ZenInEncinitas

Back to Blogging on ZenInEncinitas

2012-02-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

Hi gang! Welcome to my blog.............With Facebook about to go public I made the decision to get off of there. Its just not my cup-o-tea. Feel free to follow me here for pictures and updates on all the fun stuff in my life. Next week I start fresh with blogging on a regular basis. Cheers! ~Ang

Warm Weekends Ahead

2011-05-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

The weather couldnt have been more perfect this weekend! It was 75 to 80 throughout the weekend with a slight breeze. Friday night Phil and I relaxed and enjoyed the nice warm night with the door to the backyard open, breeze coming in and a nice quiet evening.

Saturday it was up-n-adam! Phil slept in for a bit while I whipped up breakfast in bed for him. First day of seeing patients at Foundation www.foundationstrength.com so he had a big day ahead! Go hunny!

By noon he was done and we took a quick break with beers and Mike's before heading to the Alderman's baby shower out at Stone Brewery. Wow what a gorgeous place! Its filled with gardens and ponds and just the most serene place Ive been to in a long time. Everyone was having a great time. Food was great and looks like the turnout was maxed out! Everyone showed! haa haa

~Momma Michelle~
~Hunny with his Chamay~

~What a gorgeous day!~

No rest for Phil and Angie! Sunday he had to get up early again for his big debut at the Carlsbad Street Fair! They had a great turnout at their booth. Lots of people interested in Acupuncture and Fitness Training so overall it was a huge success!!! Of course I dragged him away for an hour for lunch with my dad and mom at Henesseys! Mmmmmmmmmmmm perfect Sunday! Perfect weekend!!!!

One of many..........Life is Rad.

Times are a changin'......yet stay the same

2010-10-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

Friday was a big day for Keir and I. We both realized times are a changin................we're not in Kansas anymore Toto.
It finally hit us as we pulled up to Palomar Community College that Keir is graduating high school in June and a week later she turns 18.
*
Friday was the day we chose to begin the process of shopping colleges. This cool dome image is the gym. There are only 4 domes like this nationwide. HA! Cool.
After talking with the counselor we took a tour of the campus with the activity counselor. This clock tower was familiar to me since my dad had sent me a picture of himself in front of it just a few months ago when he was at Palomar taking some classes on Anthropology!
Now my dad is talking about taking classes again so he can meet Keir for lunch after class ;-) How cute would that be?
Grandfather and Granddaughter going to college together? Adorbs!
*
Our tour was awesome and we got a great feel of community college and how transferring to a university works. I feel much better than I did going in. I was so clueless and now feel like I at least understand the basics. Keir was overwhelmed but I feel better for her too so that she isnt walking into the process blindly. We left and were exhausted from thinking so much. HA HA!
After a big afternoon at the college on Friday it was nice to wake up Saturday morning, take a beach walk and get ready for my momma to come over for a girls lunch :)
I made us some fancy beef sliders and french fries with tons of different cheeses, sauces and vino. We never even left the table! Our feast was all right in front of us!!!!!! We talked for four hours. Such a great day!
*
Although times are a changin,
luckily the part of life we all love stays the same.........
Mi Familia.

Art-For-L.O.V.E

2010-09-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

I saw this bowl at my friend Dan & Michelles house last year when they had a BBQ at their house. It was more of a work thing for me cuz at the time I worked with them but didnt really know either of them. Keir and I went to the BBQ and we both agreed Dan was really funny and we liked him. Michelle was reserved and quiet and barely said two words to us. ha ha YES YOU MICHELLE!

Fast forward to 2010 and Michelle and I became friends. Maybe she could tell you how cuz I dont remember but somewhere along the way she and I totally hit it off. I think we both really love to workout, dig all kinds of music and are two girls who quickly realized we better stick together cuz their arent many girls who are REAL and DOWN TO EARTH these days. Especially in CALI!

We went to a concert (JOHN BUTLER TRIO) and I think that was what really sealed the friendship. So rad!

One day she had me over for a BBQ at her place. Again, Im totally attracted to this friggin bowl on their counter! What in the world is up with this damn bowl????? So I said "Whats the story with this bowl cuz I love it!" She told me Dan got it one time in Cabo and when she and he went on their first vacation together they went to Cabo and she got him another plate very similar to it. That lil plate sits right next to the plate I love.........

Well isnt that the sweetest story you've ever heard? Well to me it was. So in August for their wedding gift I painted them the image from the bowl.

It was so hard to begin. I wanted to make sure when I was done they knew what the hell it was! I was so worried I wasnt going to be able to pull it off!
As soon as I got the two main blooms onto the canvas I could breathe a sigh of relief. I was going to chill and finish it the next night. I went to bed. Yeah right. 20 minutes of tossing and turning I knew I had to get my ass up and finish it while the creative energy was flowing.
This was taken at 1am
Just about done..........Signed. Now all I have to do is the top coat of gloss .......tomorrow.
I gave it to them with a little note explaining why I painted them this image. Maybe the bowl didnt have much meaning to them but it did to me. It signified the beginning of a life of love and happiness for them. From meeting, dating & trips they've taken to what the future brings. Im such a sap. I am so in love with LOVE its silly sometimes. They are a sweet couple embarking on the rest of their lives and Im really lucky to be here with them in the beginning.
*
Im sure sometime in the near future I'll be in the baby's room with Michelle and she will be saying "What the hell should we do with the babys room?" ha ha Hopefully their arent any other mexican bowls from Cabo nearby..............

End of Summer Sunset?...........SWEET!

2010-09-28T15:37:00.001-07:00

Just when you think its time for scarves, sweaters and boots good ol' Cali throws ya a curve ball.............80 degree weather! WTF! Beached it all day Saturday then met up with the fam for a potluck at Carlsbad campground. Moms-n-pops were campin' all weekend so we went and crashed their party ;-)
Jen brought her girls and I peeled poor sick Keir off the couch. She was still not feeling all that fantastic but needed to get out of the house after 5 days of being sick! I felt like I was Driving Miss Daisy cuz she was in the passenger seat as if I were her chauffer. LOL

Suns just about to set.............time to bust open a Stella! mmmmmmmmmmmm

Dad, mom n Jen catchin the gorgeoussssssssssssssssss sunset.

Mazzy, Keir and Kelis.............All snug as bugs in a rug watchin Bambi inside mom and dads Bambi Airstream. Are they so sweet and snugglie or what! Big squeeze for all you girls!

Just another Saturday with the Trulson-Norton-Rawls.............

Not to shabby ;-)

Yourrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr San Diegooooooooooooo Padres!

2010-08-26T11:29:00.001-07:00

~ Pops & I went to the Padre game last night. Watched the Padres kick the crap out of the Diamondbacks!~
~We had VIP tix so everything from parking, drinks, dinner and more drinks were FREE!~

~mmmmmmmmm olives & hummus~

~Tappas~

~Seats next to the dugout - behind homeplate~

~Petco Park at night~

Our humble beginnings

2010-08-26T11:18:00.001-07:00

1996 was a crazy year. Keir & I embarked on our lil adventure called "Life". She was only 3 when we moved into this lil house in Calrsbad. It was the cutest lil place. So warm. So friendly. So inviting. White fence, tree in the front yard, 1/2 block to the beach. Just the sweetest lil place I could have hoped for us. Right after the BIG change we moved into a place in La Costa. I had her crib, her dresser, her toys...........and for me? A matress on the floor and the love seat portion of a livingroom set. WOW. Those were the days. So months later when we found this place it was like the heavens had opened up and said "Ok, you did it, now here ya go...........live your life here a while" and that we did. We lived in this lil house off Garfield in Carlsbad for 2 years until we moved to La Jolla.
Thank you lil house. When I saw you yesterday I had to take your picture so I can look back and be reminded that Keir and I have always found a way to have a nice lil life. Humble as it has always been - its been filled with love, warmth, tender memories and laughter. Funny, looking at this place, it doesnt look much different from the front of our house we live in now in Encinitas. ha ha - Guess were supposed to live in
lil gray beach bungalows ;-)
Works for us!!!!!!

Beginning of Summer?

2010-08-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Not sure what happened this year but mother nature played a pretty crazy trick on all of us native Californians. Cold. Cloudy. Overcast. You name it. Anything but sunshine for months. Here we are all the way to the end of August and the sun decides to shine. No matter. We'll take it!

Keir & I hit the beach Saturday. Sun was warm and the water was clear and sparklie ......Perfect day for us to dive right in. That we did ;-)

Such a killer day

Perfect day at Beacon's

Who knows why but I have a "handle bar mustache" fetish
After the beach we went to our lil local surf shop and listened to a few bands play
We still dont know the name of the shop.........no one does
Sunday morning I woke up to the sun shining in so bright at 8am I had to rise n shine!
(Mel these are all the hair products I use)
Decided to paint some rocks
Found all of these on my walk on Saturday
While lil miss Keir got ready for work I had some coffee and sat outside and did some journaling
The chime in the background as the breeze blew it bong bong bong
lil bit if happiness
my view as I sit in my chair
Love this ceramic Moroccan drum
Keir all ready for her first day at Hollister
Beauty
Back to the yard I go
Peace
Vino
Quiet
Happiness

Time flies when youre havin' fun

2010-08-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well people. Its been sooooooooooooooooooooo long since Ive blogged that Ive lost total touch with all my blog buddies. I think people figured I was over it. Well Im back with a lot to catch you up with. I was going to tell a story of the past few months starting with May but then I decided to just catch you up from the newest to the latest in the life n times of "ME".

Last time I blogged I was camping in Doheny at the end of April. Im not used to so much going on. Im more of the type of person who like to cruise thru the week with work and workouts an chill on the weekends but 2010 had something else is store for me. I decided to step outside of the box and allow the universe to guide me ;-)

Lets take a peek from August, July, June & May.........

~Xavier Rudd @ The Belly Up - August 17th, 2010~
~Xavier~

~Front of stage with Brit Brit~

~Xavier and too many instruments to name~

~Xavier and the Didgeridoo~

~Amos Lee - Largo Theatre - Los Angeles - August 16, 2010~
~Second row - center stage -Amos about to come on~

~Amos Lee ~

~Amos & I after the show~
~Had to laugh my ass off - Nude bar across from the theatre - only in LA~

~Sunset sail around Coronado - August 4, 2010~

~Keir~

~Keir being soooooooooooooooooo funny while we try and get a cute shot of us~

~Love~

~Pops n Moms the day after their 42nd Anniversary sailing the bay with all of us~

~Malibu - Camping - July 29-August 1, 2010~

~Home away from Home~

~Wine tasting in Malibu~

~Moms 60th!~

~Jen n I celebrating mom~

~Mom and her girls~

~Happy 60th Momma~

~Kings of Leon - July 9, 2010 - Keir and I front row in the pit~

~KOL about to come on~

~Here we go~

~Caleb~

~Jared~

~Fathers Day 2010~

~Enjoying the beautiful sunny day~

~All our babies~

~Mozelle, Kelis & Keir~

~My 41st Birthday - June 14, 2010 - Me & Kristina~

~Brit, Me & Jen~

~nuff said~

~Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival - Camping - June 4 - June 6, 2010~

~Gin Blossoms about to start~ ~Wine tasting~

~Last day - Balloon launch at 630am - View from my trailer~

~Biking over to my pops n moms trailer w/basket full of supplies~

~John Butler Trio - Private Listener concert at The Abbey - May 19, 2010~ ~Me & Michelle - Show about to start~

~John Butler - Jammin~

~JBT~ ~Byron (bass) & Me~

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo thats what Ive been up to the past 4 months............Never in my life have I been this busy. Its surely been an adventure. Looking back at all Ive done is pretty cool to see. I truly have a blessed life that I love. Im always amazed at how life just falls into place with little to no effort at all. The more I let go of holding on so hard to what I think "Should Happen" and just allow things "To Happen" its incredible........Thank you to all my family & friends for all the love and support you give me. Why God has chosen me to live such an amazing life I will never know. But many thanks to the man upstairs for lookin out for me. I appreciate all the fun I get to have so thanks for so many lil gifts. Its what keeps me goin'. Amen ;-)

Hello, I love you

2010-04-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hello, I love you wont you tell me your name...........As I started to post pictures from this past weekend in Doheny with my sis, dad and mom, thats the song that ran thru my head. The Doors are always nearby when it comes to travel and music for me. The Doors have always been a huge influence in my life but this past weekend everything that happened was reminding me of the life of Jim Morrison. Jim is always with me. He is almost a haunting figure in my soul. Im sure it was the sun, the sand and all the smells of the ocean that brought up all the lyrics this time. Or maybe it was all the happy smiling faces of the weekend? No matter really. The Doors were with me and life was ...............well...........bitchin. (Im 80's so I can forever use that term)
Our campsites were all right next to each other and we all had ocean views. Jen camped with me, mom and dad next to us and Mike n Meg next to them. RAD! Loveddddddddddddd Doheny. I had never been to the beaches there. They are different from our beaches in the sense that they have rolling hills, grass on the sand and the waves are more like ripples in a bay. It reminded me a lot of Cabo or Maui.
Just tropical and euphoric.
We spent most of the day watching the ocean and taking in all the beach had to offer. The jetty at Doheny is so cool. Its not like Ponto here in town. Its long and full of lights at night. I want to go back soon and walk along it and take it all in. So beautiful. Friday night we met up with the group from Doheny Wood and had a huge Hawaiian Luau. Music playing, Hawaiian dancers and met the coolest guy ever. He did all of the art for the show
*
http://www.sanclementesurfboards.com
(More on that another time)
Keir bought me flowers b4 I left for Doheny. So sweet of her. The rest of the weekend was all about eating good food and listening to great music. Jen, Paul and I went over to Mah'e and watched Jenny's friend Laurens Band "Assisted Living" play. So many cool songs and met a lot of great people. Its was cool to walk in when the band was playing "Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix. Perfect. As always. LOL Had a drink and after a long day in the sun it was time to head back to the campsite. Exhausted. Amazing day and fantastic night.
I was telling my sister this was the first time I had ever been camping and really just wasnt ready to go home. Doheny is such a little hidden treasure I just wanted to savor every minute. We made breakfast on Sunday and took our time packin up camp. Paul was on the radio doing the surf report every 10 minutes to the hour so we had that jazz station playing and everytime he came on we would all scream, whistle and clap for him even tho he couldnt hear us. ha ha ha Headin back down the 5 I had my good friends The Doors playing. It was so fitting when Roadhouse Blues came on
*
Yeah, keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel
Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel
Yeah, we're goin' to the Roadhouse
We're gonna have a real
Good time

I just started laughing and singing...........cuz it was pretty much how my morning went - minus the beer (we had mimosas - ha ha)
*
Well, I woke up this morning, I got myself a beer
Well, I woke up this morning, and I got myself a beer
The future's uncertain, and the end is always near
*
Let it roll, baby, roll
Let it roll, baby, roll
Let it roll, baby, roll
Let it roll, all night long
*
I think we can all relate to one song or another by The Doors. I just happen to relate to them all. Thanks Jim. And Thanks Jen, Dad, Mom, Mike, Meg & Paul for making the weekend so full of laughter, music, smiles, happiness, fun, joy, peace and my fav L.O.V.E.

Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall

2010-04-13T15:47:00.001-07:00

When your down and troubled

And you need a helping hand

And nothing, whoa nothing is going right.

Close your eyes and think of me

And soon I will be there

To brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name,

And you know where ever I am

I'll come running, oh yeah baby

To see you again.

Winter, spring , summer, or fall,

All you have to do is call

And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

You've got a friend.

As the sun was setting last night this song came on. Its one of my all time favorite songs. It has some strange affect on me. Maybe because it was written by Carol King and I adore her as an artist. Or maybe its because when she sings it I can hear myself in this song. Or maybe its James Taylor singing it that really hits my soul. Maybe its because Ive heard the song since I was 2 years old. ha ha ha - I often wonder why music has such a huge part in my life?

Last night when it came on I was sitting in my lil bungalow and just started to look around the room. WOW do I love my home! The song was playing and I looked up and the sun was hitting the wall and I had to take a photo.........

Then I turned around and looked out thru the half moon window..........how beautiful the trees outside looked ........
Ive looked out the french doors onto the patio a million times.......why was it more incredible than ever last night?

And look how pretty the sky was.......It had rained all day and then this........just looked so peaceful outside. I was still listening to the song and humming along down the hall into my room and saw all the beautiful colors in my side yard..........reds, blues, greens, yellows........more peace came over me......The song was just about over and I opened up the front door and took a deep breath in and another...........I could smell the eucalyptus candle and sandalwood incense coming from inside the house.....I turned and saw the surfboard I painted.......how lovely to enter into my home everyday to such a lil gift....a bunch of mantras I live by...Peace, Faith, Love, Truth, Laugh and Breathe.......
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I am blessed. Another beautiful day in paradise ;-)

Thank You

2010-04-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today Im writing a note to God, Buddha, The spirit of my Grandma Thel, My Grandpa Buddy, My Grandpa Hank, Angels..................I actually dont know who Im writing this to. I know I am a very blessed woman and someone, or something, has been watching over me for most if not all of my life.

This particular time, who or whatever is out there watching over me, did me and my family a big favor.

My dad is alive.

A couple of weeks ago in the middle of the day he called my mom saying he felt "off" and dizzy and queasy. She was asking him questions and he said he was upset over a battle with his computer and was hungry. She and I thought he should go to the hospital and get checked out but he insisted after eating that he felt "better". We werent happy with that result but we all know our own bodies and we figured maybe he just upset himself about the computer and maybe it was just hunger.

Unfortunately him feeling "off" continued for another week until he finally went to the dr. They found an elevated enzyme which indicated that he had most likely had a mild heart attack the week before.

They ordered a stress test. 2 days later he was about to take the test when the dr came in and pulled the plug on that. He didnt like that the enzyme was still elevated and said the better thing to do was schedule an angiogram. The angiogram would conclude 100% what was going on. The dr didnt think it would show anything and most likely my dad was fine.

This Monday after a weekend of camping with the entire family at Cardiff, we packed up our trailers and headed to our separate homes. A few hours later I got a call from my dad. I could hear in his voice that he was wanting to talk. But when I opened up to having a conversation he kinda blew me off like everything was fine. We said goodbye and hung up. I had an uneasy feeling.

A few hours later he called me again. This time he said what he needed to say before.

"Angie, I love you, you're a good mom and you have done a great job with Keir, you're a super good girl and you're fun to be around and you know the guy for you is coming for you don't you?"

I paused. Was this really happening? Was my dad calling me to say goodbye in case something happened tomorrow during his procedure? What do I do? What do I say?

Well all weekend I had been so teary. I cried at the drop of a hat. Everyone kept saying "I've never seen you like this" I agreed. Neither had I. For whatever reason I was just sad. Now maybe it was all making sense. Somewhere deep down I was worried that Tuesday things werent going to go well for my dad.

As my dad was silent on the other end of the phone I still pondered on how to respond to what he was saying.............All that could come out was "I dont know"

My dad said "Well there is a guy for you Angie and I need to know that you know that he isnt in town yet but he is coming" I still couldnt grasp what was happening. My dad was saying goodbye to me and he wanted to make sure I was okay and that someone was coming for me to share my life with me. I knew I had to say something because I had to reassure him that if something did happen to him I would be ok. So I said "Yea, okay dad, I believe you" "He is out there"

He was choked up and said "Ok, good, youre gonna be okay then?" I said "Yes"

"Dad?" i said

"Yea Ang?"

"You wanna talk to Keir?" i said

"Yea, I do"

He and Keir talked a bit and all I could do was finally let out all I had held in all weekend. The little well up of tears that came and went all weekend I couldnt control any longer. I just sat and wept for I dont even know how long...........Keir was in shock. She had never seen me just burst into tears like that. I realized now I was scaring her. I had to get it together for the moment. Once she was in her room, I cried myself to sleep.

The next day dad went in for the angiogram. An hour later I got the call from my sister. I think the worst part of the call was her pause and deep breath and then

"Ang?" she said

"Yes?"

"Well he has 3 arteries that are not good and they are going to do surgery right now."

I just kept saying in my head, thank god he is at the hospital and they can do this right now.

And thats exactly what happened.

I waited an hour for the next call.

This time Jenny just said "Ang he is okay, he is being taken to recovery"

Once he came out of the anesthesia I headed to the hospital. The whole day was a blur and I cant remember all the things I did until I got to the hospital and heard my moms famous whistle when I walked through the hospital.........Guess I passed his room and she saw me so no need to come grab me.........just whistle. ;-)

Remarkably he looked great. Tan, mellow, relaxed and most important. Alive.

The dr had told him not to surf Easter weekend. He surfed anyways. So when I saw him I was still in shock and a little pist off that we had found out my dad had failed to tell us the dr's order until today. I felt relief and a little bit of anger and wonderment. How could he surf after the dr told him not to? He could have died. Doesnt he want to live? Doesnt he love us? Doesnt he know how much we love him? All very selfish thoughts. Once I got close to him all that mattered was my dad was here with us, talking, joking, laughing and the main thing. Alive.

We all hung around the hospital long enough to make sure the nurses felt he was doing well. Fed him dinner and just as I was about to leave I had to know............"Dad, why did you surf when the dr told you not to?" "Dont you know how much this family loves and needs you?"

He said "I just had a bad feeling and if that was my last weekend on earth I had to surf one more time"

Wow. That was a major shot into my heart and soul. So he didnt think he was going to make it. He really did call all of us to say his goodbyes Monday night.

Its Friday now and I am a very grateful person. My dad is alive and well. He is doing good and can even go back to work on Monday. Seems crazy but thats the deal.

I wrote this in the hopes that some of the anxiety Im feeling would subside. I just cant stop thinking "What if". What would life be like without my dad? My god. I just perish the thought.

So like Meg said "We dodged a bullet". My family is still in tact.

We will still go camping in 2 weeks to Doheny
We will still go to the Balloon and Wine Fest in June
We will still celebrate Father's Day
We will still celebrate My birthday and my daughters birthday
We will still make plans for the 4th of July
We will still have
dinners
sunsets
morning coffee
concerts
walks
talks
laughs
hugs
phone calls
texts
smiles
We will still have all of these things......................with my dad.

Without him all of the things that make this family so special just wouldnt be the same. I dont know if life would ever be the same. The "What if" will subside but the pain I am feeling now sure hurts like hell. I could have lost my dad. My best friend. I know my dad is okay now and that the surgery saved his life and everyone is saying the pain and anxiety I am feeling will pass in time.......I get that. For now I will just go through the process and let my heart heal from what could have turned out to be a whole different scenario. One that I cant help but imagine.

Sometimes when my dad stops by in the mornings before I go to work I am tired, cranky, busy, rushed...........well lemme tell ya........there will forever be a pot of coffee ready at my house in the morning and I will cherish every sip as I stare across my table

at my dad.

So thank you to that God, that spirit, that angel.................or all of the above.........for not taking my dad yet. Its not his time..........lucky for us they all agreed with me. Its not time for him to leave us. He is still here. Tinkering in the garage. Gardening. Reading. Napping. Watching tv. Eating better. Laughing 30 minutes minimum a day. Taking all types of new medications. Going to a car show tomorrow and Im sure............counting the weeks, days, minutes and seconds until he is cleared to surf. Go for it dad. Surf to live, Live to surf ;-)
I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring has arrived

2010-03-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Spring is here.................Its been sunny off and on. In between the rain, cold and wind Keir and I have tried to get out as much as possible to enjoy the warmth. As Keir gets older and driving full time it seems like its harder and harder to pin her down. Thankfully she still loves to hang out with me so we deemed Sundays as "OUR DAY". Three Sundays ago Keir and I went to Solana Beach to get her some TOMS shoes. For every pair of shoes you buy TOMS donates a pair to a child who would have gone without shoes otherwise. Ive always loved TOMS shoes so I was so happy when Keir said she wanted a pair in order to help a child. YAY

Afterwards we went to The Wild Note and had coffee ;-)
Even though its "OUR DAY" that just means we make a point to spend the day together. We still love for people to join in and Blake, Keirs boyfriend, is one of our all time favorite people we love to come along for a day of fun. Two Sundays ago Keir, Blake and I went to the Beach House - it had rained the day before but because it was OUR DAY the sun was out and it was 75 degrees. Of course we also got the primo table on the deck overlooking the ocean. Love living in North County.

This past Sunday Keir and I went to Pannikin, the Japanese gardens and then back home to watch movies..........Im so excited to see what we will do this Sunday.

Stay tuned!

Its the lilttle things.....

2010-03-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

Sometimes as I blog I decide not to and delete a posting because it seems boring or not entertaining enough. Today I decided to go ahead and post anyways. Life isnt always thrilling, invigorating, exciting, joyous or adventurous.......sometimes life is just the little things.....Little Thing #1 A walk through the Japanese gardens at the Self Realization Center in Cardiff - having someone you care for point out that there are baby koi in the koi pond and you think to yourself.......huh.......I come here all the time and never noticed they keep them in a little strainer like container within the large pond so the adult koi dont harm them. Learned something new that day ;-)

Little Thing #2 Finding the perfect place to sit at the gardens, in the beautiful sunshine, with the warm ocean breeze gently blowing on your face. Having that special someone sitting next to you while gazing out onto the crystal waters, enjoying conversation about time gone by and what is to be in the future....
Little Thing #3 Searching for eight years and finally finding the chandelier you had always dreamed of for your dining room.

Little Thing #4 Having your dad be the original McGyver and installing your chandelier ever so perfectly into your little beach bungalow for the price of a salami sandwich and a Dr Pepper.

Little Thing #5 Knowing you raised your daughter on your own, always worried that she would be harmed by divorce or not be a happy person being raised by a single parent then cut to age 16 1/2 to find your daughter the happiest, most well-adjusted, internally and externally most beautiful person/young adult you could have ever dreamed and hoped for.

Little Thing #6 Shopping at Campingworld and getting a propane run heater for inside your pop up tent trailer during freezing cold days knowing the next time its 40 degrees you and your child will be toasty warm.

Little Thing #7 Again, back at Campingworld, purchasing director chairs with lil side tables so next time you camp your ass isnt sittin' on the ground or on dumb old beach chairs that make you look like a hobo!

Little Thing #8 Visiting your 87 year old Grandma, walking into her house while she has soft jazz playing in the background, your grandma is all done up for your visit and the two of you sit and talk for hours about her teenage years, her travels, her friends.....at the end of the conversation you tell your grandma "Wow gram, you had an exciting life" and because your grandma was such a cool kat back in da day you talk her hip and happenin' self into..... maybe....just maybe....being cool enough to get Internet now! Grandma agrees that she is in fact hip and happenin' enough to have Internet and she will schedule Cox cable for Tuesday to install it only if you come back and hook her up with a webcam so she can Skype with all of us - hilarious as shit if you ask me.

