Stylin'

We're all lookin' GOOD in our new Fulbright Thailand T-Shirts! Once again, Sam was the only one who took the time to touch up his hair in time for this photo.

Chritsmas Stocking Joy

Sam and Dad really couldn't contain themselves upon discovering that Santa filled their Christmas stockings.

Christmas in Review

Here we are - pictured by the tree just before opening our gifts. Dad was the only one who had showered by then, although Sam did take a moment to touch up his hair.

Tippy - look at the Camera! As if.

Even Tippy enjoyed his Christmas Stocking! We tried to capture his joy over receiving a special dog treat. I don't know what I was thinking yelling at him to look at the camera - like he can even hear me...

Christmas Across the Miles

In the midst of a very enjoyable Christmas Eve dinner at the Robnetts, we were happily surprised by an International Call from Thai Bubba! Her timing was perfect - so glad I brought my phone so that we could all chat with Becky on the speakerphone. For a complete photo essay of the Robnett dinner activity, check your email.

For the Girls...

The other night we ended up watching White Christmas. Becky probably won't have the opportunity to watch it, so I've included what I hope it still one of her favorite clips. I think that this was the first time I've watched the whole movie in a few years and I was pleasantly surprised by how it is still such good movie. My favorite scene is the same song as below, but with different performers...no, I am no weird.

Self-Entertaining during the Holiday Season

Speaking of achievements, I have been the sole winner of, "Where's the Pickle?" for the past 8 days. Saturday, after my multiple shots of Espresso, I hid and and found the pickle 6 times in a record 14 minutes! There really ought to be a trophy for that, too.

Coveted Awards Run in the Family

Of course we're all terribly proud of Nick winning an Academy Award. But - with all modesty aside - I was reminded of one of my own personal honors - pictured for all of you in this holiday blog. I won the 1987 Breckenfelder Easter Contest for Best Cookbook Cover Design and happily accepted this award. Now that I think about it, Nick competed in this contest 20 years ago. So I guess you could say I beat an Academy Award Winner.

The Days are Getting Longer

With the Winter Solstice behind us, the days are thankfully getting longer. YES! Dad and Sam came home from hunting around noon on Saturday - birdless - but to a clean house and folded laundry. It started to snow mid-afternoon - about the time we headed up to Jim and Jerre Coleman's for their Open House. They built and moved into a beautiful home this summer on Grandview (above Hayden View and Lookout Drive). Courtney and Joe were there - as was Vincent who is a corporate pilot and flight instructor down in Tucson. Nice gathering of people - Longwells, Covingtons, Yates, Dugdales, Robnetts, among others.

Unfortunately, we couldn't stay too long because we had to travel the icy roads back down to Indian Meadows for the Progressive Dinner. The itinerary: Bullards, Smarts, Chisholms, and then Nelsons. We took appetizers - shrimp and our usual Smoked Duck. I enjoyed the evening more than I expected - among the other attendees: Bells, Wandrocks, Larsens, Framptons, Charlie & Matt Bean (and Matt's finacee), Larina Helm & parents, and CDA's Captain of Police - Steve Childress (Wayne Long is the Chief of Police now, by the way).

Newsy tidbits:
Larina: Senior at Boston University, is applying to graduate schools in Public Policy
Matt Bean: Got into Georgetown Medical School where his fiancee' is finishing medical school this spring - they're hoping she'll get a residency near Matt.
Kelly Nelson: In the process of interviewing for a family medicine practice here, in Oregon, the Tri-Cities, etc. She finishes her residency this spring.
Allison & Nick Granier: In Sacramento where she's doing her Opthamalogy residency - sounds like Nick has a good job there, too.
Bells: Still working on a major kitchen and house remodel - they think we've priced our house WAY too high. In this market, any price is too high.
Nelsons: Proud to host the Dessert Leg in their newly remodeled kitchen. Showed us pictures of Lori, her husband and little boy.
Jenny Smart: Doesn't come home until today, so we didn't see her, but she works for Head Start in the Portland area - for pennies. Jim Smart and his wife are expecting their 1st child.

Sam went out with Tyler, Hillary, Allison and Nick G, so he may have more interesting stories.

