Happy New Year's Eve

Happy 2008 Everyone!!!

We are off to celebrate by going to the movies and having company this evening. Enjoy your evening! Until 2008

West Seattle

Today we headed out to Costco just to get out of the house. Dave wanted to pick up a few items so we got the boys in the car and went. One of the gifts that the boys got was a "reader". A certain book is put into this device and it will read the book to the child. It was easy for Riley to figure out to work. It came with 4 books and I picked up 3 Mickey Mouse stories today. Later Kari and the boys watched some TV, and then they met up with her boyfriend James. He has a boy that is Riley's age so they all played together. Brady didn't get a nap at all so he will be going down tonight early.

Today is also my dad and stepmom's anniversary. My dad passed in 1999. If he was alive it would have been 34 years today. She really misses him. I really miss him too. He contracted MS when he was in his 30's and was in a wheelchair for half of his life. But it wasn't MS that he died from, it was prostrate cancer. Because of he was weak because of MS the doctors couldn't really take the steps with him as the would otherwise. The cancer grew. He died at home August 12th. He and Eva was married even though he was in a wheelchair. In fact, the met when he was in the hospital. She was a nurse working there. The had a very special relationship and I am not sure that she will ever get over his passing. I hope she does if she finds someone just as special and will treat her as well as my dad did. But in the meantime, she has many friends and family that keeps her busy.

You know, 34 years pass really quickly. I was 18 at the time they married and I remember that night like it was yesterday. I was a member of the wedding party and I was sick with a fever. I was really sad that I couldn't enjoy the reception as I wanted but I went home to bed. Although I remember every event since, in reference it is a very short time. It causes me to once again to not take time for granted or those around me.

Today Dave and I also took a drive to West Seattle and Alki beach. You might remember Alki beach in "Sleepless in Seattle". Do you remember the scenes where Megan Ryan is following Tom Hanks and his son in a row boat? She stops the car and watches them while they play on a beach. Well, that is Alki beach. It was where Seattle was founded. Al-ki with the "i" saying it's long sound or it's name.
From West Seattle one can look over the water back at Seattle. Here are two pictures that show today's Seattle skyline. You can see the Space Needle in the second picture. Seattle is the Emerald City but in these pictures it looks like the Golden City. The sun was shining right on the face of the buildings. So between the sun and the cellphone camera, it isn't all that clear.



This is a picture from Alki beach looking out to Blake Island. You will see a small Statue of Liberty which is loved by the community. It was just fixed after vandals messed with it. They cut off her arm. The community is looking to put something around it so that no one can destroy it again. These pictures are from my cellphone's camera so I hope you can see it ok.


Here are some more pictures of Christmas. This is Butchie again.

This is the dining room...

Here is Steve doing dishes...

and finally a picture of a picture of Jason and Todd (who were not present)...

With that, I will say goodnight...

Finally... Pictures to Share

Finally we got the phoneline fixed and I can share some Christmas Day pictures. The repairman was to come from morning to 5:30pm and around 4:30 pm he showed up. I have lived long enough to not be surprised at the fact a repairman shows up closer to the end of the day... especially when you have had to stay home all day to make sure not to miss him. Am I right?

Anyway, here are the pictures... I told you that we had "polite snow" on Christmas Day just as we were suppose to leave to go to our family get together and dinner. Here is a picture of the snow that had fallen at that point as we left the house (above).

At our house, Riley woke up about 6:30 am asking me it Santa came yet. He didn't go out to the living room to see himself. He thought I guess that I should go check it out. The night before Dave had put together a train table for the boys to be able to play. I had seen them at the Thomas the Train event in July in Snoquilmie and in various other places and they seemed to be very useful. The boys can keep their trains up instead of tearing them down each time. I also got a different train set that is plastic rather than painted (because of the lead paint scare). Kari and Dave was laughing at me because I got a train set with 161 pieces. It is called The Ultimate Train Set (Thomas the Tank Engine). It has enough trains for the two boys AND can be changed around to change the route of the tracks with bridges and stations etc. What grandmother could resist, I ask you? Here they are playing with their train set Christmas morning.

Later that day, we went to Dave's brother (Steve) and sister inlaw (mine too) house for Christmas dinner and fun. Unfortunately there were a few people missing (Todd and Joelle, Jason and Sarah) from our family because of the fact they have a partner/mate now that we must share them with on the holidays. So at the table this year was: Steve and Ruth, Butchie, Dee, Danna and Dave, and Riley and Brady. Kari was there for a little while before heading out to another dinner she was invited to attend. Here are some extra pictures just so those in Wichita reading this can see. (Wichita is where my husband is from). Below is Dee (Dave's mom) and Butchie (Dave's aunt)...


After the dinner we had our gift exchange game. Of course, there wasn't as many playing this time. And our family gag gift "hamster" that is hidden each year in the presents was given to "Toys for Tots" by Aunt Butchie. (We don't think she caught on to what the gag is about) She receive the gag gift last time... so was suppose to wrap it with a present sometime during the year to give to the next person in the family. We've had that gag gift that we passed around for a few years... maybe five. The person that receives it is to hide it in anothers family members birthday or Christmas present. It is sort of like "tag". We will have to find another "gag" to pass around. It's funny that Butchie sent it off as a donation. :-) After all the gifts were open, Ruth and I asked her "Where is the little hamster that sings?" The gags on us.

Here is the cake(below) and bread wreath (above) for Christmas dinner that I ordered from the bakery in Black Diamond that day I was with Renee where her favorite donuts are made.

Everyone had a great time. I always tell myself that this next year will be different and that I will plan more occasions to get everyone together. Let's see how well I can make things happen.... you can watch me and see. Part of my job at work is being an Event Planner. All one has to do is have an occasion and set the planning in motion. I know that better than anyone.

Above is Dave and Aaron.

I will have more pictures on tomorrow's post. Today I took down the Christmas tree and decorations. I was going to go slow getting it all down but I was waiting for the repairman... it just happened. I was done. Christmas stuff appears here and there for days after putting it away. So I have the last box still down so that I can pack those items that appear that didn't get packed.

