Got Caviar?

Why does the dog bark and growl when I am home alone at night?  Scares the crap out of me!  Yes, I am a bit of a scaredy cat - I admit it.  She must feel more at ease when both of her parents are home.  Either that or she is just being mean and hateful to me!  I have checked all the doors and windows.  I hope she doesn't have to pee because I am not going out there.  Also, I had told my landlord I would go check for something downstairs and outside tonight.  Oh hell no.  That would mean having to go into the basement AND go outside too.  Overload!  It's not like it's a scary basement.  It is a finished basement with plenty of light.  Perfectly safe, I'm sure.  But it's called a basement and I'm afraid of basements!  There...I have put out there yet another fear.  My number one fear is still opening the Pillsbury cans.  Freaks me out every time.  So, I just don't.  Yes, I was most likely dropped on my head as a baby.  I blame all of my oddities on that.

So I went to my parent's church for "Thanksgiving Dinner".  It was fine.  Food was ok - saw a few strange people.  A normal church activity.  They had a TON of pies.  Oh...another fear - pies from the unknown baker.  I am the same way about potlucks.  If I know who made something, I will eat it.  If I don't - I just can't!  So if you ever see me at a potluck and see my plate piled high with one thing, you will know why.  I know the cook!  So here was a strange thing at the dinner.  It happened during prayer and mom told me that she knew if she were to open up her eyes and look at me that I would be laughing.  She looked and yes, I was laughing.  I even snorted!  It was such a dumb thing that it was hilarious.  So the Pastor says the prayer for the meal.  And this is how it starts out...(mind you, he lost me after the first sentence)... "Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity to gather as a church family and while we don't have Caviar, we do have many delicious dishes to enjoy".  WTH?!  I just busted up!  He may as well have added "champagne" to the sentence too!  Caviar?  Does he even know what Caviar is?  He is a very straight-laced Vegan guy which made it even funnier!  Anyway, it probably was not an appropriate time to laugh but then again, when have I ever been appropriate?!

It is the year 2012 - almost 2013 and guess what?  The Guadagni house FINALLY has an LED Flatscreen TV.  Yes, we really do.  No longer will we have the big 2 ton boxey TV in our living room.  Yippee!  I am so excited.  Have not taken it out of the box yet but who cares - we have one!  Now we can finally utilize that hi def that we pay for every month.  Yep, it's true.  Had the hi def for a while - did that a little bass ackwards.  And I have even bigger news!  We also have a Blu Ray Player!  Rah rah!  So the guy at Best Buy says "you've never seen a Blu Ray movie"?  NO!  I felt like an old dial telephone on the wall with the squirly cord.  I may never use it, but betcha by golly wow, I have one!

Remember, we should be extra thankful this week.  For what, I'm not sure but we can all come up with a little something.  And if you will be having Caviar for Thanksgiving, you can be all the more thankful! (if you like the nasty stuff).

♥jules♥

Banana Slugs!

Finally...finishing up the Alaska trip...

Our last stop in Alaska was in Ketchikan.  The town is known for it's many totem poles.  I think you either like totem poles or you don't.  Honestly, I have never found a person who likes them.  Except for myself.  I am fascinated with them.  We were only in Ketchikan until 1:00pm and I was so bummed that I didn't get to see more.  The town was very cute.  A lot of houses on the hills, all different colors.  Bright reds, blues, etc.  We actually saw a very cool bald eagle (while on a tour to see a bear that we didn't see).  What a beautiful bird.  I got a pic but you won't know what you are looking at so I won't even bother posting it.  Ketchikan gets a lot of rain and it was very green.  We went to an Alaskan rain forest - don't picture Costa Rica - it's not the same.  Just a lot of trees and moss.  One thing they are famous for are Banana Slugs.  Seriously, did I really think I was going to see a Banana Slug?  I thought...what are the chances?  Well guess what?!  May I present you with an Alaskan Banana Slug!...

A real beauty, huh?!  I liked it so much that I took its picture again! 

Got a clearer view this time!

We left Ketchikan at 1:00 cuz we had to get on the "road" and head for Canada.  We spent all night and most of the next day crusing toward Victoria BC Canada.  When we arrived it was almost dark.  A little disappointing but it was still cool to see it.  We went on a bus tour through Victoria and then ended up at Butchart Gardens for a night tour.  Absolutely gorgeous flowers.  I have actually been there during the day and it's even prettier but it was kind of  neat to see it at night.  I will have to say the Ashton Kutcher camera took pretty good pics at night.  I was super pleased.  For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it's a Nikon Digital Touch.  Ashton Kutcher does the commercials on TV for it.  Except when he swipes his finger across the screen, the pictures pop up much nicer than when I do.  Hype I tell ya!  Here are some pics of Butchart Gardens...

We got back on this ship about 11:15pm and it was time for bed knowing that when we woke up in the morning we would be in the Port of Seattle.  I was happy to get home to my girls but real sad the trip had to end.  Alaska was incredible.  I would recommend it to anyone.  It's just something you really should experience in your lifetime at least once.

This was the last shot I got of the ship as we were leaving the terminal.  All the cranes, equipment etc were for the food/supplies being loaded onto the ship for the next departure in about 7 hours.  The Carnival Spirit is my favorite Carnival ship.  I have been on her 3 times.  This was probably my last time.  She has moved to Australia and at this time, there are no plans to return her to the United States.  She's taken me to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo, Costa Maya, Acapulco, Cabo, Canada, and Alaska.  Great memories to carry with me! ♥

The Weekend and Skagway pics

Super busy but fun weekend.  I love getting off work @ 11:30 on Fridays.  It's almost like not working at all.  Compared to 5:00, 11:30 is a cinch. 
After work I picked up Rox from the doggy day spa.  It's a regular dog wash/groom place but she believes it is a day spa.  Let's keep it that way, please!  Here is my sweet baby girl...

Rox and I went home to clean.  2 hours flew by and it was time to get ready to go out.  Luigi got home and then Rhonda got here as soon as she could after work.  We went to Entwined on Grand in Escondido.  That is Boyd Kerr and Kristi McGee's new restaurant.  We sat out on the patio because...they are DOG FRIENDLY!  Roxie got to join us.  We had Happy Hour food which was so yummy.  Rhonda's friend, Greg, joined us too.  Later, our friend Rob Kerr joined us also.  We had the most delicious Sliders I have ever had.  We had a flatbread pizza.  We also had charred artichokes.  And then Greg ordered stuffed dates.  I HATE dates.  But let me tell you...they were delicious!  I think they were stuffed with goat cheese and they came with a sirachi plum sauce.  All of the food was amazing and the restaurant was beautiful.  Definitely going back.  After that we went to Grand on Grand to catch my friend Barbara's husband's band, Scaring the Wives.  They are awesome.  It was their last performance of the year.

