Halloween Tradition

You know, I remember what Halloween was like as a kid so well. All that hype! For weeks ahead of time friends would talk about all of the candy that they usually got. Not me though. We lived out in the middle of nowhere and Mom and Dad only went to houses of those we knew. That involved more driving than any normal parent would want to do, so inevitably we only hit 5-10 houses. No help needed carrying those bags of candy, believe me.

Ri is lucky. Ever since the Hanfs moved into town, and I do mean town, Ri has had a real neighborhood to trick-or-treat in. Every year we head down to their house. The adults hang out, enjoy a few drinks, eat dinner and hand out candy. The boys get to hit as many houses as humanly possible while we just relax. This year was no different. Sierra whipped up some tuna noodle casserole and a salad, and I brought down some chicken noodle soup and homemade bread.




Armed with a full pot of candy, it was time for the kids to start showing up. The first ones showed up pretty early... 4:30! Sky was all over it.











After that, Sky was trying to figure out the fake blood thing and Cory helped River with his mad scientist hair.










Eventually the kids came back from hitting all of the houses in the immediate neighborhood for some chow.











After that they hit Palmer Street... a considerable hike to get there. Needless to say Ri returned exhausted, but with 106 pieces of candy!

Music Therapy

I know, I know, Susan! It has been forever again since I have posted anything. I'm trying. I really am!

As a person who works two jobs with a 10 year-old who needs to be driven all over God's creation, my life is busy... and sometimes stressful. Most people's are though, so who am I to complain? Anyway, one of my favorite things in the whole world to do is to make music in the kitchen. Sounds kinky, I know. It's not though. Now stay with me here and follow along carefully....

I love to cook, and nothing makes cooking more enjoyable than a good martini. Nothing makes cooking while drinking a good martini more enjoyable than cooking while drinking a good martini while my husband plays the guitar for me in the kitchen. Oh! That's not all. Nothing makes cooking while drinking a good martini while my husband plays guitar for me in the kitchen more enjoyable than cooking while drinking a good martini while my husband plays guitar for me in the kitchen while I sing! Phew! A mouthful, but I said it. So here's a picture of the man I call mine playing his guitar for me to sing to while I cook while drinking a good martini.


I think I'll keep him.

My Lengthy Hiatus

I will start this post by apologizing to my (2-3) followers for neglecting my writing. Why, you ask? No clue really. I think I've just been so friggin' busy that when I do get a chance to sit down and veg, I do just that. I sit down and veg. I have not posted on this blog since the day after Black Friday. That's like what? 3 months? Yup. I'm a loser. I think that as far as my mental stability is concerned, blogging is quite beneficial. You know, it gets all that stuff out of my head that I really want to talk about, but don't really want to bore someone with during a conversation. Reading it is different. You can take a break from reading, or just stop altogether and not appear rude because I can't see you doing it.

Due to my lengthy absence, I must admit that I feel the need to recap the last three months. Hmmm...where to start. Well, December started out quite nicely. My parents came up with the brilliant idea to just forget about the adult gift exchange for Christmas, and just rent a limo and go out for a spectacular dinner. O.K., count us in!
Mike and I got our finest duds on and joined the family in a fabulous limo ride to Anthony's in Plattsburgh. It was a very special and memorable evening.

Only two short days later, Mike headed for Telluride to play his role in a World Cup event. He was gone for two weeks. Now I realize that there are many wives who would cherish two weeks without their husbands, but not me. I really like my husband alot, and enjoy spending time with him. He has, over the years, done all he can to be a 50% husband. The down-side of this however, is that when he is gone, I feel like I have to do twice as much. Actually, I do have to do twice as much, but I think many wives are used to this and it doesn't affect their workloads if the other half is in absentia.

Shortly after Mike's return, it was time for the holidays. Mike, Ri and I had a wonderful Christmas morning at the house with the obligatory huge breakfast. Very pleasant indeed. The afternoon's festivities were a change from tradition. I only wish that I had taken pictures that day, because it was fantastic. The Kirchners and all of the local Serinos descended upon Susan Serino's house for some serious hor d'oeuvres and cocktails prior to a private showing at the Hollywood Theatre of The Hangover. It was a highly entertaining evening with substantial laughter.

Ok, that brings us to 2010. It was time for another new experience in the Kirchner household. Derek DiCastro... Derek is a 19 year-old who is truly an enigma. He is an extremely talented snowboarder from Rome, NY who is someone who makes you want to do anything to help him succeed. That being said, Mike and I have welcomed him into our home to provide him with an opportunity to be more successful in his endeavors. He isn't here very often, as he has a "smokin' hot" girlfriend back home that he likes to visit often, and he is competing in the Revolution Tour stops in the hopes of becoming a World Cup athelete.