I will sign off now for today. Until tomorrow... Hugs.

One More Time

I will have to post one more time without pictures since the phone repair person won't be here til tomorrow. I already have the draft written ready to go. Oh well.

Today was the most quiet day yet out of the three days I worked this week. Jena, a part time student worker, was suppose to be there with me today but I think she found something better to do. As for me, I decorated my little cube. (I have pictures of that too but let's not go there). At lunch I went to a little place that I have been going to for years where one can get antiques and other items. I decided I would like to put a little lamp in my cube for more light and a homey feeling. Afterall, it is my home away from home. So I found the perfect size for a lamp on top of my file cabinet, plus it also compliments my lighthouse picture which is above it. I also found a pot of flowers too which had the right colors as well. My creative juices were flowing which made the time go by quickly. (My boss can't have real flowers around so this is a good thing)

I am now off for four days in a row now. I feel that my time at work was just as equal to bring off this season. I organized at work rather than at work which is important too. I only spoke to less than 5 people today so I had a lot of "me" time while working on work projects.

I am beginning to form a plan for New Years Eve. My friend Susie and I are planning to have us (couples) go to a movie or stay in and play games (and eat chips and dip etc). It all has to do with timing. I plan on having a small family dinner on New Years Day. I will probably go towards having a roast, salmon (a big NW favorite), or Mexican food. They all sound good right now. Yum

In the meantime I plan on taking down the Christmas things slowly. I have already packed one box full of stuff. I have about 4 boxes of Christmas decorations. As I pack things I go pick out things to pass on to the Goodwill. And I clean up the house as I go too. For some reason I want to start a new year with a clean house.

Wish me luck with getting the phoneline fixed tomorrow. Oh and I go to WW tomorrow. It might not be the greatest of weigh ins. If it isn't, well we will go from there but hopefully I maintained. Heah, right. No way after this week. Have a goodnight

Another Day In Paradise

This has been a good day. I am getting more rest at work than I would have at home since it has been so slow. Normally I would like to be out doing things but it is cold outside and there is a threat of snow again. Polite snow fell this AM as I drove the boys to daycare. This evening we had snow falling and it was sort of sticking to cars, plants, and grass.

As you can see, I haven't been able to post with my computer. Only from my blackberry. The phone line is still down. Dave says that he will test the lines and call the phone company tomorrow. My pictures of Christmas are on my yahoo account. So I guess we'll wait one more day

Met Kari tonight with her friend Kelly for dinner. We went to Kings Teriyaki our favorite place for teriyaki food. The boys love it. Probably because she ate a lot of it when she was expecting them, especially Riley. Kari starts a class next week at college (not my college). It will be good for her and open her up to new ideas.

Well, even though I didn't work too hard today, I am tired. I will check the snow outside and then turn in. Goodnight.

White Christmas? What???

You know I wasn't dreaming of a White Christmas but regardless flakes started falling anyway. But it was a "polite" snow. That is snow that looks pretty but doesn't cause any problems. In fact it was all gone by the time we left to go home on Christmas Day from Steve and Ruth's house (my brother in law and sister in law).

I have pictures of Christmas Day but I can't post them today because the phone line (land line) isn't working. We didn't really use the phone since Sunday so we don't know what happened. But as soon as it is up and running I will post the pictures. I have family in Southern CA and Dave's family is in Wichita... So I want them to know to keep checking my blog for the pictures.

Today I returned to work and there was hardly anyone there. A few people stopped at my desk to see who was there or because they didn't have much to do. Students aren't on campus. They begin Winter quarter on the 2nd. I moved desks so I was organizing my cube. It was nice to have time to myself to get things done.

This morning I was tired from all the Christmas activities. I could have slept in. I'll say more Christmas Day etc when I get the pictures posted so I am not repeating myself.

I have been reading the blog friends and it seems everyone had a great hoiday with their family and friends. So until tomorrow... Have a restful evening. ;-)

Merry Christmas!

I hope all of you have the Merriest Christmas!

It amazes me how quickly time passes. I keep that in mind when the hoidays come around marking another year and time with the ones we love.

God Bless.

Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve! It's finally here after all our preparing and hard work. On Sunday we finished buying groceries and things for stockings. One great place to buy some stocking stuffers is the dollar store I have found.

We decided on ham. We got it at Costco (which we braved). I am having the boys go to preschool for the morning only. We will go to the bakery and Walmart. Get the boys around noon. We'll have dinner around 5 pm and go to church at 7 pm. When I was growing up, we would go to my Aunt Clara's house to eat and open presents. Then we would go down the street to my grandmother's house to open more presents and eat dessert. Santa would show it and we would get our gift from Santa.

Here's to all of our Christmas memories; past, present, and future. May this Christmas be the merriest yet!

Thank You Mc D

Saturday was very rainy in the AM. The kids need to play and get some exercise so we took them to Mc Donalds. The boys like the pancakes and Dave the coffee. They play in the big treehouse with all it's tubes and slides. They play and we read the paper.

We also took a drive to Enumclaw. Nothing is really there except a cozy farming community and small town. It was nice to take a moment to get outside away from crowds and the bussle of Christmas.

I also got the pictures of Santa and Riley from last week yesterday which I will try to add to this post. I am writing this by my BlackBerry and to get a picture posted I will have to use the computer. If you ever see a mistyped letter it is probably me typing a post from my phone.

We have our shopping done, I believe. Today we will deal with getting the grocery shopping done for Christmas Eve. I ordered a decorated cake for Christmas Day. It will have a skating snowman on the cake.I also ordered a wreath of braided bread for both days. I will try to get a picture of them all.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, can you believe it?

Danna's Day Off :)

Well, I have managed to find all my missing items. Whew. All accounted for now. Hopefully I can keep it that way.

