Warm Welcome

When we arrived home from the beach, there was a beautiful jar of flowered branches on the table. Carolyn had been bringing in the mail, so I just assumed that she had left the arrangement as well. When we talked to her, sho informed us that she had just brought it in off the doorstep and that was all the credit she could tak.

The flowers were beautiful -- I'm sorry I couldn't capture it in this picture. I just couldn't get the lighting right. Trust me though. They were fabulous.

We finally had to let them go yesterday, but they lasted for about a week and a half -- longer than any regular flower arrangement would have.

So, thank you so much to whoever left the arrangement. I'm not sure if it was my visiting teacher or the neighbors accross the street, but it sure brightened my home for a while.

At the Beach

After a night and part of day in Portland, the DH, Annzy, and I headed to Cannon Beach, OR for fun with the family. The first thing we did when we arrived was have Pizza with the family and then later that evening we went to the beach and had a bonfire and s'mores. I loves me some s'mores!

On Thursday, we hung out at the beach and took pictures in the awesome shirts that Kinsey made. I liked the Pit Tournament T's she made for the adults, but the tie-dies for the kids were fantastic! She did such a nice job and you would think they were professionally done at a T-shirt shop. We then spent some time in town while most folks went to the Tilumook Cheese Factory and to the Flight Museum. We didn't want to watch chease being made. That evening though, we had a big birthday bash for my Dad, who turned 70 this year! How did that happen? It seams old, but he doesn't act that old at all. It was fun to have everyone together to celebrate his birthday and Whitney and my Mom worked together to put together a really cool book with notes from all of us and fun picutres. It was a wonderful gift and turned out beautifully. My Mom had something for each of us as well. She had shirts made up for each of her kids that said "Mom likes me best" on them. It was great! She also made re-usable shopping bags for us.

On Friday, we played on the beach some more and went into Seaside with Mackenzie and Abby. We decided that Seaside wasn't all that great, but we enjoyed our Bee Bop lunch. We also had fun playing Cookin' Mama with the neices and nephews and playing in the pool. It was a little cold for actually playing in the ocean. We'll leave that to tropical locations.

On Saturday, it was really more of the same. We had great food, more fun, and enjoyed the company of the family. We were also lucky that the first rain of our trip didn't fall until Saturday evening. The rest of the time was beautiful. Saturday also included the annual Robertson Family Pit tournament. I remember learning to play Pit at Granny's house (my paternal grandmother) when I was pretty young. The adults played frequently and I loved it. We would go back and forth between the yelling version of the game and the silent version. Good times! The worst part was that Jason won AGAIN! It's like he has some secret weapon. He got the trophy and the rest of us left empty handed. Until next time.

Then on Sunday, we packed up and went to Camp 18 for breakfast. It was really fun and the food was good -- and there was more than enough of it. The cinnamon rolls taste great and they're almost as big as a dinner plate. WOW! We then bid goodbye to the Robertson clan until we see them next time.

A good time was had by all.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity-Jig

We spent five days with my entire family at Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast last week. It was great fun and we had a nice break from the daily grind. It's funny how I'm always so glad to get a way on vacation, but then so glad to be back at home sleeping in my own bed. Although we've been home for a few days already, we've been so busy that it's been hard to get back to regular blogging.

One of the highlights of our trip (for me at least) was our breakfast in Portland on Wednesday morning. The DH and I drove to Portland Tuesday evening, spent the night in the Marriott by the airport, and then picked up Annzy when her flight came in on Wednesday morning. The three of us then went to Mother's Bistro & Bar. OH MY!!! I ate the best bisquits and gravy I've ever eaten. Mother brings breakfast to a new level and that level is fantastic. I think the DH loved his walnut pancakes too. Instead of sprinkling walnuts on top, they mixed them into the batter. The pancakes were dense with them. He loved it (and I didn't even taste them, since I don't eat walnuts).

After breakfast, we went to Powell's Books to peruse the aisles. I bought David Sedaris' new book (but I haven't read any of it yet) and the DH bought a couple of books and even read them when we were at Cannon Beach. I was very happy that he had a good bookstore experience and was entertained by the books later that week. Yay for bookstores! Annzy also picked up some good stuff, including an America's Test Kitchen cook book.

