#3000 (!!!) pdin 19 Paris to Prague

First things first...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIZZIE!!

CHEERS!

I could go on and on about how cool my sister is. She is simply one of the best people I know, and hanging out with her makes me feel happy. I'm not with her today, sadly, but I will see her next month and I already know we will have a good time.

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Once you get on Viking Cruises mailing list, you get a lot of mail from them, both emails and real mails. Yesterday I got a Viking mailer that was a single card, front and back, with their Thanksgiving Sale trips. One of the advertised trips is called Cities of Light: 12 days Paris to Prague. I thought this trip sounded great. Paris! Prague! The thing is that Paris and Prague are not near each other. Germany is in between them, so most of the trip is through Germany, then you get on a bus to get to Prague. As cool as I'm sure Germany would be, I am really most interested in the cities on either end of the trip, Paris and Prague, so this probably isn't the trip I am looking for now. Not that I'm looking for another river cruise, but Viking sends the material, so why wouldn't I look?

There is a Viking cruise that I think would be cool. It's called Paris and the Heart of Normandy. I would like to spend a bit of time seeing France. 

France likely will not be my next big trip though. I've got my sights set on going back to Spain and seeing more than the Barcelona/Costa Brava area. I'd love to see the Alhambra in Granada, the capital city of Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia, and probably other cities that I've heard of but don't have written down. Of course, I also want to spend time in Barcelona as well. I am looking forward to planning this trip!

I'm definitely in my Europe era. My 40s was the island era, and while I'd like to sit by the sea and stare, Europe calls to my soul. There are so many places in Europe that I want to see! I'd like to go to Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries. Switzerland would be amazing. I saw a video on IG of a train ride through Switzerland that looked fantastic. Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia...the list goes on and on. I want to go back to Italy. There are many places I'd like to spend time in there like Bologna, the Tuscan hill towns, and the southern part of the country, too. 

For now, though, I'm looking forward to staying home and finding out how I will pass the time when I no longer have to go to work.  I have lots of ideas - I'll tell you some of them tomorrow!

 
 

#2882 wanderlust

I've had a bad case of wanderlust lately. Multiple trips to northern California are not the answer LOL. At this time last year, I was dreaming of time in Barcelona and of seeing Paris for the first time. Currently, I am dreaming of getting the house in Dixon cleaned up and seeing it get put up for sale in the late spring. Maybe, maybe when that work is done, I can figure out a small trip.

There is a trip planned in October. I will be going to the Liguria region of Italy for a week of creativity with Lizzie and  Jill the Artist. It will be similar to the trip to Greece, but probably with a little more structure, since the tour company has experience with these types of trips. MT and I went to three of the Cinque Terre towns when we cruised a couple of years ago, and I think this part of Italy is beautiful. Lizzie and I are planning to spend an extra couple of days in Milan before the workshop week begins. MT and I didn't go to Milan - we chose the Cinque Terre excursion instead. The trip is eight months away, so I haven't really started putting energy into research about what to see in and around Milan, although Lizzie and I did some quick preliminary checking. Maybe a day-trip to a nearby medieval village? A train ride to Bologna or Verona? Or maybe a visit to George and Amal's place at Lake Como? (teehee) I'd like to wander around Milan itself and see the Duomo and The Last Supper. Yes, I'm looking forward to all of it!

In the meantime, I will satisfy myself with photos and memories of previous trips. I'll play with my travel journal. I'll look at advertisements for cruises and resorts. Maybe my cousin Nicole will go somewhere and share pics of her travels on IG. 

It is cold and wet here tonight. It's not snowing, but it has been soggy and gloomy all day. I was glad to work from home so I could wear my fleece-lined socks and cozy sweats. After work, I took a nice nap. I've got a little bit of a cough that has come on this evening, and I feel tired. I may just get ready for bed and snuggle with the dogs while I read for a little while. 

#2825 travel Tuesday: U.S. beach destinations

Before I get started on tonight's topic, a quick follow-up to the doggo scrum I wrote about on Sunday between Mac and Stella. I'm glad to report that everyone is doing fine and living in peace and harmony. Stella gives Mac a wide berth when it is toy time, other than that, they seem to be okay. 

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Sometime during the summer, I saw an article somewhere, probably either on Facebook or Twitter, listing top U.S. beach vacation spots. Of course there are a jillion places where you can find a list that may or may not include these places. I jotted the list down because you never know when you are going to want to go on vacation and leaving the country might not be feasible. Plus, it's always fun to dream. Here is the list in the order they were listed in the article I read. They seem to be broken down between Gulf Coast, East Coast, West Coast, and Northeast.

Gulf Shores, Alabama - I don't think I ever even thought about Alabama as a beach destination, but it sure looks nice, doesn't it?

St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Florida - Yes please. Looks great!

