The Nelson Narrative

2018 was a fun year.  It started off with the purchase of a new vehicle to replace our aging Toyota Highlander that needed all kinds of things done.  We bought a 2018 Toyota Highlander hybrid in a beautiful silver color. The girls turned 10 in February and celebrated with dinner at the Melting Pot with a few friends and a small sleepover with a few other friends. Olivia took hip hop and was also in dance troupe.  She performed in the spring recital including the production of the Little Mermaid. Paul and I celebrated a dozen years of marriage in May and celebrated with dinner at Ray's Boathouse. In late June we took our annual Nelson Family Vacation to Texas.  We stayed in New Braunfels, visited friends in Austin, the Alamo and SeaWorld in San Antonio, and my aunt and uncle in Kerrville.  Texas is awesome (but way too hot in the summer) and we had SO much fun! We spent the 4th of July holiday weekend at Crescent Bar an

We spent Christmas Eve by ourselves, going to church and then out to dinner and then a quick drive looking at lights and then home to open one present (just the girls).  Then on Christmas morning the Olivia came in our room at 5:30 ready to open gifts.  They haven't been like that for years.  But we told her it was too early, but then we couldn't get back to sleep anyway so we got up around 6 and opened our stockings and gifts.  Their main gifts this year were a hoverboard for Olivia and Air pods for Kayley. After gifts we had a big breakfast, then Paul and I got the turkey all ready and in the oven.  His parents and sister came over at noon, we had wine and snacks and then opened gifts.  Paul's mom gave him, me, his sister and the girls all matching Grinch pjs and had us put them on a pose for a picture.  His mom took the picture and it's a little blurry, but I'm posting anyway because other than my fancy table I didn't take any other pictures.  I'm so ba

Oops, I missed a few days but I'm back. Since my last post I had 2 work Christmas parties--one for my team at a local brewery and one for the whole department during work hours at our Bellevue campus where I used to work before the move. I finally finished my shopping yesterday.  We still haven't done our annual drive around the neighborhood to look at lights.  We were going to last night but Olivia didn't want to, so I think just Paul, Kayley and I will go tonight while Olivia is at a birthday party.  Or we will all go tomorrow.  She's the one who has been hounding us about it so it's weird she didn't want to go last night. We did end up having a family game night, though.  We played Apples to Apples which was an early Christmas gift from my dad and stepmom.  And I made yummy eggnog martinis for Paul and I. Today I am finishing my wrapping and making the dessert for Christmas dinner.  I am making that 4-layer delight with the cream cheese and chocola

Yesterday was the annual Winter Bazaar at school.  Our last one (sniff).  They have a bunch of vendors selling handmade soaps, candles, jewelry, art, etc., a big raffle for several prizes and a silent auction for "teacher experiences" (pizza and movie party, gingerbread making, principal for a day, etc.).  I bought an ornament for the tree and some dog treats, and the girls each bought me something. Today we went to a friend's house for a small, casual Christmas party.  It was an ugly sweater party actually, but I don't have one so I just wore a normal top and jeans.  They had these funny coaster-sized pictures of all different mouths that you clip to your nose so we had a fun time taking pictures of everybody wearing those.   Hoping to get out a get a few more gifts tomorrow and actually get a few more things wrapped.  Ugh, I'm getting behind...

My work Christmas party is coming up and for some reason we do a theme every year (I wish we could just wear whatever we would normally wear to any Christmas party, and we can, but we're encouraged to dress for whatever the theme is that year--last year was plaid, the year before was Hawaiian, etc.).  This year's theme was going to be cowboy/cowgirl, but when some of us were looking on Amazon for funny cowboy attire, we somehow got onto a bunch of funny/inappropriate Christmas shirts and I mentioned maybe that could be our theme for next year (yes, it's a work function but it is after hours and off-site).  Some liked the idea enough to take a vote to see if we should change it from the cowboy theme this year and the majority were in favor so now that's our theme.  So we've all been looking on Amazon for funny shirts and here are some of my favorites. Mike Tyson saying "Merry Chrithmith"  He he REALLY inappropriate, but SO funny:

I missed day 4.  Oops. I'm starting to panic just a little.  It's only the 5th, there is still lots of time, but I'm starting to feel like I'm getting behind on my shopping and wrapping.  I hate still having things to wrap those last few days before Christmas and I REALLY hate still having things to buy. Anyway, I ran to the outlet mall today on my lunch break and got a few things so I'm one step closer. That's all for today, but first, a cute picture of Maisy under the tree.

First of all, it was 13 years ago today that Paul proposed!  Happy engagement anniversary to us! So, for the last 3 years I think, maybe only 2, I didn't send out Christmas cards.  It's so hard to find time to sit down at the computer or on a device and upload pictures and design your cards and I never have any decent pictures anyway.  But I was determined to send cards this year so I asked the girls if they would just pose in front of the tree with the dog and surprisingly they agreed right off the bat with no bribing or anything.  So I snapped a few pics of them with the dog and the cats (separately, with the dog safely out of the room) and got on Shutterfly and ...done! We have a photo of them in front of the tree holding the cats when they were just kittens back in 2011, so we tried to recreate that. 2011 2018 And them with Kona

So yesterday Paul cut down this tree from our yard and we put it in our living room and decorated it. It is not anything we would have picked out from a tree farm, but it was free so...yeah.  It is SO wide around the bottom and just weird shaped but for free it will do! Last night some friends and I had dinner at Melrose Grill in Renton.  2 out of the 3 of us had never been before so it was so fun to try something new and it was really good and a cool historical place. Cheesecake with salted caramel sauce.  Yum! Today we went to church and then watched the Seahawks annihilate the 49ers.  I left during the 3rd quarter to run an errand and grocery shop, because I needed to get it done and not wait until the game was over, and since it was obvious they were going to win I didn't care about missing it.  I was hoping to wrap a few gifts but had other things to do so maybe tomorrow.

 It's December! It was so weird a few days ago when it was a week + past Thanksgiving but still wasn't December.  But now it finally is. This year we have 2 Christmas trees.  For the first several years of the girls' life, we would go cut our own tree every year, but then about 4 or 5 years ago I bought a fake tree at Target the day after Christmas for $14.  Regularly $140.  But this year we decided it was time to chop down this fir we had in our side yard that was getting too big, so we have 2 trees this year.  The fake one is upstairs in our loft, and Paul just chopped down the real one today. We will get that decorated today and then I still need to put the wreath on the door and then our decorating will be done. As far as shopping, I think I am way ahead of where I normally am at this time.  I even have a few things wrapped, which I never do this early.  Honestly, what did I ever do before online shopping was so mainstream?  I didn't have kid

This fall, Olivia has been participating in soccer (again) and ballet.  Kayley did a volleyball class and Hip Hop.  But volleyball and soccer both had their last game/practice today so I will now have my weekends back to work on my long list of projects!  Yes!  I think they each have one or two more dance classes and then that will be done until January. Olivia's soccer team did really well this season.  They won every game except one and that was a tie.  (I think.  They may have lost one, not really sure).  Yesterday's game (they played yesterday {Saturday} and today {Sunday}) was tied at zero right up until the last few seconds when Olivia scored the game-winning (and only) goal!  We were so excited and proud!  We also lucked out with absolutely gorgeous fall weather both days.  Yesterday's game was on Mercer Island with awesome views of Seattle and Lake Washington. Zoomed up (thus grainy) to see Mt. Baker I never did get any photos of Ka