On March 17th, Everyone is Irish!

In case you haven't been keeping count, it has been 3 months, almost exactly, since my last big holiday bash. To keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay I organized a great green fest to celebrate the luck o' the Irish.

I was so excited that I planned it weeks in advance and decorated my house way early, ensuring that we were properly prepared to usher in the Celtic celebrations.

Here are some of my decorations:







As you should now know, my parties revolve around great company and good food and I take an immense amount of pleasure in being able to create a relaxing, enjoyable experience for my friends. My first big rule when I host a "formal" party (meaning I printed invitations) is that no one is asked to bring food. Please understand that it's not because I think I'm the best cook (because I know I'm not!) but because I don't want anyone to feel any stress or burden by coming. It also helps that I love cooking for my friends. With all of this in mind, I geared up for a fun Irish and green themed meal to serve.



First on the docket: Irish Country Stew. This is chock-full of yummy veggies and flavor. I wanted it to be authentically Irish, so my ingredient list included: cabbage, leeks, parsnips, carrots, onions and bacon. I was quite pleased with the results :)



I also whipped up a couple of loafs of Irish Soda Bread, using a recipe provided by an Irish grandmother. Holy cow! This was by far the most popular dish of the night with everyone requesting to take some home. :) Here is the link to the recipe on my foodie blog: Gourmet Gossips



I was excited to find this lovely imported Irish Cheddar in our grocery store. I served it with British Melba Toast and it was also gone before the end of the night.

Other green themed foods included:

Green Trifle, made with green angel food cake, white chocolate pudding, blackberries and lime flavored whipped cream

White Chocolate popcorn, dyed green, of course

Spinach Dip (a party mainstay) served with Wheat Thins



To round it all out, I made homemade root beer (our teetotalers' replacement for Guinness). I carbonated it with dry ice and it was a major hit. I sort of felt like we were a bunch of kids when everyone gathered around the kitchen to watch me put the ice in the root beer. :) Luckily, not only did it look fun but it also tasted great!



There was no need of silly games or gimmicks because we had such great company. I turned on some Celtic music in the background and everyone chatted away for hours. I have to admit that I had an absolute blast and was grateful for that so many friends came! Sadly, my brain didn't think to remind me to take pictures of everyone dressed in their green duds, but I assure you that they looked great!

After the festivities had died down, Alexander and I decided that this definitely needs to be an annual tradition, so plan for it now friends; I'm thinking March 16, 2013 sounds like a great day for a party!

The Stuff Memories Are Made Of

Alexander and I were lucky to be able to go out to Utah to say goodbye to Tyler as he leaves for his mission to South Dakota. I'm so proud of you Tyler!! We had an awesome time and it was really hard to go back to Kansas City.

Here are some of my favorite memories from the trip:

Melanie and I singing "You and I" and "Keep Your Head Up" at the top of our lungs as we drive back to Mom and Dad's.

Denise and I getting in the shortest line at Walmart and waiting longer than anyone else around us as the rednecks in front of us argue about who is paying for the iTunes card.

Bryce and Alexander swapping mission stories and discussing the grossest food they've ever eaten.

The narcissistic photo shoot at 10:00 at night with Melanie and Natalie.



Making 38 enchiladas for Sunday dinner.

Tyler to Annalee: You are addicted to caffeine!!
Alexander: It's her headache medicine.
Tyler: She's addicted! Not a day has gone by that I haven't seen her with it!
Alexander: That's 'cause you give her headaches.
(PS, I don't drink it every day, he was just making one of his silly exaggerated comments.)

Staying out till one o'clock in the morning giggling with some of my best friends from high school.

Listening to Tyler hum on the other side of the wall practically the entire night as he wrote and refined his farewell talk.

Visiting Jen and Zac's lovely home and losing track of time as we try to make Hallie giggle.

Singing "I Believe in Christ" with my sisters at Tyler's farewell and trying desperately not to cry.

Mom and I spying on Denise as she cuddled with her new boyfriend.

McKay and Alexander going on a pizza run during "the lady party" (aka Jewelry Party).

Mom asks me, "Are you going to the store? Tomorrow is hundreds day. I need 100 kisses." Dad walks in just in time to hear the last sentence, raises his eyebrows and says, "That will take me all night!"

