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Happy New Year, one and all!! 
I was just remembering last night as we watched the ball drop, that when I was a kid I always used to have a wild sensation inside me when I was waiting for the new year to begin.  It was like I wanted to hold my breath and let it out at the same time.  I didn't want to let go of the previous year, but I couldn't wait for the new one. It made me hyper and jumpy.  Well, I hope that you all have entered into the new year with eager, expectant looks on your faces, or a hopeful smile, or a giggle in your pocket.  You never know what's coming around the bend--  look for it! 

Thankfully, my new year has started in the best possible way for me... quietly.  I've had a bit too much rushing lately, and I'm talking long before the Christmas rush.  I feel like I've been on the go with no end in sight since about 2005.  I needed to start this year quietly, with the snow gathering in poofy cotton balls on the trees outside, and with a lazy frozen pizza for lunch that smell like popcorn, and tasted like simplicity.  JP and I took a long, long walk in the snow this morning because we're dog sitting for a dog who could walk for days.  It sure was a nice walk.  And now there's not much of a plan.  Thank goodness for a day to just be quiet.

I got swept up by a whirling-dervish this past fall, and didn't get dropped back down until... well, until now.  Whirling-dervishes are pretty exciting to be a part of, but they're also exhausting and leave no head space for writing blogs.  JP tried his best to be the heavy and force me to sit down and share my thoughts on life with you, but he's a little too sensitive and nice to be very effective at that.  He tried whining, whimpering, crying, and sulking.  He tried guilt.  He tried to leave me alone.  But, the very best attempt to get me to write was his desperate bribe.  The day after Thanksgiving, JP promised that if I wrote one blog entry per week, for one year, he would get me my very own mini-wiener dog!!  Tempting... We'll just see if it works.  I'm typically not one to fall for bribes.  However, I did clarify to see if he meant 52 blog entries, or one actual entry each week.  He was nice.  He said 52 entries total. 

So, Happy New Year!  Here's to quiet days, and wiener dogs.

p.s.  Here are some pics of recent days..
- Birds at our feeder!  (and notice our beautiful fence in the background!!)
- A few from Betsy's 30th Bday Dinner Party, with chocolate fondue
- Amy, Dad, and JP at home for Christmas

Ok...  Katy and I have a resolution to try and make Indian food once a week.  It was a little bit of a challenge at first because Holland isn't necessarily the spice capital of the world.   However, with persistence, we have been collecting spices...some of them come from our repeated visits to India, we buy some online, and we can even buy some in Holland.   However, that isn't the only challenge, cooking Indian food requires different tools, different utensils, and wide open windows!  We have also, with dogged determinedness, collected the tools of the trade.  Our kitchen is now "stocked" (relatively) with enough items to have an Indian meal when the mood hits.  
     Our weekly foray into Indian cuisine took a hit last week when we were planning on making vadas (a deep fried appetizer) and coconut chutney.   Now, vadas are my specialty...big move considering how little I know about cooking.   Our (mis)adventures with the chutney have been well documented.   Last week, we finally had everything in place for a good snack when I stopped by the grocery store to pick up one little item for the chutney... ginger!  Now, walking around the vegetable aisle with a basket strapped around an elbow can be entertaining only for so long.   I could not find the ginger ANYWHERE.  I finally stopped one of the "runner" and asked him where I could find the ginger.   He told me that there was a recall a few days back and they were out of ginger and not expecting them back anytime soon!  My Indian-ness honestly couldn't believe it...seriously... how can you cook Indian food without ginger?!  Fortunately we had some in a jar at home and were able to manage.  It was still a little weird...  and yesterday, I was back looking for more ginger... and this worker that I finally asked looked at me like I had 2 heads when I said I wanted some ginger!  They are still OUT...  anybody know where I can find ginger in Holland?  How come I didn't hear of this "ginger ban"?  Maybe it happened when I was in India?   Hmm....strange...
     Speaking of being unaware...I got to meet some lovely ladies from the Red Hat Society yesterday.   I just don't get how I could have lived in the US for as long as I have and not seen them around!  Of course, now that I have seen them, I will most definitely see them all over the place...  funny how life works huh?:)  Hope you are enjoying a wonderful day...