Sushi - That Great Holiday Tradition

In keeping readers informed about holiday happenings, I thought you'd like to know we incorporated a trip to Takara into our seasonal festivities last night. Since we had no holiday parties last night, and since I forgot to make reservations at the Country Club for the Seafood Buffet, we enjoyed Saba, Uni, and Tabiko with Quail Egg instead. Mason Fredericks was our waiter - I love how he works there for his dinner. I've heard of SINGING for your supper, but this is the first time I've heard of WAITING SUSHI BARS for your supper. Listen, if I have one more shot of Espresso, I think I'll be singing for just about anything.

Wired for Christmas!

Knowing how much I love good coffee... make that STRONG coffee, all of you Blog Lovers will appreciate this posting. A couple of weeks ago the church youth group had a silent auction to raise funds. Dad and I were the lucky bidders for a Starbucks Barista Espresso Machine, and - to use Dad's word - all its acoutrements. After downloading the 40-page instruction manual, I primed the machine and made my first 2 shots of espresso. My life will never be the same.

Before Sam and Dad headed up to the Duck Club at 5:30 this a.m., I made 8 shots (4 for Dad, 4 for me). Fabulous. Since then, I have made myself a couple more shots, and I am positively WIRED. This new appliance will allow me to take things up a notch, including cleaning the house. I am now into SPEED cleaning. And SPEED laundry. And now SPEED Blogging - this posting only took me 2 minutes.

Might be a good idea to incorporate a little Decaf into my coffee diet.

About the Master Blogger

Many of you lurkers are probably wondering how Sam comes up with his creative and insightful holiday blogs. I thought you might appreciate a glimpse of his base of operations, so I've included a couple of pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

Challenge Accepted

I have accepted Sam's challenge to add posts to the Thilo Family Christmas Blog. I understand my performance as a blogger will be measured on a post-by-post basis. Therefore, this may be my first and last post.

Last night we did indeed watch the seasonal classic "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." I didn't realize until last night that Sam's favorite lines from the movie are from Todd and Margot. My favorite line, however, is "He's got a lip fungus ain't been identified yet." It's hard to find quality dialgoue like that in movies these days.

Next, I truly must respond to Sam's Christmas Tree grade of B. It was somewhat challenging to decorate the tree this year. We had to retrieve Christmas decorations from both the Garage Condo and from the Lake, so the tree was decorated in stages, and I'm still missing my favorite wooden beaded garlands. Nothing will compare to last year's stolen tree.

What's in store for tomorrow...

So today I went a little light on the posts, I had a pretty long day. I woke up at noon, played GameBoy for an hour and went to Starbucks for most of the afternoon to check-out chicks and work on my resume and cover letters. Anyway, since I know everyone is disappointed, I thought that I would give you a preview of what's in store for tomorrow. It should be my most active day to date:

An Ode to Mr. T.P. Top - the poor guy hasn't gotten any love on the Christmas blog so I thought I would take the time to sit down and interview Tippy. Hopefully you'll see a side of him that you haven't seen yet and he'll reveal his grooming techniques, holiday plans, and New Year's resolution.

Straight Eye for the Queer Guy - I've mentioned this before, and now it is time to actually do it. I'll photograph and comment on all of Mom's Christmas vignettes and give them a proper grade. Here's what you can expect.


Thilo Family Christmas Tree - Grade:B
A delightful tree that is decorated in the old-fashioned nuevo. High marks for it being stolen and its height. I would have given it higher scores had Mom decorated it with her antique ornaments or had I actually participated in the cutting of the tree. Last year's set the standard in my book, but nevertheless, a good effort from Mom and Dad. Bonus points would have been given for better tree placement (Little Lake Place) and additional gifts under the tree for the judge.

Additional Posts:

• Where's Kitty - 12/20
• Obvious Observation - 12/20
• Guest Post - Who could it be????
  

Where's Kitty? 12/19

Tonight we were treated to a new location that Kitty has chosen to mark as her own. Mom predictably referred to her as (in her cartoonish voice), "Centerpiece Kitty." Enjoy.

"Why is the carpet wet, Todd?" "I don't know, Margot!"

Sorry, Becky, not to rub it in but...life is pretty good for Sam right now - sugar cookies, Chevy Chase and a winter ale, my kind of Wednesday night. Tonight we had our official viewing of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. In attendance were Mom, Sam, Kitty (with a special Demon Kitty appearance), and no Dad. Dad thought it more fit to watch Miller Highlife commercials on his computer instead of joining the family. I guess he lost the privilege. Anyway, I am partially disappointed because of the low turnout, so I am looking forward to next year's showing. With that said, for those of you who didn't get to watch, please enjoy the best scene of the movie. Please don't let children under the age of 15 watch, nor Uncle Rob, unless of course you want to bet him that Clark's boss isn't Bill Murray and want to win some holiday cash.

