New Year

Only an hour to go. It will officially be 2010. The news shows were all about what happened in the first decade of the 2000's. It's amazing how much has happened in 10 years. I know that in my own life lots of changes happened in the years 2000 thru 2010. Moved twice, watched my children grow and change, job changes, loss of friends and changes for myself. I feel like 2009 was difficult in many ways and really rough for lots of people. Hoping that '10 brings comfort and blessings to those that really need it, deserve it. I am not a believer in resolutions. Don't get me wrong, I want to believe in resolutions and believe that they work. I just have lived long enough and been around enough to know that they just don't hold up for long. It's a refreshing idea, new year, new goals... It's just that they don't seem to stick for most people. I am filled with a renewed sense of being and it really just is coincidental with the new year. I am gonna have a new job and that will help me have some new things to do in my daily life. Sure lots happened in the last 10 years and many of those things were good, perhaps even great. It's all about finding that glass half full. Some times the champagne flute seems half empty but it usually gets refilled again by someone with a big bottle of the bubbly who is happy to top off my glass.
We are warm and safe in our home, cozy and sleepy, some of us had no intention of staying awake til midnight, some of us were not too sure, some of us are really trying and some of us will sail right thru to midnight and probably beyond with no ill effects til tomorrow morning. I will report back and let you all know who made it and who did not. Happy New Year, Happy Decade done and Decade begun.

Christmas Time is Family Time

It has been a holiday filled with family. We haven't had as much time with my sister's family or my parents as we used to. In California we were only five hours away so we were able to make it work being together more often. We have really enjoyed being with everyone. I know it will be hard to go home, especially for the girls. I am always torn, being with family and wanting to be in my own home. It's hard also, being away from my husband. We miss him so much. He has done well, working and holding down the fort while we are gone. He has been putting in lots of long weird hours. He told me today that he has some picking up around the house to do and that for the most part has kept the house clean- I know I can rely on him to do that.


So, Christmas is over, we are having a lazy day today. There are a few things that we have to get done but for the most part, we will just have some more fun. When I get back to Washington it will be nose to the grindstone. I will officially working! I am really really really looking forward to it. I just hope that my new employer will be glad that they took me on. I always like the holidays, whether it be Christmas or any other but I always like getting back into a routine as well.

What Christmas is All About

I have heard it said that Christmas is for children. Having my own children did make me appreciate the holiday season so much more but I couldn't put my whole 100% into it because I was a working mom with two small children. Seeing everything through their eyes did bring back some of that hard to find Christmas spirit.
Now I am the mother of teenagers and the Christmas feeling has scampered off to find others with small children. Lucky for me, I have been in the company of some young children lately and have seen the fun of it all. It started with my cousins children. They had their trees up, had gingerbread house decorating parties,etc.


The cousins are all young and still so innocent and sweet when it comes to all things Baby Jesus and Santa. Now I am lucky enough to be in the company of my five year old niece for the holiday season. She is decorating cookies, helping her dad put up Christmas lights, singing carols at school, telling us about Santa coming to her house and bringing her a telescope. It's refreshing to get to be a part of that again.





We adults have to try to find the mood, get into the spirit. It isn't our fault. It's hard to get excited about spending more money than you have, cooking more than usual, adding parties, school programs, extra errands to your already hectic schedule and having 20 extra people sleeping in your house and eating your food. We have to be responsible, still go to work and then feel bad because we aren't getting into the spirit. We all need to have some children in our lives to remind us of the wonder and awe.

Stay Tuned

I have been like a maniac shutter bug. I have taken dozens upon dozens of photos. I will post them as soon as I finish with baking today. We are heading over to the store to get the rest of our ingredients. I will take some photos of the beautiful creations that we attempt to produce. Today is my sister and brother in law's 23rd anniversary. We are going to celebrate with some rib eyes, baked potatoes and lettuce wedges, can you say YUM????? Today also happens to be my grandpa's 88th birthday. We did call but haven't spoken to him yet, he was already in the car and off to church. Will call him later and let him chat with his great grand daughters.
88 years old. It's hard to imagine. I have known him since he was in
his early 40's or something like that. I wonder how he feels having a grand daughter who will be turning 50 in a few short years.
My sister and Sidney are ready to head out to Super Target and I don't want to incur their wrath. Shout out to my dad who made us some delicious ribs last night. Fun card games, great food, tears and laughter talking about things past.

