Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Finally a post about our memorial day weekend.........

I gather it is about time I blog about our memorial day weekend since I know you are all just dying to know all the fun things we did. I realize it was almost a month ago, but we really had a great weekend and you get to hear all about it. Get comfy kids, this could be a long one...... Evette and Richard were set to arrive at the airport here in Boston around 8:20 PM. By the time they landed, got off the plane, went through customs and all that fun stuff I was starving and about to leave without them. Well, not really. But I was hungry. FINALLY they emerged from the gate (the English sure are slow) and life was once again good because I knew within the hour I would be eating. PHEW! Chris and I were also relieved to find out that while Richard does have a thick English accent, it wasn't one of those crazy ones you can't understand a word they say. I was happy to know I wouldn't have to spend the weekend going WHAT? PARDON ME? HUH?

From there it was off to the car rental place so we had a way to taxi them around for the weekend. And I am pretty sure they weren't up for riding around in the back of Chris's service van with no seats and various espresso machine parts. Finally the car was in our possession, we piled in and we were off. Have I mentioned yet that I was absolutely starving and was pretty sure I would die if I didn't eat soon??? I had not eaten all day, mostly because I was so excited about going to Chili's. Yes, I know that seems odd. But I love Chili's and I was excited. Leave me alone, I don't get out much. So off to Chili's we went. And it was good. Then it was off to home so Evette and Richard could get some much needed sleep. Of course that didn't come till after they had met Belle AND Wrigley (I was taking care of him that weekend).
Saturday we decided to do the Duck Boat tour in the city. Chris and I have always wanted to do it but never really had a reason (that's a hint to all you slackers who have yet to come visit us, after THREE years), but once we knew Evette and Richard were coming we knew we had to go. The tickets are 25 bucks a person, which does seem a little pricey but it is definitely worth it. The tour itself is about an hour and a half and on land AND water. Fun times. Our tour guide was Sgt. Pepper and he really actually did look like John Lennon. How fitting. Our Duck boat was "North End Norma." They all have names and I think there are about 16 boats in all.After the Duck Boat tour we took Evette and Richard to our favorite burrito joint Anna's Taqueria. After we inhaled our very large burritos we headed over to the Harvard area and showed them around a little. There really isn't a lot to do on the Harvard Campus itself, but the buildings are beautiful and make for some great pictures.Saturday night we had our other friends Jeremy and Kristen over for a BBQ. Chris met Kristen through work (she manages one of his stores) and they are from Seattle, so it is fun to have friends out here from back west. We had a great night with friends. Chris cooked us up some great steak and we had plenty of beer to go around. We had just planted grass seed so we couldn't go on the lawn, so we rocked it white trash style out in the driveway. Nice!!

Sunday we decided to take the ferry over to Martha's Vineyard for the day. Chris and I have wanted to go over their for a long time and just never got around to it. The drive down to where you catch the ferry in Woods Hole, MA is about an hour drive and then the ferry ride is 45 mins. The weather was perfect (although it was a little windy on the ferry) and we had a great day. When we arrived, we bought day passes for the bus (6 bucks). There are 3 main towns on the vineyard--Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven and Edgartown. We took the ferry into Vineyard Haven and hopped on the shuttle down to Edgartown. We had a lunch at a cute little outdoor cafe and spent the rest of the day just walking around. By the time we got home it was late and we still had not had supper, so at almost midnight Chris BBQ'd us all up some burgers.
The plan on Sunday was to get up early and spend the day in the city doing the Freedom Trail and seeing all the other sites. Well we all slept in and by the time we were ready and out the door it was around noon. We decided to hit up IHOP for a late breakfast and it was already mid afternoon before we got in to the city. We were fortunate enough to find a perfect parking spot and it was off to "Cheers." There are actually two, one is a pub that is actually called The Bull and Finch, it is the pub that inspired the show and all the outside shots etc were used. The other Cheers is located in the Faneuil Hall area and it's a replica of the actual set.
We did a lot of walking. It was fun though for Chris and I to see Boston from a tourist's perspective and learn more of the great history of this city.
We ended the night by heading out to The British Beer Company for a late supper. We got there just in time to order. PHEW! We enjoyed food and drinks as we wound down from our busy weekend.
All in all it was a great weekend. I was so happy to be able to reconnect and catch up with my friend. More importantly I was happy to find out we get along just as good as ever and I am very happy to have my friend back in my life. It was so great to meet Richard, we really enjoyed his company. Chris and I are hoping to be able to attend their wedding in February in Jasper. We are looking forward to many many vacations with these two.
If you would like to see all our pictures from this weekend I have posted them all over on our picture blog so feel free to go on over and have a look. You can find them HERE.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