(Please note that this is not intended for commercial purposes, so please don't report me to the FCC or to the Screen Writer's Guild...oh wait, they aren't doing squat right now. Anyway, this is only for my sisters' enjoyment and to demonstrate improper sanitation techniques. Don't sue me, in two and a half years I might graduate from law school!)

Where's Kitty? 12/18

I found Kitty under the bed in Becky's room. I wasn't allowed to go in there because Mom said that she didn't want me to see any unwrapped presents that were for me. Note: There were no unwrapped presents in there for me, at least not anything I wanted. Back to the drawing board, Mom.


(I didn't really look for presents, Mom, don't worry :) )

Sleeping Actually - Obvious Observation 12/17

Last night we were lucky enough to watch one of my favorite movies and apparently a 'chick-flick,' but you could fool me with all of the nudity and scenes with Elisha Cuthbert. We watched, "Love Actually," and I promise you that we will be treated to at least a dozen more exclamations of "I hate Uncle Jamie" from Mom.

Some highlights:

• Every scene with Billy Mack. Favorite quote, "Don't buy drugs, kids. Become a rock star and they'll give them to you for free!"
• Hugh Grant dancing. Favorite quote not from the movie. Dad, "I can dance like that, right?"
• Saddest, most dramatic moment - Emma Thompson alone in the bedroom.
• Clip we're glad hit the cutting room floor - The boy as a gymnast flipping through Heathrow.
• Clip that should have hit the cutting room floor - Shannon Elizabeth talking
• Consensus favorite storyline - Colin Firth and the Portuguese housekeeper

Obvious Observation

Dad falls asleep before a movie ends. Trivia question of the day: What was the last movie Dad saw in its entirety?

Christmas Cookie Competition

At 7:30pm last night the annual Thilo Family cookie decorating competition was held in the kitchen. Despite fewer participants than in past years, the competition remained stiff (older and grayer) and a new rivalry may have emerged. It all started off with Sue setting up the event by mixing and rolling the dough, but early support was needed from Sam with a quick run to Fred Meyer for more powdered sugar and food coloring. Sue narrowly avoided a misconduct penalty by providing only fluorescent colored dyes, a clear violation of competition rules. Luckily, after an hour of so or baking and some savvy icing creation by Sue, the table...err...counter was set.


Early on it appeared that Sam may have won the contest uncontested. With more than a dozen cookies under his belt, a puke-c0lored (mixed by Sam) 'N' and 'U' to commemorate his Alma Mater, and a strong sugar high, it appeared to be the icing on the cake for his third straight victory. However, this is still the Thilo Family Cookie Decorating Competition, so additional competition was certainly expected.

Sue started strong with an array of Christmas Trees, Candy Canes, and even a delightful Christmas Angel. Clearly making a run at the crown, Sue surged into the lead with a tasteful Snowman and capped it all off with stylish green and pink boot (above). Just when it appeared Sue had things wrapped up, Tom came out of nowhere to stake his claim to the title. Previously Tom had been no more than a hopeful bystander, save for the few attempts at cookie decoration that were no better than fingers full of icing and dropped cookies on the floor.

(Tom applying icing with his tongue on the first cookie)

Perhaps it was the sugar talking or the challenging Jeopardy! questions on TV that motivated Tom, but a new-found talent may have emerged last night. His first attempt or two included licking the frosting to shape it on the cookie, but after quick instructions by Sue that a knife would be more appropriate and within the rules, Tom actually started making some decent looking cookies.

Then, the competition really started heating up. Sam brought out the big guns and started using toothpicks, while Sue resorted to red and green sprinkles. With a surgeon's touch Tom concocted a Christmas Tree complete with ornaments and lights of icing. Sam dug deep and created another bell, but was satisfied to watch as Tom skillfully sculpted his Christmas desserts. Eventually, it became such a route that Tom shouted out, "What next? An angel, no problem. I could ice the bottom of my shoe and it would look better than Sam's cookies!" Perhaps, father, perhaps.

Take a look at some of the highlights below and listen for the final verdict.

