RIP Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple, that vision of childhood innocence who entertained all of us throughout her life, has passed away at 85.

Happy Two Years Babe!!

Happy two year anniversary Michael!  From our first dinner at McGrath's to our variety of trips to our multitude of long-distance phone calls, it's been a memorable two years!!  I can't wait for many more!!!

No No to the Snow Snow!!!

Okay, enough is enough....meaning snow that is!  There's a big difference between choosing to stay home all weekend and being forced to stay home because you are unable to leave due to safety concerns of driving on snowing and icy roads.  Ugh.  Yesterday will now be referred to as Lame Movie Day - watched three movies, snacked, and cleaned my room.  Rather than being productive, it was boring; rather than feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, I'm suffering from a severe case of cabin fever.  I may have to pull my boots and jacket on today to go for a walk simply to get out of the confines of my house!!!

TGIF and Bring On the Snow!!

Well, the snow has arrived!  Yesterday at work it was cold but nice and clear with no snow.  It wasn't until I was driving home after 5pm that I entered treacherous territory.  Traveling south, I exited Chehalis and began to see snow swirling on the freeway.  My car began to slip some so I slowed down....way down..., stayed in the middle lane, and followed the tracks in front of me laid by a big rig.  Even while the snow became thicker and more compact on the road, cars were zipping past me, oblivious to the icy road danger that lay in wait. At one point, several cars had taken an exit and for a time I was the only one on the freeway traveling south...dark, no clear lane marks, and alone.  Thankfully God was on my side as he guided me home.  I passed several cars and trucks on the side of road - left by themselves crunched into ditches or surrounded by police, taking statements and extracting drivers from their now totalled cars.  At one point I passed an SUV that had been traveling north but lay upside down the median hill onto the south bound side. No cops had arrived but a fellow car had stopped to help.  I continued on my way, going 25-30 mph in the slow lane. I was so hopeful when I passed Castle Rock, which meant my journey was almost over.  A wave of relief swept over me when I opened my garage and crept inside.

Unfortunately, my Sam had a bumper crunch during his travels in the snow.  Rounding a corner, he slid into a curb (as opposed to cars), beat up his hub cap and damaged his wheel.  Thankfully, he was okay; later last night, his buddy and his father were able to help him out by driving his car home and it's now parked in the garage.  We'll deal with the wheel situation later but for now the car is parked until the snow melts.

No work today because common sense told me to not tackle the icy, snow-packed commute.  Which means...housework!  Ugh!  Perhaps I'll pull on my boots, dress Stubbs in one of his doggie sweaters, and go for a walk in the snow to avoid cleaning.  However you spend your Friday, in the snow or out, I hope you have a good one!!!

View from my window this morning

Seahawks Celebration

Sunday was a Hurry Up and Wait type of day.  After donning our Seahawk shirts, Michael and I, along with Jordan and Sam, watched football clips all day leading up to the start of the Super Bowl.  I also cooked up a bunch of football food - wiener wraps, clam dip, korean beef and rice, mac and cheese, and iced tea - to snack on throughout the day.  This was the first year I ever sat down to watch and participate in the Super Bowl and, to be honest, it was pretty exciting!

Finally kickoff began and what a start!  After expecting a rough, brutal battle, the Seahawks appeared to glide easily into winning.  And what a great victory it was!!!  I almost felt sorry for the Broncos and their humiliating loss.

Here's a pic of Michael with Stubbs dressed up in his Seahawk colored kerchief.  So cute!!  So much so that I sent this picture in to Good Day Oregon to run in the morning pets section.  I've sent so many pictures of Stubbins in to their station and his picture has never been chosen so I'm hoping this one will do the trick!!

Win It Hawks!!!

Guacamole, Gresham, and Game

Friday night Michael and I were lucky enough to be included on a surprise birthday party for my friend Lisa, who also turned 50.   After a day of lounging (I took Friday off to recover from my milestone birthday on Thursday) we met up at a local Mexican lounge for drinks and dinner.  The last time I had been to this location was years ago -  it was a local beer joint and I remember drinking Corona and crooning Patsy Cline's Crazy during karaoke.  Now it had morphed into a great Mexican restaurant. We arrived early so to stave off hunger we ordered a peach margarita to share, bean dip and this fabulous chunky guacamole, filled with diced avocado, onion, cilantro, tomato, and lime.  It was beyond yummy!  After surprising Lisa when she entered the lounge, we celebrated her birthday while splitting dinner because we were so full from our chip and dip appetizers.

Happy 50th Lisa!!

Saturday arrived too early as we got up at 5am to roll out of bed and make our way to Portland for Michael's dialysis appointment.   We entered the clinic, which was a room full of dental-type chairs lined up similar to pedicure chairs.  Next to each chair  was a large machine which processes each persons blood.  The nurse got Michael hooked up and we watched TV before napping.  Waking up I decided it was time to....shop!  The clinic is located close to Cascade Station so I left Michael to rest and hit the road for Target. I've got a gift certificate burning a hole in my pocked from Target; alas, nothing drew my attention so I left the store empty-handed.  My next stop was Ross then Lane Bryant before returning to the clinic to find Michael all done and ready to go.

After the clinic we swung by Michael's apartment before stopping at downtown Gresham to have lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Nicholas.  Hummus, hot tea, and a shared gyro hit the spot before we hit the road for home.  I also took a batch of the hummus home for Superbowl Sunday.

Once home, we relaxed and watched movies, Skeleton Key and Bad Grampa, with Sam and Jordan.  In the afternoon I whipped a batch of clam dip, also for Superbowl Sunday.  Stubbs became my target Saturday afternoon as I trimmed him, clipped him, then gave him a bath.  Whew - after rising so early it was a very long day, recapped by falling asleep by 9pm.

And today is the Super Bowl.  I have never been a fan of football; however, now that Michael has clearly explained it to me and the fact that our very own Washington team is playing in it, this year I'm excited to watch it.  I've painted my nails team colors and even wrapped a blue and neon green bandanna around Stubb's neck to celebrate the occasion.  Go Hawks!!!

I would sooo rock these!!