Our group has now moved on from Vellore to the coastal city of Chennai.   It still feels weird for me to call it Chennai... part of me will always call it Madras.   We have had more adventures since our last stop.   I got to take the group to meet my dear friend Krishna in his village for the 4th of July.  Krishna has a rice mill that he runs with his family.   We got to spend some time with them and the students had the opportunity to talk to him about his faith (Hinduism) and interact with other kids in the village.  Plus, it was the 4th of July, so we bought fireworks that we set off in the rice mill (not "inside" of course!).  
    One of my stories for this week was the story of Ravi.  When our group was at Vellore, we have the opportunity to spend some time on a college campus.  We got to interact with students, professors, etc.   The last day we were there, we met Ravi.  He was a little kid, 13 years of age who sold Samosas (a crispy Indian snack).   He brought it to the campus and sold them for 1 rupee each.   He seemed to like our group and we did enjoy his samosas so we started to talk.   Our immediate question was..."why aren't you in school?"   and his response was quite sad.  He said he was in 8th grade but he had to sell the samosas for a couple of days because his mother was sick and he wanted to make some money so he can take her to the hospital.   I knew there was something special with this kid when I bought 2 samosas and gave him 5 rupees.  I told him I did not need the change.  He wouldn't go for that.  "My mother would not be happy if I didn't give change anna (elder brother in tamil)," he said.  So he gave me change and after flashing us his biggest smile, he went off to sell more samosas on campus.  He really broke our heart...so after lunch we kept our eyes open for him and sure enough he wandered back with his bucket of samosas.  Nobody really bought anything.   The day prior to meeting us, somebody had beaten him up and broken his clay pot of samosas.  He said he had lost over 50 rupees  ($1) worth of food.   May not seem like a big amount to us but it was for him.   So our group bought ALL his samosas this time around (it was only around $2 total) but instead of eating it we decided on a healthier option.  We told him to go ahead and give samosas out to people on campus.  He did a little double take and that then that beautiful smile came back on.  He ran through the campus and within 20 minutes had an empty bucket!  He came back to say thanks.  We told him that we'd pray for his mother and then Ravi was off.
     I really hope he is back in school today.  

Before I knew JP, I watched a minimal amount of television.
Before JP knew me, he watched A LOT of television.

When JP and I were dating, I found myself watching a bit more TV.

And, since we've been married, I've watched a lot more TV than I would care to admit.
And JP, he has probably watched a tiny bit less TV.
We're still working the kinks out when it comes to balance or moderation on this one.

When I watched TV before I met and married JP, I would generally make use of the time during commercials to go and do something else, a project, a chore, get a snack, etc. It didn't take long for me to learn, however, that JP likes the commericals on TV as much as he likes the shows and the athletics. Months after we were married, I found myself critiquing, analyzing, and giving my own running commentary on the commericals, right along with JP.

Kind of embarrassing if you ask me.

Unfortunately, even when a commercial effectively sells me on a product, I have a hard time knowing the particular brand or chain that is promoting their product. For example, I've discovered that my favorite commericals are always those that include dogs. I couldn't tell you what they're trying to sell, but they just make me smile. Oh, and I LOVE the commercial that is set-up like a drug ad, but is really selling cars... the one with the cramped cars and everyone is looking very uncomfortable... their tone, and their type-face is all very much like an allergy medication, or something. In the end, there is even a guy spinning in a grassy field of flowers. Very well done, indeed. I'm also a sucker for most food commericals, whether they're promoting new products or old favorite. I usually decide that I'll have to try it whatever it is... burgers, appetizers, pizzas, cereals, gum... you name it... I am a sucker.

As I sit here, I am realizing that I must have always been this way. I have quite vivid memories of commericals from my childhood. I must always have been a sucker! Do you remember Orvil Reddenbacher's popcorn? (How did his popcorn pop up so nicely, anyway?) Remember how much Mikey liked Life cereal? What about those people who always kissed a little longer with Dentyene?

I do actually remember more meaningful things too. On Saturday mornings during cartoons they used to air longer, educational commericals (to raise money, I think) about children starving in Ethiopia. I can still picture those little kids with distended bellies, and cups of rice in their bony hands.

It is interesting to think about the millions of commericals that have filled my mind, and all the kinds of ways they have warped me... and shaped me.