West Coast Holiday Wrap-up

Friday was our last day in Cali. We would be catching a 7:45am out of San Fran Saturday so we decided to lay low, watch tv and rest after all the excitement of the week.

Here are Mark and Cullin in their new kitchen. The pic is kinda dark, but it is beautiful and extremely functional. Mark designed the cooking area and Cullin picked the colors! What a great team! (although they look a bit tired in this pic!)


Mark had "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" for us to watch and we also caught "Elf" on tv later on. Here Mom and Dad enjoy vegging out in front of the tv:


Cullin, Mom, Anne and I went for a nice walk after lunch Friday. They have these great bike/walk/run paths near their house and the sun was out and warm. We went quite a ways tho and tired out the dogs: Snake's on the left and Nilla's on the right.


After a wonderful homemade Turkey soup for dinner, here are Annie and I sitting on the couch and chillin'.

Excitement was had by all on this wonderful West Coast Holiday trip! Thanks Mark and Cullin for a great Thanksgiving and the many sightseeing excursions. We all had a wonderful time!

West Coast Holiday Part 3: A View Halloo!!!

With the fog encounter on our Monday trip into San Fran, we decided we needed to take advantage of the beautiful crystal clear day Thursday to show Anne that the Golden Gate Bridge really does exist! We hopped in the car with Cullin as our guide and we drove in to take in the wonderful views. It's easy to take a good picture up there!

So many people had the same idea, we couldn't stop at the same overlook as Monday. This was great b/c we drove up to the top of the hill to an even more spectacular view of the bay area.

Cut into the hillside were a few tunnels, originally made for protecting the bay from invaders but they were never used. By walking thru the tunnel you opened up onto the pacific ocean on the other side. Here is another of my favorite pictures that I took of the sun reflecting on the water.



This is a view looking further down the coast away from the bay:


While we stood in awe and snapped away, a little friend popped up next to Mom's foot. He didn't seem the least bit scared of us and kept his head out the entire time we were there as if he wanted to see what we thought of his view. That's Prime real estate you got there pal!


In an effort to get back home in time for Thanksgiving dinner, we raced back down the hill and I clicked a few as we went. This one came out the best.


Thanks to Cullin, Anne was able to see the Golden Gate Bridge for real and Mom and I got to take in some amazing views we had never seen before as well!

Dinner was ready when we arrived, and boy did I pig out! Turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatos, squash, sweet potatos...all the fixins and Pumkin, Apple and Pecan pies for dessert! What a Thanksgiving!

Catch the West Coast Holiday Wrap -up tomorrow!

West Coast Holiday Part 2: Napa in Style

Tuesday was our wine tasting tour of Napa Valley Wineries. Mark told us that we needed to be ready because the Limo was picking us up at 10am...Yeah, you read that right...THE LIMO!!! How cool is that? Here we are in the Limo, I am pretty sure this was taken after we had been to a few wineries. :)



The first Winery we visited was called Paraduxx. As the name suggests, the theme was ducks off all sorts like mallards, wooden etc. I loved it because they played great music there too (I heard a Red hot Chili Pepper song people!) and the architecture of the tasting room was light, bright and airy.

The next winery was named Clos Du Val. This is the entrance to the tasting room which I thought was beautiful.


Clos Du Val had amazing rose gardens and was so picturesque. It was a beautiful property.


Our third visit was to Del Dotto Caves. This place is very unique in the valley since the tasting takes place while walking thru man made caves!
Left to right: Mom, Dad, Mark and Anne enjoying Del Dotto Caves.

It was very cool and they served A LOT of wine. They serve wine out of the barrel using a glass tube called a "Wine Thief". I think we tasted from 7 barrels in the caves, a bottle in a small tasting room plus 2 port wines after that! It was crazy and so much fun!
These barrels line the walls and at the end you take a left to enter the caves. You can just barely make out the golden face hanging above the door in the back on the left over the cave entrance. Mark took most of the winery pictures, and I know he got some great shots at each. (that's a hint for you to send those along when you get a chance Mark!:)

Our fourth and final tasting was at Trefethen. Let me tell you that by this time, none of us could taste any difference in any wine! We were comfortably numb (not drunk!) and getting sillier by the minute. I couldn't remember the name of this winery when we returned home to tell Cullin of our adventures so I kept calling it Tetherball!