Little Thing #9 Gearing up for the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Fest in June.....camping, wine tasting, friends & fam........and The Gin Blossoms - One of my fav 80's bands!!!!!

Little Thing #10 Looking back at all the little things that have happened over the past month and thinkin..........the litttle things in life are what make life so fun. We dont need millions of dollars, the perfect this or that....just chill, live and enjoy. Pretty simple if ya ask me.

Guess Im just too damn busy!

2010-01-19T09:12:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve - 2009 (Campsite #114)
*

Who knows where the time is going but in my world its zoomin' past quicker than I can keep up! Ive only got so much time in the day!!!!!! Lately Ive been wondering how I have been a full-time working single mother for nearly 14years! How have I done it? Well I have and Ive had a lot of fun along the way thanks to Keir, my family and friends. Lets get started on catchin up on the life n times of Angie.............

Our family camped at Cardiff from Christmas Day through New Years Day and what a relaxing and rejuvenating time it was. We did absolutely nothing for 7 days straight. We got up early, made coffee, ate at Bull Taco in the campgrounds, took long walks, napped (ALOT!), talked, cooked, played great music, went thru a whole box of incense, 3 candles and spent THE MOST quality time as a family that I can remember in a very long time. Blake just back from Philly - We picked him up from the airport and kidnapped him for several days before returning him to his mom. ;-)

Started Christmas Day at site #93 - Loved being right at the path down from the 101 at the surf statue. Had people greeting me all day everyday for 6 days. HA HA

New Years Eve we had to move campsites. Got up, packed it up (kinda) and hooked up the trailer with the pop up still up and carted it from site #93 to site #114. Ha ha Thats somethin' ya just dont see everyday. ;-) The new spot was cozy and had an ocean view just like #93. We really scored the whole time we camped. By midday we were on our way home to shower and get pretty for New Years Eve. We had about 10 people over and bbq-d steaks and wow were they delicious! Had some great wine, champagne and tons of appetizers! Way too much food as usual.

Sunset from site #114 - Epic
Everyone headed down to the beach to catch the gorgeous sunset. What a way to ring in the new year.

Time to bundle up and sing songs by the campfire.............HAPPY 2010!!!!!!!!!!

After the holidays we felt like we needed to clean up and have a nice dinner. I had a gift cert so I took the fam to Ruth Chris in Del Mar. I had never been there and wow was it amazing. Cant wait to go back!

With all the happiness in our family life is still ......just life. On Monday, January 11, we lost our sweet lil grandpa Buddy. He has been a strong loving force in our family and like his life, he fought passing away to the very last minute. The day before he passed he was very frail but in the middle of the night had gotten up and was found by nurses standing in his room. When everyone arrived the next day to say goodbye he was peacefully sleeping. Every nurse that came in chuckled and said "He sure is a strong fellow and is fighting this tooth and nail!" We all laughed. He would have like knowing we all thought he was a stubborn fighting Irishman to the bitter end. ha ha I know my grandpa is looking down on us with a Budweiser in hand sayin "Cheers!" Bag pipes are playin for you grandpa. We love you! See you on the other side.

Ok, as I wipe tears away for my grandpa, a smile comes over my face because I am reminded of all the blessings I have in my life. Our strong family, my awesome friends, my amazing daughter..........oh yea, speaking of my beautiful daughter ..........she has made her momma very happy...............She is back to blonde! Thank you LORD!
My friend Brittany is a styling magician and took Keirs hair from chocolate brown to blonde in one sitting. THANKS Brit Brit!

Last but not least..................Sunday the Chargers were in the playoffs! YA! We didnt win but I was so happy to be invited by Marty and his entire family! The day was a blast and the energy in the stadium was like nothing Ive ever experienced. Im glad I go to be a part of it and hey Chargers...........better luck next year!

So thats where were at today. Life always has its ebbs and flows and we roll with it. 2010 is going to be a year to remember. I already feel it and were only 19 days in........Happy New Year and when the ebbs and flows come into your life just remember......were all in this together. Reach out if you need a helping hand or a hug. Times are tight but everyone can lend a hand and hugs are FREE! Ive got plenty.............Just ask. ;-)

3 F's - FamilyFunFriends!

2009-12-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

My weekend started off with dinner for the birthday boys. Dad, Alf and Frank all have birthdays within a few days so we have wised up and are having a party for them the week before Christmas nowadays. We all met up at the pizza parlor and I said "Hi Mozelle, I love you" and she stuck her tongue at me then laughed. ha ha Terrible Twos or Just comedy? God she really is funny. Totally comical!
Uncle Frank brought Grace. She is such a doll. Seems like she has always been a part of the fam even tho theyve just started dating a few months ago. She fits right in.

Mozelle didnt like poppa's Santa hat - as soon as she saw him she started balling! He had to take it off but before he did we were all cry laughing cuz it was so funny.

Me n mom. She looked so pretty. She always does, but Friday she was glowing. I think she is always angelic when we are altogether. She just gets so happy when the fam is all in one spot.

All 3 birthday boyz got sundaes. ha ha They look like Easy-Bake-Oven cakes. They were so little!

We were leaving the pizzeria and Kelis said "Im going home with Auntie"...........WHAT? Yep. Her first sleepover without her parents was at my house. My parents were so pist. ha ha We went to Jens, got Kelis's jammies on her and I brought her home. We watched Madagaskar and she was out by 1030! Slept all night. No problem! YIPPEEEEEE Big girl did great!

Keir and Kelis eating snacks and being cozy.

Saturday Keir and I got this lil homemade owl from Melissa! OMG it is the cutest thing ever. Thanks Mellie Mel Julep Head. We love it!Saturday afternoon Vic and I had made plans to meet up after a whole year of trying! We would make plans and something would always come up. Laguna is almost exactly half way for both of us so around 4 this was my view on the 101 just before pulling into the restaurant.

Its was crisp and sunny out. What a beautiful day. I felt like I was on vacation so I took the touristy vacation picture.

The view from the patio where I nabbed a killer seat along the ocean!

So glad we met up. It was 2 hours of catching up on each others lives - In person finally! Vic and I email and talk on the phone but its always nice to be able to sit across from someone and really have a conversation. We needed it! YAY - So that was the weekend. Sunday I slept in, went over to Pannikin and got some chili and a coffee and sat outside then headed to Senior Grubby's for the Charger game. We beat the bengals by 1 point. Close game! Ended the weekend perfect! Always nice when we win. he he Probably only one more post before I sign off til the new year. 3 days and a wake up til Cardiff!

Art of Life

2009-12-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

Living in Encinitas has so many little gifts. Its a gorgeous sunny crisp morning and I got a good nights sleep! I was up at 5 and felt well rested. This is so rare I had to take advantage and get up and get my day going! I took a nice long hot shower, did make up, hair and picked up the house, made Keir toast with goat cheese, kissed her g-bye and made my way to Pannikin. ;-) Got my xtra large coffee and a breakfast sandwich. mmmmmmmmmmmm. Walking to the car I see this sign: "Life is like the waves.........You have to ride the ups and downs". How perfectly said.

I think the holidays are always a little difficult for me but this year has been a little lighter with Keir being home. Our little bungalow is always filled with music, incense, candles and we laugh constantly. She makes our home so warm and toasty that I love walking in after work to her on the couch, laptop on her lap, snuggled under a blanket, food and drinks everywhere, socks and shoes as I trip over them in the hallway, every light on in the house, teenage room a complete disaster................and I love it all. Having her home makes riding the ups and downs of life a heck of a lot smoother.

We've been doing a lot of art lately and I feel like I have finally found the style of painting I love. My friend Steve hears me talk about the art I do for friends and family and he is always wanting to see it. He is the king of amazing gifts so after racking my brain trying to figure out what to get the guy who has everything for Chirstmas - I decided to give him a piece of my lil creations. Im dropping it off to him today. Hope he likes it!

Thats all for now. Just a little quickie blog to keep up to date on the haps in my life. Pretty cool these days. Seven more days til Cardiff. Cant even begin to say how excited I am to camp for a whole week! Its gonna be cold but so fun!!!!!!! The clock is ticking...................Ciao for now!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh this is the life!

2009-12-03T11:26:00.001-08:00

Busy busy busy bee Ive been! Since Keir moved home several weeks ago it has been non-stop! But I love it ;-) Lots of great things have been happenin' ever since Keir moved home. She is getting straight A's. Met a nice guy (see pic above) Blake. She is so happy all the time and her lil sparkle in her eyes is back. We have been so happy and cozy at home. She has a curfew but remarkable as it is she hasnt been late - not even once! Home on time everytime!!!!! YES! We are having so much fun - the whole family is loving having her home - its so fun!

Annual tradition for Keir and I is to go get our tree. As promised we bought a lil tree again this year. Easy in the truck and no arguing! ha ha This year we even dragged poor Blake along. He didnt seem to mind - and we even got him to kinda enjoy it. ha ha a little anyways ;-)

Isnt it just the sweetest lil tree?Next up? Of course off to Islands for dinner! What would christmas tree shopping be without Islands afterwards? ha ha Cheers!
Ok, now this is funny. The kid at the tree lot didnt cut off any branches so the dang tree wouldnt go in the stand. Blake was like OMG take it out again! 3rd time was a charm and we got it in and upright. That was funny. Thats me tightening the tree stand. Thanks Blake!

Sunday - Chargers vs Chiefs. WHOO HOO! Dad and I tailgated b4 the game. We parked under the trolly bridge so it was freezing. 2 spots over was in the blazing hot sun. Oh well. Pops brought out the ol skool Chargers Jackets and I was snug as a bug in a rug. Yippe!Killer seats or what? Hello! Right on the goal line! Hell YES! On my right is Marty from my office. He is the one who always give me tix to the games. Dang, never this close tho! Thanks Marty!

Had Jen, Kelis, Fawn, Karis, Lexi and Keir over for dinner the other night. Made yummi jerk chicken tacos and Jen made fresh salsa and guac. I'll spare Jenny by not posting the salsa pictures. My blender caught the cilantro in the bottom and it jammed. Jen went to pick up the blender and the salsa spilled out the bottom. All of it. Whups. No matter. We scooped it up and ate it anyways. EWE! But it was so good. Who cares. LOL

Our beautiful girls Keir and Kelis
Jen and Kelis stayed for a sleepover and we had a girls night of painting our nails and taking pictures. SO FUN! This one Kelis took. Pretty darn good job for a 4 year old!

Look ma, no make up!

Well thats about it for now. Keir is goin' to her dads this weekend for the first time since she's moved home. Im already missing her just at the thought of it. Luckily I have my office holiday party Saturday so that will keep me busy! Stay tuned for new pics on Monday!

The Drifter

2009-11-05T08:17:00.001-08:00

You know the saying "One day I hope I....."

Last night Keir, pops and moms and I went to the premiere of

"The Drifter" at La Paloma.

(side note: that mustang in the picture is my moms - ha ha)

Rob Machado has been a hero of mine for a very long time. Ive said in past blogs how much I admire him, his surf style, his way of life.........last night seeing the movie, him playing music with his band and finally getting to shake his hand sealed the deal.

Rob and his buddies have known each other for years. The funny thing was the music they played last night was written by the band members 15 years ago. Now here they were playing it at the La Paloma for all of us and in the movie "The Drifter".

Its amazing how music stays alive, waiting for the right moment to be heard....... After the movie their was a Q&A for the crowd. I loved hearing all of Rob's encounters and adventures. Its so incredible to me the amount of creative energy that exudes from Rob. Its like, yes, he is a surfer, father, friend, artist, but what the guy brings to life is his ability to create a new way of life or new way of living life and that energy is times a thousand when you get next to him.
Pops couldnt see in the dark so this was our first attempt to get a shot with Rob. Keir is to my left. Sadly, not in the pic. Total bummer. One of my fav lines is

IF AT FIRST YOU DONT SUCCEED - TRY TRY AGAIN..........

and that we did ;-)

I couldnt go home without this picture. Ive hoped for it for a long time. And although Ive seen Rob in person coming in from surfing suckouts in Cardiff many a time while Im on runs, Ive always wanted this picture - I guess I needed to be able to open a new chapter in my life knowing that the

"One day I hope I.........meet my hero Rob Machado"

has been accomplished. Its not something like a conquest or a starstruck thing. I really admire him and knew by shaking his hand and saying "Thank you" I would feel a sense of relief knowing I was able to look him in the eyes from one person to another with a thank you for how you've enriched my life. Dont ask me why I have this connection or had the need to do this. I still dont know. All I know is last night was awesome. The guy is a shredder in the water and when he caught that last stand up barrel in Indo I had to hold back the tears.

I think everyone in the audience "Drifted" with him.

Warm days, Cool nights, Amazing family

2009-10-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

The last camping trip of the summer. Off of work early, picked up Keir, met moms and pops off the freeway and headed up to Malibu. Traffic wasnt bad but my AC is still out so driving in 95 degree heat thru LA wasnt the greatest. But we put on some KOL and made the best of it. Jack in the Box stop helped. When Keir is hungry you have to FEED THE BEAST! ha ha Arrived in Malibu at 5 and this is our view.
Straight out thru the palms and cactus is nothing but ocean.

Behind us are hills and palms.

