Snow 2008....I miss it already

'nuff said.

Christmas eve, full of snow and potential

What an amazing last couple of weeks. Hard to even capture all the joy and excitement and feelings of hope and potential for the future. I am spending this holiday in the present, embracing the bliss and wonder of things that feel like they are happening the right way. For once? Has it been a lifetime of getting to this place? Lots to consider, but none of it is bad.

thinking about snowy escapes - small cabins with warmth from a fire, happy people, snuggling pup, trips outside to throw snowballs and simple hearty foods...and of course, the most amazing kisses.

maybe one of these???

A week before Christmas and all through the house

I am just living in the present and loving every moment. I think this is how it is suppose to feel. Who knew?

It's December....tomorrow

I can't get over how quickly time is flying. Crazy, really.

Have to post the beautiful steelhead...and let me just say, I am blissed out these days.

grateful grateful grateful....I don't want to lose sight of it for a moment.

More of the fish!!

I mean really - the boat goes in here?

Brad's friend and our shuttle hero

Can you see it down there??

Brad and Kelsey with the first fish of the day

Sunday November 16th was one of those extraordinary days where the weather, the friends, and the adventure came together to make a day of delight and wonder. Brad and Kelsey invited me to fish from their drift boat. We left their place around 6am and explored several options for the best waters. Picking a drift boat launch that in no way resembled (to me) a place to put a boat in the water - think steep slope, tress and shrubs and barely a place to pull off along side of the road - and the next thing I know, Brad says, "Push" and there goes the boat, crashing down down down toward the water. Right up till it decided to turn right, into the trees.

The slope was such that I navigated to the stopping point by way of my bum in on the wet leaves a few times, but remarkably, everything was still tucked neatly inside, there was no damage, and a few heaves and hos and poof - the boat was in the water.

Shuttle the rig to the take out point, and we were fishing.

Brad had obviously taught Kelsey well, as once we reached the first hole, with little instruction, she let out line to the appropriate distance and before Brad could say OK, let the next pole out - ziiiiing - the first fish was on!

I might have the count wrong, but I think we brought in 6 of the 8 or 9 we had on. All gorgeous, all wild Coho - happily back in their river.

And here it is all organized....YEAH!!

Putting it together

I bribed Julie with wine for her help putting the 8 tables together...wine and drills...yikes

Craft room project

ok....it is done for now.

Still a lot of stuff in that room but at least I can find it all now. Shall we start with the embarrassing "before" pictures? How did that room get so trashed?

I have started again. For real. I am tired of looking at runners and feeling guilty; feeling like I should be out there. I feel better when I do. There is no denying that. It is all about making it habit again. And for that, Julie is helping. Hard to stay in bed when someone is waiting at your door.

30 mins today. The first day of the new regime. I'll celebrate once I get a few runs under my belt and when my legs quit their whining. Shouldn't be too long.

Fishing tomorrow...YEAH!

ok, today is in fact Tuesday, which makes tomorrow the ever loved mid-week fishing trip - I am not sure there is much better. Fishing instead of working...yummy. I hope to have photos of the bounty but for now I post this gorgeous piece of bronze art...in honor of the fish we will be catching tomorrow.

I am so grateful for fishing friends.

Do I have abnormal amygdala issues?

Cause frankly, I am not understanding my feelings....welcome to November I guess.

the week ahead

ok, so, Monday and Tuesday are the big inspection...and then GSE is meeting with Bob Aguirre Monday night. Tuesday we meet at the Venetions for a board meeting. Wednesday, I testify on PDX, but actually have no evening plans. Thursday, Rick's b-day at China Bay in Beaverton. And impossible as it seems, Friday is Halloween and October is OVER this Saturday.

Freaky. Really people...it is freaky how fast time is flying by.

ummmm...my house smells so good.

I couldn't stand it.

Not a minute longer.

I got up early yesterday and put a turkey in the oven. Yes, before work. I checked on it once on a break, and sent my dad to turn the oven off later. Do you know how good the house smelled when I got home? ok, the Turkey wasn't so bad either. No stuffing or potatoes, though right now, I am making really delicious soup.

Yes, I want to go home and eat.

I wish this was what my turkey looked like, but A) it didn't - mine was skinless, and B) I didn't think to take a photo.

Calendaring...

Tuesday: Lunch with mom and an evening GSE meeting
Wednesday: Lunch with Vega and meeting Teri at the Venetian
Thursday: Lunch at Rotary and SEWING!!!
Friday: Pack for the GSE Manzanita trip
Saturday: GSE
Sunday: GSE and home for sewing and catch up
Monday: No plans!
Tuesday: prayer breakfast and evening concert - Johnny A...with...? :0-)
Wednesday: Finish sewing project

that is far enough out.

Movies

I haven't seen Appaloosa yet and still want to. Wall-e played today at noon at the Venetian and I missed it, dang, but Tropic Thunder is playing this week (one I gladly prefer to pay 4 dollars for) followed by the new Mummy movie which I also have not seen yet.