On Saturday, we checked out a new church.  The church isn't new but it was new to us.  I kind of liked it.  It's in San Diego - Tierrasanta actually.  Beautiful church and everyone was very nice.  Will have to go back and check it out again one of these days.  Had lunch at Chow Fun in Carmel Mountain.  Then I took a REALLY long nap.  Too long actually.  Woke up close to 6:00 feeling like lead.  But I refreshed and Rhonda was back over.  We went grocery shopping, stopped to see our friend, Elli, and then came home to make pizzas.  Well - Luigi made pizzas.  We ate them.  Rhonda and I had a good time together.

Sunday...busy day doing chores and watched the Charger game in the evening.  Yep, busy weekend!

Here are a couple of pics of Skagway...will talk about Skagway tomorrow when I post the final pics of Butchart Gardens in Victoria Canada. ♥



Me @ Saxman Village - Totem Poles



Luigi and Mom @ ??? can't remember right now!



Rain Forest in Ketchikan

Cute little totem pole! (that painted wood statue is cute too)

Juneau

Was home sick today.  I won't go into details.  Just one of those sicknesses where it's best to be at home.  I did manage to clean my kitchen AND take a shower.  Thank goodness for that.  The shower.  So I kind of dropped the ball on posting Alaska pics.  I believe I posted our first stop which was Skagway.  Our next stop was Juneau.  I was excited to get to Juneau because I had read a story about a statue of a dog that sits at the pier.  Her name is Patsy Ann.  You can read her short but touching story at www.patsyann.com

Jules and Patsy Ann

There were 2 ships in port - Carnival and Princess (story below)



Having breakfast @ the LaPlaya Grill before checking out Juneau




It was starting to rain when we left Juneau...

 So in Juneau we went to the Alaska State Museum.  We had also wanted to visit the capitol building but we ran out of time.  I like Museums.  I don't love Museums.  I can go through a moderately sized Museum in about 40 minutes.  Then I'm done.  While the family leisurely spent their Saturday morning in this Museum, I was hanging out on a bench people watching.  There weren't many people there so I had to get enjoyment out of who was there.  There was a very crabby old woman in a wheelchair - she bitched at everyone.  She ordered her husband around to no end.  After what seemed like hours, the family was ready to leave so they found me (I'm not hard to find in a Museum).  The old lady said to Luigi "go get my husband for me - he is in the blue jacket".  Not wanting to be as rude as she was, he said ok.  He went and got the man in the blue jacket and said "your wife is looking for you".  The man replied "I would prefer NOT to be found"!  Ok, that said a lot.  So we are walking away and she said to me "are you also on the Princess"?  I said "no, we are on the Carnival Spirit".  She made the most disgusting face and said "ohhhh, awful".  Really?  It was one of those moments when you have so much to say but can't say anything.  Of course, I bitched all the way out the door.  Walked by a man sitting outside the Museum (must have been waiting for his family) and he heard me bitching.  He said the logical thing though..."Well, neither one appear to be sinking"!  Thank you! ♥

Poem for the Day

It is Monday.  Not a fun day. 

♥

Almost!

You can't feel it in the air yet...in fact, it's dang hot - too hot actually.  So sick of Summer.  But Fall is a comin', everyone!  My all time favorite season.  I am waiting for that certain day when I step out of work and I can feel Fall in the air.  It's not just the cooler weather but there is a certain feeling in the air and you know it has arrived!

I was @ the grocery store last night and seeing these pumpkins outside the front door made me smile!  The $8.00 price tag was not a happy thing but the pumpkins...oh yeah!

Happy "Almost Fall" everyone! ♥

Tending to the Blog

I was reading a very popular Blog today and it certainly made me feel like a real lousy Blogger.  I love my Blog but I'm just so bad at keeping it up.  Most of it is just laziness.  Having a 2 story house where the second floor is not really used, it kind of gets forgotten up here.  I come home tired from work, look up here, and it's dark and quiet.  I think to myself "do I really want to go up there"?  I do but I don't.  Anyway, I was reading some great tips about blogging today and she said to treat your Blog as if it is a growing flower or plant.  Something that needs to be nurtured, watered, and generally taken care of.  I don't really do that now do I?!  Don't answer that!
Another tip was to thank and really appreciate your Blog followers.  That is a great idea...but not Blogging is kind of letting down those who read it and want more.
So I know I have promised it before, more than once, but I really am going to make an attempt to be a regular Blogger.  For both you and for me too!
I'm actually still feeling the incredible effects of such a great vacation in Alaska.  I just found the beauty to be so incredible, peaceful, and healing.  There were a couple of times that I would gaze out of a window or off the deck of the ship and I would get tears in my eyes - just taking it all in.
Here are a few of my favorite pics...from the Tracy Arm Fjord and Skagway (including the Yukon in Canada).  Will post some more tomorrow from Juneau and Ketchikan.



Skagway, AK - By far my favorite stop
Loved the wood plank sidewalks!



Port of Skagway - we were the only ship in Port that day



A beautiful Sunrise in Alaska



A beautiful Glacier cruising in the Tracy Arm



Yukon Territory in Canada



Glacier in Tracy Arm Fjord

911 Wal Mart Alert

TGIF!  Truly.

Feels as if it's been a long week.  I know every week is the same but certain ones are particularly tough.  Dad's 80th birthday was last weekend.  We had about 17 people over on Sunday.  He enjoyed it as did his friends from church.  Here are some pics...

I was happy that we were able to get that many people in and sitting down to eat.  And of course my Blog would not be my Blog if I didn't put a pic of Roxie.  Here she is wearing her new party dress!  She had a great time but was exhausted after the festivities.  She had to be carried to bed.  My sweet old girl!

Quick story and then I have to do all the stuff you do to get ready for work.  I went to Wal Mart yesterday at lunch.  I walked up toward the front doors and all of a sudden this guy falls over one of those thingys that pushes a row of carts.  Big, ugly machine.  He completely flipped over it and landed in the parking lot on the hot asphalt.  Those of you who live in CA know that this week I mean it when I say HOT asphalt.  He hit his head.  And then he was having seizures.  I was completely freaked out and didn't know what to do.  Pretty soon others came over too.  All I knew to do was call 911 which I did.  The paramedics were there in 4 or 5 minutes.  He had 5 seizures during that time.  Come to find out, he was an employee there.  He has epilepsy.  I think what happened is that he had a seizure and then fell over the thingy.  My heart went out to him.  How scary and also how vulnerable you are lying there seizing with a bunch of strangers staring.  I pray his head injury was not life threatening and that he will be ok.
Come to think of it, that is the 2nd time I have called 911 in an week!  The other time was Saturday night.  Oh no - guess where?!  The Wal Mart parking lot!  However, this was at a different Wal Mart.  I don't hang out at Wal Marts - I promise.  I was actually passing through this parking lot going to Kohl's on Saturday night.  A guy was in his truck sitting at a stop sign in the parking lot, sound asleep!  Nothing was waking him up.  I just knew he was going to start rolling and either hit someone or hit another car.  Sure enough...starts rolling across the lot.  Finally he woke up.  I don't know if he had just worked a double shift at KFC right there or if he were drunk.  Either way - the Sheriffs came to check him out.
I'm staying away from Wal Mart for a few days...
♥