We returned home after a wonderful day in Napa to cook out some huge steaks on the grill. Again a savory meal was prepared by Chef Mark! Great food after a day trip in a Limo to Napa? I could get used to that! Yes, you could say I have been spoiled a bit!


Part 3 tomorrow: The Mystery of the Golden Gate Bridge: It really does exist!!

West Coast Holiday Part 1

We arrived on Sunday at San Francisco International Airport. Mark met us and took us back to the house were we visited and vegged. We ate a huge dinner that Mark prepared. The first course was homemade French Onion soup and it was to die for. The next course was a lovely beef roast. For dessert he had made creme broulee, Oy Vey! My brother has turned into quite the chef!

Monday we went into San Fran to see some sights. This proved to be difficult when it came to viewing the Golden Gate bridge due to the heavy fog. We couldn't see the bridge but we could hear the traffic on it as well as the ships below. Anne had fun telling us what pitch the fog horns were blowing. Our music teacher never rests!:)

From left to right: Mark, Mom, Dad and Annie posing at the famous overlook to the Golden Gate Bridge...or is it?

This is agreat picture if I do say so myself! This was the only speck of the bridge that was visible.

After the bridge we drove down the crooked street then parked and hopped a trolley. Dad and I were a bit silly. It's always fun riding the trolley!


Mom and Dad pose for a nice pic with the inhabitants of Pier 39.

At the end of the day we watched a Magician perform on the pier. He was a riot. He even incorporated my family into his act at one point. He is supposedly going to try out for "America's got Talent" so we will have to see if he gets on!

For dinner we met Mark's wife Cullin out at a great little Italian restaurant that she had heard about. It was called Ristorante Milano and I think we tried 1/2 of the menu between the six of us! It was an wonderful end to a great day in San Francisco!

Part 2: Napa in Style coming tomorrow!

Are You Watching Closely?

Early Sunday morning, say around 6am, I will attempt to make myself disappear and reappear in California...

I crack myself up.

I am soo excited!!! Have I already said that this week? Um, yeah, I think I have.

Anywho, a much needed vacation and some great food and sightseeing awaits! I will miss the part of my family that is staying on the East coast for Turkey Day of course. I am sure there will be the Turkey Day phone call to wish everyone a happy.:)

So Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I will be back Monday November 27th to blog and post pics (or sometime that week if I come back to a mountain of work on my desk).

Kindred Spirits

Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary defines kindred as "of a similar nature or character : LIKE (a kindred spirit)"

I like to use this word to describe my friends, or people I have recently begun a friendship with. I guess you could say that the reason we are friends (or becomming friends) is because we are Kindred Spirits, of a similar nature or character on some level.

How do I consider someone a "Kindred Spirit"? Basically if someone is very similar to me in even one subject matter, I will consider them kindred in that area. My closest friends share many similarities with me. Sound weird? Yeah, well that's me!

Here's a list of a few areas where I would consider someone a Kindred Spirit:

1. You enjoy speaking in English (or other) accents and can carry on a conversaton without breaking character.
2. You love the Goonies. (and/or you send me a truffle shuffle shirt in the mail just because!)
3. You like to go on adventures and explore your surroundings by car, bike or hike.
4. You think Batman is the BEST super Hero EVER!
5. You know how to pronounce "Salahadin" and can use it in a variety of ways.
6. You like to break out dancing for no reason, especially in the kitchen.
7. Rhyming is one of your favorite things to do.
8. You love making up words to songs like "Wild Disco Pot", "100% Pure Pork", "Oh, My God, It's the Low Rider" and many others.
9. You think peanut butter and chocolate is one of the best inventions.
10. You wuv all dem DOGs, Kitties and Horseys!
11. You yell "GOOAT" (whenever you feel like it)
12. Lyrics from AC/DC like "Ewwwww!" and "High Voltage!" or from Queen like "Get on your bikes and ride!" make you laugh hysterically.
13. You enjoy fart humor (Come on, admit it, you think it's funny!)
14. You love to watch movies (especially action adventure or comedy.)
15. You appreciate the taste of a good Manhatten or Margarita.

