When I was a little girl my mom made a decision that I will probably be forever grateful. She realized her limitations in providing me with the tools that she felt every women should have and she carefully chose friends who possessed those skills. These friends were women she respected, trusted and prayed for. The first being a great cook. I for some reason cannot remember this women's name. I can, however, remember the smell of the first quiche I ever made. She taught me the skills of a great cook. Most of which I have forgotten but the basic pleasure in presenting a nice home cooked meal I will never lose. The next lesson was cleaning. Who better to teach me this skill than my own mother. After cleaning a bathroom 3 times until I got it right I think I can now say that I know what clean is. I really don't know if David (my brother) knows but he tries. Next, a value for the word of God. I am sure my mother labored long and hard on her knees for the right mentor and she found one. Later, in life there were differences that drove my mom and this person apart but I will always have untarnished memories of my time with this person. Finally, I was going to learn to sew. Peggy, was my mentor in that arena and has remained a dear friend of our family ever since. In high school I even sewed a dress that I wore for my Senior pictures. I won't say that I love to sew but I am truly grateful for the skill. I am not a master seamstress but I like to think I can tackle a small project if need be.

Up until this last week I did not know the great passion and obsession some women hold for sewing. I had the pleasure of joining my great friend Nicole for a weekend. We volunteered to work the Puyallup Sew and Stitch Expo, we will receive a paycheck for freezing outside for hours on end taking ticket after ticket, passing out flier after flier, begging people to drop their umbrellas while passing through the narrow doorway so we might live to SEE another day.

While working this event a few things stood out to me. First, the public are like dogs. On their own they are sweet and friendly, in packs they become violent and dangerous. Sometimes even ridiculously stupid. Common courtesy and basic common sense fly out the window and are replaced with tunnel vision, as they head straight for all the pretty booths carrying yarn, sewing machines and fabric. There were women of all ages, most of whom qualified for the senior discount and were appalled to find there was none. But one look at the sea of white hair, walkers and wheelchairs and it was easy to see that a mistake like allowing a senior discount would bankrupt the whole expo. I got such a kick out of watching as these women would walk through the gates with the same expression you would find on a 10 year old at Disneyland. It was terribly cute. Then there were the men. Sparse as they were, there were men. Some of which you could tell had come only to keep an eye on the checkbook. Then, there were the young ones who you could tell were still new to the relationship and if they didn't go it would be taken personally by the female and a breakup would be in the near future. One gentleman stood out to me the most he was there with his wife, daughter and granddaughter, for him it was a sheer joy just to spend the day with his girls. I saw him again later taking bags to the car so his girls wouldn't have to carry them around all day. He was absolutely heartwarming to watch.

After my fingers and hands and nose melted and returned back to normal temperature I was able to enjoy the evenings with Nicole, her husband Ian and their almost 1 year old Peyton, who took his first steps while I was there. They are great friends and a joy to be around. I appreciate their hospitality and their friendship. Plus, who wouldn't love spending 5 days with an adorable one year old. Unfortunately, I was so exhausted to even think about using my camera so there are no pictures. Maybe next time.

I have to brag on Mike. I got home on Monday night from my trip and waiting for me were a dozen beautiful red roses, a very sweet card and a movie basket complete with gift card from Blockbuster. Mike had put some time and thought into that and I really appreciate it. We rented "Little Miss Sunshine." It is a really wacky movie but we laughed a lot.

'Til next time!

Our Enchanting Weekend

I have to warn you, both Mike and I are making a quick turn around this week. We got back last night at around 8:30pm. He took off this morning for a business trip to Seattle. I leave tomorrow after work for 5 days in Tacoma to visit my friend Nicole and work with her at a Sew and Stitch expo. This entry is a quick update on how our weekend went, an overview, and because the nature of my thoughts are at the moment random so will this entry be. You have been warned. Our weekend started out a little rocky. The Portland area is an inspiration for Mike and I when it comes to bickering with each other. Every time we have journeyed to Portland we get frustrated with directions and nearly rip each other apart. This time the conversation went something like this. "Why don't you tell me which exit to take?" "Because I know just about as much as you do about how to get there." "Well you are holding the directions." Which by the way, I am always holding the directions when we find ourselves arguing about our current where abouts. We finally made it there with plenty of time to swing by the Book signing upstairs with Susan Wiggs.