You know the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"? Well, except for getting into trouble and playing hooky, my day felt like that... On Friday morning I got the kids ready for preschool and got them in the car. I really didn't fix myself up much because I planned to come home right away. I was ok looking but not my usual self. I had been in a rush so I just was dressed without makeup. Dave was home too and up so he decided to go with me. After delivering the kids to school, we decided to do an errand. (I put my makeup on in the parking lot. Good to go.) Then we went for coffee at Starbucks. Then we decided to do another errand which followed with the idea of going to the movies.

So at 11 am we where seeing the newly released National Treasure movie with my passes from the other day. The theater was almost filled completely with people. I thought we might be alone but it wasn't the case at all. After all school is now out. (Oh guess what? We sat in the theater that was flooded the other day. It was vandals. Some teens set it all off. Fans were still drying the carpe) Anyway, great movie. See the first movie first though. This is the second movie and it assumes you know the characters so there isn't any character development. It goes right into the storyline. It also has a conclusion which could lead into another sequel. It was more predictable but very fun to watch.

Next we were hungry. Dave had a gift certificate to the Outback restaurant so off we went to have a early dinner. Two hours later and because we were near the mall, we then went to Borders to look at books.

By this time it was almost time to pick up the boys. Kari called and said she would get the boys so we went on to Home Depot. There wasn't really anything we needed or wanted there. We looked at possible molding to use in the dining area of the kitchen.

After a 12 hour day off just doing and going where we pleased, we finally got home. I finally got to shower. But it was a lovely day.

Where Oh Where Did It Go?

On Wednesday when I took Riley to the Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor I was looking for paperwork I thought I needed for Riley. In that process I have now misplaced a gift certificate for Kari for Walmart. Thinking I had put it somewhere safe, I spent a couple of hours looking for it. I thought I put it in my purse but it isn't there. So I must have put it somewhere else when I was looking for the other stuff. That makes 4 things I've misplaced lately. I have found the other things but I am worried about this. I will find it when I relax and give up.

I am doing well with catching up on my Christmas preparations. I have more wrapping to do and then turn my thoughts to getting ready for Christmas Eve. I am leaning towards having ham. I want to get a ginger bread house to put together with the boys and Kari.

I want to go to see the movie National Treasure, the second movie that comes out today. I can use my pass they have me Wednesday.

As I write this Dave is watching some movie in the living room and the kids are watching for what seems to be the 100th time The Polar Express. (It, of course, is their favorite movie at this time because of the train. Each time they watch it like it was their first time ever seeing it.) Aaron has gone across 'the water' to visit his other side of the family.

Time to put them the boys to bed.

Until tomorrow.

Herrrrreeee's Brady!

Brady is my other grandson. He is 2 and will be 3 at the first of February. I thought since Riley has gotten so much exposure lately I would give him a little time on the blog. Brady is just learning how to talk but he is learning very quickly. Almost everyday I do a double take at what he says out of the blue. He is a blanket carrying kid like Linus on Peanuts. His favorite phase to say right now is "I don't want to!" Imagine a kid saying that when they are two years old. Can everyone say "typical"?



Brady thinks that whatever he is doing is a party. He seems very smart. There is a chance that he is ADHD also. He is very hyperactive it seems. He must have all lights, sound, etc off to go to sleep or he will use it to stay awake but once asleep he sleeps like a rock.



I spent my first day off wrapping gifts and then going to the movies to see Alvin the Chipmunks like I think I mentioned. It is a very cute movie. About 5 - 10 minutes from the end of the movie the fire alarm goes off. I had just thought about emergency exits because of the message that they show right before the movie. "I have never seen that happen.", I thought to myself. Well, now I have. As we left the movie theater I looked into the theater next to ours and water was pouring to the floor. I don't know if smoke set it off but it seemed there was more water than sprinklers would have made in that short time. I will have to find out in the newspaper or when I go back what exactly happened. They gave us two passes for the tickets that I had bought so that we could come back and see the movie or see another movie. The fire trucks drove up just as we were leaving.

Riley may have to have his tonsils out. We will try a spray first to see if it helps but if it doesn't he might have to have surgery in the future. :-(

I want to say Happy Birthday to my cousin Melea and Michael. They are my first cousins in California. I think of them often... especially during the holidays. We shared many holidays together when we were growing up. Melea is a story teller... and she writes them too. God Bless you two always.

Cheers!

It's In The Bag

My title is in reference to the fact that I am off work for the next 7 days. The picture above is Riley after the Santa Parade last year... it expresses nicely how I feel at the moment. I return to work the day after Christmas. As I said before, my co-workers are going to be gone during that time and they will not return until after New Years Day... when the new quarter begins.

Since this was my last day with them until after the new year, I came up with some way to celebrate our successes together in the past and in the future. You ask, "How did you do that Danna?" Well, after Christmas cookies to the max and all measure of holiday glee, I decided to focus on what we would do at New Years. I bought at Fred Meyers (a local store like Target only with a grocery store in it) last night some flute glasses for $2.00 each and some Sparkling Cider. I sent an Outlook meeting request to each of them for 4 o'clock, a half hour before people went home. At 4 pm I poured the cider in the glasses, explained that I felt we should take a moment and reflect on the year past and all the accomplishments we had during the year. I wrote out a "toast" to read out loud. I also told them in the toast that they were to keep their glass so that we would toast to more accomplishments in the future year. We "clicked" our glasses and drank our juice while we talked about our adventures last summer at the summer fairs and an event that we put on for the community in September. I am very fortunate to work with such great co-workers. They are very talented and will go far.

One of the people that I am writing about is Phillip. He is going to get married in June. One morning he came in to work and put before a beautiful and expensive diamond ring. Our eyes almost popped out because we didn't even realize that he was thinking of asking the "big" question. I think the element of surprise is something that Phillip rather enjoys using on people. He was very creative himself and used a puzzle to ask her to marry him. He tells us stories about how all his weekends are about planning the wedding. :-)

I have mentioned Lindsey before in my blog. She just obtained the position of Outreach Specialist and is very enthusiastic about her job. She is a pleasure to be around and work with everyday. She's going to San Fransisco to be with her mom and dad for Christmas. They moved down there a year or so ago and her brother is away at college, so she is on her own other than a boyfriend and us. I hope she thinks of us as family.