After that, we went to the Hawthorne District and then to Trader Joe's and headed for the beach. We were almost the last to arrive, but we got there before dinner time and not too long after check-in time, so I thought we did well.

More about the beach later!

A Picture of Me

Well, if Annzy can do it, then so can I.



















It's a picture of who I am using fd's mosaic maker. It really is quite cool. If you're interested, you can check out Annzy's post for instructions on how to make your own mosaic.

Here's to the Dad I Love

I didn't even send a card for Father's Day because I'll be seeing my dear old Dad on Wednesday. For the record, that's why Ethan, Gage, and Fiona haven't seen birthday cards or gifts from me either. I've got them all saved up here for the big event later this week. I just can't let this day pass by without saying something about my fabulous Dad though. He really is great. If you've met him, you probably already know this, but if not, then here's why.

My Dad is the strongest and the smartest Dad around (or at least he was the strongest when I was a kid). I remember my Dad's feats of strenght wowing the crowd when I was young. He could do one-handed push-ups. That's pretty amazing by itself. That's not all though. He could pick up one of our kitchen chairs by holding onto the bottom of one leg with one hand and raise it off the ground without it tipping over. I may not be explaining it in a way that imparts how difficult that is, but trust me, it's tough stuff. It was also fun to watch him do some Indian leg wrestling with the other guys. He may have been a little competitive too.

When we were kids, he was forever showing us games that made us have to think and problem solve. They're the ones that start out something like "If you have three toothpicks and you have to create an object with eight sides..." He always knew the answers too. Amazing how it always worked that way. I also thought it was cool how he taught me the strategy for always winning or tying in tic-tac-toe. It worked too, until he told my siblings the trick and then the cat always got the game and it wasn't any fun anymore. We had to search out new opponents.

My Dad also made it a lot of fun to be a kid. I'm grateful that he built the big sandbox and "pole house" in the back yard. (We didn't have a tree, so he had a big pole stuck in the ground and built the tree house at the top of it. It was pretty darn cool.) He put holes in the red wagon so we could make it into a covered wagon for pioneer day and he built an awesome doll house for me.

All in all, I'm a pretty lucky kid. Most importantly, when my father taught me about my Heavenly Father and how much he loves me, I could imagine a wonderful man looking out for my best interest and trying to shield me from harm. All because I saw these examples of His behavior in my Dad.

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you.

Flag Day!

Flag Day is great and all, but the real reason I'm please that it's Flag Day is because it's the baby bro's birthday. Here's a shout out to Rager. Happy Birthday!

Joy + Guilt

On Wednesday evening, I came home to an imaculate house. The bathroom was sprakling clean, the floors were all vacuumed and mopped, and the kitchen sink was shining. It was the first day that someone else cleaned my house. Coming home to that filled me with immense joy. It's been a long time since the WHOLE HOUSE has been clean at once. I might get the whole bathroom clean, but it's been a long time since the whole house was clean.

As many an old college roommate can attest, I'm usually the one cleaning the house when I'm experiencing any kind of stress, so a busy me usually equals a clean house. Since acquiring a husband and getting a job that requires an unhealthy number of hours working to stay afloat, I just haven't been able to stay on top of the cleaning. There's a lot of guilt around that too, especially since I've always been really proud of my mad cleaning skillz.

The stress of a dirty house finally outweighed the guilt over not doing the cleaning myself. We've hired someone to come in now and I think it's causing me unadulterated joy.

I just love a clean house. It makes me very happy.

Funk-O-Mart

Yesterday I spent some time exploring more of the city of Philadelphia. I started with another lunch at the Reeding Terminal Market, this time with no creatures in sight. I ate at Delilah's, which is down home southern food. The mac n cheese and the cornbread were both fantastic.

I walked down Market Street to go see some of the historical sights in Philadelphia and on the way, I saw the FUNK-O-MART on the other side of the street. If you're in the market for more funk, this is the place. It's actually a record store specializing in '60s and '70s vinyl. I just thought the name was hysterical.

I also went and saw the Liberty Bell, the 2nd Bank of the United States, and Independance Hall. I'll write more on those later when I can download my pictures. For now, just think about how much more funk you have now that I've shared this with you.

