Shaking Up The Routine

Thanks to the idiocy of some “suit” at the local NBC affiliate, I’m so ticked off with the station that I’ve decided to seriously shake up my morning routine.

My alarm has always been set for 4AM so that I can get up and have a few sips of coffee before the local news.  More often than not I’ve been awake long before the alarm and sipping coffee while watching the comings and goings of my friends in Port Charles.

Effective this week, the alarm remains set and if I’m up before it sounds off, I visit Port Charles, but now I refuse to watch the local news.  Nope.  No more morning news viewing for me!  I won’t go into the details here ‘cuz  my blood pressure will skyrocket, but know that my stance is firmly for a person I’ve never met, and most likely will never meet, but whom I consider a friend.

Yesterday morning I tried switching back to the local ABC affiliate, my previous 4-year morning news haunt (and former home of fellow blogger and cyber-friend Jane).  Unfortunately it only took seconds for me to realize that the frustrations with that station that became intolerable a couple months post-Jane are still way too annoying, especially since my preferred co-anchor is no longer there.  The scuttlebutt about the local CW affiliate is absolutely disastrous and to be honest, I have no desire to try to learn a whole slew of anchors and reporters so I’m not even willing to try the CBS or FOX affiliates.

But…taking the lead from Jane’s post about scheduling/time organization, I’ve decided that from now on I will NOT turn on the TV in the morning and instead use my time more wisely!!!  OMG — that’s going from 2-1/2 hours of local news PLUS 1/2 hour of national news PLUS up to an hour of hanging with my friends in Port Charles to maybe an hour of Port Charles and that’s it!!!

That leaves me with 3 hours or more to do…what????

That’s where Jane’s post comes in…

Monday morning I did work-work for a couple hours, showered 1/2 an hour earlier than usual then actually ate breakfast at home (maple & brown sugar frosted mini wheats with raisins) instead of eating peanut butter & banana sandwiches in the car!  I even left the house 20 minutes early to head to the office!

This morning I wrote this post, showered and am now about to head to the food store to do my weekly food shopping!!!!  Holy guacamole — when I park my car Friday night I will really NOT have to go anywhere until Monday AM unless I CHOOSE to go somewhere!!!

As for the rest of the week, my early morning plans include dusting, vacuuming, laundry, hand washing dishes (think wine glasses and other non-dishwasher items) and general picking up.  If all goes according to the schedule in my head, that will leave me with weekends 100% free of any “adult” responsibilities — I can absolutely be as free as a kid from Friday night ’til Monday morning!!!!

WOO-HOO!!

Since I’ve been such a news fiend you may be curious about what I’ll be missing with my morning news blackout.  The answer is NOTHING!

I can surf to weather.com or weatherbug.com to get my local forecast as they’re as accurate as the local stations.  Since I don’t travel on the freeways to get to work, traffic isn’t an issue, but if I feel the need I can surf to sigalert.com to find out what’s happening.  As for local news, the area where I live is such a tiny part of the local newscasts (maybe a story or two in 2-1/2 hours) that my local radio station will more than suffice during the morning drive.  If I have the urge to find out more I can surf the websites for the local newspaper or those of the local tv stations.  And national news?  That’s covered during lunch when I surf CNN.com and MSNBC.com…

OK readers…time’s ticking away and I need to get to the food store so I can come home, unpack my purchases then head to the office for 7:30AM so I need to wrap this up.

I’ll leave you with this thought…

Celebrate the fact that you don’t work with me — I’ll be fully caffeinated, flying high ‘cuz I’ve already gotten a weekly chore out-of-the-way and all charged up from the success of my new routine.  And if all goes well, I’ll also be on a sugar high from a muffin that I bought in the bakery area of my food store!

Watch out co-workers, Judy’s coming to work fully loaded!!! 

The Superbowl Champions…

…have accomplished so much more than just winning the Championship!

Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in August, 2005.  The physical destruction of the storm was clearly evident while the emotional scars from an inept government response were not.  The Superdome was home to some of the worst suffering…no longer an icon of celebrations.

The hope of a city, a state and yes, even many throughout the U.S. was riding on the shoulders of the Saints as they worked their way through the playoff season.  When they beat the Vikings and claimed the NFC Championship, the tide turned and the impossible seemed possible.  The week before the game the excitement and hope was building to a near fever pitch!

Tonight as the game unfolded, the Colts ruled the first quarter putting the Saints down by 10 points.  During the second quarter the momentum changed course, the Saints scoring 6 unanswered points.  When the Saints started the second half recovering an onside kick it was clear which team would dominate the game, for they had successfully gotten under Peyton Manning’s skin, and by default, that of the entire Colts team. 

When Manning through that interception and the Saints went up by 14 points the outcome was solidified.

As the Saints celebrate their first-ever Superbowl victory, so celebrate the people in the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and every person in the U.S. who cheered on the Saints.  Their victory is so sweet for all the hope and pride it gives to the people so terribly devastated when Katrina blew through.

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints for a victory on so many levels!

A Treat For Me?

Yesterday morning I braved the pouring rain and drove 35 minutes on the local freeways to a service appointment for my car.  That may not sound like a huge accomplishment worthy of mention in a blog post to anyone who lives in areas where it frequently rains, but here in So. Cal., land of the never-ending sunshine, it IS a huge accomplishment!  It’s truly the equivalent of driving in the blizzard that hounded the Washington D.C. area!  It rains so infrequently out here that the roads become skating rinks as the rain brings months of accumulated oil to the surface.  AND people just do NOT know how to drive in rain…the So. Cal. equivalent to people who don’t know how to drive in snow.

I was the first customer to arrive at the dealership so I had my choice of seats, a bonus for me since I needed to spread out.  This was a major service for my car so I came prepared for a 2-3 hour wait.  I chose to sit in the “kitchen area” (tables and chairs) as opposed to the “family room area” (chairs and sofas) and promptly covered the table with my stuff – a box of tissues, a bag of cough drops, a ziploc bag for trash, a bottle of water, a pair of scissors, a pile of yellow fabric strips, a pile of locker hooking twine and the locker hooking project I brought with me.

I’m not sure if it was my vocal cold, the pouring rain, the hooking project (it’s a rug with NASCAR driver #24 on it — I was sitting in a dealership that has NASCAR drivers 2, 12, and 77) or a combination of all, but I was in and out in 1-1/2 hours!

As pleasant as that was it screwed up my morning plans!  I wanted to check out The Alley store in Rancho Cucamonga but it wasn’t open yet!  These stores carry so much fun and funky stuff that I rarely leave empty-handed, and the treasures I bring home are ones that I never knew I needed until I saw them!

To kill some time I went to McDonalds for a cholesterol filled breakfast then went to Joann’s to pass more time.  That’s when I found my treat!

I was poking through the yarn/needlework department then rounded the corner to the bead section.  And there it was.  I spied it instantly even though it was one amongst 60…

Isn’t this ceramic 1-5/8″ RD bead just beautious??? 

I’m not really into jewelry and I’m NOT into jewelry making, but I absolutely needed this treasure.  As I rolled my fingers over it I envisioned how the completed necklace would look so I wandered down the rows until I found what I wanted…

The dark brown cord on the left is leather — a “must” as I did not see this button as being attached to anything metal, it needed to remain “earthy”.  The clasps on the right look earthy in color and since they won’t be anywhere near the button they’re fine with me. 

It wasn’t until I was driving home that it dawned on me that I didn’t pick up anything to use to secure the leather strips after I thread them through the clasp. 