Phillip is now a director but above him is Bill. He was someone that I had been told would be the hardest person to work with and would hate it etc. I didn't know what to think but it turned out that Bill is really a nice guy. He is confident in his ideas and the changes he makes... and that makes people nervous. He is a great dad and loves to joke around and kid.

We also have student workers that work with us. We will be hiring when we get back a new person to fill Lindsey's old job. So there are more changes ahead but we look forward to in 2008.

Renee worked with us until last August. She went back to her old position doing what we do for Central Washington University. Today I am meeting her for "coffee" before she heads over the pass to Ellensburg, where Central WA University is located. She is going there for holiday fun with her co-workers. I am so excited that she will be having a baby this May. I will have much to write about then.

Check out my idea of the funniest YouTube video below. All you moms will love it. And don't forget to vote on the poll too...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

One More Day

I have one more day before I am off for 7 days in a row. I am beginning to really plan how I want to spend those days. I have been working at getting everything in place. I have everyone at least two gifts.

My mom called me a few days ago and informed me that they (my mom and stepdad) have decided not to buy anyone gifts. I am ok with the idea I guess. After thinking about it I realized something. She will send us money and I turn around and send them a gift certificate. Sounds like we are just exchanging money. Hmmmm

I managed to get a little shopping done on my lunch hour. I am really thinking about what I get people this year. It has to be what I knew they need or will use. I got the boys a train table and the ultimate train set of Thomas the Train. They only play with their trains. I took most of them away as I figure out if they are harmful through lead paint that may be on them. This train set is plastic and has no painted parts. I read in the paper that there is a testing kit that one can buy at a hardware store. I wonder how much of a scare it really is. After all we who are in our 50s grew up with lead in our paint. On our cribs etc. But it is better to be safe than sorry and until I figure it all out, they won't be playing with die cast toys I guess. Not on my watch. I am working my way around the problem by buying only plastic because the color is in the plastic and not painted on the toy.

I am really needing these coming days off. Fall is such a busy time for us. We are very excited to see the "light" at the end of the tunnel. There are actually toy trains at the end of mine. ;-)

Have a great Tuesday.

Santa's In The House!

Sunday was a successful day. Dave and I started out Christmas shopping by stopping at Starbucks... him for a latte and I for my zen green tea. It was nice because we could quietly go through the Sunday ads. We went to Barnes and Noble to buy some books that were on some Christmas lists then went on to Body Works.



We got home around 4 pm and I had time to get Riley downtown to see Santa. The photo above is the little house they built him to hear little girl's and boy's requests for Christmas. We waited for about 30 minutes before Riley was able to go into the little house. Riley was in awe... slowly answering any questions asked of him. You would have thought Santa was a movie star. Santa gave Riley the "naughty or nice" test. He touched the tip of Riley's nose and there was a squeek much like a dog's toy. Santa laughed and told Riley that he was "squeeky clean" meaning that he was good. Riley told him he wanted Thomas the Train Engine and tracks. Santa gave him a candy cane and said he would be at our house on Christmas Eve and added that he would like milk and cookies... and a few carrots for the reindeer. Riley promised that we would do just that. Smiling at his successful visit with Santa he left holding the candy cane that Santa gave him proudly.

We walked over to the Cow Chips store where he purchased with some money I handed him some small cookies to celebrate the occasion. It isn't every day that one visits with Santa (and believes they did). I didn't take Brady because he would have never stood for the waiting or seeing Santa and would have ruined it for Riley. He will be 3 in February and he will not be so fussy next year.



It will be a very easy week. I go to work for two days and have 7 days in a row off. I return for 3 while most people are gone... and then have 4 days off. I have lots of plans for getting things done during that time.

BTW... Happy Birthday Susie! She has been a friend, a best friend, to me for 12 years (if I am counting them correctly). We were both career counselors at high schools in the same district once upon a time. She moved on to the community college scene and I followed her. Today she works doing what I do at the University of Washington, Tacoma. I probably will follow her someday but for this moment in time I am truely dedicated to my job and my co-workers.

I wish you a great day and a wonderful week.

Family in Cali

There is one hard thing for me at Christmas time. My family is mostly in California; my mom and stepfather, my niece, my 2 brothers, cousins, a beloved uncle, and my stepmom. There are many things that has changed since I left especially the loss of my father and grandmother. My sister had died one year before I moved to WA. I have many cherished memories that help me at this time. Plus, I have a new family, Kari, and the boys. The boys were born here and have yet to visit California. I told Riley that I grew up next door to Mickey Mouse :-). Of course, he believes me and is ready to accompany me on a visit as long as MM is a part of the deal. Above is a picture of my niece Brittany (on the bottom left), Kari (on the bottom right), my mom (on the top left) and me before my mom had heart surgery a few years ago.

In August 2006 my stepmom Eva, and her sister Becky, came up to visit us. She really enjoyed hiking and visiting places around Seattle. I always cry when anyone comes to visit and when they leave. I really appreciate everyone especially since I can't see them all the time. They are in this picture below along with Riley in front of our house.


Today I plan to try to take Riley to see Santa again... he has been popular. Last night we stopped to see him and he was at dinner. Oh well, we will catch him soon.
Riley hasn't minded knowing that I will make good my promise. I may have weather issues working against me... yes, snow is being forcasted again! So far we have been lucky and have escaped. Any snow that has fallen hasn't stuck. Again, we will have to see what happens.

Until tomorrow... Have a fabulous day and have some fun!

Aaron's Big Day

Aaron is my stepson (on the far right). Dave and I started dating when he was 8 or 9. On December 5 this year he turned 18 years old. I think we have a good relationship. We are both easy going and we enjoy talking together. He has never been a problem. Kari and I love to try explain what and why girls act and do things they do, which (of course) is confusing to him. He attends a Christian high school in the area so his exposure to many things is limited. He will learn soon enough. All his best guy friends have taken over the house today. There are three TVs playing video games. Pizza and soda is available on the kitchen table. At 5 they plan to leave to meet up with other friends at the skating rink. It looks like a very successful party.