Picture: Kindred Spirits by Jenness Cortez

Tuesday Trippin'

Wow, what can I say? I have been MIA for a few days. I actually think I forgot about my blog! (gasp!) It's been pretty busy here at work so I haven't had the time to post.

So here I am sitting at my desk procrastinating (well, actually I have done all I can right now). I guess this week is sort of a bother b/c I know in approximately 66 hours I will be leaving for California! Yipee!! Yep, 6am Sunday morning I will be taking off into the wild blue yonder and landing in Cali about 10:40am. My brother sent the itineraries today and now I pretty much can't concentrate on anything else. Well, I am doing my work, but I am also thinking about packing and my schedule for the rest fo the week outside of working here.

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS TRIP! I am so happy to get out of my mundane routine and explore for a few days(thanks to my family).

This past weekend I saw The Prestige. I was so excited to finally get to see it in the theater! It was sooo cool and really a thinker which is rare these days. I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend that you go see it if you can (or rent it when it comes out on dvd). Not only was the story and acting great, but who doesn't want to watch Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale? Come on! That's 2 hours and 15 minutes of Hotness times 2!!



Well, I guess that is all for now.

Hmmm...I wonder what our in-flight movies will be on this trip? You know me, always worrying about the most important details! :)

Whatever Wednesday's Hot or Not List

It's time once again for my HOT or NOT list! Here we go!

HOT: A handmade Skull and Crossbones hat.

NOT: K-Fed and Brittany. When it was announced that thery were getting a divorce I heard the world say "Yeah, so?"

NOT: Coworkers who are constantly talking about themselves and whining about their ailments. They play that card everytime they can't handle something. Then when you tell them that you really don't care b/c you've had enough of their bullshit, they seem confused and play the victim and expect everyone to feel sorry for them. The "Poor Me" game only works so many times! Ever heard of The Boy (or girl in this case) who cried wolf?

HOT: Pink jeweled Flamingo pins!

HOT: Sting's new "Songs's from the Labrynth" album. It's a very thoughtful, beautiful album. (if you're partial to 17th century music composed by John Dowland and performed on the lute)

NOT: When you work your ass of for someone and they are still not satisfied. Especially when you are helping the department out and that is not your priority since you don't work in that department in the first place!

HOT: Having more than one reason to go shopping for clothes: "I dropped a size and need new clothes b/c nothing fits me!" and "I am going to California in two weeks and need a new outfit."

NOT: When the honest and trustworthy candidate you voted for loses the Congressional seat to a cheating lying ass. If you are not going to research and look at candidates based on their records and issues (regardless of party lines) then you shouldn't vote! Voting based on ridiculous mudslinging political ads and mailings is an uneducated way to make important decisions. “A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.” Theodore Roosevelt

HOT: The fact that you still read this blog over a year after I started it!

Yes! It was my...BIRTHDAY!!!

Hello all! After a bit of a rough start here at work this am thanks to Looney Linda, I am finally posting about my birthday fun from the weekend and here at work today.

I spent the weekend at Evan's house and we had tons of fun. We watched Curious George (the one with Will Ferrel and Drew Barrymore) Friday night which was really cute. Saturday night I was surprised with everyone coming over with a big Birthday dinner! Dad had made his famous lasagna and Mom baked a yummy birthday cake. Kathy and Erin joined us for dinner and it was a nice evening. I got some great presents: A beautiful bracelet from my parents, an Old Navy gift card from My Annie and this great pin from Lamby and Evan:

She said she couldn't resist it and almost put a little note on him inside that read "Get off your ass!", but then she didn't. Too funny!

Later Saturday night we watched the movie Cats and Dogs which is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. If you haven't seen it you must! I will blog about that in another post for sure!

It was a great weekend that ended on Sunday with Dad cooking a turkey! Yum! Was I spoiled with all the great food this weekend!

I arrived at work this morning to a desk covered in food, presents and cards from people at work! How nice is that? There were donutes, crullers, pumpkin bread and some hysterical cards and then my department (well 3 of them, b/c Looney Linda Wasn't here) made lunch for me! Besides my Gerry Butler homemade birthday card from Mary G. (a freaking riot!), my favorite gift was my long awaited Pirate hat made by our very own BigGeek!!! Here are some shots of me modeling it.
It is the coolest skull and crossbones hat you will ever see, yeah? Arrgghh!