DRATS — now I have to take a trip to Joann’s or Michael’s…poor me… 

You may be wondering why I’ve put a question mark at the end of this post name if I indeed bought myself a treat.  The answer is simple.  Though I did buy myself a treasure, I may have also unleashed a new creative monster…one that delves into beads and jewelry making with gusto.  If said monster has been released, then I’ll need to get a whole special organizing set-up in my craft closet for these supplies!  Hhhmmm…floss bobbin cases that close tight?  Case of drawers like men have in their workshops for screws and nails?  Decisions, decisions, decisions…

Oh yeah…The Alley?  I did go back when the store was open but I left empty handed.  The store is much better than the one in Temecula but not as great as the one in Palm Springs (I don’t think any store will beat that one).  There were a couple things I toyed with buying but in the end, I already had a treasure and one was enough for me.

As for the pouring rain, I literally drove out from under the storm clouds on my way home…

Costco Adventure

Yesterday after work I made a stop at Costco to stock up on some necessities, treat myself to some goodies and buy some experiments.

I know that last category sounds the most interesting but I’m taking you on the description scenic tour — in other words, I’ll fill you in on that category last.  Ahh…the power of the writer 

The necessities consisted of toilet paper, paper towels and Ziploc gallon bags.  The first item is purchased 3 times a year ‘cuz, well, I pretty much am the only one who uses it and a package of 36 rolls lasts a long time!  The second item is usually needed about the same time as the first so they’re always purchased together.  The gallon bags are needed twice a year as I mainly use those as a carrier for the litter box presents.

All was great with my necessities until I was putting away the paper towels.  The shelf in the laundry room only had 4 rolls on it, a clear signal that I could use more.  After filling that shelf with 6 of the 12 rolls I opened the cabinet next to the shelves and started to laugh…hysterically.  Seems the last time I bought paper towels they didn’t all fit on the shelf either so I stored the rest in the cabinet, the same place where I was hoping to store the new overflow.  Let’s just say I don’t need paper towels for a year (unless something goes really nuts).

The treats that landed in my cart were salsa, gin,Foster Farms Hot & Spicy Chicken Wings & Legs, chocolate chocolate muffins and a 3-lb bag of tortilla strips.  The muffins are huge and decadent, and though they’re full of not-so-good stuff (how else would they be so decadent?) I still occasionally pick them up.  They freeze really well and on days when I need a serious chocolate fix, they are the go-to item in my house.  Microwave the chicken pieces for a few minutes then top with lite Ranch dressing to send your taste buds into heaven!  The tortilla strips are the perfect complement to the salsa and one of my experiments, and the gin?  Well, every now and then nothing hits the spot like a gin & tonic.

So, time for the experiments…

Early last month when I posted about my new found love for guacamole a friend e-mailed me the easiest recipe ever.  Buy guac at Costco then add salsa as desired.  I bought a 48 oz package of Wholly Guacamole for $5 and change.  The box contains three individually sealed trays that can be frozen if desired.

After putting away all my necessities and then feeding the cat, I quickly opened one tray, added salsa, ran a tortilla strip through it and then raced it to my taste buds.  It was AWESOME!!!!!  Next trip to Costco will find a couple boxes of 3 each falling into my cart and then moving into my freezer.

The second experiment was suggested by my sister-in-law.  I put a 90 piece tub of Cascade Action Packs with Shine Shield into the cart.    Each pack has both dishwashing dry soap and a blue liquid (like a Jet Dry thing), and all you have to do is put the pack into the detergent cup of your dishwasher, plastic wrap and all.  Between the heat and water of the dishwasher the plastic will melt away and the detergent and liquid will be dispensed.

As I munched on my guac experiment the dishwasher played with its experiment, and the results were the same as the guac!  The glasses and the Rubbermaid containers came out looking better than when I use Jet Dry.  In other words — spotless!  One more item that will need to be purchased twice a year (since I’m the only one making dirty dishes the dishwasher only runs twice a week…or less).

As a confirmed non-shopper, I so love when shopping adventures turn out as successful as this one did!

Even The Best of Intentions…

…can have twists and turns when executed. 

