Heading into a New Year...

As we approach 2009, it's hard not to think of all that's happened this year. I try to keep this blog uplifting and light-hearted but sometimes I feel I need an outlet to work through some of my feelings and reactions to what is happening in our country. I was watching Meet The Press yesterday and one piece caught my attention. It was a quote from Jeff Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, the parent company of NBC--at a speech in November: "The economic crisis doesn't represent a cycle; it represents a `reset.' It's an emotional, social, economic reset. ... People who understand that will prosper. Those who don't will be left behind." I think this is absolutely true. When I reflect on my time at Washington Mutual- there are years that just blend together because everything was moving so quickly and the idea of quantity over quality dominated our way of life. Slow and steady did not win the race. Or did it?

While it's hard not to worry about all of our problems- I find myself hopeful that, because we have a chance to "reset," our lives will end up more fulfilling. It could be just the stage of life I am in with starting a family but I am so grateful that I have something else to talk about other than banking. This time in Albany has been enlightening in many ways because I have learned that I actually have a lot of interests. I think we get so wrapped up in careers and proving ourselves that we sometimes miss the joy that all of that is supposed to provide. I had a conversation with my friend Whitney about this last week because she turned 30- as many of my friends have or will shortly. I told her that 30 is the new awesome- we spent our twenties trying to prove ourselves to everyone. It's time to be confident! For me, going into my own thirtieth year- I want only to build on my own happiest life. So with that, I offer you my 2009 New Years Resolutions:

1) Start a vegetable garden
2) Find work that fulfills me
3) Exercise- I'm not aiming for a specific weight goal- I aim only to treat my body with the respect it deserves.
4) Utilize our Netflix account- 3:10 to Yuma, while good, was not worth $60 - nice that they let us keep it for six months though
5) Enjoy time with friends and family- traveling, cooking, eating, and playing

We are having friends over to ring in the New Year- I'm planning a fabulous dinner and hope you all have equally fun plans! Cheers!

More Winter Fun

We had another full day of snow!  I have no idea how much we have in total- it's just a lot!  It really is pretty.

We took Gavin and the dogs out for a long walk.  Gavin had the luxury of being pulled on a sled! He had an absolute blast!

We went to Saratoga Springs yesterday afternoon and ran into Santa! Gavin wasn't a real big fan of him!
Outside Santa's workshop...

Gavin scored a job as one of Santa's elves...


Playing in the backyard... Adam was having fun picking Starsky up and throwing him into the snow!  You can sort of make him out in the photo below- flying through the air!  Hope you all are having as much fun as us!

Winter Wonderland

Well, this may not be impressive for those of you living in the Northwest considering you are experiencing similar weather!  I like to think that Mother Nature wants you to feel more connected to us in spite of the 3,000 mile separation.  Our snow storm began around noon yesterday and dumped about a foot of snow.   
We have the joy of having to shovel after each snow storm- per New York State Law.  The thrill wears off pretty quickly.  Although, we've discovered how we can stay in shape this winter. 
Starsky loves the snow- plays in it like a puppy!  Max, on the other hand, remains huddled by the back door. 


We are fortunate to have better plows etc... so we're going to venture up to Saratoga Springs for the afternoon.  We will take pictures and post later along with snow pics of Gavin. He hasn't been out in it yet... I'm sure that will be fun!  We're expecting another foot of snow tomorrow and from what it sounds like- you are expecting more snow! Stay warm and have fun!

Winter Ice Storm- 2008

Ok, I don't mean to sound like one of those lame weathermen that stands outside in their North Face jacket waiting for the first sign of controversial weather BUT we had an ice storm! I'd never experienced an ice storm before. The forecast actually predicted ice accumulation- we got about a half an inch of solid ice on everything. At first glance, it might appear that it snowed but it's just ice. Trees are down all over the place- it's so crazy! Albany was even featured on the Today Show this morning as one of the cities worst hit by this storm. However, we live in the more urban part of Albany and it's not as bad -at least we have power! I'm not really a big fan of ice - I'd prefer snow. I guess that's a good thing because before I finished typing that sentence, I looked out the window and now it is snowing! I'm such a wuss when it comes to this kind of weather. I hope to "man up" before the end of the season. Well, guess I better go scatter ice melt on my front steps so the mailman doesn't sue us! Hope you enjoy these pictures of Albany's Ice Storm 2008 :)

12 degrees, feels like- it's freaking cold!

It is sooooo cold here! Apparently, just six degrees earlier this morning. It is 12 degrees right now. Also extremely dry- even my jeans stick to my legs from static. At this point the weather forecast should just be- Monday- cold, Tuesday- colder, Wednesday- dress in tons of layers because you're going to be freakin cold! You get the idea. I also don't understand the whole "it's 12 degrees but with the wind chill- it feels like below zero temperatures." I'm sorry but if it feels like, then it is. I am actually not complaining- more like expressing my shock at how different it is. I'm sure by mid-January, I will advance to full-complaint mode. The thing is- even with the cold- it is so beautiful outside. It is sunny with blue skies which makes it incredibly misleading! For example, yesterday we decided to go get our Christmas tree. It was sunny and clear and so we thought- let's go to the tree farm and cut one down. Here's how the event took place:
2pm- The deMars arrive at tree farm
2:02- Adam says to Jen, "wow, it's cold!" Jen replies, "yeah, and with that wind- brrr...."
2:03- The wind picks up; Gavin's cheeks are bright red. Jen says to Adam, "That tree looks good!"
2:04- They look at several other trees- Adam says, "I think that first tree is perfect." Jen agrees.
2:05- Gavin has tears rolling down his face from the wind. Jen says, "ok, we'll wait for you in the car."
2:10- Tree is on top of car and as they drive off, Jen says to Adam, "Do we even know how tall that tree is?"

Our tree looks nice- it's very simple. We decided to skip the beads and shiny red balls- hoping to make it less tempting for Gavin. We went with the Fraser Fir which seems to be the the tree of choice here in New York. It would have been nice to have walked around for an hour or so looking for the perfect tree but I think we did fine considering the circumstances. Now I just need to find a tree skirt and a tree topper. After all these years, we have never invested in either.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, having returned from our Thanksgiving break- we are settling back into the swing of things here in Albany. We got the Christmas lights up on the house. The picture is sort of poor- my apologies- it is 11pm here and I just stepped outside really quickly to snap a photo. I will replace the picture later when I can get a better shot from across the street. I didn't want my neighbors to think I was that crazy!

The weather has been sort of strange since we returned. Yesterday it snowed off and on all day, turning to freezing rain. I was sure we were going to wake up to all kinds of ice. Instead, it was absolutely gorgeous today- 55 degrees and sunny! I can't get too excited though- the upcoming weekend has a cold forecast- 34 is the high- 16 is the low! We are all set for the snow now- we got a snow shovel and a huge bucket of ice melt. I'm confident that the winter will provide good blog material.

As for a comfort food update- tonight I made Tyler Florence's Ultimate Macaroni & Cheese. I used the recipe out of his cookbook which varies slightly from this one off food.com. My recipe adds 2 cups frozen peas to the bacon, onion, garlic mixture that goes on top. I have to say- YUM!! I wasn't sure what to think about the pea addition but it was really good. Plus, you can feel just a little bit better about eating all that cheese and bacon! Ha!