NEWSFLASH

ITS HOT HOT HOT!!!! Just as we got comfy watching TV with the air conditioning blasting, Belle decided it was time to go for her walk...And yes that is her bringing me my shoe all on her own.
And this was Belle after her walk realizing the craziness of wanting to walk in this heat...

Monday, June 25, 2007

Back from.........I don't know where from, but I am back

I realize it seems like I have taken a break from blogging. But that was not my intention. I have just been really busy this last week or so and it got away from me. But, I am back and I will try and continue to entertain you daily with whatever ramble flows through my fingers.

Please take a moment to notice Chris's handy work in changing up our blog template. It was time for a change. If you didn't notice the different color and new pics on top until you just read it then you have some eye problems. Speaking of eye problems, my right eye has been twitching for days, I wonder if that's a bad thing.

I must say a very late congratulations to my fellow blogger Cyndi from Write2B who won the blog off. That final word shampoo really did me in. I had no idea what to write and I really struggled with it. I mean, SHAMPOO!!! Really!? We will be doing another shorter blog off starting next week. Same idea, different method. I think it is awesome that Courtney came up with such a creative way to raise money for her breast cancer walk. If you are interested in taking part this time (I don't think it's too late) please contact Courtney. If your not interested in being part of the blog off please click on the banner below and leave her a couple of bucks towards this great cause.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

My Two Girls















How cute they are sleeping...

Friday, June 15, 2007

TGIF

Another week gone and another weekend that I am sure will pass much too quickly. I feel like we have been going non stop this past week and I am hopeful this weekend will be a little more on the relaxing side.

Wednesday night Chris and I had dinner and drinks with out friend Ryan from Seattle who was here on work related business. We had a great night catching up and ended up not getting home until the wee hours of the morning, but it was great to see Ryan.
Thursday evening I went out for supper with my girlfriend Georgette. We of course went to Chili's because we both (me more than her) have this sad obsession with the place and their bottomless chips and salsa. After supper we did what any cool people do these days and we headed over to Costco. Chris and I were discussing how it definitely shows that your getting old when your idea of fun with your friends includes a trip to Costco. What can I say, I am lame. Deal with it;) After Costco we hit up Old Navy. I didn't buy anything but Georgette did. Since she always buys stuff without trying it on you can be sure she will be making a trip to an Old Navy in the near future to return the stuff that didn't fit or she decided she didn't like.
Chris had a softball game last night and is off to another one this evening. I decided to hang out at home instead of going with him but we may meet up with Ryan again this evening before he flies home to Seattle tomorrow.
There you have it folks. I am off to have myself some supper and probably indulge in some chick flick before Chris gets home. I might even get a little crazy and open some wine and read.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