Trippin'

No, not a drug induced kind of trippin'. Just you know... taking a trip. Airplane rides were non eventful, packed full of uneducated travelers. I really do believe after some airport/plane observation, that there are people that never travel by plane. There are those that have odd airport behavior, don't know how to line up to board the plane and then once on the plane-lordy lordy... My girls make me proud, they are seasoned pros. They go right to the expert traveler's lane for security, shoes, laptops and jackets into the bins, thru the screener, pack up the stuff, shoes on, and off to the gate. They have been traveling across the country by plane since they were babies. It has gotten to the point that they are telling me to turn off my phone and ipod, buckle my seat belt, etc... You trade parents for a husband, then get kids who tell you what to do.
So we are in sunny, warm Arizona. It has been in the 70's so it feels like a Seattle summer. We even requested the air conditioner be turned on in Papa's car on the ride home from the airport. Today is a windy desert kind of day, sunny to be sure. We have been busy already. My niece had her Christmas program at school yesterday. Nothing like a bunch of five year olds singing Rudolph to get you into the holiday spirit. Sister and I have had some time to hang out, chat and of course laugh. Daughters have split up their living arrangements as well. One at grandparents and one aunt's house. There is one very happy five year old hanging around Riley- can't let her out of her sight.
I will be going to unpack and make my new home for the next two weeks.

It's a Wonderful Life

The evening is drawing to a close. We three girls are packed. Our suitcases are stuffed to the limit, our laptop/carry on bags are in the same shape. I tried to filter my laptop bag down, do I need three pairs of glasses? I have them to match my outfits for god sakes! I have our boarding passes printed, food made for Bob in the fridge, girl's rooms picked up and everything else that I can think of. We sat down as a family and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" tonight. We had intended to watch it last weekend but stuff just got in the way. Bob had his nice, roaring, warm fire in the fireplace and we ate on leftover enchiladas that I had made. It was a lovely last evening for us to spend together. It will be a hard two weeks in that we will all miss dad/husband. He assures me that he will be fine and is looking forward to the peace and quiet. He gets up early and goes to bed early so he wont miss the little interaction he gets with us during the busy holiday season. We will miss him tho. Some tears were shed during the movie, I am not sure if the tears were for George Bailey or for us missing Bob. The girls had never seen the movie before, they weren't sure if they liked it or it's message. They understood it but thought it was just sad. Of course we parents discussed the whole thing with them and they were polite to listen to us.
We are excited to say the very least. We are excited to go to the airport, we are excited to get on the plane, sit on the plane, lay over in Reno, get to Phoenix and see everyone. We have our laptops, ipods, movies, magazines and books. I think that about does it for entertainment.
I will be reporting from Arizona I am sure, so stayed tuned! Bon Voyage!

Book Club

I had lots of clients that were in book clubs. I always felt a bit jealous that they had a book they had to read and then got to share their thoughts about that book with others. I have officially joined a book club. I was invited by a client and most of the women live close by. The book for this meeting was the Poisonwood Bible. The group tries to choose a book that is not on the current best seller's list because it can be hard to get at the library or on the cheap. I got my copy from the library. I had tried to read Poisonwood a few years ago but just couldn't do it. Most of the group said the same thing. If it weren't required I don't think I would have read it. I am glad I stuck it out. I learned a lot about Africa and the Congo. I do know that I could never live there for any length of time. So next month is Jack Kerouac's On the Road. Definitely books I would not have chosen on my own, that is good thing.

Holiday Images

I have loads of Christmas memories material. I could go on for hours, dating back to when I was three. I hope that my girls have good Christmas memories to recall when they are old like me. The girls and I went to my cousin Jill's house today for a gingerbread house decorating party. The houses were darling and there was sooo much good stuff to decorate with! Yesterday, they hung the outside lights with their dad. It was cold but sunny, perfect for hanging lights. The other photo is of a blue spruce we have in the back yard, it is so perfectly shaped and cute that I had to decorate it. Riley helped me last weekend. We put plastic ornaments all over it and it is so adorable. I love looking out my windows and seeing it there.

