What a month...

Wow, I cant believe it is almost February. This month just flew by, hence why I have not updated since December. Well lets start from the beginning~ We rang in the new year with a bunco party at the Snyder household. I think there was almost 20 people squeezed into that house, but it was a lot of fun, with a lot of friends and a lot of tasty food. I have pictures but they are still on my camera so one of these days I will upload them to the computer and onto here.

Since new years a lot else has happened. First and foremost, we swore in a new president. I don't want to get too political here, but let me just say how excited I am about the possibilities on the horizon. I have never felt so proud to be and American then I did on January 20th. It was an amazing day, and I cant wait to see what the future holds!

Secondly, I got a new job! I have not started yet but I will be working with Bobby at Bellevue Health Care. I am not sure of my "official duties" as of yet but I am looking forward to the change and think it will be a great opportunity. I am finishing up my last week at my old job and I start me new one Monday. I'm secretly kinda nervous but excited too.

In other news...My oldest brother, Sean, got engaged. I am so excited! I really never thought I would see the day. He and his girlfriend have been together and happy for years and we all just figured that was the way they would stay. Little did we know Sean had something up his sleeve. They went to Washington DC for the inauguration and the night before the ceremony they went out to eat in Georgetown. Sean had it all set up at the restaurant where JFK proposed to Jackie, They even sat in the same booth and there Sean asked Teresa to marry him. It was a surprise to Teresa as well as the rest of us...none of us thought he had it in him :) I cant wait for them to get married, they truly are meant to be and I am happy to add another sister to the family, as well as pass on my name to her. My parents are thrilled to have another Teresa Donovan, especially since the first one turned out so well :)

There have been some other not so great things happen so far this year and I am hoping that by having them happen early we wont have to deal with anything else for the rest of the year. I have had a couple friends and family in the hospital for various reasons. Without naming any names could you please keep them in your thoughts and prayers this year.

That's enough of that, I don't want to end on a not so happy note so let me tell you about planning my 10 year high school reunion. That's right, I am helping put the Mead Class of '99 reunion together. If anyone reading this has any thoughts or ideas about what they want lets me know. We are in the early planning stages and right now there are 4 of us trying to pull this whole thing together so if you would like to help out in any way, feel free to let me know! I have a feeling this is going to be a little more than I initially bargained for, but it will be fun I guess :)


I hope your 2009 is starting off with as much excitement and enjoyment as mine, and I promise next time to include pictures and more updates throughout the month!

and the winner is...

ME!

I beat Chris by 9 points to win our league. Now lets see how long it takes to get my money. Haha, just kidding! I am sure they will all pay up on new years, when we have our Bunco party at the Snyders house :)

Who works on Christmas Eve...

...this girl! So since I am sitting here at work with no phone calls and no emails and virtually nothing to do I thought why not update my blog with a few random things, so here you go:

Here is a picture of our new little bundle of joy, Bledsoe.

She is an amazing puppy and such a cuddle bug! All she wants to do is lay on your lap and sleep. I know its not the best habit to let them do especially when she gets bigger, but i just cant help it; Her little puppy dog eyes get me every time! Beasley was a little jealous and unsure of what was happening at first but I think they are really starting to get along and enjoy eachother and it will be good for both of them. (I have some video of them interacting but I cant upload it from my phone so when I take one on my camera I will post it).

We had our 2nd annual McCollum, Snyder, Labelle (or McLaSnyd's as we cleverly came up with) Christmas party on Saturday night up at Bobby and Diane's and it was a great time as usual!

We all draw names and get eachother a regular gift and one gag gift. This year Bobby had me and he got me a movie gift card and scarf, which I love, made by Diane.

As for my gag gift he got me a snuggie! If you have not seen the commercial for the snuggie please watch it here: https://www.getsnuggie.com/flare/next?videoID=ai195&bufferTime=5 I dont think you understand how excited I am about this present!!! I literally was telling Jim, Megs and Chris how cheesy they are but how I secretly wanted one the night before our party :)

Chris had Jim again this year so again he got whiskey and antacids. Chris wanted to step it up a notch from last year so instead of Jameson he got him a 5th of Bushmills with two glasses and instead of Tums he got Prilosec. Nicely done Snyder.

This is Megan absolutely freaking out about the Barnstar towel hooks she got from Diane! I dont have pics of the other presents but Jim got Diane stuff for her new knitting hobby and I got Chris a subscription to ESPN the magazine. We had a great time filled with great friends, great food (and drinks)and great fun. I am already plotting my gag gifts for next year.

That's it for this post, so until we post again...We wish you a very Merry Christmas spent with the ones you love and safe travels wherever you may be headed (watch out for all that snow)!

just a quick one...