Tyler and Alexander going out to lunch. Tyler ordered a Zesty BBQ burger with no zest or BBQ, just bacon.

Annalee: I haven't taken a picture with Tyler yet.
Tyler: Sorry you guys. Mom said no sexy pictures tonight.

Melanie tried to teach Hallie to push a certain noise button on her toy but Hallie preferred to push the button that played the music. Melanie tried over and over but Hallie ignored her. Finally, after much bugging, Hallie turned to look Melanie straight in the eyes, picked up the toy, and pushed the noise button repeatedly before then calmly looking away and pushing the music button.



Some photos from the "photo shoot":

Me, Melanie and Natalie


Natalie and Tyler, the twins


Tyler, Alexander, Melanie and Natalie


Tyler, Me, Alexander and Melanie


Tyler, Melanie and Natalie

Christmas 2011

This was the first Christmas I have spent away from my family so I was worried that I would be super homesick, but this Christmas turned out quite lovely and special despite the separation.

We started out our celebrating by hosting our 1st Annual Ugly Sweater Party and boy was it fun! I cooked up quite a spread of food including my first ever attempt at my Grandma's homemade rolls. We also had a white elephant gift exchange which was really fun! We ended up with a black elephant carving from India and a CD of the Messiah.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures at the beginning so most of us had shed our sweaters by the end. I also was unable to get a pic of one of the other couples.


Alexander


Stephanie and Jack


Kelley and John


Kathy and Joe

Christmas Eve Alexander and I were invited to spend the afternoon with our good friends at their family party. We had an enjoyable time and it was a fun diversion, although a tad awkward at times. ;)

I spent the rest of the evening tiding the house and getting everything ready for Christmas. My mother instilled in me the idea that the house must be spotless on Christmas. We were promised Santa would not come until our rooms were clean, like really clean, as in everything out from under the bed clean. So I cleaned away.


The tree Christmas Eve

I loved going to Sacrament meeting on Christmas Day. It was such a beautiful way to celebrate the birth of our Savior and I appreciated the spirit that it brought into the rest of our activities.

We were blessed to be invited to eat Christmas dinner with our dear friends who we also shared Thanksgiving with. I made garlic mashed potatoes, sauerkraut with apples and bacon, homemade rolls and a coconut cream cake. Our hosts provided a succulent ham and other delicious accouterments. We then played a lively game of Lord of the Rings Monopoly which I accidentally won. ;)

Christmas evening I skyped with my family while they did the annual singing at Grandma's house. I admit to getting a bit teary eyed as we sang our favorite Christmas songs. However, I was so grateful for the modern technology that allowed me to be a part of the joyous gathering. I love and miss my family so much that this was an incredible blessing for me.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I am sorry to see it end. Thanks to all of those wonderful people who made this holiday so special for us and kept us from feeling lonely! Love you all!






Godiva Opening her New Ball


Our Annual Christmas Ornament

Goodbye Summer!

Goodbye Summer, hello beautiful Autumn! Labor day weekend reminded me of why I have fallen in love with Kansas City. Despite the previous week being rather terrible (I got a flat tire in a sketchy neighborhood, replaced all the tires & fixed alignment and then the next day the car wouldn't start due to a faulty fuel pump) the weekend was an absolute blast!

On Friday we headed to Crown Center to enjoy our 2nd annual Irish Fest. We literally stuffed ourselves with some of the best food of the Old World and laughed at all the odd merchandise one can buy at an Irish Fest (underwear decorated with Guinness beer insignia anyone?). I ate a frozen chocolate-covered banana and a meat pie and Alexander enjoyed fish and chips and a sausage roll. The best part of the evening was sitting down with a glass of ice cold, freshly squeezed lemonade and listening to the fine stylings of the Irish musicians. I was seriously giddy about how perfect it was.

On Saturday I participated in a three-ring circus to get my car out of the shop and the rental car returned (honestly, they would be the most wasted 2 hours of my life if I didn't have a good friend to spend them with!). I then took a much needed nap before we celebrated a late birthday dinner for Alexander at the tastiest Chinese restaurant in Kansas City. Best General Tso's chicken ever!

On Sunday we were invited over for a game night with a bunch of other families in the ward. Everyone (except me 'cause I'm lame) brought yummy desserts and we had a great time getting to know each other better. Ever played Mafia with a group of adults? It's hilarious!