Summer... Please Go Away

I seem to take a lot of vacations from this blog.  I think this last one has been the longest yet. 
I went for a physical today - my doctor wanted to see me before he will sign for me to take time off to go to the Biggest Loser Resort in Malibu.  He declared me healthy and told me to "enjoy"!  He thought I was going to get to be on the show and was disappointed that I'm not.  Still though he said that 8 hours a day of exercise will be good for me and I will be just fine.  Funny thing, we were talking about pain medication and the fact that I have very little left.  There are certain times when I truly need it - if you've been around me then you know that not often but every now and again, I really can't get out of bed.  That used to be because of depression but now it's pretty much physical.  He was asking when I take it and for what and then he interjected with "besides the fibromyalgia".  What?  Well it seems that  the tests I took last Summer showed some form of it but no one from Rheumatology felt it necessary to pass along that information.  It explains a whole lot.  Now I know the physical pain that I feel is not made up in my head.  I feel relief about that.  Anyway, he prescribed me a new pain medication and gave me a whopping 10 pills.  I definitely have a doctor who is more on the conservative side.  That's fine with me - I don't ever want to become addicted to any kind of prescription medication.  That's the last thing I need.
This heatwave is really getting old.  It's been so hot and miserably humid.  I was determined not to run the AC in my house but I had to give in on Saturday night.  Last night I had it on and woke up actually freezing.  How cool is that?!  Punny.  What's really strange is that we were at Costco on Friday buying jackets.  Leaving this hot weather behind and heading for Alaska.  I have a feeling I will absolutely LOVE the weather there.  Trying not to think of how much I will miss my girls though.  It's tough for me.
That Zoe though...what am I going to do with her?  I put my Tanzanite ring on the window sill yesterday while I was cooking.  Dumb move.  Smart cat.  I hope I find it.
♥

Slurpees or Salads?

I promised pictures and am finally delivering...

It was a very long day at work.  I did take a quick break and talked to a friend who actually is having a worse week than I am.  Just a tough one.  I think a lot of people have stress and feel completely overwhelmed.  It just seems to be the way of the world these days.  Nothing is easy or simple.  I wish I had a quick fix for all of us.

I was driving home after work and was thinking that a lemonade would taste really good.  Chick fil A has good lemonade - with or without sugar.  I got off the freeway and headed for the drive-thru.  I guess I wasn't paying attention because if I had, I would have noticed that there were what seemed like a million cars ahead of me.  When I did finally come to this realization of course it was too late to back out of it.  There were probably 4 cars behind me and I knew they weren't letting me out!  I had never seen so many people eager to buy a chicken sandwich.  I was super annoyed!  I FINALLY got up to the board to order.  Placed my order and was immediately told that it was Customer Appreciation Day and because they appreciate me, they were giving me a free 3 strips of chicken with sauce.  Ok so now I got it.  All of these people found out they could get something for free and headed where I was headed.  It was another 10 minutes before I got to the actual window for the lemonade.  And of course my free chicken.  Total time for 1 lemonade?  About 25 minutes.  Brilliant idea, Jules.  But...Chick fil A appreciates me!

Speaking of food - I have been a bit disturbed with 7-11 commercials on the radio.  What is this I hear that 7-11 is now serving delicious beef taquitos and fresh, crisp salads?  Why?  What has happened to society?  I grew up thinking that 7-11 was strictly "The Slurpee Store".  7-11 sells Slurpees, people!  Not salads.  If you want a freakin salad, go to the salad restaurant.  If you want a burger go to the burger joint.  If you want a burrito, go to the Mexican joint.  If you want pizza... And if you want a Slurpee...duh!  Imagine hearing a co-worker talking to someone at their home.  "Honey, I'll stop by 7-11 and grab us some dinner, ok?!"  Really????

Here's a few pics that I have taken this week...


Lake Hodges
(taken from my street)


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Lake Hodges in the early morning
(taken from my driveway - my only "lakeview")

Here is one of the goats that Roxie and I go to visit every day.  They have gotten used to us coming by and run down to the fence!

And Zoe LOVES the yard...

♥

Hi Blog Followers,

I really need a laptop because the computer that I use is upstairs here at my house.  I rarely come upstairs.  Moving to this new house has completely changed my home lifestyle.  I used to spend A LOT of time on the computer at the old place.  Maybe because it was convenient?  I sometimes miss the coziness of a smaller home.  I would love to have a laptop downstairs so I can blog, check FB, email, scrabble, etc.  A typical day for me (after work) is that I get home, greet any animals that are home, and kick off my shoes.  Then I grab something to drink, my Nook, and my Cell Phone and I head outside to the balcony.  I sit out there every night for a long time.  The cat and dog love it.  We watch for the horses to trot by and for the big gray owl to make his or her way to the big tree across the street for the night.  That would be the same tree that blocks my lakeview from the balcony and also blocked the fireworks last night!
Everything is so quiet here and I pretty much have zero stress. 
Yes, I know...I am going to post pics.  I say that every time I blog.  But I really am.  This weekend is the weekend for pictures!  I will even post a picture of my favorite goat who lives down the street.  She is SO sweet and loves to be petted.  I sure wish I knew her name.  Everytime I walk by that house, I never see anyone.  The goats are fat so someone obviously lives there and feeds them.
Happy Friday to everyone. ♥

Ahhh - carpet

It feels like Friday so therefore it should be Friday.  For those of you ending your work week today - I hate you.  Actually I love you but wish I could hate you!
I drove by the old place the other day.  The For Rent sign is up.  Rent went up $50 a month - they are asking $1400.  I thought it was funny they advertise brand new appliances.  Really, they aren't brand new.  Maybe a year old.  But I was so careful using them, they were able to pass them off as brand new because they look it.  The one thing that irritates me is that there is brand new carpet.  I wanted new carpet.  It was the crappiest, ugliest carpet and she said to give it another year and she would replace it.  We were there 2 years.  So we spent a crazy amount of money having the carpet cleaned for her just so we could get our deposit back and she turned around and removed it.  Now that I have moved, I had a dream come true.  I always wanted hardwood floors.  I have never met a person who didn't like them.  In case you have never met a person who didn't like hardwood floors...stop right there!  You know me!  My name is Julie and I hate hardwood floors.  Yep, I said it.  Didn't know I was such a carpet girl.  They look pretty but I hate taking care of them and I hate walking on them.  And I can't lay on the floor with Roxie because it's not all that comfortable.  And it's cold.  Oh well - I will learn to live with them!
My cousin, Josh, made it home safely from Afghanistan yesterday!  Happy for him - and Michelle.
Have a good Thursday everyone! ♥

