kringle!

Duh.

Self-righteous pseudo-Brits

The other night I went to the Dollar Tree to get stocking stuffers for the kids. Usually I dread having to go there, but this trip was worthwhile because I saw Madonna's first childrens book, "The English Roses," BEING SOLD THERE!! Madonna and her stupid fake accent, telling everyone she won't raise her kids in the U.S. because of our depraved moral values. To think her rolling-on-the-floor-in-a-wedding-dress performances, sex-with-Jesus videos, nekkid picture books, and "documentaries" have nothing to do with that just proves what a moron she is. So seeing her book for a dollar was such justice, not only that it was so cheap but that it was sold in a store where you know the price will never go up... well, it gave me the best belly laugh I've had in a long time. Thank you, Dollar Tree. I shall return.

Non-neener neener things

Speaking of belly laughs, check out this video my friend Kirsten sent me (right-click and choose Save Target As... to save and view).

Katie and Jack saw Santa yesterday. Pics here.

Time to get Christmas Eve dinner on the table. Have a holly, jolly Christmas!

Jen-Jen

And a P.S. For Lori, who always loves my holiday-themed animated GIFs, I wouldn't dare forget...

Dec. 22: Gift-giving tips

My friend Becky is the go-to gal for e-mails that'll make you laugh so hard you pee yourself. I received this from her today. Enjoy!

--Jen

GIFT-GIVING TIPS

This is the time of year when we think back to the very first Christmas, when the Three Wise Men; Gaspar, Balthazar and Herb, went to see the baby Jesus and, according to the Book of Matthew, "presented unto Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh." These are simple words, but if we analyze them carefully, we discover an important, yet often overlooked, theological fact: There is no mention of wrapping paper.

If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said so: "And lo, the gifts were inside 600 square cubits of paper. And the paper was festooned with pictures of Frosty the Snowman. And Joseph was going to throweth it away, but Mary saideth unto him, she saideth, 'Holdeth it! That is nice paper! Saveth it for next year!' And Joseph did rolleth his eyeballs. And the baby Jesus was more interested in the paper than the frankincense."

But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that the very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped. This is because the people giving those gifts had two important characteristics:

1. They were wise.
2. They were men.

Men are not big gift wrappers. Men do not understand the point of putting paper on a gift just so somebody else can tear it off. This is not just my opinion; this is a scientific fact based on a statistical survey of two guys I know.

One is Steve, who said the only time he ever wraps a gift is "if it's such a poor gift that I don't want to be there when the person opens it."

The other is Jim, who told me he does wrap gifts, but as a matter of principle never takes more than 15 seconds per gift. "No one ever had to wonder which presents daddy wrapped at Christmas," Jim said. "They were the ones that looked like enormous spitballs."

I also wrap gifts, but because of some defect in my motor skills, I can never completely wrap them. I can take a gift the size of a deck of cards and put it the exact center of a piece of wrapping paper the size of a regulation volleyball court, but when I am done folding and taping, you can still see a sector of the gift peeking out. (Sometimes I camouflage this sector with a marking pen.)

If I had been an ancient Egyptian in the field of mummies, the lower half of the Pharaoh's body would be covered only by Scotch tape.

On the other hand, if you give my wife a 12-inch square of wrapping paper, she can wrap a C-130 cargo plane. My wife, like many women, actually likes wrapping things. If she gives you a gift that requires batteries, she wraps the batteries separately, which to me is very close to being a symptom of mental illness. If it were possible, my wife would wrap each individual volt.

My point is that gift-wrapping is one of those skills like having babies that come more naturally to women than to men. That is why today I am presenting:

GIFT-WRAPPING TIPS FOR MEN

• Whenever possible, buy gifts that are already wrapped. If, when the recipient opens the gift, neither one of you recognizes it, you can claim that it's myrrh.
  
• The editors of Woman's Day magazine recently ran an item on how to make your own wrapping paper by printing a design on it with an apple sliced in half horizontally and dipped in a mixture of food coloring and liquid starch. They must be smoking crack.
  
• If you're giving a hard-to-wrap gift, skip the wrapping paper! Just put it inside a bag and stick one of those little adhesive bows on it. This creates a festive visual effect that is sure to delight the lucky recipient on Christmas morning.

YOUR WIFE: Why is there a Hefty trash bag under the tree?
YOU: It's a gift! See? It has a bow!
YOUR WIFE (peering into the trash bag): It's a leaf blower.
YOU: Gas-powered! Five horsepower!
YOUR WIFE: I want a divorce.
YOU: I also got you some myrrh.

In conclusion, remember that the important thing is not what you give, or how you wrap it. The important thing, during this very special time of year, is that you save the receipt.

~Dave Barry~

Dec. 17: Ho Ho Ho... Pimp

Today I discovered The Red Cup, a web site Starbucks apparently set up for the holidays. Every day something holiday-ish is posted, like games, recipes, funny little cartoons, etc. Check it out.

