Paradise

I write this from the balcony of a luxury villa in Cabo San Lucas, enjoying my morning coffee with the sun, a myriad of birds, and a beautiful view of the ocean that stretches on and on to eternity. Not a bad way to start the day. I can almost forget that I have a nasty cold! There are so many different kinds of birds and pretty flowers for them to lounge on, like an old geezer, I could just sit here all day and bird watch. Soon the beach will be calling my name and I am sure many bebidas will follow. Hasta mañana.

Some Trip Pictures

If you are in Europe soon, may I recommend.........
A Picnic at Andechs Monastery

The Neckar Valley from a Castle

Prague on Foot

Beer at the Tate Modern in London

Neon, Neon

Things I Want

Just a rambling mess of things I would like to have happen, places I would like to go, and general Universe crap.

*I would like to go to the South of France in the summer.
*I would like new furniture.
*I would really, really, really, really like for my house to sell and then to find a great place to rent.
*I would like to wake up and magically be 15 pounds lighter. Good luck!
*I would like 5 new listings.
*I would like to sell my staging stuff. Refer to third line...house must sell first.
*I would like for it to stop raining and be sunny for awhile.
*I would like to sell the rv and the Buick.
*I would like someone with unlimited funds let me design their house, start to finish, top to bottom.
*I would like to visit the Florida keys.
*I would like to visit Scandinavia.
*I would like to be out on a boat in the sunny Puget Sound.
*I would like to have a vacation house in Napa Valley.
***I would like to find a great rental!!

I could keep going on and on but you get the picture. Looks to me like I better get busy working because there are some awfully expensive things on the list. Oh yea, a giant diamond and world peace would be nice, too. And USA to win the World Cup. Peace out.

Death and Weddings

Very hard to believe but my friend Brian got married in New Zealand and J and I went to the reception at Kitsap Memorial State Park. It was a really pretty spot, a log hall right on the water. We had a lot of fun and saw some old friends we hadn't seen in awhile. On another note, I had my second Dia de los Muertos party and it was a lot of fun. There was tons of food and lots of good friends. It was on a much smaller scale this year since it was on a Monday. I would say it was a success. Thanks to Mom & Dad with all their party help. Here are a couple pictures from the reception.

Wacky Summer!

It has been an interesting summer, some good things but a lot of crappy work stuff. Lets hope fall will flush all that out with a good rain. In the meantime, here are a couple pictures from my latest happenings. Bon Fires with good friends, Husky football, and what seems like a million babies.

Odds and Ends....

The weather has been so great this last week! That is not the reason I haven't been updating my blog, though. Just busy and really haven't had anything all that exciting to say. It is officially the start of bon fire season with a couple under our belt already. On the last bon fire we didn't need the heat but loved the 'ambiance'! Real estate seems to be picking up a bit. We sold another of J's houses a couple weeks ago which is great! The big news on my mind right now is J & I are going to start a new business. I am mulling over some name options right now. It is something we are already doing, I just want to make it a little more official so we can expand on it. Don't worry, details to come. I hope everyone is have a good start to their summer!

Early Tailgating

Yesterday we did our first tailgate of the year for the Spring game but mostly for Tiff's birthday. It was a good time and not only did Tailgate T come out but Tailgate J as well! Lets just say he slept the whole 15 minutes home! Here is a picture of little Shaelyn's first tailgate. She is looking awfully cute:)

My Baby's Back

Well, after a long week I got my computer back, wiped clean of viruses. I am very glad to have it back and have started what will I am sure be the long process of getting everything back in order. I seem to like things just so on my computer and when they are not...the world is not right. Hopefully it won't take as long as I think. Be careful at what you look at on the internet!

Lady and the Tramp

You decide which is which.....

Bosco admiring Bosco

I received my Bosco painting today and it looks great. Bosco had to inspect it for himself and then he gave it two paws up! Thinking of one of your own pet ....www.veganme.com.

Bosco on Canvas

Last April at the PAWS auction we bought a commissioned painting of Bosco. I finally got around to sending the gal a picture of him so she could start painting in January. Here is the final product and I think it turned out pretty good, but you be the judge! I haven't seen it in person yet but I'm sure it will be great. If you are thinking of doing the same her web site is www.veganme.com.

Meet Shaelyn!

Weighing in at 7 pounds 10 ounces. Mom, Dad and baby are doing well.

A Gift

For my sister and her trip abroad. The pen is for scale. Enjoy.

Potted Pork

The other day J and I popped into Cafe Campagne to escape the wind and enjoy happy hour. One of the things we ordered was the potted pork, or RILLETTES DE PORC. Needless to say, it was delicious and we tried to figure out what was in it and how it was made. I searched the internet not finding too many recipes that seemed suitable but I was able to find one that just might work. I made it the other night and surpirse, it was a big success!!! I am very pleased and will be making this several times in the future. Serve it on a toasted baguette with dijon mustard and cornichons on the side. Sea salt is a must as well.

Prost Cheers Santé

Here is me raising a glass (or two or three) hoping that 2009 will be a great year! Cheers and Happy New Year! Go at it with both barrels loaded!

Snow Happens

I am pretty excited at the arrival of the first snow of the year in Seattle! The only thing I was hoping for was a good view of the Olympics today but they are being shy. Maybe we will get a good snow sunset. I went for broke and got the biggest tree I have ever gotten this year. It looks pretty good, although a little sparse on ornaments. I am okay with that, though, because I don't want just any old ornaments on my tree. I like to buy ornaments while on vacation which makes putting up the tree a walk down memory lane. I also have rules now about what kind of ornaments can go on my tree....glass or shiny only. Only one ornament made the non-shiny cut and that is one J and I bought on August 31, 2001 in Bar Harbor, Maine. It was the first one I got for my tree before I had set my "standards" and is a snowman in a yellow rain slicker holding a lobster. Come on, it is cute! I hope you got a little snow wherever you are and that you are enjoying the season. I just wonder if it is worth doing my open house today. The streets are all frozen so I'm not sure if I can even get there!

Happy Birthday!!!!!

BUG:)

I spoke....

Too soon. The crud is back and it is all my fault for boasting about it.

The Crud

Is almost gone. I am happy to say that I am on the road to recovery. Although it was nice to lay in my bed for a week and pretend the rest of the world and all the troubles it encompasses didn't exist! I am very happy that this is Turkey week, another whole week of living with my head in the sand:) Going to celebrate with the parental units and my brother and sister. Looking forward to some deep fried turkey and my personal favorite of seven layer salad. Taking the rv. Thankful to have the sweetest dog ever curled up on my lap at this very moment, keeping me toasty warm....oh yea, also thankful that I have a date with pupusas tomorrow night for dinner.