Closing Shop

I admit it, I have become a Facebook addict. So I am closing this blog. Find me on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/beth.harris

Also, you can check out my photos at:
www.flickr.com/beth63111

Appliance Woes and Work Stuff

They sure don't make things the way they used to. My GE Profile dishwasher, which is less than 7 years old, died over the weekend. The control panel failed and it'll cost at least $300 to get it fixed. Rather than fix it, I just bought a brand new Whirlpool for twice that (delivery and installation on top of the cost of the unit itself was $130, but the unit was just under $500). Amazing that one can't even rely on major appliances to last 10 years anymore.

Aside from that, life's pretty good. I am enjoying my work. My job has new responsibilities, which is good, and it's much busier than before, which I like.

Not a Happy Camper

Work's Good

In this economy, I am really grateful to have a job -- I am even more grateful to have a job I like. Even better, I am getting more responsibilities on my job, which makes me happy and challenged. I am really appreciative that my manager is willing to let me stretch in my role. It's a good feeling to know that he's interested in my professional development and will take risks to allow me to try new things. Thanks, boss!

I love that new year smell

Thank goodness 2009 is here. It's just a relief to have 2008 behind me and the promise of a new year before me.

I've been thinking about resolutions -- I prefer to think of them as goals instead of resolutions. "Resolutions" sounds so absolute! One of the simplest goals this year will be for me to finally see Chuck Berry perform live. Although he is probably a pervert, he is a rock and roll legend who regularly performs live right here in St. Louis, so it would be a shame if I didn't see him.

Another goal I have is to get back into riding centuries this year (100-mile bike rides). I didn't do any centuries in 2008, but did 3 of them in 2007.

I will also continue working towards the home organization/cleanout efforts I started last year and continue keeping in touch with friends/family.

I've also been teaching myself new things in the kitchen. I have been moving into making yeast breads in 2008 so I want to expand on that this year. This week I made my first ever homemade pizza dough and baked it on the pizza stone I received for Christmas. Today we're expanding on those efforts and making calzones. The major baking goal for 2009 is to make my own pie crust instead of using the store-bought stuff.

Professionally speaking, of course the first priority in this economy is just to hang on to a job. Beyond that, I just hope to continue growing and always learning at my workplace.

Finally, I will continue to keep God at the center of my life.

May God bless you and have a happy and healthy new year.

2008's almost a goner

I really can't think of many years I have wished to be over as much as I have wished for this one to be over.

I hate to even say that because despite all the difficulties 2008 has presented, God has been pretty good to us personally. My husband and I both have jobs. We have our home. We have our health. We made some major home improvements this year by replacing our first floor carpet with laminate flooring and extending our patio in the back yard. We didn't take one of those crazy adjustable rate mortgages that so many people are trapped in now. I saw some really wonderful concerts this year: the Police, Michael Buble, Chicago/Doobie Brothers, Dave Koz, Harry Connick, Jr., and yes, even Barry Manilow. I also attended some good plays and musicals, so I am very fortunate in that I am in a position to do those things.

On the other hand, I was laid off from my contract with Anheuser-Busch and had to go through a 2.5 month jobless period while I conducted my employment search. The company I am now working at was bought by another company, so there is some uncertainty as to my future with the new organization. There are assurances from my company that things are looking good for our group here in St. Louis, but you never really know. I suspect I won't know much of anything for at least three more months. All that "job uncertainty" that we hear so much about in the news is exactly what I am experiencing right now. On top of all these things, my friend Kathy passed away unexpectedly on Thanksgiving.

I visited my friend Jan and our friend Amy on Christmas at Jan's home. I wore a pretty and cheerful reindeer pin on my coat lapel; I have worn it in my coat lapel every year since I received it as a gift from Kathy. Jan and Amy immediately complimented me on it; neither of them could restrain themselves from welling up with tears when I told them it was a gift from Kathy. It's been that kind of year -- that kind of holiday season.

Additionally, I am not at all happy with the existing administration, but am hopeful President-Elect Obama will be able to right our country's standing in the world after all the damage President Bush, Vice-President Cheney and crew have done to it over the past eight years. I am also hopeful that the environment will once again become top of mind for our administration and more importantly, our citizens. $1.30 a gallon gasoline is a relief from the $4 a gallon we experienced earlier this year, but let us not forget that our gas-guzzling ways got us to $4 a gallon in the first place.

