Ummm... so, yeah.

I really don't care about being cool, so I put no effort into trying. I do, however, put a little effort towards being less awkward. I am one of the clumsiest people I know. Minor-accident prone for sure. You know, stuff like dropping the cereal box, cereal flies everywhere, I grumble while I pick up every little piece. One problem with my improvement efforts... the harder I try, the more awkward I get. That does not make sense! And you know what else doesn't make sense? I walk with ease in high heels. What the heck?

Boarding buddies

Valentine's Day... Skot took me out for my first snowboarding experience. Now, in order for you to understand what a huge deal this is for me, you should know that I have never played any sports in my life. Sure, I exercise, I workout, but I am lacking in the coordination skills department. I have heard for years that the first time you go boarding is so hard, all you do is fall down, you get really frustrated. Well, I certainly fell down a lot, but I really didn't get very frustrated, I just kept trying. Thanks to Skooter for being so darn patient. I have never seen him be so patient in the years that I have known him. What a sweetheart! He made the day so easy. :)

SNUGGIE!!!

Pictures from our Christmas shoot with Chuck

Ok, so I said I needed to get the files converted, but I found a couple Skot had already done on his own. These aren't the ones I want to post, but they'll do for now.

Looks like he should be walking around with a newspaper saying "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!" Okay, so he looks cute. What a great smile. :)
I'm not crazy about this shot, but I do look rather joyful. Took a while to get my hair like this.
Scary. Need I say more? Yes, actually, I need. Skot uses this as his screen saver. Is this what he looks at to prepare himself for going home? My goodness. Apparently all the smothering with hugs and kisses just isn't enough...

Did I Mention?

Did I happen to mention that I dyed my hair yet again? It is brown. Medium brown I'd say, with a hint of red. Maybe next I will go all red? Who knows. I use a Magic 8 Ball to decide my hair cut and color choices. It is ever-changing and unpredictable baby. Soon I will post pics of the brownness (is that even a word?).

Did I mention that we had some awesome pictures taken again with Chuck Shotwell? Did I mention that I'm a slacker and haven't put any on the blog? Geez, what will it take to motivate me? The problem is that these pics are very high rez (as in I can zoom in and see individual pores in my skin). I can't just stick them on here. Your page would never finish downloading. The internet would crash and burn!!! (Dun, Du, Duuuuuhhhhnn) <- That is a sound effect. Do you get it? Anyhoo, (a little Canadian for Chrissy Claussen) there are a bunch of mega-big files that need to be converted to little-bitty internet-worthy files - that people can't steal - before I can post them. Soon I will post those pics and you won't have to read so many of my words any more seeing that I have been only posting blog entries lately with lots of words and no pictures and you are saying what's the deal I'm not reading all those words that's too much work what does she think I am, educated?

Do you like my run-on sentence? Hope so. C :)

Twilight to Dawn

I will revise this post later to add more detailed information.
I just want to say for now that I finally got around to reading the Twilight saga... I disappeared for an entire week. Hubby is glad to have me back, although this does mean that I am distracting him from playing FIFA and Call of Duty on his PS3 now.
I'm sure that I won't find another set of books that drew me in like these did for a while...
Okay, gotta stop while I'm ahead. I feel a couple paragraphs coming on.
TO BE CONTINUED...

... AND HERE WE GO...
So, I had this thing about Twilight at first. I avoided it like an offensive odor. I saw blog entries and Facebook pages plastered with comments, pictures, fan clubs, and events. I couldn't believe that people were having Twilight parties! I thought that it was total madness.
Why did I avoid it? Well, hello... it is a series of teenage books about a girl and her vampire boyfriend. Need I say more?
I suppose the next question is: How did I manage to make myself read these books and why did I like them? Well the first answer is obvious. So many people were reading them and liking them so much, maybe, at the very least, I would like them too. Also, I ran across a copy of the second book, New Moon, at TJ Maxx for $6.99. Even if the books, in my experience, tanked then at least I wouldn't be put out about the money. About a month later I was, once again, at TJ Maxx and just happened to see the first book, Twilight, at the check-out counter, $6.99. Amazing, it was fate.
I like this saga because it was an easy read. I like it because it appealed to the moody, hormonal, indecisive teenager in me that used to be (like I mentioned to my friend Erika who dislikes Twilight). I like it because the character is self-depracating and clumsy - I get that. I like because Stephenie Meyer, the author, has her characters speaking the way I speak. I just get it. It gets me. Well, really it doesn't, but I like to think so.

Pay attention next time

LONG, BUT WORTH READING!

I run about 3 days per week. Through the holidays I usually get tripped up a bit with my schedule. I'm back at home for now and trying to get myself back into step. I prefer running outdoors but have recently succumbed to the toasty indoor heating and bought a limited membership at the local gym so I would have a treadmill to run on while the local frozen tundra remains so.

