Random things I love about Fall

Boots, scarves, hats, funky umbrellas, funky socks, tights, pumpkin pie, the pumpkin patch, pumpkins, changing leaves, leaves falling, leaves on the sidewalk, fall colors, blustery days, Winnie the Pooh (nothing to do with fall, but blustery days make me think of him), having a reason to turn the fireplace on, hot chocolate, whip cream on hot chocolate, dark evenings, the crispness in the air, raking leaves into a pile, jumping into the pile of leaves, raking leaves again, not having to mow the lawn anymore, apples, apple pie, turkey, candied yams, family dinners, theater season, all the good shows come back on TV, school, having some time off from work, getting to wear a coat again, and the best thing about fall... pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks, Mmm!

A Walk in the Park

It was a perfectly gorgeous fall day & Fu Fu and I were walking through the park and came across a huge patch of fallen leaves.  Mr. Fu was enthralled with the leaves and we just sat there and played for awhile.

Hello Again!

I completely forgot about my blog till the other night when my friend was talking about hers. ;) So anyway, maybe I'll update this a little more often, maybe not. We'll see.

~C

Madeleine and Hannah

Taken at family dinner at my Mom's a couple weeks ago.

When a strike is a good thing

I have been bowling 3 times in my life, tonight being the third. So I was completely shocked to hit a strike on my very first throw this afternoon. Bob had invited us to go bowling with him, and with none of us being very experienced we didn't expect much. But, I did much better then I thought I would. Dane also hit 3 strikes and a spare and Madeleine hit a strike as well. Brent was the real surprise...he hit a spare almost every throw! I had no idea he was such a pro. :) Way to go Brenty!

I'll take my do-over now

Oh the magical do-over. Remember as kids how all you had to do was utter that phrase and all was ok and you got a second chance. Don't you wish real life worked that way? A quick rewind back in time to make it all better. But it doesn't, does it?

A New Day, A New Year, A New Decade

Wow, 2010! It sounds so weird to say. Will people say "two thousand, ten" or "twenty ten"....hmmm? I think I'll go for "two thousand, ten".

The first thing I did this year...kiss my kids.

The last decade for me...moved about 5 times within a 20 mile radius, started a very successful wedding planning business...then retired, just started a new company...hoping it will be successful, traveled a lot...didn't make it to Europe though...maybe this decade, lost a grandpa and a brother, gained some nieces and nephews...as well as two great-nieces and a great-nephew.

This decade for me??? I don't know. Maybe I'll finally make it back to Cali, maybe not. I do know that my kids will graduate and head for college by the end of this decade. Crazy! So I guess I'll just hang on and see where this life is going to take me. Ready or not, here we go!

Check out my new website...HERE.

Dane on astronomy

Dane, "Hey, I can see the big dipper!"

Madeleine, "Where?"

Dane, with as much disdain as he can muster, "In the sky, duh!"

Snow Day!

So Monday brought the first snow day of the year. We just had a light dusting, but the roads were icy enough for them to delay school by 2 hours. The kids were hoping for the whole day off of course, but no such luck. By afternoon it had warmed up and the rain came back. Although I wasn't a fan of that crazy cold weather we were having, I'm now missing the sun. As I write it is gray and gloomy with a light drizzle...typical Washington for you.

Hey baby, it's cold outside!

Brrr! It has been unusually cold for these parts. The other morning I woke up and my thermometer said 10 degrees! 10? Really? Wow! Despite the frigid weather, we have managed to keep ourselves very busy. Dane has started private trumpet lessons with the director of music at Tacoma Community College and is doing very well. He still plays with the Stahl Junior High band as well. He is also continuing with piano along with Madeleine. They are both amazing at piano! I guess they get it from Brent, as I have no musical talent what so ever! ;) Madeleine is also going strong with her guitar lessons. They are both becoming very talented musicians!

We have made it to a few shows lately. We saw Little Women at Kentridge High with my niece. Next we took in a live performance of Guys and Dolls at Tacoma Musical Playhouse. Then we enjoyed a classical concert performed by the Tacoma Community College orchestra, directed by Dane's trumpet teacher. To round it all out, we went to a Jazz concert last night featuring saxophone, and of course, trumpet!

Madeleine is taking Lyrical and Jazz in dance and is working hard toward her upcoming recital. She is not thrilled with her jazz costume, but her lyrical one is very pretty. We weren't able to get enough tickets for everyone to come to the recital, so we will have a DVD for those who want to see it.

We are hoping to get up to the snow over winter break. The kids are both wanting to try their hand at snowboarding, so we have been looking into lessons. We are undecided as to which mountain we want to go with however. There are a lot of pros and cons for each. So we're working on that.

That's it for now. ~ Try to stay warm out there!

Peace

I love this picture...I love how peaceful it is...just looking out in wonder at the vast ocean...you can almost hear the sound of the crashing waves...feel the wind in your hair...Oh how I'd love to be there right now...just to have that moment in peace...

Riding in Cars with Dogs

Fu Fu's new favorite thing is riding in the car to pick up the kids from school. He gets so excited when we pull into the school parking lot. I usually roll down the window so he can look out and watch for them. The other day when it was pouring down rain I had to keep the windows up, for obvious reasons. He was so upset! He kept scratching the window like he does on the backdoor when he wants to go out. It was really comical to watch. He even had parents in other cars laughing at him. What a nut!

Turning Point

Today marked a new phase in the saga of The Puppy and The Big Fat Cat. Chester for the first time ever was playing with Fu Fu! I am so happy that Chester is finally warming up to him. Hopefully in time they will become good friends. For now we are making baby steps. :)

I'm On My Own

~ For Celeste ~ ;)

Bananas

Dane, while eating a banana at breakfast this morning. ~ "Thank you banana tree for such a delicious breakfast."

Flashcards

Madeleine doing her homework last night ~ "Parents are like flashcards. They always have the answers." :)

Nap time

The Puppy and the Big Fat Cat

Poor little Fu Fu wants desperately to be friends with Chester. Chester, on the other hand, finds Fu Fu to be a pest and really has no use for him at all. Chester will allow him within about a foot of himself, but no closer. It's quite comical to watch little Fu Fu approach Chester, very timidly, then plop down a foot away and lay his head between his paws and look up with his big, brown puppy eyes as if to say "Why don't you love me?" only to have Chester turn away with as much snobbish attitude as a high school "mean girl". Cats...you gotta love um!

Museum of Glass

A couple weekends ago we spent the day down at The Museum of Glass in Tacoma. We got to watch some glass workers in the hot shop create goblets for an upcoming auction, which was pretty fascinating. There was also a great exhibit running by Preston Singletary. His work is inspired by Native American tribal art. It was amazing how he was able to make the forms from glass and so closely resemble the original art.

The sun was out too so we enjoyed some time outside and walked along the marina. There were some gorgeous boats and we imagined what fun it would be to live on a boat. The freedom of being able to go wherever you heart and the sea could take you...then I realized I'd probably miss my garden too much. :)