Sunset Friday night then it was time for happy hour. Some Pearl Jam and we were all set. It cooled off just enough to put on sweaters and uggs so everyone was happy. Met a bunch of people and were up til midnight talking til we couldnt keep our eyes open. zzzzzzzzzzzzz time for bed. In the morning we headed to Paradise Cove for brunch. Its on the water and on the sand. LITERALLY! Had some killer food and drinks - If we had more time we would have rented a cabana and stayed all day for sure. Next time!
Me n Keir ;-)After brunch we went to the campsite - got on the wifi and reserved tix for the Getty Villa and headed over. No rest for the wicked! sheeshIt was really amazing to see jewelry from 2000 years ago that we would wear today. So incredible.
After the Getty moms and pops napped but we were wired so we chatted and listened to music and Keir broke out her camera and we laughed and took corny pics for an hour! What were we doing? We dont know..........were totally sleep deprived and delirious!OK, no resting! Now were off to meet my buddy Gary up at Malibu Wine for a super duper fast wine tasting (more like hurry and suck it down cuz we gotta roll tasting!) We had to rush cuz he was taking us across the street for a tour of his friends ranch. Calamigos Ranch. Um hello.

Driving thru the ranch. This is a real picture window - and those are really mountains! Beyond beautiful!!!! (dad being a nerd)

Now Keir

Biggest dork of all - ME!

Small villa within the ranch

We stopped in at Gary's benefit but we were all so tired we couldnt stay for dinner. We drove back down the mountain to the campsite and I made dinner in my lil trailer. My first dinner! YAY!!!! It was a great way to end the Summer. Next trip? Cardiff for Christmas - Cant beat that with a stick ;-)

all becuase of a grandma named 'pearl'

2009-10-12T10:50:00.001-07:00

My dad and I experienced the most amazing concert of our life compliments of Eddie Vedder's grandma. Without grandma Pearl, their would be no PEARL JAM. Luckily Grandma Pearl along with the idea of the band JAMMIN the name became Pearl Jam. October 9, 2009 will forever be etched in our souls. We got to the venue early. Had some dinner at the college cafeteria and sat in the grass people watching for hours. Little did we know the intense - high energy - amazing show we were about to enter into. Ben Harper opened and only 2 songs in all of a sudden we hear - da da da da da da da ...........and again..........da da da da da da da..........Ben was about to perform 'Under Pressure' by Queen. As he started to sing dad and I were overwhelmed and had no words. Suddenly I realized Eddie had joined him on stage to sing the song together. We werent prepared. All we could do is listen, sing and fight back the tears. It was so fucking cool.
Pearl Jam came on almost immediately following Ben Harper. No hoopla or trying to be the band that comes on late. They just came right on out and killed it with CORDUROY. Every person in the arena was on their feet - screaming - dancing and thinking the same thing we were. Damn were glad we cancelled our trip - our dinner - our anything to be here.
The entire concert (32 songs) was an experience of a lifetime. We weren't sure if it was the fact that we new every song, every lyric or every tune.........but with every word that came out - up came a memory that included Pearl Jam playing in the background. Driving to Mex back in the day, a warm summer day at home with all the windows open, whatever the memory it was all coming clear that Pearl Jam has been a big part of our lives.
Scott and Rebecca were a brother and sister sitting behind us but not long after Pearl Jam came on stage did they hop over and join us in our row. They had just been to the show in LA and drove from Orange County for more. They really sealed the fun for the evening cuz they were just as huge of fans as we were. The more the merrier right? Hell YES!

Their were so many little things that happened throughout the concert that we are still remembering moments that were beyond epic:

~Eddie talking to the crowd about the day one of his roadies daughter LuLu was born and how just as they left the hospital it began to rain. His buddy had gone to sign off on the baby being released and his buddies wife was trying to put LuLu into the car. She couldnt do it with the baby in her arms so she handed her for Eddie to hold. He explained how the rain was falling as he cradled her in his arms......the feeling he had was overwhelming. "Well" he said, "16 years later - its LuLu's birthday, so LuLu come on up!" she came up on stage, they had a cake for her and 11,000 people sang her Happy Birthday as she blew out her candles.

~Eddie talked about his life, his jobs, his bosses and how one boss in particular allowed him to work part-time and shave his head into a mohawk in order to be in a band. Now 20 years later he said thanks to his former employer who was in the audience. NO FUCKING WAY!

~They thanked their first music instructors for all of their mentoring and brought up Matt Cameron's drum teacher and Eddie's guitar teacher. We all screamed and cheered but that wasn't the coolest part of it. They had them sit in and play a song for us! I mean cmon. How rad.

~All the songs they played that we all know - Severed Hand, EvenFlow, Daughter, ReviewMirror, Why Go, Black, BetterMan, Alive.........it was all over the top. They had the crowd sing a lot and they interacted and the entire time we felt like we were experiencing something that us and only 11,000 others were experiencing on this night. Never to be repeated again. Chills chills and more chills every time the next song would start.

After they had their 3rd encore the guitarist, Stone Gossard stayed on stage. The lights were up but we knew something big was about to happen. Why else would he be up there still?

Jimi Hendrix 'Star Spangled Banner' began to play........I think me and dad bout' passed out from disbelief. Here is dad at attention for Jimi, for Pearl jam and for his country:

That was it. We gathered our things. Said our goodbyes to our new friends Scotty and Becca and started headin to the car. We realized not long after that we didnt exchange info so we could send them pictures. Total bummer.............but as luck would have it - in a crowd of 11,000 people exiting we ran back into them and were all so happy we were able to say bye again and give them dads card. Perfect ending to a perfect experience. Thanks grandma Pearl.........we'll never forget this.

SOUL FOOD

2009-09-30T11:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I was talkin with my friend Antonio. We were saying how awesome the weather was. Finally cooled off, little overcast..........it was almost the end of the day and all we wanted to do was get off work, get home and get cozy. Then we took it a step further and said WOW, wish it would rain and we both said dinner of wine & cheese with some great music sounded perfect! Well that was a pipe dream for me cuz I knew I had to go to the market and go for a run. Getting home and getting cozy just wasnt gonna happen. I wished it for him tho.

Well Im driving home and I realize maybe I can make my lil daydream come true............

I go to Henry's and get all the goodies for my dinner, race home, change and go on a run along Neptune. As Im running it begins to rain. WHAT? Yes! I was running but wanted to call Antonio and Be like um..........hello............this is crazy.......did we make this happen? Everyone I pass has the same look like "this is amazing" ..........Just then I look up and I see this:

I mean cmon. Am I in Leucadia or Maui? A rainbow? So friggin cool. On my way back I stop at SoneSteps to catch the sunset. After a long cranky day it was nice to start to feel the wear andtear I had been feeling slowly lift off my shoulders. Sunsets do this for me. Especially this one: After SonteSteps I think it cant get any bettter. WRONG! You probably cant see cuz this is my camera phone but this is a double rainbow:The closer I got to my house the more light I felt. The weight of the past 2 weeks were finally coming free. At the market I had bought all the fixins for Matbucha. With the weather it was a perfect night to stand over a pot of boiling goodness and I did just that!
With my matbucha simmering, Kings of Leon playing and candles burning I decided it was time to open my yummi lil find from Henry's:

Bohemian Highway Cabernet - I bought it cuz it was inexpensive and the the label of course! But low and behold it was absolutely delicious! Then I cut up all my cheeses and this was my dinner:

Is it my imagination or is Danish Blue Cheese the absolute most incredible cheese on the planet? Its melts in your mouth and I just cant get enough! Well 2 hours later my matbucha was done and I heated up a pita for a lil taste before bed. Viola! It was perfect!!!!!!!

2 weeks ago Keir and I got in a little spat. Ruined our day together after a perfect mom and daughter weekend and I just couldnt get past it. I used every tool in my mind body and soul and just couldnt move on from it. I was holdin on tight! But thankfully a great conversation with Antonio and some wishes that we thought were impossible became possible and actually came true! My heaviness from the argument with Keir was finally lifted thanks to a great run, some rain, 2 rainbows, a sunset, Kings of Leon, great wine, beautiful lighting and some good ol SOUL FOOD. Deep breath..............in with the good.........deep breath out with the bad as my niece Kelis says......and we do it together..........deep breath in with the good.............deep breath out with the bad............and another day begins - filled with Love~Light~Laughter~Amen

Idyllwild - AGAIN!

2009-09-28T14:41:00.001-07:00

Doesnt seem that long ago that we bought the trailer and headed straight out to Idyllwild. Well here we all are (minus Keir) back on the road and headin for a weekend of hiking, chillin, drinkin, eatin and R&R. This time I led the way with Mike and Meg following in their airstream. Everyone else was meeting us up there but we couldnt wait so we headed up early. The drive seemed much faster and instead of Keir and I jammin' to some Bob Marley I played Kings of Leon over and over til I got to the campgrounds. It was amazing how all of their songs seemed to be written just for me. ha ha I LOVE THE BROTHERS! The first night we got there, set up and Meg made a delicious lasagna. WOW was it amazing. She should really open a restaurant. In the morning we got up early and headed for a hike. Had to get the shot of Lily Peak of course ;-)
Back from the hike and it was nice to come and get in the trailer. I really love my home away from home. I hope Im not getting to used to being on the road.........
We were all taking siestas after Mike's killer chile egg breakfast and screwdrivers (ah hem, yes after our hike we drank screwdrivers - not very healthy but hey were on vacation!) when my umbrella decided to take a hike!!!!!!! The wind picked it up out of its stand and right past my ear and way way way down into a gully. My dad went to go grab it (their was no wind at this point) but he proceeded to pretend like he was the hero of the day and holding on for dear life from the north wind. Not true. But we all laughed anyways.......
Then of course it was jacked. All the guys came over to look at it and I was laughing cuz all 3 husbands were all under my lil teenie $20 palapa as if it were worth millions and needed to be fixed immediately. Nerds.
Saturday we all went into town to go to Jo'Anns for lunch. Too bad Jo'Anns is closed for the month of September. Note to self on that one. But everyone got my peace flag so all 4 trailers had my flag. It was kinda cool as you are walking past. Looks like hippy central. Cool man.

Pam and her husband Tony did their trailer all 60's. So awesome! Pam and mom modeling the cool vintage screen.

Inside its just the coolest. They even had stencils made for the walls and one wall says "if youre going to San Francisco" "Be sure to wear flowers in your hair"...........awe. So sweet. One of my all time favorite songs.
Thanks for the great tacos youre about to serve me...........Pam and Tony made us all a killer taco night for our last night.........Everyone is up chatting and helping and I was just sitting there like I was some princess or something.........well dang it...........I had just showered and didnt want to get all yukki.......ha ha........Thanks again everyone! Great conversations, great food, great wine and a great group of really fun people. Cant wait to do it again!!!!!!!!

Family Time

2009-09-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

Its been a busy couple of weeks! Time has been flyin' by so fast I cant keep up!!! I think its the whole "End of summer" thing. Camping, dinners, family..........I finally had a moment of peace and quiet last night around 7pm. Lit every candle in the house, all the windows and doors open, had some incense burning and took a deep breath................

Last weekend the wholllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee family went to Guajome Lake for Labor Day! Our pop up with Keir and Kelis blowin bubblesFinally sittin down after a long weekend of cooking, heat, fun, food, and fam

Jen n mom makin breakfast Saturday morninAlf and KelisPops, Mozelle and Kelis on a nature walk

On Thursday, after 4 longggggggggggggg years, Keir got her braces off!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO crazy to see her without braces............so shiney! Gorgeous lil baby o mine ;-)

Yesterday Keir and I volunteered at Life Rolls On for THEY WILL SURF AGAIN - Awesome Day!GREEN TEAM - One of our surfer's for the day - RUTHIE!

Green Team - waiting for our next surferGreen Team in the water with US OPEN Expression Session surfer with SCI - Keith catches a killer ride - Such a great day

Ended it by stoppin' off at the new Casa de Bandini in Encinitas and meeting moms and pops for a quick drink and we had Keir serenaded with Guantanamera...........

So thats the past couple of weeks in a nutshell - I love my life ;-)

The Maiden Voyage

2009-08-21T16:15:00.001-07:00

Carpinteria or bust. Well it was anything but a bust. It was a BLAST! The drive up alone was less scary than I imagined. The trailer pulled super smoothe for the most part and until I got to the 101 I was totally fine. Once I hit the Ventura Freeway I played the family tradition song "Ventura Highway" by America. While Im in the car singin' away I was thinkin - wow - I did it. I conquered my fear of driving long distances alone! Then I really got into it and played the song 5 more times! haa haa My folks called and said it was a little tuff to find the campground so to call when I was exiting. I was on such an I DID IT high I gave it the ol college try and found the campground no problem. So I surprised them and pulled up to their site unannounced! tee hee

We took a walk around the campground to get the lay of the land and just then it was time for Happy Hour! I just jammed and got the trailer set up and raced over to my folks site for apps and cocktails! We had some great conversation and caught a gorgeous sunset. Just what I had hoped for. ;-)

Saturday morning I was up early and took a beach walk. Its really beautiful. Carpinteria is a natural site for tar and it seeps from the cliffs as you walk along the ocean. Its incredible.
We went into town, had breakfast then headed over to Santa Barbara for Santa Barbara Wood. Afterwards we hit the Santa Barbara Winery (another tradition) then over to the Indian bazaar that I love off State Street. I got a couple awesome tapestry's for the trailer and my most favorite incense! Then pops said he had a little treat for us in Montecito. He walked us down a trail to the ocean. It was a spot called Butterfly Beach where he and his buddies first camped during a surf trip back in 66'. The street to the beach is called Butterfly Lane.

Thanks for taking us here dad. That was really beautiful and made the day nostalgic.