For the few of you who read this you may be interested in the standings of our Fantasy Football league. It was a long tough season with some come from behind wins and some blowouts and even a couple ties but the final two left standing are myself and snyder. I held my ground from the beginning but snyder snuck his way back up the ladder after starting off the season 0-5. It just goes to show that perserverance is key and you should never give up. Our final playoff matchup starts this Thursday but will not conclude until two weeks from today I will make sure to post who the champion is. As for the couple that did the best (after all the math was done) we all came out in a tie! So our christmas party will be this weekend up at Bobby and Diane's house. I am sure many stories and a good post will result from that. Have a good week and stay warm :)

Please meet the newest member of the McCollum household...

I am honored to introduce to you

Ms. Bledsoe McCollum

(Bledsoe 7 weeks and 3 days old)

Bledsoe joins her sister Beasley as the newest addition to our growing family. We were not looking to expand in the K-9 department but when something as cute as this comes along neither of us could say no. We are suckers for wrinkly faces and big brown eyes. (I mean really what kind of person can resist that face and those eyes?) We will be able to pick her up and bring her home forever on the 21st of December, just in time for Christmas! It will be interesting to see how our first born Beasley reacts to her but we are hopefull they will get along famously and be the best of friends for a long, long time. I am sure with a new pup in the house we will have a few more things to update you on and a few more late night posts, but both of us our looking forward to this new addition, and all the adventures it brings.

For those curious about our choice of name, you clearly do not know us well. After tossing around a few options (griffey, buhner, bennett) we decided to keep the WAZZU tradition alive by naming her after one of the all time greats to graduate from Washington State, Drew Bledsoe. We realize it does not fit her gender specifically but we are confident she will wear the name well and live up to all the great things her predecessor did before her (i.e the 1993 snowbowl)...as well as hating the huskies as much as her parents do :)

(this is our little Beasley the day we brought her home around 4 or 5 weeks)

PS: Please feel free to bring your dogs over for a playdate anytime, Beasley and Bledsoe would love to run around in our big backyard with you! See you soon, woof woof!

So much to be thankful for...

It has been a very busy and exciting month, sorry I have not posted much lately. With Thanksgiving last week I thought I would write about all that has been going on and all that we are thankful for. Sorry I dont have a lot of pictures, like I have said in previous posts I am very bad at taking picture and have to borrow (ok steal) from my friends :)

First of all, for those of you who dont know my sister got married the week before thanksgiving, on apple cup saturday. She married Louis Claussen at St. Al's on the 22nd. It was a very fun day and I am very thankful she has found someone so perfect for her. They are a great couple and I know they will have a very happy life together, and I am thankful to finally have a brother-in-law! Here are a few pics that their photographer took. (PS if you are in the need of a photographer Ryan Lindberg is amazing and I highly recommend him!)


Secondly, on the same day my sister got married was the 100th game of the Cougs vs. Huskies. Yes this year it was not the best of the best and some thought of it more as the crapple cup but once a coug always a coug. Needless to say it was still a big deal for us and the rest of our friends and family and we are so thankful that the cougs were able to pull it out with a win. Watching the game and having them win like that definately made the wedding reception a little bit better for all of us. I am also thankful my sister scheduled her wedding in the morning and the reception later in the evening so we could all watch the game live :)



Third, I am very thankful most of my mom's side of the family was able to come up and spend time with us for the wedding. It was great having everyone together for the first time in about 5 years, hopefully it will not be that long again until we see one another. We got to have a little brunch on Sunday with the leftover wedding food and we all sat around and caught up and listened to Gramma tell stories of when she was growing up and about her and Grandpa.

And Finally but most importantly I am thankful for all my wonderful friends and family. Jim and I got to spend time with both our families over thanksgiving and had wonderful food and drinks at both places. They are the true blessing in my life and I do not know what I would do without them. On Thursday morning we went to Jim's parents house and hung out with them for awhile until we had to go up to my Aunts house for an early dinner. There we got to spend time with my parents, my borther, My mom's two sisters, my grandma and my two cousins. On Friday we headed back to the McCollums for another thanksgiving dinner with just Jim's immediate family. We played a rousing game of Trivial pursuit where the girls beat the guys (yet another thing to be thankful for) and we had a great time. Saturday a bunch of my girlfriends came over for a party at my house and then a some of us met up with the guys and headed to the swinging doors to watch the Cougs take on Pitt in Basketball. We lost but it was a good showing against the number 4 team in the nation and I am eager to see WSU suprise quite a few teams in the Pac-10 this year.

It was so great to spend time with everyone over the past couple weeks. Hopefully this holiday season will bring just as much love, joy and family to all of you as well!

History...

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the colour of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed:

Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot.

Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose.

Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbour and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved.

Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.”

Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

President-Elect Barack Obama
November 4, 2008