Galveston, Texas - I gotta admit, these Gulf Coast beaches look pretty fantastic.

Tybee Island, Georgia - Here's a place I have been and would love to go back to! It's proximity to Savannah makes it pretty visit-able in my book. It's a cute island with a great beach.

Virginia Beach, Virginia - this beach looks nice. I like the boardwalk.

Nags Head, North Carolina - I haven't been to Nags Head beach, but I'm pretty sure I've been by there. It is on the Outer Banks, and OBX is awesome.

Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina - This beach is at the southern end of the state near Wilmington. Looks nice!

Cannon Beach, Oregon - Wow! This place looks awesome. I'm sure that water is cold as hell.

Mission Beach, San Diego, CA - You can't go wrong with the beaches in America's Finest City. Mission Beach is fantastic!

San Clemente, CA - I mean, come on! Southern California sunsets are amazing, and this beach looks great.

Lake Michigan - I don't think this one would have crossed my mind. When I think of Lake Michigan, I think of a cabin in the woods on the shores of the lake. Look at the color of that water! I wonder if it is cold?

Cape May, New Jersey - Again, I wouldn't have thought of New Jersey for a beach vacation. I don't know anything about it, except for this photo. Looks cool!

Ocean City, Maryland - I don't really associate beaches with the Northeast, but I think I might have to rethink my position.

I purposely chose pics that didn't shows gobs of people on the beaches. I am kind of past going to a beach to lay on the sand. I really like to walk on the beach, though. I'd love to spend time at a cute little place near a beach so I can walk, get my feet wet, and hear the sound of the water. I had fun imagining while I was posting these photos. Anything look interesting (besides California?)

#2591 travel Tuesday

I have a hankerin’ for a pina colada. I’d love to be sitting in a chair, looking out at sugar white sand and turquoise blue water, holding a pina colada in one hand and a book in the other. The Caribbean is always a good idea. Maybe next year.

#2314 travel Tuesday: September trip on my mind

As you can imagine, I absolutely love this quote from the Dalai Lama, and I strive to heed his advice. This year is no exception. I have plans to travel to France!

I haven't been to France before. The country intrigues me. All of that history and all of that baggage, like the French don't like Americans and they are rude and Paris is just a big stinky city. I want to find out for myself. I want to walk through the streets of Paris. I want to see the Eiffel Tower during the day and during the night when the lights twinkle. I want to eat steak and frittes. I want to drink le vin blanc and eat soft cheese on a fresh baguette while I look at the Seine. I want to drink cafe au lait and eat a fresh croissant in the morning at a sidewalk cafe.

And then, after a few days in the City of Lights, I want to travel south to the French Riviera. I'll sit by the seaside. I'll walk through the old streets and sit in the central square. I'll take photos and tap into some creative part of me that I feel inside but can't quite reach just yet. I'll spend time with my sister in a place neither of us are familiar with, listening to people speak in a language we don't know.

Doesn't it all sound grand?

#2211 the (bad) dream

This morning I woke up sobbing after having this dream:

I was in my house, but it was slightly different than my house. On a table, there were many cases of Coca Cola and most of the cases were open and missing a can or two. There were also various flavors of Coke, like fruit punch Coke, which isn't a thing. I turned to MT and showed him the variety of Coke flavors and wondered why there were so many cases of Cokes and where we got them. He said that he would tell me in a few minutes. He was putting all the cans away in a cabinet similar to the one we have, but different.

I went into the living room, again, slightly different from our real living room. There were boxes and bags of stuff that is similar to stuff we have right now in our basement, but again, slightly different. I asked MT about those things and he said, "I told you I would tell you about this stuff in a few minutes. Quit asking me about it." It was a very un-MT like response. Usually he has lots of words and will tell you what you want to know right then.

I sat on the floor in the living room, watching MT and drinking a Coke. A little puppy came over to me, big paws slapping the floor, ears flopping, tail wagging. I reached out to pet the puppy's silky soft fur and realized it was Osi, but slightly different. This puppy was mostly white with brown spots where Osi is mostly brown with with areas. But the puppy was Osi. 

Then a little boy, about four years old, came in and started helping MT move the cans and boxes. The little boy looked over at me and smiled and I realized the boy was T, but slightly different. The boy was a little shorter than T was when he was four and a little chubbier. His facial features were also a little different.

All of a sudden, I realized I was getting a do-over with these slightly different versions of my dog and my son. I was who I am now, but Osi and T were little again and I would have the chance to do things differently through their child and puppyhoods. 

It was as if my dream self was saying that I screwed up and needed to  have a chance to fix what went wrong. Even thinking about it now makes my eyes hot and teary and my throat tighten up. 

