Houses, Houses, Houses

We put an offer on this house.

My life is presently consumed with house hunting. The last time we bought a house we had two houses to choose from. It was very much a sellers' market and the inventory was very low (and very expensive). Now, the opposite is true. Not only are houses fairly inexpensive here compared to the Bay area, but there is a ton of inventory. We have put an offer on one house, but it is a short sale and is not moving forward much at all yet.  So, I continue to look at other houses, many of which look good in the pictures and turn out to be hideous and others are just plain amusing.  Where do people get their decorating schemes?  Yesterday, I looked at a house that displayed four humongous deer and buffalo heads on the walls of the family room. I felt like I was in a natural history museum!  Other houses have every inch of wall covered in hideous wallpaper. And I have seen some of the worst faux texturing/painting jobs ever. Samples of houses below.  The hunt continues.

Reeked of smoke

Shoddy investor restoration.

Possibility, but highly wallpapered.

Possibility, but pool needs resurfacing.

Great exterior...very weird interior.

Any Answers?

I just have one question...

How can it take over a month to lose five pounds and only three days to gain it all back??

Two Weeks in October

I don't really know why, but I haven't been motivated at all to write here. However, it does serve as a fairly good journal so I thought I'd try to backtrack and see if I couldn't come up with some of the goings on in the Lewis family over the past couple of weeks.

First, after two more trips to Dublin for me and three for William, we finally have all our belongings here in Fresno sitting in our garage.  There is definitely more stuff outside the house than inside!

Second, we made a fast trip to Las Vegas so we could see the Donny and Marie Show at the Flamingo. We left Saturday morning and arrived in the early afternoon. We had time to check into the hotel, (and what a hotel...it has got to be the most luxurious we have ever stayed in and we've stayed in some pretty nice ones...thank you priceline), get something to eat, and head over to the Flamingo. Patrick was in Vegas for his army reserve weekend so he went with us. We all had a great time. We didn't really know what to expect, but Donny and Marie are excellent entertainers.  Lots of singing, lots of dancers, and a lot of interaction with the audience. A good time was had by all.

Third, William attended homecoming at Dublin High School with Kristen and came home bemoaning that we left the bay area, and worse that we now reside in Fresno. Oh well. Not much can be said except, "life changes."

Fourth, we have started looking at houses on the market. We'll see what we end up with. I have decided I'm a sucker for fixer-uppers. Not structurally,but cosmetically. It provides me with a creative outlet.

Fifth, I thought we would have tons of trick-or-treaters because there is an elementary school on just about every corner here. I was prepared with a large amount of candy. To our surprise we ended up with a stash of candy ourselves. So, we each kept a few pieces to satisfy our chocolate cravings and the rest went in the garbage. I exhibit zero self-control when it comes to chocolate so throwing it out is always my solution!

Sixth, Sean and William joined a gym and have been going faithfully for a week now. That really helped when it came to throwing out the candy.

And now, I guess it's on to November.

Fresno Heat

Okay, this is just really too much.  It is mid-October and 95 degrees! Now if we had a swimming pool, I certainly wouldn't be complaining.  But we don't. And so I am.

Habit Forming

I have an interesting history when it comes to scripture reading. In the time before I was married I probably read the Book of Mormon through 4-5 times. After marriage, not so much. Especially after having kids. I could hardly keep my eyes open driving home from work, let alone for reading.  I don't think I ever read anything more than a magazine article for many, many years.

Then I decided I needed (or wanted) to do better at this. I actually had little success. I couldn't remember for the life of me to read my scriptures. So, one night I decided to pray that I would remember to read my scriptures. Guess what? It worked. My prayer was answered. Every night after I was already comfy in bed, I would remember that I hadn't read my scriptures. And that only infuriated me and it ticked me off that I wasn't reminded BEFORE I got in bed. Well, I do have a stubborn streak which took over, and finally I remembered no more.

Don't get me wrong. I have always read scriptures now and again. A verse or two at a time. But I wanted to read from start to finish and remember and understand at least most of it. So a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give it another shot. I skipped 1Nephi because I'm pretty sure I have that whole chapter memorized! But I have been reading every day (well, almost every day) and enjoying it. I think a new habit may have been formed.