Bone Chilling Cold

Well, darn close to bone chilling. It hasn't been over 35 degrees in a whole lotta days. It has been sunny and I must say that has been nice, but dang. The cloud cover will create a blanket of warmth over us and raise the temp to somewhere in the low to mid 40's...C'mon cloud cover... The weather forecast is using the "S" word for this weekend, ick, I could live with out snow for a whole lotta months.
Bob was home early, he has been working on some special projects at work and has been going in early- he likes it, feels like he gets more of the day to come home and do what he needs to get done. Dry walling a portion of the basement, firewood, yard work.
Girls have busy-ness this weekend. Sid is still working on the final touches of her video TLC's "What Not To Wear" in espanol. Riley has a slumber party and is going to a cool place where all of the floors, walls, etc. are trampolines. She has been under the weather and is feeling better and ready to party.
I am still working on getting my stuff together for our trip.

Eeeek Gads!

I am getting all worked up! I am realizing how soon our trip to Arizona is coming up. I am trying to get things together, really... I am. It's all still in the mental stages of getting it all together but it's still a plan.

Devotional

I have (I know others in the family do too) a daily devotional that I read. I don't think that I have ever posted anything about it but today's touched me. It's a sad day, the memorial for the four slain police officers is beginning in a bit. The news is on in the background and it's all just sad... This was a bright spot for me to read today. The great thing about these devotionals is that they always seem to be just what I needed to hear on that particular day. They are written by Rick Warren from "A Purpose Driven Life"...

"Once we're secure inside God's unconditional love, we'll start cutting people a lot of slack. We won't be as angry as we've been. We'll be more patient. We'll be more forgiving. We'll be more merciful. We'll give others grace.

But you cannot give to others what you have not received yourself, and so my hope is that, as you learn how much God loves you, you'll also let him heal your heart so that his love can flow freely through you. It's impossible to love others until you really feel loved yourself. "

It is another sunny but VERY cold day today. We have had no precipitation, lots of sun and super cold temps. If we were to get rain it would be snow for sure and that can just not happen. I am (as are lots of Washingtonians) still not over last year's deluge. I just want to fly out of here on the 17th to sunny Arizona and not care about the "S-word".

I would like you to meet someone...

His name is Jake Olson. The girls and I met him last night on the ABC news. Tho, not in person, we did see him and his story on the television...

"When Jake was a year old, he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a condition in which cancerous tumors develop in the retina, in both eyes. Doctors removed his left eye, but with chemotherapy and radiation, they were able to save his right.

That right eye has shown him his world -- the faces of his parents, his twin sister, Emma, the surf near his home in Huntington Beach, Calif., and the fairways and greens of nearby golf courses, where he and his father play as often as they can.

The cancer has returned eight times, and each time, Jake beat it. However, this past September, he learned it had come back again, and this time treatment didn't work. Doctors told him they would have to take his right eye, too.

With more than a month before his surgery, Jake told his parents that what he wanted to see most one last time was another USC Trojans game. His wish reached Trojan head coach, Pete Carroll.

"The first thing was let's make sure that he gets inside and gets to see everything that he wants to see," Carroll said. "God bless him, he deserves every bit of it."

The Trojans invited Jake to practice Oct. 14, where he was introduced to his favorite player, center Kris O'Dowd. It wasn't long before a bond was born between the fellow centers."







So he has surgery and USC players go to the hospital to be with the family and Jake and then after he recovers he gets to go back for a game and says that the game was EVEN BETTER without his sight because it made it so exciting in his head.

What the hell is wrong with me? I have my sight, my children are ultra healthy. I am pitiful in whining about my stupid life. I have many many blessings and will concentrate on those. I am making my New Year's resolution early. I will put it as eloquently as possible... Shut the hell up and be thankful and quit with the pity parties that you occasionally invite yourself to.

Friends

I finally forced myself to load my pictures from my Girls Gone Wild weekend, back in November. It seems like my friends were just here and it seems like years ago. The best part was being with them like no time had past at all... I guess I was a bit too sad to post them any earlier PLUS, I would love for them to send me the photos they took! Such a good time, good food, good wine, good chick flicks... What more could you ask for?



This is pretty much the weather pattern the whole time they were here! They got a good taste of Seattle weather!
I thought I had more but realized some were on my Blackberry and were not publish-blog-quality...



VERY important part of the visit... the pedicures! We felt ready to tackle anything once our toes were beeeeautifulllll!


One day of sunshine did make us so very happy!