Ice Cream Prisoner

Summer has arrived.  It's darn hot around here.  I don't like it!
Had a super busy weekend.  Every since we moved my social life has expanded 10 fold or so it seems.  Friday night was pizza night.  Actually almost every Friday is pizza night here.  We make homemade pizzas and they are always so yummy.  Had some girlfriends over until about 11:00.  Very fun.  Saturday night was my friend Jan's birthday bash.  It was part of a block party in her neighborhood.  Very fun and delicious catered Mexican food - pollo and carne asada tacos, rice, beans, chips, salsa...aka here in California as a "Taco Cart".  Saw my friend Hilda who I had not seen in about 7 years when we were both in Vegas for a wedding.
Today...Father's Day...I acted like I was a Father.  I was lazy.  I did finally get moving about 2:00.  Went to Kohl's and Macy's.  Then at 4:20 (I know, that is a weird time) we met mom and dad at Phil's BBQ for dinner.  Delicious.  Went to Baskin Robbins where the computer/cash register went down.  I felt literally held as a prisoner in an ice cream store.  It wouldn't have been so bad if I had been offered free ice cream but the owners of this particular store are NOT customer friendly.  So we waited for what seemed like forever in order to pay.  My ice cream was gone before I ever left the store.  That's how long I was in the 31 Flavors Prison.
Back to work tomorrow.  No group meeting for the next 2 Mondays.  Kind of nice to have a break.  The Civic is going to the car wash after work.  It's beyond disgusting.  It looks like the ultimate dumping ground for many, many birds.
Haven't forgotten that I need to post pics.  I'm getting there! ♥

Want Cat?

Free to good, bad, or indifferent home: One almost 2 year old feline.  Female, spayed, up to date on shots, does not shed, likes dogs.
Seriously - that damn cat of mine has just about done me in today.  She is running around this house as if she is possessed.  She is climbing the screens, flying through the air, and sprinting across the floors.  She got out on me and that was a fiasco.  She never listens to me.  She just blows me off.  I was chasing her around in the yard in the dark.  Never mind there are coyotes and owls who could snatch her in a quick second.  She ran from me and hid under my car.  I dropped my phone in the mud.  She is being so very naughty.  I even tried giving her a little smack on the butt.  She looked at me as if I were nuts.  She didn't care.  Then she walks by Roxie and smacks her in the face.  Poor Rox - I really owe her an apology for bringing home this whack-a-doodle.
This was a really, really long day.  I had a terrible stomach ache and thought the day would never end.  3 more days to go. 
I will start posting pics on here this week.  I have been taking pictures of my surroundings here at the house.  I'm loving it.
The girls saw their first horse the other day.  They were beside themselves.  Rox barked and barked and Zoe growled.  It was the funniest thing.  They love to sit on the balcony and play neighborhood watch!  Not used to living in a neighborhood where people ride their horses in front of the house!  It's just awesome.  I don't even know how to put it into words.
Ants...going to be the death of me.  I swear.  I'm going crazy - they are EVERYWHERE! ♥

Butter!

Good morning Blog Followers...

So I just spilled a huge container of bird seed all over the floor.  Pleasant way to start the day.  I will clean it up when I get home from work tonight.  It's not like the cat will eat it.  After all, if she wanted to eat something it would be Blueberry and so far - so good.  They have lived here together almost 2 years now without a problem.  In fact, they are pretty good friends.
I don't have outdoor garbage containers.  They brought me new ones the other day when I got an account.  THEN they processed the cancel notice for the previous account and thus, took away the containers!  Not a big deal but it's always something! 
NO JOKE - as I sit here, EDCO just pulled up and is delivering me new containers!  How funny is that?!

I've been having a little bit of trouble with my stomach lately.  Nothing settles right so almost anything I eat causes me a stomach ache.  I decided yesterday at lunch I would eat a tortilla with a little bit of butter.  So I go to a place called Los Jilbertos near my work and ask for a tortilla.  Tortillas from Mexican restaurants are pretty huge and they come all wrapped up, nice and hot.  I asked the girl for butter.  She looked at me strangely.  I again repeated myself.  After about 5 times I realized I was not getting butter because she could not understand what I wanted!  My own country and I can't order a pat of butter?!  Obviously I am the one who needs to get a clue.  I think I had better learn some spanish if I plan to remain a resident of America. 

Have to run to work...hope you all have a great day! ♥

P.S.  Mantequilla...Butter!

Moved!

I have so much to write about that I don't even know where to begin so I will just touch on a few major items in my life...

We moved on Friday and I love, love, love this new place.  I feel as if I am going to be very, very happy here.  Some of my favorite things...I love the location.  You step outside and hear birds chirping and geese honking.  And the wind blowing through the trees.  It's like camping but without a tent.  I love how much room I have.  I have felt so confined ever since we left the Murrieta house.  But now there is room to walk and even dance (although I am really bad at that).  This morning I had a glass of o.j. out on the balcony and watched birds and butterflies.  I love the updated kitchen.  It's not real big but I enjoy being in there.  Nice kitchen window over the sink.  When you open the windows in the house there is a wonderful breeze that blows through.  And oh-so-quiet!!!

Here are some quirky things about the house...the shower is for a handicapped person.  Hate it.  I thought it wouldn't be so bad but it's worse.  But on the bright side, I will definitely save time and water because every time I am in there, I want the heck out!  The ceiling fans/lights randomly go on.  It is bizarre.  All of a sudden I will feel cold and realize that the ceiling fan over the couch is on full blast!  I guess it's because it is on the same circuit as someone else around here so when they turn there's on, mine goes on too.  Very strange.  There are regular doors and security doors.  Yep, already locked myself out!  Too many doors for Jules obviously means confusion.

Overall, it's just great and like I said, I will be very happy here.

The old place has been cleaned and carpets are done.  We just need to replace the mini blinds in both bedrooms (thank you, Zoe) along with a few screens on the windows (thank you, Zoe).  After that, the keys go back and Grape Street will be but a memory.

And then there is Roxie...I think I will talk about my precious girl tomorrow.  She is paralyzed in the back and can no longer walk.  I am praying the feeling will come back to her legs.  She is being well taken care of though.  She understands we are trying to help her.  She has to be in a pen and has to be carried out to use the facilities aka grass.  But she never complains.  She is a happy dog and I hope she knows how much I love her.

Back to work tomorrow.  I'm not ready!  Still unpacking but I guess that will come in time.  Thanks for checking in here. 

Love, Jules ♥

A Blog of Complaints...sorry!