I lost a half of a pound this week at Weight Watchers. I have decided, as I told you last week, that I am only hoping for maintaining since I have faced (like many of us)holiday parties. I guess what I have been doing has helped. Soon it will be January and I will have thousands of people trying to do what I am trying to do. I feel good that I started long before January. I believe in resolutions... not only at a new year but January through December. I am always trying to improve on something.

Later tonight I am going to Kari's church to back her up in singing "Mary Did You Know" and I am to set up the story of Jesus' birth before we sing the song. We went shopping so that we had something nice to wear. Everything I wear tonight except for my shoes will be new (pampering myself again). I plan to take Riley to see Santa before we go to church. The line was too long earlier today.

Wish me the best tonight. It has been a while since I sang. I talk all the time to many people but this is a little different even though we practiced.

Shhh, It Is So Quiet Around Here!

Finals for the students ended yesterday. Today they have all probably hit the malls to catch up on Christmas shopping. It is so quiet here at the college we step out into the hall just to see if anything is happening. Nothing. We've got nothing. The odd thing is this place now is rid of the feelings of anxiety and stress. So if you are looking to rid yourself of any holiday stress, go to your local college campus after finals week. You will be very alone.

I will be the only one in the office during the time between Christmas and New Years. I am taking time off prior to Christmas to get things done; shop, take Riley to the ear, nose, and throat doctor, and do some fun things.

Dave may have to go out of town next week. Yes, the week before Christmas. That would be a bummer (old word) but there is still hope he won't have to go.

I took the opportunity at this time when things are slow to move to another cube to work. We will be hiring more people soon so I moved to a new spot. It gives me the chance to organize and get rid of stuff. It is true that inviting company or moving helps one clean up.

Getting rid of stuff is like a part time job or hobbie with me these days. I think it is my age or something because I wasn't so anti-stuff as I am these days. It is in the form of layers. I go thru closets etc only to return to do more and more. Simplicity now! Is what I cheer. I only want things that I will use or "experiences" such as gift cards to go out with my sweetie.

I have an open house to attend so I better get going.

Wow Is It Dark Outside!

Here in the Northwest at this time of year we only have about 8 hours of daylight. Plus, most of the time we are dealing with clouds and rain. It is amazing it's dark still at 7 am and dark easily before 5 pm.. The first day of winter is the day the light begins to return. It is so exciting to think that we are going to have more light about February. You can almost hear me saying "Wait for it... Wait for it..." as the clock changes the calendar page to February. Once someone told me that we gained 10 minutes of light each day (but of course, we lose that much going back the other way, but I don't know how true that is. It seems right though. In the summer it changes to having only about 8 hours of darkness and 16 hours of daylight in the summer. In June the sun is still out at 10 pm. Not helpful at 4th of July, I must say, when we must wait for fireworks. However, the darkest works well with Christmas lights and it's sad to see them gone in January.

Yesterday was uneventful which is nice once in a while. We did see Renee at lunch today. We have about a month to wait to learn the gender of her baby. She and her husband is trying to pick out names.

Have a wonderful day.

Do You Want To Blog?

I titled this blog after the song "Do You Want To Dance?" I went to a "webinar" yesterday which gave instruction on how to have a blog for a college campus. It looks like we as a college may try to do some blogging to reach out to more potential students. My learning how to blog is timely. At least I will have some idea what we are doing. Maybe. I am just a beginner. I am excited to have students on campus use blogging as a way to communicate. There are a lot of possibilities.

The count down to Christmas is two weeks. (Soon it will be the 12 days of Christmas and BTW I don't really like that song). What am I saying? It will be summer soon. Christmas is gaining speed and is upon us like a snowball rolling down hill. So how are we holding up? Personally, I am feeling the presssure. I am trying not too. But there is a ton of stuff to do. And then yet to enjoy doing it... With love? I am just trying to do it with balance and grace. I suppose a little more planning of details are in order about now.

Last night we watched "Evan the Almighty" which was funny and gave us some laughs. That's always important. Eatting well and sleep too is important especially at this time of the year and I am probably not doing my best there either. I guess I will start again right now beginning today.

We're half way through the week. Have the best day yet.

Riley: The Bravest of Us All

On Monday Riley had a "wellness" doctor appointment. He is four so he was suppose to have a wellness check when he turned four in August. I got off work at 2:30 and picked him up from daycare to be at the appointment at 3:20 pm. I couple of years ago Riley was developing slowly so we had him assessed to see what the issues might be. It was not easy to go to hear from a doctor what a person might be afraid of hearing in regards to their child. Autism cases are on the rise. My opinion is that a child needs to be advocated for regardless of fears and we need to do right by Riley. The doctor at the Children's Hospital decided that he could have a high functioning autism but that his gaps may close as he developed in time. So at the age of 2-3 he had speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. Kari and I worked really hard with him. I knew sign language (I'll explain that later) so I began to work with him with speech and signs. Today he speaks pretty well... and talks a lot. He still has some issues but he also has developed well and most of his gaps have closed. Like I said, he still has some problems... He still has some problems with textures in food... but I think that he is getting better there too. It is not uncommon for those that have levels of autism to have issues with texture. Riley may not have autism exactly. He is higher functioning so if he does, he is on the line. So much has changed we don't know what we are dealing with now. He does have some form of learning disability. His mother was just diagnosed this past summer with ADHD. I know I might sound a little bit like I don't have emotion about any of this but we have to do all that I can do for Riley. Believe me in my private moments I have really felt the emotions and fears. I have prayed while taking steps of faith forward. Regardless we must have him assessed again at the Children's Hospital to see where he is in development since Kindergarden is possibly coming up next year and I got that referral from the doctor. I am really happy about that because we will learn what's what. I believe the report will be more positive than we believed 2-3 years ago.