Little Jobs

I am a little bit sad tonight. My four day job is over. I had the pleasure of taking care of my cousins two little girls. They are ages three and one. I felt so calm and peaceful when the three year old and I would sit and color. We would chat away, laugh and critique each other's coloring technique and choices. The one year old was another story all together. So funny, so active and so freakin' cute. The peaceful moments with her were when she slept for a long stretch while laying on me. She can be such a cuddle bug. It makes a mom of teenagers appreciate how challenging in other ways it is to be the mom of little ones.


While chilly, it was a sunny day. On my way home this afternoon, the moon was already in full view. Big, white and round. It was full as full could be and just got brighter and whiter as the sky grew darker. Picked Sid and her friend up from bowling, they had a match today and won as well.

Lots going on this week, can't believe it is December. The girls and I will be on a plane headed down to Arizona before we know it.

Sunny Seattle Shots

Here is a sampling of some of the pics I took on Friday...

The Definition of Thanks

GRATITUDE: be grateful; thank; give thanks, render thanks, return thanks, offer thanks, tender thanks; acknowledge, requite, not look a gift horse in the mouth; never forget, overflow with gratitude; thank one's stars, bless one's stars; fall on one's knees.
It's all there, it's all true and right. Too bad it's today or maybe even the last few days or this past week that we tend to linger on the things that we are truly grateful for. It used to be that Thanksgiving was about being thankful for the pilgrims and the bounty shared with, exchanged with the Native Americans. Well, the reality of what really was changed all that. We white settlers came barging in on our fancy ship and bestowed disease and pestilence upon the Native Americans who now have to survive on there income from casinos. Now Thanksgiving is more about our immediate gratitude. What we are thankful for in our lives. Things that we should take notice of and thank God for everyday but life gets in the way and we don't. For whatever reason, we don't. I have noticed though, as I get older and perhaps wiser, I am grateful more often during different parts of the day than I used to be. A wise person once told me "you don't have to do it, you get to do it. Whether it be go to work, go to the dentist, go get your taxes done. You get to do those things. That means you have a job, hopefully dental insurance or money to pay the dentist from your job and taxes to pay because you have a job. You don't have to take your child to school, you get to take your child to school. See? It's all in how you look at it or how you say it. So, you don't have that lovely, dreamy fairytale of pilgrims and indians dining together happily sharing food not diseases. BUT, you get the contentment of knowing that you don't HAVE to live your life, you GET to live your life. So take the gratitude and run with it, don't wait for that day in November to reflect, try to take the time every day.

Twice in One Day!

Yes, I am posting again. I was in a headache fog earlier and feeling better now. More Motrin and some strong black tea as per my sister's instructions. She is my drug counseler and has been with me for many of my headache episodes. I am feeling better. Bob was gone longer than I thought. He was at the Surgery Center for about five hours. The surgeon told him that most people(including Bob) think it is like an intense biopsy. It's not, I am here to tell you. I am looking at a lopsided chipmunk with one eye almost shut and large bandages. He tells me that there is a large "Z" shaped scar that measures almost six inches and that the hole left by the removal of cancer cells is large enough for the top of his thumb to fit into. He has about forty inner stitches and forty outer stiches. He will go back in two weeks for the removal of the outside stitches and a check up. He has pain meds and will use those tonight. He said he was extremely satisfied with the surgeon, P.A., office staff and the office in general. He and the girls and Sid's friend Steph are all in the living room watching Transformers II on the big T.V. I am so very grateful that he came through this okay and is doing all right. Got my things done ( I think I did, I lose track when I have a migraine), Riley to the tutor, dressing started and all that jazz. House looks picked up so I must have done something today.

pain in the brain

I was going to go with Bob this morning for his MOHS surgery. He came in to wake me up this morning and we started going over the day, he let me off the hook and told me it was understandable that I don't go with him. I am needed here at the house for about 50 different things. Sid and her Spanish film making project, Riley to the tutor, a house that has been neglected for three days and cooking my part of Thanksgiving. The final reason is that I have a RAGING headache. Woke up with it. Bob doesn't know about my headache, he just worries and I didn't want to use that as an excuse to not go. He called and said he has a great view from the 14th floor of the medical building downtown. The sun came out and the Space Needle is illuminated. It was recommended that you limit bringing anyone with you and that if you did to have them bring a book and pack a lunch or bring lunch money. It could be a long day or not depending on the depth of the cancer cells. It looked pretty small to me so I am thinking it wont take long at all. In my moments of non pain, I feel guilty for not going, he said that he would miss chatting with me. I told him I am just a cell phone call away. Not sure that I would have been the greatest of company.