January was not a pleasant month as the trade show preparations overtook my entire life and sent me into stupid mode.  Thanks to burning that infamous candle in the middle as well as at both ends I ended up with a slight cold before the show.  That was odd — usually that happens AFTER the show when my body has slowed down enough that the germs awaken and realize it’s party time!

Guess what?

That cold never fully went away, the germs have been napping for the past couple weeks.  Yep, they quieted down during the final chaotic show preps, the show and the company that stayed with me afterwards.  But the party is slowly starting again, and it’s gonna be a big one 

My initial plan for this post-company week was to just hang out all day Sunday after dropping off my third guest at LAX Sunday morning.  Unfortunately, Murphy returned with one of his laws and killed my laptop so instead of lounging on the sofa and dozing in front of the television, I spent all day Sunday restoring the laptop.  If any of you have ever had to reload a computer you know that this is a long process of “hurry up and wait”.  Load the operating system, load all the drivers, go on-line and download 200+ megabytes of windows updates then start loading programs — all this with your fingers crossed, eyes closed and prayers muttered that the laptop would continue to work.

My brain gave up after 8 hours but so far so good.  Of course it is now Thursday and not all the programs are loaded yet.  I still have to load the ones that tested my patience when I originally loaded them when the laptop was new.  There are still some things that I need to figure out…like why “My favorites” are not registering in the ”My Favorites” window on-line but are instead defaulting to a folder on my desktop…but at least the laptop is working!

With my relaxing Sunday blown apart I went to bed confident that the work week was going to follow the same pattern.  Sometimes I hate being right 

I knew it would be a busy week with post-show follow-up but I wasn’t expecting Monday and Tuesday to be as bad as they were.  A two hour meeting left me with 3 pages of things to do, all of which were first priority.  No matter which first priority I did it wasn’t the right one!  Most of that was because didn’t understand that just because he could create the priority in a matter of seconds, said priority might take a couple hours in the execution stage…

Thank goodness for an iPod with 153 Neil Diamond songs – his deep voice was my calming grace for 2 days!!!

For obvious reasons, the laptop was used at night but nothing more was done in regards to getting the reload completed as I had no functioning brain cells at night.  Nope, I just putzed in an effort to stay awake until 8PM then crawled into bed.

Fortunately Wednesday went so much better that I never even pulled the iPod out of my purse!  And I called Empire Today to start the process of having my newly installed carpet redone since my stripes have not disappeared.  Yep, my brain was now engaged with life as I’m able to acting on things that are on a to-do list.

Pleased with the beginnings of return to normal function, I took my friend Kelly’s advice and signed up for Twitter!  Yep…it’s not enough that I e-mail, blog and Facebook, but as of yesterday I’m now on Twitter too (leftturnlady).  Kelly joined so she could follow our NASCAR boys so that’s why I joined.  I haven’t taken the time to find and follow all of my favorite drivers and I still have to figure out how it all works, but hopefully both will happen soon.   I don’t intend to tweet often but I fully intend to read all the NASCAR tweets — they should give some great insight!

I believe I became a bit over-confident of my ability to return to normal as last night I pulled out my jigsaw caddy to putz on the puzzle while I relaxed.

Why I thought this puzzle would be relaxing defies logic.  See that missing puzzle piece just below the pink flowers (at the top of the path)?  I’m beyond frustrated that it’s still missing.  And what’s left to do on this puzzle is blue sky with some tree branches/leaves mixed in – no easy to put together parts at all.  After 1/2 an hour I remembered why this puzzle has sat untouched for the past 6 weeks.  It promptly went back on the lower shelf of my coffee table to wait for another day.

What I really need right now is an entire weekend spent hanging in my jammies doing whatever I feel like doing.  Doesn’t that sound awesome?

Unfortunately it won’t be this weekend.

In all my skewed wisdom a couple weeks ago I made an appointment for a semi-major car service this Saturday morning.  Yep, I’ve got to be at the dealership (45 minutes away) by 7AM Saturday and hang out in their waiting area for 2-3 hours while the  CRV gets a combo 90K and 97K service.  I can’t postpone the service because I have a coupon that will expire if I do.