Riley also got 4 shots. 2 in each arm. He didn't cry or whine... he took it like a man (better than some men :-)). I think he liked the crayon bandaids too. So that is why he is the "bravest". I was really proud of him. When I was his age, I would tear up the room if I was going to get a shot. It took my mom, more than 1 nurse, the doctor, and plenty of bribes to get me to take a shot. This picture is of Riley last year after the children's church performance on Christmas Eve. He likes to see his picture published on my blog and he deserves a "Hooray for Riley".

The holiday potluck was very good. There wasn't the same amount of food that there has been in the past, which is probably good. Anyway, I ate but didn't over eat. I had one small sample of a dessert and called it a day... or an event. Hopefully my food choices wheren't too costly in points.

Have a great day everyone...

Taking Time With My Sweetheart

Yesterday while Kari was with the boys, Dave and I headed out of town and went to North Bend, WA. There was a very light dusting of snow on the ridges going there. The forecast has been for some showers with possibility of wet snow. It was snowing ever so lightly this morning when we left the house. It would hit the ground and disappear... it wouldn't "stick". I like that kind of snow!!! We love going to Snoqualmie and North Bend. In fact it was where we had our honeymoon, right at the base of Mt. Si. The link (I hope this works) for the City of Snoqualmie http://www.ci.snoqualmie.wa.us/ which has pictures of Mt. Si, the Snoqualmie Falls, and the train depot. I bought some more ornaments for the tree and we ate an early dinner at one of our favorite restaurants there. I could see Mt Si starting to cloud up and so I took a picture. As you can see, it looked like it was starting to snow on the mountain (3:30 pm) so we left in order not to get caught if it did start to soon snow at our elevation where we were in North Bend.

The train depot is a favorite of the boys since they love trains so much (thanks to Thomas the Train). Some times they have train rides to North Bend and then out to the Falls... it is a very beautiful scene... like in the fall at Halloween. They decorate the Halloween Train up with fun decorations for the kids. The train has pumpkins on the front of it. The kids get to wear their costumes and they get a dollar off the ticket price if they do. Right now the are running the Santa Train (same train and train ride but decorated for Christmas). The kids get to visit with Santa and have hot chocolate & cookies. Because I took the boys on the Halloween Train, I didn't take them on the Christmas Train. However, one year I might do both or switch to Christmas. It is all about making memories with them.

In July, Thomas the Train actually does come to the Snoqualmie station for a couple of weeks. I took Riley to be on that train a couple of years ago... the engine looks like Thomas. I think it was the hottest day of the year and we melted. Although it was miserable... it was memorable. I will probably try again for Brady's sake... because he too would want to ride on Thomas. You can Google Thomas the Train and see if it will be visiting near you to take the kids. They have more than just the ride, they also have activities, songs, and a gift shop.

This week will be a lot lighter than the weeks for the past couple of months. We are so happy to finally get some office and desk time in to catch up on our paperwork. There is also the holiday potluck, so it is getting to be more slower in all the departments. I am cooking something right now to take tomorrow. It is finals week and after this week we won't have students on campus until after New Years except for those that are registering for classes for Winter quarter. The high schools close on the 20th til the 2nd or 3rd of January.

Have a fantastic Monday!

"With Every Christmas Card I Sign"

Today my goal is to get my Christmas cards signed and envelopes addressed. I may have a Christmas letter written but I am not too sure what I would say yet. The boys pics are in so I will be able to mail everything this coming week.

I am also going to make sure I get to the store today for this week's food for lunch and dinner so I am not unprepared. I also have to prepare a dish for Monday's Christmas potluck at work. Planning and taking my lunch always helps with managing my points.

I plan to make something that is Mexican food for the event tomorrow. I also usually bring cream puffs from Costco to this event every year. This potluck has over 20 plus feet of food. I have to plan my points etc for this dangerous feast. Luckly that was our discussion was about at WW yesterday.

We have clear skies here which makes it colder. We are in the 30's in the daytime. The weather people are bring up the possibility of snow again. The photo is Mt Rainier on my way to WW yesterday.

The boys loved the lights and jumped with joy when I put up the tree. They are so excited. They are a ton of fun and make it all more exciting.

Weight Watchers Today

Have I mentioned that I attend WW too? Probably not yet. The past couple of weeks I have only maintained. That is the best I can hope for at this time of year. I try to attend meetings on Thursday's right after work or Saturday's early in morning. Two gals from work attend at the AM one. One jokes and calls it the "fat club".

Michael, a middle aged gay man, leads the Saturday AM meeting. He is so fun to have as a leader. He himself lost over 100 pounds. He calls us "sister friends". His real job is being an elementry school teacher and I bet he is the best. He loves everyone and it shows. He actually sang a song to on of the ladies when she met her weight goal and it was so touching many in the room were crying. He even had me getting glassy eyed.

WW is one of those things I am counting as "something I do for ME". I go there and then get a Starbucks tea. I am not a big coffee drinker which is one of the signs to others here that I am from CA. Most people are addicts to coffee here. My husband is one of them. Starbucks comes from Seattle so that tells you something. I go there and order green zen tea, hot or iced, depending on the weather.
I like going to SB to sit and read as a pause in a busy day. Stores are everywhere here even drive thru SB are coming up everywhere. One knows locations and whether or not it's a drive thru. Thoses are good when you have kids with you or the weathers really bad.

Well my hope is to also catch up on Christmas. We might go see a neighborhood with big lights tonight. You know what I mean. I have always wondered about those people in one of those neighborhoods that bought the house not knowing what took place at Christmas.

Have a great day!

TGIF

Just like I mentioned in my post yesterday, it was a very busy day. The Educator's Appreciation event lasted until 9:30 pm so I wasn't home until 10 pm. We served some finger food and drinks. Then we saw the Second City Comedy act from Chicago which was performing at our college. It was very fun and I think that everyone had a good time. (oh, I wore my black dress... no time for shopping... and it was just fine). I was nice too that Dave met some of the people that I have worked with for 10 plus years. I have mentioned people and now he has faces to go with the names.