Where's Kitty? 12/16

Here's another reoccurring segment, "Where's Kitty." I've put this together to help my mother, because the poor woman spends about 1/8th of her day looking for this silly cat. To be honest, it is really quite fun trying to find her and that is really why I am doing this. Kitty must have known what I was doing because she made it particularly easy on me tonight. I even tried to scare her an hour ago to get her to hide really well. Instead, she was sitting in the middle of the hallway and I took a bad picture to make it look like she was really hidden.

It should be noted that it was pitch black when I took this picture. I took about eight of them with a flash and she didn't move, yet if you look at her funny she runs away faster than Larry Craig's Mormon voters.

On the open road

I am a good son. You know how I know that? I make my parents appreciate how lucky they have it. Instead of coming home on-time like I promised, I let them wait a little. With their cushy lives the least I could do was make Mom worry for a few hours. I mean, come on! That woman hasn't worried a day in her life! She'll thank me for it, I'm sure. It's not like she was making dinner for me or anything. She probably didn't even clean the house in anticipation of my arrival, right?

So instead of getting home at 2:00, I waited until it got dark. Increase the degree of difficulty a little, you know? How hard can it be driving without snow tires on the most dangerous highway in Idaho while it is icy? Okay, so I was a little short-sighted. Maybe the next time Mom needs a surprise or a little excitement I'll make her a mixed tape or something.

Aside from me being a jerk, I had a pretty good drive. I passed the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Bingo and Casino, always a good time. It's fantastic to see a parking lot full of holiday gamblers taking in the Christmas Spirit on a Sunday evening. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like telling Johnny and Sally that they won't be getting presents this year from Santa because Daddy should have bet on red and then had a cold streak at the black jack table.


Anyway, speaking of mixed tapes, here was my playlist for the drive home:

Flight of the Conchords, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room"
Ben Kweller, "Penny On the Train Track"
Ben Lee, "Catch My Disease - That's the Way I Like It" (Note: not as bad as it sounds)
Maroon Five, "Wake Up Call"
Jimmy Eat World, "Let It Happen"
Dropkick Murphys, "I am Shipping Up to Boston"
Soulja Boy Tell 'em, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)"
Finger Eleven, "Paralyzer"
Sarah Johns, "He Hates Me"
Alan Jackson, "Designated Drinker"
Alan Jackson, "Pop A Top"
Taylor Swift, "Our Song"

So you'll notice that the last four are country, in honor of Becky. I have two criteria for listening to country. Either A) I have to have heard them in concert, or B) If it is a chick, she has to be hot. I am quite the country music connoisseur as you can see.

At any rate, there is a funny story about the last song (Taylor Swift, Our Song). Dad and I were driving to go hunting in Lewiston and we were listening to the radio (Dad needs a new one, BTW). I had probably been yapping about something for twenty minutes or so when this song came on. I could have sworn that Dad turned the radio up to drown out my voice (like he did at dinner tonight) and this was the song on the radio. The song is about some chick who tells her boyfriend that they don't have a song, and then he tells her all of this sweet and sappy BS about how they don't need one. He makes up all of this cutesy stuff that they have done together and how the sounds associated with it constitute their "song."

Every time I hear it, I think of it as the song for Dad and me and try to make up lyrics that would be about us so that it is all sappy and uncomfortable. Once people have had a chance to listen to it, I'll write them out so you can get the picture of what my song for Dad is. If you haven't heard the lyrics for the original song yet, here is the chorus:

"Our song is the slammin' screen door,
sneakin' out late, tappin' on your window
when we're on the phone and you talk real slow
because it's late and your momma don't know.
Our song is the way you laugh,
the first amen, I didn't kiss her when I should have
and when I got home, before I said amen
I ask God if he, could play it again."

Imagine me singing that to Dad. Yuck.

Anyway, I made it home safe and sound and Mom put together a kick-butt dinner of goose and home-made bread. I guess Dad is the ultimate hunter considering he shot dinner and I would have been eating Kitty kebobs if I was hunting.

Prose and Poaching: My Hunting Adventure

At 0700 this morning I awoke to the sound of my alarm in anticipation of an eventful day of hunting. An hour and a half later I got out of bed. I then loaded up my transport and ventured out into the great beyond.

My destination: Potlach, Idaho. My mission: Sustenance. My target: The Ring-neck Pheasant.

