holla from hawaii!!

gasp!! dear god why am i blogging while vacationing!!?  

because we are sunburned (thus inside) and dan is hogging the bathroom (per usual) so here i am on the interweb.  

blogworthy events so far:

we watched humpback whales jump and splash while we enjoyed margaritas on the beach.

we have seen a ton of sea turtles.  dan made the comment "this beach has a bajillion turtles"

dan kicked my ass at scrabble yesterday. i was too hot and flustered to make simple words. instead i tried to create words like "mercily".  i gave up half way through because he was beating me by 100 points and my scalp was burning.  

i think i could live off a healthy diet of papaya and pina coladas.  

dan burned the crap out of his feet.  luckily, aloe grows likes weeds here.  

ok bye! 

all it takes is a little sunshine..

seattle is the most miserable place on earth for about 2 months. from the end of december to...well, nowish. january in seattle is like someone pulled a blanket over your head, shoved you in a mud puddle, stomped on your back, slept with your spouse, fired you from your job, stubbed every toe, and killed your kitten.

january in seattle makes everyone want to end it all. at least for a moment.

and then.....the sun comes out. this is not a metaphor. the sun actually shines and we all let out a collective "ahhhhhhhhh".....and remember why it is we live here.

this may be premature....but the last couple days have been lovely. in the 50's. (so balmy!) and the birds are chirping happily, even tulips are poking up.

since i am in this pre-springtime bliss, here are some other things i love right now:

Slim Chance beer by Red Hook Brewery. i am not one for "light" beers. but since i am going to be in a bikini in a couple days, i bought this and it is delicious. totally refreshing and drinkable and dare i say "GOOD". it has 125 calories and 8 carbs per bottle....so go ahead...enjoy a six pack....on your way to a six pack......get it? oh boy. can you tell i have had a couple of these?







on the same subject (man, i drink a lot these days)....Palamino restuarant has a great happy hour. cranberry mojito or pomegranate margarita for 4 bucks? YES PLEASE. delicious brick oven pizza for 5 bucks? oh yes. go with a friend or date....get 2 drinks each and split a pizza. 21 bucks later you will be so happy. i promise.

ok. on an impulse, i bought a swimsuit at old navy. it is super hot and a fun retro style...and $29. and it holds in all the bits and hides all the jiggle spots. i looked for a photo of it online and couldn't find it. so i will take a pic of me in it in hawaii and post later.

bunny ears. oh yes, bunny ears.





































we were at toys r us and i found these adorable plush peeps. i just love them. riley bought me the yellow one. i know that last sentence is confusing because it should be the other way around. but it is true. my kid bought me a stuffed peep.















calamity janes is my new favorite brunch place. i want to go here every day. first of all, they have the BEST bloody mary's. seriously. i have not had a better one in seattle....
second, you are given the option between potatoes or grits.....i choose grits! and they are SO GOOD! the eggs florentine with spinach and tomato was rockin and only 10 bucks (most brunch places charge way too much for my fave brunch item and it kills me). AND....last but not least.....Dan had a burger with jalapenos and bbq sauce and he said it was the best burger he has ever had. he inhaled it. it was gone in seconds. i managed to have one bite. i will be going back and ordering it for dinner soon.

an actual movie recommendation

we watch a lot of movies. i may have mentioned this before. every single night we watch at least one. sometimes two. if we ever actually leave the house and... say...go on a date....we go to a movie theater.

i am mostly indifferent to these movies. i spend a lot of time daydreaming and napping. exceptions are there of course....i love woody allen movies. i hated the wrestler and actually considered walking out...i started imagining myself playing video games in the lobby....and decided to just stare at the wall or dan's shoulder for the last hour.

anyway.

last night we watched a great one. it is sweet and funny and even shows naked girls. i loved a lot of things about this movie. cute british boys with bad teeth, naked swedish girl, dreamy story about insomniac artist and creative filmmaking. i think it might be the perfect date movie holding both parties interest for different reasons.

it is called cashback. rent it now.

countdown: 6 days!

fro-yo!

at first, i wasn't sure about red mango, the frozen yogurt chain that seems to be everywhere. but now i am a believer! it is oh so sour and probiotic filled. add some fresh fruit or berries for a healthy snack....or mini dark chocolate chips and golden grahams for a tasty dessert. guess which one i get.

i had one in the car with the sunroof open. heavenly, people.

other stuff:

potential new couch. we must decide before we leave for hawaii if we will in fact be purchasing this couch. dan is so tired of hearing about this subject...i think i have finally worn him down.
it is not so bright in real life....it is more sea foam.

we could also special order it in a different color....like chocolate. which i think would be pretty.
















anniversary cake was perfect, and so was our sushi dinner.