The weekend included a Book Signing, 2 hour workshop and dinner with the delightful Susan and her charming husband Jay who has to be the luckiest man I have had the pleasure of meeting. He shoots a hole in one and wins a BMW, bites into an Oyster and finds a pearl, no joke. I would probably choke on the pearl and knock myself out while shooting the hole in one and never get the joy of knowing that I had done either one. Susan's workshop was inspirational. I found her to be very down to earth and with a huge heart to help those of us who joined her this past weekend. It was helpful to hear about the process that a book goes through in order to become published. She shared how she gets ideas, she shared about the importance of writing (even if it is in a blog), she shared how she starts her books and even what kind of paper and pen she uses. I realize that you can only accomplish so much in the span of 2 hours but I was grateful for the motivation and encouragement I received from the brief session.

The weekend was mostly reading, watching movies, a short walk on the beach, sleeping and oh but of course, eating. The food in Cannon Beach as well as at the Ocean Lodge is spectacular. I found there to be no way to stick to a diet, especially when your day started with an assortment of pastries from the Cannon Beach Bakery, as supplied in the Continental Breakfast at the Lodge. We experienced every kind of weather while we were there. Moments of sunshine, bouts of rain, minutes of hail and a light dusting of snow. It didn't matter to me what the sky threw our way I was locked away in an enchanting Lodge with a warm fire, a soothing bath and my favorite person, Mike.

Take a peak at all our pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/emaillaurajames/CannonBeach

Bye Bye!

Well we are off tomorrow on our Oregon Coast adventure. It is a first time for both us. We have never been to the Oregon Coast. I am an obsessive perfectionist, therefore, leaving on vacations and getaways is always a task. I am sending out kudos, props, a round of applause, and a pat on the back for those of you that have children. What a feat! I am sure that when we have little ones my obsessiveness over somethings will take a back seat to others and I will realize that having the bathroom spotless and the laundry all caught up before we leave is trivial but until that day, it isn't. Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend and I will have the full scoop on ours when we get back.

Television

Many of you know that Mike and I love (LOVE) to watch TV. My brother would call us "show watchers." We don't typically sit down and just watch anything but we do have a list of shows that we watch and record (DVR is the best invention ever). I just have to take a moment to vent on "Grey's Anatomy." So they can't kill Meredeth, I mean the show is named after her character that would just ruin everything. Yet, my heart stopped just the same and I have held my breath ever since. I swear if they kill her and make her into a ghost or something weird like that I just might stop watching. It is currently ranked as my favorite show but I used to love "Lost" and then they went all psycho and I just couldn't do it anymore. I know the writers have a job to do, they have to keep us on our toes and make things interesting, this I understand and I am ok with a little suspense and drama but please writer gods don't kill Meredeth.

SO I am just curious, who is out there that reads my blog, and what you all think about Grey's if you watch. Even if you don't watch I would love it if you would comment and let me know you are out there. I am sure my Mom isn't reading, but if you are Mom redeem yourself with a comment please.

Love,
Laura

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!


So in our house Valentine's Day received a couple nicknames. I started referring to it as the pink and red holiday and Mike reminded David that it was Singles Awareness Day. To which David said "Hey I was aware I was single yesterday no need to break out a holiday for it." So Valentine's day was a good day overall. Mike worked in Spokane for the day so we met for lunch and then he picked up some steaks on the way home and cooked those up for us. I bought an ice cream cake from DQ, which was delicious.


I made a mistake a couple of weeks ago. I told Mike, and was completely sincere in saying this, I didn't want anything for Valentine's day this year. I thought we could save a few bucks and not do any gifts. Then Valentine's day came and I kept thinking maybe he wouldn't listen and he will at least get me flowers. Ooops! No flowers girls. It was my fault of course. I set myself up for that one. The poor guy felt bad about it all night. I finally had to tell him it really wasn't a big deal, because it wasn't. So even if you think you don't need anything, or you don't want to spend a lot of money, just say that " I don't want to spend a lot of money on V-day."