Turkey in your future

It's approaching so quickly, this Thanksgiving thing. I am really looking forward to spending time with my Seattle family. I will miss my Arizona family a whole lot but knowing that our two week vacay will be here soon helps A LOT.
It has been dreary to say the least. Rainy, drizzle, dark and chilly. Lucky for me, I have been staying busy. I have spent the past two days with my cousin's two daughters. They are three and one. It takes me back to when my girls were little. Life was so much simpler then, PBS channel with Elmo and Clifford, pre school and little crackers for snacks. It did require planning and strategies when they were little but it requires a lot more now that they are older. A client once told me "small kids small problems, big kids big problems" I get it and can't imagine what lots of parents go through with their children. My two are fairly drama free, so it's not so bad.
Gotta get up early again in the morning. Bob is having surgery at 8:00 am on his face. He has skin cancer on his cheek and has to have it removed. I am going with him. They recommend that you bring a book cuz it can take quite a while.

Potstickers and Pledge

Clean, clean, clean. The girls and I did that today. They were both lots of help. I have two clients coming to the house tomorrow so the house/salon has to be a showpiece...
Sid and I went to a new Trader Joe's the other day. It was huge. Trader Joe's are not known for their hugeness. This new one was delightful. Close to the orthodontist too. We got potstickers and Mandarin chicken. That is the Chinese food feast we are having for dinner tonight. Rice too.
Busy week ahead, many apologies if you don't read some fresh postings this week. Get to spend two days with two cute lil baby angels. My cousin's cute and funny little girls. It takes me back to about 11 years ago.

Typical Day in the Life

I would have liked to blog last night but we were without power for three hours. It went out just as I was cooking dinner. Everyone was excited about my menu and really looking forward to it. We did the usual candles, flashlights and a fire in the fireplace. The girls finished their homework and Bob finally gave up and went to bed. Once the power came back on, I finished dinner. The delicious aroma woke Bob from his slumber and he shuffled out to the kitchen. The girls finished their homework with an exciting game of Battleship.
I had volunteered to work in the office at Riley's school today. The school secretary thing must run in my blood. My grandma would have been proud. The woman whose position I was taking didn't have anything for me to do. I assumed that the phone would ring off of the hook, tardy kids would come running in for passes, parents with problems bigger than anyone else's would expect me to fix it for them. Nope, not a drop of excitement. The phone rang once, two parents dropped stuff off for their forgetful children and I collected attendance folders. I played a few games of solitaire, read e-mails and Twittered on my Blackberry. Don't get me wrong, the wonderful woman that works in the office is always busy. One of Riley's teachers told me that all of the other schools have three women that do her job. Wow...
Home after lots of errands and appointments. Good dinner and family time that was not interrupted by a power outage. It's okay. It's fun to play pioneer family once in a while. Sid could have gotten out her violin and played the "fiddle" for us.
Last night and today were so so so rainy. It was a drippy soaking rainy day. I even used my umbrella. It is very fall November weather from what people are saying.
Sid is going on a field trip tomorrow. It's the body exhibit and it's for her athletic injury class. I am looking forward to hearing about it and seeing some pictures.

Boring Blog

I need to unload the pictures I took from my girls weekend and want to add some to my blog, haven't made the time yet. Woke up with a sore throat and kind of achy. I am feeling better and realize that some of the soreness was due to bowling on Sunday. What a dimwit I am sometimes. I'm in bed, flexing my fingers on my right hand and thinking that my career in hair is all washed up. I must have arthritis and will need a hand transplant and will have knuckles bigger than golf balls, blah blah blah. It finally dawns on me that I was holding a 12 pound ball with my fingers for two hours on Sunday. Duh...
Speaking of bowling, Sid did very well today, bowling her highest average so far. I think Sunday's practice session did help.
It has been quite the weather event around here. Lots of wind and rain. I went over to the lake house today and the dock is completely submerged and the skyline was covered in fog. The lake can go from glass to choppy white caps in no time at all. It amazes me how quickly the scenery changes there. Bob had to go up on our roof today to clean out the drains for the gutters. This house has hidden or built in gutters so you can't see them hanging on the fascia or eves. The roof is fairly flat and has holes with debris guards on them. They had gotten covered over with leaves and pine needles so all of the water was coming down in places it didn't need to be.

