Perfection

Today is sunny, with the slightest, gentlest breeze. I had a fabulous massage this morning. Then I got home and we went to three greenhouses to get some more flowers and plants. Then we picked up four geocaches. And had a nice lunch in-between. At the last geocache, C-man got to play on a playground near the river. Then I got to come home and dig in the dirt to plant my flowers and herbs. Now the house is napping and I only hear silence. Ahhhhh.... perfection.

No Plans

The weekend is upon us, and do you know what's fabulous? I have NO PLANS! Beerman was going to mow the lawn last night, because well, it's about a foot tall. And I said, why don't we do it on Saturday? He agreed. Why? Because we have NO PLANS. I can't wait. A little laundry and picking up the house, but otherwise, this weekend is about digging in dirt, playing baseball, and taking Harry to the park. Sigh... I can't wait.

Essays

I'm in my last four weeks of the boot camp challenge. And before this is all done, I need to have written, in no more than 500 words, about my experience. It'll be judged, and a big part of who wins this thing. I like writing (obviously), but I'm finding this one to be tough. And there's the added pressure because there's no way I'm going to beat the girl who loses 20 pounds every weigh-in on the physical changes component. Every good story needs a theme, and I can't pick just one. Sigh... so many daydreams wasted thinking about it. Do I go pity-party and talk about the arthritis? Do I tug at heartstrings about my family? Do I go funny? Sigh... I'm on version 9, and don't like any of them, so I'm wide open to suggestions!

Wordless Wednesday - Glee!

Simplicity

Remember when the difficulty in your life was that it was a windy day, so you had to put your hood up in order to play on the playground? And how your pulse raced when you even saw swings, because you couldn't wait to go higher? I'm really thankful I have someone to remind me.

And then they rested, well sort of

I'm back in boot camp again. And I'm wondering if my legs will stop quivering. But as the family is all still sleeping, and I'm eating my, well what else would I be eating these days, eggs with spinach, I'm smiling. Because we have today off. And so I'm shutting it all off and going to have some fun. How appropriate. I hear some pitter-patter feet coming toward me now. Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Tickets and Caching

Farsighted

Well, the official word is in, and we have a farsighted child. As in, he will be wearing glasses in 7 - 10 business days, farsighted. I'm so sad about it, because he's only 4! But I've been trying to talk about how cool it is to him. We're going to go get a Superman movie later today so he can see Superman wear his glasses as Clark. And we've told him it'll probably improve his baseball swing. Oh boy, was he excited for THAT! On the upside, it does probably explain why writing and cutting have been such a struggle for him. But, sigh... How in the hell did I get a farsighted kid? While Beerman swears he saw where he came from, I'm seriously wondering if he's mine.

My camera and me

The other day, I was reading one of my regular blogs, and she mentioned that the reason she liked photography was because it kept her "mindful". While she's infinitely better than me at photography, I really liked her perspective on it. Personally, I really like photography because despite LOVING to have my picture taken, there's something different about the world with a camera in your hand taking them of everyone and everything else. It makes me look at things in a new way. Where's the light? What would that look like really close up? Or in partial view? And then it turns into a game. How can I capture C-man's complete glee without him noticing I'm there? Can I capture the feeling of the moment in one single frame? What will someone else feel when looking at that color? In other words, I get really happy with my D90 in my hand. So look out world. If you're nearby, you can count on your photo being taken while I figure this out. Maybe when you don't even know it's happening.

Anybody got any energy to spare?

I feel like I need a week's worth of sleep. What the heck is wrong with me? I know there's a low front coming in, but I don't think that's it. I am unfortunately wondering if my diminished exercise routine this week has something to do with it. Regardless, somehow in the middle of doing my job, I need to make eye appointments for me and C-man, secure hotel reservations and send a gift to a wedding we're going to, and pay a few bills I realized are due tomorrow. Sigh... **By the way, I am considering this as a submission for "most exciting post ever".

Wordless Wednesday - How you know the wine was tasty

Wordless Wednesday

8 Years

8 years ago, I married the love of my life. So much has changed over the past 8 years, but that never has. Love you!

Life in bloom

Life is back to normal again today. No lazy days of tasting wines, no more 85 degree days, and no more smelling the glorious flowers that are absolutely everywhere in wine country. Sigh, maybe if I look at them long enough I'll be able to smell them again...

Goodbye wine country

Gentle Giants

Today we kayaked 7.5 miles from the ocean mouth up the Russian River with the most amazing, gentlest harbor seals.

After kayaking, we went to Armstrong Park to see some more gentle giants, the giant redwoods. I kept waiting for the Ents to come alive. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my new camera?

"Dilution is the Solution" happens to be my new motto

Wine Country - Day 1-ish

We got to B and T's house in Healdsburg last night and had a great time. They've got enough wine in this house for a small crowd to be drunk for 2 years without leaving their house. And I'm not exaggerating. It's unbelievable. She gets a 30% - 50% discount on everything everywhere because she's "industry". (Which is funny, because if Beerman walked into Busch, we suspect they'd throw him out ASAP, not invite him in and then give him a discount). So we're going to do the wineries today, a redwood park for lunch to hopefully drop a geocoin in a geocache there, and some general laziness. As a result of yesterday's overindulgence, I started my day with a 2-mile run. (Which, by the way, I find it so strange that Californians don't smile and say hi to each other in the street. I know I'm Midwest, but seriously? I'm running, you're running, don't you at least give the two-finger wiggle? Or at the very least, not look down to the pavement when you pass each other?) The first mile hurt bad, but I was really proud of myself to keep going. I think I sweated out most of yesterday's wine, at least. ******************************* These are in backwards order, but I'm on vacation and don't feel like turning them right. So you'll just have to deal with it. The roses are in full bloom and fabulous. Beerman can hardly stand it. A visit to Rombauer, EJ's favorite winery.

Beerman checking out the amazing Rombauer view.

Having my bubbles at Chandon

9 years ago, when Beerman proposed to me in a limo, he had a bottle of Chandon in the car. So we thought it fitting on our anniversary to start here. And Beerman's "hilarious" joke was, "So this is what it tastes like!" (That day 9 years ago, I was so nervous, I slugged the whole bottle.) It was a beautiful place to start.

Heading out of the airport

Crossing over the Rockies. We can't tell if it's Montana or Idaho.

We sat next to Michael Turner. Apparently he's a stud back for the Falcons. Or so Beerman tells me. We thought we should leave him alone and not ask for an autograph. But I couldn't resist a photo.

On our way