Saturday (Jan 24th) I was short on time and decided I HAD to get a run in, even if I really only had 20 minutes. Okay, so 20 minutes? No problem. I have training runs on my iPod from Stin Hansen that are 20 minutes of high intensity intervals that totally kick my tail. I can handle the time crunch. As I dressed and left my house there was a small lingering thought in the back of my mind. Skot had mentioned that it was going to be really cold. I pushed the thought away thinking I could take the cold (probably in the 20 degree range, right?), I really could not miss a run, I need it so bad.

So this is how my run went:
Kinda hot already from running through the house to get dressed - double layers.
Leave my pull-over face mask behind, too hot, like I said.
Step out the front door.
Start walking briskly to warm up.
Dang it is cold, my face is freezing. Should I have brought my mask?
Start to walk faster, the cold penetrating through my single layer gloves.
Start a slow jog, I am interval training right?
Start running.
Breathing heavier hurts deep in my chest.
As I progress through each interval - walk, jog, run, run harder - my body continues to freeze.
Aren't I supposed to be warming up?
My face feels strange, I touch my chin only to realize I have temperature induced anesthesia.
My nose, my forehead, my cheeks - all the same - no feeling.
I become more in tune with the rest of my body.
Extremities: butt - frozen, forearms - frozen, thighs - frozen, inside bend at my elbow - frozen?
I tell myself I can endure for 20. Just keep going.
Breathing deeper, more labored, more painful.
My throat is actually burning (chest still hurting).
How cold is it exactly?
Am I out of my mind?
No, I am not out of my mind, just dedicated and I know what keeps my stress levels down, right?
I focus on my last interval set, straining for my best.
I jog home, then walk fast, throat still burning.
I walk in the front door, taking a deep and warm breath in.
Check weather.com to see what the temperature is.
At 2:00pm 8 degrees with a wind chill temperature of -6 degrees.
No wonder.
I undress, hop in the shower and cold water pours over my body.
I jump, check the water closer to the shower head - the water is very warm - hot really.
I check around myself realizing...
My skin is so cold that it is turning the warm water into an icy shower.

Oh, Misery, Depart!

The true temperature right now at 8:03am? NEGATIVE 16 DEGREES! The wind chill factor? NEGATIVE 35 DEGREES! Do I dare leave home? Of course, the show must go on. :)

Surprise!

Wow. What a surprise! I periodically check blogs and websites of people I know just to see what's new. Well today I checked our friend's website and saw pictures of Skot and I! So, if you want to see them just click on this link.

http://www.shotwellphotography.com/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=1&a=0&at=0

By the way, we will be posting more pics from this shoot later on.

Christi's sister-day - Earth, Paint, and Fire

Christmas Day - Christi's Family

Christmas Day - Waldrons

Hi, my name is Johnny Cash

Skot was quite the entertainer on Christmas Eve. He has been obsessed with Johnny Cash songs and sang a few for the fam. I joined in for a couple, but I have to careful 'cause he likes his spotlight. :)

Snow angels and Tom's Market

I love going into greenhouses in the winter. It feels like summer in the stinkin' cold tundra.
Tom's - a cutie little country store and nursery in the not-so-country-anymore suburbs.
Skot searching for the famous apple cider donuts.
Is this bad?
My first snow angel of the season :)

Sledding with the Warrs (12/20/08)

Jason and Isabel
Monica and Isabel
Christi and Amalea
Skot and Amalea... so cold, but so dang fun!

Piano Schmiano

The kid in the upper right hand corner is me. Yep, the only adult in a sea of piano students. This was my first piano recital. Cute huh?

I Like-a-you

There are some people in this world that you just can't help but like. Chuck and Lynn were inducted into the Waldron "I Like-a-you Hall of Fame" a couple years ago. These two are awesome. In the words of Anne of Green Gables, "bosom buddies." Chuck is an amazing photographer, you can check his website by clicking the link here. Lynn is the boss... that's what wives are for, what more can I say?

As a side note, Chuck has taken our pictures for our Christmas cards for the past 2 years. What a humble guy. With all of his important work to do, he still makes time to take pics of little ol' us. :)

Giving Thanksgiving

We hosted Thanksgiving at our home this year. We, of course, had the Warr family over for a day of cooking, thanking, eating, cleaning and bonding. On the menu (too much): turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, collard greens, cranberry compote, green bean casserole, roasted garlic, rolls, antipasti... is there more? Oh yes, Monica made an amazing warm dip for pre-feast noshing. Yummy!

Cold Warr

We decided to go to the lighting of the Magnificent Mile with the Warrs. It was cool. Actually it was cold. Hence the red noses in every picture. We all did our best to be good sports about it, but the truth is that I couldn't feel my toes AT ALL by the end of the night! Chicago is such an awesome city. Why can't they move it to the Florida coastline?

Done being sick!

The weekend after Thanksgiving I caught a fun bug... food poisoning. Yuck. OK, so that's all for now. I am all good. No more bugs, no more sore throat or aching body. I have been so busy and have neglected my blog. :( So the next few posts will be catch-up from the past month. Yikes.