I am watching Dancing with the Stars while I blog tonight. I hate even mentioning it. I have never watched it before and have seen about 10 minutes of this season. There's nothing else on til 10 so it was just background noise. What a weird concept.

Still Not All Here

Was supposed to go over to the lake house today and get my stuff, do some picking up but never made it. I ended up on the phone with family. Had to give the details to everyone my fun filled girls weekend. I am still recovering. It was a dark gloomy windy day today and I did a few things around the house and cleaned out the DVR. It missed me while I was away. Top Chef and others were waiting for me to watch so they could make room for House and Medium. Bob was going to go with me over there but ended up staying late at work to do some things. He and I ended up picking up Sid and friends from bowling practice. I will miss having Papa there tomorrow to watch her match. Much more fun when he was there.
Girls are getting geared up for the new Twilight movie. Sid is going with a big group from school and then again with Riley later. Not sure if Riley will go with friends first or her sister. I remember when Star Wars came out and we stood in line at our local theater. We only had one theater and it had only one screen. Eventually they just built a wall down the middle and put in two smaller screens and we thought that was great. Two movies to choose from. If it were a big deal and we didn't want to wait for the movie to come to our dippy little town, we could drive about 35 minutes "down the hill" to a larger theater. I had to see lots of first run movies "down the hill". Hits like "Grease", "Towering Inferno" and "Ode to Billy Joe"
The photo above is the actual theater after is glorious transformation into a two screen extravaganza. It is still standing and is a mission that has held revivals and such in a very seedy part of town.

Key Elements

When getting together with good friends you must always remember to implement the key elements that are a vital component in enjoying that togetherness to its fullest.
First off, you gotta have some friends. Check. I have three that are so important to me. Next, a rockin' good venue. Check. Family loaning you their lake house. Great city or cities to shop and eat in. Check check. We never left the eastside and didn't lack for good food. I must admit I did cook one of the meals and it was tasty. Snacks, chick flicks and laughter. That pretty much sums it up. The photo above was my lunch on one of our outings. We did pedicures, we ate chips and homemade onion dip and consumed lots of good coffee drinks. We talked about kids, husbands, parents and Harry Connick Jr.
We shopped, cried, and teased one another. It had all of the makings of a great weekend that did not disappoint. There was one element missing and it has yet to be invented. That machine that can turn back time or just stop time until you are ready for it to start up again. Time with loved ones always goes too fast... way too fast.

Busy Getting Ready

Bob and the girls didn't do anything Veteran's Day related today. Bob did put up our American flag though. It was illuminated by some sunshine today. Beautiful. The three of them ended up busy with other things so opted to not look for a Veteran's type thing.
I went and did grocery shopping for this weekend with my friends and also to supply my family with some food while I am gone. I know Bob will supplement with a Costco pizza or two. They wont be with out me too much. I am only about 20 minutes away if they have to see me. Riley wont miss me, she will be thrilled to have no one nagging her about her messy room. Her dad will nag her enough about her homework. I use the term "nag" and that may be what Ri thinks of it as. I would like to use "gently remind" or "ask politely" but that just doesn't work in the real world. The weather man tells me that tomorrow will end up with some sun. Fabulous. I wont be greedy and ask for more than I need, I just want my fair share of the glowing yellowness. It was so beautiful today driving over to my aunt's house, the tree's vibrancy just amazes me. I never grow tired of the fall season and miss it when winter comes sneaking in and takes over. When you have out of town company, it would be nice to be able to order what type of weather you would like. A weather "Menu" would be cool. The nicer weather choices would of course be the more expensive while the rainy, dark colder type days or the 109 degree days would be less expensive. Maybe an ala carte area of the menu would be good. You could get a side of light breeze, a side of rainbow, mostly sunny with a side of light showers. I like it, I am going to make an appointment with a patent lawyer and get busy on this invention. Can't believe no one's thought of it yet...
Soooo... you may not hear from me for a few days. I am going to be so busy with having fun with my buddies. We have so much to catch up on. Many things have gone on in the 16 months that I have been away from California. So many life changes, so much sorrow, so much to laugh and cry about. The biggest problem that I see is this... There just wont be enough time to spend together, it will go too fast.