Time Travel

We traveled back in time this past weekend.  We attended a Civil War Reenactment at Kearney Park.  We even saw and heard from Abraham Lincoln! And visited the Union camp and the Confederate Camp. And strolled through the mercantile, the broom shop, the quilt shop, the caning shop, the blacksmith, among others. But the main event was the battle reenactment.  We all surrounded the battlefield and watched the action unfold. Hundreds of soldiers, horses, gunfire, cannons, the dead, the wounded, then later the doctors, the priest, the nuns dealing with the dead and wounded. Quite the spectacle. And very deafening. But an interesting glimpse of times past.

List or No List

I decided I better write something on my blog so everyone didn't think that I'm still recovering from "extreme tiredness!"  So, what to say...I could make a list of everything I need to accomplish in October, following in the footsteps of Larry and Doreen. However, I believe mine would be considerably shorter.

My life used to be overwhelmingly busy, what with working full time and having two active young sons.  And then one year we moved to Zephyr Cove, Nevada. Our first house sat up on a hill with a magnificent view of Lake Tahoe from the living room and deck. The second house we lived in backed up to the forest. Life slowed down. We'd take the boat out on the lake in the evenings to watch the sunset. I spent time sitting on the neighbor's front deck talking and relishing the smell of pine trees and fresh air. We enjoyed lots of wildlife, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and boating. A very relaxed lifestyle. And I really enjoyed it. And that's what I still strive for. So, no written lists for now. Oh, I make one occasionally when numerous things build up and need to get accomplished. But not very often. And not now. I'd rather take a ride through the neighborhood on my bicycle!

Extreme Tiredness

Dublin to Fresno in a 26' truck!

This was the weekend we decided to rent a moving truck and clear out our storage area in Dublin. We flew Patrick in to provide his muscles. Saturday morning we dropped Cindy off at the Pet Spa for the weekend, then drove to the airport and picked up Patrick. From there, we drove to Dublin. Sean and Patrick picked up the truck while William and I started hauling stuff out of the storage unit so we could get to the boxes in the back which needed to be loaded first. Needless to say, about 4 hours later, the truck was full, 4 people were totally exhausted and sunburned, and there was still stuff left in the storage unit.

We checked in to the hotel, had takeout from Appleby's because we were too tired to sit in a restaurant, and showered. Two of us went out after dinner with friends, two of us stayed in the hotel vegging. Bet you can't guess which two went out and which two vegged!

Our 3-car garage no longer has room for a car, but we're all feeling much better. I think Cindy had the best deal this  weekend.  Maybe next time I'll consider the Pet Spa!

Happy Birthday Dad!

September 10, 2010. Today would have been Dad's 90th birthday. Oh my gosh, that sounds really, really old! Here's to Dad's Mexican heritage!

                             

sproost.com

That's my new favorite website. You take a quiz...they define your home furnishing style.  Turns out they're pretty accurate. I'm 67% wine country, 33% Nantucket.  In my words, "casual with warm tones." Anyway, then they show multiple pieces of furniture that fits your style and budget, and you're on to designing your whole house! Very fun. And extremely addicting.

sproost.com

Baking for the Halibut

I am happily blogging away in a clean kitchen waiting for dinner to finish cooking in the oven. Why?  Because I have prepared my favorite baked halibut.  How? Because it is oh so easy to prepare. For all you fish loving people I am including the recipe.

3 lbs. halibut
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place halibut in 9"x13" baking dish. Combine sour cream, Parmesan cheese, butter, dill, salt and pepper; spoon over halibut. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with paprika. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Do Not Overbake.

(The title is a goofy family joke which you may or may not get!)

A Rambling

We're settled. At least as much as we plan on settling in this particular house. In the living room, we have a conglomeration of furniture consisting of two sofas, one recliner, one upholstered rocking chair, a piano, one glass display cabinet, one black console table, one media cabinet, one end table,and one floor lamp all in one very small room.  It looks like a really disorganized furniture showroom.

And we still have a 10' by 20' storage unit completely packed top to bottom with stuff. Now here's the interesting part. We don't even miss the things we don't have. William and I did pull out a few boxes of kitchen stuff...dishes, glasses, a few baking dishes, flatware, so we could function. Of course, I retrieved the essentials...KitchenAid mixer, food processor, ice cream maker, waffle iron, cookie sheets, muffin tin, and crockpot!