So 2008, I won't miss you too much. Here's to a happy, healthy, and hopeful 2009!

The Joys of Home Ownership

We built our house and closed on it November 1, 2002. In that time, the house has behaved pretty well, though it's starting to show a little wear and tear.

So this year, we made a few improvements to the home. We took up all the carpet on the first floor and replaced it with laminate flooring. We also extended our patio in the back yard so that we have a very generous space for outdoor entertaining. Ultimately, we also plan to install a knee wall along the perimiter My brother-in-law also graciously put up chair rail in our dining room -- a project that had been languishing for about two years.

Well today we get the joy of having a plumbing issue that is somewhat frustrating. The soil stack (waste pipe) from the second floor bathroom has a leak in it some place. At first, we were hopeful the leak was somewhere in the basement, which isn't finished and would therefore provide easy access to the plumbing, but Murphy's law being what it is, unfortunately the leak is above the basement ceiling. So I am now listening to the plumber cut holes in our wall. I am hoping he at least can keep the holes in the hall closet instead of having to cut into the dining room side, which would then affect that fabulous chair rail!!!

We have had some wonderful times in this home and I am overall very pleased with it. There are a few things I would change about it, but it has been a place where we have loved, worried, prayed, laughed, cried, strengthened friendships and family ties, mourned the deaths of loved ones, and had wonderful parties and meals. God has truly blessed us with a good life in this home.

A Quick Note

Just a quick jot today. Christmas was very good this year. We enjoyed the company of nearly 30 people on Christmas Eve and I was very glad that more of my side of the family came to visit this year. It was nice to have a great big house full of people and kids, all sharing the Christmas spirit together. God is great.

I am off work right now -- won't return until January 5. I am using the time to get the house cleaned up, things put away, and to do some household organizing/cleanout.

More later!

It's the Winter of Soup!

I really enjoy cooking and this Fall/Winter has so far been spent trying lots of different soup recipes; I try a new one at least every other week. I've tried chicken and wild rice soup, minestrone, lentil and sausage soup, vegetarian chili, turkey chili, and split pea soup. I also have made my old favorites zuppa toscana and good ol' regular chili.

Some of these soups, like minestrone, are just things I've wanted to try to make. Others, like the chicken and wild rice soup or the lentil and sausage soup, are efforts to re-create something I had elsewhere. The chicken and wild rice soup is based on a recipe I got when I bought some wild rice from a restaurant called the Northern Lights Roadhouse near Beaver Bay, Minnesota in September. The lentil and sausage soup is similar to one I had at a German restaurant in Minneapolis. Each time I prepare those soups, I am reminded of our wonderful trip.

Often the soup recipes make far more than I can eat, so it's a great opportunity to share my blessings with other people. My husband Joe's co-worker Jim, my co-worker Sara, and my friend Fr. Ron have all been recipients of soup care packages. Something about sharing of your food is very powerful. Of course, I am reminded of the Last Supper and of the many other occasions in the Gospels during which Jesus shares a meal. Somehow, there's an intimacy created when sharing a meal -- even if it's just in the form of a take-home container of homemade soup.

My Friend Kathy

We had some very sad news on Thanksgiving -- our friend Kathy passed away that morning!

Kathy was a wonderful, giving, kind person and she will be sorely missed. She was full of a joy for life and shared that generously with so many people.

In addition to her wonderful gift for sharing in her personal relationships, one of the most remarkable things about Kathy's life was how she spent it professionally. She worked in the St. Louis Special School District for 31 years. For most of those years, she taught behaviorally-disordered children. Later, she moved into counseling for both children and parents.

There really isn't much I can do here to adequately explain Kathy's wide-ranging influence. All I can do is say I miss her and I look forward to the day when I see her again.

Weekend's Here!

Am glad it's the weekend! Our new patio is in and solid. I got a delivery of firewood today, and the step-kids and I are planning on having a little hot dog roast tomorrow evening.

Thanksgiving is almost here and I am looking forward to hosting my friends and family. I thank God for my employment and my husband's employment. We are very blessed and fortunate.

I'm also keeping in mind those who are in a less fortunate position, especially considering this really rough economy. Tomorrow the boy scouts come back for their Scouting for Food pickup. At church, we have a "giving tree," so I grabbed a leaf and picked up a couple off items for that. Sunday, there's an event called Cranksgiving that, weather permitting, I'll also participate in. It's organized by St. Louis BicycleWORKS. It's a food drive done by bicycle with the proceeds going to Food Outreach. I especially like this last event because it's a way to give back and get some much-needed exercise on my bike!