Got back to the campsites and by the time I put on a hat mom had our apps and vino all set up! She is the master camping hostess with the mostest!

Cheers!

Here are some shots of the trailer. Its my new home away from home.

Although we took er' out the day we got er' I felt like this was the real 'Maiden Voyage'. It gave me a new sense of what life is all about. Its about packin up, headin out and havin the life you love. I am amazed alot lately. I really am. I woke up on Monday after the weekend away and just thought to myself.........Wow girl. You are really lucky. I sure am.

Admire

2009-08-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ive been missing the ocean the past couple of weeks.....

Been dealing with several very unpleasant house repairs ~ YUK ~ Putting the finishing touches on my pop up in order to get ready for a TON of upcoming summer adventures ~Raising a teenager ~ Connecting with friends & family ~ Running into unexpected car repairs ~ And now finally realizing I have not touched my feet to sand in weeks

Today I have finally finished with all of my chores and can kick back and enjoy all of my efforts

Ive been feeling like I have a lot on my plate but something has been telling me to give back ~ do more for others

So a few weeks ago I joined forces with They Will Surf Again

http://www.liferollson.org/site/pp.asp?c=egLLKTNJE&b=242310

I wanted to do something with the ocean and luckily I found TWSA

I know Dave Rastovich, Rob Machado and Donovan Frankenreiter have been big influences on me over the years and I have great admiration for how they live their lives

Their surf style, music, and activism

Hopefully I can rally one of them to join me on September 13th in La Jolla for the next TWSA event ~ The kids would love it! Im looking forward to getting out in the water and helping others enjoy what I love so much....SURFING!

My all time favorite guys

Dave RastovichDave Rastovich Dave Rastovich Rob Machado

Rob Machado

Donovan Frankenreiter

Donovan Frankenreiter

Admiration ~ Adoration ~ Appreciation

~My heros~

Now I need to get off here and go stick my feet in the ocean and watch the sunset with my family and rejuvenate ;-)

Plumsie and Shug-gah

2009-07-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

How cute are Plumsie and Shug-gah? They are so fun!!!!!!!! After beachin it all day I met up with the fam for some grub. I always love when Kelis says "Auntie you comin' to my house?" She says it whenever we part ways. Love her. Kelis throwin' a hang loose sign for me to email to her momma in Maui!

Hang Loose Jen!!!!!!

We'll see you tomorrow!

Happy Anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aloha!

Keir

2009-07-17T14:13:00.001-07:00

Rarely do I feel the need to post 2x in one day but

I just took Keir to lunch and she looked so pretty - I snapped this shot. Just had to post it..........Cant help myself....Im a proud momma ;-)

When the going gets tuff............

2009-07-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

...............the tuff go kayaking!

Life is too short to wait around for fun stuff to come my way - so Im making my own fun! I got a kayak yesterday, went up to paddle sports in Carlsbad and bought a life vest (of course its lavender with butterflies all over it) and was ready to give it a go.

Ive kayaked a few times while on vacations. A few times in Manzinillo, Mexico and once in Ka'anapali, Maui. Thing is, you have the resort guys that set you all up and all you do is sit in it and they push you out into the calm surf. Ha ha - not so much when you're doin' it on your own as a sport!

Jen and Alf are on vacation so moms and pops are watchin the girls. They all went to Cruise Night in downtown Encinitas last night, so on my way to kayak I stopped and we all went to Giovanni's for dinner then they met me at Cardiff reef to watch me kayak.

The kayak weighs 50lbs so its a lil awkward takin it off the top of my truck. Then I had to manhandle it a bit to be able to carry it properly to the water. Once at the shore Kelis and Mozi immediately wanted in "the boat" as they called it. So friggin cute! I taught Kelis water safety by putting the life jacket on her (even tho she didnt go out in the water).

Lil Mozi is just the sweetest lil girl. She is always holding Kelis's hand and they are constantly huggin on each other. I mean cmon'...........can they be any sweeter? Melts my heart.

So I waved g'bye to the Plumsie and Suggah and off auntie went into the surf. Waves are bigger when you get out there. Luckily Ive done it enough times and knew what to do. Basically paddle your ass off til youre out past the surf!!!!! Pretty simple. LOL

Got out, waved at the fam and then paddled over to the surfers at suckouts. Surfers and kayakers arent friends so of course they completely ignored me. I knew enough to stay on the outside in the event that one of them was trying to catch a wave. Even the standup paddle boarder guy ignored me. I guess kayakers and stand up paddle boarders arent friends either!

Once I get out on a regular basis I will force them to be friends with me. ha ha

Other than being a little scared, since I was out their alone, it was amazing. The water was crystal clear and the sun was shining on the ocean. It was really quiet out there all alone. I came in once said bye to the fam then went back out and paddled back over to suckouts.

When I came in the second time the waves had picked up so it was a little hairy. I had to lay down flat on my back in order to ride the waves in without tipping over the kayak. It was an adrenaline rush and really fun. I got cooled off by the surf and got some exercise. Mission accomplished ;-)

Oh, and when I came in my pops had stayed behind to help me with the kayak in case I needed him. He watched as I loaded it and he helped me get it all secured with the tie downs. I think I could've pulled it off alone but it was nice to know that if it was too hard, pops was there to save the day.

Got home and unloaded it, washed it down and its sleeping in the garage now. Lovin the summer life! Hope this weather holds up for a couple more months so I can get good and maybe join a club and meet some people that like to kayak all the time. It was fun doin' it alone but it would be fun to have people to talk to and I think I would go further too. I was a bit of a baby and didnt go very far from shore. ha ha! Oh and when I bought the vest the owner was telling me how all the kayakers meet up at Humphrey's at the Bay for concerts! They all secure to one anothers kayaks then watch concerts from the water. I would love that!!! Yippee more fun stuff to PLAN!

The Summer of Fun ~ Cant beat it ;-)

Trust in the UIVERSE

2009-07-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched a small bird, flying very fast, disappear into the canopy of an oak tree. So dense were its leaves that it was impossible to see what happened next, though I can tell you it remained inside.

*
I wondered how the little bird found its opening through the leaves at such a speed, and then managed to gently align its fragile body on the branch it chose to land upon, all within a fraction of a second. Not to mention the impossible to imagine flying maneuvers required: the banking, the curling, the vertical and horizontal stabilization's, the deceleration and landing. Memory? Calculation? Not in that tiny brain. Instinct? Maybe, but how does instinct know which way the branches of a tree have grown when no two are the same?
*
That little bird just knew. It had faith, in spite of not being able to see how things would work out, that if (and only if) it stayed the course the details would be taken care of; that an opening would appear and a twig would be found. In fact, had she slowed down enough to carefully and logically inspect the tree first, the prudent thing to do, she would have lost her lift and fallen to the ground.
*
Kind of like reaching for your dreams. Neither memory, nor calculating, nor instincts are the deciding factors, but faith coupled with action.
~Tallyho, The Universe
*
Well, this message came this morning. Fitting eh?
*
I feel like the universe has given me yet another confirmation that I am going in the right direction. That direction being FORWARD! I have to trust in myself, who I am, all I know and be okay with where I am. And where I am is just where I am. The universe, God and Destiny are all in alignment. Deep breath. It will all work out. Not how I imagine.

Just how it is supposed to.
*
So I got the trailer Friday and Ive already got 3 camping trips lined up!!!!!!!!!!!! HA! We had a great time in Idyllwild. We drove up, got a lil lost, but got there by 6, set up and were bbq-in by 8 ;-)
*
(side note) Backing up on the setting up - Melissa will love this one:
*
So moms and pops are setting up the Airstream and Keir and I are dealing with the Pop Up. She is unloading the truck and Im setting up the pop up. We get it all organized and she is handing me the bedding. I fix my side all up - eazy peazy.

Then I go to put her side altogether.............um yea.........ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (thats me screaming!) we didnt put the stabilizers under the left side of the trailer so when I went to the far side of Keirs side and..........
whhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ba-bonk..............down it went.
Well its pitch black and I had feared the trailer rolling down the cliff earlier, so when the trailer tipped, I just pictured bedknobs and broomsticks - if you've ever seen the movie as a kid - the bed goes flying something like this - minus the smiley faces!SOOOOOOOOOOO Im face down inside the trailer, holding on for dear life, not moving a muscle, meanwhile, Keir is hysterically laughing, dad is stunned and crying he is laughing so hard and mom is laughing and saying "Where is my camera!" and Im thinkin...........someone put a rock under the front wheel or Im going off the cliff...........once I move the whole trailer goes ba-bonk the other way, dad says "Come on out, its fine" and I come out of the trailer and first thing Keir says is "That shudda been on YOUTUBE". Well Im just happy to have amuzed everyone. LOL
*
That was it. All the excitement for the evening. Perfect. Glad to have been of service. ;-)
*
Saturday dad and I hiked while mom and Keir played board games. The hike was pretty steep but really fun

After we hiked, pops and I came back and we all went into town. Pizza was on the menu but when we got to the pizza place we knew that wasnt what we all had in mind. It was in a funky old parking lot and indoors. Um Nope. Wasnt happnin'. The town is all on one street so we drove around and found Jo'Annes. Outdoor lil place with live music playin. um hum. Perfecto! Then we walked around town, went to the market, stopped in an antique store then back to the campsite for naps. HA! We were pooped! We had some snacks, listened to some music but really did a whole lotta nothing all afternoon til it started getting dark and we grilled out again ;-) Sunday morning we were up early

Top-O-The-Mornin'

except Keir - teenagers love to get themselves some sleep!
Once 'sleeping teen' was up - we started packin it up and headed home...........it was the first weekend in our new trailer and it went off without a hitch - well except for me almost flying thru the air off the cliff ;-) Now the trailer is home and next up is getting it ready for some upcoming trips. We decided the trailer theme will be

- The Endless Summer -

So when you see a trailer being pulled down the highway that is painted like this:Throw us the "Hang loose" sign cuz Keir and I will be traveling to some summer destination wishing you were all with us!

"Shaka" ~Angie

A camping we will go!

2009-07-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

I got it! I got it! I got it! Its older than dirt, but I got it! Its a 1987 StarCraft tent trailer. No more sleeping in a tent on the hard ground!!!!!!!! Its in killer condition, has 2 queen size beds, a stove, a sink and a huge dining table! This thing is so cool I cant stand myself!

I packed the car up last night and am at work today all ready to go. I had a vibe to call the seller just to check if he is back from his vacation.

Sure enough he answers and said come get it!

My dad blazed over to my work, jammed up to San Clemente and my dad totally wheeled and dealed with the seller and we got it for so cheap. WHAT A STEAL!

So were headin' for the mountains this weekend and I was all set to camp in my tent.

NOT!!!!

Now I'll be all cozy in my pop up! Anyone wanna buy a tent? ;-)

Have a great weekend! Peace OUT!

A lil bit of this - A lil bit of that

2009-07-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! After a week of an enormous life shift, I was ready for some R&R. And that's just what I got.

Off from work early on Thursday and headed straight to the beach for a bbq and sunset with the family. It is so fun to be driving down the 101 and see my parents Airstream and the palapa umbrella. (Its their signature umbrella - can't miss it!) The sun popped out just long enough to grille up some teriyaki hamburgers with swiss cheese and pineapple. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm a little macaroni salad and the sun was just about to set. Why is this so amazing to me after 40 years? I dunno, but I sure love it. The sun setting on the ocean always brings me back to life in tuff times.
*

Friday I slept in, got a nice long bath, messed around the house a lil then it was time to SPA. With my birthday gift card - I took myself to The Four Seasons for a day of some seriously needed pampering. Lord. Was it needed. Got an 80 minute all organic facial. All of the products were from the ocean. Soothing beyond my imagination. With my hands in paraffin wax, my shoulders were massaged and my facial was my chest, neck and face all at once. A light mist of steam trickling down.........I am sure I dozed off a few times. Absolutely let go.

After my facial I headed out to the "Tranquility" pool. Hello. I dont know if I've ever seen a more elegant pool.

I ordered a chicken quesadilla and a glass of chardonnay. This was my view:

I slept on and off and sunned from 130 to 530. What an awesome day!

Saturday was the 4th. Packed my backpack, hopped on my bike, grabbed some chips and beers and headed to the beach. Oops, backup. My tires were completely flat (need a bike pump) so I had to stop at 7-11 to fill up. After riding a lil ways I also realized its time to get a bike basket. I pretty much crushed all of my dads Fritos with the beers. LOL

The fam was camped again in the Airstream at ponto so I battled the crazy out-of-town-traffic down the 101 and made it safely to the beach. SHEESH! As I pulled up to ponto the crowds were all nuts. Families were parked in every nook and cranny possible. I've never seen anything like it. A man was pist off at another man and he went over to his big giant beer bellied buddy and they both came over to the other man together. OMG they were fighting over a parking spot! I looked back once then just kept riding. Too intense for me to deal with such anger on a gorgeous sunny holiday weekend. Hope they worked it out.

Sat under the palapa all day and got some great sun. Went in the water a couple of times and then whipped up some chicken teriyaki kabobs and mom made a rad summer salad! mmmmmmmmmmm - Clouds were comin over so after we bbq'd I hopped back on my bike and rode home. It was too cloudy in Encinitas to see the fireworks but I could hear them over at Aviara. ;-) Killer day!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday. Was up at 7. Why? I dunno know. Woke up, it was sunny, I had energy so I rolled with it. Got up, cleaned the house, went to breakfast, then decided to drag my folks all over Oceanside in search of a bike basket. he he FOUND IT!