6 days until we are beachin it.

i had a dream last night that big clumps of earwax were coming out of my ears. it was gross.

so of course i looked it up:









hmmm.....i do have a blockage of a process.....and i have been know to be stubborn.

some days still hurt

there is a place for you here
little one
if i knew who to beg to, i would.
i would beg
with open arms and muddy knees
under the fullest moon
for you
to come back.

february 16

a year ago today we were doing this:

























































so tonight we will celebrate by taking a bite of the wedding cake which has been in the freezer...don't really understand the reason behind this...but i will eat cake for any reason...even if it is a silly tradition. after we take a small nibble of the old cake, we will eat the non-freezer burned, delicious and beautiful cake from bakery nouveau.


delicious. dreamy. perfect.











here we have the year old cake next to the fresh nummy cake.

v-day

dear valentine,

you make my heart pitterpat and my stomach flitterflutter. you make me feel like this:



































































love,

me

nanogenerator

i must accompany this video with the following chat with thai:

that whooshing sound of money going away

i can hear some critter in the wall. it is scraping and chewing.

this sound is not relaxing. this sound means money going to pest control. $400-$600 depending on how many and which kind of critter.

nothing makes me want to kill like the sound of scratching in my walls.


other stupid potential money loss related news:

i flushed the toilet and knocked my makeup bag off the counter at the same time. the only casualty was an eyeshadow brush that was swallowed up before i could reach my hand into dirty toilet water and grab it....had i not been half asleep and half drunk i would have been quicker....but then again i probably wouldn't have knocked my makeup bag over. i am convinced this eyeshadow brush is stuck in a pipe just waiting for a moment when we can't afford to remove it. as of now...everything is flowing normally. p.s i know for a fact this will cost a minimum of $600 because we don't have a main sewer access...so the toilet will need to be removed.

i was hit by a crazy woman in front of riley's school. i take 10 % of the blame here. however, crazy woman wants me to pay to have her minivan fixed and claims i am 100% to blame. the damages to her van are $2100. my insurance concluded it was not my fault. she now wants to sue me. i was dropping riley off in front of her school. i was not moving. i wave goodbye....slightly removing my foot from the brake causing the car to roll ever so slightly forward....waving and blowing kisses. i was was struck by a minivan that turned into me to essentially park in front of me in a bus zone. she claims i was turning out into traffic....which is not true.


so worse case scenerio.....2100 +600+ 600 = 3300
this does not include potential lawyer fees.


this makes me think about the coffee card i watched a woman drop in front of thriftway last week. it was a prepaid cafe ladro card.....and i had a moment where i considered keeping it....finders keepers.....but no. i searched the store until i found her and gave her the coffee card. she didn't thank me. i thought.....karma.....i will get it back.....

but no. i should of kept the fucking card. i could be drinking a free latte right now.

my baby is 6!!!

my dear Riley,

you are the reason i am who i am. i became a mother and you gave me life. you are hilarious and clever. i love that you could eat cheeseburgers every day and never get sick of them. i love how you called Seattle "junk city" yesterday. i love your toothless smile and sassy attitude. i love that you prefer chocolate over vanilla and that your favorite thing to do is twirl. I love You!!




one













two



















three



















four














five









happy 6th Birthday!!

the good and bad of this week (so far)

good news: we now have one car. it is new(er). it is shiny and clean*and smells good. it has low miles on it. it is another subaru. it has a sunroof. you have no idea how much i have always wanted a car with a sunroof.

*i have been known to have messy cars. this is one of those things i am convinced i will grow out of someday. along with drinking out of the carton, putting the wet clothes from the washer into the dryer in a timely manner (frequent question from husband : does this shirt smell funny?), and paying parking tickets on time....or better yet, not getting parking tickets simply because i like the gamble.

bad news: our house has turned into a pee house. riley has wet the bed twice in the last 2 weeks. she has not worn diapers/pullups since she was 2. seriously. she was very advanced (and i am not just saying that). so....i blame her free for all on water lately. and then the puppy of course has been known to pee and poop wherever, including on candy land, under beds, on the dvd music and lyrics (which deserved a turd...at least she has good taste)....and everywhere else in the house.

i have been cleaning up a lot of human and animal waste. the dog got into racoon poop and brought some in the house. and then she found the cat box at my parents house and i literally had to grab a turd out from inside her mouth.

i wash my hands in extrememly hot water these days.

i need another kleenex

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.


this totally made me cry. give me pictures of people in love, a song, and denying people the right to be married...and i sob like a baby.

ain't no party like a tea party

Riley had a tea party for her 6th birthday party.


















here was our menu:

tea sandwiches:

cucumber
lox and herbed cream cheese
cheddar and mango chutney
egg salad
pb+j

and of course:

chocolate cake
lemon cakes
mini choc chip and choc-choco-chip cookies

























and i ran out of time to bake more....

for the favors i went to goodwill and picked up mixed matched tea cups and filled them with some candy. cute!!

metric

i am a little obsessed with Metric right now. i have an acoustic version of their new song "help i'm alive" and it is on repeat on my ipod... if i could figure out how to post a song on here....i would....oh i would.

but since i can't watch the above video of "live it out"....