And now I'm just crying all over again. I guess I feel guilty and responsible somehow for the fact that Osi has epilepsy and T is not living the life I hoped he would.  I know this is my subconscious and I did the best I could (the best I can) for both of these souls, but this dream really f'd me up today. I had a headache all day that turned into a terrible migraine complete with nausea and double vision.

Brutal.

I don't claim to understand dreams and their meanings. I mean, what was with the Cokes and the boxes of stuff? But it was clear in my dream what was happening with Osi and T. It was nearly verbal somehow.

Anyway, here's hoping for a peaceful, dream-free sleep tonight.

#2060 travel Tuesday: a cabin by the lake

MT and I were talking about going to Yellowstone later this month. I looked at hotels, Airbnb and even the KOA campground and everything in West Yellowstone was out of my price range. Forget about staying in the Park itself! If you want to spend a weekend in Yellowstone, you have to plan ahead. Even a tent spot was $72/night. For a tent spot! Yes, it had water and electricity, but I would be sleeping in my tent! Seemed high to me. Of course, it's been awhile since I've been camping, so maybe $72/night is reasonable.

We still want to go to Yellowstone, but we are now looking at weekends later in the year, maybe even after Labor Day.

It is camping season here in the west. Many of my friends have gone camping recently or are out camping right now. I'm not much of a camper. I like being outdoors, but I also like to be comfortable. I absolutely can't pee in the woods. Just no. So I have to be in a campground at the very least. When MT and I were dating way back when, I went camping with him because when you're trying to win the man's heart, you'll do stuff that's out of your comfort zone. For example, other than camping, I tried skiing and rock climbing. Neither were my favorite things, but I tried.

However, with all the talk about going to Yellowstone and hearing about my friends' camping, it made me have the urge to go to a cabin by a lake. In my mind, there are beautiful, fragrant pine trees all around. The lake has a rocky little beach. The cabin is close enough to the water that I can sit out on the deck of the cabin and sip a beverage while I contemplate the beauty of nature and the landscape around me. The sky, trees and mountains are reflected in the clear water of the lake. I read; I write. I go for nice walks along the shoreline and into the woods which are perfectly safe and free of scary things like bears and ticks.

In the evening we cook out on the grill. We have s'mores. (Lately everyone at WW has been talking about s'mores. It has been years since I had a s'more, but now it's almost all I can think about!) I sleep peacefully, snug in a warm blanket against the chill of the mountain air. In the morning I go outside and listen to the birds chirping and feel the sun begin to warm the forest. I drink hot chocolate. We cook bacon and eggs.

Are you feeling me?

The problem is that I am not exactly sure where this cabin is located or if it even exists near where I am.

Oh look! Here's one. It's in Canada. Probably won't work for a weekend getaway in my budget range.

I'll keep looking. If I find one, don't worry. I'll be sure to let you know. I'll most likely write all about it!

#2026 travel Tuesday: coming and going

It must be vacation time at my office. Two friends just returned from vacation and two other friends are leaving on Saturday for their vacations. Lucky!!

My friend K has returned from the Riviera Maya - that's the Caribbean side of Mexico. She and her family stayed at a new all-inclusive resort that she said was beautiful and incredible in all the ways. I think they stayed here, but I'm not positive. Looks awesome! Truly, a week in Mexico is always a good idea.

My friend S just returned from a week in France. He spent a few days in Paris, then went to Normandy for a couple of days and also visited Mont Saint Michel. I have not been to France. I think I would like to see it one day. Oh to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up and stroll the cobbled streets. Oh to eat pastries and drink cafe au lait. Okay, I don't usually drink coffee, but I might in Paris! I would like to tour around Provence also.

My friend V is leaving on Saturday to go on her first cruise! She's going on Norwegian Cruise Lines for a six day cruise leaving from Miami with stops in Nassau, Bahamas, Ocho Rios, Jamaica and George Town, Grand Cayman. She and I spent a little time the other day talking about cruising and these ports, which I went to just two years ago. So fun! There's nothing like your first cruise. I think she is going to have a great time.

Finally, my friend J is headed to Italy for two weeks! He and his wife are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and this is a dream vacation for them. J is not known for taking a lot of vacation. His phone rings constantly. I hope that he can forget about work for those 14 days and focus on enjoying la dolce vita.  They will be staying in Rome for five days, then three days each in Venice, the Cinque Terre area and Florence. I may be just as excited about this vacation as my friends are. This trip sounds heavenly! J is probably tired of me talking to him about his upcoming trip all the time. He offered to send me his itinerary, probably so I'd stop bugging him about all the places they were going. (I declined, but I did look at it on his phone!)

I truly enjoy talking to people about their vacations. I love to hear about what they did, what they ate, about the weather and any little details they want to share. Maybe that's a little creepy, but I try not to make it so. It's kind of a passion of mine, I guess.