Now I can ride to the farmers market on Sundays, grab some flowers and fresh fruit and ride back without crashing! Dad got it all set up for me and I was ready for a ride.

Mom went to grab grandpa Buddy to get him out of the house and I finished doin' some stuff at my place. Around 230 we met up over at a little pub in Leucadia "Uncle Dukes". Grandpa needed some fun so we put some Elvis and Johnny Cash on the jukebox and got gramps a bud and some chips and we had the best time. We even did a little waltz to Folsom Prison Blues. It was so fun to have a lil dance with my 88 year old grandpa. He said he really enjoyed gettin out and asked if we could do that more often. Awe. Lil grandpa.

Welp. That was my weekend. Sun, Fun & Family.

Mission accomplished.

My Path

2009-06-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

We've all had our ups and downs in life now haven't we? Some more than others. What has been ringing true to me lately is we're all in this together. I'm on my path, you're on yours. But in the end, the more we can help one another the easier life seems. So if that's true why is it so hard to ask for help? When things seem to veer off my path of happiness, little voices ring in my ears. "Just get it done" "Make it happen" "You can do it" "You don't need anyone's help""Don't burden anyone" and so on. I decided to ask for help and in the past few weeks I have been digging deep into my soul. With that have seemed to have stirred up some interesting stuff that needed to be addressed. Things that have plagued me my whole life. Made me angry, sad, fearful, insecure and have left me paralyzed in many situations that most people would just blow off and say "Well that was so and so's fault" or "Its not me, its him, her or them" .

Well. The truth is. It is high time I face myself in the mirror and recognize that person or those people I blame for making me feel this way or that way is ..........ME.

I have decided to accept responsibility for my own actions in my life. How I talk to people, treat people and how I proceed from here on. Yesterday was the first day where I woke up knowing their was an elephant in the room that I could no longer ignore. The elephant in the room is my past. Lemme tell ya.........Its one big fucking elephant! So I see it now and as of yesterday I am facing it head on. Not trying to go around it, above it or over it. Just face it. By saying "IT" I am saying its time to face MYSELF.

This is uncharted territory for me. Ive taken seminars, read countless, and I mean countless books on self help etc, had counseling and talked so many friends ears off I am surprised they can still wear earrings! With all of the help and work I believed I had done on myself what I didn't realize was I was working on more obvious things or rather things that were EASILY worked on from the surface. But to really feel good about myself and who I am I had to take measures to dive deeper and drum up the muck.

What's made me recognize most of this is that in a few days I'll be turning 40, my daughter is about to turn 16 and I've met someone that is worth me taking at look at who I really am. He's made me want to be a better person. When he and I re-connected a few months ago I was so sure I was in a great place in my life. I swore up and down that I am not one of those crazy chicks full of drama, baggage or whatever else all chicks seem to feed off of.

HA! Was I wrong. I've realized so much about myself these past weeks that it was hard to not see that I am far from finished with my so called WORK on myself. The WORK is just beginning. I guess life is always a work in progress. (Maybe I should make a shirt that says that!) So I'm turning 40, Keir is turning 16 and I have a great guy in my life that deserves to be treated with kindness, love and respect.

This is where I begin my new path. Today I give myself a brownie button for taking this step in the right direction.

I know the work ahead will be hard, uncomfortable at times and a little scary but I'm ready and willing to do the work so I can live in the present moment. My gift to myself is acceptance. Acceptance of where I am today. Ive begun a new journey. On a path filled with pretty trees, plants, flowers and hope. I have proved I am a survivor and I take ownership of my emotions, intentions and truth. I see the elephant and today he seems a little smaller than yesterday. Hopefully everyday he is shrinking until one day the elephant is no more.

That will be a good day.

Surrender

2009-05-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I sat in my backyard looking up at the sky. I was asking God and the universe for guidance, clarity, strength, hope and whatever else the two of them could come up with for me. You know what was answered back? A light breeze, birds singing and a lil sunlight peeking thru the clouds. This has always been the answer when I ask questions. The breeze, sun, singing.......they are all there to remind me to surrender to my own mind. Step out. Let life be life. Im not in control. Im just here to live, love and laugh.

Live the best life. Be the best mother, daughter, sister and lover I can be. Be gentle with myself. Be happy that I am healthy! I was remembering a few months ago when my health wasnt so good. All the tests. Monitors. Doctor visits. It was not that long ago! Going to sleep for weeks wondering......"Am I dying?" - "Will I wake up tomorrow?" ......And now just months later......Im healthy and all of those health issues are gone. So living the best life to me means BE HAPPY TO BE HEALTHY AND ABLE TO LIVE!

Love with my whole heart. Be open. Help others in need.

Laugh. Mostly to laugh. Laugh at myself. How serious I am. Why am I this way you ask? Conditioning. A lifetime of being conditioned to BE THE BEST. Being the best at everything is all consuming. Years ago I gave up that thinking but recently have forgotten to get back to that place of laughing at myself. Let go of the conditioning and remind myself to STOP-LOOK-LISTEN not just to my own inner voice but of those around me who love me and want only my true happiness.

The air around me has been cloudy of late. But today I surrender. I surrender to thinking I am the all seeing eye. This, I am not. I am just a simple girl. Living a simple life. Loving my daughter, family friends. Thanking God and the universe for giving me a job that keeps a roof over my head, gas in my car, light in my home and food on my table. For my destiny leading me to a man who has challenged me to see out side of myself and to be open to whatever our journey together brings.

So again, I surrender. Surrendering has never been easy for me. I like things in order. Ship shape. Easy. Basic. Drama free. But luckily for me and those around me. Nowadays I find peace when I surrender. When I let go. Today, I am letting go..............

On the day that you were born the angels got together..................

2009-03-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

There is a song by The Carpenters called 'Close to You'..............'Close To You' was released in late May of 1970 and within six weeks was Number one. Its been a song that we all sing in our family and my mom sings it to me and I have always sang it to Keir. Here are some of the lyrics:

On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue

Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you

Everytime the song comes on..... I want to squeeze Keir and tell her how much I love her. She is just the most amazing daughter a mom could ever begin to dream of. I believe the angels brought her to me. Over the weekend we spent time with my nieces, her cousins of course, and the whole time we were at the park I just couldnt stop snapping pictures of Keir. She is such a natural beauty and sparkles from the inside out. Her eyes are so blue sometimes I can stop staring at them. Good thing she doesnt mind too much.

Keir is so special. She is so smart, kind, considerate, fun, funny and loving. Im constantly amazed at what a wonderful child she has always been. Even when she was little, like 4 or 5, she would dress up in my clothes and pose and be funny or I would be playing a cd and she would learn the lyrics and then ask for that song to be played so she could put on a show for me and sing.

All of her inner beauty make her a beautiful person on the outside. What I love most about her is how she always has a smile and I was just remembering when I taught her to ride her bike with her training wheels on when were living in la jolla. I bought her a barbie helmet. She put it on and was peddling all around the pool of our complex and I can still see the smile on her face as I took her picture. Its just like the one you see above. I love that about her.

Sometimes the candid pictures of Keir are the best. When she doesnt know youre watching her. In this picture above she was pushing Kelis and Mozelle on the swings and all I could think is wow.....................she is just stunning. Absolutely stunning. I love her style too. Some teens dont have a style just yet. They havent really figured out what they like or dont like. Keir has this really awesome bohemian style of funky tops, cool jewelry and hippy shoes or uggs. ha ha I love it. Im always so in awe when we shop together and she finds the coolest stuff.

Not only is she just this beauty, she gives her heart and soul to her family. She loves all of us and always wants to hang with us and take lil road trips, camp, go to breakfast or just sit with us and chat. I just feel so lucky to have a teenager that is so into family and loves life and lives to the fullest and the happiest she can everyday. She gets the meaning of 'Stop and Smell the Roses'

When youre as awesome of a kid as Keir is you attract cool people to you. I talked to Keirs school counselor today and she said she loved that Keir is so special and hip but she hangs out with kids that maybe arent the coolest or the most popular. Keir chooses friends that are TRUE FRIENDS and she sticks close to them. Like George. (Pictured above) Keir has been friends with George since 7th grade. We have spent time with his family and he with ours and we really cherish that Keir has stayed so close to him.

Well I guess Ive had a long overdue brag session! Most of my friends have little ones and I get to hear about how they are walking, talking, eating, what their poop looked like last night, that they are off the boob, not having a pacifier at bedtime anymore etc.........I just needed to say to all ya all...............I have the best daughter I could have ever dreamed and Keir.........if you read this.........just know.....

On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue

Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you................I love you muffin. Love, Mom

Lakers game was fun but what bout' LL?

2009-03-20T10:27:00.001-07:00

Left Encinitas at 4 and got to the game by 630. Not to shabby. Got off on Pico and whipped right into Lot 1 and into the Staples Center like champs! Up 2 flights and into B-15 VIP box. SWEET!

Grabbed ourselves some yummi apps and an Amstel and we were good to go! OH YEA!

Jack having a little convo before the game starts. The Lakers are winning, beers are cold, Jen and I are havin a blast but really we were just biding out time waitin for the big screen to pan on this guy:Sittin next the where the players are standing in the White t-shirt and white ball cap is none other than LL Cool J. We could see his diamond chunks (as Jen called them) all the way up in the VIP box! He would move or turn and they were blinding!!!!! Finally just after the 3rd quarter they panned on LL and kept the camera on him for a while. The crowd went crazy. Jen and I sat in silence. He did his signature lip lick and that was bout that.

Back on the road, 5 was closed, detour thru Long Beach, back on the 710 and onto the 5 and home in 1.5. Thats what Im talkin' bout.

Thanks for drivin Jen! That was so fun!!!!!!!!!

Monterey or Bust!

2009-03-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

We did it! We went to Monterey! WHOO HOO! Mom and I headed out at dawn on Friday and the entire road trip was incredible! We had the best time and it was non-stop fun! We only had one lil mishap.................it looked a little something like this:
We were passing thru Irvine and I noticed the car next to us must have hit the car in front of him cuz their was smoke and his front end was completely pushed in. Just then mom slammed on the brakes!! Her car is so gnarly we didnt even feel the car going from 70 to a stop! Smoke everywhere, cars hitting each other behind us, screeching and she sees another car about to hit us from the rear side..............she throws it into drive and in 1 second we were outta there! No one hit us but she could see everything going on behind us and she said "should we stop?" I said "NO! GO GO GO!" and we got the flock outta there! She was still shaking and realized she had so much adrenaline she was about to pass out. She started seeing stars so I began fanning her with a magazine.............after a few minutes of laughing, crying and giving a special thanks to moms NASCAR driving skills we made it out without a scratch. Miracle one.

We figured after that incident we were golden. So we continued on our journey up north. WHEW!

We got to Santa Barbara and decided to stop for brunch and a celebration of being alive with a mimosa ;-)

We had yummi egg white omlettes at Shell Cafe' and then jumped back on the highway of death. ha ha

As we made our way we had chips and ranch dressing and that was it all the way to Monterey. Our GPS navigation system was working but we kept not believing it and called our hotel from time to time. Sure enough still 2 hours away. How is that possible? Seemed like we had been driving forever!

Off the 101 and exit Sanborn. FINALLY! Now we're on 68 and heading into the Monterey Peninsula. Lord almighty! 7 straight hours of driving!!!!!We arrive at the Lighthouse Lodge and just like the brochure said..........1/2 block to the beach! Incredible. Well. Their is a catch. See below video:

All we could do is pour a glass of wine and get over it! We have beautiful deer to our right and just beyond several folks who are no longer living is the gorgeous ocean! Hey the hotel is free so we wont complain! ;-) The show must go on!!!!

We gathered our bearings and headed into town. Parked front row and went into Scheid for a wine tasting. We really just wanted a glass but they didnt do "by the glass" so they were super nice and showed us where to go. Well none of those places were cozy looking so we walked back into Scheid. The girl was so nice she said......."How bout I just give you 4 tastings of the same wine?" Hip hip hooray! YES! The decor was warm and inviting and we sat next to the fireplace and sipped our chardonnay. The manager came up and gave us an extra tasting of the RESERVE as we chatted with him about the building and the town. We told him we were going to the Sardine Factory for dinner and he said "OH well if you buy wine here there is no corking fee there!" Well that was an easy sale. ;-) *MOM*

ME*

We laughed and took these pics like this on purpose and all night we would look at the pics back and forth and roll laughing that we look alike and say MOM now ME - MOM now ME - MOM now ME over and over. Maybe you had to be there but we thought it was hilarious!

We went to the Sardine Factory after our tasting and had Steak and Salmon and just so happened to be seated in the most gorgeous seat in the house. The Conservatory.

Our dinner and service were incredible. This is all DAY 1!

In the morning we got up, I grabbed us breakfast from the continental breakfast bar and we headed to 17 Mile to take the coastal drive to Pebble Beach for lunch. :-) First we have to grab gas and cash. We stop in town and as we make a U-turn and are driving to the bank I realize.........Did I just see what I thought I saw? "MOM TURN AROUND!" She whips a U-ie and we pull up to this church:

Of course we stopped. Said a prayer. Got choked up. Then continued on in amazement.

The drive to Pebble Beach is beautiful. The scenery is like nothing youve ever seen. Huge trees and forest with the ocean peeking thru. We got to the Pebble Beach Lodge and were seated directly overlooking the 18th hole! Miracle 2.

