Rain and Wind and Storm Oh My!

Last night Steve treated me to a tasty birthday meal at Driftwood. Of course he told them it was my birthday so at the conclusion of our meal the waitress brought out a sundae with single candle burning bright. Then everyone at the restaurant - from a group of couples near us to a long table filled with older women- joined in to sing me Happy Birthday. It was a special moment.

Not sure the reason why but ended up fighting the insomnia bug last night. Was up until 2am, laying in bed on my phone and posting my usual TGIF Facebook meme. Lo and behold three of my friends Like the post so had to ask why they were up so late? Obviously the same bug, perhaps menopause, had infected us all.

Of course woke up about 6am. Let Stubbs out, brewed the coffee, then relaxed while waiting for the sun to break. Last night and all day today became, in the words of Winnie the Pooh, a very blustery day.

Tide was low about 10:30am. Was going to skip my beach walk but Steve told me about a friend of his who found a glass float. Of course I took that as a challenge so bundled up to head to the surf, leaving Stubbs back as the weather seemed too trepidatious for the pup.

Boy oh boy was it stormy! Rain coming in sheets, wind pushing against me as I treked south in search of beach treasure.  Thankfully had wrapped my long Pendleton scarf, Christmas gift from Steve, around me. Ended up having to wrap the scarf over my head to keep my hoodie in place.  The ends of the scarf fell underneath my jacket, flipping in the wind. So if you picture in your mind a babushka wearing Russian lady mixed with a Hassidic Jew, that was me on the beach this morning.

Blessedly, the wind was on my back during the return walk. Found several shells and some rope but most importantly found myself soaking wet clear to my toes. Hopped in the shower to warm up, then headed to Seaside.

First stop - Rideaid to pick up Wet-N-Wild taupe brow pencils.  Only color that matches my brows and Rite Aid appears to be the single source for this 99 cent item.

On to the Outlet Mall. Couldn't find just the right birthday gift for Sam's girlfriend Kaitlyn but did make a 75% haul at Bath & Body Works.

Last stop was downtown Seaside to meander through the shops. Correction - meander through trying to find a shop that was open! Apparently during winter season many of the shops are only open Saturday and Sunday. Thankfully the Carousel Mall was open because I was in need of a new Seaside shirt.

You know when you have a t-shirt that becomes a fav? Comfy feel, perfect length, roomy v-neck instead of a crew style strangling your neck as it attempts to crawl up over your chin? Yeah, that's my old Seaside shirt from many moons ago which is now faded with a rip tear.

Found a similar style replacement shirt along with a black Bigfoot tee. Hey - it made me smile. Sale special at the store was to be rewarded with a free tee. Headed back to the shirts when the cashier pointed to a miniature rack filled with ugly colors and informed me that sad selection was the "free shirt" section. After considerable digging found another Sasquatch shirt in light yellow, which will be used as a pajama shirt.

Booked it home, cleaned up then met brother Jay for dinner at Castaways in Cannon Beach. Hands down the best restaurant in town. Had a mai tai along with appetizer of seared scallops on a polenta square topped with bacon, maple sauce and popcorn. It was delicious! Then seafood linguine for dinner - creamy, lobster sauce and I had to hold myself back from licking the plate. Topped off the evening with shared bananas flambe with ice cream. Unbelieveable meal!! Pictures below are of the scallops, linguine, and Steve's filet mignon meal.

Now here I sit in my sweats relaxing with a full tummy and sore feet due to my sand and rock hike. Today was a fabulous day!

Diva Comes in Handy Now and Then 😘

Here is the miracle of makeup and hair styling. Yes - 56 before and after!  Putting on the serious Diva for dinner tonight. 💋💣💅

Beach Naps - They're A Good Thing 😊

Birthday is moving along nicely. After whipping up some guacamole for later, grabbed Stubbs for a beach walk. Tide was low but surf was strong so had to be mindful of the waves.

Strolled down the beach looking for treasures. Ended up dodging a few waves and at one point Stubbs had enough and it was time to carry him. Found a few rocks and shells along the way so turned to venture back.

Arrived at the beach house to find Steve had made me birthday breakfast!  Score!

Stubbs agrees it's now time for a nap!!

Arch Cape Aquarian

Happy birthday to my twin brother Todd today and of course to myself!!

Teammate Pam surprised me yesterday with cubicle decor, balloons, flowers, and a gift of four mini-bottles of Moscato pink champagne! Was a fabulous surprise!  Then Candy and Jordan stopped by in the afternoon to give me a gift of a beach candle they made which contains glitter and shells. So sweet. Of course, I took all of this to the beach last night, set out the flowers and burned the candle.

Steve picked me up about 4:15 and we began our trek to Arch Cape. Stopped at Fred Meyers in Warrenton for groceries, including a coconut cream pie for my birthday dessert today.

Arrived at the beach around 8pm then spent the evening relaxing. Woke early this morning - the canceled alarm knew there was no work today but my body thought differently. So here I sit watching the sun rise (no rain and blue sky so far) and reading all the Facebook birthday messages.

Tonight Steve is treating me to birthday dinner at Driftwood, which has been "our" restaurant. Looking forward to a great day at the beach!  As my twin says "hey 56 is the new 30!"  Cheers!

Birthday Beach Escape

Last weekend set up my sewing machine and tackled a few jobs. Sewed a pant seam, took in a couple pairs of jeans that were too big, and made a scarf out of a 99 cent piece of Goodwill material.