MT and I are also celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this year. (Fun fact: J and his wife got married at the same chapel in Las Vegas - Little Church of the West -  as MT and I did! They were married in May 1993; we were August 1993.) MT and I want to go on an awesome vacation to celebrate our anniversary, too. We are looking at more beach-y places. So far we have thought about Thailand, Fiji, the Marshall Islands (all MT's ideas) and Costa Rica (my idea). We'll have to see how much we have to pay in taxes before we make any kind of decision. It's always fun to dream!

#1360 a long vivid dream

This morning I had a dream that was so long and so vivid that I want to tell you about it. I had the dream this morning in between the time my alarm went off and the time I actually woke up, probably about 15 or 20 minutes. (I woke up a little later than usual today.) Here it goes:

I was at work and it was the Christmas holidays. Our break-room was full of food. There was food on every surface and the refrigerator was completely full. There were boxes of donuts on the counters. There was cheese and cracker plates on the tables. There were cold cuts. There were tins of popcorn. There were trays of bagels and pastries.

Kelsie, Nicole and I were in the break-room trying to figure out where to store all of the food. We were shaking our heads and talking about what to do when our friend Abby came in and asked what we were doing. When we told her, she said, "Just leave it and let's go!" Since it was during work hours, the three of us didn't think we should leave, but Abby encouraged us and said, "We never do shit like this. It's ok. Let's just go!"

So we piled into a car and Abby drove us to a big mall. Kelsie didn't know where we were, but I told her we were in Middleton. She wanted to know if it was safe, and I told her it was, so we walked around the stores and did some shopping. We went to a big common area that was full of people. There were tables around the perimeter of the very large room, so we sat down with our bags around us. Music started playing and the people who had been roaming around or standing around began to dance. When we looked again, all the ladies were wearing ball gowns, like in Cinderella and everyone was waltzing and twirling gracefully. It was lovely and we all pulled out our cell phones to take photos.

Quite abruptly, a curtain rose up from the floor and completely shielded the view of the room. The curtain ran around the whole room and it was very festive, decorated with snowflakes and Christmas trees. A lady standing next to me said, "I love this part!" Just as abruptly, the curtain fell back down to the ground and there was a row of reindeer standing nose to butt. The reindeer were holding in all of the dancing people. We were surprised by the large number of reindeer when suddenly the reindeer parted and Santa and Mrs. Claus came through the reindeer line to the front of the room.

At that point, Nicole yelled, "I have to go get Kellen!" and ran away. (Kellen is her little boy.)

Abby asked Kelsie and I if we needed to go home. We told her that we didn't, so she told us to get in the car so we could go somewhere else. Abby drove us through a neighborhood. On one side of the street were some extremely small and ugly houses, just shacks, really. On the other side of the street were enormous, gorgeous mansions, complete with soaring turrets and huge stained glass windows. On one corner was a house that must have been a Catholic church at one point. There were angels and gargoyles peering down from the ledges. It had a huge double wooden door and about 12 steps that led up to the door. On the steps were life-size glass statues, including about a dozen six foot tall Yoda statues, all made of glass.

We left the neighborhood and were driving on a narrow winding mountain road. On the driver's side was the mountain. On the passenger side was a wide shoulder that was all goopy mud, then a drop-off. As I gazed at the muddy shoulder, I glanced up to see the head of a very large horse. When we rounded a bend, I saw that there were three plateaus and each of them had an enormous statue of a horse. The statues were HUGE. I looked over at Abby and asked her where the hell we were. She told me to enjoy the view.

Kelsie was in the back seat singing songs. Abby was driving - no, careening - down the middle of the narrow road at a brisk speed. I was holding on discreetly but tightly.

I noticed in my mirror that there was a big pick-up truck coming up on our right side. I didn't think Abby saw him, so I mentioned that he was there. She said that there was no way the guy was going to get past her, so she moved a little in front of him. He tried to go around on the left side, but she moved over to the left. I was getting a little scared and nervous and told her to let him go around, but she wouldn't let that happen. He moved back over to the right and she suddenly turned right onto the muddy shoulder and flipped a donut sending a big shower of mud all over the guy's truck, because of course he had to do onto the shoulder too when she turned right in front of him.

Abby pulled back on the road but had the guy penned in on the muddy shoulder. It was so muddy that if he didn't keep moving, his truck would have been hopelessly stuck. I could see him cursing us and shaking his fist and he gently kept his truck moving. Abby just sat there looking at him until he finally bumped into our car, which by the way, was a bright red Chrysler 300. Abby yelled, "You better not have dented my car!" and then drove off, giggling. Kelsie was still singing in the back seat.

We got back into town and pulled into a big shopping area parking lot. Kelsie stopped singing and said, "I know where we are! Remember Abby? We used to come here all the time and have so much fun!"

