Best day

My dear friends created a day of super for my birthday. Early in the morning, I was hauled off to IHOP for our tradition of starting each other's birthdays with loads of simple carbohydrates. We then took to the hills for some winter watching via snowshoes. Beautiful, fun and awesome workout. There were some snow fights, lovely vistas and falling down. Next, Mexican for lunch, then pedicures in the evening followed by a gathering at of friends for games, concert by Cat and cake by Lorie. It was the best day and I have the best friends.

Christmas lovely

I got a future sister-in-law for Christmas this year. Michael popped the question, and we're all thrilled about it.

A very good day - I had most of my family together, Santa managed to find me, and I got to play on my nieces' new Wii Fit.

Happy Holidays!

It's a lovely time of year. It's a perfect time to remember all kinds of good in your life. It's a fantastic excuse to reach out to loved ones near and far. It's Christmastime.

A good tumble

A group of nine tries to tackle a big, white mountain with skis and boards. It was not warm. One little girl took a bit of a spill, she got back up and may have fallen once more. There may have been words, there may have been bruising, but there was plenty of adventure and fun.

New Glasses

In memory of...

Thanks for everything.

Lucky Aunt

Kaela and I took lunch and a day at Target...what is better than that?

Christmas with the Cordners

Cherie and Phil brought their brood and Lori and I smothered them with hugs. Yeah for good friends. Yeah for cute little kiddies. Yeah for Christmas that brings it all together.

Because friends don’t let friends shop without coupons…

I found this article that had all the best sites for coupons and discounts. Some of these are online and some are for physical stores. Go forth and shop and with what you save, shop more.

Ebates
www.ebates.com

CouponCabin
www.couponcabin.com

Coupon Mom
www.CouponMom.com

Coupon Code
www.CouponCode.com

Budget Fashionista
www.thebudgetfashionista.com

Retail Me Not
www.RetailMeNot.com

Fat Wallet
www.FatWallet.com

Remember, we are in a recession, so it’s your patriotic duty to spend.

San Diego for a day

San Diego Old Town was all decked out for Christmas. It was so great to wander around. I had so many memories of Old Town from when I was a kid - not much has changed but everything seemed smaller. It's funny how things "shrink" as we get older.

A little tour around Old Town

A stop at the beach was required...

Alan and Lorie enjoying the view

Ann likes the sand and water too

Chargers vs. Raiders

A few of us decided we should go to an NFL game - why not? If you're going to an NFL game in December, it's a good idea to chase some sun too. We had a choice between Denver and San Diego...nothing against the Mile High City, but we headed south.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your San Diego Chargers!"

Lorie and Ann

Ann and Lyndsey

86,000 people all leaving Qualcomm Stadium at the same time...fun.

Tower of Goodness

I love presents. I love things wrapped up. I love that moment of anticipation before you open it..."What could it be?"

A vendor I've been working with for almost a year sent me a tower of treats from Harry and David as a thank you for a big project we did with them. Wasn't that nice?

So pretty!

Want a treat? I have plenty to share.

Which should I open first?

The very best pears (seriously, pears) ever.

Swinging, Hiking, Exploring

I went to Oregon to visit Dad and Diane for Thanksgiving. They have a gorgeous property just outside of Salem. Dad built a super-high, super-fast, super-duper tree swing - just like the one I had in Minnesota. He is (rightfully) very proud of it and all kids and grandkids get to test it out.

My youngest stepsister, Cheryl, was there too, so we took some time to catch up. She has a heart of gold and being around her is fun. We went shopping, exploring (code for getting very lost driving around) and just had a great little vacation.

We returned to a place I fell in love on my last visit - Silver Falls. We went to a new lovely place - Portland's Japanese Gardens. Thanksgiving holiday? Two thumbs up.

Jazzy Monday

A very nice vendor of mine invited me (plus one) to join her tickets to a Jazz game. My trusty stand-in date, Lori, attended with me. We watched (and cheered in vain) as an injured line up of Jazz players worked very hard against the Bulls - to no avail. We ate junk, traded boy stories and enjoyed the evening completely. We even got to watch some seriously coordinated and limber jump-ropers at half time. All in all, not a bad for a Monday night.

Lori's "F" Word

According to Stephanie, the "F" word is what happens on the birthday following your 39th year. Considering that Miss Lori had just such an event coming up, we planned a snappy party for the occasion. A group of Lori fans gathered for a lovely meal at the Melting Pot (decor by Melissa) and then a girls-only slumber party in a grand little hotel downtown. If you ask me, the "F" word(s) event was fabulous and fantastic fun.