As we were leaving Pebble Beach a man asked if we were going to Carmel. We hadnt really thought much about it but he gave us a map and said its literally 5 minutes from here. Um ok, duh...........so off we went! Got into Carmel, bought some t-shirts, walked around a little then headed back to Pacific Grove/Monterey.

We stopped at the butterfly sanctuary which..........big surprise...........just happened to be a block from our hotel! Thousands of butterflies.................So beautiful. Afterwards we drove back into Monterey, had a little bite to eat then over to Bargetto for a wine tasting. They were so nice there and we just totally enjoyed all the great service. We each bought a bottle. YAY!

As you can imagine, by now, we are pooped! We think we are going to go to the hotel and nap then head back out for dinner. What troopers we are. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! We got to the hotel. Put on the fireplace. Watched a movie and ordered in. HE HE All of this was DAY 2!

Ok..............last day.............Wake up, shower, pack and off we go! Hop onto HWY 1 for a beautiful stroll home down the coast to San Diego. (Im laughing as I write this) Um............HWY 1 is anything but a stroll. Beautiful yes. But a stroll? No. Its a 2 lane HWY on a 200 foot cliff with no barriers! My worst nightmare! Well I tried to be brave and enjoy it but it was not easy. Mom did great. She was fine and wanted to go 80 in a 40 zone but I would scream and tantrum til she slowed down. yes, Im a brat. But to me it looked like this will be us soon:

Minus the boat but this is how I envisioned us if Dannika didnt slow down!

We started seeing restaurants and rest stops that said Big Sur. Oh...............we said............we must be in BIG SUR! Hi we're blonde! We kept seeing places to stop but werent feelin it. Finally we came around a tight bend and mom said "Here?" "Yes!" I said. We ended up at Deetjen's Big Sur Inn. Its been there since the early 1930's and is now a historical landmark. As we ate our brunch we asked to hear the story of the Inn. The owner brought us several books to go thru. To our surprise and bewilderment the one place we pick was built and owned by a Norwegian man named Helmuth Deetjen. We pick the one place owned by a Norwegian. Again. We're choked up. We ate and talked and realized............hey we need to get back on the road! Here is the Big Sur Inn:

All the photos of Helmuth over the years are in the background - Sunlight on my pretty mom

Our awesome window table overlooking the pine trees and flowers outside:-)

Well.............after breakfast we hopped back on the 1 and headed to Paso Robles, up the 46 to HWY 101! Sidenote: (HWY 46 is the wine country row......how we ended up on it is just a twist of fate) We stopped at Laetitia Vineyard for our picnic and that was all she wrote. Literally! We jammed back to San Diego and made it home by 615pm. Record time thanks to KT aka. Dannika Patrick! Mom, that was a great trip. So many memories. I love you, Ang

2 girls, a sunny day and some good ol' eric clapton...

2009-03-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

I am partial but I happen to think I have the prettiest momma ever! Saturday mom picked me up at 11 (ON THE DOT!) and we drove out Del Dios HWY to Hernandeaz Hideawy. mmmmmmmmmm we had Margaritas and brunch. HA! Who cares its almost summer!

Hernandez Hideaway is a little Mexican restaurant out in the middle of no where but it is so yummi! This is a pic of the restaurant and some cute workers sittin out havin a beer. Course I made them wave! ;-)
Lake Hodges.............not a bad way to spend a Saturday huh?
We had some time to kill before we were meetin up with pops so we mozied out yonder to Orfila Vineyard! A little browsing and a quick glass of their Award Winning Chardonnay we were back on our way!
Jammin to some Eric Clapton..............wind blowin..............what an awesome day!
After 2 failed attempts at restaurants that had closed down.......we ended up at Joes' Crabshack, window table, overlooking the harbor in Oceanside. WOW. The luck-o-the-Trulson's!!!!
Thanks for a great day mom and pop. Im a lucky girl! XOXOXO

Check Check Check.......he says................

2009-02-20T15:00:00.001-08:00

How fun to still love live music as much as I do. I still check venues regularly around town to see whose playing and whats happening that I may want to do. Well it just so happens on Monday around 2pm Im listening to 102.1 KPRi and they announce Donavon Frankenreiter is playing at the Belly Up. Excuse me!!!!!!!!!!!!! At the Belly UP? 5 miles from my house? OMG. I checked the website calendar and sure as shit. He's playing Monday and Thursday...............both shows

SOLD OUT! Son of a bitch. Since I work with all the biggest players in the media industry I start askin around if we have any connections with Belly Up. I got a big fat NO from everyone. Dammit. One of my buddys said call and see if they released any more tickets. I did. They had just released 2 tix. As I had KAT on hold at the box office Im thinking to myself...........well who in the hell am I gonna go with? DER! So I hang up. That evening I was talkin with my buddy Sonny and he was into going THUR to the show. He can get tix since he and Donavon are friends. RAD! So we plan on THUR and all week Im stoked thinkin about it. YEA. Ends up Donavon changed his number and Sonny cant get a hold of him. No biggy. We will just go and buy tix from scalpers when we get there. Lil adventure. ;-) Im up for it! Well THURs my buddy Marty at my office comes up to me and says "Do you belive in fate?" "Of course" I say "Well you must have some good karma cuz here ya go" as he hands me 2 tix to Donavon Frankenreiter! HOLY SHIT! One of the guys at the office had 2 extra and gave them to Marty and Marty gave them to me. WOW. ASK AND IT IS GIVEN ............... I was walkin to the bar to get my thousandth beer and these guys saw me holding my camera, took it, and their budy took this pic. ha ha Just random guys but I had to post it cuz I thought it was a funny thing to happen to a chick mindin her own business. In the picture we all look like were bff's! Hilarious. Well the show rocked and another hero of mine joined Donavon on stage towards the end of his the set. Rob Machado. It was awesome. Not a bad evening............and my all time fav part was when he first took the stage and said "Check, check check" into the mic........damn thats hot.

Nurture thy soul..............

2009-02-11T08:15:00.001-08:00

Today I woke up with a sense of feeling nurtured all the way to the core of my being. I didnt wake up feeling lost, insecure or wondering "whats next". I woke up knowing its all going to work out. I started off the week by meeting up with McCabe at her magical cottage by the sea. We talked, ate & drank for nearly 3 hours. It felt good to be open and honest and to hear myself say the words Ive longed to hear come out of my mouth...........I am truly happy. I am truly safe. I am truly pure of my intentions to the universe. Finally I am free of the suffocating feeling of emptiness and and the annoying feeling that I just dont know where life is going to take me. I dont feel that way any longer. I AM FREE.

*
As I walked onto the jetty at ponto this morning a guy dressed in jeans, uggs, sweatshirt and some very cool glasses was standing out towards the end staring out at the waves. He said Good morning and so did I. I took the picture of the Loved As Is rock, watched the surfers for a bit then turned to walk back to my car.

Ponto jetty is a very magical place. I have said prayers there for many years and so has my dad. Its kinda the place we go when were feeling like we need to be closer to God. I guess we think we will be heard more clearly while praying if we are in a place that makes us feel so good. And magically, Ponto jetty always does the trick.

On Monday, just as I left McCabe's, she handed me the painted rock *Loved As Is*

which is so typical of her to know exactly what nourishment a friend needs. And boy did I need it! But she has also said time and time again that she loves to leave her rocks all over the beach area for people to find. To spread joy and happiness in her own little way.

So today as I was leaving me and dads "secret spot" I realized that my Ponto jetty energy rejuvenation morning may not have been only for me. As I walked across the sand and was nearing my car the man on the jetty was also getting into his car. He is a nice looking man with blonde sun kissed scraggly hair. He looks like he just woke up, thru on his jeans and was on a surf check. This just happens to be my favorite look on a man.

;-)

I got into my car. He in his. I turned the ignition. But stopped. I took the rock and walked over to his car. Tap tap tap on his window......
*
"I guess I am supposed to give this to you" I said
*
"To me?" He said
*
"Yes, its for you" "Have a great day" I said
*
"THANKS!" He said
*
I turned and walked back to my car and we waved to each other as I drove away...........Thanks to McCabe and her sweet little slice of heaven for all to enjoy and to me for thinking to myself...........maybe this man, just like me, needs to know...........HE IS...........

California Dreamin.............

2009-02-03T08:15:00.001-08:00

*
So as Im drivin home yesterday I realize how amazing the evening weather is and that Im driving along the coast and ..................this is my life. Im on the 101 drivin thru Carlsbad and on the radio are the Mama's and the Papa's singin .............

All the leaves are brown

And the sky is grey

Ive been for a walk

On a winters day

Id be safe and warm

If I was in l.a.

California dreamin

On such a winters day

And here I am..........grab my camera and start snappin shots as I drive along the coastline........it amazes me that its February and these images are what I get to enjoy on my way home......
*

*
The ocean breeze is so incredible .......its fragrance is like a dream.

*
*
The Mama's and the Papa's song continues.......
*
Stopped into a church
I passed along the way
Well, I got down on my knees
Got down on my knees
And I pretend to pray
I pretend to pray
You know the preacher likes the cold
Preacher likes the cold
He knows Im gonna stay
Knows Im gonna stay
California dreamin
California dreamin
On such a winters day
*
*
As I pull up to my parents spot at Ponto I see them waving, mom and dad both raise their glasses to me and cheers the air, Mike and Meg pop up from their chairs and cheers me as well.....the sun has nearly set now......
the mama's and the papa's finish with
*
All the leaves are brown
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
And the sky is grey
Ive been for a walk
Ive been for a walk
On a winters day
On a winters day
If I didnt tell her
If I didnt tell her
I could leave today
I could leave today
California dreamin
California dreamin
On such a winters day
California dreaming
On such a winters day
California dreaming
On such a winters day
*
I think to myself....this is my real life. I am California Dreamin...........On such a winters day.

i can see clearly now.............

2009-01-27T09:20:00.001-08:00

Havent posted anything for a while. After I kicked off the new year, did a re-deux then went into some freaky funk I decided to take a little blog break. I needed to refresh the new year and Ive done a great job. Cleaned out a lot of old clutter, freshened up my workout by walking everyday at lunch and changed my eating habits so Im eating much better! What a difference!

This morning I got up early and headed up to Tamarak to watch the guys surf and get myself into a zen place. Feels so awesome to sit and listen to music and watch surfers. Makes me so happy.

*
Ive been so easily amuzed lately. Doesnt take much.............

January in North County doesnt suck.

;-)

untitled

2009-01-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

I left this untitled cuz thats about how Ive been feeling. I cant figure it out. Why am I so down? Am I pms-ing? Am I lonely? Am I just lame? WTF! All week I have been trying to figure myself out so today, now that Ive wasted my whole week, I give up. Rather, give in. Im giving into my funk and Im just going to let it run its course. You know we are all supposed to be "positive" 24/7 so earlier in the week I did what I usually do when Im feeling crummy. I get juanitas rolled tacos and guac and I go to the beach and watch the sunset. Didnt work. The funk is still there.

I wonder what it is? Well my rolled tacos with guac didnt help. Good thing tho is it made me decide to start eating better and start running at lunch cuz maybe my comfort food is making me grouchy! So yesterday I went and got some healthy groceries from Trader Joes' and today I will be running at lunch. Cmon endorphins kick in!I took this picture of Keir on Christmas Day and keep meaning to post it. She is just the cutest thing in this pic! She looks all cozy and Christmas-y! I hugged her so many times in that outfit I think she was getting annoyed. he he So Im posting this pic finally cuz it makes me happy. :-)
*

Well i just thought Id post my cranky post to hopefully abandon this feeling and purge it onto my computer and into my blog. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr crabbiness GO AWAY!

New Years Day.........Re Deux......................!!!

2009-01-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

Not everyone will agree with me but somehow I managed to think 2008 was a great year. I had so much to be grateful for, more so than things to be bummed about, so to me that equals a great year. Keir moved to her dads in November 2007 so by Thanksgiving 2008 I was really taking a look around and realizing all that had been accomplished in that year. Not only was Keir loving her new school, getting straight A's (YAY KEIR) but her and her dad were getting a second chance at being father and daughter. Something that was always there but just out of reach for the two of them. I redecorated and painted my house. Reconnected with countless amounts of old friends. Made new friends. Spent real, true, fun, quality time with my family (especially my sister and my nieces. Jen and I made real efforts to get together and do fun stuff on a regular basis.) These are just a few things I can think of. What about the fact that I asked God and the universe for a new industry for work, close to home, working with nice people. Voila! Got it! I asked God and the universe to be able to visit Ben and Melissa. Voila! Got that wish too! Seriously I have more to be thankful for than I have in many many years.

Now New Years Day was a little different story. Here's where this blog title comes into play. I woke up on New Years Day after having the flu for a few days and just felt kinda jipped. Like, hey, 2009 was supposed to start off with a bang and instead it started off with a fever and body aches. Good news is I was definitely feeling better so I rallied a little and called Darcy and invited myself over for a glass of wine by announcing, "Im buying some wine, Ive got your Christmas Present and Im coming over to have a glass with you before you get ready for your date!" Im sure Darcy was thrilled. Not so much. ha ha We were able to have a glass and I headed home just before the fog rolled in! WHEW!

Weird tho. Still wasnt feeling like I had a real NEW YEARS DAY vibe. Darn it. So what to do?

A New Years Day RE DEUX of course!

I got a gift certificate to The Four Seasons from my boss. I called up Aviara and started plotting my RE DEUX. "Good morning, I received a gift card and Im wondering if I can use it for SPA services?" "Why yes of course you may" Said the wonderful voice on the other end of the line. "Lovely", I said. "Also, may I use it in the restaurant?" "Why yes of course you may" again came from the wonderful voice. "Lastly, does that include alcohol?", I said. "Why yes of course if does". Ah. Perfect.

