Hockey in Arizona?

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The Yotes Diva

 

As I mentioned in my last "50 States? 50 Blogs!" post for Alaska, I'm no Julia Child and it was somewhat curious that I was writing about a food-centric blog. Well, there's no question why I'm writing about this hockey-centric blog based in Arizona -- I LOVE HOCKEY!!! I feel lucky living in Massachusetts and being a fan of the Bruins, an Original Six team. While I might not be a fan of NHL expansion teams, I am a big fan of The Yotes Diva blog. The subtitle in the header is a good summary of this blog: "This is the story of a girl who moved to the desert, fell in love with an unappreciated hockey team & started a blog..."

Things that caught my eye about this blog:

• Multimedia!! Should you think you'll never make it to Phoenix Coyotes game, you can listen to the Goal Song. (Granted, it's no Hartford Whalers' Brass Bonanza...)
• Love the header -- especially the skates and the font.
• Not only does The Yotes Diva blog about the Coyotes, but about the NHL/hockey in general, and she seems to have good hockey knowledge.
• Her Blog Roll contains blogs written by other hockey devotees and even some hockey wives.
• Her four Chinese Shar-peis. Check out the "faces only a mother could love" under the About tab.

Things on this blog that I'd like for my blog:

• Sponsors? Can you imagine?? (I guess that would require more than 5 readers...)
• Search box. Not sure if this would require tagging/labeling, but something to consider. (Mostly for me...I often can't remember if I've written about something in the past and I'm too lazy to look through tons of old posts.)
• Advertisements. Jury's still out on this one for me, but I'm definitely considering.

I'll Miss You Granddad

Last week, at just a few months shy of aged 96, my paternal grandfather passed away. I called him "granddad" and he was my last surviving grandparent.

I have many fond memories of him --

• Paying me $1 to jump into the above ground pool in his and my Nana's backyard. (Imagine what price kids would demand today with 30+ years of inflation?)
• Watching the Bruins games and listening to him argue with Fred Cusick and Johnny Peirson.
• Driving up the Mohawk Trail and getting apples.
• Sleeping over and waking up to find juice, milk, and whatever I wanted for breakfast (no matter how late it was.)
• Having the diamond from my Nana's engagement ring made into a pendant and giving it to me on my wedding day.

I love you Granddad. I hope you and Nana are somewhere together and you're having lobster and a Heineken, watching the Bruins. :)

High School graduation photo:

Early days with his lovely wife:

Golfing (apparently there's a story surrounding this picture that involves THROWING the club!):

One of many Thanksgivings at Nana & Granddad's (I'm the one with the yarn in my ponytail :):

Nana & Granddad helping my Uncle move into college. I show this one to demonstrate that Granddad was ALWAYS dapper. I don't think I EVER saw him in anything more casual than khakis.

Tortola with a beer. Two of his favorite things!

Dancing at my wedding:

A-to-Z of Me!

Borrowed from my friend, The Wino That I Know.

A. Age: 39... ::cringe::

B. Bed: Queen Size...King would be better...or even California King someday!

C. Chore the you hate doing: Dishes that can't be done in the dishwasher. I avoid them like the plague.

D. Dogs: My first dog was Ziggy, a Miniature Schnauzer. I got him when I was young (5-7?). He bit everyone except for me. He made an early departure from my life. (To this day, I'm not sure what became of him...and not sure I want to know.) Second dog was Zach, a Collie. Beautiful dog that loved to eat anything, including the wiring/cord to the refrigerator, boxes of kleenex, etc... Fast forward to 10 1/2 years ago, when we got Max, a Golden Retriever. He's my dude. I'd love another dog, but not sure we're quite ready.

E. Essential to Start Your Day: French Vanilla Coffee Coolatta. I'm trying to cut down...

F. Favorite Color: Purple. Always was, always will be.

G. Gold or Silver: Silver or white gold.

H. Height: 5'4"ish

I. Instruments you play: Um, yeah...next question?

J. Job title: It's a bit nondescript and would bore you.
K. Kids: Two stepchildren -- a boy & girl (or more appropriately, a young man and young woman!)

L. Live: Taxachusetts, I mean Massachusetts. North of Boston.

M. Mother's Name: Let's just say it's a fairly common name spelled in a not so common way...courtesy of my grandmother.
N. Nicknames: Walter. :)

O. Overnight Hospital Stays: Zero. ::knocks on wood::

P. Pet Peeves: People who think they're the only ones on the road. Hang up and drive!

Q. Quotes from Movies: "This isn't a democracy, it's a cheerocracy." Bring It On. "Look at you...you have a baby...in a bar." Sweet Home Alabama.