Abby said, "I know! I do remember! That's why I decided to come here. I'll park the car and then we'll wander around."

We walked around the shopping area for awhile, then we decided to go see a movie. The theater had an outdoor ticket booth and the ticket taker was also standing outside. Abby and I were looking at the list of shows and trying to decide what we should see. I noticed that Kelsie was gone. I heard a golf cart coming toward us and turned to see Kelsie coming at us in the golf cart at top speed, yelling, "Come on Sandy! Get in the cart! We're going in!"

There was no possible way for me to jump on the fast moving cart. Kelsie blew past me, yelling at the ticket taker, "I'm going in!" I ran in after her, but I couldn't keep up. I heard her yelling "Beep beep! Beep beep!" and people yelling and cursing. I saw popcorn buckets flying as she zoomed down the crowded hallway of the theater.

A man grabbed my arm and told me that I couldn't be in the hallway because I didn't have a ticket and he dragged me back out to the box office area where Abby was calmly talking to a large man who looked just like Uncle Dursley from the Harry Potter movies. The man was bright red and he was sweating and shaking his fist while Abby explained that her friend was on medication and couldn't help herself. The Uncle Dursley-like man grabbed both Abby and I by the scruff of our necks and pushed us into a big room that might at one time have been the dressing room area of a department store. There were no stalls, but there were lots of mirrors on the walls.

By now Abby and I were wrapped in large blankets as if we were maybe inappropriately or scantily clad. I clutched my blanket around myself and sat in a metal folding chair. Abby was lying on the floor in her blanket and she was laughing her head off, holding her stomach and stamping her feet. "This is the best day ever!" she howled with delight. "Did you see Kelsie in that golf cart! It was awesome! It was the old Kelsie that used to be so fun. I can't wait to tell Kevin and Mr. Estimator Man!" We could still hear Kelsie yelling, "Beep beep!" in the hallway.

I tried to say that I thought Kelsie was always fun, and ask who Mr. Estimator Man was, but suddenly a little girl was standing beside me. She had not been there a moment before and she scared me so much that I shrieked. Abby immediately stopped laughing and started talking to the little girl. The girl was also wrapped in a blanket.  The girl was talking to Abby when I noticed a woman and another person sitting nearby. They hadn't been there before and I was getting creeped out.

Then I woke up.

So dream analyzers...what do you have to say about all that?

#1252 dreaming about something different

Have you ever imagined doing something different than what you are doing right now? Having a different life? I've been working at the same place for 18 years and today I thought, "I don't want to do this same thing for the next 15 years." It was so sudden and so decisive, it scared me a little.

I always thought I would retire from Granite, but now I'm not so sure. What if I did something different?

I thought about going to work for a different company. I wouldn't stay in construction. I might stay in the business side of a company, but maybe not. If I could do something with writing, I would like that.

I talked about it all with MT and he was awesome. He did not encourage me to just quit my job, but he certainly understood my desire for change. He had lots of suggestions: go to school for a graduate degree, work for someone else or start our own business. He was very excited about the possibilities. He's always been more daring and willing to try new stuff than I am.

My mind is spinning, but I have some ideas. And I'm excited about the thought trying something new.

Maybe it was just today's thought, but maybe it's more than that. I don't plan on leaving my steady paycheck anytime soon, but maybe someday. There's a lot of thinking and planning to do first.

We'll see...

#1101 where is my hammock?

I frequently dream about going on vacation and thinking about where I want to go.

When T was in grade school, he went to a year-round school. We always tried to get him on the track that had time off in February so we could go on vacation. It worked out great! When he went to junior high, the school year was traditional: start school at end of August, out for the summer around the first of June. That's when we started taking a regular summer vacation. Since MT and I work in the construction industry, summer is our busiest time, so even though we love summer vacation, sometimes it almost seems like time off in the summer isn't worth it because of all the catching up that has to be done. At least for me. At MT's work, the building will still get built without him.

Of course last year we didn't take any tropical vacations. Our longest time away from work/school was an extended weekend trip to Missouri for Kevin and Janet's wedding. While that was really fun and we enjoyed seeing a part of the country we hadn't seen before, it wasn't exactly the relaxing vacation to which we'd become accustomed.

I hope and plan to take a vacation to the Caribbean this year. Maybe it will be in July. Maybe it will be in November. (I'm hoping for July!) Where should we go?

T wants to go back to Belize. We had such a great time at the Pelican Reef Villas on Ambergris Caye! The condo was very nice and comfortable. There was a pool, a TV with a DVD player and separate bedrooms. It was so relaxing. I'd go back there.

MT has mentioned going back to the Dominican Republic. He really likes that country. We've been there a couple of times; one to the Caribbean side near La Romana and once on the Atlantic side around Samana. Both places were great. MT has talked many times about going back to the Atlantic side and finding a place to say in Las Galeras, a little beach town we visited briefly.