Quick Update

Gosh I can't believe it has been since last month since I've updated my blog. I think I'll just have to at least make a habit of updating it, if only in short posts, at least once a week or so.

Short version of what has happened in the last few weeks is we have been doing some work on the house in the last few weeks. The latest is we just had a patio extension poured this week and it looks pretty good. Next project will likely be installing some exterior lighting around the patio and doing a little backfilling around the patio since there is one corner in particular that has quite a step down to the lawn. Next Spring, we'll be doing some plantings at the edge of the back yard and some other beautification in the back yard.

Last weekend, we were a host house for our parish's version of the Amazing Race. There were 32 teams who competed in a number of mind-bending and physical challenges that all had to be completed within a certain time-frame. 16 of the teams went through our house -- it was a lot of fun hosting and the teams were put to test at our home.

I've also spent time getting ready for the holidays, coming quickly around the corner. I picked up the turkey last week and only have a couple more things to purchase for the Thanksgiving menu. Meanwhile, I've also been doing some Christmas gift shopping. I'm about 90% complete with my Christmas shopping, so I am well ahead of the game there.

Other than that, life is pretty good. I am very grateful for my home, my health, my hubby, my cats, and my employment. I am praying for those who are seeking employment and hopeful that the economy will recover in the next year or so.

Long Time, No Post

Yep it has been a while since I posted. Let me sum up:
September I did the MS 150. I did 75 miles the first day and around 30 the second day. I now refer to it as the MS 105. While I didn't get all 150 miles done, I did raise $742.56, which I am pretty happy about.

Also in September, I went to Minnesota. I spent time in the North Shore area, which was beautiful. Also went to Minneapolis for a bit while my husband attended the national Holy Name Society convention.

After getting back to St. Louis, we spent the last week of September/first week of October getting our house ready to have the carpet throughout the entire first floor replaced with laminate flooring. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday during the week of October 6 were installation days. The rest of the week was spent cleaning and putting the house back together.

The week of the 13th, we had some exterior painting done. I also spent some time enlarging some of the photos I took in Minnesota and we hung them throughout the house -- they look pretty good.

The next major project is going to occur within a few weeks -- we are getting our patio extended in the back yard. We'll be extending it to the entire width of the house and about 30 feet deep. Looking forward to being able to hang out more in the back yard after we get that done.

Other than that, Gus the cat is still looking for a home.

I'll try to keep you up to date more often!

Kitty Needs a Home!!

A stray kitty showed up at our back door and he's a great boy -- loving, affectionate, trusting, and loyal. We named him Gus. Unfortunately, we have more than our quota of kitties and can't take him in.

He has grey fur with white paws, tail tip, and chest. He is neutered, was de-wormed and given rabies shots last week. I have the paperwork to show all the things I had done for him.

Gus would be ideal for a household with no other cats. The one drawback with Gus is he has FIV, which is why he would be better off in a single-cat household. The vet's office says he is about two years old. FIV, while incurable, is managed by keeping a close eye on your cat's health.

Give this great kitty a chance. Drop me an e-mail at addyforjunk[AT]hotmail.com if you have a home for him.

Under the weather

A little under the weather today, so I am letting myself rest from cycling.

Thursday night I did a 24 mile ride with some friends and it was raining for the first 10 miles, so that might have helped whatever bug I had get a foothold. Anyway, the ride was fun and it was worth it.

I picked up a saddle for the commuter bike that is like the one I have on my road bike. The saddle on my commuter bike is comfortable for about 15 miles, so I need something that I can use for longer distances, so I can use the commuter bike for touring.

Looking forward to the Tour of Missouri coming up next month. Very exciting event!

Even more exciting is I'm also very much looking forward to doing my first ever MS150. I decided to have a little bake sale every Monday in August at work to fundraise for the event. People at work have been really supportive of it. There are two different items from which to choose each Monday. Our next items are cheesecake brownies and banana crumb muffins. Should go over well!

More WNBR "Coverage"

Roger Kramer has a nice roundup of some of the WNBR coverage, including this video:

The video gives a nice sense for the celebratory nature of the ride.

The Riverfront Times also has a slideshow and a video. (NSFW)

Weekend ride roundup

It was a great weekend for riding and cyclists in general. I had a great time participating in the first ever St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride (link is NSFW). No, I didn't go nude, but exposed as much as I was willing in public, which is to say, not much!

