Merry Christmas

I spent Christmas in Fallon, NV (Reno) this year with Nikki and her family. We went gambling on Saturday night and I won about $100....beginners luck I guess! We had a wonderful Christmas eve and Christmas day with Chad's family in Fallon. I do not have any pictures from Christmas day because my eye was so swollen from allergies. In fact, all my gambling money went to doctor and prescription fees. My eye is doing much better now.

I took Kristi and Melissa bowling before Christmas and we experimented with my camera...see below




I got my White Christmas when I flew into Spokane on Christmas night. It was so beautiful, but the roads were pretty slick! I came back to the Tri-cities on Wednesday and went Back to work on Thursday--busier than ever...will it ever slow down??
Merry Christmas to all and may your New Year be filled with many Blessings from above.

Jeske Family Christmas

We had a great weekend with the Jeske family. We did our annual gift exchange and had quite a few laughs. "Would you rather...?" spurred lots of communication. The Jeske grandkids and their spouses went bowling...gotta love those family traditions!
To sum up the weekend...good food, great company, memories created, and memories of the past remembered!

Christmas is coming!!!

Seattle in November-- Stefanie and I went to Seattle at the beginning of November. The trip was not what I expected, but we had some cool adventures. We stayed at the Camlin--one of my Trendwest locations. The room was awesome and right downtown Seattle. Our first morning there, we noticed that Brandy Carlisle was performing at the Paramount theatre that night....it was such an amazing concert and we had great seats. The concert was unique in that Brandy sang a song unplugged--no microphones, had her sister sing a song with her, and sang a few songs that were not in the usual concert.
We did some serious window shopping and actually ventured into the Seattle streets. We found a neat little bead shop and stopped in to browse. I went to dinner with Aunt Deb and Uncle Joe at a great Greek restaurant in Seattle. The food was excellent, especially the yummy appetizers and dessert. I love seeing my family and remembering old memories and making new ones!
We went to the Clumsy Lover concert at the Tractor in Ballard. I was disappointed that the lead singer was not his usual self.

Apples, Apples, Apples...

We went to the apple farm by Ken (my brother) and Dawnell's house this weekend. I found some seriously huge apples. I bought about 80 lbs of Apples...mmm...apple cobler, applesauce, dried apples, sliced apples, fresh apples, you name it. We went to the Harvest festival after the apple stand...lots of cool goodies and homemade gifts. I went away with some awesome Kalamata Olives and ranch and garlic dips...mmmmm...





Sunday morning Dawnell and I went for a horseback ride. It was an awesome morning and we saw beautiful colors of fall!! I rode Kit and Dawnell rode Stormy.

Kaleb & Me!!!

My friend Lauren brought in her precious little Boy, Kaleb Christopher, to see us! Today I was able to be a baby hog and got to hold him for a long time. He is still so tiny, but I can see that he is growing!

Certified Management Accountant

I just received word today that I passed
Part IV of the CMA exams! Yippee!! I
have to finish up paperwork and then I
will get my certificate. You would think
I would call it quits for a bit, but I
have one more test to get my CFM
Certified Financial Manager...Alphabet soup!I am super excited and relieved that I do not have to take that section again! Now I can prepare for the last section...2007 has been about test taking....What will 2008 entail?

Buddy Walk

Some of my coworkers and I participated in the 1st Annual Buddy Walk on Saturday, October 6th, 2007.The Buddy Walk benefits the Down Syndrome Association of the Mid Columbia and the national organization for research and to help with local activities.
It was a morning walk fueled by Pumpkin Pie Lattes. We did a leisure 1 mile walk around the park and visited for a while.
Our Group from left to right: Dwayne, Paula, Pam, Susan, Stephanie, Crystal, Steve, Jamie, Alina (bottom row) Ronnie, Karlene Matthew, Me, and Ellen!!
Baby Matthew was our inspiration!!

Sold!

