As the year comes to a close, I wanted to take a few minutes to remember some of the things we did and things that happened in 2012. I feel like it was a whirlwind of a year, but here's a brief memoir of what I can remember from the activities done, people visited and places traveled!
We rang in 2012 with some friends of ours on the east side of the state -- actually our friends that we went backpacking with on Isle Royale. This year started out a bit rough, as I was transitioning medications for rheumatoid disease, and it took some time for the new meds to kick in. However, it was a busy winter and my bible study group really kept me going (and helped to keep me from hibernating all season long!). We also went to what I will call a "super hockey weekend" in Detroit where we got to see two Red Wings games in three days. The Friday night game was special because it was Holmstrom's 1,000th NHL game. The Sunday game was special because it was the day that the Red Wings tied the record for most consecutive home wins. Oh, and we we were right on the glass for both games! (Thanks, Dad!)
At the end of February / beginning of March I took my first trip to New York City. I had a work event there for just one evening, but ended up visiting a friend from New Jersey for a couple of days. She showed me around a bit of NYC and we went to the American Museum of Natural History where we proceeded to find the one and only platypus there! Sadly, Tom and I *still* have not completely finished our winter house project, but we did get all of the crucial parts done this year. Now, we just have to install our own bedroom closet doors (along with some fancy lighting...and take down the old track lighting, add a ceiling fan, etc.). We also got some furniture for our downstairs bedroom (thanks to Tom's family!) so now we can actually use it as a guest room!
Spring came early this year, despite the groundhog's predictions (actually, we never really did get a winter), and an early spring meant early gardening! Unfortunately, due to deer and drought my garden did not flourish this year. I still thoroughly enjoyed my time in the garden and the food I was able to harvest, though. I did try some new things like in the garden this year like Swiss chard, carrots, potatoes and asparagus, and I was even inspired to try some new recipes because of it!
A few changes were ushered in this year... Tom started a new job in April, which has really been a great opportunity and experience for him. He works in IT and has a more challenging and interesting role now. Then, this June my brother got married and we all got to travel down to Florida for the ceremony. It was a wonderful way to welcome my new sister-in-law to the family! We also went on a cruise around the Western Caribbean, which was our big summer trip for the year. Of course, we also did a weekend in Charlevoix for a family reunion and our annual trip to Manistee with Tom's family.
As summer went on, my health started to get better, which has been a huge relief. Much of the summer and fall were spent between family events, baby showers, weddings and the like. There was hardly a weekend we were home. We had to do a late-season camping trip because summer was so packed -- but we can't skip a year of camping! A new season of bible study and a new season of teaching Sunday school started up in the Fall, which has continued to keep my weeks full. I've also continued volunteering with (and am now a board member of) the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation (RPF).
October brought on our annual Halloween Party, where Tom took away the prize for best costume as we dressed him up like Cap'n Crunch! We had a big birthday celebration in November at my mom's house, which was a lot of fun -- by "big" I mean that it was for three people: me, my brother and his wife. We all have late fall birthdays, so I think we are starting a new tradition of having one big day to celebrate together. Tom was working like crazy all fall, with some major upgrade projects at work. I was busy at the same time prepping for my trip to Washington, DC with the RPF -- for the ACR Annual Scientific Meeting (which was simply amazing!).
Just a few days after I got back fro DC, Tom and I left for a road trip. We traveled from Michigan to Niagara Falls, Canada, on to Boston to visit some friends, who went with us to Vermont where we spent Thanksgiving, before we traveled back to Michigan via Toronto. Yes, that run-on sentence was pretty much what our trip was like! I have yet to post a blog about that...somebody remind me later.
And, before I knew it, it was December - my birthday, a big Lord of the Rings marathon with friends (prior to seeing The Hobbit, of course), and then Christmas! We spent Christmas weekend with Tom's family this year; we had a brunch with my dad before we left town, and will be celebrating with my mom and brother this coming weekend before we head up north with friends to close out the year. *Whew* I'm sure I missed some important details and events, but at nearly midnight as I type this, that's as best as I can remember! Here's to another great year -- cheers!