But if I can get one more program loaded and functioning on my laptop I can take that with me and get some work work done while I’m waiting so that I don’t have to do it at home.  And my favorite store has opened up a new store just down the street so while I’m up in that area I can check it out!

So the best of intentions regarding my car were great when the service was scheduled weeks in advance, have turned into a much dreaded chore as the day approaches and will hopefully have two silver linings…three if one counts the balance of the weekend being spent in much deserved hangout mode…

Skydiving Adventure

Here it is folks…the post you’ve all been patiently waiting for…!

Laura and I drove to the local airport and parked at the skydive tunnel, excitement racing through every cell in our bodies.

Once inside we met up with Jordan, an 8-year old who was going to indoor skydive for the third time!  I struck up a conversation with her and her dad John, the latter beyond thrilled for Laura and me and our “real” skydives.  He offered to take pix of our indoor skydives so I readily handed over my camera with a few quick instructions.

The three of us divers then went into a room where we met our instructor Ryan and watched a 10 minute video.  By the end of the video I was so dismayed — I thought the indoor dive would be so easy, but truly, there was so much to remember!  Not only did one have to achieve and maintain the “stabile” position, but one had to remember and be able to react to 6 hand signals!!!   Just when panic threatened to overtake the day it dawned on me that if an 8-year old could do this, so could I!

I hoped…

There were 5 of us sitting on a bench in the wind tunnel wait area.  When instructor Ryan waved in his first victim I volunteered Jordan.  She did great!  The next victim?  I volunteered Laura.  She didn’t look the slightest bit happy during her flight, but I hoped that was truly because of her sore shoulder.

Next up was a teacher and a student.  I’m not positive those were their roles, but they are my best guess.  Why?  The teacher used hand signals to get the student to move around in the wind tunnel — from high to low, around in circles, stopping on a dime, etc.  All skills needed for formation diving.  At least that was my determination.

Next up was…gulp…me.

Once inside the tunnel I achieved the stabile position and then HAD A BLAST!!!!  I was laughing hysterically, smiling, sticking out my tongue and just plain beside myself with enjoyment!!!

Do I look like I’m having fun or what?????

After I went the teacher/student combo went again, followed by Jordan and Laura.  Fortunately Laura looked much more relaxed during her second spin…

Before I could go out again the student/teacher combo hit the tunnel.  To be honest, I was enthralled with watching them and monitoring how the tiniest movement, one nearly undetectable, was greatly alterting both of their positions.

Once we finished with the indoor stuff it was time for THE adventure of the day…tandem skydives from 12,500 feet!

I will admit to being stunned when we walked towards the skydive school.  I absolutely did not expect to see all the people and facilities that were in front of me!

What’s not visibile in this picture are the inground pool, the restuarant/bar and the skydive schools!  They’re behind the furthest building you see!  I did question my instructor about the quantity of tandem dives and he said right now they’re averaging 40 tandem dives/weekend day — that will increase to 50-60 once the warmer months arrive.  YIKES!!!

Laura and I followed the signs to the skydive school where we checked in, watched a video that strongly recommended we purchase videos of our flights (we did not), then watched another video, one explaining the legal issues that matched up with the 8 pages of disclaimers we had to sign.

Still fearless, we were ushered into an area where we met our instructors and were suited up with jump suits, harnesses, wrist altimeters and goggles.  After several minutes of one-on-one instructions we all headed back towards where Laura and I first entered to wait for the plane.  Within a few minutes said plane landed, taxied to a spot in front of us, was boarded by 21 people (9 sets of tandem divers and 3 videographers), screamed down the runway then was airborne — all within minutes of landing!

We were packed in like sardines facing each other, our backs against the sides of the plane.  It was very noisy and the climb was very steep…the whole time.  Once we hit 9,000 feet we students had to sit on our instructors laps so the attachement process could be finalized.  Not only were we attached with super duty clips in 4 places, but after attachment the harnesses were pulled tight…super tight.  Though the instructors wore helmets, we students did not for if we did we would surely chip the teeth or break the nose of our instructors should we put our heads back too fast/hard.  We did however don goggles and gloves.

