Chillin in the front yard

Chillin here in the front yard is a little bit of lifes best. It used to be that Ed and Renee and a couple of dreamy little girls would have dinner out here nearly every night. Of course there was todd and curtis, too. Those were some good times, as any of us would readliy admit. Tonight its me and elena curtis scott kenny camilla and a couple of hhodlum boys we adore and two angel girls who light up our lives. We had fireworks this evening courtesy of scott and those were beyond exciting and fun. i don't even know what they're called but each one was quite the show. then elena busted out some sparklers for each boy and they loved em. I would miss these days so much if we did'nt have them. But i can see this being a very long wonderful summer. Its not even so hot right now. Did elena not even have her a/c on all day? I did just because the oven was going for 1.5 hours for some nice turkey breasts and potatoes. I think what i have to do about the oven is cook with a crock pot on the back porch. That is a solution that could backfire thouh. Tonight the boys were in the backyard playing and when they were quiet for too long we checked on them and they'd been in Todds room smearing toothpaste on his sliding glass door and pulling camillas migraine pills out of her overnight bag! Very naughty for sure. So we can only imagine what molten crock pot goodies would be like if our action adventure boys got ahold of it. Well i am content in Sacramento and who cares if i live here forever as long as my good friends are nearby and the ones who are'nt promise to return one day. I love you all and hope for special times to come in my front yard. We have plans for a sweeeet barbeque here come fourth of July. We'll catch the works from cal expo down by the railroad tracks and it should be perfect. As long as this nice 90's weather continues i see no problem with continuing these good outdoors times. Ooh, we even want to do a little bonfire pit and have marshmellows (not for me or elena of course) and hot dogs on sticks. Our neighbors don't know what hit em.

Am i in the Swiss Alps?

I just might be, and these could be all american/canadian tourists speaking english around me. This is the nicest date i've ever taken myself on. Today is Sams birthday, and here i am. Enjoying coffee with cream and splenda and nutmeg cinnamon and vanilla on top. The temperature is perfect and the view is what makes me think of the alps. In front of me is the enormous rock face of a towering mountain, wit a gondola about to start running up it. One that we will soon be on, to get us up to the heated lagoon swimming pool and ice rink etc. From there we'll be looking down on Tahoe. The Lake. Chuck, scotts dad, said to me two days ago, when i said we should go to the lake, "which lake"? I started laughing! I told him i'd be writing that in my blog and he blushed. Too funny. Well, i am off to finish up this last chapter of the pelican brief and then back to the fam up in our chalet. Ta ta (or something that a european might say).

Squaw Valley

Squaw Valley. Ahh! This is a little bit of everything nice all in one place. My first thought at seeing it with no snow was, this is like a mini Yosemite Valley. The meadow in the middle is so beautiful, and all these crazy rock faces and huge ski mountains that jump up all around it are stupendous! And the air here! Its got to be the freshest tastiest cleanest air ever. Being a mountain girl for life, i am partial to mountain air. I will definately post pics when i get home. The kids are loving all the attention from grandma and pa pa. I am certainly learning to relax again. I may even find some good book Levi and Jesse thoughtfully stock up on to read out on the balcony with the fabulous view. So thats it for now, theres too much to enjoy outside for me to sit blogging.

Plateaus and Friendship

Well, the plateau is here. And hopefully its not to stay for long. All i want is to stay on track with losing 4 pounds a week. But i may have to settle with 2. That can't be so bad. I'll just have to adjust my thinking and go forward as always. I have not eatten one single treat or dessert and have even kept my fruit to a minimum for 30 days. Today is day 30! That is something and i'm just looking forward to seeing months go by like this. 'Til my addiction to dessert everyday and sugar in every cup of joe and no self denial is way far behind me. A thing of the past. Do you know how easy its been, though? So easy, until day 28. Then it felt like i could hardly keep myself from a snack between my every three hour meals. I did . But, Why? I think this time i'm going to chalk it up to emotions. With Renee moving i feel like i'm losing part of my family. Shoot, i spend more time with her and Adora and Chloe during a regular week than i do with my husband. That girl has become my closest friend and i think we don't keep anything back from eachother and live so openly that i'm going to be losing a sister. We have had all that a good relationship needs to flourish. To begin with we don't live in some dreamland where 'its all good'. You know. We have had to apologize to eachother over grievances, we've cried, been in similar boats with our children and husbands, we've mostly laughed at funny stuff and enjoyed many meals and sunny days and a few Rubios tacos. actually, probably dozens of tacos. I wish i could really share how i love that girl right here. But i think she knows. All i can say is if any of you gets a chance to hang with this girl like i have don't let it get by you. She is a jewel and i mean that in a hundred different ways. My Proverbs 31 friend! I love you Renee. i will miss you in the biggest way, until you come back. Then i will hope to live right near you again.

Well, i am writing today with not a lot on my mind. I think i've really got it good though. After reading Saras blog i'm like whoa! This is a life that i am happy to live. Close friends all around even if they do have to move a bit after we've gotten really close, and gotten to know eachother like we never did before. And more close friends moving near who i have loved and missed for a long time. Scott is my rock of a husband who will be finishing his Redding job next week (i'm crossing my fingers here, which makes it difficult to type, and i'm no good at typing to begin with, a sort of hunt and peck motion while useng like to fingers and a thumb). He'll be down in time for P girls birthday and his parents arrival from Michigan. Which i have to remind everyone is'nt a midwest state. Its part of the Great Lakes Region. Ha Ha! i wonder if all Michiganders know this? We are very excited about many things these days. Sams birthday is next week. last night when he was upset about going to bed (AT 10 O'CLOCK!)
all i had to do was start whispering about his birthday and grammy and pa pa flying out and chocolate cake and balloons and chuck e. cheese and he quieted down to listen and together we caught the excitement bug. Oh yeah and we whispered about Scotts new motorcycle. He got it yesterday. I made him get a yellow helmet, but the bike is black and he said that because he got a smallish one, it will one day be mine and he'll get the big one he really wanted. Yeah right! I manned my own jet ski last year. A very safe one that cannot tip over. That was enough for me to know that i will be a passenger, no problem, but i don't like how out of control i feel when i'm the one giving the power. It DOES NOT sound like me now does it? With children, and wisdom, i have become someone who does'nt jump off 65 foot cliffs, and who does'nt like the idea of massively powerful motorcycles under my control. Who would have thought?
Um, what else? Now i guess i have my whole diet thing to be thrilled about. 14 pounds lost in 24 days. No world record, but it has all been done the right way. Earlier i read that to sustain myself at about 160 pounds i'd need 2400 calories a day, and to lose weight i'd need about 800 less than that. All i know is that i stopped counting calories over a week ago because i am totally in tune with what my meals should look like. I know when i should eat them and i know what i've given up is something that i never needed in the first place. Its funny how my body is on the slow adjustment track, while my mind is on the fast track. I wish that people could already see the results, because that will be massively encouraging. But maybe when scott comes home he'll see. And guess who else is thinning out? Samuel. I think he just grew an inch and his tummy is like a little boy tummy now. Its all these veggies i'm feeding him. Actually he ate a corn dog for lunch, a frozen corn dog! But everyday he eats his salad greens and toamtoes and does'nt mind maushrooms and zuccini in his eggs. I could'nt be more thankful. And when i do my weight lifting and stretches hes right there imitating me. So cute.
Well thats that and i am all around thankful for every one of my friends, whether they're moving close, or one day will be...JUST KIDDING! Hope to see everyone soon.