SHAMPOO--BLOG OFF FOR BREAST CANCER

LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT
I had hoped all along that if I made it to the final two that I would be able to have my final post be an unforgettable one. End it with a bang. But then I found out the word was shampoo and all those hopes went out the window. I really am not sure how much of a bang I can make with shampoo but here is goes regardless.
When you are at a friends house, do you ever take note of what kind of shampoo they use while you are in the bathroom? I do that sometimes. Is that weird? It's not like it's in a judgmental "oh my gosh I can't believe she uses Garnier Fructis" kind of way. It's more a curiosity thing I suppose. I find it interesting how people can use so many different kinds. There are people out there who buy whatever is on sale and use a different shampoo each week. Then there are those that are shampoo snobs, the ones who have to have the expensive salon shampoos. I am a little in the middle I think. I would probably lean more to the shampoo snob side if I could justify spending that much money on it.
Do you ever notice how they play off shampoo in commercials. The girl dries her hair and flips it around a bit and they make it seem like their shampoo is this magical product that will make your hair do things that you never imagined. So you go buy it only to realize your hair looks nothing like the girl in the commercial. Then you feel really silly as you realize that she had all sorts of makeup and hair people doing her hair while while you at home only had your 15 dollar blow dryer from CVS and your 1.50 aerosol spray can of Aqua Net hairspray.

I remember one time while camping with friends we had decided to wash our hair in the lake. As we were lathering up the shampoo I loudly proclaimed that "we had better give our hair a good wash since we had been swimming in the lake all weekend." It took me a second to realize why everyone was looking at me so strange. Then it hit me that we were IN the lake washing our hair. I am a quick one sometimes, as you can tell.

My favorite thing about getting my haircut is the pre-cut shampoo. That scalp massage you seem to always get is the best. It is like you get a haircut and massage all in one and I love it.

This is a post for the Blog Off for Breast Cancer. Feel free to click on any of the links on the right to check out the other blogs involved. Also, if you'd like to make a donation to Courtney, please click on the banner above.

**This video is a part of this post. Please click on the link and enjoy:)**

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBaQm6hX8aM

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Last Two Standing

As you may or may not already know, I somehow managed to make it to the final two in the blog off. Fun times. I really never expected to still be around at this point. It has been a lot of fun reading every one's posts each week and challenging myself to come up with something new and refreshing each week for the given word. This weeks word will definitely challenge me, SHAMPOO! I have no idea how I will write an entire post about shampoo, but I am sure that somehow in the end I will come up with something. Congrats to my fellow blog-offer Cyndi from Write2B for making it this far with me. Be sure to not only come back tomorrow to read my post but also head on over to her blog to read hers and be sure to leave her a comment. This could be fun, kids. Stay tuned!!

Monday, June 11, 2007

In Memory of Lea

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face"
(Lea, Belle, Madison)
We found out this morning that our good friends Georgette and Tyrone lost one of their dogs this weekend in a total freak accident. They took the girls to the park Saturday morning and Lea ran into a fence and was killed. We were very sad to hear the news. Lea and Madison were sisters and inseparable. Anytime we went to their house Lea was always there waiting to greet us and wait for some pets and cuddles. Dogs definitely grieve and we hope that Madison will be okay as she adjusts to life without her sister and be the happy dog that we all know and love. If you have ever lost a pet you know how hard it can be and our thoughts are with Georgette, Tyrone and Madison.
"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole"

