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 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.

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!

Not so Lazy Sunday

Today Brent and Bob took the kids fishing so it was just me, the puppy, and the two cats at home. It's amazing how quiet the house is and how much you can get done when no one is around. I took advantage of it and got caught up on some much needed yard work. I also had a nice harvest from the garden this morning; cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, and two large zucchinis which I was able to get 3 loafs of zucchini bread out of. Well it's starting to cool off so I'm off to mow the lawn. :)

Stereotypes

Brent and I always joke that stereotypes are there for a reason. No matter how hard I try I always seem to fit that ditsy blonde mold. I'm always forgetting something, loosing my keys, etc. It's a running joke that when I leave the house I will have to come back at least once for something I left behind. So I found it quite cute today when the kids' piano teacher owned up to a particular stereotype she struggles with. She had parked in the driveway and when Brent returned home he parked down on the street off to the side of her, leaving plenty of room for her to back out. After the lesson we had said goodbye and a few moments later she returned to the door and said "I am Asian, and I am a woman, so you might want to move your van." It pleased me so much to know I'm not the only one living up to my stereotype. :)

My Colorado Trip

Lost luggage, Meeting clothes?, Razors?, Stockings?, Getting "lost", Useless GPS, "Recalculating", Memorial, Tears, Reception, Video of Gus Cruz's life, Tears, Good friends, Family gathering at Cruz's ranch, Karaoke, Dancing, Making a fool of myself, Coconut Cream Pie shakes, Big Slide, Laughing, Funny pictures, Laughing, Long talks till late at night, Silent baby, Non-visible Bridge, Giant Southwest Breakfast, Thunder storms, Horses, Cold, Long nap, Airport, Waiting, Waiting, Waiting, Running, Barely making flight, Home, Sleep.

Just not that hip

In light of my failed twitter experience...remember failure is vital to building character...I have been contemplating modern technology. Here's where I stand;

I really do not have a longing desire to know what random things people are doing 24/7. So you are walking your dog, washing your hair, baking a cake, mowing your lawn...who cares? I guess I miss the days when updates on life were reserved for dinner parties and Sunday afternoon picnics. With everyone so informed on everyone else, what is there left to talk about? Maybe I was born in the wrong era? I do enjoy the silence of the cell phone turned off on Sunday evening...gasp, I know. Yes, I do turn my phone off once in awhile. So to all you nay sayers of my reluctance to embrace the new, the now; I'm sorry, but I will stick with my good old fashioned blogging. :)

None of my peeps tweet

Opened up a twitter, which I have decided is pretty lame. None of my friends tweet and all I got was a bunch of twitter spam from weirdos. Sorry, I just don't see what all the hype is about. :/

For the love of hats

My hair is finally long enough to pull through a baseball cap. I forgot how great hats are. No bad hair days!

Uggh!!!

My computer is on the fritz again. I hate that piece of poo! Apparently it needs a new fan, which is like $60 bucks...awful pricey for a fan. :/

I just learned how to send blog posts from my phone. Very cool!

Yard work!

It is such a pretty day today. I finally got caught up on all my yard work. Hooray! I pruned all the roses and shrubs and weeded all the beds and containers. We pulled the patio cushions out of the garage and got the deck all setup again. I need to make a trip to the greenhouse to get some fresh annuals for the containers, but other then that it looks great! (Well we still are struggling with the lawn. We may have to rip it up and start over. Blah.) I also went to fuchsia day at Freddy's and got a nice new fuchsia basket stated for the front porch. I love spring! It makes me sooo Happy. :)

about ready to KICK my computer...grrrrr

Scatter Brain

Trying to work...having a hard time organizing my thoughts...no wonder I can't ever seem to finish anything. :/

Airport maze

On my way to take my mom to the airport again. Every time I'm there it's different. I wish they would finish construction. It's like navigating an ever changing maze. :/

30 days to tax day. Blah! :(

Sun!

It is sooo pretty out today. I'm going to go for a walk before it disappears. :)

Saw bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs at Fred Meyer. Yay! It's that time of year again! I love Cadbury Mini Eggs. Bought Cadbury Mini Eggs. Ate entire bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs. Tummy ache! Regret purchasing bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs. :(

Flowers!

Brent got me a dozen gorgeous red roses the other day! The reason...just because. :)