Made an appointment for an hour long Swedish Massage then called my mom to see if she wanted to meet for lunch at 2. "Why of course I would", said mom. (Like she could ever pass up a day at Aviara with me overlooking the golf course!) tee hee Love you MOM!

The Four Seasons at Aviara. Right in our own backyard. Just doesnt get much better I tell ya. Now. Im sorry to torture you with this image but here's how the morning went. I arrive at Aviara and walk into the SPA. It smells like vanilla and light lotion from the islands. Its warm and toasty. Im greeted by the sweetest girl who treats me like Im a princess. Miss Norton this and Miss Norton that. Oh la la I was in heaven! I got a locker, big fluffy robe, comfy flip flops that massaged my feet as I walked. Then I was given lemon water and ushered into this spectacular atrium. I sat near the fireplace in the picture above with my feet up as I read a magazine. It was so amazing I was a bit overwhelmed and got choked up. I thought, Wow, how did I get here? How am I so lucky to have this amazing day? ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. After about an hour of lounging and doing nothing it was time for my massage. A whole hour of being pampered. Pa-Leeze!
I showered and took my time getting ready after and met mom in the lounge for lunch.

We ordered a beautiful cheese plate and shared a bottle of chardonnay. I told her about my plotting and that she was part of my plan to have a RE DEUX of New Years Day. She loved the idea and we toasted to 2009!

Just a happy little lark she is!

Dan, our waiter. Now get this. He was the cheeriest guy you'll ever meet. He was fun and funny all afternoon. He laughed all day about how silly we were but really just accommodated our every whim. Thanks for making the day extra fun Dan!

This is Dan's contribution to our RE DEUX. Its a New Years Day Christmas Tree! Now every year we will have to put a palm tree out to make sure we dont break tradition.
*
Thanks to my boss, mom, Melissa (she actually gave me the re-deux idea cuz she and Ben were doing it as well), Darcy for starting off my re deux and all of my friends and family who put up with me year after year. Youre all a blessing and Im the luckiest girl in the world. Keir, thanks for making my life so special. Youre everything to me. Love, Happiness and Prosperity in 2009! CHEERS!

PS. You all know that Im obsessed with coming home from work and looking at my doorstep for gifts, trinkets, flowers or my future husband.............well Melissa was kind enough to throw me a bone and shut me up for a while. Saturday I came home to this cuff "HOT SEXY" in a package on my doorstep! I loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it and its now become part of my collage/dream board! Youre such a great friend Mel. Couldnt make it without ya bunsie.

Pss. The Chargers won on Saturday! 17-17, game went into overtime. Chargers scorea touchdown for the win! My final final part of my New Years Day RE DEUX! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Go Chargers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big Bear Christmas Week!

2008-12-29T08:57:00.001-08:00

Holy Canoli! Drove up on Monday morning. Had to stop in Oceanside and buy cables for the tires. Forecast was calling for snow. great. NOT! We made it! Raining the whole way but no snow yet. WHEW! Got up on the slopes and rode til we were so cold we couldnt ride anymore. Got in the warm lodge, had chili, a beer and got back out there!

Ok, little mistake. It was now windy and frrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreezing. Took one run then went into the ski shop and bought bandanas for our faces. SO COLD!

Keir and I just before we got the bandanas. See how cold our faces are? awe. poor us!

Here's where things get interesting. It was around 3 and we were done boarding. Our cabin was only blocks from Bear Mtn. Awesome. Um, yea. Not so much. The cabin was up a mile long road that hadnt been plowed. We had to stop and put the cables on the tires. It was getting dark and starting to snow. The guy at the gas station was a jack-ass and was going to charge us $40 to put the cables on. I thought, I will at least try to get them on..................Voila! An hour later I got those babies on! Not easy by any means but I did it. I have a new appreciation for guys. Putting on cables is a guys job. I will never do it again unless its an emergency and were going to die.

Our awesome chalet................so beautiful. Knickerbocker Mansion!

Our cabin. Keir loved the fish. ha ha. We hated it! Oh well, it was warm and cozy and 21 degrees outside and the wind was whipping like crazy so being in the cabin with the stuffed fish wasnt so bad. We ordered Dominos pizza and called it a night. Hilarious.

Woke up to a foot of fresh snow

Gotta start the process of getting all the snow off the car but first we must write our names on the car cuz were tourists and its fun. LOL
Where to begin?

This is our drive home. It wasnt bad. The snow had been plowed and we had our cables on. Now the interesting part was getting down the mountain and having to take them off. This is another job for a guy. I had to crawl under the car to unhook them. When your down the mtn of course the snow has melted so I was laying in melted dirty stinky snow. The first thing that happened was the snow from underneath the car melted and dripped into my mouth and onto my face. It was so gross. Of course Keir laughed and continued texting inside the warm cozy truck. Thanks Keir. I got the right side off fine but the left side got stuck. It was getting cold and clouds were coming over. I thought the cable was stuck in the wheel well and we were going to be stranded. I saw a truck driver about to leave and didnt hesitate to be a girl. "Sir!" "Can you help me?" He came over, pulled the cable and out it came. We got it off, I thew the cables in the truck and we high-tailed it the hell outta there! We got home so fast I was even surprised. ha ha I can say for sure that driving to the mountains in the pouring rain and sleeting snow is not for the faint of heart. I love being a girl and will never try to do boy stuff again. EVER!

Single in Encinitas

2008-12-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd take you on a night in the life of a single girl in Encinitas. ME!

So last night it was pouring rain as I drove home and it was dark so I decided to go home, get cozy and ......skip yoga. Dammit. I really wanted to try Andrews class at Yoga Swami but I wasnt feelin' it so I stopped at the store and bought myself some flowers. I wanted Stargazer Lillies cuz they are so pretty and festive and make an entire room smell fresh and girly. Just what the doctor ordered. ahhhhhhhhh

The next thing I did was pour myself a lovely glass of Bogle. Melissa introduced me to this chardonnay and Ive been hooked. Its so light and refreshing and pairs nicely with the bruchetta I made. Mind you, I have never made bruchetta in my life. I had to email Mel and ask her what to do! I had all the fixin's but alas, totally clueless on how to make it. I cut up the bread, poured a little olive oil on the bread and toasted it in the oven. mmmmmmmmmmm

Sidenote: to the left of the picture is a Oil & Vinegar Cruet that came in the mail last night. Ive always wanted one and finally found one online at Allysonskitchen.com. I was so happy when I came home last night to a little gift on my doorstep! My favorite thing is to drive up to my house and look for gifts on my doorstep. Why? I dont know. Am I hoping my future husband will be waiting for me on my doorstep? lol .....I need to get a grip.

Ok, so dinner is ready and Im excited to sit down to my beautiful table to eat ......but first off I need to light the pilot light cuz its about 48 degrees in my house. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I couldnt take it another second!!!! Called my dad and asked where the area was that I lit the match. He was annoyed but told me anyways. (He has lit the pilot light in every house Ive lived in since I was 19. So this was a huge turning point for me to figure it out and do it myself.) So here goes.......

POOF! I did it! OMG I thought for sure I was gonna lose an eyebrow but first try and it lit! Now, lemme tell you how funny this is. Both Emilio and Winston immediately went over to the heater and flopped down next to it. OMG they have been freezing their asses off for weeks now!

Poor guys ....BAD MOMMY!
*

Lil Emilio so grateful to have heat

Winston just irritated that its taken me this long to light it. He's been sneezing for days hinting to me to just light the damn thing already! So this is Winnie pist and down right frustrated with me.
**

Cranked that puppy to 90! Everyone is happy. Sheesh.

* *

Another thing us single gals do for ourselves is browse thru Homegoods looking for whatever might jump out at us and make us buy it. This round a 3-pak of Sandlewood diffusers jumped out and forced me to purchse them...........I actually have one in every room now. The only problem with the diffusers is opening the outer box which always has about 20 really annoyingly sticky pieces of tape to keep it irritatingly closed super duper beyond tight. grrrrrrrrrrrrr Then you have to pop off the top of each one, which is also annoyingly stuck in tight and lastly each pair of sticks has 3 pieces of tape on them!

Holy Mary Mother of GOD! Just open already!!!!!!!

Dont Laugh. Last week I took lil Emilio to the vet and they took xrays and it turns out he has bad hips. Poor fella is gonna have to live like this for a while. He isnt in any pain so thats good but he cant jump which means he cant get up on the bed. So I got him some stairs and put them together and showed him how to go up and down. He hated it at first and wouldnt do it but by the end of the night he was crusin up and down like a champ!

Tah dah! Look at me Im almost to the top!

Welp thats it. OH YEAH and I wrapped some presents and added ribbon to a few others that looked blah.

Thats the night in the life of this single gal...........

Jingle all the way..........

2008-12-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know. Im out of control. Christmas is 16 days away but I dont care. To me, its just around the corner and Im so excited someone slap me!

Keir and I went and got the tree Friday night and as part of our tradition afterwards we went to Islands for dinner with the tree on top of the car.

This year was a little different tho cuz our tree is only 5 feet tall so it fit in the back of my ginormous truck! It looked to witto in the back but we absolutely love it!!!

It was easy for me to pick up and carry in and with the help of Keir and her friend Kia, their was no screaming or cussing between Keir and I while getting the tree in the stand and straight.

Every year we struggled with just us 2 girls to get our 7 or 8 foot tree straight and this year we decided Santa is watching and we "better be good for goodness sake" and that meant no cussing while trimming the tree!

So with our lil' Charlie Brown Christmas tree we accomplished just that. It got all put up without one single argument.

***Note to self: Only get 5ft Christmas tree going forward ;-)

Saturday night Keir and I got all fancy and went to my work Christmas Party. The dress Keir is wearing is the one she got for her homecoming that I never got to see on her cuz she was being a teenager and blew me off for her big day. So finally I got to see her all dressed up in it!

(Im telling you this cuz Keir reads this blog and Im rubbing it in that she ditched me for homecoming~Love you honey! LOL)

Keir loves to try new restaurants just like me so on the weekends we usually cook a lot at home but one day or night we like to go out. So Sunday we decided to head north to San Clemente for a little restaurant recon mission. We didnt know where we were going but we knew we wanted a cute little place that we would love to come back to and we found it!!!

Cafe Mimosa

Keir had a cappuccino and I had a pomegranate mimosa and for brunch she had the Croissant French Toast and I had the "Mexi Scramble" ey ey ey was it good! Its our new favorite spot and one of the cutest bistros Ive ever seen. We had a fantastic weekend and topped it off by making Christmas cards but I cant show you those cuz its a surprise. You'll have to wait to get yours in the mail. he he

Merry Christmas!

2008-11-24T13:44:00.000-08:00

I dont have a lot to write. Just that I had a great weekend and these are 4 reasons why. #1 - Photo above - Keir home - Need I say more?

#2 - Keir with her good friend Lauren and I out to dinner having a great time just chatting. Im easy. Spending time with Keir and Im the happiest person on the planet.

#3 - Lil Mozelle - Just so dang cute and smiley its ridiculous. Her eyes are like diamonds. They are just so shiney I have to grab her constantly!

#4 - Look at that face. Kelis is just the sweetest thang ever. We were all done at the park and she said to me "Angie, cmon over to my house okay?" Can I just tell you that this kid can say anything to me and I do it.

Thats it for today. Had a fantastic weekend with my daughter, sister and nieces. Easy Peasy.

Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!

2008-11-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

Is anyone else as excited about the upcoming holiday season as I am? I dont know whats gotten into me but I'm ready for my Christmas tree and Thanksgiving hasnt even happened yet!

I just have this incredible feeling that its going to be a wonderful holiday season.

Ive been listening to Christmas music for the past week and am ready for a yummy turkey and deviled eggs at my moms house for Thanksgiving. The great thing about Thanksgiving is getting the family to sit down at one table for several hours at a time and give thanks.

This year I have a lot of things to be grateful for.

My daughter

My family

My friends that have stood by me for years and all the friends who came back into my life

My animals

My home

My job

The beautiful city I live in

My health

My happiness

My faith

All of these special gifts Ive been given in 2008 have definitely made a difference.

Ive had a little health scare and even that Im grateful for because it has made me stop and reevaluate my life and how I was living it. It made me realize its time to switch gears and downshift. Slow it down.

Its made me get onto a new path and the next part of my journey. I found a great yoga studio called Yoga Swami http://www.yogaswami.com/directions.html

I found an amazing homeopathic healer "GITA"

But most exciting of all is I have had to take a deep breath (several actually cuz Ive been out of breath!) and really make changes in how I was managing my time and my life. I had forgotten to take care of my inner being, my soul.

I cancelled my gym membership today at Family Fitness. Working out in a gym is not fulfilling to me and I dont enjoy it.

I love to be outdoors and run along the ocean then do a few extra moves in the park while I watch the sunset. I cant run everyday so I plan to incorporate other things I love and do them more often.

Hike, Bike, Kayak and my newly added YOGA.

So even though my health was suffering for a few weeks, it opened me up to realize the bigger picture. TIME FOR CHANGE.

As my Christmas music plays, my honey candle burns I feel a sense of new peace and tranquility that has been vacant for some time.

I'll be saying this a few more times over the next few weeks but here is my first one....HAPPY HOLIDAYS ;-)

* Peace * Joy * Love * Happiness* Laughter *