So, the moral of this rambling?  We put in storage every little thing we felt we couldn't live without. Guess what?    WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS SO IMPORTANT, REALLY ISN'T. 

Dream Bike

Yesterday, I test drove (rode) my birthday present...a new Electra Townie bicycle. No, it isn't my birthday, yet. But I've had my eye on this bike for many months now. I had seen it at REI here in Fresno back in June when I flew down to find us a place to live, but they no longer had it in stock, and informed Sean that it was backordered at the manufacturer.  PANIC!  Sean decided we needed to find one in stock immediately, so that's what we did.  Right here in Fresno at Stephen's Bicycles and test drive it I did. All around the driveways and alleys behind the store. It is such fun to ride and it makes me smile. And I love it! And it's sitting in our garage right now. And Sean won't let me ride it until September 23!

Cookbook Preview

I never realized how many recipes I've collected over the years. In my quest to be ultra organized (or maybe just my quest to be able to find recipes when I want them), I am making my very own cookbook. I am typing all my recipes into one Word document, and then I'll make a trip to Kinko's and have it printed.  And I'll never have to look for a missing recipe again! That is until I start collecting more recipes. I guess I'll have to plan on compiling Volume II in another 50 years!

This is the cover for my book. Had a little problem getting an image of it in an uploadable format so it's a little (ok, maybe quite a bit) stretched out; but you get the idea.

Grant Grove

We took a drive today up to Grant Grove in Sequoia National Park.  It was beautiful and it smelled really wonderful; very aromatic. While hiking the path to the General Grant Tree, we passed the fallen sequoia tree that you can walk through and climb on top.  That certainly brought back memories.  Parents were taking pictures of their kids sitting on the tree; the very spot where mom and dad took our picture about 45 years ago.

Of course there were many sequoias along the path, and they are truly gigantic. The General Grant Tree is exceptionally gigantic.It is  the third largest sequoia tree in the world and is estimated to be over 3,000 years old. Looks just like it did 45 years ago!

Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at the village restaurant and perused the gift shop.

Blackberry Ice Cream

Cool, fruity, and smooth...perfect for summer! 

3/4 cup fresh blackberries
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon juice
dash of salt

Puree the blackberries in a blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients to the blackberry puree and blend until smooth.  Pour mixture into your electric ice cream maker.

Enjoy!

Class of 2010!

Last night was William's graduation from Black Hills High School.  He looked outstanding, amazing, and awesome!  There were approximately 160 graduates and the program was pretty enjoyable.  Lots of music, lots of speakers (that was challenging at times, although a couple were excellent) and lots of enthusiasm.This is a casual shot after graduation.

Well, sort of casual.  The extra casual photo was taken after we got home and I realized I didn't get any pictures of him with his cap on (which I am planning on remedying on Sunday when he's got his church clothes on again).

Here's some familiar faces...
William's supportive family!

And a not so familiar face (to some of you)... 

All in all, a very enjoyable Monday evening.  Yay William!!

Fresno-- Here We Come

At times, I find it hard to believe we are moving to Fresno.  And I had more than a little anxiety when I flew down a week ago to find us a place to live.  But I have to say, Fresno felt very comfortable and I felt quite at home while driving around, especially after I secured a house.

Fresno has a population of nearly 500,000 and they actually have very decent shopping.   A very large Macy's and at least one smaller Macy's (still larger than the Olympia one), Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, Anthropologie, REI, Home Goods,  Whole Foods, to name a few.  Still no Nordstrom;  however, it does have a Nordstrom Rack.

Fresno is also one hour away from Kings Canyon National Park and Shaver Lake, approximately 2 hours to Yosemite, and 2 1/2 hours to Cayucos.   We're looking forward to revisiting all these fun places.

Now all we have to do is pack the cars and go!

"The Help"

This book fits the criteria for my "favorite books" list.  I started reading and couldn't put it down until I had finished.  Needless to say, I didn't get much else accomplished over the couple of days I sat reading this book. 

It takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960's and is ultimately a compilation of the stories of black maids working for white upper-class women.  It's a novel, but it feels like non-fiction.  Much more involved than this one sentence review I'm giving it, and well worth reading.

Mt. Ranier in May

Well, I see it's been quite awhile since I last posted.  In fact, I didn't post once for the whole month of April. I guess that's a little insight into my exciting life.  

 

However, today Sean and I drove up to Mt. Ranier to see the sights... trees and more trees with a few waterfalls here and there!  Actually, it was quite beautiful; just one heck of a long, slow drive. On the way back down we stopped at a little food hut called Scaleburgers and lunched on "legal burgers" and milkshakes. Strawberry for Sean. Blackberry for me.  Delicious!

The Singing Anesthesiologists

Tonight, I am posting this link for your enjoyment!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOrjcLJ2IE0&feature=related

Amazing Shopping!

I've been thinking about all the stores I really miss frequenting being here in Olympia.  Of course, it does save money when stores are not available!  Here's my list:

ZGallerie - Berkeley
Pottery Barn - Pleasanton
Crate & Barrel - Walnut Creek
Anthropologie - Santa Clara
Urban Ore - Berkeley
Pottery Planet - Santa Cruz
Half to Have It - Half Moon Bay

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This morning I was sitting at the computer and Sean started pinching me.  I couldn't figure out why until I spied the GREEN paperclip attached to his shirt!  I had completely forgotten it was St. Patrick's Day.  Now coming from Dublin where there is an annual parade and craft festival, where most people in town wear green, with some even dying their hair and their dogs green, I should have remembered.  However, being in Olympia with no advance warning, it just slipped my mind.  It's so nice to have a fun-loving husband!

Deseret Industries , Quiznos, and Cookies

Sean, William, and I drove up to Federal Way to spend a couple hours volunteering at Deseret Industries today. We worked in the warehouse sorting through boxes sent from Salt Lake. They were huge boxes, and we took everything out one by one and decided if it was worth keeping. If it was, we cleaned it off and put it in a bin to eventually be put out on the floor.  We actually rather enjoyed ourselves (even though the volunteer apron we had to wear was not a favored item) and the time passed quickly.  It was also really interesting to see how DI operated. We were quite impressed with how the place is organized and how smoothly it runs.

Of course we had to top of our experience with a honey bacon club from Quiznos!  Forever the best!

Oh, and homemade chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies for after dinner snack!  Also, forever the best!

Funeral Potatoes

Honestly, I had no idea there was even such a thing as "funeral potatoes."  Our family has been eating these for probably 20 years without my knowledge.  All I knew was that Sean's mom served this delicious potato casserole for a holiday dinner she hosted at her house soon after we were married.  She sent me the recipe, and we've been enjoying them ever since.

One of my Dublin friends mentioned to me a couple of years ago that she was making "funeral potatoes" for the meal following a memorial service.  I had no idea what she was talking about.  And then to my horror, she described perfectly this wonderful potato casserole we had been enjoying all these years.  Now, I can't make these potatoes without thinking of death ( one of  the "D" words we were never allowed to talk about at the dinner table growing up).

What made me think of this?  Well, I just finished baking this wonderful dish that smells so yummy, but it's not for us.  Alas, today they are "funeral potatoes."

Books

I love to read.  Maybe too much.  I think I'm making up for all the years I couldn't seem to get through anything more than a magazine article.  That would be from the time Patrick was born in 1988, William in 1992, and up until probably about six years ago, which means approximately 16 years of reading magazines.

I just finished Kitchen Chinese, by Ann Mah.  A story of a Chinese-American girl living in NYC who loses her job and decides to move to Bejing.  A good book if you like true Chinese food and a little adventure.  It even has some of the recipes mentioned in the story at the end of the book!

One of my favorite books is Tales of a Female Nomad, by Rita Golden Gelman.  When I bought this book, I actually thought I was buying a novel; it turned out to be non-fiction.  I absolutely loved this book.  Probably, because the author traveled alone to foreign countries and entrenched herself in the community and culture, something I would never do! 

So on to my next book, Oxygen, by Carol Cassella.  More Later...

Rain! Rain! Rain!

It was such a cool day today.  The clouds let loose and the rain poured down.  And then the sun came out.   And then the clouds let loose and the rain poured down.  And then the sun came out.  Over and over.