All-Natural Appetite Suppresant

I'm here in Philadelphia this week attending a conference. It's the Society of Technical Communication's annual event and it's in our constitution's birthplace this year. The city is really pretty cool and I'm staying at a hotel that's right in the middle of things. It's a great location. The block between the hotel and the convention center houses the Reading Terminal Market. It's a lot like Pike Place Market with lots of interesting shops and such.

Today for lunch, I took a detour into the market. I always enjoy the frenetic energy in public markets and this one did not disappoint. I really did enjoy the fish mongers, bakers, and candy makers in the market.

Since it was lunch time, I decided to sit down at the Down Home Diner. I sat at the counter and ate grilled cheese with a side of fried potatoes. Now here's where it gets interesting. I'm eating my sandwich (and it was yummy -- all gooey cheese on delicious whole-grain bread) and looking forward at the wall below the pass-through window by the soda machine and what do I see, but a little old cockroach. Just yuck. I mean, I know it's a big ol' market and all, but I did not need to see that. I wasn't very hungry any more after that.

Finally Finished

Well, I started it on April 25th and finished It's Your Ship May 25th. It really was a great book on managing people. Much better than any of the other books I've read. Here's a little more of what I learned from the Cap'n.

One of the big things Captain Abrashoff talks about is building up your people. You have to make sure they know you care about them and what they're doing and that you feel this on a very personal level. It's super important to make sure that you recognize the good things people do when they do them. It's not as effective if you wait. In a workplace setting, that means you can't wait until annual reviews. In a personal setting, it means you shouldn't wait until everyone has forgotten what you're even talking about.

The other thing that I really liked in the book was the idea of generating unity. One aspect of this is making sure that you tell people they've done things wrong when they do them. You can't wait arount to discipline people and you have to be as fair as possible. When people see that you are quick to punish and that you are fair about it, they will rally around you. It's also important to listen to their ideas and implement what you can while removing any roadblocks that may be in the way. This builds everyone's confidence and helps them to love what they do.

He also talked a lot about having fun. I think that everyone needs to have more fun. I know that it's one of the things that brought my family together growing up and it's a great way to build unity at work. I think I'll start with some grilling. That's always fun!

Decoration Day

Today is Decoration Day, also known as Memorial Day. I remember reading books as a young girl that talked about families making a big deal about Decoration Day. They would spend a good part of the day at the cemetary and visit all the family grave sites.

Any graves I'm really interested in visiting are too far away for me to go to right now. Perhaps another year, I'll make it Burley or Malad for this day. I'm sure others made it.

The DH and I did visit our local cemetary today though. We took photos of the military section of the cemetary. It really was beautiful.

So, on this day, I want you all to know that I've been thinking of my maternal grandparents and my fraternal grandfather, hoping that their graves were decorated today. I've also been thinking of all those in the military who have put their lives in danger for the cause of freedom. I'm very gratefull for all they do.

Timing is Everything

Last night, the DH and I went to see Corteo. It's the current Cirque du Soleil playing under the big top at Marrymoor park in Redmond. We had a wonderful time seeing women swing from the chandeliers, jumping on beds, and doing amazing tightrope walking. There was so much movement on the stage at any given time. We were amazed at how well-timed they all had to be in order to avoid getting hurt.

One other really cool thing they did entailed several people who had rings that looked like large hula-hoops, but then they would hold themsleves up in the ring and roll around the stage and spin inside the ring and things like that. This even included rolling over their own hands. OUCH! I've found that Cirque du Soleil is so difficult to describe to someone who hasn't seen it. Hopefully that didn't just sound crazy.

The acrobatics they do are simply amazing. They have so many things that seem simply surreal. During the second half of the show, one of the performers was on a bicycle that was suspended in the air and he looked like he was riding in the air. He pedaled and moved forward slowly. Another man was in a harness, suspended upside down and walking along the tightrope. It was jut fantastic.

We also enjoyed yummy desserts and got a Best of Cirque du Soleil CD. We haven't listened to it yet, but we're hoping it's good. This is one event that I'd recommend to anyone who can afford it. The tickets are pricey, but we felt like it was well worth it.