Today, we made our first stop in our West Michigan Brew Tour. It was already getting late on a Friday evening, so we decided to go someplace close to home. The Mitten Brewing Co. is a small place off of Leonard St. in Grand Rapids, with a baseball (mitt) theme. It was pretty crowded, but I suppose that should be expected on a Friday night. There were no seats when we first arrived, but I stalked some people as they left the bar and we swooped right in. Tom ordered a sampler flight of the four beers they had available today:
Eighty-Four (Double IPA) - 8.% Pale Wheat - 4.5% Peanuts & Cracker Jack Porter - 6.4% Hefeweizen - 5.1%
Of those four, Tom's favorite (and probably mine, too) was the Peanuts & Cracker Jack Porter. With a taste redolent of the ballpark, this porter really did have a good peanut flavor to it. It was different, unique, and apropos for the establishment. The least favorite for both of us was the Hefeweizen. At first we couldn't identify the strange taste this had to it. We finally realized that we were picking up notes of banana. Weird. It was unfiltered and cloudy with a taste neither bitter nor sweet. Apparently Tom doesn't care for the high-yeast beers in general, though. We also ordered a Sweet & Spicy pizza, made with a habanero sauce. It was very good, but definitely had some kick to it! Total bill came to under $20 -- that beer flight was only 4 bucks! Good deal, indeed.
As things have turned out this year, I'm probably not going to be making as many Christmas treats and goodies as I usually do. Nevertheless, I've found a few fun and crafty things to do. Before I share this year's adventures, however, I need to take a moment to honor some crafts of the past. You see, as we were decorating our Christmas tree this year, I realized that I really have too many ornaments for the size tree we get for our house. Part of the reason for this is that I have never purged my old ornaments. And when I say old ornaments, I mean old ornaments. Like the kind I made in third grade Sunday School. Or the plastic ornament given by a friend from elementary school. I finally realized that it was time to let go. So goodbye to the God's Eye I made out of popsicle sticks; goodbye to the angel made of yarn; goodbye to the pine cone that once shimmered with glitter; goodbye to the paper ornament dipped in wax; and last, but not least, goodbye plastic horse ornament and a special farewell to the 20-year-old mints you enclose.
A Couple Edible Treats
I did make a couple of edible treats so far this year. I had to bring a dessert to a Christmas party last week, and realized the night before that I didn't yet have anything planned to make! I opted for some quick and easy Christmas cupcakes. I used a basic vanilla cake recipe, and added a bunch of red food coloring for some added festive-ness! I made a cream cheese frosting, then I just smashed up some candy canes to sprinkle on top. Yum! I made something else tonight that I have not tried yet. I actually stole the idea from Pinterest -- it's a pine cone shaped cheese ball! I used my basic cheese ball recipe, then just stuck in whole almonds on the outside to resemble a pine cone. I cut a little branch off our Christmas tree for full effect!
Basic Cheese Ball Recipe: - 8oz cream cheese - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese - spices to taste: paprika, red pepper, garlic, salt and parsley Just mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Dump it all out onto a piece of cellophane and shape it within that (keeps your hands clean!). Instead of a round ball, make an oblong shape that skinnier at one end than the other. Stick in your almonds starting from the back and work your way to the tip of the pine cone. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve! Some Edible Gifts I did also make a few small edible gifts for people. At least, partly edible. A couple of my friends helped me come up with most of this idea. They found these really pretty little votive candle holders -- they are kind of a crackled glass and I purchased gold, red and clear ones. Instead of a candle inside, I packed them each with biscotti, cocoa mix and candy canes. I tied a ribbon around the candy canes and added a little branch of berries for extra festivity. I ended up having to tape the candy canes to the hot cocoa packets to keep everything standing upright. And I just attached glittery gift tags to each one.
I had some leftover cocoa and candy canes and decided that those would make a good gift for my Sunday School girls! I just taped the candy cane to the hot cocoa packet then tied a ribbon around it. I ended up just printing off some bible verses and taping those to the back.
The Card Tree
I think this idea needs some work, but I saw it online and thought it would be fun! I am always trying to figure out what to do with my Christmas cards. My mom used to always tape them to one of our doors -- I tried that last year, but I couldn't get them to stick! So, I decided to try the Card Tree this year. I gathered some sticks from the back yard to make my "tree" and put them in a pitcher/vase with a bunch of glass stones to keep everything in place. I think I may need to add something else to the branches -- a few berries or maybe a few small ornaments. I also thought about spraying the branches with glitter spray for more of icy/wintery effect. But, alas, I haven't gotten that far yet. So, it's a work in progress!