Monday

• Couldn't get to sleep last night until around 3:00 this morning.

• Showered.

• Scraped the ice off the windows and warmed up the Camry because William was running late.

• Ate breakfast.

• Went to the Dermatologist after waiting 4 months for an appointment.  Good news...nothing of concern (always good to hear for the uninsured).

• Delivered an application packet for a job with the Area Agency on Aging.

• Ate lunch.

• Visiting teachers arrived.

• Vacuumed downstairs.

• Drove to Walmart.

• Stopped to enjoy the beauty of Mt. Ranier.

• Had a gallon of milk stolen off my cart as I'm loading the groceries into the car.

• Celebrated Celeste's 3rd birthday with cake and ice cream.

• Enjoyed  Orange Chicken, Happy Shrimp and Tempura with Sean and William at Seasons Teriyaki.

• A little knitting.

• A little reading.

• Bed

Knitting Nonsense

K2, work (yo,sl 1, K2 together, pass slipped stitch over, yo, K3) What the heck is this? I'm sticking with the squares I know I can do without having to start over 15 times! I only have 13 squares left. I'm not going to waste any more of my time.

Frustration abounds.

Spring Has Sprung

Mild temperatures. Partial sun. Bulbs sprouting. Buds forming. Light showers. Grass growing. Birds. Squirrels. Rabbits. Deer. Warmer days. Warmer nights. Sure seems like the emergence of spring to me!

Valentines Day!

I reverted back in time to when the kids were small and baked valentine shaped sugar cookies. They were just as good as I remembered them. Larry took some to the families he home teaches and it still left approximately 4 dozen for our consumption. As of tonight, we still have 2 dozen left. Happy eating! Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter (softened)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp almond flavoring
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Mix sugar and butter. Add egg and flavorings; mix thoroughly. Stir dry ingredients together and blend in. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hrs.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough in half and roll 3/16" thick on lightly floured board. Cut with cooky cutter. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 6-7 minutes, or until delicately golden.
Makes apx. 2 1/2 doz.

"Me in 30 Seconds"

I am a creative, dependable, hard working person who enjoys helping others.  As a result, I was given the responsibility to start up and manage a customer service department for a successful satellite transmission company.  I also planned and coordinated the production and transmission of major events such as the Academy Awards, Rose Parade, and national election coverage.  Later, as a Sales Representative, I regularly solicited and closed sales in excess of $2 million.

I recently completed studies to earn a certificate in Applied Social Gerontology and desire to work in the field of aging.  I believe my enthusiasm and caring nature, as well as my problem solving ability will help me be successful as an advocate for the elderly.

Oops!  It looks like its a "Me in 45 Seconds."  Guess I need to be more concise.

Christmas in February

I received my last Christmas present for 2009 this weekend. Sean and I drove down to Seaside, Oregon, on Friday to spend the night. I've been wanting a trip to the beach for quite some time so Sean gave me that very thing as one of my Christmas presents. We stayed in the Surfer Room at the Seaside Oceanfront Inn, a boutique hotel. Friday night we walked downtown and had dinner and then spent time at the Fun Center. Sean found out he isn't as good at arcade games as he used to be, but he plays a mean game of air hockey. He beat me all three games. Saturday, we had a wonderful breakfast and walked on the beach. Very relaxing. Thank you, Sean.

Neighborhood Friends

Other than almost hitting one of these creatures because it leaped across the road directly in front of my car, I really enjoy seeing these neighborhood deer. This photo is from several months ago, but four deer were wandering the street yesterday. My guess is that they are the same. I will call them Huey, Luey, Dewey, and Daffy!

I started attending the LDS career workshop this week. It's four consecutive Tuesday evenings. My homework this week is to write a 30-second "Me" statement. In other words, a concise description of who I am. After a break of 15 years from full-time work, I figured I could use some (probably a lot!) help in returning to the job market. Stay tuned for next week's summary and more!

19 Squares

No, I'm not talking about people I know. 19 is the number of 10" squares I have completed for the afghan I am now working on. Only 16 more to go. I figure I'll be finished in two months or less. We'll see.