Now where are we? Looks like we have hit the present. What's going on now? Well, alot of USASA events, lots of trips to Whiteface, work,and basically surviving winter. One of the activities that I have really focused on this winter has been exercise. I joined the gym in the Forks in December, and it has provided me with added opportunity for exercise. For years now, I really have limited myself to running as far as exercise is concerned. The gym has really prompted me to do more cross-training. It's amazing how out-of-shape you can feel doing a different type of exercise than you're used to.

One of the latest types of exercise that I have had the opportunity to experience is Zumba. Holy crap that is fun! Only if you like dancing though, and I love to dance. I think women love how empowering it is. It's like going out dancing in a club, but without all the other BS that goes with it. The ladies get to shake their groove thing to some smokin' hot Latin music without feeling self-concious.

The only other exciting thing that I have failed to report is my recent birthday celebration. Mike arranged a "Birthday in the Forks" for me, and the evening was spent with some very special people. We started out at the local pizza joint. Definitely not even close to the best experience, but it did not prevent us from having a fantastic evening.

Some of my favorite guys were there...



So anyway, things have been going quite well. I have continued to have great fun with friends. That will never change.

Black Friday

For almost all of my adult life I had been increasingly tempted to see what the whole Black Friday phenomenon was all about. Finally, just last year, I decided to go for it. I combed the sales flyers, picked out the items I absolutely HAD to buy, wrote it down on a list in chronological order of store opening times and even searched the Internet for coupons that might save me even more money. The day finally came and I jumped out of bed all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 3:00 a.m. Armed with a travel mug and a thermos full of coffee, I made the trek to the mall. JC Penney was my first stop, and I waited with a throng of people outside the store just waiting for the 4 a.m. opening. It was something else. There were people singing Christmas carols still wearing their pj's, people who had obviously never even gone to bed and had stayed up partying, and people like me...just in it for the experience and the prime people-watching opportunity. It was a truly amazing experience, and I saved a ton of money.

With such a positive previous Black Friday experience, I didn't hesitate to plan a second trip. This time the plan was a little different though, because the adults in my family are not exchanging gifts. My parents had the fabulous idea that we should rent a limo and go out for dinner...just the adults. My parents didn't have to do any convincing, which meant that I didn't have much Christmas shopping to do. Why did I still go? Because there is nothing wrong with using Black Friday for selfish reasons. I again examined each and every sales flyer and wrote down the items that I MUST have in chronological order of the store opening times. It was basically going to be the same routine, the only differences being that this year Sierra was going with me and the anticipated first store opening time was at 3 a.m. instead of 4. The plan was made...pick Sierra up at 2:30 and head for Plattsburgh.



Sierra was out on the sidewalk in front of her house when I got there, and we wasted no time making the trip. Smooth sailing all the way with just a little fog to make things interesting. We decided to park near Target and make our way over to Old Navy. We were just in time for their 3 a.m. opening. There was only one problem...we couldn't find a mall entrance that was open. Everyone was standing outside waiting to get in. We decided we must have chosen the wrong mall entrance and walked around a bit before giving in and getting back in the car. Finally we found an open entrance, and headed for Old Navy. Holy cow! I know the picture doesn't really show it too well, but you should have seen the friggin' line waiting to get in the store.



I think the line even went into the other wing of the mall, it was that long! By now of course, it's about 3:15-3:30ish and people are starting to wonder why the line isn't moving. We kind of figure that perhaps they are only letting so many people in at a time because there are so many of us. That reasoning sounded good until someone mentioned the fact that the advertisement said that "select stores open at 3 a.m." Well guess what? Plattsburgh was not one of these so-called "select stores". I think some people were a little annoyed. Sierra and I decided that we were going to have to head for the anchor stores and plant ourselves in those lines. Sierra headed for Sears, and I, after refilling my coffee in the car, headed to JC Penney.

I think I had the more pleasant store to visit. Sears tends to pile all of the large aisles with all of their Doorbuster specials, leading to cramped spaces and items that aren't where they should be. Luckily enough, Sierra managed to find the King-sized down comforter that I was after for only $20! That's right, only $20 for a king-sized down comforter. I still can't get over that snag...only minutes later, they had sold out. Whew! I, on the other hand, made a rather significant purchase in Penney's...some smokin' hot boots to wear with my dress for the limo dinner. Amount saved at Penney's...$116. Can you believe it?

With that much success thusfar, we decided to head for Target. They had not yet opened, so I headed for the line outside. Again, a truly amazing experience. I couldn't believe this line! Again, the picture doesn't do it justice, but you get the general idea.


Sierra really wanted the Sex in the City movie on DVD that was selling for a low, low price of $3.99, so I headed for the electronics department (Sierra had made a Dick's detour). Big mistake. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go to the electronics department at Target on Black Friday when the store first opens. It was pretty scary, I'm not gonna lie. I did end up snagging the movie and a few other small items, then headed for the check-out. Now if you've ever been to the Target in Plattsburgh, you'll really appreciate this...the check-out line went all the way down the left front side of the store towards the grocery section, around the corner and all the way to the back of the store. That's right, the BACK of the store. I was tempted to drop my stuff where I held it and leave. That is until someone suggested we check out at the pharmacy. Apparently that was top secret information, because we managed to be 4th in line there, and checked out within 5 to 10 minutes.