It's hard to believe, but it has now been a full year since I have been on Humira to treat my rheumatoid disease (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis). Click here to view all of my blog posts along this journey. I made the switch from Enbrel to Humira in December of 2011, after a period of elevated rheumatoid disease activity. At the time, my doctor was most concerned about my wrists. He noted some joint space narrowing and was concerned that the bones could begin to fuse. Ironically, it wasn't until shortly after I made the switch that I began to experience the worst symptoms in my wrists. I think because I was only on bi-weekly injections to begin with, my symptoms had a chance during this changeover period to take hold a little deeper. After switching to weekly injections, waiting another couple of months, adding Plaquenil (hydroxycholorquine), and waiting another couple of months I finally saw some real and sustained progress. This fall I have felt better than I have felt in at least a couple of years. The only real lingering symptoms remain in my wrists: they are weak and still won't bend all of the way.
We rang in 2012 with some friends of ours on the east side of the state -- actually our friends that we went backpacking with on Isle Royale. This year started out a bit rough, as I was transitioning medications for rheumatoid disease, and it took some time for the new meds to kick in. However, it was a busy winter and my bible study group really kept me going (and helped to keep me from hibernating all season long!). We also went to what I will call a "super hockey weekend" in Detroit where we got to see two Red Wings games in three days. The Friday night game was special because it was Holmstrom's 1,000th NHL game. The Sunday game was special because it was the day that the Red Wings tied the record for most consecutive home wins. Oh, and we we were right on the glass for both games! (Thanks, Dad!)
At the end of February / beginning of March I took my first trip to New York City. I had a work event there for just one evening, but ended up visiting a friend from New Jersey for a couple of days. She showed me around a bit of NYC and we went to the American Museum of Natural History where we proceeded to find the one and only platypus there!
Spring came early this year, despite the groundhog's predictions (actually, we never really did get a winter), and an early spring meant early gardening! Unfortunately, due to deer and drought my garden did not flourish this year. I still thoroughly enjoyed my time in the garden and the food I was able to harvest, though. I did try some new things like in the garden this year like Swiss chard, carrots, potatoes and asparagus, and I was even inspired to try some new recipes because of it!
A few changes were ushered in this year... Tom started a new job in April, which has really been a great opportunity and experience for him. He works in IT and has a more challenging and interesting role now. Then, this June my brother got married and we all got to travel down to Florida for the ceremony. It was a wonderful way to welcome my new sister-in-law to the family! We also went on a cruise around the Western Caribbean, which was our big summer trip for the year. Of course, we also did a weekend in Charlevoix for a family reunion and our annual trip to Manistee with Tom's family.
As summer went on, my health started to get better, which has been a huge relief. Much of the summer and fall were spent between family events, baby showers, weddings and the like. There was hardly a weekend we were home. We had to do a late-season camping trip because summer was so packed -- but we can't skip a year of camping! A new season of bible study and a new season of teaching Sunday school started up in the Fall, which has continued to keep my weeks full. I've also continued volunteering with (and am now a board member of) the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation (RPF).
October brought on our annual Halloween Party, where Tom took away the prize for best costume as we dressed him up like Cap'n Crunch! We had a big birthday celebration in November at my mom's house, which was a lot of fun -- by "big" I mean that it was for three people: me, my brother and his wife. We all have late fall birthdays, so I think we are starting a new tradition of having one big day to celebrate together. Tom was working like crazy all fall, with some major upgrade projects at work. I was busy at the same time prepping for my trip to Washington, DC with the RPF -- for the ACR Annual Scientific Meeting (which was simply amazing!).
Just a few days after I got back fro DC, Tom and I left for a road trip. We traveled from Michigan to Niagara Falls, Canada, on to Boston to visit some friends, who went with us to Vermont where we spent Thanksgiving, before we traveled back to Michigan via Toronto. Yes, that run-on sentence was pretty much what our trip was like! I have yet to post a blog about that...somebody remind me later.
And, before I knew it, it was December - my birthday, a big Lord of the Rings marathon with friends (prior to seeing The Hobbit, of course), and then Christmas! We spent Christmas weekend with Tom's family this year; we had a brunch with my dad before we left town, and will be celebrating with my mom and brother this coming weekend before we head up north with friends to close out the year.
