Mish Mash for Blog

The last week has been a mish-mash of this and that bundled all together in no time or inclination for me to write on my blog.   Thoughts that come to mind:

Peach and Maroon Eye Shadow – I save a lot of makeup ideas on my phone; here’s my newest idea, which I’ve loved. 

 

L'Oreal Liquid Pencil - I’ve also been using both the brown and black L'Oréal Paris Extra-Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner.  It’s awesome and stays in place all day. 

Bandanna Headbands – At the airport to and from my way to Kansas City, I saw a ton of girls with their hair up with a bandanna wrapped around their heads. So cute but, with short hair, not in my future!

Shellac Nail Polish – the last few times at the nail salon my choice for polish was the Shellac gel for stronger nails.  This usually runs around $25; instead of paying for that, I picked up a Sensationail kit the other day so I could paint and LED my own nails.  So far so good but my bad habit of peeling off the old polish needs to stop!!

Breaking Bad – Son Sam roped me into watching a few of these episodes and I was hooked!  We watched the finale together (along with Michael, whom I roped into watching….must be a contagious trait) and now I want the entire five seasons on DVD for Christmas!!

Rain – The rain comes, it goes, the sun comes, deluge of rain comes…..enough already!  Michael and I were on our way back from Portland the other day and stopped at the Woodland Walmart.  Paying at the register, we then heard a tremendous, downpour of rain outside.  The floodgates had opened!  We hightailed it to the car but were still soaking wet.  From now on when it rains, we’ll ask each other if it was of “Woodland Walmart” levels.

 
October – October is here tomorrow!!  Where did the year go?  Christmas is right around the corner!!

Weight – Ugh.  I was doing so well but over the summer fell off the wagon so now I need to get back on track to lose my unwanted pounds.  Today I brought my better pair of walking shoes to work; didn’t use them yet but they will stare me in the face until I do!  I’m back to eating oatmeal with blueberries in the morning and soup for lunch.  And I turned down pizza today!  Veggie sandwiches, tracking my food, and a serious reduction of sugar will now be back in my life!!!

 

Here's to making it a great week!!!

 

 

Goodbye Seattle, Hello Fife!

Today was our last day in Seattle.  We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at Sizerac, the hotel restaurant.  We've eaten two meals there along with room service; each and every one has been absolutely fantastic.

The service at the hotel has been equally par to none.  For example, we fell in love with the blue cups we used this morning for coffee.  We asked the front desk clerk if they were available for sale.  He said he actually had a couple extra so he gave them to us at no charge!  Quite the nice surprise.  Along with 100% top quality service, I would definitely recommend Hotel Monaco to anyone who is visiting in the Seattle area.

Checking out, we then drove 30 minutes to our next stop, the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma.  The gambling gods were not so good to me but we did spend about three hours testing our luck.  Done chasing lady luck, we found our hotel in Fife, checked in, ate lunch and now I've just woken from an afternoon nap.  Ahhhh, this is what vacations are about.

I'm not sure what this evening will bring, but the amount of laughter, adventure, and R&R we've experienced have made some pretty good memories so far!

Chihuly, Chicken, and Cabs

Day 2 in Seattle and we were again awake early, despite my efforts to sleep in.  Actually I was awaiting my coffee...no pot in the room so I ordered a carafe.  It hit the spot but it was soooo strong, which I normally enjoy but this batch gave me the shakes!

After breakfast we walked over to Westlake Mall.  First stop was Sephora then we perused the store directory. Not a lot to choose from so we decided to ride the monorail to Seattle Center.

Our first stop was the Chihuly Glass and Garden Museum. Beautiful...just breathtaking.  We then wandered around the Space Needle store before returning to Westlake on the monorail.

Grabbing a taxi, we headed south to have lunch at Ezell's Famous Chicken.  Michael's brother told us how good it was so we figured why not. It's always hit or miss with cabs.  This driver was first listening to odd Arabian type music that then turned into a foreign woman rambling on and on.  On top of that, the man drove like a bat out of hell, jerking to a stop then whipping us backward when he took off.  Thankfully the ride was short....but not short enough.