We had work and school off on Monday so we went with Joe & Kathy to the dollar movie and saw Kung Fu Panda 2 (which is so cute!). We then went way early to the Kansas City Symphony in the Park concert. We got the best seats and enjoyed the sun while eating snacks and playing Citadels. The concert was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the conductor jump and dance as he directed such awesomeness as: the Imperial March from Star Wars, Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations, Smetana's Moldau, and Pirates of the Caribbean. I was also really entertained by all the kids practicing to be fine arts majors. I saw some enthusiastic conductors, a lovely ballerina and a curly-haired toddler shaking her booty. We ended the night eating peach ice cream and laughing at old school Divine Comedy.

To be honest, the last thing I wanted was to get up and go to work on Tuesday, which was a coincidence since when I got to work they told me they decided to use the funding for my position elsewhere and were letting me go. Yesterday was my last day on the job at Mickey D's, so I'm gearing up for my next adventure!

One Year Ago

One year ago today I was packing up and cleaning my beloved home in Provo. To say I was an emotional wreck would be an understatement. I was beyond devastated and my heart felt like someone I loved had just died. I unconsciously dragged out the entire process, delaying the inevitable: the moment when I would have to get into the car, turn it to the east and drive 1100 miles away. At one point in the afternoon our good friend came to take our fish. I knew the fish wouldn’t survive the drive and they graciously offered to provide a home for our pets. When he took them it was just one more goodbye we didn’t want to make and we cried even though they were “just fish”. One year ago today was a horrible day.

One year ago I started over in a house I had never seen before, in a city I didn’t know. Sunday came and I dreaded it. Sunday was the day when we usually had gone to my parent’s house for a wonderful dinner and fun evening with my family and I was dreading a lonely evening in a house that still didn’t feel like home. Despite my heartache, homesickness and loss of direction, I knew the Lord was watching out for us. That first Sunday in our new ward the members rushed to greet us and I am sure nearly every person in the ward came up to welcome us. I was relieved to be in a place that seemed to want us. That afternoon the elder’s quorum president called and invited us to dinner and we eagerly accepted. We were blessed to spend the evening with 3 wonderful couples who have since become dear friends. That night was the beginning of healing.

The next Sunday I was called to be in the Young Women’s Presidency and another piece of my heart was healed. I was given a calling where I was able to be spend time with wonderful ladies while serving some amazing girls. Just knowing I had a job to do was a blessing.

Gradually we began to discover the joys and beauty of Kansas City. We found the huge Irish Festival, the incredible Renaissance Festival and the Nelson-Atkins with its free admission to view masterpieces by Van Gogh, Monet and others. We discovered Fall and the crisp autumn perfectness that results in tasty apple cider and gorgeous trees of orange and red.

Slowly we began to appreciate what self-reliance and independence really means, being too far away for my dad to fix anything. Alexander and I have also grown closer and more co-dependent than we previously had been (if that is even possible). Godiva has become more entrenched as a member of our family and I am convinced that she adds a whole new level of comfort that we desperately needed.
Alexander has found his niche and is performing better than expected in school. We have high hopes and expectations for the future and we know that he can accomplish anything he puts his mind to.

The miracles keep coming and our faith in the Lord is being tested and strengthened every day. One year from last year we have grown and stretched ourselves beyond what we thought we could. Our eyes are open to the daily miracles we receive and our hearts have found room to love Kansas City like we love our home in Provo.
One year down, the rest of our lives to go.

Holidays and Miracles

The past few months have just flown by. I can't figure out what I've been doing, but I'm pretty sure I have been busy. I did two more weddings in Utah, both of which turned out really nice and in between helping Alexander with homework, planning Young Women lessons, and looking for jobs, we have celebrated a few holidays.

Halloween was sort of a sorry event at our house this year. We were invited over for dinner by a family who had been great friends with Alexander's parents. It was very enjoyable and fun to meet new friends. We got home not long after dark and I expected the trick or treaters, but they never came. We still have a big bag of 150 mini chocolate bars if anyone is hungry. We had no reason to dress up, so we didn't. I was sort of sad about that. However, we did carve ourselves a couple of pumpkins that we picked up at a great pumpkin patch and we dressed up Godiva for a good laugh. I wanted to get a cute fall picture with Godiva next to the pumpkins, but we found out that for some unknown reason she is afraid of pumpkins. It was sort of hilarious.

