11.19.2009

MISSING MY HUBBY

It's been a bit of a long week without my hubby. He has been on travel with work...in Maine. It's cold in Maine. It's been cold here. But...it's COLD in Maine. I digress...

The first night, our dog, Kona was on hyper-alert...roaming through the house, prowling back and forth between our bedroom and the front door. Growling and occasionally letting out a bark. I wasn't too worried about there being any real threat. Getting past our 80 pound part Rottie-part German Shepherd-part Golden would be tough.

The second and third nights, she decided she could protect me best from Bruce's side of the bed. She stayed most of the night beside me and we both slept good.

Tonight, my daughter, M is coming over. It's a girls' night for us. I am making a Margherita Pizza and after dinner she's going to whip up some "pink stuff" for a potluck at her work tomorrow. What is "pink stuff", you ask? Pink stuff is the name my nephew D, gave the yummy pink gelatin salad his mama made every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. I have no idea what the real name is. But it is soooo good. It is made with soft cream cheese, cottage cheese, strawberry Jello powder, Cool Whip and a large can of drained fruit cocktail.

M is going to spend the night tonight, too. She is on her way here from work. I have been home for awhile and I have a nice fire in the fireplace and I am sipping a glass of Maui Blanc (pineapple wine). The house is quiet except for the crackling of the fire.

So relaxing. Tomorrow is Friday. My hubby will be home. Life is good.

11.15.2009

DISNEY DAY AND HOME AGAIN

We are back from Disneyland.

We had an amazing time wandering through the park and taking in all of the shops. We rode a few of the rides: Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, King Arthur's Carousel, Star Tours and Astro Orbitor. We tried to go on Indiana Jones...but it broke down (again, according to the girls in line ahead of us) while we were in line, so we missed that one. I figured it was better to miss the ride than get stuck on it.

We were not too concerned about getting on all of the rides, because we opted to buy an annual passport and go back again. It was a deal since my one-day pass and Bruce's free birthday pass counted toward the cost of our passports and being California residents, we could do the easy monthly payment plan on the balance after the deductions. We are thinking about going back while T is here visiting.

We stayed at the Doubletree and they have a Disney Welcome Center there. We stopped in on Thursday night after we'd checked into our room and had dinner. Joy, the "practically perfect" Disney Rep working there, gave us some good tips on where to go and what to see and tried to get us reservations at the Blue Bayou for dinner...apparently you have to call serveral days ahead of time to assure a reservation....oh well, live and learn!

We ended up heading out to Downtown Disney for dinner Friday night....went to Tortilla Jo's...and we got there before happy hour ended (5:00 pm--thank goodness we are used to eating dinner early!) Our waiter was very cool! He hooked us up with a free order of guacamole...so our dinner was comprised of two margaritas, guac, chips, salsa, and we each ordered a taco and shared a dish of ice cream for Bruce's birthday. We sat outside on the patio under a patio heater and had a great meal. We walked back into Disneyland for the evening and took the ART back to our hotel at 9:30 p.m.

I am starting to think about Thanksgiving, since it is just a short couple of weeks away. I will work on making my lists and getting organized so I will not be running around like a crazy woman that week!

Tomorrow, I start back on my early morning treadmill workouts. I took most of last week off. I had been feeling so tired last week, so I think a break was needed.

I got my CT scan and labwork results and everything is good! I was super pleased with my cholesterol numbers! They are all great! The benefits of eating good, healthy food and working out is showing! I still have a ways to go on the scale, but the results are already reflected in my health which is the best part.

Taking it easy at home today...we have a fire in the fireplace this morning...football on TV (we so love our Samsung flatscreen!) and still hanging out in my jammies.

11.10.2009

FINALLY DONE BUT FUN TO COME

I have finally finished all of my medical "to-do's". I have had a mammogram, bone density scan, annual blood tests and finally my 'follow-up' CT scan--all within the last 7 days. whew! Plus an unscheduled crown replacement at my dentist's office today. It's all good.

Tonight I am just relaxing with a nice glass of red wine--Yellow Tail Shiraz. Ahhhh, so warm and delicious.

I have so much more to look forward to over the next month and a half. Disneyland is coming up later this week. Two days away and Disneyland celebrating my sexy hubby's birthday.

I am looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house with family. I am so happy that my son, T will be home on leave with me for Thanksgiving. I wish my daughter, son-in-law and grand-daughter could be here too. All the kiddos together makes me such a happy Momma (and Memaw).

December is a month full of fun events too, including a day of baking with my friends--Linda and Catherine (and a bunch of other girls); a cookie exchange party that my momma is hosting; and a festive, fun Christmas party at some friends' from Poway. Christmas Eve at my folks' house this year...dinner, gifts, Christmas Eve service and gift exhange afterwards. A warm holiday night with my family.

Details to follow...

11.05.2009

A POST THAT IS NOT ABOUT MY NAILS, T

I feel like I am neglecting my blog lately. Pooh...

I am not sure if it is because I really have had nothing terribly newsworthy to write about or that I just have not been creative enough lately to come up with something witty. Maybe both.

It has been a busy week since Halloween and I am beginning to feel like November through the end of the year is already filling up with lots of social occasions, deadlines, and appointments and that is starting to stress me out! Yikes. (Breathe)

I don't want to feel like that. I want to make sure I carve out some "down time" and time to enjoy special holiday traditions and not feel like the entire time is all hustle and bustle. I want to savor the season and all the festivities and joy that come with it.

There are lots of fun things coming up for us. We are going to see the play "The Lion King" this weekend. Bruce got me tickets for my birthday. I can't wait! We're going out to dinner and then to the play. It will be so much fun.

Then next week, we are going to Disneyland for Bruce's birthday. This year, Disney is offering free admission on your birthday and so we are taking advantage of it! Believe it or not, it has been close to 18 years since either of us have been. So in a way, it will be brand new for us. There are so many changes and new rides and improvements since way back then. And also it is a bit sad to know that some of the attractions that we so fondly remember, are no longer there.

My son, T will be coming home for two weeks, beginning November 25 until December 8. I am so excited! We are hosting Thanksgiving and I am excited about cooking for him and having family over while he is here. After his visit, he will be reporting to his new duty station in Norfolk, VA. I miss him very much, but I am also so very proud of him.

I know T is thrilled that I am not writing another post about my nails. I mean I could. I have plenty to say about that subject, but for my son's sake, I won't. This time. Love you, buddy!