I really dislike Blogger's new format.  My readers don't see it but every time I log on, I get these graphs and statistics.  Every day it tells me how many people read the Blog etc.  I don't want to know that kind of stuff!  Maybe if I were doing this for money or something but it's just for fun.  My last post I got 11 hits but a couple before that...2.  Then you think..."only 2?"!  So what.
I pulled a muscle in my side today.  Originally it started at work.  I have these horribly tall shelving units.  I was not made for anything tall.  So I have to get on a step stool.  That's scary in itself.  So I'm on the stool and I STILL have trouble reaching.  I couldn't get the darn file on the shelf so I was trying to finagle it in there and I felt a pain.  I am done with the top shelf for a while.  So tonight I was lifting boxes in the garage trying to get things ready for the movers and I think I finished myself off.  I can hardly move my right side.  I went to get a Motrin but of course the medications are all in a box and I couldn't find it.  Just my luck.
One last physical complaint.  I have an ugly cold sore on my bottom lip.  They hurt and they are ugly.  I get them when I am stressed.  Either that or hives.  I'll take the cold sore.
My Rox is doing much better.  She is acting like her old self.  Gopher hunting and begging for snacks.  Her two favorite things.
Yesterday after work I had an appointment with my Psychiatrist.  Sounds daunting, I know.  But it truly isn't.  Pretty much the only thing a Psychiatrist does is monitor medication.  First off, he has a full blown cold.  I pray I don't get it!  This is what happens at the appointments...he asks how I'm doing, asks if I feel that the medication is working, comments that he is happy I go to group, and then tells me not to drink with one of the medications and also tells me I can't mix it with cocaine or meth.  Well darn!  I told him he really knows how to take my fun away.  He then asks if I have any questions.  That's it.  I paid $25.00 for 5 minutes.  $5.00 a minute...that's expensive! 
It's almost midnight and I am exhausted and in pain.  I need to get some sleep so that I can happily go to work in the morning! TGIF ♥

Complimentary Hotel Bottles

I was just sitting here at my computer when Roxie came in with that cute toothless smile of hers, talking away.  I can only imagine she was telling me about all of her dreams last night of chasing down Rottweillers and Dobermans.  Knowing her as well as I do, she was also telling me that it is much too early to be up and that I need to go back to bed with her!  A typical morning here...and what is so wonderful about this typical morning is that Rox has been real sick with pancreatitis.  No smiles, no talks.  But she is on the mend thanks to her vet's office and my bank account!  Seriously, she has cost the Guadagni's a heck of a lot of money in the past few months but the joy she brings me - I can't put a price on it.  She is in her senior years and I enjoy every day I have with her.

Moving Day...fast approaching.  Packed up mine and Zoe's bathroom on Sunday.  Answer me this?  Why is it that I insist on bringing home the cute little lotions and shower gels from hotels?  I don't use them.  And they multiply like rabbits.  What is up with that?  So I cart these little minis from house to house..."don't throw that away - I might use it someday"!  Or here is a favorite..."don't throw that away - those are good travel size bottles".  So let me get this straight - I want to travel with them when I am going to a place that will provide me with more?  How crazy is that philosophy?!  My point is that on Sunday - I had a "hotel ammenities" cleansing.  That is, I put them all in a pile on the bathroom counter, opened the trash bag, swept them all into the bag, tied it up, and ran for the dumpster!  I'm free!  Until my next hotel stay...
♥

The California Poppy

Is it just in California that you can't pick the State flower or is that in every State?  I have always wondered about that.  I love California Poppies so when I move I am going to throw a lot of seeds out and hope that next year I have my own Poppy garden.  Now... is it illegal to pick them if I grow them myself?  These are the things I worry about...

I have 3 new fave shows on TV right now.  I am guessing that not one person who reads my Blog will have watched or even heard of these shows but here goes...

1.  Client List - this is on Lifetime.  Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt.  I am SO addicted to it.

2.  A Little Bit Country - this is on CMT.  Starring Jennie Garth.  You know, stuck up Kelly Taylor on 90210.  Her husband left her recently so she took her 3 girls and moved to Los Olivos CA to get away from the city.  It's hilarious.  She's a funny person - I get her sense of humor in every way!  Anyway, she has a pig, a goat, and cow, and lots of dogs.  And a quirky assistant who is funny in her own right.

3.  Melissa and Tye - this is also on CMT and comes on right after Jennie's show.  This stars Melissa who was once a contestant on the Bachelor and got dumped on national TV by her fiancee, Jason.  Melissa ended up marrying her high school sweetheart (awww) and they just moved to Hollywood from Dallas.  Funnier than heck.  Mostly her husband, Tye.  That guy has a fun sense of humor and he laughs at himself.  If you can laugh at yourself, you are awesome!  That's why I try to laugh at myself - so I can be awesome!

So that is my TV addiction rundown.

Moving in a little over 2 weeks.  I really need to pack.  Accepting volunteers!!!  I hate packing more than most anything on this earth.  I found a Padres baseball schedule for 1998.  Also a movie ticket stub from 2009.  I am not a hoarder - or so I thought.  But when you start finding that kind of paraphanalia...watch out, people!  You may find me starring in my own show on TLC.

I have had a real tough past month.  The kind of month that if I allowed it to happen, I could easily find myself in a heap of hopeless despair.  But I'm not letting that happen.  I am once again pulling out the inner strength and rising above the crap.  Some believe that depression is curable.  I'm not so sure that it is - at least not 100%.  All I know is that I'm not ashamed of it.  I face it head on and am willing to share with anyone who asks.  Yes, I go to a therapist and yes, I take medication.  I'm thankful for both of those things.  There are days I allow myself to give into the feelings but most days, I'm a fighter and if I have to fight this my whole life, that is what I will do!  And I keep remembering that when I think I have it bad, there is someone else out there who has it a whole lot worse. 

Good night! ♥

Brain Pain

It has been an incredibly brain-intense day.  Work was very busy.  I left early in order to go to an appointment.  That was a bit taxing.  I then had 2 hours to kill before another appointment.  I went and returned a shirt that I bought a couple of weeks ago.  The one that looked really great on the hanger but hideous on me!  Thank goodness it is gone.  I stopped at Boudin's in San Marcos and got myself something to eat.  I then went back to Vista for another 2 hour appointment.  Group session that was 2 full hours.  By then my head was hurting.  A lot of information to process.  My intention was to go home and relax.  Why do I set myself up for that?  It never goes right!  I picked up Roxie from her grandparents and then realized I had NO gas - not even one bar.  So I went to Costco.  Luckily the gas station there is open until 9:30 even though Costco closes at 8:30.  I was the only one in the whole place.  Now I know when to go get gas!  And it was quite a bargain today...only $3.97 a gallon.
While I was doing all of this, my phone kept going on with text alerts.  I finally read them (big mistake).  They were texts from someone blasting me for basically "backstabbing" them.  Have you ever just felt like you've had just enough?  That's how I felt.  I tried to defend myself via text but that probably went on deaf ears.  The whole thing is...I am not guilty of what I was accused of!  But how to prove that?  That was the final straw.  I am mentally drained.