Better is good

Getting better is a good thing. I'm almost at the 3 week mark of my sickiness and not 100% better, but almost... still coughing. I went running for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks yesterday. It was 32 degrees outside, not the most comfy temperature, but do-able. It felt good to get in a healthy jog, therapeutic. Perhaps it was unreasonable to think so, but I thought that it would be a terrible run and that being "off" for 2 1/2 weeks would have rendered me unable to make it through a simple 30 minute jaunt. Can hard work be flushed down the tubes in just 2+ sickiness-filled weeks? Apparently not. Thank goodness. Life is good. :)

Sickiness

I'm sick... again. So, I started feeling yucky last week on Monday. Achy, tired, sore throat, then stuffy head. Why do I have to be sick? I hate getting sick. It is such an inconvenience. I finally started feeling better on Friday. Not quite 100%, but better.  Yesterday (Monday) it came back in the form of a newly sore throat, chills, etc. Now I'm at home feeling guilty for calling in sick to work. Oh well, here's hoping I get better... again. :)

PS - Guilty for calling in to work??? It's a guilt complex. I feel like I should just keep chugging along until I collapse or something. Isn't that ridiculous? If you are sick GO HOME and GO TO BED!

Skot's response to election...

A Prelude...

Christi here. I just wanted to say something quickly before you read this. I am happy that we have an African-American man elected to be our president. I feel like this is the cherry on top of the sundae for the civil rights movement that started so many years ago. Am I excited that he is a Democrat? No. I am worried about our money, our investments, our future. We are trying to move ahead in this world and I feel frustrated with the notion that making under $250'000 keeps you safe from the future tax hikes... It makes me feel like there is a new glass ceiling over my head. Oh well, he will be sworn in on Jan 20 (i think thats right) and we will just have to see what happens. Following is Skot's view.

SKOT:

Yeah, it happened. The inevitable. Who's surprised? No one. I think there are 3 main things that contributed to this win:

1. Perfect timing - he got in at a time when people were sick and tired of the Republicans and people needed something different.

2. Great branding / marketing - if Obama has one thing on his side, it's the creative industry. These people did an amazing job of branding his campaign and messaging. McCain couldn't touch him. I have to compare it to the Mac (democrats) vs PC (republicans) commercials.

3. Republican failure - no one can speak against the fact that the republicans screwed themselves in this election. It's just like a sports team that fumbled the ball way too many times, made incomplete passes, too many penalties, and not enough touch downs. They only have themselves to blame.

Whether we like it or not, we are in a global economy. The world would have been disappointed in a McCain victory. Should we care? Yes. The American brand is important, extremely important. It has been damaged these past 8 years.

Obama is not a moron. He will not (hopefully) swing all the way to the left. The majority of voters in this nation are in the middle. If he does that, he'll lose the trust of a lot of people that voted for him. If he's smart, he'll pull in some Republicans to his cabinet, maybe even John McCain. That would be a smart move. Talk about bipartisanship. With a majority in both the house and the senate, Obama will have to be the bipartisan one. He's been ramming "bipartisanship" down our throats, let's see if he actually acts that way.

He's also appealing to the upcoming generations of this country that are or will be running it. The moral of this generation is important. If nothing else, these people are happy and excited. That is good.

I'm sick of all the negativity associated with both parties. Now that the Dems have control, shut up and do something. They've been complaining and crying for 8 years in every way possible. They have no room to talk now. They've been talking a lot, let's see if they can do anything. We definitely won't have any brothas complaining about being oppressed by "the man" because, hey, "the man" is a brotha! (Actually he's only half a brotha).

I'm happy to see a change of pace and an energy around the country that we haven't had for a long time. I'm not that excited to see the things that may come about as a result of Obama winning, but I don't think I would have been that happy about McCain either.

I voted for Bob Barr. Yes, he supports the Fair Tax, and he's a Georgia boy. Did I throw my vote away? NO. Can someone tell me again why we are one of the last countries in the world with a 2 party system? I guess it's better than a 1 party system. Why do I have to vote for a Republican or Democrat to feel validated? I shouldn't have to. My only two choices of something to eat are brussels sprouts or radishes. They both leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Whatever the occasion, it's historical. Cheer up. It can't be worse than it is. Well, I hope not.

Halleluah!

Today we hit the 70 degree mark in the Chicago area. Halleluah!!! I am so happy. All the windows are open. The little bugs and birds outside are busy like it was spring. Life is wonderful, gorgeous and exhilarating today. I love warm weather.

Pumpkin Eater

It's that time of the year. Time for cooler weather, excessive amounts of candy, fun costumes, ghost stories, and pumpkin carving. We finally got around to carving our pumpkins last night. We are trying to make a habit of having family night, so this was our activity!

Skot's carving process looks painful and difficult.
Way to impress your wife pal! Skot is not typically one to read directions.
Here I am trying to do some intricate carving on my pumpkin. I decided that I wanted to carve an ancient Aztec god on my pumpkin, but quickly ditched that idea when I realized what I was about to do to myself. What I mean is that I tend to make big plans when it comes to decorative stuff without realizing or comprehending the amount of work it will require to accomplish. I might have gone ahead with my idea if I had the proper tools, though. 
Skot is finished way before me, of course. :) That's alright, it gave him time to take some more pictures.