Nicole Tasker Woods

I’m hating on Halloween today. I got to work 20 minutes early because Friday morning traffic is always so light here, go figure! Then, I had to wait for 10 minutes for the parking garage elevator to arrive, but after waiting for the 10th minute and still no elevator, I decided to forgo the wait and risk my life on the ramps that the cars use to access different levels of the parking structure.

When I got to the building’s lobby, I was able to jump right on those elevators to get taken up to the 5th floor where I work. But suddenly, I’m bombarded by 6 people, all of which are dressed up for Halloween.

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November 1st is Cali’s 3rd birthday and we are all looking forward to it! Right after my most un-favorite holiday (Halloween for those of you not reading my posts regularly) is Cali’s big day. I always make her a funfetti cake with vanilla frosting, Ryan and I buy her gifts (and so do her Grandmas). We put all of the goodies and sweets on the kitchen table and open up presents together. She is always so overwhelmed by the gifts and abundance of attention we are giving her.

The cake is always moist and lasts about a week (between me, Ryan and Cali all enjoying a piece nightly) and the gifts last forever. She still has some of her 2nd birthday gifts from last year. I always take pictures, but I am planning on taking a video this year with my flip. I want to capture her devouring her cake at the kitchen table and see her big smile and wagging tail while we help her open gifts.

Can’t wait!

My mother and father brought to my attention some very upsetting things about my Halloween memories. Things that must have been so horrible that my mind has subconsciously blocked them out, protecting me from remembering some very unsettling things.

When I called my folks Sunday evening, like I do every week, I was telling them of my plans on Saturday (October 31st) to carve a pumpkin with Cali and bake her birthday cake. I was shocked to hear my parents protest that I should go to TJ Maxx or Michael’s and pick up a fake pumpkin so that I could enjoy the decoration but avoid the mess and blood. Blood!? That’s right, I said it, BLOOD!

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I am a fan of Thanksgiving because, let’s face it, food is awesome and the stuff that is featured at this holiday feast is just so incredibly good and everyone gives themselves a free-pass to over-eat. How great is that?

My mom and older brother, Curtis are coming out for Thanksgiving this year while my dad and younger brother, Kyle go kill deer in Canada. When weighing my options, I get stumped: over-eating or shooting a gun…hmm, how will I ever decide??? I’m excited to have my mom come out since I haven’t seen my family since August for the rafting trip and am unable to go back home to NH for Christmas this year. I know, so sad–Please! Dry your eyes! Don’t cry for me Tasker-ville! I know it won’t be the same without me, but somehow, you’ll get through it!

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I guess it should say something along the lines of “Holidays Are A-Comin’!” because the holidays were always here, it’s not like there’s a new one that was created. But regardless, here they come…

I have come to the realization that I do not like Halloween. I used to enjoy dressing up, trick-or-treating, eating candy (duh!) and carving pumpkins. My mom would set up a card table in the garage with newspapers spread on top so that the pumpkin guts wouldn’t get all over the place. I still remember the way my fingers would become numb by the time I was finished with my design. The cool fall air would slip in underneath the garage door and the slimy pumpkin insides were just about frozen. A couple of years we saved the pumpkin seeds, cleaned them up and baked them. I also helped decorate the upstairs and deck area so that the kids would know where to come to get the grab-bag of candy that we put together with 10 different bit-sized candy bars inside.

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Can you believe this!? I logged onto my twitter account and did what I usually do–look for Miley Cyrus’ latest post. I do not know why, but I am so intrigued by what she has going on. I think that getting the inside scoop on a celebrity’s life is totally awesome. One time she said she was taking voice lessons so she didn’t have a southern accent while singing her new song “The Climb.” This was so interesting to me. She used twitter as a way to update her fans, not just her friends, about what she had going on and it was never anything inappropriate.

This evening, I opened up my twitter account and could not find Miley’s tweets anywhere! I tried looking at older tweets and still, nothing. Then, Ryan saw what I was doing and said, “You didn’t hear?” I shouted back in a panic, “Hear what!?” He didn’t have to say anything, I knew what I had to google: “Miley Cyrus twitter” and there it was…

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Today is mine and Ryan’s fourth wedding anniversary and I just can’t believe it!

It seems like just yesterday my Mom and Dad were helping me pack up their car for the drive to Meredith, the site for our wedding. It was spitting rain and I was actually being very zen about the whole bad-weather-is-threatening-my-perfect-day thing. The days are a blur that fall between that drive and the day I walked up to my Daddy and then down the aisle holding his arm. The weather was wonderful–blue skies, bright shining sun and a beautiful lake as the backdrop.

I said to Ryan just the other day, “Can you believe it has been four years? We’ve accomplished a lot in four years: we’ve bought a house and cars, I got a new job and we both got a basenji.” Ryan laughed to himself and then when our eyes met, we knew we were thinking the same thing… Cali is the BEST thing that has happened to us.

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For the past few weeks, I have been getting up around 5:45 or 6:00 in the morning on the weekdays, stumbling out of the bedroom and into our guest bathroom where I change into my workout clothes. I make my way downstairs in the dark, throw on some headphones and a sweatshirt and run for 1.5 miles.

It only takes me about 20 minutes, but by the time I get to the front door after the run, I am dripping in sweat and wide awake. I grab a glass of water and do some stretches in the living room then make my way upstairs to shower, get dressed and ready for work.

Since I have determined that sleep is overrated, I am never too tired to get up when the alarm comes a-callin’ –I just get up and don’t think about it at all.
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It is finally Friday and yes, I am already dreading Monday. My boss was out yesterday and today and is out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week. That means I’ll be doing both our work for the next three work days and I’m not looking forward to it! I like the steady routine we have, day-in and day-out. Nothing changes, everything is the same, nothing new or scary–that’s the way I like it.

But, having to cover for his stuff and mine gives me the opportunity to shine a little brighter to my boss’ boss, which is always a good thing. But when I wake up extra early on Monday to get in and hopefully start the week off right, the voice inside my head will be saying, “It’s just one bad day, you can get through it.” Because after Monday, it’s all downhill from there!

The Magic Castle is the world’s most famous club for magicians and magic enthusiasts and home to The Academy of Magical Arts, Inc.

The Magic Castle is the showplace for some of the greatest magicians from around the globe. We also take great pride in showcasing the magnificent building that houses the Magic Castle. Built in 1908, this storied mansion has watched Hollywood grow and change for almost 100 years while never losing its original charm (from their website).

The Magic Castle is my new favorite place. It is so unique and intriguing that all I want to do is go there again and again. It has a hotel as well as a restaurant inside to accompany the many cavernous hallways and rooms where magic and cabaret are performed.

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On Labor Day, which was Monday last week, Cali was doing her usual running/jumping/diving into the pool to chase a tennis ball Ryan was throwing into the deep end. Nothing out of the ordinary for this basenji. But then while we were watching her run around the yard with the other dogs, we noticed her limping and then holding up her left paw as if it was hurt. We decided she may have gotten something stuck in between her toes, causing the obvious discomfort so we dried her off and brought her inside. Not more than 30 seconds after we finished toweling her off, Ryan shouted that her toe was dislocated. Brady was holding up Cali so only her back feet were on the ground and I could see her poor toe bent outward in an unnatural way. My heart was racing. I grabbed my purse and car keys while Ryan scooped up our baby and we drove frantically to the Emergency Pet Clinic.

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