At Ezell's, we didn't realize there was no seating or we would have kept the cab waiting.  We ordered our chicken and rolls then waited for a new cab to pick us up.  Back at the hotel, we discovered the chicken was simply average.  Plus a little cold.

After lunch Michael rested while I then went on a two hour hike, up and down the streets and back to Pike St. Market. After browsing all the vendors wares, I ended purchasing a blown glass pumpkin, which will remind me of our day at the Chihuly.

Back at the hotel, I grabbed a nice glass of apple ice tea from the complimentary dispenser in the lobby.  Yum...it really hit the spot!

After kicking back for a bit, we grabbed a cab to Ivar's Restaurant for dinner. It's one of our favorite spots, reminding us of our first trip together to Seattle over a year ago.  Dinner was awesome, company was entertaining as always, and we had a fantastic meal. After browsing another shop, we made our way back to the hotel to relax.

And so ends our last night in Seattle.  Tomorrow we will make our way to Tacoma for our final night of vacation.
The good news?  The front desk provided us with a coffee pot and coffee for tomorrow morning!

Weekend in Seattle

Waking up in Seattle at the Hotel Monaco today definitely makes this Friday a very good day!  We were up bright and early yesterday, arriving to Seattle by 10am.  Luckily were able to check in early to our room then ventured out to Pike Place market. We ate lunch at Lowell's seafood, wandered the shops, then back to our room for a nap. We ate dinner at our hotel restaurant, which was absolutely fantastic.  This morning we will be hitting Sephora then Westlake Mall. After that...who knows?

3D Not for Me!

I was dismayed to see that the Wizard of Oz, the original, the 1939 classic is being released in 3D format.  Ahhhhggg.....sacrilege!!!  It's such a wonderful, classic movie that it seems so wrong to update it with today's technology.  Growing up, watching Wizard of Oz on TV once per year when it came on was an event!  Mom would make it a party with punch, clam dip and chips, and we would plop ourselves down in front of the movie to experience the black and white into color, the munchkins, the Wicked Witch, and of course the scary flying monkeys.  Now to get our tykes to watch this classic it has to be filled with 3D special effects.  Ugh.  Some things just shouldn't be touched!!!

Surprises, Shower, and Spock

Last weekend was The Great Gatsby and this weekend was Star Trek.  After working with Sam to groom Stubbs, I was happily  surprised when Michael showed up Friday night.  We spent the evening watching the new Star Trek movie, which was action-packed. 

Saturday I attended the baby shower for my friend Shannon's daughter Mariah.  Also in attendance was my friend Lisa along with her daughter Ashley, who is also expecting.  Mariah graduated with Jordan and Ashley with Sam so I was definitely feeling the passage of time.  It seems just yesterday they were all in grade school and now they are having families.  It was awesome to see Shannon and catch up on old times.  We promised to get together soon in order to finish talking.  It's been way too long.

Departing the shower, I ran home to grab my man then we booked to hairstylist Abbie's to get my hair colored and trimmed.  While my color processed, Michael snuck in and had Abbie trim his hair, which turned out sharp.  Returning home, we barbecued chicken for dinner then hit the hay.

Michael in the hair hot seat!

This morning, after listening to thunder outside, I made blueberry muffins.  I then hit Walmart for some autumn accents for the front porch. I picked up a mum planter along with three white pumpkins, which look festive on the porch entrance.  I made a pit stop at the craft store for a couple more items then made my way home where I watched the 2009 Star Trek while making deviled eggs.  Both movies gave numerous references that harkened back to TV Star Trek episodes.  Tonight after Michael left for home, Sam and I watched the newest episode of Breaking Bad. Only two episodes left before this series bids adieu forever.