Cabbies

I made a quick trip to Washington D.C. for work this week and there were some very entertaining moments. The best were the two cab rides I took, to and from the airport. I was staying in Silver Spring, MD and flying in and out of Dulles, so it was about a 30 mile trip each way.

The cab from the airport on Wednesday was driven by an older gentleman who was a native of India. He drove a very clean and well-kept cab and was also very well-dressed himself. When we started out on the drive, he told me all about the big news for the day -- the Oil moguls on trial in Washingtong! He talked about the price of gas hitting $135/barrel and American Airlines starting to charge $15 per bag on domestic flights. All were an outrage. He went on to talk about how cab fares have not risen in years and that it's close to impossible to make a living at it now. I have to admit that I felt for him. He was driving me all the way to Silver Spring and would have to drive the return trip empty. The trip was almost 90 minutes, so I got quite the earful.

On my return trip to Dulles, I was driven by a gentleman from Camaroon. He started the drive by asking if I was familiar with African music. I'm not such a world music aficionado so I said no. He then told me that he would play two CDs for me and find out which one I like best. The first CD was all in French and it was pretty good music. Jacques told me the name of the artist, but I couldn't quite understand the name. The entertaining part of this music appreciation adventure, however, was the commentary. I got the whole back story on every song. One song was about how every woman and every man in Camaroon want to be with a white man or woman. Another was about a woman who's husband left to work in another country so she put a lock on her knees. Another was about a priest who goes to France and starts to do all kinds of things preists shouldn't do. The last one was about how a man needs to be busy working and living and loving or he will get depressed. I then heard the first two songs of the second CD, but didn't have a chance to vote since we got to the airport in only 55 minutes.

I feel like I got a very cultural diverse experience going to the nation's capital, even though I never saw much more than the airport and a two-block section of Silver Spring. Adventure -- it's just a cab ride away!

Working for the Weekend

Well, it's been a really long week. I had a huge proposal due by 5:00 Eastern on Friday and it ended up taking up all my spare time all week. And I really mean it. I didn't even go to My Ice Cream Diary's surprise birthday party on Thursday. The good news is that everything got done and submitted on time. It just came at a price. Of course, that has me thinking about the decisions I've made lately and has me a bit worried about my current job. I'm going to have to figure out how to have better boundaries with my time. It's not really one of my strong suits, but I'm definitely going to work on it.

On Saturday, the DH and I went out to breakfast and I had crepes in honor of Annzy's birthday. Happy Birthday girly girl!!! And then, we bought some plants that the DH planted in the yard and I didn't do much of anything else. I did run to the grocery store for some sustenance, and then we got together with some friends for dinner, but it was very low key. I've not done a thing today either. It almost makes up for the ugly week.

And Another Thing...

While I was in Utah last weekend, I picked up the amazing quilt that Annzy helped with. You should see some of her other work. It's amazing. Like this, and this.

For me, she made the Drunk Love quilt again. I was going to make it, but I got stage fright and couldn't get it started. Annzy took it off my hands and put all the squares together for my Christmas present. Then she got the back for it and I paid to have it quilted at the Porn Wagon* where Annzy used to work.

Annzy didn't trust me to do the bias tape for the binding, so she pulled that together one evening and sewed on one side. Now all I have to do is finish the binding and it's all done. Isn't it amazing?

And I thought I'd leave you with a little more detail from the painting. This is the shiny white front door and the new switch plate cover on the light switch.

* NOTE: It's really called the Corn Wagon, but when Annzy first told me she got a job there, I thought she said Porn Wagon. I was very concerned about her new job. Then I found out there was nothing untoward involved and that she got discounts on cool quilting stuff. It's all good.

Painting Complete!

After moving the furniture out, the painters got started on repairing the walls. It looked pretty rough for a few days before they actually started the painting.










Once the painting started, we realized there was no sleeping in that stinky house, so we had to bug out. Patrick got a hotel room while I was out of town and I joined him there for two more nights after I arrived home.

This is how the house looks now. The painters at Seattle Painting and Decorating Company did a fantastic job. They kept everything clean, did work above and beyond what we agreed on, and generally exceeded expectations. The rooms look awesome!

Movies

So, last weekend, I went to two movies. I wasn't totally wowed by either of them, but I was entertained.