Yesterday spent an hour going through a basket full of necklaces and earrings that had been tossed together during my move. What a mess! 

After finishing up two loads of laundry, painted not only my fingernails but my toenails as well.

What is all of this telling you? I need a break from this drudgery of daily life!! For this reason, I'll be celebrating my birthday with  four days at the beach!  Leaving Wednesday night for Arch Cape and there I will remain until Sunday.  No work, no overtime, no day-to-day routine but instead stormy surf, salty wind, and sleeping in each morning. I can't wait!! ☺🧜‍♀️⛱🌊

Can Never Have Enough Twinkle!

Was not happy with the taped lamp and lighted tree set up so stopped by the storage unit yesterday to snag a large vase. The storage unit is filled to the brim with both my stuff and Sam's so it's kind of a treasure hunt on every visit.

Grabbed the vase, untaped the lamp stand, and set up the branches. Looks so much better. Then took a set of white lights and curled them into the draped, gray, glittery fabric surrounding my bed. Voila! Twinkle twinkle in my room!  Plugged both into the timer and now my room is set.

Potpourri of Hodgepodge

Stopped at Walmart to pick up a few groceries which ended up wandering the aisles. Of course had to take a look at the the last bit of Christmas clearance, especially since it was 90% off.

Along with a few rolls of 25 cent wrapping paper, picked up a lighted ornamental tree for $2. Wasnt sure what I was going to use it for but knew I'd figure out something.

Ended up taping it to a lamp base and stuck it in the corner behind the couch. Doesnt look too bad although I'm not sold on the lamp base. Set it up with a timer to come on in the evenings. When it didn't shut off last night, realized my ability to set up timers is lacking so unplugged and will tackle the problem today.

Received an Ulta gift card for Christmas so stopped by there last weekend to use it. Along with clearance lip gloss, grabbed a Diva peel and stick fingernail polish packet. Tried them out - very easy to apply. It's now been a week - no chips and still held in place. Pretty impressed.

The news says we are coming into a snowstorm next week. My fingers are crossed it doesnt happen or it's just a dusting.

Every morning for some mysterious reason, when 3am hits I'm awake. WTF?  Picked up a bottle of Sleep vitamin and melatonin mix to see if that would help me cruise through the night peacefully.  Been trying it for three days and guess what?  Still waking up at 3am. However, it has helped me to fall back into slumber faster.

Am I the only one who has been seeing these infomercial blurbs everywhere about the miracle control top underwear? Definitely oversaturated!  Kudos to the actors they use who bare all of their saggy tummies to show the before and after effect of the long-line underwear.

Was so inspired with Steve sister Teri's waldorf salad at Christmas that I'm going to make it today. Had been ages since I'd eaten it and have been thinking about it ever since. Apples, walnuts, and celery oh my!

May your weekend be just as sweet!

Unexpected Surprises Make for A Great Day!

Today was a good day.

Had a follow up appointment with my doctor this morning. Had bloodwork done and she was going to go over that with me. Was scheduled for a pap smear but they had to reschedule it for February, which was okay by me.

First stop was the scale - ugh. Normally hate getting on that darn thing; however, my clothes have been feeling loose so figured I may have dropped a few pounds. Well how about 30 pounds! Yep, since my last appointment in September (and since my move in with Marie) I've dropped 30 pounds!  When I lived on my own I did a lot of "emotional" eating, which has now gone by the wayside. I drink almond milk now, rarely eat red meat and cheese, eat a lot of vegetarian, and I don't snack at night anymore. So apparently that's the secret!

Also brought up my snoring to the doctor. I don't feel like I'm losing sleep as I wake up rested (even when I wake up at 2am or 3am, which happens often.)  Steve thinks I may quit breathing at times and has been hounding me to find out if I have sleep apnea. So finally discussed that and the doc sent a referral to the sleep clinic. So we shall see.

Bloodwork and blood pressure was excellent, received a tetanus shot,  kudos for quitting smoking, and I was on my way out the door in less than an hour.

At work received an email that our office could now wear business casual every day! This means JEANS!!  Whoop whoop!  Knowing me and my set-in Diva personality, will probably still wear skirts and dresses on the regular.

Here's to a fab Tuesday filled with great news!!😊😊😊

Judy

Last night and this morning I watched the movie "Judy" with Renee Zellweger. Renee is no Judy but she did do a decent job portraying her.  Did make you empathize with the life she led from a child to adulthood being a prisoner of the Hollywood churn and burn factory.  Forced to take pills, always watching her weight, more pills to sleep.  Made it to the very end before the crying hit me when she sang Over the Rainbow which makes me miss Mom even more.  I give the movie a B.

Hello 2020

Happy New Year!

Was a fairly uneventful New Year's Eve. Ended up hitting the hay about 11pm, listening to the neighborhood fireworks as I drifted off to sleep. Have not planned any resolutions - will take it one day at a time.  This morning started out my 2020 with tweezing my brows and shaving my legs.

Stopped at Walgreens yesterday to pick up some canvas prints I had ordered.  They always turn out perfect and have been a big hit as gifts, plus Walgreens always has coupons so the price is reasonable.

Here's one I made for bestie of her son (and no, Add Text was not included on the final.)

And another I made for myself of the family Christmas:

Steve received this one as his Christmas gift:

While in Walgreens they of course had 50% off Christmas.  Picked up a cosmetic kit along with some J. Lo perfume which smells yummy.

Here's to everyone having a wonderful 2020!