Mini-Vacay Day 3-Part 1~~~Luxury!

Relaxing for a few moments to pop a few pieces of salt water taffy in your mouth whilst staring at the waves crashing and hearing the roar of such a powerful water source drown your ears. Yep, that's definitely the best way to spend a day/night at the beach. Beach front resorts!!

My cousin had planned for us a night away from Portland to drive to Cannon Beach. I have been to a couple other towns in that area, but I don't recall being at this particular one. Having so much fun, laughing and car dancing on the way over, we were greeted with beautiful sunshine and awe at the luck of such awesome weather. Granted, it did only last about an hour, but hey! Can't win it all! Being too early to check in to the resort we started to journey towards the town area and find a place for lunch. Such cute stores and businesses there!

Wandering up and down streets after a yummy lunch, camera in hand, the middle part of the day being the best so far. Heading back to the hotel to check-in, a small detour to head to the beach to gaze across the ocean and feel the sea-spray slap your face.

Dressed up and feeling all girlie, and evening of something new awaited us. A cooking class/dinner combo with amazing food and wine. Trying things new for the taste buds. Some scrump-deli-umpcious, some... not. But hey! Anything once right?

And dessert... nothing more really to say about that, except maybe YUM.

Tummy's full and heads swimming with good wine, the hotel suite was beckoning us with soon to be sleep. The best part? Falling asleep to the waves crashing on the beach.

But before that, to take a few moments to myself, I ventured out side. Late in the evening I wandered down the sandy path to try to see the moonless night ocean. Standing with the wind, sand, and sea spraying me down, my hair tossing in circles, the darkness of night gave me those few moments to let my mind find that calm, quiet place it so rarely has.

Beach photos tomorrow!

Mini-Vacay Day 2---Let's take a drive and get some pizza.

More pictures of a wonderful, fun wee one. Taking a few minutes of time to have smiles and drools and laughs before shopping and naps in a stroller take place. And oh! The shopping! It was so fun to find some new pieces to add to my non-existing-woman-stay-at-home-mom-only wardrobe. Seriously, some cute pieces.

After exhaustion from stores and changing rooms, wearing one of those new outfits to drive through downtown Portland and head to a different location for a hip pizza joint. I love the entrance from the freeway tunnel to downtown. It just pops up, boom.
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I remember the last time I visited during a Thanksgiving holiday and how an afternoon was spent walking the streets downtown with the Christmas decorations and holiday music just starting up. The streets were alive and bubbling with the first hours of holiday shopping.


Half way there... being stopped at a bridge to let a boat through. How exciting!!! I have always wanted to be stopped like this. Alas, though, we were a few cars too many behind to get much of a view.

On to new types of pizza and conversations with strangers. More laughter and stories of funny daily lives. A two hour dinner with memories to last a lifetime.

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Back at the house, stepping outside to drink in some fresh night air, I noticed that the landscaping takes on such a wondrous night life all its own. A little up-lighting here and there and smells of blooms still holding on pushing the limits of Summer gone by, sure can bring a nice calm breath to a tired mind and body.

And tomorrow... the beach.

Mini-Vacay Day 1--Let's get some Jo.

These next few posts were intended for last week, but alas... I was down with the sickness. Boo.
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All flights were on time and tiredness from the early morning was pushed aside with excitement of the weekend. First stop was for Thai food. I have never tasted this cuisine so my mouth was all ready watering with possibilities of new found flavors. Coconut soup and jasmine tea were starters. Different, not wonderful, but so glad I tried them.

After unloading suitcases and bags at my cousins wonderful, beautiful new house we both needed a bit of a pick-me-up. Luckily the weather was quite perfect for a walk to a shopping center close the the house. And even better the walk was with such a picturesque street!

Enjoying the walk and the scenery, the buzz and energy of a bigger city, the best though, was just sitting down with a nice hot latte and chatting away an hour with one of my most favorite people.