For quite some time now, I have wanted to live the quiet, peaceful, simple life at the beach. However, except for the two years we lived at Tahoe, which were indeed quiet, peaceful, and simply wonderful, we have always lived in big metropolitan cities, i.e. Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. But guess what? I discovered (online) the town of Aberdeen, about 50 miles west of Olympia on Grays Harbor Inlet leading into the Pacific Ocean. I even found a perfect house (or so it seems). Here is the link. Tell me what you think.

http://www.rileyjackson.net/ListingDetail.aspx?MLSN=28196527&RID=5&TRC

Random Thoughts

Oops! I missed a couple of days writing on this blog. Does that mean I was too busy? Nah, I don't think so.

Costco muffins are the best - french toast and lemon blueberry. Yum!

Friends are the best also. I spent almost an hour on the phone with a friend of mine that I haven't talked to in over a year and haven't seen in nine years. We picked up the conversation as if we talked to each other every day. We met in Tahoe and enjoyed many good times together.

I thought I caught a burglar breaking into the house across the street. Turns out it was the neighbor's friend entering to water the plants.

Ah, the simple life...

Pac-Man

I was going to post this yesterday and didn't do it. So here it is. Yesterday, I pulled the egg carton out of the refrigerator to make scrambled eggs (and bacon) and one egg fell out and crashed on the floor. It was a piece of art. William declared it as Pac-Man. Notice the resemblance in the photo.

Reminiscence

It was stake conference today. No need to repeat what Larry posted, but I will tell one small anecdote. Elder Richards was relating what he and his wife used to do with their family in order to keep the Sabbath Day holy. He said they all stayed in their Sunday clothes the entire day because "if you change to play clothes you feel like playing." Good in theory. It reminded me of the time Mom and Dad tried that very same thing when we were young. It didn't work. I was out riding my bike in my Sunday dress that very day.

This might possibly be referenced to my last post regarding being quirky...

Brain Freeze

And no, I'm not talking about the side effects of a really cold Slurpee. I'm referring to the effects of spending hours on the computer looking at all the different job sites. I think I should start my own job search business!

On another note, I discovered (or rather confirmed my suspicions) not too long ago that I am a very quirky person. One Sunday as I was sitting in Relief Society in Dublin waiting for it to start, a friend of mine (a woman in her 80's who drives a PT Cruiser) hands me a piece of paper with a website written on it. She says,"Diane, I want you to look at this and take the test because I'm pretty sure you'll be identified as quirky." And so I did. And she was right.

A Tahoe Morning

I woke up this morning, fed Cindy (the dog), and then went out in the backyard with her. To my wonderful surprise it smelled and felt just like a summer morning in Tahoe. The air was crisp and cool, the sky was blue, and there was a wonderful aroma of fir trees. I just stood there and soaked it all in. And with that beginning, how could the day be anything but relaxing.

Finally Finished!

Since I have nothing fantastic to write about today, I thought I would post a picture of the afghan that I made. It consists of 35 10-inch squares, some knitted and some crocheted. I started it in July 2008 and finished it in November 2009. Pretty pathetic, I know. However, since disturbing life events occurred during that time period, I am pretty happy to have finished it. In fact, to prove to myself that under normal circumstances (well, almost normal) I can produce an afghan in at least a third of the time, I have started a second one. We shall see...

Let There Be Light!

That was one hellacious wind storm last night. I thought we were in the middle of a hurricane. I woke up around 1:45 am to the howling and thrashing going on outside and to no electricity, which, by the way, was not restored for approximately 14 hours. However, Larry saved the day by turning on the generator. Alas, I did not have to look like a scary mophead all day! And to top it off, the sun came out and gave us a chance to clean up the mess left in the yard and rewarded us with a high dose of vitamin D.

Yeah for a perfect day!

Writer's Block

I have a serious case of writer's block. I thought I had a lot to write so I decided to start this blog, and now I have absolutely nothing to say. It's possible that is a reflection of my life right now. Oh my gosh, that's a treacherous thought! And here it is a brand new year. Okay, my hopes for 2010 (not in any particular order):

1. job (ok, maybe this is #1)
2. house
3. trip to the beach
4. my own stuff

Wow...I just realized it kind of sounds like I'm just getting out of jail. Totally not so!