When our wrist altimeters registered 12,500 feet the door at the back of the plane was rolled up and people just started falling out.  As the bench between us and the door emptied we scootched ourselves towards the door until finally it was our turn.  I stood as instructed – my feet close together, hands on the harness (as if holding suspenders) and as we fell out the door, my head tilted backwards and leaned on the instructor’s shoulder.

Now, one might wonder if anywhere along the line I had even the slightest hesitation.  The answer is a resounding NO!  I was completely enthralled with the whole concept, confident after hearing all four clips click securely and excited at seeing what was outside the plane!

I had three very strong reactions within the first few seconds.  The first was “damn it’s COLD”, the second was “WOW” and the third was “Holy Crap I’m skydiving — I actually did it!!!!!”.

Shortly thereafter my instructor grabbed my right arm, a sign that it was time for me to let go of the harness and let my hands complete the stabile position (my legs were already in place).  We did a 120mph free-fall for less than a minute but managed to falll 7500 feet…then the chute, er…canopy, was opened.  I instinctively grabbed the harness until I stopped moving upward.

The instructor gave me the canopy controls while he adjusted my harness.  Since we were no longer hurtling towards earth the harness could be loosened.

I was able to locate my neighborhood though I did not specifically find my house — I was way too busy soaking in the aerial view of all the other roads I regularly travel while on the ground.  When we were +/- 1,000 feet from the ground I was instructed on the landing — I needed to pull my knees up as much as possible and point my feet towards the canopy.  This would ensure that the instructor’s feet would land first.  Basically we were going to skid along the ground for a few feet…on our asses.

When I was told to pull up my legs I did…and we skidded…and I got a face full of grass…and it was AWESOME!!!  Not because I was safely on the ground but because I DID A SKYDIVE!!!!

Here are a couple pix…the first is me and my instructor Adi after we landed, and the second is Laura and me…also after we landed…

Now for some interesting comments…

The only time I had any sensation of falling was after the chute/canopy was engaged and the instructor decided to put us in a corkscrew dive (nearly facing downward while turning VERY quickly in a corkscrew direction).  My equilibrium was instantly screwed up which sent my stomach into fits.  We didn’t do that again.  Honestly —- even as we were mere feet from the ground there was NO sensation of falling.  Fortunately my stomach settled down quickly…

Though I felt the cold when I first fell out of the plane, that sensation was gone in seconds and I never once felt any temperature at all.

I feel that my sense of peace about the dive is attributed to three things.  First, with all the flying I do on commercial planes I’m very familiar with the view from way up.  Second, the wind tunnel time did prepare me for the sensation.  Third, I’m absolutely confident that my Mom was thrilled for me and this adventure and she took time from her afterlife to be my guardian angel throughout.

Wind blowing into your mouth at 120mph dries it out faster than 114+ ground temperatures in the middle of summer!

The dive was over waaaaay too soon…fortunately a local friend, Gene, who had previously done a tandem dive, called on Sunday to see what I thought and asked if I’d be interested in another.  We’re going to dive sometime in mid-May!!!!

After Laura and I reluctantly left the airport we headed for my house and drank a couple glasses of wine.    Then we walked a couple blocks so we could feed/pet the animals.  They are so kewl…as soon as they see you standing at the fence they all start wandering over to enjoy the goodies you brought.

We headed back home and enjoyed our wild hibiscus flowers with raspberry syrup and champagne…

After drinking the champagne we ate the flowers!  Yep…not only did we skydive in a windtunnel AND from 12,500 feet, but we also ate flowers!!!!!

