Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce, who blogs at From This Side of The Pond.  Each week she'll pose some questions for us to answer. What a great way to journal life.

1. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?  On a scale of 1-10 how much of a fan are you? 1...lol. I will watch the Super Bowl but really, it's still for the snacks and the company.. (10 is never miss a game and 1 is I'm just here for the snacks). Who's your team? I don't have a team. But since I'm from Washington, I guess the Seahawks.  If you're playing along today, but live outside the US feel free to sub your feelings about futbol for the more American sport of football. 

2. What's something you currently have a game plan for managing? Wait! I have to have a game plan for things....haha. I need to think about this one. I'm going to go with needing to go to the county to turn in paperwork to move our property to a trust...see #6. I'm also trying to make a game plan for our trip to AZ in October. 

3. Do you like chicken wings? Yes I do. Hot, mild, or some other flavor? Mild and my favorite is parm/garlic, and this recipe is awesome. What's a must have food for you on a tailgate menu? I love sliders. I know tailgating isn't as big of a thing outside the US of A as it is inside the US of A, but you can also answer the question this way-what's a must have food for you at a sporting event viewing party? Also I've never actually "tail-gated", we just have people over. I usually will make wings, I have done sliders, I have a hot taco dip that always goes over well, and then we ask others to bring what they want. 

Sunday we had some people up for burgers to celebrate my hubby's birthday. We also, the day before that, purchased a Blackstone from Costco. It's been quite a few years since we've had a grill and he wasn't convinced we'd use one even though I know we will. I joked to my girls that we need to start having everyone up here and I need to come up with a lot of things that can be cooked on it..haha. 

Not a great photo but last night he cooked taco meat on it. Actually what he did was take leftover cooked hamburger patties and chopped them up on there and added taco seasoning. Hey, whatever works I guess. 

4. Teams typically have strict playbooks they follow. What is one unwritten rule or piece of advice in your 'life playbook' you think everyone should know? I'm sure this has changed over the years as I grow older. I think one of them is to "treat the janitor like you'd treat the CEO". I know we hear that a lot, but often when we were in church ministry and had guest speakers we appreciated those who were down to earth and didn't expect to be put on a pedestal because they stood on a platform. If a millionaire comes in my place of employment or the worker from across the street at the Shell station both come in, I want to give them both my very best and know that I am invested in each of them equally. 

5. This is the week we remember and mourn all that was lost and changed on September 11, 2001. I always include a spot for bloggers to share anything they'd like to share about 9/11. Share as much or as little as you like. My girls were pretty little at the time, my youngest was only 2 1/2 and my oldest almost 6. I remember seeing it on the TV, I think my husband was already gone to work. It was just a gut punch. I don't think I left it on long because I didn't want my girls to see or my oldest to hear too much and ask questions that, in the moment, I honestly didn't have answers for. 

In 2017 I took my youngest daughter and a friend of hers to NYC for her graduation/18th birthday trip. We visited the 9/11 memorial. It was a powerful and emotional time from the moment we stepped onto the area where the twin towers had been. We just walked around outside. 

White roses placed by names are for those who have a birthday on that given day. There is at least 1 person for every day of the year, sometimes quite a few. I believe they also put a yellow rose by the names of those who served in the military on Veterans Day.

I bought these from a man on the street near the site (he got me after being emotionally touched...lol), but wow, are they powerful. 

I pray we are spared from an event like this again. I know tragedy occurs daily and so many horrific events happen to so many in so many other countries. I just cannot fathom this day. When you live on the complete other side of the United States you can feel so far removed from the full weight of it, but I don't ever want to not be touched by tragedy. 

6.Insert your own random thought here. It's Wednesday morning...I have been up since 3:00...been to the airport and back. My inlaws are heading out to visit family in Indiana. I think I might have gotten 5 1/2 ish hours sleep, and it wasn't great sleep. No nap for me...I have things to do as it's my day off, but after just one important errand, I plan to visit a book store in another town and then come home to decorate for fall and do things around the house. I'll go to bed early tonight...maybe. 

My hubby and I finally got around to having wills and all those other important documents that we always put off, drawn up, and signed. Today I have to go to the county to file/record a deed that puts our property in a trust. There are a few things to do to but the main things are taken care of. Obviously the hope is not to need them anytime soon, but we just want to set things up for our girls to navigate all the things when the time comes. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin