wasting time

I have MOVED!

You can now find me at my new Wordpress blog.

See you there!

Happy Autumn...Happy Harvest Moon!

Autumn starts tonight, and it's also a full (Harvest) moon!  I love fall.  The air gets crisper (yes even here), and the colors start to change (yes even here).  My body just feels more in sync with Autumn than with any other season. 

I getting some what use to my new cubicle at work.  It is noisy though.  People talking as they walk by, people congregating outside my cube as they leave the conference room, the placement of the copier outside my cube ... I think I need some of those Bose noise reducing headphones!  And, I miss my peeps and my window view.

The new TV season is here!  I haven't really watched much TV since I got back from my cruise.  I kind of fell out of the habit.  The only new show I have watched so far is Hawaii-Five-0.  It was ok.  Don't know if I'll continue to watch.  But, GLEE's first episode was so GOOD!  Loved it!!  There is really nothing I want to watch tonight, but tomorrow night is Big Bang Theory.  Another one of my faves!

I am still going to the gym and working out regularly.  I started with a trainer in mid-July.  I've lost inches, which I guess is what counts the most.  I checked my body fat today and I was down to 24.2%!  Woo Hoo!  I want to get down to around 22%.  

Some changes will be coming to my blog very soon!  Stay tuned! 

Ciao for now!

Where were you when the world stopped turning

Song by Alan Jackson.  A tribute to the events of September 11th, 2001.  God Bless the victims, their families and all the heroes of that tragic day.

Change is good ... right?

First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

As you can see, if you have been following my blog for awhile, I've changed the look.  The banner is new, some of the links are different, and I've added new pictures.  CHANGES! And, I promise to update more often!

Second, I have a new cat!  Her name is Missy, but I also call her Stinker.

She actually does not fit in the tin container anymore.  Missy is about 3-1/2 months old and weighs just under 3 pounds.  She is a ball of energy, runs all the time, loves to bite, and likes hanging around with you.  In other words, she is a handful!  I can't wait until she mellows out a bit.

Another change ... today was moving day at work.  We are rearranging the floor.  Goodbye to my window office! :(

I am going to miss the view, and the peeps in my row.  They kept me entertained through the years! ;) I am being moved to a cubicle that is in the middle of a busy walkway.  Everyone walking down the aisle looks right into my cube.  Plus, the big conference room is just steps away, and the big copier is going to be put right outside my cube!  People are telling my that I need to put up a screen in front of my cube.  SIGH...no more privacy!

Probably the biggest change though is that I am closing down my online store.  I really enjoyed shopping for the store, setting up the website (that's the computer geek in me) and all the people I met through the store, but I felt it was time to move on.  I want to spend more time doing other things, and a kit club is just too time consuming, especially since I work full-time outside the home.  I will probably be back, with an etsy store, but that is still a couple of months away.  Thank you to everyone for your support!

Fall is almost here!  And FOOTBALL is finally here!  YAY!!

Take care!

ALASKA 2010

I went on an Alaskan cruise and just got back on Monday.  It was a 14-day cruise from Seattle to Seattle.  It was so much fun and I loved it.  The weather was great, it was in the mid-50's during the day.  We only got rain on one day, and it was just a drizzle, not enough to really put a damper on the day.

The first stop was Ketchikan. 

 

We watched some Salmon try to swim upstream, and then we went on a boat to see the Mystic Fjords.  It was very pretty.

When we were in Skagway, we took a train ride up to the Yukon Territory. 

And then of course, there are the glaciers!  They are amazing to see and hear!  When pieces fall off of into the sea, it sounds like thunder.

The kids are really growing up!

But, they still LOVE their video games!

 

We tried the Reindeer hot dogs.  They tasted like regular hot dogs.

 

I also tried Escargot for the first time.  You know what ... it was GOOD! Of course, it's smothered in butter and garlic, so maybe that is why it was good.  Speaking of food, I was so happy when our first dinner had Alaskan King Crab Legs on the menu!!  YUM!! My favorite!!  I also ate a ton of Salmon and Prime Rib.  I think I had more Salmon and Prime Rib in the two weeks than I had all last year!  AND ... I didn't gain any weight!  In fact, I lost a couple of pounds.  I guess going to the gym almost everyday helped.  However, using an elliptical machine on a rocking boat can get interesting ... you some times feel like you are about to fall off! :)

We saw a lot of animals ... seals, otters, bald eagles, whales, and even a mother bear with three cubs!

They were actually very close to us.  This little stream is not wide, and we were standing on a platform.  At one point, they came over to our side, and my cousin started to get nervous.  There was nothing to stop the bears from walking under the platform and coming up from behind us! So, we decided it was time to leave! LOL!

The whale sighting story is kinda funny.  A pod of whales was following the ship one night, and people sitting by the windows in the dining room spotted them.  All of a sudden you hear people yelling "WHALES!"  and everyone would jump up and run to the windows. Then, the whales would disappear, people would go  back to eating, and then someone would yell "WHALES!" again and the commotion would start all over.  

I have to include a picture of the pool deck. 

This is where I think I spent 75% of my waking hours while on the ship! I just hung out here almost all the time (except when eating, going to the gym or gambling). I managed to get a slight sun tan too!  It was heaven ... relaxing, reading, listening to my iPod, swimming ... my idea of a great vacation! :)  And since we were at sea for about 6 of the 14 days, I was here a LOT!

It was sort of hard to get back to reality and especially go back to work.  On Tuesday, I was lost on where to go for lunch, I couldn't just go upstairs to the buffet with tons of food all laid out!  I actually had to go find food! LOL!  But, it was a fun trip and especially great to spend time with my family.  I don't get to see them enough.  I think they are hooked on cruising and want to go another one soon!

I will close with a shot of sunset in Anchorage. 

Bye for now!

Miki (June 1994 - July 2010)

 

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

It's a beautiful Sunday!

The skies are blue and the weather is perfect!  It's shorts and t-shirt weather, in JANUARY!!  What's more perfect than kicking back at home, cruising the internet and drinking a chocolate shake! YUM!

Well, Happy New Year's everyone!  Long time no post.  Things just got pretty hectic and busy the past two-three months.

As an update to Flat B, she made it back home safely.  Here is a picture of the Real B with her project board for school.

Apparently, the See's lollipops and the Mexican jumping beans I sent home with Flat B were a big hit with the 4th graders at Punahou.  

I went on a little shopping spree the past weekend. I bought some new clothes for work, a couple of pairs of pants and some shirts.  I also bought this cute bag for my laptop.

And I bought a couple of new books with some gift cards:

I love looking at other people's art studios.

OK, but my biggest newest item is ...

The Eris Droid phone!  I know I know, it is not an iPhone.  As much as I really wanted an iPhone, I did not want to go with AT&T.  So, I "settled" for the Eris.  It did not cost me much since I am able to upgrade my phone every two years, so that was one plus going for it.  I am still getting used to it.  I love being able to check the internet from anywhere and everywhere, but I think I still like my Touch better.  The OS on the Touch just seems to be a little easier to navigate.  But, I am pretty satisfied with the Droid.  Maybe one day, Verizon will finally get an iPhone!

So, that's about it.  Not too much crafty stuff to show.  I did make a few cards, and I'll show those next time.  I really need to get back into creating.  I have these project ideas floating around in my head, and just no time.

So with that, I leave you for now.  Happy 2010, may you and your family be healthy and prosperous!

OH OH!

Someone missed their flight today!  Guess who ...

I got home from work today, and she was still HERE!! Her luggage took off, but the little one did not want to go home! 

Well, she'll be on the first flight out tomorrow!

What Flat B has been up to

Wow, hard to believe that it is time for Flat B to be going home!  It went by so fast!  While she was here, she became friends with Addie. 

Here they are pretending to be Ninjas.

  

And Miki really loved being around Flat B.

 

We took Flat B to the zoo one day.  She had fun playing with the animals.

But, I think she got too close to one animal!! LOL!  We were able to get her back in one piece!

 

And then we went to Old Town and has some yummy Mexican food for lunch!

Flat B wanted to see if she gained any weight on this trip since it seemed like she was eating all the time. 

So, that's about it!  She is flying home tomorrow. And, she is bringing home some gifts for her classmates. 

Bye Flat B!!! We'll miss you!!

The New Adventures of Flat B

This weekend, we took Flat B up to the St. Luis Rey Mission.  And she got to get up close to cactus.

 

Then, we headed west to the pier.

 

We went down to the sand, but Flat B said the water was too cold so she didn't want to go swimming.

Famous Highway 101:

For lunch, no trip to So. Cal. is complete without a hamburger at In-N-Out! Yum!