I will have to be back at the college early for a Division Meeting. I should have just spend the night (I am just kidding). It can feel that way when one has a "turn around" with meetings/ events. I haven't had one of those situations since last summer. Sometimes we work on the weekends at the summer fairs; setting up a canopy and handing out materials regarding the college and it's programs. I get back to the college late on those Sunday evenings after taking everything apart and taking it back to the college. I then would have to be back to work on Monday. The great thing is that I can offset my time so I end up with time off on part of my weekdays to do errands or other things such as doctor appointments.

Speaking of doctor's appointments, I have one today. You know ladies... yes, that kind of doctor appointment. I do NOT like to go but have to keep up on the maintenance. Since I am getting older, it is taking more maintenance.

After the appointment I get to do what I want to do. I don't get much time for ME. I usually have work, housework, or others to care for in the family. It is hard to find time to pamper myself but I do try to find it and schedule it into my weeks. The FLYLADY's monthly focus for December is Pampering so she will have some good things to think about and try. I have already took myself to a movie, I got my hair done, and I had a manicure since I started to focus on my need for time for myself. I guess I would add meeting blogging friends and learning more about having a blog too to my list of "ME".

Fridays are great. Especially Fridays that you can't answer the "what are you doing this weekend?" question because there isn't any set plans. Well, I guess I can answer that question a little... decorate and write out Christmas cards. I can't send Christmas cards out until the boys pictures come in which will be next week sometime. However, I can sign them and address them until I the pictures arrive.

The pictures which I am waiting for are great of the boys. Everyone in CA will be surprised at how big they have grown. Above is a picture of the boys from last Christmas. We went on a Christmas Merry Go Round. Riley liked it but Brady wasn't too sure about it. (I wanted to place the picture down here but I guess I am doing good just posting a picture at this point :-)

Have a great Friday everybody...

A Big Day Ahead

Today is going to be a long day. I am not sure at this moment how I will be able to get all of it done. I have two off campus events this AM and the Appreciation Night tonight for the educators we work with at the high schools. I am still trying to decide what to wear. All I know is to dress more "dressy". I have to go near a mall today so I might have to shop. I do have lots of clothes in my closet including a black dress which is for all occasions, you know. Dave will be able to attend as well. I don't think many have met him from my office.

We expect 50 people in all to come to this event but like Denise encountered at her daughter's party, it doesn't mean that 50 will show tonight. We have to plan food and drinks and we can only plan to our RSVPs we have received. We could have some come that didn't RSVP too. That is the hard part to event planning.

Yesterday I managed to get Aaron a birthday gift on my lunch and had that ready at dinner. Dave came home and cooked a little birthday dinner for him. It was ready when I walked through the door.

I spoke to my mom in CA last night.I told her all about this blog and so now she can look online to see what's happening here. She lives in Downey, CA.

I started decorating but I was tired last night so it will have to be a process. Wish me luck today. Have a good one yourself.

Happy Birthday Aaron

Aaron is happy as he hits the milestone of becoming an adult. Dave is a little sad as he says goodbye to his little boy becoming a man. I have already "been there" with Kari so I am not as surprised. I am always amazed that time goes by so quickly. He was 9 when Dave and I started dating. I look forward to seeing what he chooses in the next few years to form his life.

Yesterday was normal. Got the boys to daycare, got to work and later visited students at a high school. I went back to the college to do more projects and then left to go get the boys to go home. I worked late tonight at learning some things about the blog.

As you can see I am playing with different looks and colors. I added a picture. It's a corny picture of me at Orcas Island last summer in the San Juans. Dave and I were learning how to take pictures with my phone. (I never got to decorating yet :-0)

I added a poll too. We will see how it works. Anyway it's slow but I am getting there. I better get to bed. I will be worthless tomorrow (today). Have a good one.

Surprises Everywhere

I started out on time yesterday, ready to take on the rainy day ahead. It wasn't long before I learned it was going to be a difficult commute to get the boys to daycare. I passed a car slammed into a tree. I hope that the people in that car are ok. But the traffic didn't change after that scene. It was still bad going down the hill into the valley. It turned out there was a flood or lake of water from the rain at the bottom of one of the main avenues to get off the hill. Of course I began to run late to work. We are 4 inches over our normal rainfall for this time of the year. Yesterday's rainfall broke some records.

Lindsey (a young woman I work with) and I had the task of buying for a family in need Christmas gifts from our office staff through our Student Programs office. We had a 14 month old, an eleven year old (both girls) and a mom buy for and wrap the gifts. It took a few hours and it was fun. It allowed us be able to break from our normal job for a little while.

We learned yesterday too that a friend of ours is expecting a baby at the end of May. Renee is having a baby! I adopted Renee as a little sister last year when she worked with us. My own sister, Krista, was killed in a car accident in 92. They would be the same age. I don't have any of my family in WA except Kari and the boys. I have gained family here by marriage and adoption.

Tonight I plan to finally do some decorating. I feel Iam behind but I also am choosing to pace myself.

Have a great Tuesday!

Wanted: Ark

I know I am talking a lot about weather but we are getting a lot of unusual weather. Yes it rains here yet we can walk around in normal Seattle without an umbrella (bumpershoot). Not so at the moment. We will have our best rain gear on today.

When I came to live here it amazed me that houses still were built, roads still are worked on, and children not only went to school but played sports in the rain! In CA that wasn't the case. Everything stops there if it rains. I would have "rainy day sessions" which meant going home early. And when I was a teen I could wear pants rather than a dress to school. We can't do that here for rain although I think today would qualify for special adjustments. We act that way more with snow because it isn't what we are use to, and we have hills.

Back to work today. More about that later.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Home Sweet Home

Guess what? Yep, it snowed about 2 inches. It melted away, then it snowed again. This AM it was raining which causes the snow to melt. But now we are having wind. That about covers the weather report. What it all adds up to us staying home.

