I'm no lady!

Work has kept me pretty busy since I got back from Albuquerque. Getting up at 5 am again, along with having a cold, and actually riding my bike, have made me a bit tired lately. Needless to say, I haven't gotten much done with starting a personal chef business, though I have been brainstorming for names. Any ideas? Send them my way.

I'm done with all my Christmas shopping and almost everything is wrapped and under the tree. I'm usually the one who is wrapping on Christmas Eve, but I'm doing much better this year. Rusty will be coming home on the 26th and will stay here for a few days before going back to Memphis.

Ted's parents sent us some Vienna Beef hot dogs in the mail this week. For those of you who don't know, Vienna Beef dogs are THE Chicago hot dog. I love them. We got all of the fixings and did them up right: mustard, sweet relish, dill pickle, onion, tomato, celery salt, hot peppers, and cucumber (optional). Yum. Thanks to Phil and Ellie for sending them - they were very much enjoyed; yes, that means they are all gone! Oink, oink.

Time to do a little Christmas baking this weekend. I won't overdo it this year. The dessert I made last year kept everyone awake all night because it was so sugar-loaded. I made meringue snowmen with marzipan scarves and hats, filled with homemade pistachio gelato. They were cute, but I don't think I'll make them again. I'll tone it down a bit this time around.

I was talking with my friend Ben on our group ride last weekend. He and I are about the same age and were talking about how we feel so much older now, especially compared to the incoming freshmen who join the WSU cycling team each year. Ben said, "You know, you're known as a lady now." I said, "What?" Apparently, at the recent WSU team meeting, one of the young guys asked who the "lady" is who comes on all the group rides. Ben couldn't figure out who he was referring to until he described me in detail. When did I become a "lady?" I'm a girl! I'm no lady.