R. Right or Left Handed: Right

S. Siblings: Zip, zero, zilch. Although, on many occasions, to press my buttons, my father has made reference to a sister...

T. Time You Wake Up: Let's just say later than I should.

U. Underwear: I'm blushing-- yes, I wear it...lol.

V. Vegetable you hate: Beets.

W. What makes you run late: Forgetting something, which I'm known for.

X. Xrays you've had: Knee & ankle.

Z. Zoo Animals: Zoos depress me to some degree, but I'm an animal lover...as long as it's not of the snake variety.

Eight is GREAT!

Eight years ago today I said "I DO!" I'm so glad I did!

R.I.P. Sophie Louise

On July 30th, 1999, a petite little thing came to my parents' house to start the second part of her life. She was named Sophie Louise and became the queen of the castle. Courtesy of my dad, here's a photo of that first day:

Sophie was adopted by my parents and given so much love. Sophie had quite a personalilty. She was stubborn. She was a show-off. She was quiet. She was afraid of fireworks and loud noises. She dug a hole to China in my parents' backyard. For a little girl, she had a lot of life. She also had more nicknames than one could count:

Sophie, Sophie Louise, Sopher, Sopher McDopher, McD, Louise, Lou Lou, Peanut, Peanut Potpie, Snapping Turtle Girl, Poopshootle Penny (yes, really), and many others that I'm sure my parents had for her that I'm not thinking of right now.

At almost 15 years old, Sophie began to decline. Her mobility was seriously impeded and she seemed confused and unsure of where she was. My parents had to make a difficult decision and send her over the Rainbow Bridge this morning at 9:30am PST. She was lucky to have them and they were lucky to have her. I was lucky to have known her and hugged her and snuggled her when I visited my parents.

She was a trailblazer in a way. She was the first Greyhound my parents adopted and have since adopted three more (Zeke, who passed away, Artie, and the newest member, RayRay.) Because of my parents' experience with Sophie, I believe it allowed them to open up their hearts and homes to these other Greyhounds. You just couldn't help but love Sophie.

I'll miss you, Snapping Turtle Girl.

Early Graduation Gifts

I've been trying to think of a small gift to treat myself once school's over. Well, I didn't need to think too hard, because today it stared me right in the face (from the sale shelf, nonetheless!)

I love them! I'm hoping to snag a glasses case on eBay or even from the Vera Bradley site, as this pattern (Slate Blooms) is on sale! I can use it now, too, as I think it's fall-ish looking. Yay!

50 States? 50 Blogs!: Alaska

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Arctic Garden Studio

Now let's face it, I'm no Julia Child. Heck, I'm not even a Suzy Homemaker. Cooking and gardening are NOT my forte. Therefore, I did not think I'd feature a lot of blogs on those subjects in this whole "50 States? 50 Blogs!" thing. I could not not feature this blog. Here's why:

• Things that caught my eye about this blog:
• The clarity/colorfulness/vividity (is that a word?) of the photos. The photos make the subjects (mostly food) come alive. In the Beet Hummus post (and I'm no fan of beets), it's like it's right in front of me on my table.
• Nicole (owner of Arctic Garden Studio) and her partner have two VERY cute dogs: Brody and Arrluk.
• Nicole's a woman after my own heart. As she mentions in the "Welcome" section of the blog, she loves living in Alaska, but in a cabin, but is all about the indoor plumbing and running water. While I think it might be fun to live in Alaska for oh, say 3 months, the place I'd live would HAVE to have indoor plumbing and running water.
• Like my "40 Before 41" list, Nicole has a "Bucket List" that she shares (which she had created before going off to college.)

• Things on this blog that I'd like for my blog:

• My blog isn't a cooking blog (in any way, shape or form), but I love, love, love the Recipe Index. I do have a few recipes, so maybe as time goes by and more are added, I could do this.
• I like the fact that there's a "menu" on the main page with "Home," "Welcome," "Recipe Index," "Links," and "Bucket List." This helps to de-clutter the sides of the blog and let the posts stand out.

Whether you're looking for some scrumdelicious recipes or some beautiful photos (of a lingonberry, nonetheless), check out Nicole's Arctic Garden Studio!