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

DREAMS--BLOG OFF FOR BREAST CANCER

--To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe--
Think back to when you were a kid. What kind of dreams did you have? What were all the things you wanted for your future? How many times did your dreams change? That is the beauty of being a child. You have nothing but dreams and hopes for the future. There is nothing to convince you that you can't achieve any of those things. As kids we have nothing but time to sit around and day dream about all the things that could be. I wish we all had the innocence of children. Try telling a kid that they can't be an astronaut or a doctor. The purity and innocence of their hearts and minds tells them they can, and there is no telling them any different. Imagine if as adults we could think the same way, no matter what. I suppose as we get older we still have those dreams, the only difference I would gather is simply the fact that as we get older we have the knowledge to be able to separate realistic dreams from the ones we know are just a little too out there. Take being an astronaut for example. If I had dreamt of one day riding in a space shuttle when I was 10, there would have been no convincing me otherwise. Now, I would kill my own dream in a matter of seconds by reminding myself you couldn't pay me enough to strap me inside a small rocket and throttle me into space at almost inhuman speeds. See, I am able to separate dreams from insanity. In all seriousness though, we really should take a lesson from the kids in our lives and in the world in general. We should try and have a little more of their passion and ability to dream with no limitations. One dream that I had my entire childhood and even now was to become a veterinarian. It was all I ever talked about, it was the only thing I ever wanted to do. I remember the day I got my childhood cat Sparky. I was 7 years old and he was rescued from a neighbours step in a rainstorm. He was tiny, just a baby and I convinced my parents to let me bring him home. I was convinced that day that it was the start for me and that this small little kitten would be the key to realizing my dreams. As I got older I still wanted it, but doing the work to get there became less and less important to me. By the time I was in high school I was more concerned with hanging out with my friends than studying. But it was still my dream. I don't regret not working harder at certain things back then because my life took a different path and and I am okay with that. Aside from being dreaming of being a veterinarian, for as long as I can remember I have dreamt of being a writer. When I was a kid I can remember spending hours each day writing stories. When I would have a project at school that involved writing stories I could hardly wait to get started. I would get out my pencil and paper and start to write. My excitement would rise with each new thought and idea that I scribbled down onto the paper before me. Soon enough I would find myself daydreaming about one day writing full length novels. I would dream of the feelings of joy I would have as I finished one book and began another. The funny thing is, when I was growing up and would write stories I could hardly wait to show people what I had written. My eyes would light up as I watched them read each word of my stories. I would smile when I saw them smile and I would be proud that something I had written and worked so hard on had put a smile on their faces. As an adult, my confidence in such things has wavered a little and I have found myself more guarded. Too often I have asked my husband the question, "but what if they don't like it?" Why would anyone else want to read what I write? I have realized, however, that while I want people to enjoy reading the things I write, I love it regardless. Regardless of who reads it and who does or doesn't like it, it is still my dream and nobody can take that away from me. Confidence and believing in yourself in my opinion is the first step in realizing your dreams.
--Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning--
Being a part of this blog off has done wonders for encouragement in this area. I love to write and perhaps this has given me that little kick in the rear I have needed for a long time. While the type of writing I enjoy has changed as I have gotten older, the dream of writing is still the same.

I still have dreams. I still dream of one day writing a book about my mum and the experiences I have learned from her and in her death. I dream of running and owning my own dog rescue and boarding kennels. I have many dreams and some of them I will realize someday and some I won't, and I am okay with that. Now that I am older my dreams and desires for my life have changed a bit. All the things that once seemed so important to my happiness and success in this life I no longer dream of. My dreams and hopes now are of a much more simpler variety. I dream and hope for health and love for my family. I dream of having my own children and raising them in the gorgeous mountain state of Colorado with Chris. I dream of the futures of my future children, for who they will become and the places they will go. Most of all I dream and look forward to growing old with the man I have chosen to spend my life with. It is those dreams that I want to come true, the rest is just icing on the cake.

--A man's dreams are an index to his greatness--

This is a post for the Blog Off for Breast Cancer. Feel free to click on any of the links on the right to check out the other blogs involved. Also, if you'd like to make a donation to Courtney, please click on the banner above.

Monday, June 04, 2007

And Then There Were Three....

I have somehow managed to make it to the final three in the blog-off. I am a little shocked, I do love to write and perhaps I should stop doubting myself so much. This past week we had to say goodbye to Diane from Write on Track. Congrats to her for making it all the way to the top four. And if you have a second stop by her blog and wish her well. Other than myself, the two remaining bloggers are Just Another Week and Write2B. Be sure to stop by their blogs this Wednesday to read their posts on the word DREAMS and be sure also to stay tuned for my post on DREAMS as well. Fun times!!

Also I realize I have still yet to blog about our lovely Memorial Day weekend with Evette and Richard. I really have been busy the past week or so and just have not had the chance. I promise to try and have a post up about it later tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime please venture over to our picture blog--
Chris and Evey's Pics -- to view ALL of our pics from the weekend. I know there is a lot but I couldn't be bothered deciding which ones to post and which to leave out so I just posted them all. Enjoy.