I got my first offer today for the sale of my house. After a few counter offers I can now say that my house is under contract...the inspection is Tuesday, and I may be moving next month!!! Holy Cow! God must have a plan for me, I just need to wait until it is revealed. Now I can close the blinds, leave the lights off during the day and not worry if I have fresh flowers. Anyway, kinda anxious, and scared.I do not know whether it was the immaculate closet with the color coordinated wardrobe...or maybe it was the beautiful painting I hung in the bathroom. I guess the hours and hours of cleaning and organizing paid off. 6 1/2 days on the market whoo hoo!

House for sale

Today my house went on the Market. I have been working really hard to get it clean and ready for people to walk through and critique my style. A friend reminded me of a famous quote, "Wherever you go, there you are." Right now, I am doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result (FYI that is the definition of insanity). I have done more to my house in the last week than I did in the four years that I owned the house.I have moved the furniture all around, got the carpets cleand, planted flowers, cleaned my closet, bought fake flowers, etc. I am really happy with the progress I have made, but there is still so much to do. Tonight I am taking a small break, but will be busy again in the morning.
An open spacious living room Yes, that is a picture of the bottom of my closet...one of my big accomplishments in my cleaning quest.

Who could ask for anything more!!!

Girls night out & Ellis Thomas Wedding

Six of us went out for Angie's Bachelorette party. We had dinner at Spaghetti Establishment and then went to Cedars. Just when we thought the night was winding down we hit Kennewick Avenue...first the Sports Page and then the Branding Iron. At the Sports Page, we met two guys who were awfully friendly...then we met their angry wives!! A memory not soon to be forgotten. We did some country dancing at the Branding Iron...an acquaintance Matt was playing the drums and we had a fun time. I was actually the first one out on the dance floor...swing dancing with a cowboy!!


Two weeks later was the wedding. I was really busy making the wedding cake and I finished just in time for a quick lunch with Stefanie. We were a few minutes late to the wedding and even got on camera with the wedding party. The cake did not fall before it was cut so I guess that was a success!!!

Higher Grounds

Our ReFocus group at church has been planning to open a coffeehouse for young adults 20-35. We have been buying furniture and decor, learning to make coffee, and finding ways to reach out to others. We had our grand opening last Sunday and it went great!!! We fellowshipped with others, made some great drinks and survived our first "Live" week.


Lauren made it to the opening weekend without going into labor...she was the head of our group in the beginning and now it is up and running!

Did we skip September this year?

Oh my gosh, it is almost October and I am still waiting for my birthday! Just joking, I had an amazing birthday this year spending time with family and getting lots of new books to read. It has been such a busy time since I last posted that I have to look at my pictures to remember what I did, sad but true.

Hood to Coast 2007 was amazing...I thought I was going to die, but I made it to the beach! We had a great van this year and we actually got to sleep at Annie's house after our first legs.



I spent a few days after the race at the beach...some quiet time, time visiting with Aunt Marci, and time with my dad and DiAnna. Great walks on the beach beautiful sunsets, salt water taffy, and recovery.

What's next???

My State Jr. Miss Erin is getting married this weekend, and then Hood to Coast is next weekend. If you want a refresher of last year, go to the blog http://h2cdma06.blogspot.com I will link this year's blog to my blog so it is easy to access. I am staying a few extra days at the beach in Seaside and then it is back to work...possibly Pig out in the Park at the end of August...to see the Clumsy Lovers!!!...Labor day weekend, the start of our coffee shop at church, making a wedding cake for a friend, and then Lauren's baby is due...I am open late October...How do people live simple lives???

Omak Stampede

So, life for me does not often slow down..that is why I am updating my blog at 11pm on a weeknight up to three weeks after things happen. Anyway, After two years or having other things to do, I decided this was the year to go to the Omak Stampede. I had driven by on my way to/from Penticton, Canada, but this would be my first actual attendance.

We met up with my step-brother and had fun visiting.
Amazingly enough we even got my dad to go to the rodeo. It had been a few years since I had been to the Rodeo and I would have to say that I like the clown the most...followed by bull riding.