By all indications, it appeared to be a fine day for the hunting and pursuit of wild game. On the open road I passed broad fields harvested this autumn for their exotic bounty of wheat and lentils. I maneuvered my vehicle aptly and was confident in my preparations.


At last, I arrived at my destination. I nimbly exited my four-wheeled carriage and took in the vast and open vista around me. I inhaled the crisp, cold Idaho air and began my trek out into a snow-covered windswept oat field. Alas, I was not the first to make my way across the rugged land, nor would I be the last. Not more than a day before had a hunter and his canine companion traversed the same field as I in pursuit of cock and quail. Ah, but the able hunter is never deterred in his quest for nourishment. I kept on.

With the sun on my back and the wind in my face I made way through dense cover and over frozen ground. The first signs of the elusive bird! A half dozen or more of the female variety, too pure to be taken with my 12 gauge weapon. I need only wait a moment more, I told myself, as the excitement welled up inside of me like warm brandy and the musical stylings of Tony Bennett.

But the day wore on. I tired. My bones began to ache and a chill had come over me. Had I come too late? Was all my effort and toil for naught? My fear of failure engulfed me. What lies ahead for the woeful hunter with an empty stomach? Soon, survival and the warmth of my cottage entered my mind. A long journey northward awaited me and my prospects were dim. Defeated and broken, I retreated to my four-cylinder vehicle.

The weary hunter's lonely and humble walk

As my body warmed and my spirit brightened, I realized not all hope was lost. Thoughts of kin and Christmas tidings were in my future. A fortnight of holiday cheer and companionship were on my mind. Even the signs for lost travelers reminded me that I am surrounded by great minds and inspiration. Unbeknownst to me, I was nearer to my lawyering brethren than I had realized. The Ivy League is for weak minds and simple hearts, I am a Vandal!

Let's just say if I was hunting for survival, I might have needed to eat Tippy for dinner tonight.

The Fallout

Well, I did manage to wake up the morning after and I hoped to have a productive day today. On the agenda:

1. Start Blog about me as a the best gift ever to my little sister. (check)
2. Go over to Graham's house at 1 in the afternoon to wake him up and remind him that he probably ought to hit the road at some point so he can drive to Boise to catch a flight to San Diego tonight (check)
3. Spend an hour and a half at the parking lot at CJs looking for Graham's cell phone because he lost it after Mike tackled him and Graham did a snow angel. (check) (phone recovered)
4. Clean House after a month of neglect (see photo documentation)
   
5. Order Domino's (check)
6. Eat Domino's Pizza (ugggghhh...check)
7. Watch Polar Express (in progress)

Yup, just another Saturday night for the big man on campus. No wonder I can't get a girlfriend.

Dinner: The picture is a little blurry because my hands were shaking and my stomach hurts.

...and a movie, a children's movie.

Room Cleaning - the start

10:15 am

Room Cleaning: Update


10:18 pm
Some things never change!

Obvious Observation of the Day - 12/15

This is a little section of the blog where I like to state the obvious. Here I am 20 minutes after my final exam....yeeeah.



Now, a few hours later before I go out.



Obvious observation: I am a good-looking fella. No wonder the ladies can't resist. I'm so ridiculously good-looking that they are afraid to even talk to me.

NEWSFLASH: Sam Finishes 1st Semester, World May Spin Again

Although few had faith and even fewer cared, I officially completed my first semester of law school yesterday and partied in style! That's right, upon completion of my final exam I ventured out for a "classy" night of cocktails and laughter in "downtown" Moscow. We played pool, played shuffleboard, played pool again, danced, and cried together. I was joined by my friends Graham, Mike and Luke (Luke didn't make it past 8:30 pm).

While out and about, we ventured to the high-class establishment "CJ's" (Cadillac Jack's I've been told) where we ran into Anna Faller and friends. I danced and managed to be the only person that didn't fall down. We drank tubs (36 oz Beers) and shared war stories. I feel pretty lucky, I guess that the other 1L section (there are two, I am in Sect. 1) has to retake a final exam when we come back from break because their Torts professor screwed up his exam. So while all of them continue to study over break, I will be sipping lattes and reading about the intricacies of fermentation.

Sam and Jodie demonstrate how to catch air with their mouths

Yes, I talk to girls...sometimes.

Jodie and Mike (wearing his formal attire)