must run extra mile

what i will be baking this weekend:

chocolate layer cake, buttercream meringue frosting with princess decoration.

mini lemon cakes with vanilla glaze

shortbread cookies

chocochoco chunk cookies

mini oatmeal spice cookies

pecan sticky buns

i was never like this, i swear.

teenagers these days....

it might be because i creeping up on the big three-oh.....but i just find teenage girls so fucking stupid.

sorry that was mean.

but really.

points:

i walk into a tanning salon and 16 year old girl with orange skin, pubic bone slung sweatpants and a baby sized tanktop shrieks "hiiiiyeeeee"
(i seriously didn't know the "valley girl" thing was still in full force...wait...do they call it something different now since it is so far beyond the valley? has it become the normal way girls under 18 speak?)

i politely ask for tans.

girl: "saaooOH are ya go-ING on like vacation? cuz you like need a bASE coat? and um the ultra bronze? is like the best bed? and you TOTALLY don't burn in it you know and with only two weEKs you like need a base coAT? and it takes three weEKs just to get a base in the regular beds?

(note: the reason i use question marks is because she spoke like that...her inflection went up like everything was a question)

me: i don't want to spend 179 dollars on 6 tans.

girl: ok well it is actual-LY saving monEY? but this package here is also real-LY goOD?

me: but that one is still 150. i want to spend like 40 bucks.

girl: well what i was gonna sa-EY was you get like 2 frEE medium pressure beds? and like it is a really good deAL?

me: i just want regular beds

girl: OHkee. do you have tanning moisturizer?

me: i have lotion

girl: okeeEY cuz like tanning moisturizer like deepens the tan? and....

me: no thank you.


this went on...and on.....


and then i had to leave without tanning... because all this took FOREVER and i had to pick up riley.



here is what i wanted to say:

i have been tanning since you were in diapers. do not give me all this crap about how deep a tan is. it is a bunch of bullarky and a way to sucker people who actually think we have multi layers of tannable skin. by the way... your face is peeling and is blotchy and discolored.


soon...too soon.....i am going to have a teenager. NOOOOOOOOO!!

i should eat before i run.

i ran a solid 2 miles today. my goal was to not walk at the one mile mark like i did last time. i accomplished my goal. however, the last half mile was...well.....let's just say i made a deal with god during the last 0.5 mile. what? you did what? with who? yes...good questions...and here is why i am fearing for my sanity:
1. i don't know if i really believe in "god" and if i did i wouldn't make a deal with this "god".
2. what kind of deal would i make for something so silly...i mean....half a mile? after only 1 1/2 miles? and you need to make a deal?
3. it totally worked and gave me the strength to finish my run strong and powerful and...i did not walk.....because of the deal we made....me and god.
4. when i mentioned this to my mom...she asked what the deal was and i actually responded with: "that is between me and god"

um. WTF? i think running is messing with my head. or i need to not run after only drinking coffee.

p.s. the reason i am not mentioning god's end of the deal is because i feel like it might be like when you see a shooting star and make a wish and it will only come true if you say nothing to no one.

i have lost my marbles.

but....really....god.....if you are reading this blog.....we made a deal....

walls of photos

i think i need wall help.

i have the following 3 walls covered in photos/ frames:

i love polaroids and want to fill this wall eventually....or if not fill....at least fill it out more. or should i not fill it?






































this wall is boring. i am sick of it. it needs help. the idea is cute...but the execution is off.


















and here we have complete unbalance. not sure what to do....















anyone? anyone? please help?

no good very bad day

i am having a bad day. it is only 10am. i wish i could start this day over. if riley would have made the bus....that would have helped significantly.

i am having those "failure" thoughts. i feel like a bad mom and pathetic human. it is not because i am self loathing or anything....it is because i failed at waking up early. i failed at getting riley ready for school. i failed to get her out the door on time. i failed to finish her birthday invitations last night so i had to rush and get them done this morning. i failed to see the minivan pull in front of me when i was waving goodbye to riley. i failed to act maturely to the bitch who drove the minivan into my car and blamed me because i might have been inching ever so slightly forward while waving.

i failed to handle all my emotions calmly and took it all out on my husband. it must have been his fault, right? really i was embarrassed and felt guilty for fucking up. am i 15 years old?

most days i feel great....beyond great about my life. today i feel like i should get a job so i can pay for my mistakes. i should use an alarm clock. i should be a better human.

new this week

coco is looking less and less like a puppy and more and more like a dog:













riley is looking less and less like my baby and more and more like a toothless cowboy:

boo. big boo.

NO!!!!!! my favorite magazine is going bye-bye. NOOOOOOO!!!!

i can't tell you how lame this news is.

i don't know how i will survive without my monthly dose of decorating inspiration.

luckily i kept EVERY issue. gold, my friends....warm and romantic yet clean and modern decorating GOLD.


boo, economy, boo.

i blame dubbya and people with bad taste everywhere for this tragic loss.