Especially when compared to other people:

One male rider was completely nude (there are pics of him in the album) except for a red hat, black socks, and black shoes. He had style, that's for sure.

It was a lot of fun and a creative way to protest oil dependency. Plus I just really love a nighttime group ride. Total mileage was around 22 by the time hubby and I rode from home, did the ride, and rode back home.

More photos are in the album. Many of the of the photos are NSFW . . .

From World Naked B...

After being out late Saturday night, it was rough hearing the alarm clock go off at 5 AM. I finally rolled out of bed, threw on the gear, and hit the road for what was going to be a 90-100 mile ride. Goal was to ride out to Chesterfield Valley to meet up with a group of fellow MS 150 riders, do a 31-40 mile training ride with the group, then ride back home. I got out to Clarkson on Baxter when I started to really worry about the gathering clouds in the distance. Around Wild Horse Creek Road I saw streak lightning. I was just looking for a spot to pull over and make a phone call when my team mate beat me to the punch.

So I turned around and was headed back on Baxter when it became obvious that I was not going to be able to outrun the storm. So, seeing the Monarch Fire Department fire station # 1 with its garage invitingly wide open, I ducked inside. The fragrance of a hot, homemade breakfast made its way temptingly from the kitchen into the garage. A couple of the firemen came into the garage a few minutes later and I let them know I was hanging there until the storm passed. They were very gracious and invited me to eat breakfast. I really would've loved to try their cooking, but I had 30 miles left to go on that ride and couldn't put anything substantial in my stomach. But I took them up on their offers to refill my water bottles and to hang out as long as I needed.

So, I hung out, watched the lightning and rain, then checked out one of the guys' new Harley, and chatted for a long time with a fireman named Shelby. I really enjoyed the conversation and really appreciated their hospitality and giving me a safe place to stay until I could get back on the road. Thanks, Monarch FD!

Fun Stuff

I haven't posted any pics in a while. I've had the fortune of traveling to Chicago a few times this summer for business. I finally took my point 'n shoot camera with me last time and snapped some pics. I just love that Cloud Gate sculpture.

This is the view from the 28th floor of my Chicago office building looking towards Lake Michigan:

This is looking up at my building. It's the one on the left with the pediments at the top--it's a 50-storey building.

One of the neat things about that building is that you can see it a number of times in the background of several shots in The Dark Knight. The Wayne Industries building is, I believe, the IBM Plaza Building, which is located at 330 N. Wabash.

This is an exterior shot of St. Peters in the Loop. I left enough people in so you can get a sense of the scale of the crucifix on the exterior.

and another:

From Chicago Pics

All for now -- more later.

"I live with MS"

I had never in my life heard someone say those words to me until today. Whew ... that is a tough sentence to hear from someone!

I've been preparing for the upcoming MS 150 bike ride and at work I posted some flyers about a little bake sale I'll be doing around the office every Monday in August to raise funds. I also distributed the flyer via e-mail to the people on my floor. Today, I received an e-mail from one of my co-workers thanking me for what I was doing.

I stopped by his cube and chatted with him for about 30 minutes. He was so appreciative to me for what I was doing to help out with the MS ride and there was a wonderfully genuine and deep gratitude in his eyes when he spoke to me about the ride and his struggle with MS. I was very touched by his willingness to share that with me; it was a wonderful gift.

Martha, Martha, Martha!

OK I know it's supposed to be Marsha, Marsha, Marsha, as in Brady, but today is Martha's feast day!

I love the stories about Martha because she's so real and yet she's a saint! Her stories have examples of human nature that, despite the passage of 2,000 years, are still as relevant as ever! Today's Gospel reading from John (11:19-27) puts on display Martha's grief about her brother's death and frustration with Jesus for not having been there when Lazarus was sick. It's the appeal that we all make to God at one time or another: "Where were you?!"

Naturally, the majority of the focus regarding this story is put on Jesus' miracle when he restores Lazarus to life. Certainly, this is one of the most amazing stories in the entire New Testament. In addition, however, I think one of the most important lessons to remember from this story is that Martha's angst and later in the story, Mary's tears, are seen and heard by Jesus and he is moved with compassion for them and by his own love for his friend Lazarus. Jesus has that same love for each of us and he is there for us too -- perhaps not at the time we expect him, but he will be there.