Needless to say we were spent. Not too spent though, because we had enough energy to visit Lowes on our way out of town. Lowes had storage totes 2/$5.98 and poinsettias for $.99. I snagged four totes, three poinsettias and a drill. Sierra snagged three poinsettias and some batteries.









With the car full, and our patience exhausted, we called it quits. For me, a successful trip. Sierra isn't completely sold on the idea of Black Friday. I think I'll probably give it another whirl next year.

Who'd a Thunk It?

I haven't written any posts in a few weeks, but last night was definitely blog-worthy. Lauren decided that the Ladies needed to get together since it had been at least a month since we had all been in the same room together. After much indecision about where to go, we ended up at the North Country Club in Keeseville. We had a delightful meal at the bar, then headed to 20 to meet up with the boys. It was pretty slow in there last night, so we didn't stay too long. Sierra took her boys home from the movie, and Lauren, Gar and I headed to my house for some more socializing. I don't know how it started, but Lauren and Mike were talking guitars. Lauren was talking about how she used to play guitar, but hadn't done so in many years, complaining that her guitar's action is too high. Mike, ever the accomodating man, disappears and comes back with his electric guitar for her to try out. What does Lauren do? She starts playing a beautiful, albeit rusty, rendition of Black Bird! I was stunned! I never knew that Lauren could play the guitar so well.




She worked with Mike on his acoustic to teach him the melody. He picked it up in no time, and then it was time for him to show her a song that we had been working on before the evening started. Before you know it, Mike and Lauren are playing guitar while Gar and I sang! We had a blast! I do believe we should do that more often!

Spontaneity At Its Finest

I was supposed to have prepared pork tenderloin for dinner. It never happened. I guess you could say it all started on Friday after the ballroom dance lesson...Cory, Lauren and I agreed that we were going for a little run on Sunday. Well, we did, and it wasn't long before it turned into an evening at the Hanf's with all of the Serino ladies. My belly hurts. We ate too much. We laughed even more.



Sierra says, "I'm making lasagna. Mom and Autumn are coming and you should come too."

"Let me talk to Mike," I said.

"Sure." Mike said.

Lauren, Cory and I go for our run. I have to mention that Lauren ran quite a bit farther than us. We cheated. It was the head wind. We figured we'd get as much of a workout going for a shorter distance with that incredible head wind. Unfortunately we neglected to tell Lauren. Sorry, Lauren.

When we had all arrived back at Cory and Sierra's, Lauren was all about the lasagna dinner as well. She and I left to go home, tidy ourselves up and gather up some food to contribute to the feast. And feast we did. There was a lovely assortment of fresh veggies with dip, chips with a Buffalo bleu cheese dip, lasagna, salad, garlic bread and apple pie. The teamwork was truly impressive.
We ate until we were stuffed, then the entertainment began. It turned into "Look What I Can Do" night very quickly. Mike can bend his hand all the way back to his arm. Autumn can do a toad neck type thing that makes you want to pee your pants. Sierra can bend her fingers at the 1st (or is it 3rd?) knuckle. Briar can turn her eyelids inside out.






I tried to get a nice, relatively serious picture of the Serino ladies, but didn't have much luck.

The Latest Adventure

The Ladies went on another adventure. This time...A BALLROOM DANCE LESSON!!! We managed to convince our husbands to join us in a ballroom dance lesson! I still can't believe we did it, and holy cow, that was fun!

We knew that we would have to start the evening off with a bite to eat and a refreshing beverage, and Lauren suggested we hit R.F. Macdougall's (not sure if the spelling is right on that one). The food there was quite tasty, but we did have to wait quite a while for it. It didn't matter though, because we still managed to get to our lesson on time.

We headed to the Amos and Julia Ward Theater in Jay where the lesson was to be held. We walked in at exactly 7:00 only to discover that the instructor had not yet arrived. You can only imagine the look of relief on the men's faces when they heard that!


Their expressions didn't last long though, because only moments later our dance instructor Ray arrived armed with soft leather shoes and a boom box. Oh yeah, bring it!

I managed to get the gentlemen together for a nice shot...


Oh yeah, look at them appearing so confident. They were ready to take on the world! Well, Ray kicked things off with the Rhumba. We all practiced the step in a line for a short while before we attempted it with our partners.




The laughter quickly ensued! I'm telling you right now...get a group of friends together and go try it.



It didn't take us long before we were switching partners every so often....




At some point, the Hanfs decided they had had enough, and did the slide. It wasn't long after we discovered they were gone that we realized we had worked up a powerful thirst. Hard to imagine, but our muscles were actually feeling it. We headed to 20 and found the Hanfs already quenching their thirst.




It was a very fun evening, and The Ladies highly recommend trying it for yourselves.