Thank you everyone for everything! What a great birthday!!!

Birthday Wishes

My idea of the perfect birthday would not only include my family and friends, but would also look a little something like this.

I arrive at my beautiful stone house in the country.


I walk thru my library and look out the window to see...


Some of my Horses frolicking in the field behind my house.


After checking in my home theater...


I would find my husband sitting in the sun room waiting for me to come home so he could give me my Birthday present...


Which was waiting for me out on the patio:


Someday I hope I will have what these pics represent to me: A beautiful cozy home, a wonderful husband, some puppies and horses, a really neat personal library and a kick-ass home theater.

Ok, well, Happy Friday! I am off to buy some lottery tickets in hopes of making the above mentioned dreams come true!! tee-hee

Say it isn't so!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15515764/

For this to be announced on Ari's Birthday! How weird is that Ari!!???

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARIANE!!!

Oh yeah and I stole this from WiccaChicky:

Your Aura is Blue

Spiritual and calm, you tend to live a quiet but enriching life. You are very giving of yourself. And it's hard for you to let go of relationships. The purpose of your life: showing love to other people Famous blues include: Angelina Jolie, the Dali Lama, Oprah Careers for you to try: Psychic, Peace Corps Volunteer, Counselor

What Color Is Your Aura?

I am not so sure about the calm and quiet, but I guess as I have gotten older I have mellowed considerably...yeah, I used to be THAT hyper!!:)

Whatever Wednesday

Hello and welcome to another wonderful Whatever Wednesday!!! Today I have some sad news, some glad news and some "CC needs to vent" news. Hope you get a kick out of it anyway!

1. I will begin with the sad news. My friend Ari had a beautiful golden retriever named Maggie. She was such a good dog and we bonded right away the first time I ever met her. She loved to play ball and loved tons of attention. She was getting older and was on medications due to having cancer in one of her back legs. The affected leg was removed just below the hip a few years back. Early this morning she had a heart attack and seizures and Ari's parents decided it was unfortunately time. They put her to sleep this morning. We loved Maggie and we will miss her. She was one of the Best D-O-Gs I have ever known.
2. Let's just skip #2 because I need to regroup after #1.
3. This weekend I am invited to my nephew Evan's house (yes, the Evan who penned "Evan's Rules"). Evan, his Mommy (my sister Lamby), Anne (another sister) and I will eat yummy food and watch "Cats & Dogs" and play games and have tons of fun. Sunday we will travel to my parent's house for my 31st Birthday dinner. All in all it should be a great (and how!) weekend and I am really looking forward to it! Yay!
4. I wasn't sure if I had mentioned this or not, but two weekends from now (Nov. 19th) I will be leaving for California! My Mom, Dad, my sister Anne and I have been invited to San Ramone to spend Thanksgiving week with my brother Mark and his wife Cullin. I am unbelievably excited to return back to the sunshine state for another visit and explore some more. It will be Anne's first trip out so that is exciting too. I can't wait and I know it will be here before I know it.
5. Speaking of my sister-in-law Cullin, it reminds me of a thought. She and my sister-in-law Kim are really great. I tend to call them my sisters in stead of my sisters-in-law. I get along so well and enjoy spending time with with both of them. Because of this I think of them as sisters. I do have one I like to call my sister-out-law. Her name begins with a Pie and ends with a Hole. We all know she is the furthest thing from a sister I have!!! Why can't Piehole just admit herself to the nearest sanitarium and get some help quickly? Maybe someday!!
6. Have you ever hoped that someone would get their due? You know, karma coming back to them after they had done something to you? I have witnessed this quite a few times in the past year and boy did it feel great! There is nothing like hearing from the person who did/said something to you in the past that the same thing happened to them! The bummer is, this person hasn't made (and probably will never make) the connection that they had done the same thing to you previously. I've realized although they didn't learn their lesson, I saw something beautiful happen and it puts a big ginormous smile on my face!
7. That said, let's hope that that bad karma I have collected from all my PieHole posts won't come back to get me!!
8. But first, have you noticed the secret messages within each of my lovely talking points in this post yet? Post a comment when you find them!