Happy Birthday Goose!

It's Bryce's birthday. He's a great kid - full of enthusiasm! Here is a picture of him as a baby. Where did the years go?? Have a fantastic day buddy!

Random Acts of Kindness

It is Random Acts of Kindness Week from Feb. 12-18. You still have a few more days! There is even a site out there actsofkindness.org to give you inspiration. So get out there and help someone with their groceries, feed a meter, take someone flowers for no reason....go, go, go!! It might change someone's life.

Happy Valentines Day!

Hope you all have a fantastic Valentines Day. If you are into sarcasm, check out this site of valentines. Click here.

A Sip In Time Saves Nine

Ann, Rob, Jamie & Chris @ Saddleback Cellars

It's Ann's birthday--Happy Birthday Ann!--and she really wanted to go play nine holes at the golf course but, alas, it rained all day. So, we went with her second choice, winetasting. First we went by La Taquiza to grab some tasty morsels (you have to check this place out for its fish tacos.) Then Chris hooked us up with some tasty wine at Saddleback. Yeah baby! You are our Rock Star! We picked up some bubbly at Mumm, stopped at Paraduxx and finished up at Steltzner. But I think Rob wants to lay some of his wines down for a while before he drinks them...isnt that right Rob? It was a great day... Ann, you are like a fine wine...you just keep getting better with age! Cheers!

Ann- you share your birthday with Miss Sheryl Crow and Ginger from Gilligans Island! Interesting...they both have redish hair like you!

Bad News

According to sources at NY Fashion Week we have a problem...

Short skirts are back! Aaagghhh! As if it isnt hard enough to disguise the few extra pounds under full length clothes. Thanks Donna Karan! :(

It Is The Cold & Flu Season

Over the last week I have been wondering a lot about this topic while I was recovering from a cold. Here is a little nugget from the Kidshealth.org site:

Believe it or not, your nose makes a cup full of snot every day!
For something kind of gross, mucus does a lot of good. It keeps germs, dirt, pollen, and bacteria from getting into your lungs by stopping them in your nose. But sometimes mucus doesn't stay put.
Reasons for Running
If your nose is running, there are several possible explanations:
You have a cold or the flu - When you have either one of these, your nose goes into mucus-making overdrive to keep the germ invaders out of your lungs and the rest of your body, where they might make you even sicker than you already are. You know what happens then: The mucus runs down your throat, out your nose, or into a tissue when you blow your nose. Or it can fill your sinuses, which is why you get that stuffy feeling.

So, that explains that!

Bueller? Bueller?

Okay, I know Steph mentioned Lurkers in one of her blogs and told everyone to stop lurching and start posting. Did I miss a blog that told everyone to to STOP posting?? I mean, come on, I posted stuff on basketball, ice cream and even squirrel food. Where is everyone? And I know Steph must be reading because the moment I posted hints to send me basketball schedules I recieved them in an email. I know you're out there!!

B-ball

Here is my bud Remy (#3) during his basketball game against Windsor. They ruled the court! I'm still waiting for a schedule to hit my inbox from my niece and nephews so I can schedule in time to see them play!! (hint, hint!)

Not only is he a dynamo on the basketball court but he is the reigning champ of Connect Four. The kid is a master at board games! It is ON man!

Tastes Like Chicken?

Okay, I started doing Weight Watchers (not very well I might add). As you may know you have to look up everything you eat in a "points book" and add up the number of points it is worth. Well, I dont know if I somehow got the Applachian version of the book or what but, in case you wanted to know, 1 oz. of Squirrel is only worth 1 point! That's right, I said Squirrel! Who the heck eats Squirrel?!! Maybe there is a recipe for that for the crockpot!

Quirkyalone

Have you heard of this site? My friend just mentioned it to me yesterday. This must be what I am. Here is the definition from their site:
"Who are the quirkyalones? There are many definitions, but we'll start with this one. Quirkyalones are people who resist the tyranny of coupledom. Oddly enough, we quirkyalones also tend to be romantics. We resist the tyranny of coupledom because we would prefer to be open to the possibilities that life has to offer than be in an unsatisfying relationship. That is, to date for the sake of dating, or be in a relationship for the sake of being part of a couple. .... "
Check it out! http://www.quirkyalone.net
Are there "Married and Loving It" sites out there??