I'm writing this entry on my new laptop. It's really pretty much the same as writing an entry on my old laptop, but-cept the delete key is on the top (where most are) instead of the bottom (where my old one's was). This is more difficult to get used to than you might think. Or most likely, than you might care.

So why did Jen get a new laptop, you must be asking yourself. Because when Jen ordered her last laptop she got a basic model because she hadn't anticipated the level of programming she'd be doing. That poor thing was finally just tuckered out. It got passed down to the husband. He could very well wear it out with his car-related spreadsheets or Internet porn collection, but that's a whole 'nother blog, I tells ya.

Dorothy Frances has arrived! The lovely Deanna birthed her on Tuesday, December 6. The pictures I've seen say she's adorable, and I hope to find out for myself sometime early next year, once things have settled for their family. Congratulations, Dave, Deanna, and Pete!

Check out some new Presley pics too.

So, you may have received our Christmas card this year, and if you did, you probably received our Christmas letter too. If not, here it is:

---

Tis the season...
...to criticize poorly-executed Christmas light displays
Once again, Jen writes the annual Manullang family communiqué, but we all hope your holiday season is going well so far, and that you’re taking some time to celebrate this special time of year with family and friends.

Katie and Jack spent 2005 polishing up their basic kid proficiencies. They took swimming lessons and gymnastics and spent lots of time Razor scootering, riding bikes and swimming with neighbor kids. Katie went to "Safety Town," an excellent two-week program focusing on all different types of safety. Other milestones: Katie lost two of her bottom teeth, played in a soccer league and started kindergarten. She’ll be six years old in February. Jack finally allowed himself to be potty-trained (thank you, Grandma Darlene!), entered his first year of preschool, and just recently celebrated his fourth birthday with a pirate-themed party.

A few months ago we were given a stray dog, and after an unsuccessful search for her owners we decided to keep her. One thing nice about a used dog is they come already housebroken, and this one even has a few tricks up her paw, much to the delight of Katie and Jack. Casey is a real sweetheart, with the friendliness of Scout but a lot less bark. The dogs are less than fond of sharing attention, but good companions during the day.

In April, my mom and Len separated after 23 years of marriage. The details of the divorce don’t really belong in a Christmas letter, but I will say that I am incredibly proud of my mother. She’s doing well.

In May we went to Colorado for my nephew Sean’s high school graduation. He was class president and salutatorian; it’s safe to say this auntie was pretty much bursting with pride. We’ll go back again in 2006 for Stephen’s graduation.

On June 7, my world stopped. My dad, Curt Saltmarsh, passed away at the way-too-young age of 63. He was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 1998, and although he had some pretty close calls over the years, most recently he’d been doing well. I always expected to see the end coming, that he would slowly decline and we would know when it was time for him to go. His sudden death, then, (from a pulmonary embolism) was a shock. Like many father-daughter relationships, ours had its ups and downs; however, in the past ten years we found respect and admiration for each other, thanks in large part to Dotti’s determined efforts. Dad passed on to me his looks, personality, sense of humor and obsessive-compulsive tendencies (um… thanks?), but more than anything, he truly left his handprint on my heart. I adored him, and I miss him terribly. Now, adjusting to the hole in the family I’ve known all my life... well, it’s harder than I ever imagined. So, to all of you who have called, e-mailed, and sent cards and flowers, I thank you again; it has meant a lot to hear from you in this very melancholy time. I’ve been struggling to get through a lot of the everyday parts of life since then, and I appreciate those of you who have continued to check in. I feel very fortunate to have you.

It felt wrong to take a vacation so soon after losing my dad, but by the end of July I desperately needed a change of scenery. Months earlier, I had planned a girls-only trip to Los Angeles with April and Debi, so off we went. Our first stop was to see the Broadway show “Wicked” in its Hollywood run, and we busied ourselves in the days that followed with much shopping and eating of cheesecake. And if you need to ask if we spent a day with Mickey Mouse, well, you just don’t know me at all, do you? It was wonderful to get away, especially with two of my favoritest people. Vic was quite envious of the Disney part of our trip—it is the 50th anniversary year, after all—so we may end up going there together this next year.

Soon after my L.A. trip we did a Manullang family weekend in Sunriver for Vic’s birthday. We enjoyed ideal weather for swimming, taking walks and relaxing. The kids rode around and around and around our loop until their bike-riding skills were perfected; the "braking" thing was a big accomplishment for Jack, who until then had been using the Fred Flintstone method.

We painted the master bedroom this year, but otherwise most things in our house stayed as they have been for a while. No, the trim is still not completed, and there’s still a lot of patching to do here and there. Wanna come over for a work bee? I did try to keep our family web site up to date in 2005—you can find my dad’s eulogies there, and be sure to check it for news and photos throughout the year. I’ve been working on my 20th high school reunion duties (memory book, slide show, web site, losing 100 pounds), which will come together in February. Work-wise, not much has changed, for which we are thankful. Health-wise, not one of us sustained a single severe head wound, nor did we break any bones. I am not making up this good news. And finally, regrettably, I must confess that we have joined the multitude of minivan owners. Bleah.