Various Random Ramblings

Sid had another bowling match today. She is on the varsity girls team. She likes it and is improving every match. I told her that we would go and practice together again. Not that I have any significant bowling skills but I think I can help her practice the things she is supposed to do. She had an extra fan in the audience today. Her Papa was here from Phoenix. He was up here on business. After bowling we went to dinner. Fun times!
My swell friends are going to be here on Thursday! Of course it is going to rain the whole time they are here. Bummer... I was hoping for a little sunshine to illuminate the beauty of this wonderful place. Oh well, I am so excited that I refuse to let the weather get to me.
Bob and girls are off tomorrow. Veteran's day. Bob was hoping to take the girls to something like a memorial or something. I am going to finish up the things I need to before Thursday.
Got my cute little niece all lined up for her b-day gift. I just cannot believe that it has been five years since she came into this world. I will always feel so blessed to have been right there when she was born. My sister got to be there with Bob and I when our girls were born. I do think it creates a great bond between them and us. The daughters and I will miss being there for her birthday celebration but we will be there soon and she can help Ri celebrate her birthday in style. Kenzie loves birthday parties and is always ready to party hardy.

Comfort Food

Things that are comforting...
Our cat sleeps with us every night and into the morning. If I take a nap, he curls up with me.
The large warm crackly fires my husband builds in the fireplace.
Hot coffee with flavored creamer in the cold morning.
The squeals and laughter of my daughters.
Dinner tonight.
Riley chose the menu for tonight and then accompanied me to the store to insure that I did purchase all of the correct ingredients. Chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. I made the potatoes from scratch and even added the cream cheese. I opted for the creamed corn, that it the comfort food of corn. Lucky for me, no one else in this house likes the creamed variety. Lucky me!

All kinds of things

So many thoughts and things, so little time. Today I did some things that needed to get done around here, the t.v. playing in the background. It took on a different tone as the day progressed. The news was on pretty much all day, the local news. On Halloween a Seattle police officer was gunned down while on duty, training another officer. He lost his life but his partner was spared. She returned fire but was unable to stop the lowlife and they escaped. The memorial was today and was huge. It was held at a large venue downtown. Bob watched with me when he got home and we were both emotional wrecks. It's just so hard to see the loved ones that he leaves behind. Minutes after the memorial service ended, the news broke that they think they caught the scum of the earth. Again we were glued to the television. While this was on today, I was thinking about and praying for my little cousin, Nat. She got her large highly decorated casts off today. It seemed to have gone well and then a setback. It was a day of highs and lows for sure. The weather followed in that roller coaster pattern. Ri and I went to pick up Sid from bowling practice and it began to thunder, lightning and hail in the parking lot. It had done the same last night as well and we lost power. We were trying to watch the terrible news from Ft. Hood, TX. Man, that is a sad story as well.
Yes, Sid had bowling practice and then was shuttled over to the football game. It was POURING so Bob and I sat in the car. We parked just outside the stadium so we could watch from a dry warm car. Should have thought of this a few weeks back! It was the last game and Sid was emotional when it was over. She will miss her weekly obligation to the team. It has been so good for her in so many ways.
Going to hit the hay. The sound of rain is lulling me to sleep, it is really comin' down out there.

Sid had her first bowling match today. They won and she made 100 for the first time.
It was fun, don't know how many I can actually attend, they are fun for a while but it does have the potential to get a bit dull. Fortunately, there is another mom and there is also the husband that can go/take to these matches. I was happy for her, she did great and is enjoying it.
The other girls on her team are all really nice. Thank goodness...
Will have another client over to the house on Sunday mid morning. So that is a step in the right direction. I will get to spend time with the cutest one year old tomorrow. My cousin's little cutie pie. She is cute and hilarious. Looking forward to it. Had to run to the store after bowling to get guacamole ingredients. Riley's Spanish teacher is having a Dia de los Muertos party tomorrow. (Day of the Dead). Which is a Mexican holiday/tradition that is celebrated once a year. It's got really cool artwork associated with it.

Riley let me know that if she took in homemade salsa or guacamole that she would get extra credit as well. I had to do my part. Gotta help the kid out wherever I can.
That's about all of the action to report around this place.