For me, I would like to see a new place. I'd like to see the beaches of Turks & Caicos. I'd like to go to Jamaica someday. A week lounging on St. Lucia sounds pretty luxurious. I'd like to go to Cozumel or Isla Mujeres off the coast of Cancun, too. Let's not forget about the South Pacific either. MT has infected me with a desire to go to Fiji. Wouldn't that be cool?!

Of course we all want to go to Europe. T has been wanting to go to Italy for as long as I can remember. I would love to go back to Spain. I think we would all enjoy visiting Tia Mia in Sweden, too.

I would go wherever the boys wanted. I just like to get away. Once we have settled on a place, I research it endlessly. I am online all the time looking at things to do and places to see. I even buy travel books about the country. I think in the next month or so I am really going to get down to the business of figuring out where we can go with the budget we have and try to get something booked for July. I have to have this to look forward to!!!!!

Happy weekend friends :)

#1086 kitchen reno day 3

MT made good progress on the counters today! Look at this:

He's got a corner section all made! Doesn't it look good?! He says he's going to make some kind of 45 degree angle on the edges all around.

I think it looks good now, but he says it will look better with the edging.

He built this one and put the formica on it in the garage, but the next pieces are too big, so he will glue the formica on in place (in the kitchen). The glue smells awful. I guess we'll go out for dinner tomorrow if the smell is too unbearable.

Take a look at the counter tops that he built. See that edge? Doesn't it look good?

MT says that tomorrow he will go buy the sink and the new garbage disposal in addition to putting on formica. Sounds like a busy day.

Coming right along!

We were talking tonight about painting the cabinets white and putting handles on them. We think it would look nice and update the kitchen a little more. What do you think?

I'm excited for the backsplash, too. We'll probably go pick out the tile this weekend. We've looked at tiles before and I had some picked out, but those tiles would go well with the black counter tops.

In other news, it snowed here most of the day. The snow and cold and overall wintery-ness really has me dreaming of tropical places. Key West, Cozumel, Turks & Caicos...I'm yearning to go somewhere with white sand beaches and free flowing pina coladas. Better keep saving my money so I can make that vacation dream a reality.

#1058 my weird dream

I had a weird dream this morning.

I was sleeping (in my dream) and I woke up in a panic because I was late for something that I really wanted to do. I hurried and got dressed, then jumped on my bike and rode to a large arena-like building.

There were lots and lots of people there and I remembered that auditions were being held to sing the newest jingle for Pepsi. I thought I would never get through security, but luckily, I had been a judge for the first round that was held the day before and I was still wearing my security credentials, so I had no problem getting through. I did have to push my way past a lot of wanna-be singers, though, including a woman who was wearing an all-pink skin-tight jumpsuit and had huge silver hair. She was made up like the people from the Capitol in the Hunger Games movies. She was rehearsing the jingle in Spanish and really getting into it.

I made my way past her and all the rest of the people and headed upstairs, carrying my bike. There was a huge stage set up there and more security and that was when I remembered that I was there to see Macklemore in concert. I was going to the show with T and his friend, but since I was asleep, they left without me. I had no idea how I would find them. The place was packed. There was a group of people walking very slowly in front of me and I really wanted to get around them, but I couldn't. The guy who seemed to be in the middle of the pack was wearing a long brown coat and people kept trying to grab at him and were yelling at him and that's when I realized that the guy was Macklemore himself! I was excited to be so close to him, but I felt kind of awkward with my bicycle up on my shoulder.

Then I realized that I didn't have my ticket for the show with me and I couldn't find T and I felt bad that I would miss part of the show because I would have to go home to get my ticket.

Then I woke up (in real life) and realized I was late for something! I had to take Osi to the groomer! I hurried and got dressed and jumped in my car. We got about a block away when I realized that I had forgotten her vaccination certificate, so we had to turn around and come back. I was about 30 minutes late for the appointment, but it all worked out fine and now she is clean and pretty for the holidays.

Weird dream though, right?

I have spent nearly all day in bed, asleep. I cannot seem to get rid of this stomach bug that has been plaguing me for a few days now. Yuck!

#984 it's time to win the lottery

Last night MT and I sat out on our deck and fantasized about winning the lottery. He went in with five guys from his work to purchase a Powerball tickets. So far they have won about $12, but we are hoping that tomorrow will be the big night. The jackpot is up to some ridiculously huge amount, well over $100 million. Even divided by six guys, each guy would get a good chunk of money.

It's fun to dream about stuff like that, isn't it?