Well, I think that’s just about everything, except for one final thought: this year, especially, we encourage you to hold your loved ones close. Best wishes for a Happy Festivus and extraordinary happiness in 2006—

Victor, Jennifer, Katie, Jack, Scout & Casey
www.manullang.com

---

You also may have received our second annual Christmas CD, Christmas Joy, in which case this playlist will be familiar to you:

1. All I Want for Christmas is You (Olivia Olsen). This is not the Mariah Carey version because I can't stand Mariah Carey's screeching. Instead, I chose a less screamy version, sung by the little girl at the end of "Love Actually," one of my new favorite Christmas movies.
2. Hey Santa (Ashanti)
3. Happy Holiday (Bing Crosby)
4. Here Comes Santa Claus (Elvis Presley)
5. That Spirit of Christmas (Ray Charles). This is the song that plays while Clark Griswold watches old home movies after getting stuck in his attic in "Christmas Vacation."
6. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives)
7. Last Christmas (Jimmy Eat World). I know, I can't believe I didn't choose the Wham! version either. But this one was a little less, I don't know... Wham!
8. Snow (Bing Crosby & Friends). Little story here: I love this song performed in "White Christmas" with Bing, Danny, Rosemary, and Vera Ellen's dubbed voice. But in the soundtrack, Peggy Lee takes Rosemary Clooney's place. Apparently Rosemary Clooney was under contract with a different recording studio and couldn't perform on the soundtrack's label. Hm. Well, it doesn't totally ruin it, but nobody does it better than Rosemary. There, I said it.
9. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (The Beatles). Although I like the Brenda Lee version, this one is just so "Beatles," we loved it.
10. Believe (Josh Groban)
11. Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)
12. Christmas Vacation (Mavis Staples)
13. We Need a Little Christmas (Johnny Mathis). We also need a little testosterone, don't we Johnny?
14. Mele Kalikimaka (Bing Crosby)
15. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Burl Ives)
16. Elf's Lament (Barenaked Ladies & Michael Buble)
17. Please Come Home for Christmas (Southside Johnny Lyon)
18. Deck the Halls (Nat King Cole)
19. Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Frank Sinatra & Cyndi Lauper). In his later years, I think Frank was really beginning to lose it, considering the artists he recorded duets with. We liked this one, though, probably because it doesn't really sound like Cyndi Lauper.
20. Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time (Paul McCartney)
21. Frosty the Snowman (Leon Redbone & Dr. John)
22. Up on the Housetop (Gene Autry)
23. Blue Christmas (Elvis Presley)

And in case you're interested in what was on our first annual Christmas CD, Christmas Wishes (2004), here's the playlist:

1. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Andy Williams)
2. Merry Christmas Darling (The Carpenters)
3. Home for the Holidays (Perry Como)
4. Jingle Bells (Bebe & Cece Winans)
5. Count Your Blessings (Bing Crosby)
6. Grown-Up Christmas List (Michael Buble)
7. Sleigh Ride (Andy Williams)
8. Silver Bells (Perry Como)
9. The Christmas Waltz (Michael W. Smith & Sandy Patty)
10. My Christmas Prayer (Bebe Winans & Rob Thomas)
11. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
12. Let it Snow (Dean Martin)
13. The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole)
14. The Night Before Christmas (Amy Grant)
15. Christmas Time (Michael W. Smith)
16. Winter Wonderland (Andy Williams)
17. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Rosemary Clooney)
18. Celebrate Me Home (Kenny Loggins)
19. O Holy Night (Josh Groban)
20. Silent Night (Michael W. Smith)
21. The Happiest Christmas (Michael W. Smith)

If you didn't receive either or both of these CDs and you really want one, let me know. I can probably burn another copy or two. See, I'm a nice girl, no matter what you've heard. I don't know if there are enough Christmas songs left to create an entirely new CD next year, but we'll see.

My sister got a really great gift from Lori this year: tickets and backstage passes to the Journey concert in Denver last week. Lori's brother-in-law is the drummer. It's cool to know Lori. Here's a picture of an ecstatic Kathy with drummer dude Deen, Stephen and Dayna, and Ron:

The Christmas party episode of "The Office" last week was hilarious. If you didn't see it, it's probably because you don't have TiVo, and why you haven't gotten TiVo yet, even though I keep telling you to, I don't know. Anyway, try to catch it in a rerun. You won't be sorry.

I probably won't post again until after Christmas, so here are my parting thoughts for the holiday season:

• Have a good Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Hanukkah, whatever
• Eat your vegetables
• Go easy on the eggnog

And remember, nothing ruins a perfectly good Christmas morning than not getting your wife what she wants. You've been warned.

Toodles!

--Jen