So a quick tid bit about Mike and I. We broke up shortly after we started to get serious with each other. We were both confused and scared and that led to more confusion and more fear. It was not good. So it was our first Valentine's Day and we went out to dinner and it was a disaster. We hardly talked, hardly ate, just kind of stared at each other thinking how was this ever going to work. So later after Mike dropped me off at home, I started to think. I called him a little while later and asked if we could meet somewhere and talk. My intention was sincerely to just talk. By the time we were done talking we were calling our relationship over and headed off in our separate ways. We of course got back together a few months later. I was joking today that Mike and I broke up on our first Valentine's day so after that all he has to do is show up and it will be good and you know what that's the truth so roses or not I am just happy to have him.


I was going to take a picture of our Ice Cream Cake before we ate it but...

Bye Bye Girl and Butterfly Wings

When I was a little girl my nickname from my mom and dad was Bye Bye girl. I had just started to talk and whenever anyone would begin to look like they were going somewhere I would start toddling around the house saying "bye, bye, bye, bye..." and then insist that I come. I love to go places. To this day I love to go Bye Bye. When I was in my early 20's, ha ha I am 25 now so it wasn't that long ago, my Grandma Trudy started to call me "Butterfly Wings." She herself had a pair. We love to travel and will take any excuse we can find to do so. Since my Grandma passed in October I have come to realize that though I want her here she is better off using her Butterfly wings in heaven then being grounded here. She wouldn't stand for it and I understand. I have learned from my dear friend who recently did a tribute to a sister/friend that she lost, that those people will never be forgotten as long as we carry them in our memories and hearts. My grandma always said I was a little root of her and I know a part of her will always be alive in me.

As you all know Mike has spent much of his time either working or commuting. It has worn him down very quickly so in an effort to help him I of course began to flit my butterfly wings. First, I thought lets visit friends. We got their hopes up that we would come and visit them on the west side of the state and then dashed their hopes by canceling. I was a little bummed that the timing wouldn't work for us but I know we will make it happen soon. I quickly began looking for something to do on a weekend that we had free. I found that one of my favorite authors, Susan Wiggs is holding a book signing/workshop this month in Cannon Beach, OR. So Bye Bye girl was quick to book a weekend away at The Ocean Lodge in Cannon beach. It is a splurge but we decided to take a smaller trip this summer in order to accommodate this one.

I am probably more excited about this than Mike, he is excited however. Recently I decided to take a writing class with another author, Patricia Kay, when I couldn't find anything from Susan Wiggs that I could attend. The online class with Patricia Kay starts tomorrow. The weekend of February 23- 26 we are in Cannon Beach where Susan will be doing a book signing, a writing workshop and a dinner. I have to say that I am thrilled. Mike is just excited to get out of town and relax. Our room has a fireplace and a jacuzzi tub, which we got for a great deal since we are attending the book signing/workshop. My Grandma, a voracious reader and an honorary member of the butterfly wings club would most definitely approve. Here's to you Grandma!

Bye Bye girl strikes again!

www.susanwiggs.com

www.patriciakay.com

LET THE SHEDDING BEGIN!

Yesterday afternoon I arrived at home for lunch and was greeted by my loving, loyal companions and surrogate children, Jemma and Duke. I look down to see that following Duke are chunks of hair flying off of him. So I decide to further investigate and find that I can pull a whole chunk of hair off of him with very little effort. My Golden Retriever is going bald, what happened. I instantly began to worry. I started to brush and quickly found that it was no fluke. I grabbed my cell phone and called the vet. We had just bathed him the night before and we had used a new shampoo, I thought maybe that was causing his sudden hair loss. The vet wasn't in. So I scoured the web to find that twice a year Golden's have a time of massive shedding. I thought this would make sense but Jemma had never lost this much fur. Then realized that Jemma doesn't have the same type of coat as Duke. Duke's is much thicker and he has the typical undercoat for a Golden and that was what he was shedding. Great! Now my house is filled with hair. Thank GOD for my new Dyson Animal. I vacuumed at lunch and then came home later and found the hall filled with small tufts of fur everywhere I turned. I realized that I wasn't angry I didn't want to get rid of him and as annoying as all this was I still wanted to pet and snuggle this big monster. A small glimpse of what I will one day feel for a child filled my heart. I have to say that I am so grateful for these two dogs. You all might get tired of hearing my tale of two dogs but for me every new day with them helps me to know that I can love, support and care for children someday and these crazy pooches are living proof. For the boost of confidence and faith thank you, Duke and Jemma.

The hair in the bag is from brushing Duke for 5 minutes and the hair in the vacuum is from one trip down the hall. Not our only full canister for the evening.