This is my frog:


This is Alexander's Homestar Runner Devil:


The Dread Pirate Black Fur:


On November 6th we celebrated Godiva's first birthday. I think I just wanted a good reason to throw a party. I baked a little cake and bought her a new toy. I tried to get her to wear a party hat, but she wasn't too keen on that idea.



Godiva has become a really fun member of our family. She has filled a little of the void due to the lack of children and makes our home feel not so empty. She is a very smart dog and we have become quite adept at understanding each other. She understands a large number of words and we are able to have conversations, of a sort. She is still very energetic and really enjoys playing fetch and tug of war with her rope. She is completely spoiled rotten and has no idea how good she has it and we don't even mind.

This is my favorite position that Godiva sleeps in:


Recently, we have enrolled her in obedience school, hoping it would help with her anxiety problems she has had since the big move. Her first day of class felt like a sort of answer to a prayer, as the two other dogs in the class were right around her same size and knowledge level. There is another dog, Weston, that is part border collie and his owner is a sweet girl close to my own age. I think that having Weston in the class really helped Godiva with socialization and she has honestly done a lot better the past two months since starting the class. The teacher is also a wonder-woman and I couldn't have asked for a better teacher who doesn't make me feel stupid when my stubborn dog decides she wants to lay down instead of sit.

On another note, I put up the Christmas tree and decorations a little early this year since I knew we would be going out of town. My dear husband seems to love Christmas music as much as I do (which is saying a great deal!) and has been indulging my need to blast it throughout the house. I love our tree and it always makes me so happy when we plug it in and see the shining lights and shimmering ornaments! :)

We felt so blessed when Alexander's parents invited us home to Utah for Thanksgiving on their tab, even paying extra so that we could enjoy good food and friends during our visit. My wonderful family adjust their lives to fit us in. Denise gave up her room and moved in with Natalie and Melanie so that we would have some privacy (bless her soul!). Both Alexander and I needed that wonderful break from reality and enjoyed spending so much time with those we love. We drove out to Utah so that Godiva could come as well. She was actually really good in the car and our trip out to Utah was smooth and quick, we left at 8:30am and arrived at 2:30am that night. Our trip back to Missouri was less delightful, as we left at 6:00pm and drove through the night, stopping for a few hours to sleep in the car in Denver. I think we looked like homeless people but I didn't mind. We drove through the rest of the day and arrived home around 7:00pm. I still have car-lag from the whole event.

We witnessed another miracle upon arriving home. We live in a two story duplex on the main floor, and the upper floor has been empty for a number of months, but the two doors are next to each other. We found that the door to the upstairs unit had been totally kicked in and someone had broken in. The motivation for the break-in is unclear, as burglers rarely need to kick in a door, perhaps someone was after a previous tenant or something. However, robbery isn't unusual in our area and can't be ruled out. The police said that some copper piping was stolen, but that's it. The miracle is that whoever broke in didn't even attempt to get in our door. I know that it was an answer to our prayers.

We will be going back home to Utah again in a few weeks to do a wedding and spend time with the family and friends again over Christmas. We know we are completely spoiled and are just lapping this up because we know that in the future we won't be able to go home this often.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog

It has been a crazy couple of weeks since I last wrote. Things are going better for us and we are settling down into a sort of routine and familiarity with this place. We know where we grocery shop and that rush "hour" starts at 3:30pm.

On September 22, my sister Jen had her adorable baby girl, Hallie Ann (I am sure she gets her middle name from me, no matter what Jen says).

Alexander is doing well in school. He has already aced one exam and fired off two papers, lots more to come before Christmas though.

I went to a staffing agency a couple weeks ago. The woman was not very friendly and was sort of exasperated when I explained that I wanted a job as an event coordinator, telling me that there aren't any jobs in that field. I nearly stormed out, but decided to at least try to get my foot in the door somewhere. I grudgingly consented to take the skills tests that they force on you, though I was a bit too prideful to not be offended.

