I AM ADDICTED

To Costco. What is Costco (much like Sams Club for those of you familiar with them...but, oh, so much more)

There I said it.

Isn't admitting you have a problem, the first step to recovery? Ha ha. There is no recovery from an addiction to Costco. I've tried.

Oh where do I begin? Is it the vast selection of foods or wines or clothes or gadgets? Books, clothes, gear, kitchen stuff? Or maybe what they carry for holidays? The electronics? How about the tasting? The quantities? The variety? The things you never knew you needed or couldn't live without?

If you don't have a Costco where you live, you must go to one if you ever get to visit a city that has a Costco. Really. Forget Disneyland. Go to Costco!

Just look! Shop even...

COSTCO

But you have to visit a warehouse to get the full effect of everything there is to the experience of shopping at a Costco.

When we move to Tennessee, we will be 38 miles away from the Costco in Nashville. We are 3.2 miles from our Costco now. But we will make the trek. It is way worth it.

Here is an article from the New York Times about the Nashville Costco

There was a lot of criteria for choosing Middle Tennessee for our relocation. Having a Costco was one of them.

Did I say that outloud?

It was a just small part of the quotient.

Honest.

PRETTY IN PINK

I just had to post these pics of Grace taken from Saturday when

she and A & K returned home from having breakfast out at Dee's.

She looks like such a sleepy girl...so pretty in pink. So sweet. So loved.

QUIET SUNDAY MORNING

I am spending a quiet morning at home. Enjoying my third mug of coffee, which is more than I usually drink on the weekend. But Bruce went to his softball practice and there was still coffee in the pot. And it was still hot, so I poured myself another mug.
I lit some candles and turned on CMT. I love country music. In fact, despite living most of my life (from age 6) here in San Diego, I have loved country music since I was in junior high. I can't even remember how I got hooked on it. But I remember having albums (do you remember those?) of Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Charlie Rich...yikes, that makes me sound old, huh?

I really love mornings like this. I can be reflective and creative. Music on. Candles lit.
I also started playing the guitar in junior high. I took a summer school class to learn guitar and then began taking small group lessons with the YMCA when I was in the 10th grade. But in between that time, I taught myself chords and wrote songs. My parents found someone to give me private lessons so I could learn to read music, but honestly, the guy was hardcore. He intimidated me and unfortunately, that made music just not fun anymore. I quit the lessons. Now, looking back, I regret that I did. Maybe I regret that I did not take my lessons more serious. Or maybe it is just I regret that I did not seek another teacher that I could learn from and grow as a guitarist and musician.

I sold that guitar when my life became filled with being a wife and stay-at-home mom (SAHM) of four beautiful children. Two years ago, I got myself another guitar. I started getting back into playing, but when we put our condo on the market and began the frenzy of moving, it fell to the wayside again. However, I recently moved my guitar into our living room so I would be more apt to play it more. My son-in-law, K played it while he was here last week and Grace seemed to like hearing him play!

During those years of being a SAHM, I took up crocheting and also learned to quilt and tole paint. My best friend Heidi (who was also a SAHM and joined me in many of those classes) sent me a book for my birthday, The Friday Night Knitting Club and a gorgeous skein of yarn and needles to go with it. For those of you not familiar with the book, there is a pattern for a scarf at the back of the book. This is on my fun "to do" list.

Speaking of books, my three Jonathan Kellerman books that I mentioned yesterday are still calling my name. I did begin reading 'Obsession' while I was in Utah last month, but only made it through the first chapter or so.

It looks like we may get some rain today...apparently the rain that was forecast for tomorrow may come in today. I guess that means that I won't get to sit out on the patio today. But that's okay.

Kona and I are perfectly content to stay inside with beautiful candles and CMT.

BACK TO THE GRINDSTONE

Today was a beautiful day here in San Diego. The sun was out, the sky blue and the temperatures were hitting 70 degrees. A day perfect for being outside on our patio in the backyard. Maybe put my feet up, dive into a good book. So inviting. Which would be perfect because I have three Jonathan Kellerman novels that I got as gifts recently and I began to think how great it would be to lose myself in a wonderful mystery.

Our cats, Missy and Cleo thought that laying around in bed was a good way to spend the day. Except they are laying on our dog, Kona's bed. They could not resist that sunshine streaming in. Kona is very accommodating. Or intimidated. We are not sure which.

To be honest, Kona probably doesn't care because the couch is just as comfortable. But I think she is a little bit intimidated by Missy and Cleo. Don't tell her I said that, though.The backyard kept beckoning me. The sunlight was streaming in our back door and there was a soft breeze. A really nice breeze. But I had a mission to accomplish...I mean WE. Maybe tomorrow I can get out there and begin reading one of my books.

Here is the deal. It has been a long time--and by long time, I mean since the long Thanksgiving weekend--that we were out in our garage, tearing into boxes and sorting things out to sell or throw out or donate. Which must be done if we are going to be ready to move in two months.

Yikes, two months? Actually, Bruce has it down to days already. 67 days. I prefer to still think of it as months. Thank you very much, I am not ready to panic. And counting it in days will make me panic.

Our lives got very busy for a couple of months right after Thanksgiving.

A & K came to visit the first week of December, then came the shopping, wrapping and entertaining for Christmas.

Next up, New Years....and then, you all already know that our sweet grand-daughter, little Gracie decided to arrive 15 days ahead of schedule! (Now that made me panic!)

Finally, after my memorable week in Utah getting acquainted with Grace and helping A & K and their trip here to visit us just last weekend, Bruce and I made a committment to get back out into the garage again and GET SERIOUS again--today. Oh my.

See those boxes inside the open cabinets? We had to still go through them. Get organized and decide what goes with us and what does not.

I don't have an after picture yet because although we made a lot of progress and filled our recyling trash can with a lot of paper and have added to our "donate" and "see if the kids want this" piles, you can't tell by looking that we did a single thing. I mean, we KNOW we did, but our garage is still in disarray. Organized chaos. I will take some "after shots" later.

Much later.

If I don't panic first.

REASON TO SMILE

I got a new phone in November and I love it. It's the LG enV2--in black, of course. But I have yet to go get an extra charger to keep at my office nor do I have a car charger.

That is not what this post is about, though. I digress.

Anyway....yesterday, after a lengthy catch-up call with a dear friend I had not talked to in ages, (Hi Alana!), my phone battery died and I had to wait until I got home to plug it in.

And when I did, I realized I had a text message from A. But not just a text...a video of Grace. Smiling.

Gracie offered her first spontaneous smile Monday night while she was in San Diego visiting and now look at her...the girl is beaming! She is not the only one.