If the prize was big enough (and what is big enough? I'm not sure, but we're dreaming anyway) we'd both quit our jobs, help out our loved ones, travel, fix up our house, fix up our rentals, buy a little place on an island, travel, and putter around doing whatever we felt like doing. Did I mention we would travel? Europe, the South Pacific, Russia, China, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, South America. T would be set up to go to college anywhere he would like. I'd buy a new car, brand new, never been driven. Wonder what that's like. I'd buy new furniture. I'd hire someone to make my yard pretty. Maybe I'd just move to a different house. T could have a new computer and we'd get the downstairs all fixed up for him. MT could have his big shed and fully convert the garage into a workshop. If we had a new house, I could have a garage and MT could have a workshop and a shed.

It would be strange not to work, but I think I could get used to it :)

I guess in the meantime I'll settle for not working for the next two days. And I'll keep my fingers crossed to win the big jackpot tomorrow night!

#609 dreaming of Tuscany

My work is a bit stressful these days. We have a brand spanking new software system that launched on January 3, and although it's functioning, there are still some bugs to be worked out. In addition, we are in the process of closing the books on 2011, and we are doing all that work in the old software system. We are in a unique situation where we are working out of two accounting systems - last year in one system, this year in another system. The duplicity will be over when close is done, but until then, there's just a lot going on.

I brought lunch with me from home today (soup, cheese and crackers and sweet little Clementines) and I also brought my Nook reader. I finished a good book yesterday, and I downloaded a new book last night from the library. The new book is "Every Day in Tuscany" by Frances Mayes. She wrote the book "Under a Tuscan Sun" that was made into a movie several years ago. "Every Day in Tuscany" is actually her third book on her life in Italy.

She is a wonderful writer. She just jumps right in to her story and carries you right along. The way she describes everything - the flowers, the food and wine, the house, the roads, the colors of the sky, the piazzas - it just took me right there with her. I spent such an enjoyable hour reading and eating, it was a little hard to get back to my desk.

Since lunchtime, I have found my mind wandering a little and it always seems to go right to Tuscany. T is all hot to go to Italy; he has said he would like us to take a month off to spend time there. I can't really take a month, but I'm sure we'll get to Europe, including Italy, sometime in the next few years.

Until then, here's a pretty picture of a town called San Gimignano that I found on Google. When I think of Tuscany, I think it looks like this:

#560 Ryan Reynolds loves me

You know how sometimes dreams can be really fantastic? Well, I had one last night that has made me smile all day long - and it wasn't even X-rated!

In my dream, Keanu Reeves and Ryan Reynolds are crazy in love with me, and I have to decide which one should be my boyfriend. Ryan shows up in jeans and a t-shirt, looking all lean and smokin' hot. We joke around and have a great time, then he leaves to go to a baseball game. (Why can't I go with you, Ryan?)

Then Keanu comes along, and we're meeting in a park or at an outdoor cafe or something. He is wearing a beautiful camel-colored suit. His hair is black and silky and shiny and he looks like a million bucks. We talk for a little while, then he has to leave. When he goes, we kiss and I whisper "I've always loved you, Keanu." (This is true. I have always loved him!)

Later that night, I'm in my apartment which is tiny and has all the windows open and is on the top floor of the building. I hear a car pull up outside and I see Keanu and Ryan get out, along with some other guys. I think one of them will come up to see me, so I'm not surprised when there is a knock on my door. When I open the door, it's not Keanu or Ryan, but it's my boss from work, Brad. I let him in and ask what he's doing. He tells me that he's come to help me make the right choice. He was at the ball game with both of my boyfriends and he knows I have to choose one, and he wants to make sure I don't make the wrong choice.

After a few minutes of discussion, we agree that I should choose Ryan Reynolds. Then I get nervous because Ryan is so incredibly gorgeous, what could he possibly want with a chick like me? I mean, he was married to Scarlett Johannsen! But Brad assures me that Ryan loves me and that I'm making the right choice and that Keanu will be sad, but he'll get over it.

Then I woke up, feeling happy that Ryan Reynolds loves me. :D

WAIT A MINUTE! WAIT A MINUTE! Just when I was Googling this picture, I read a little blurb that Blake Lively is introducing Ryan Reynolds to her family. WTH?! I thought she was going out with Leo. I can't keep up with these Hollywood types.

#260 my strange dream

I had a dream last night that was strange and funny. Here it is:

In my dream, T, my mom, my aunt Mary and I were in New York City. We were going to go to a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium. I'd heard that the food at the stadium was really expensive, so we decided to get something to eat before we went to the game. We found a little cafe-type place and had a sandwich.

After eating, we all needed to use the restroom. The restroom at the cafe had many stalls, like 10. I went into a stall and the floor was all wet and yucky. That must have been a flashback from the bathroom at the concert venue I went to last week.

I quickly finished my business and tried to get out, but a lady had parked a baby carriage loaded with clothes in front of my door and I couldn't get out. I was pushing on the door and yelling, "Excuse me! Excuse me!"