The end of my weekend has now culminated with newly shorn Stubbs sitting on my lap while I channel surf between Iron Chef and the Seahawks game.  I'm looking forward to work this week; due to the annual shutdown, we will be able to wear jeans to work.  Along with that bonus, my week will end on Wednesday then Thursday morning Michael and I will make our way for a mini-vacation to Seattle.  Life is good!!

Lovely fall moon this past weekend

Ohhhh....Ouch!

Ran across this image about what can happen to your feet and legs when you wear high heels.  Thankfully I haven't experienced the bunions, hammertoes, or tightening calves, but it does serve as a warning piece.  Yes, flats can be cute but I've found if they are too flat, they just aren't comfortable.  I'll stick with my heels but perhaps wear wedges more often!



 

TGIF!!!

Flashback to the past!!!

Feel Better Babe!!!

My poor Michael is under the weather.  Get well soon babe!!!

The Great Gatsby Au Deux

Last Thursday night Sam and I began watching the Leonardo DiCaprio version of The Great Gatsby.  It was going on longer than expected, so Friday night I finished it.  Having never seen the original Great Gatsby movie with Robert Redford, I also watched that one over the weekend.  So different but yet still the same.

Although the screenplays were close to identical, the actors in the newer version were more entertaining.   The new version, apparently released in 3D, was full of Technicolor vibrancy and current tunes, similar to director Baz Luhrman's Molin Rouge movie.  Perhaps this was due to Jay Z being one of the producers.  Leonardo was almost glowing in the movie - tan, sparkling, and tortured.  Carey Mulligan fit the part of Daisy and Tobey Maguire was believable.

On to the older movie.  Robert Redford....handsome as always but not as tortured as DiCaprio.  And Mia Farrow....yikes!  Who put that screeching shrew in as Daisy?  Why would Robert Redford be so tortured by her....other than her voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard.  I felt tortured every time she was on screen.  Bruce Dern played her husband.....uh, hello??  Who is going to turn down RR to go with Bruce Dern??!!!  The highlight of this movie was Sam Waterston playing Nicky.  So fresh, so young, so innocent.  No wonder I like him so much in Law & Order!

I'm glad I watched the original classic along with the remake.  If I had to pick one to watch again, it would definitely be the newer version, simply for the wonderful fashion. 

 

TGIF!!!

Here's to no more thunder and lightening this weekend!!! 

Stretching Out My Thinking Cap

The last week has been a whirlwind of activity! 

My week in Kansas went quickly; of course work overloaded me but a ton of improvements were accomplished.  Along with hitting the local casino, one night was spent breaking bread with the HR staff at Oklahoma Joe's, an award-winning "garage" barbecue joint.  Line was long, ribs were hot, but my dinner Monday at Jack Stack was tastier. 

Being bombarded by the staff pleading with me to apply for the Kansas HR opening, I left Friday afternoon to return home.  By the time Michael picked me up close to 8pm Pacific time, I was one tired girl.  Sooo nice to be back in my own bed.

The weekend was spent relaxing and enjoying barbecue at home, which was actually the very best of all the barbecue served to me all week.  Nothing beats ribs grilled with love!!

Of course this week I toyed with the idea of applying for the Kansas City job.  Having been the responsible party for my boys all their lives, the idea of leaving them to relocate definitely stirred up strong emotions.  As always, Michael served as a perfect sounding board as we talked through the pros and cons of moving, taking a different job, selling my house, etc.  In the end, I decided that with Kansas being a smaller location with fewer employees, it was not the best fit for someone with my extensive background.  However, it was fulfilling to receive great praise from the powers that be regarding my accomplishments during my week in the land of Oz.  Relocating may be in my future but not now; when the time and position is right, a move will definitely be pursued. 

This last week has been one of reflection, consideration, and life lessons learned, not only for me but for my boys.  Growing and stretching can be quite painful but with prayer and wisdom, it can serve as a very timely learning experience.