Baby Mama
I went and saw this one last Thursday evening with the girls. The premise of the movie was fairly believable and the cast was fantastic. The story moved along and it was funny without being gross or crass most of the time. The scene where Amy Pohler pees in the sink really is the worst thing in the movie -- and you already saw it if you've seen any trailers. I laughed quite a bit and I enjoyed the love interest part of the story line.
I'll give it a 7 out of 10.

Made of Honor
This was the Friday night movie of choice. We were all looking forward to it and expecting a great show. The story line was a lot like My Best Friend's Wedding, only not as funny. Patrick Dempsey makes a pretty good leading man and the woman playing the lead was pretty good, but the story lacked depth and it was a little too predictable. There were even things in the movie that made me uncomfortable, like the woman hawking sex toys at the bridal shower. That part wasn't funny at all, just really uncomfortable. The one great thing about the movie was the Scottish countryside. It really was beautiful and I enjoyed seeing that part on the big screen. All in all, I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone. It would be a good rental though.
I'll give it a 5 out of 10.

I'm hoping to be able to report on Iron Man soon!

Weekend Recap Part II

The rest of the weekend was spent shopping and eating and playing games. We had great food at Hattie's in Midway (I have to recommend the Swiss Onion Cream Soup) and a wonderful pizza place there too. I don't recall the name of the place, but Annzy and I shared a salad and a pizza and loved it.

We spent a good deal of time at the outlet mall and I ended up with a couple of sweaters, a jacket, and a couple of t-shirts. I still can't believe we were there for over four hours, but it's true. We all had tired feet by the time we were done. Annzy stayed and hung out with us for quite a bit of the evening and I'm so glad she got to have fun with us too. Family rocks!

I think the games were my favorite though. We played a really fun game called Sleeping Queens and then played a game that Diana and her family are working on called Catch and Release. I'll let you know when she get's it marketed and on the game store shelves. It was really fun and I'm sure it would be a hit.

The saddest part of the trip was leaving. I had such a great time with a wonderful group of women. The only thing that took the sting out was knowing I'd be back with the DH in only a couple hours.

I drove down the canyon by myself and was amazed as always at the beauty that is in that area. I love the Wasatch mountains and miss them when I don't get to see them often enough.

Weekend Recap Part I

My weekend started with a flight to Salt Lake. The flight was great because I sat by two fabulous ladies from my stake who were on their way to the Women's Conference as well. We had great conversations and it made the time race by. Then I picked up a rental car and headed to Camille's house. She and her three girls were all waiting up, in spite of the late hour. It was 11:30 by the time I got to their house. The men were all sleeping soundly, but I got to reconnect with the girls for an hour or so before going to bed. Camille's girls are all fabulous. It's been way too long since I saw them last and they are all growing into amazing women.

On Thursday, we went to the Women's Conference and met up with Camille's mom, sister, cousin, and other cousin. They're a great group of women that I had a blast with all weekend. The first thing we did that day was listen to Sheri Dew. She was actually the best speaker we heard the entire time and she was the first one of all. I find her to be very inspiring though. She has a no-nonsense way about her that just works for me. We also heard a bunch of other speakers and had a yummy lunch.

After the conference on Thursday we had Annzy hook up with us for dinner at a great little Mexican place on Center St. in Provo. Yummy! Then we went to see Baby Mama. I'll have to post my movie reviews separately, but I will tell you that one of the funniest things about the movie was watching certain people sleep through it.

On Friday, we went to more of the conference, but I skipped the middle presentations. The first presentation was by Sis. Beck (the General Relief Society President) and she gave a really nice talk about making sure that your home is a refuge. I like that idea a lot since I really enjoy being home. The later presentations were by a couple talking about marriage and then Pres. Monson. Pres. Monson's talk was sort of like a lot of his talks. He told some good stories, but it was nothing that really spoke to me.

During that time I was skipping sessions, I did some work that was on deadline for Friday and then shopped at the BYU bookstore. I didn't mean to spend as much time there as I did, but it was for a good cause. I bought the DH new sciptures and had to wait almost an hour for them to get printed with his name. They're really pretty. It's a quad with green leather cover. lovely!

That evening, we had dinner at Red Robin and then saw Made of Honor. After that, we went back to Camille's mom's house and laughed and talked and played games. It was great fun!