Midnight Train to Georgia

...or maybe just the 12:00 plane to Atlanta! My old college roomy Brenda and her daughter Ava were in town from Atlanta for work so we got to hang out for a day or two. I got to watch Ava while Brenda worked on Saturday and then we went to SF to meet up with another friend Ariane for a walk around Chrissy Field and then dinner. We ate a little place called Rose's Cafe in Cows Hollow. Delicious!Yum! Isnt ice cream the best! They just took off for home. It was a lot of fun but much too short! Bye y'all!

Is the Cup Half Empty or Half Full?

Tonight I had a little craving for ice cream and drove down to local Baskin-Robbins for my fix. So, now my confession....I ordered a 3 scoop sunday. I guess I could say that was the only way I could satisfy my craving for 3 different flavors but I really wanted 3 scoops! So the guy scoops my ice cream a puts some whipped cream on it...and at this point the cup is only half filled and I think he is going to add the rest of the ice cream on top of the whipped cream. But no! That was it! He handed me the sunday and I said, "is this a 3 scoop sunday"? And the kid says, "yes". I mean, shouldnt they at least try to fake it by pouring on the whipped cream to hide the fact they didnt put any ice cream in the bowl?? Im not sure if a higher power was involved in this to keep me from eating too much ice cream or if Baskin-Robbins is getting totally cheap and only serving golf ball sized scoops but I am boycotting B-R. Who's with me??!!

...and One More Thing...

Remember when you use to wear your pants pulled up to your chest with your sweatshirt tucked in? You've come a long way baby! (speaking of fashion...your dad use to adjust your socks so they were on your foot just perfectly so the seam didnt dig into your little toes.)

My Son is Turning 12!

Dear Son,
I remember when you were just a young sailor home on leave.

And how can I forget our old Vaudville act where you were my Charlie McCarthy.

You were so talented and could do so many things. How many people can eat their toes?!

And, you do a great impression of the Sand people in Star Wars. Remember how obsessed you were??

And here you are... my smiley, funny, smart little guy already turning 12! Where did the time go? HAPPY BIRTHDAY W!

Weeds

My friend convinced me to rent the first season of Showtime's series "Weeds". Its the story of a woman whose husband had a heart attack and left her with two kids and no job. To support her family she starts selling weed discreetly in their little stepford suburban town. It took me a couple of episodes to really get into it but now Im hooked. Especially when her brother-in-law comes to town--it gets pretty funny. Try it...you'll like it!
Im still waiting to get my hands on the Third season of Entourage too!

That's Hot!

I'm sure that most of you have been using crock pots for a while. But, I had this image of the crock pot from the '70s which was really difficult to clean and way too bulky. My friends, who Im sure are tired of hearing how I never cook and eat so poorly, bought me one for Christmas. Well, let me tell you...it's the best! Throw a few things in it in the morning, go to work, get home, have a nice hot meal. I wish I had discovered it sooner! If you have forgotten about yours I suggest you get it out now! It's crock-a-licious!

Happy New Year!

Last night I spent New Year's Eve as I do every year--at the Troussieux's fabulous New Year's Eve party! This year's theme was James Bond 007 (for the year 2007 of course!). Everyone was in their tuxes or in their Bond girl outfits. We were treated to a 6 course meal which was fantastic and the wine and drink selection was incredible. Of course, one of the best things about the evening was the great old and new friends.

Thanks to Ann and Chris for another awesome evening!!

Here is 007 and Bond Girl #1 making martinis--shaken....not stirred!

Thanks to Greg we were able to project one of the Sean Connery "Bond" movies across the wall. A great time was had by all!

It's a Wonderful Life

It wasnt snowing but it was pretty frosty and cold over Christmas. We had the heat set to 70 and Marcey was still under a blanket! Lexi didnt get left Home Alone but she did have trouble getting to sleep on Christmas Eve. We were monitoring Santa's journey and the stress of having to fall asleep before Santa actually got to California was a little too much for some to handle.
Here are the cousins unwrapping some of their gifts.
Here is the red section. Kurt and mom are the only ones who were festive enough to dress in red. I think Kurt wears a different jersey each year to our Christmas morning gathering.
Brotherly love. What would a brother be if he didnt pester the other one?! Donny is wearing the traditional hat worn by the person who hands out the gifts.