Today would have been my Emily's birthday.  I always thought that the pain from losing her would subside.  It has a little bit, but not all that much.  I think it was because she died suddenly and I had no time to prepare or say good bye.  I always said she was a gentle soul.  I wanted to post a pic of her so I tried to get one out of my phone.  Sprint picture mail is down.  Of course it is!
Needless to say...it's been a trying day for me.  And I forgot to put the rent check in the mail.  Now doesn't that figure?! ♥

The Flower is Missing a Petal!

9:10am

Blogger has a completely new format.  I am not real computer savvy so I'm a bit confused!  I finally have figured out how to do a new post so here I am.

I have the morning off of work.  So nice to sleep in a little bit.  I am taking Rox to the vet to get her stitches removed this morning.  I am hoping that the doctor will say that she can now have a bath.  She needs a bath.  Really.  She had a birthday on Monday - I think she really enjoyed herself.  Petco in San Marcos now has a bakery case so I picked her out a flower shaped cookie with pink frosting.  She loved it.  I didn't let her eat the whole thing so decided to save some of it for later.  I set it on the kitchen counter.  So yesterday I got a call from Luigi asking if I know what happened to Roxie's birthday cookie.  He said that it had gotten smaller and that there were little teeth marks in the frosting all the way around it...that Zoe!  She is such a bad kitty!

Roxie's Birthday Gifts (and the pink frosted flower)!

5:45pm

Roxie's stitches are out.  It was fast and she was such a good dog.  And yes, she can have a bath.  Phew.

I was on my way to meet my friend Sujata at Happy Hour last night and I saw the most horrible accident.  It wasn't blood horrible or anything like that.  No one died.  It was just a rear-end type thing.  This guy in a truck must have been going 40mph or so coming up on an intersection that is clearly red.  We had all been sitting there a while.  He tried to swerve to miss hitting the little car stopped at the light.  There was just so much screeching and the impact was so hard that you could see debris flying in the air.  There was only 1 lane between him and me and I was so thankful that he didn't lose control and roll over toward me.  So the car that was hit kept moving through the intersection kind of in slow motion.  I think the person must have been unconscious or something like that because the car just kept going and going and going.  When I finally got to turn left at my light, the car that got hit was no where to be seen.  It was definitely totaled so I know it wasn't driven away.  I have a feeling they have rolled into Vegas by now, headed to Reno.  I don't know why I just shared that story except that it reminds me that you just never know when something might happen to you.  It's a scary thought.  I said a quick thank you prayer that I was safe and prayed the person rolling on into Vegas was safe too!

I just texted a friend of mine a few minutes ago because I haven't heard from her in over a week.  I know her dad has been in the hospital so I asked her if he is still there etc.  Then I went on FB and staring right in front of me was a picture of her dad and she had written "I lost my hero today".  Oh how sad.  I guess I have real bad timing.  But I didn't know.  I hope she will contact me sometime soon.

I am moving in 1 month.  Help me!!!!  I have been packing for 2 months now and have packed maybe 4 boxes?  Time to get serious.  Party at my house this Summer - will be fun! ♥

A Random Wednesday

So I went to Marshall's today...I had never been there before.  I know why.  It sucked.  I told me bff that it was awful.  I would rather shop at Nordstrom but my bank account doesn't support my wishes.  But I do plan to go there this weekend and get the Estee Lauder gift with purchase.    So after Marshall's I went to Lane Bryant and I bought a top.  It was really cute on the hanger.  Not so cute on Jules.  I just wanted to buy something for myself...thought it would be nice.  Oh well.  I will probably keep it for when I lose 10 pounds.
Going to Vegas next weekend.  Not sure if staying at the Guadagni Inn (my brother/sister in laws house) or stay at Fitzgeralds.  We have connections at both places.  We are definitely going to Garduno's at the Palms and we always have a tradition when with Anthony and Christina...Coyote Ugly at New York/New York.  Always fun.
I've been going through a tough time lately.  I have appreciated my friends who have texted me to tell me they are there for me and/or praying for me.  Thanks to all of you!  I love you! ♥

Hate the IRS...Love my Girls!

12:30a.m. - I never seem to be in sync with my life.  If it's the weekend, I am dozing off at 10:00p.m.  I need to be at work...and here I am awake at 12:30.  I will hate all forms of life when the alarm goes off in a few hours.
Going through a rough patch in my life right now.  Thankful for those who love me and most of all thankful for a loving God who will carry my burdens if I ask.  Beginning of the week was tough with Roxie needing emergency surgery to remove an infected tumor in her neck.  Poor baby - makes me hurt for her so much.  If I could, I would have had that surgery for her.  She struggled through the first 3 days but she is getting back to her old self.  Has some ugly bruising and stitches but all that will soon be gone.  She has been real good about the whole thing.  She is right here with me of course.  She's had a pain pill so is sleeping soundly.  It was weird for a couple of days because wherever I go, she follows.  Even to the bathroom.  She waits outside the door.  So when she was really sick she didn't follow me around.  She was so out of it that she didn't even know the difference.  As soon as she had her strength back though - she's my little shadow!  We were just meant to be together.  God gave her to me and I thank Him every day.
Not much in a cooking mood this weekend although I did make a chicken tortilla soup on Friday night and then today I made some cinnamon raisin scones and beef chorizo egg burritos.  I had bigger dreams but this weekend was not an enjoyable kitchen time for me.  And dishes...what is with the dishes?  The fact that I have dishwasher full every single day in addition to a whole bunch of dishes that I handwash.  My dishes breed. And breed and breed...
Taxes...I'm depressed.  You work hard for money, you don't get paid much, all money goes to bills, and then on top of it you find out the IRS wants even more.  They aren't getting a penny sooner than I have to.  My taxes are going into the mail on Tuesday afternoon.  I'm guessing they will cash those checks by Thursday though.  Cruel and unjust!
My Zoe is sitting here on my printer staring me down.  Must want some Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers.  Expensive little feline.  But it's ok.  She's so darn cute that I would buy her the Fancy Feast factory if I could!  So what if she has ruined all my furniture, eaten the window blinds, and ripped up the carpet.  I just shake my head and smile. ☺ Good kitty! ♥