The first test was a typing test, but my hands were really cold and I was a tad nervous (it's been years since I've taking a typing test). My fingers shook the entire 5 minute test, so I assumed I didn't do too well. The next three tests were for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Each test had 20 questions (i.e. password protect this document in two clicks or less) and 25 minutes for each one. I finished the entire thing in less than 30 and I think I shocked the lady when I came out so early. She was visibly impressed though when she saw my scores, 63 wpm with a 99% accuracy rate, and expert levels in Word and PowerPoint. My Excel score was Intermediate, but she said that the test was geared for those with a strong background in accounting, which I have no experience in, and that I did better on it than expected.

Surprisingly, after my test this lady was much nicer to me, and told me that "lots of people want a job as an event coordinator, but now that I look at your resume, I see that you actually have the experience for it". Duh... didn't you look at my resume before? Anyway, she was very confident that with my skill set they would be able to find a good place for me. We shall see...

I guess it's no surprise that I had been having an emotionally difficult time out here the past few weeks. My family constantly talking about the tiny, cute baby just threw me over the edge. I spontaneously bought a plane ticket home and didn't tell anyone but my friend Melissa who agreed to pick me up at the airport. My sweet Alexander was so wonderful to let me go off and leave him alone for 5 days.

I arrived on Thursday morning and spent a couple of hours with Melissa before we went over to Jen's house. She was shocked speechless (which is saying a lot) and I had a fun time holding the darling baby.



While I was there, Melanie called Jen and asked if she could come over. When she arrived I answered the door. Melanie stood on the porch, mouth hanging open for a full 5 seconds before she suddenly threw her arms around me in a huge hug. I LOVE SURPRISES!!!

Later, Melanie drove me down to my parent's house. Apparently, my dad was on the phone with my mom when he looked out the window and saw me outside. He asked my mom why I was walking down the driveway, my mom replied that I wasn't. When I opened the door, Natalie, Denise, and my dad were standing there with wide eyes. Dad handed me the phone and told me to tell mom who I was. She didn't believe me, but she must have driven home fast because pretty soon she was home, running from the car to the house. You would have thought I'd been gone two years instead of two months.

The rest of the night consisted of hilarious greetings whenever someone else came home. McKay walked in the door looked at me, dropped his bag, and yelled "What the freak?!" It was fairly awesome.

I had so much fun with my family and friends and they were so nice to me, letting me use their cars and mess up their weekend schedules. I arrived at VitalSmarts on Friday just in time to go out with all the girls for Tara's birthday lunch, so I was pretty excited about that. Melanie had an extra ticket to the Saturday afternoon session of conference so I went up there with her and Denise and enjoyed the perfect weather. Sunday I cooked a huge meal of BBQ pork and beef with potato salad and baked beans. On Monday I was able to meet up with Jaclyn for lunch and see her gorgeous new house. Later Melissa and I broke all our previous records on the X-box game Lips and got #1 in the world singing the song "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer. YAY!!! The blood, sweat, and tears finally paid off there. ;)

It was hard leaving Tuesday morning, I already felt like I was home, but I knew that Alexander was waiting for me and I did miss him, so I sadly walked the plank, err, terminal to my fate and back to Missouri.

I have felt better since returning, like the visit refilled my spirits. I have so many blessings and am so grateful for all those people who love me enough to want to spend time with me. :)

Just One of Those Blah Days

Lately I've been just a little bit bummed. I feel like I don't really fit in anywhere outside of my home. There are all these little groups around me and I am by myself. I'll give you a few examples:

In my ward: I am one of maybe 5 women in the ward (and that includes the very newly married) who doesn't have children and is not pregnant. Plus, most women don't work, so they find it inconvenient when I tell them I can't help cause I work full time. They have their little click-ish play groups and spend all day talking and eating homemade cookies while they watch their kids play.

In my family: My sister is getting married in November. All the girls (except me) are bridesmaids and my brothers are groomsmen and they are all wearing matchy matchy outfits. I was told it didn't matter what I wore, and by that I take it to mean it doesn't matter if I am even there. I understand that married women are not bridesmaids, but I still feel incredibly left out.

My friends: Okay, first of all, I don't see my friends very often but when I do the talk is all about babies and kids etc. Which is fine, I love babies and kids, I just don't have any of my own to proudly display and discuss.

At work: I just feel awkward. I feel like people don't get my jokes or my personality and my comments are not funny and fall flat. I also feel like my opinions don't matter and that I don't have enough experience to be taken seriously.


I don't know, maybe it's just been a blah day and the craziness of this week is wearing me down. I may be overreacting, but I don't feel like I am.