Birthday Girl!

It's party time! Today (Dec. 21) is Stephanie's birthday--Happy Birthday Steph! You are a fantastic person with such a fun and contagious attitude toward life. You are a compliment to womanhood. :) Cheers and Happy Birthday!!

Tracking Santa 2006

For those of you anxiously awaiting Santa, you can track his flight via the NORAD site (North American Air Defense Command). Have you been naughty or nice this year??
http://www.noradsanta.org/en/tracking.php
NASA will also be tracking old St. Nick: http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/home/seasonal/SantaTrack.html

Pursuit of Happyness

This is a great holiday movie, or anytime of year really, to help you appreciate what you have and to inspire us all to do more to help others. It's the story of a father who takes a risk for a better future for his son. And, despite being homeless, being a single parent, and having no additional education and no money, he still pursues his dream with class and determination. Once you see this you will have a very hard time making excuses for why you can't do that something that you just never seem to have time for! This story is truly an inspiration.

Happy Birthday Don!

Today is my oldest nephew's birthday! How did 17 years go by so fast? Have a great 17th year Don! Love U!

Happy Holidays!?

I had Wolf and Lexi this weekend and we got to do some pretty fun stuff. We went to my friend Breanna's for a gingerbread house party and went to the Tech Museum. And of course we had to stop in to see Santa. I think the kids had fun although you'd never know it from these pictures. Do you think they could have smiled in one of them??! At least Wolf is faking it! See more pics here.

Loungin'

Here is my little muffin doing what kids do...lounging on the couch and playing a little Gameboy. Ah, that's the life.

Girls Just Want To Have Make-Overs

The holidays are here and there is nothing better than spending a day trying on make-up, shopping, and dining out with your friends! I got to do just that with Ann and Beth. They got make-overs at Bare Essentials and then we grabbed lunch at the Thirsty Bear. Hanging out in the city helps get you in the holiday mood. ( It was chilly (sarcasm) 70 degrees in December in SF. What's up with that??)

Bond, James Bond

I saw my first James Bond movie last night with Ann and Chris. Casino Royale with Daniel Craig.

I really liked it. Im not sure that human beings are capable of doing some of the things they do in the movie, but hey....it's just a movie! Daniel Craig played a great rookie Bond (he's been working out!) and there are a few classic lines. Overall I give it a thumbs up.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2006

My sister in law, Stephanie, and I were clicking pictures like crazy on Thanksgiving and joking about who's going to blog their picture first. Hmm...I just checked her blog and no pictures yet! I swear she was following me around taking the same pictures I took ;)

The picture of this turkey might seem a little toasty but it was suppose to be that way since Kurt and Marcey BBQ'd it. It was delish!

We tried to take a family photo this year which came off pretty well I think. This picture shows the aftermath of it! Nice job Reuben Kincaid on the pics!

Who Can Turn The World On With Her Smile?...

I must be on some retro kick right now. I discovered The Complete 1st Season of the Mary Tyler Moore Show DVD at the library. I remember the show from when I was a kid but I wanted to see what it was like watching as an adult. I am hooked! How can you not love Lou, Mary, Rhoda, Murray, and Ted! It is really strange to watch something from 1970 and see how far we have come in terms of sexism, alcohol, etc. Mary is the Associate Producer of the WJM news and yet she still has to make the coffee and straighten Lou's desk up. We've come a long way baby! We're going to make it after all!

Secondary Malolactic Fermentation

Thanks to the O'Brien winetasting excursion this weekend I am adding to my weak wine vocabulary.

Have you seen this man?? Since Tom had to work, I was able to slip into his spot and enjoy a day of great wine and fun times with the O'Briens. Thanks for letting me join in. It was a "terrific" day!
We visited Chase, St. Clement and Sullivan and got a terrific private tour from the assistant winemaker of Spotswood, Aaron, who knows Chris and Donna.
Four winerys down...387 to go!