Hot Dogs and Rainchecks

I can't wait to move!  The guy upstairs with his music...not cool.  It could be worse - they no longer have parties up there.  Ever since I called the Sheriff and they took one of my neighbors to jail...it got better.  But I also think that their music is something I am going to have to live with.  I guess that's my punishment for calling.  Only 50 something more days!
I wish I could blog about a cool trip I took or a yummy meal that I ate but my life has not been that exciting.  I have been working and packing.  I take that back...we did go to Romano's Macaroni Grill last weekend.  Had not been there in at least 2 or so years.  Right now they have a 2 for $25 thing going on.  And you get a lot of food.  2 tapas and 2 entrees.  Plus we got a salad.  And yes I will admit it...a dessert too.  Kind of takes away from the thriftiness of the 2 for $25, doesn't it?!  I certainly can't be eating like that all the time but it was a nice - something different.  And delicious too.  As long as I am talking food - who was the really cruel person who invented the York Peppermint Klondike Bar?  That's like the 2012 version of the serpent and apple.  Eve here LOVES the York Klondike.  The only solution is to stay away from the grocery store.
Staying away from the grocery store...ah - Jules has a story!  So the other day we go to Stater Bros.  I'm not a fan of my local Staters.  It's a bit white, black, and brown trash.  It's clean - don't get me wrong.  It's just old and not very big and the selection is crap.  And the checkers are mean mean mean.  And it never fails that I get behind some California lottery winner buying up the store.  For those who don't live in California, I am referring to those people that get assistance from our great State.  We throw down the red carpet - seriously.  If you want to live large and not work, move to California.  My favorite moments are when you follow these lucky people out to the parking lot and they hop in their Cadillac Escalade and drive away.  Excuse me?  I made a wrong turn somewhere in life.  But all of that is beside the point.  Back to the crappy grocery store.  So I want a package of hot dogs.  I'm kind of picky about hot dogs.  They have to be kosher and maybe angus or something.  Granted, a hot dog is a hot dog.  I get it.  But at least it makes me feel somewhat better if it says something like kosher and it is many dollars more that the Oscar Mayer pork doggies.  So I find the Ballpark Angus Beef Dogs.  $4.99.  Ok, that works.  But then right next to them is a place for Nathan's Hot Dogs.  I like Nathan's.  Red sale tag said $3.99.  Score!  Well, not really because there weren't any on the shelf.  So we ask a person working in the aisle.  Do you have Nathan's hot dogs?  NO.  Can we get a raincheck?  YOU HAVE TO ASK UP FRONT.  Ok that's something I can do.  Get up front and ask for a raincheck.  "You have to ask a Manager".  And????  At this point you expect them to call a Manager.  Not happening.  Finally another checker says "I can do a raincheck".  Great!  I would like a raincheck for the Nathan's Hot Dogs for $3.99.  She asks "is it in the ad"?  I don't know - I just want the raincheck.  So now she is irritated and has to pull out an ad and look for these daring dogs.  No ad, no raincheck.  Really?  So I start grumbling.  Why must it be in the ad?  Why can't I have a raincheck for a package of dang hot dogs?  Why should I pay $4.99 for Ball Park when I could pay $3.99 for Nathan's?  "IT'S NOT IN THE AD"...and she walks away.  I was furious.  My point was that it was just hot dogs.  And I realize that it is JUST hot dogs but why piss off a customer over a dollar?  At that point, don't you just give them a raincheck or here's a brilliant idea - charge me $3.99 for the Ball Park? I'm tired and I'm cranky - not a good combination with a store that makes me mad almost every time I step in there.  So I went stomping out of the store - left Luigi standing there to get the groceries, receipt etc.  As I walk to the car I am angrier and angrier.  So now I am yelling in the middle of the Stater Bros parking lot about a stupid package of hot dogs.  And people are looking at me like I'm insane.  Which I kind of was but hey, give a girl a flippin break!  It reminded me of Steve Martin's complete mental breakdown in "Father of the Bride" when he went to buy hot dog buns and he wanted 8 and they only had packages of 10!  He lost it!  I get that!  As most people will attest to, I am one of the nicest most easy going people in the world.  And sweet too!  But the horns came out on that one!  Needless to say - I do not want to go to that dumb store anymore.  I like Vons and I need to stick with Vons.  Good thing I am moving...
And guess who came home today with a $3.99 package of Nathan's Hot Dogs?  Yep, not me!  And Luigi says to me "would you like a hot dog"?  NO!
So...I've been Miss Cranky Pants lately.  Maybe I need a punching bag...
Food Blog tomorrow!  For real!  Enchiladas with homemade tomatillo sauce!  Delicious!  (y'all thought it was a beans and weenies dish, huh?!) ♥

Pondering...

Why do some people stop at a light and leave 2 car lengths between them and the car in front?

How is it that you can walk away from a public toilet and not notice that the toilet seat cover is still on there?

Is it necessary to make that crinkling sound when drinking out of a water bottle?

How is it possible to use the words "yummy" and "delicious" when eating a meal out of a microwaved cardboard box?

Why do women fan their faces with their hand to keep from crying?  It doesn't work...either you cry or you don't!

Those are just a few questions that I have pondered this week.  Tomorrow is my last work day of the week because Friday is a Holiday!  Gracias, Cesar Chavez.  I beat someone at Scrabble tonight whom I rarely beat!  Totally made my day.  I got a nosebleed tonight.  I have had more nosebleeds in one year than I have had my entire life.  I am wondering if my brain is disintegrating and bleeding out?  That would explain a WHOLE lot!  Tracey, a friend, posted a link to an old Eric Carmen song on Facebook today.  "All By Myself".  I love, love, love that song.  She mentioned how it brings back memories.  Couldn't possibly be true because I own all the memories associated with that song!  There I go...dating myself again.  Dating as in age not dating as in I take myself out on dates.  It's just weird when coincidences happen...
It's 10:30 and my dog and I are headed to bed...nite! ♥

Catching Up

Just want to catch up my followers on what's been going on in my life.  Work has been...well...difficult.  It's been so busy and I rarely leave when I'm supposed to.  I could easily work until 8 or 9 at night.  Definitely a night person.  A morning person I am not.  I don't even want people to look at me in the morning.  That was a Diva statement wasn't it?  Why yes it was!  Seriously, I have never enjoyed getting out of bed.  I am thankful for hot showers, soap, and black coffee.

Getting ready to move from San Marcos to Escondido.  Not for 58 days give or take but getting ready nonetheless.  I have already started packing.  I am very excited!  We drove by the new place the other night (it was real late).  Was actually in the area so thought it would be fun.  Here's what I saw...cute bunny rabbits hopping around in the yard AND a real big coyote standing in the middle of the street.  Just standing there like he owns the neighborhood.  Which I'm sure he does.  Felt real sorry for those cute bunnies... I just know that I have to be extra careful with my Roxie and my Zoe.  I promised my girls forever homes and that is what they deserve.  Being eaten by Mr. Coyote was not in the contract.

I was at my group tonight @ Kaiser.  Bottom line is that I thank God every night when I leave there that I am certainly not as "troubled" as others.  I can't discuss the group because of confidentiality.  It's probably best because no one would believe me anyway if I shared about my fellow group members.  It's not funny but yet it's as funny as heck!