Seems like these next couple of weeks I will be supporting the Venetian!

Appaloosa on Saturday? Perhaps

Well, I almost made it to bed....but then I looked up the movie I might see this weekend...

http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2008/09/17/appaloosa/

I will go to sleep thinking of Viggo. Yum.

Thursday...ah, tomorrow is FRIDAY

Tired, but still got two table skirts, curtains, or whatever you want to call them, sewn. My machine needs a tune up and it is refusing to go in reverse. Dang. Do I limp through sewing 8 more sets and THEN get it fixed, or stop the process and then sew faster once it is better?

I think I go to sleep and worry about it tomorrow.

The machine is from 1983. Serious. It has served me well but I want it to keep working....

Wednesday bedtime

Where did the evening go? Oh yeah, the good bye party for Monika, finished the last table, bought fabric for the room, looked for shelves (didn't find what I like), washed the new fabric and caught up on email.

ok - bed time for bonzo...more tomorrow evening.

Hot and tired, and really grateful for Julie's help

The project has begun. Bowflex room is currently unusable, piled high with craft room guts and gristle. A few loads to the trash, some stuff for good will, 7 of 8 tables together and a good start to the reorg have left me tired, sweaty, and thankful Julie was building tables while I motored around arranging.

Lots more done tonight than I expected - I could easily be done with it all before the weekend if we are able to get the last leg drilled (one leg out of 24 was missing a critical hole) and if I set my mind to sewing the drapes that will cover all the hidden parts under the tables. I just threw fabric over the top for right now.

ok - a great start...even took some photos, and can I say I simply LOVE the rolling IKEA Snack Boxes. They were made for glass storage - plain and simple.

Late Monday musings

Brad called...my friend, the amazing fisherman, says his friend the amazing fisherman (do they get exponentially more amazing?)took a group out to where we had planned to fish, and came home skunked. Not the same as getting skunked in cribbage, as fishing takes much longer than the average cribbage game and it's not like you can get 6 (the average hand in cribbage) or 15, or a cool 29...never mind this blather. Skunk might be the only fishing and cribbage connection aside from the fact that I like both, as does Brad.

oh wait, there is the fish cribbage board, that I would buy, if I knew where to find it.

OK, aside from that, 4 IKEA boxes are together, sans the rollers as they didn't come with hardware - which seems like a nasty plot against me (were I a conspiracy theorist) and I started one of the 8 (yes, 8 - there IS a grand plan)tables just to see how hard they would be. Tomorrow night - leftovers, table making, and organizing the craft room. I dare ya to tell me I am not living like a rock star.

Monday blues

It is raining but I am not fishing, sad as that is; I trust Brad's fishing judgment completely.

It is cold in the house but I want coffee - which means I have to get up and go make it....urg

I want to organize the crafts room so bad, but it means spending $$$, time, and brainpower trying to figure out the best way to do it. For mow, maybe I just hide the mess. hmmmmm

Decisions decision.

Let's start with coffee. Everything will be a little clearer then.

forks in the road

Well, by end of the weekend, a girl could have a sense of which direction she was interested in heading...or, she could be even less certain. It will be interesting, at the very least.

Off Days and dresses

Here I am, watching a movie, (I know, is anyone shocked??) and recognizing the patterns in the relationships on the screen. Don't ask me how I made the leap, but I went from the movie and feeling kind of off, to the realization that I adore wearing dresses...they make me feel better, much like chocolate improves the attitude for other people.

So I looked for a few and decided that these will be my inspiration.

Wow. I am tired.

I planned to go hang with Chris for a while. Chill at Bugatti's and work my Sudokus...instead, I watched "Running with Scissors" which might be the strangest, and maybe one of the saddest films I have seen in a while. And though it is early, I am going to bed. In the words of Harry Chapin's grandfather - good tired.

what a great day!

Spent it with the team and we did the challenge course. It ROCKED!

Lots more images of our day are on the GSE site.

http://tagalogtravelblog.blogspot.com/

Gratitude, exhaustion, and beauty snakes

Sometimes I say I am tired, and really, though it sounds like I am complaining, I am not. I am so grateful for all I have in this life. There is no way around it - I am very very fortunate.

Sometimes I think about Esmerelda...she was amazing.

I finally beat Mark!

ok - I know - it is like 15 or 20 to 1, but I am savoring my victory. Happy dance, happy dance. The tide has turned. perhaps.

Dr Brody is fixin' me

So today we start to tackle the anemia. Curious, since Jan thinks the low red blood count is Thallessemia...if Dr B can fix it up - wow. I will be very impressed. But hey, her track record getting the cholesterol down without "drugs" was pretty good! The approach - find a way to absorb the iron I take in better. And, crap, track every bite of food for several weeks. ugh. It isn't HARD, it is merely a pain in the tush.

ok - Daily Plate: Marie returns tomorrow.

www.thedailyplate.com

Our halibut was at least larger than this

But still too small to keep! Check out the scale - I mean really, look at his thumb!