A woman with a strong New York accent yelled back at me. "Hold on! I'm coming! Sheesh!"

I finally got out of the bathroom and rejoined my family. My mom was griping about how far away Yankee Stadium was from where we were. I pointed to a huge sign that was basically across the street from us. "It's right there," I told her.

"It looks like it's right there, but it's really not. It's really many blocks away," my mom said.

"This guidebook says we just go down this street," I pointed to the street outside the cafe, "cut through a store, and we're there."

"A store?" my aunt exclaimed. "I hope it's a Walmarks."

We headed out to the street. The road was under construction and there were ramps crossing over the street. Of course, it is New York and there are about a billion people using the ramps to cross the street. We all started out together. Then a large group of teenagers wearing light blue suits, dresses and mortar boards came toward us. T liked their outfits. We found out they had just graduated from a high school. We wished them well and went on our way. When we got to the other side of the street, we were missing Mom and Mary. T was annoyed, and so was I. I kept saying how much I wanted to go see Derek Jeter. (If you know me at all, you'll know this is just not me at all. I don't like the Yankees and I don't like Derek Jeter.)

T and I spotted my mom back on the other side of the street. T offered to run over to get her. "No way!" I told him. "There's a billion people here and I'm not going to have us all scattered about. We need to stay together so we can get to the ballpark and I can watch Derek Jeter."

We went back to get Mom. This time we met a bunch of kids in bright green suits, dresses and mortar boards. Another high school graduation. We got to Mom who was annoyed with us for leaving her, but we still couldn't find Mary. My mom had to go to the bathroom again, so we went back to the cafe, and there was Mary. I asked her where she'd been and she yelled at me, "I had to go to the bathroom, Sandra Kay!"

Then I woke up.

Good thing I don't know anything about dream interpretation, because I'm pretty sure this one would freak me out.

when I grow up

At work today we hosted this guy we'd like to hire. He's a nice guy, about a month away from graduating. I think that it must feel pretty great to have a company want me so much they'd fly me in, take the time to show me around and talk to me all day, feed me, etc. It made me think of my own job search when I got out of college. It wasn't spectacular. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. I was living with MT and we didn't really want to leave Pocatello. There wasn't a lot of job opportunities there unless you wanted to work for the insurance company or at the INEL (that's Idaho National Engineering Laboratory), both of which I applied to and did not get. I ended up at the newspaper where I worked for 8 years and learned a lot. It wasn't exactly what you'd call a great job. The good part was that I actually worked with my best friend (LA) and I really did learn how to do a lot of stuff that was helpful when I applied for and got my job with Granite.

Hanging around Jeremy today also made me think about when I was a kid and what I wanted to be when I grew up. My sister had a meme about that topic. Here's my take on it:

• Librarian: I always thought it would be so cool to work in the library, checking out books and talking to people about books. The librarian in Burley was Nita. She had long black hair and was always nice to us. She and my mom became friends. I liked the way she stamped the due date on the little sheet in the front cover of the book or stamped the card. I really wanted to do that. Of course now you use a computer to check out a book. At our library you never even have to talk to the librarian unless there's a problem. I still think it might be fun, though. Do you have to go to school for that?
• Teacher: My sister and I used to play school all the time. My mom says that I taught Grey to read. I think she was just gifted and I maybe just got her started. Either way, I remember playing school and I was the teacher, she was the student. We did reading and math and spelling. I loved it. I still get a kick out of teaching people stuff. I don't think I'm patient enough to do it for a living. My mom teaches kindergarten and I think she must be part saint to deal with 24 5 year-olds every day!
• Travel Agent/Tour Guide: My grandfather was a tour guide in Barcelona. I loved going on his tours, listening to him tell people about his beautiful city. I thought that must be about the best job in the world. Later I thought it would be really great to set people up on wonderful vacations. Most of the time now I think people just book online themselves, but we use a great travel agent for our big vacations. She made me think about this career again. She gets to go on vacations a lot because resorts and cruise lines want her to come to their places so she can recommend the trips to people like me. She's been so many places, I can ask her about almost anyplace and she'll tell me her experience there. That would be fun.
• Something with sports: I love sports. I would love to find a way to work with a professional sports team. This is really just a dream, not too much thought in it.
• Rock star: Who hasn't wanted to be a rock star? Unfortunately for me, I can't carry a tune for very long. I go way off key and it's not pretty. In 5th grade I actually made a girl in the chorus cry because she had to sing with me and I couldn't stay in key and it bugged the crap out of her. Stupid Paula. Good thing I didn't let that bother me. I still sing my guts out in the car and around the house. I just love to sing and it's a lot of fun to pretend you've "seen a million faces and rocked them all" in the words of Bon Jovi!