A Happy Halloween it was

Pumpkin carving at our house last night. Riley drew hers out and I finished it for her. She was being picked up a bit earlier than we had planned so time was a factor. I executed her design pretty well! Hers is the smiley tongue sticking out long eyelash pumpkin at the top. Sid did "Hello Kitty" and Bob's was a scary ghoul. I think these are the best ever.
Bob put a roaring blaze in the fireplace(of course this surprises no one) I made a new recipe for dinner, had great music playing like "Evil Ways, "Black Magic Woman" and "Werewolves of London" and opened a bottle of Syrah. Sid had a friend come over later and we watched some shows about the paranormal. They even made my heart beat a little fast. The two teenagers got spooked and closed all of the blinds in the house. I gave up early and went to bed. Just as I suspected no reasonable parent or child made any attmept to navigate our long dark scary driveway to obtain a KitKat or Three Musketeer bar. My new recipe for dinner consisted of a baguette cut up and place over butter in a casserole. Sliced onion, sliced hame and guyure cheese with a healthy cup of white wine poured over the whole thing and baked for twenty minutes. It tasted like a giant drunken grilled ham & cheese sandwich and it was delicous. Bob said he wouldn't order it again but then did help himself to seconds, Sid and I both loved it and can't wait to have it again. We think Riley will like it too.
Riley is still gone and Bob is still at work. He will pick her up on his way home. Sid is doing homework. She and I roasted pumpkin seeds (I roasted, she taste tested) did some laundry and watched two episodes of "House" on the DVR. We LOVE that show and watch every one of them.
No rain today, the sun is out and bright. It looks like a mixed bag of weather all week, typical for this time of year. The fall has been so beautiful this year and I have enjoyed it so much.
Busy weeks ahead, take time to stop and notice the falling leaves....

A Tree Falls in Kirkland

Sid's second to last game was last night. We all assumed it was the last game and technically it was. They are playing again next week at home and it's kind of a "we didn't get to playoffs so let's play one more for fun" game.
We did win last night like everyone figured. The school we played doesn't have a winning record. What they do have is an incredible band program. One out of every three students plays an instrument. They had grades 5,6 and 7 along with the high school band last night and that was the half time show. It was really really good. The band dressed in Halloween costumes and they were VERY good and some were truly hilarious. They played Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and then set their instruments down and did the Zombie dance from the video. It was great. There were about 800 band members on the field at one time. I am happy to report that it didn't start raining until the 3rd quarter. We were so far ahead in the score that Bob and I packed it up and sat in the car for the last 10 minutes of the 4th quarter.
Just before the game started we got a text from Riley. She had decided to not go to the game and was staying home. She informed us that a tree had fallen over in the back yard. It's funny because the wind had been blowing pretty good all day. When we were leaving for the game I commented to Bob about how much those large trees sway in the wind. I had never really paid much attention before. He just kind of smiled and looked at me like I was a 4 year old child who had lived in a barrel in back woods of Kentucky my whole life. I told him that I knew the fragility of the trees was obvious when you watch the evening news and see how many trees fall on houses, cars and electrical lines all over western Washington. I punctuated my response with a look that said "you are a bigger dumb ass than I gave you credit for."
So guess who is in the back yard with his chainsaw cutting apart a tree that fell in our backyard an hour after our conversation? HA! I hate to brag about being right but...
Lucky for all involved that it wasn't a large evergreen, it was a fairly decent sized Dogwood. Bob had mentioned a few days ago that it might in fact be dead because the leaves were all dead and shriveled and the tree had not dropped them. Well, I guess we figured it was dead. Hopefully it didn't do much damage to the small evergreen that it landed on but other than that it didn't do any harm. Riley handled it well and sent us some pictures via text message. She told us that she didn't need us to come home. When I called her later to check on her, she said that the leaves blowing around outside made it seem kind of creepy out but that she was fine.



Today is Halloween, pumpkin carving, etc. I am going to motivate myself now and head to the grocery store. I don't have any candy because I don't think anyone in their right mind would venture down our very long, dark driveway for a few Smarties and a Tootsie Pop. I will get some candy just in case but will make sure it is something we like. Riley will be with her BFF and I think Sid is staying home with us unless she and Bob decide to brave it out at the "Haunted Trails" a few miles away.