Later that day, back at the house, I ventured outside to my cousins vast back yard. Ahhh... what a place!! Grape vines, mixed types of trees, flowers galore. And of course with the Portland weather, droplets of rain to be found on everything.

A quiet evening then was spent with family and their new wee one. Taking pictures of cute little hands and a smiling face. Home cooked dinner and laughter. And finally a bed to pass out on from exhaustion.

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First day?? Awesome.

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of the Cookie Monster

It takes complete concentration to eat a cookie this size. ;)

Fritz... signing off.

Wednesday Craft Update-I forgot so...RUSH!

Every year I donate a scarf or two to my hometown chapter of Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation dinner as a door prize. And wouldn't you know I forgot this year. And wouldn't you know further, I am leaving for a mini-vacay tomorrow, so I am busy getting things ready and planned. So off I went, searching for a scarf to give away. My Mother (who helps with the RMEF) thought it would be cool to have a scarf and bracelet combo as the prize this year. Well, huh. I have never thought of matching a scarf to a bracelet! But... I did!!! I knew I would have to make a new bracelet sometime before I left for my trip. I had the scarf in mind that I wanted to use, but wasn't sure if I had anything that would compliment it. After spending quite some time fiddling with different combinations, the above picture is what I came up with. But of course, I liked it so much I had to keep it for myself (yes, this HAS happened plenty of times before). Well, I knew this bracelet would be perfect with the scarf and luckily I had enough beads in a oval shape to make another one. I don't do two of a kinds. I'm unique, what can I say??

Oh! They look so good together too! I know it is harder to tell in a photo, but they really do!
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On a different side note... but still crafty. I finally was able to acquire some professional tools for my trade!!! The bonus being the case came in one of my most favorite colors!

My greedy little hands are excited with all the possibilities that these instruments can come up with.... Mwuahahahaha.

Anyway... Tootles to everyone, as I am off to pack!!!

P.S. Sundays with Fritz will be either delayed a day or back the following week.

The great sneak out...

When having a toddler running from outback to the house and back again, guaranteed you will have an open door from time to time. As I was stepping outside to pick up toys and take a breath of that fresh evening-soon-to-be-Autumn air, I heard a meow. Turning my gaze I caught her. Melba. Having a bit of fun chasing grasshoppers and snacking on a bit of freshly mowed grass.

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My cats do NOT go outside. In fact in the (almost) five years that we have had Alfie, she has never been outside unless in a carrier. Since our yard is completely fenced in, I feel OK if the fur-balls roam outside when they sneak out. But I do not want it to become habit for them.

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After letting Melba rumble around in the yard with me tailing her for cute kitty pictures, I scooped her up to carry her back to the house. Of course, then all the other kitties had to 'smell' her and ask her about her great adventure.

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of the Cheese-y Place

On Saturday night, Mommy and Daddy had decided to take me to ChuckECheese. It's a place that drives my Mommy crazy, but she told me that she had had a birthday there (at the same place!) when she was a wee one like me.

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We got to eat pizza, and watch other kids run around all crazy. There were also a lot of games to play on. It was so much fun that by the time it was bedtime, I passed right out from all the excitement!

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Having family fun nights is so much, well, fun!!!

~Fritz... signing off.

Friday mix up...

Finding a snack on a vacation, buying a package, realizing months later that that snack was incredibly awesome and wondering where the !%$@ to acquire here. Luckily, convincing your parents on their next trip to visit Sis to please track down incredibly awesome treat. But maybe... find a way to just fly to Spain and buy truckloads there?? That would be incredibly awesome as well. Finally finding my cutters/benders to whip out three new bracelets. One for the shop, and two for fairs. And falling in love with this new one listed in my shop. Sparkle.

And lastly... getting rid of ugly, clown, crap hair. Finding myself, for one day, beautiful. I'm gonna call this new hair my Kardashian do.