Not much else going on.  I still have not updated the food blog.  Soon I tell you...soon!  Dinner with Jeanette tomorrow night.  That will be my social activity for the week (that's M-TH).

Off to bed...I don't have flannel sheets on the bed but I do have a flannel pillowcase.  I absolutely adore it! ♥

Dumbo

This has been a hellish week and it's only Tuesday.  I wish I were back on the ship in the middle of the ocean...
I won't waste my time talking about work.  Work is work - we all do it.  Well, most of us.  Sometimes I wish I were the operator of the Dumbo ride at Disneyland.  I come in contact with so many Dumbos every day that I may as well work there and get to look at some cute Dumbos!
Probably everyone knows by now that we are moving.  Everyone except for my landlords.  Guess I had better take care of that... The new kitchen is lacking in some upper cabinets.  There are a couple but not enough for my needs.  So I have been in search of something like a baker's rack.  I have such cute and colorful dishes (Fiestaware) that I think they would look fine stored outside of a cupboard.  So I googled racks and got girls gone wild boob edition.  No!  I am kidding!  I found a bunch of sites and found a bunch of racks, none of which I liked and all over-priced.  Tonight I had a revelation.  One of the coolest places to shop...Target!  And sure enough, I found online exactly what I want.  I was so happy about that!  I hope it's still there when I go to order it.
I can't get onto Words With Friends tonight.  I am kind of bummed because I have had some extra time to sit down and play.  Oh well.  I did play Scrabble and am beating the one person I NEVER beat.  I shouldn't talk about it though.  The game is not over.  And he always wins.  And I don't think he cheats.  So many people that I play WWF with cheat.  Really irritates me.  And then they lie about it.  Not cool.
Remember I was boasting about the gel polish on my nails?  I take it all back.  It really screwed up my nails.  Not a happy camper.  But they did look nice when it was on but that's all I've got to say about that.
Posting on the Food Blog starting tomorrow!  I've got a yummy chicken marinade to use before grilling!  Speaking of food, Roxie and I shared some pasta tonight.  She is the coolest dog.  She loves pasta.  Her favorite being spaghetti with meat sauce.  She has got the art of spaghetti eating down to a science.  Tonight we had Barilla Cellantani.  Not her favorite but she joined in.
Signing off...♥

Sunday 3/11/12

My weekend went by real fast.  I sure was busy for someone who had no plans.  On Friday after work I met Rhonda here at the house and we went and picked up my parents.  We all went to the house that we will be moving to in May.  I call it the "Lakehouse".  No, it is not on a lake.  However, there is a teeny tiny view of Lake Hodges from the balcony and a little bigger tiny view from one of the windows in the loft.  Thus, the Lakehouse!  Every time I go there it is so quiet and peaceful.  I am going to love living there.  After that we made homemade pizzas.  So yummy.  I should actually talk about them on the food blog instead of this blog but oh well.  The food blog is on a vacation right now.  Anyway, we made a bbq chicken pizza.  I used leftover rotisserie chicken from Costco.  Chicken, caramelized onions, mozzarella cheese, and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. Rhonda picked the BBQ sauce and it was delicious.  The other pizza was yellow and orange bell peppers, caramelized onions, mozz cheese, and goat cheese.  Both were yummy!  Rhonda spent the night - we had a great time just chatting and hanging out.
Yesterday I was at my friend Jeanette's house to feed her cats - Cooper and Oliver.  She's a real good cook so it's often worth it to look in her refrigerator.  I scored this time!  She had stuffed cabbage rolls.  I am not sure if I have ever had one before.  Took some home and had them for dinner last night.  They were delicious.  She was out of town but I did text her and confess to the thievery.  She said I should have taken ALL of them.  Darn!
Today was a lazy day.  But did some cleaning and laundry.  Roxie and I went to Lowe's and bought some boxes for packing.  I was also going to buy bubble wrap but I couldn't afford it!  Crazy expensive.  So that was my excuse to not do any packing at all.  I did sleep in real late this morning and went back to bed twice.  Loved that.  A very good day!
My friend Jan is up in San Francisco.  Her daughter, Stephanie, just had a baby girl so Jan finally has a granddaughter!  Her name is Marlowe.

Stephanie w/ Baby Marlowe

Monday night I start a new group at Kaiser.  A self help type of thing.  It's for 12 weeks.  I hope I like it.  I will be the new person starting in an already established group.  We'll see how that goes.  Other than that, no plans this week.  No excuses to keep from packing.  Oh wait...I don't have bubble wrap.  Oh well - maybe next week. ♥

Cabo Vacation

So I stuck my camera card into the computer and found out that I really didn't take many pics of my vacation.  And the ones I did take are not very good.  Seems I only used the camera 2 days out of the 5.
Here are some pictures as we were leaving Cabo on the Carnival Spirit...

And docked next to us while in Cabo was the Carnival Splendor.  I enjoyed seeing that ship because I sailed on her last year.  This is the ship that caught fire in November and was stranded out at sea for a few days.  Luckily, the week after we were on it.


Carnival Splendor

The vacation went real fast.  I pretty much did a lot of nothing.  Took a lot of naps!  On the back of the ship on Deck 9 is the Adults Only Serenity Deck.  A great view of the ocean and a lot of comfy couches, chairs, and beds.  No kids allowed which keeps the noise level down.  Unless of course you have a jacuzzi filled with drunk people.  In that case, kids are the better choice!
The food was good.  The comedy shows were fun.  My favorite moment was when the comedian asked a woman where her husband was.  She said he was home dog sitting.  He told her that her husband really needed to put some pants on!  He had a field day with that one.  When the show was over I told him that not only was my husband home with our dog but also with his mother-in-law's dog!  The guy was horrified! Anyway, his name is Dean Austin and he's a funny guy.
Bought a real cute pottery bowl in Cabo.  It came home in many, many pieces.  I was so sad because I loved it.  Oh well - it's a long way back to get another.
This was a memorable cruise for me because I reached Platinum status with Carnival.  This was my 10th cruise.  It's kind of a big deal in my little world.  We were one of the first to board the ship (only took 15 minutes).  I was #3 off of the ship at the end.  I have sat on ships for hours waiting to get off so this was awesome.  I am pretty sure I was home unpacking while some people were still waiting to disembark.  And my favorite perk of all...free laundry service!  I sent my laundry out to be done and within 3 hours it was back all clean and folded.  How nice to cart that home and not have to do so much laundry myself.  That in itself was worth 10 cruises!  Anyway, I enjoyed the luxury of it all.  When I go again it won't be so exciting but for the first time it certainly was!
My Aunt Cheryl is in town but I won't get to see her.  I'm bummed about that.  Her mother-in-law died so they came for the funeral.  I think she is leaving in the morning.  Maybe next time.
Work was overwhelming today.  I just couldn't settle in.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better! ♥