Aaron my stepson turns eighteen this week. We were going to go out to a restaurant to celebrate today but the family members has had one situation or an other where it is impossible to make that happen today. Besides the weather is bad too. Hopefully we will still have the cake and ice cream tonight with some of the family.

There is lots to do at home. It isn't a bad thing but I like all of you have a lot of shopping etc to do. Well, I'll do what I can here at home.

Kari is sick with the flu. It lasts a few days rather than 24 hours. We hope she is better soon. She is staying away from the boys so they don't get sick too. Another reason to stay home.

Here's hoping for all of us to have a great week ahead.

December Is Here! Really Really

Can you believe it? November flew by this year. Wasn't it JUST Halloween a few days ago? Last week I took down all the decorations for fall. I had most of those decorations out since the end of September. I just switch a few Halloween items with some Thanksgiving items on November 1 and continue on til after Thanksgiving. I am always glad to change the decor which is mostly centered around my fireplace mantel. My grandsons are always up for that too. They are really into the holiday fun. Riley is 4 and full of wonder. You would think we just invented Christmas this year. I wonder if he remembers last Christmas at all? I have wonderful childhood memories of Christmas and I want to make sure they do too.

Tonight many holiday events take place around the area. The city where we live is having a city Christmas lighting of the park. They have thousands of lights in the downtown park go on tonight at 5 or 6 pm. Some of the towns have a Christmas Tree lighting. They were putting up Santa's house in front of the movie theater the other day which Riley took note of and has informed me of his wish to go see Santa there. It is in the 30s right now. I think I will let it warm back up to the 40s before we do that! (For those of you in CA, I still think 40 degrees is really cold. I am just more use to it now). It is great having the little guys around. They make Christmas so much more fun!

Next week the holiday events begin at work. We have a holiday (PC word at Christmas time) evening planned for high school counselors on Thursday and the deans are putting on an event for us on Friday. I have a community event on Monday as a rep of the college. What to wear to all these things?

So, let the Reindeer Games begin and everything else! I always try to take many personal moments to reflect on the spiritual side of Christmas too which can be easily swept away in the business of Christmas. Advent starts this Sunday which helps a person in staying focused on the reason Christmas exists in the first place.

Happy December and may I be one of the first to wish you a Merry Christmas this season.

What Are You Doing This Weekend?

That is often the question you hear at work on any Friday. It hasn't snowed yet but the forcast is snow for this weekend. I think Saturday night is when they said it may snow. They are saying 2 inches.;) You know how I feel about that! Then I just heard that a windstorm may come on Monday. Hmmm... I think weather will become a big part of all of our weekend here. It least the snow is polite and does not stay long usually.

I am waiting for 50 high school students as I type this on my blackberry. I work at a community college. The students are coming here to see the programs and have lunch too. They like lunch the best.

Yesterday I had my hair done. I had an inch cut off and layered. My hair is a little longer than my shoulders. It is always a hard decision what to do and I always think I would like to change my hairstyle but I do the same thing. You would think I could be more creative.

How is your Christmas shopping and decorating
Coming along? I have hardly started. Guess I could fit that in on the weekend.

Have a great day.

Snow or No Snow?

It does not snow in the Seattle area very often. Typically it snows once or twice a year. Last year it snowed three times and we had two large wind storms (which manage to leave some of us in the dark for days). Last night there was talk of possible snow showers. This is never good news to me. Snow is pretty etc but, let's face it, for most of my life I lived in CA and never knew the other side of 'snow'. For example, last year I made a wrong choice to try to make it up a hill in the snow in my car. I saw a car go up it before me without any problem so I thought I could do it. There was some pavement showing... But this native Cali girl ended up putting cables on a car in a driveway half way up the hill. It took me over an hour to rescue myself! Most of us don't have that kind of time to spend doing that sort of thing, and I didn't that day. Going down the hill wasn't an option. Picture an icy hill, a skating rink like situation, and a drop off into a creek. Going up was my only option. I usually am very careful driving but that time I learned a big lesson. I have lots of respect for nature and the elements.

I think ice is worse than snow. Sometimes a person doesn't see it and you lose control of your steering. You have to drive really really slow and then it is still iffy. I have seen lots of cars in a ditch when there is ice on the road. So hearing that there maybe snow coming does not thrill me like it once did when I first moved here. I would always check one or two times outside before I knew the truth about life with snow in Seattle. I haven't even looked outside once tonight to see if I will be greeted with a winter wonderland that makes it nearly impossible to get to work. BTW, I wonder where my cables are? Oh well, no matter. I know where the hot chocolate is. Priorities! Seattle is really great in the summer, so it is very little snow for a lot of wonderful summer days (and of course there is the rain). Have a great day.

Flylady here

Organization has always been a tough thing to do sometimes. Especially when one works FT. But if I remember, it was hard when I didn't too. I found this website that offers help called Flylady.com (you'll have to Google it... Not there with adding this stuff yet) it can help or be overwhelming so one would have to choose what fits for each one. I am not a perfectionist about it all so I do alright and it really helps. Today is anti-procrastination day which means to do one thing you've put off. I am counting blogging today.
Love Marie-Go Helio
Have a good one.

November 27th - Look Mom, I'm Blogging!!!

It has been over a year... almost two years that I have been reading my blogger friend's entries daily online. I think of them as friends even though I never have met them. Who would have thought 30 years ago that we would actually meet and have friends online like we do? (Is my age showing?) I must admit that choosing what to write is different than just showing up and reading an entry. I can see there is more to it than I thought such as thinking about "what did I do that was so interesting that so many would like to hear about?" It never mattered to me what Darylynn, Denise, or Susan wrote about... it is nice to hear from them every day. "Every day" does matter... it matters a lot because that is from what our lives are made; don't you agree?

I had a terrible time just creating a name for this blog. I found out that "data" meant facts which conclusions can be drawn. I will supply some thoughts and facts... and you can come to some conclusions. Hopefully one will be that you come visit me.