Playing with the moonlight...

Ahh... to have a cool, crisp, blackened sky. Basking under the flash of light rising above our hill. And smelling that faint earthy signature scent of Fall just around the corner.

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of the Dirty Boy

So last weekend, the 'rents and me went driving to find my G'rents at some camping ground. I have been camping only two other times in my life (one of those times was actually on the other side of the river as this time!!!).
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Oh! It was such a fantastic world of discovery!!!!!! I got to play in the dirt and mud and water, and sleep in a tent, and try to catch little toads. I even got to stay up late to watch the campfire. I tried to tell Mommy and Daddy that we needed to do this every weekend, but they said "Not possible honey." Boo. Well, hopefully since it is the end of summer I can at least try to get them to go one more time. Hopefully??
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Here's me playing in the swamp bits of the Yellowstone River.And me and Daddy doing the dishes!!

And here is G'pa teaching me how to play baseball. I think this was actually the most fun out of all the things I did that weekend! And, I might add... I got pretty dang good at hitting the ball. I wonder if this means I have sports in my future??

Bye bye all!!!

Fritz... signing off.

Never Forget.

Today. 9/11. I can still smell and hear all in the lobby of the hotel I worked. I was stuck behind the desk, answering phone call after phone call. Trying to help people in the fact that we were all stuck. No planes, no flights to anywhere. People booking extra nights, or checking back in. The lobby filled with people staring at the TV with solemn expressions.

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And me? Confusion. Because I was really the only one working at the hotel during those hours (I'm not kidding, all other personnel were watching the TV-managers, housekeeping, bar staff). I didn't really fully get to understand what was going on until after work, after my dentist appt, after traveling home.

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Then it hit me. At home with my roommates, the exhaustion and sadness of the day left me speechless.

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After hearing news reports full time for days on end, my boyfriend at the time and I decided that we needed to get away. So we loaded the car for a quick camping trip with no radio and no TV. But the crazy part was the silence...

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No planes in the sky. I remember that most from those days. It's a wonderment to have a particular sound coming from the outside world in your everyday life. And then to have that gone. I remember being outside my town house, looking up at the sky and hearing, nothing. It was eerie in a way that really felt empty, for lack of a better word.

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So here we are, nine years later, but still feeling so recent in time. Still the questions in the air of why, and how could they do this to other humans no matter our problems. To know that our world has come to this where others hate so badly, they would do anything to show power over others. So how do we find peace? Maybe in the everyday sunset, where the beauty of our world can help us heal and know that there is always a tomorrow.

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It hurts to watch video of those days, but important, I think, at the same time. So that yes, we never forget.

A little family time on the river...

A Holiday weekend. Perfect crisp morning weather. Heavy rains in the evening, leaving sleeping in a tent, snuggled in a sleeping bag, all that much more thrilling. Spending a camping trip dirty and happy for one little boy. Finding beautiful rocks (Montana Moss Agates) and enjoying the fresh Yellowstone River air.

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What could be more perfect than that?

Wednesday Craft Update-Let's set a goal!

I finished a scarf last week. I feel so accomplished that I have two finished scarves! With the reality of winter fast approaching and realizing that I need to get my 'hands' in gear to complete more, I will set myself a goal for this month. Although it may seem low, I figure it's a good start. Ok.... here is to having 5 finished beautiful crochet anything! done by the end of this month!

It's the simple things...

That can bring a smile to my face. The September issue of Vogue (fashion bible!!!). And a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Ahhh, makes that rainy day extra special.
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Now if I could just find a Nordies around MT to grab those delicious blue shoes. ;)

Wednesday Craft Update-Back for a limited time!

Kind of... My hand is still pretty bad. Hopefully after a Doc appt. next week will bring some relief. But, I was able to slowly crochet a new winter scarf! I do not have much stock left after the Christmas fair last year of warm, winter wearables, so I really need to get on it. Slowly, of course.