We managed to stay awake until 8PM but then crashed until 6AM Sunday.  By 8AM we were navigating the freeways to LAX so Laura could catch a flight back east - the drive made quickly thanks to it being a Sunday.  I was safely back home by 11AM…just in time to spend the rest of the day, and I do mean the entire day, reinstalling EVERYTHING on my laptop…from the operating system to the programs (the latter not yet complete).

But all is well…three days after the dive and I’m still busting with pride and excitement…and anxiously awaiting my next dive!

From Wineries to the Beach

The first day of our PJ party was spent tooling around Temecula Wine Country.  The views were SPECTACULAR at Falkner Winery… 

 

 

…and lunch was divine.  The four of us thoroughly enjoyed a meal basking in sunlight and enjoying the views…

Back: Joan, Judy Front: Laura, Ursula

Once our tummies were full we drove down the road to South Coast Winery where we did some wine tasting.  I can HIGHLY recommend South Coast Winery Chardonnay Sans Chene, Joan is raving about South Coast Winery Old Vine Zinfandel and Laura is thirlled with South Coast Winery Merlot.  Our taste buds satisfied, we then walked around the grounds and hung out on a patio where we enjoyed conversation, friendship and more spectacular scenery…

A final stop before we headed home was meandering through Old Town Temecula, exploring antique shops and enjoying some olive oil tasting at Temecula Olive Oil Company.

We were home by 5:30PM, in our jammies by 5:40PM and enjoying a dinner of cheeses (Monterrey Jack, Pepperjack and Chipotle), triscuits and Asiago Cheese crackers, salad, bread and basil olive oil for dipping (the flavored olive oil a treat from Ursula).  Oh yeah…vino too 

After laughing our way through Jeff Dunham’s Arguing with Myself DVD it was lights out…by 8:30PM!!!!

Friday morning we piled into the CRV and headed out to the coast.  We walked along Capistrano beach for an hour, sucking in lungs full of refreshing sea air and enjoying the sights and sounds of Mother Nature…

The above two pix are what one typically expects when they think of the ocean, but is the below picture what you would expect?  Not me!  I thought the train was unusual for this New Englander, but typical for So. Cal…

After lunch and shopping in San Clemente we headed home, a journey made frustrating by rush-hour traffic but semi-enjoyable for the driver thanks to awesome company.  Jammies were donned by 6PM, pizzas arrived by 6:45PM and four fun-loving adult ladies were in bed by 9PM.

*sigh*

Saturday morning the hostess (that would be me) drove two guests to the airport (those would be Joan and Ursula) then returned home to retrieve the third guest (that would be Laura) so we could head off to our super adventure.

From the reports I’ve received, the four of us had an awesome time together, the three guests beyond incredibly patient with the hostess’s stressing about making the little things perfect.  There was awesome conversation, yummy foods, endless things to do and a sense of true friendship and relaxation. 

Yep…pretty much an awesome time was had by all!

Do You Remember Me???

I remember YOU!!!

The show is over and my company is all back home safe and sound.  I have 2 cameras with images to download, 1 old computer (A.K.A. The Dinosaur) that is semi-functioning and 1 new computer (A.K.A. The Laptop) that died Friday morning.  And I do mean DIED!  No ability to boot up what-so-ever… 

After a morning trip to LAX to drop off my sky diving buddy followed by a quick pit-stop at the food store, I have spent the balance of today (Sunday) resurrecting The Laptop.  I’m almost there…many programs yet to be uploaded and one annoying thing to be corrected on Monday - the jumping bean text tool…

Anywho…I’m just dropping in to let you know that I am alive — that I had an INCREDIBLE time with my artist/designer friends, and the wind tunnel and sky dive experiences were beyond measure!!  Full details & pix will be uploaded between Mon and Tues nights.

I’ll leave you with this thought…my friend Gene has done 1 tandem jump.  He & I talked tonight and we are going to do tandem jumps together in mid-May!!! 

Yep…I am going to jump again!!!!

The Trade Show is Over…

…and the PJ party has begun!

The show went pretty well – all the hard work that has kept me busy and stressed these past few months saw a positive result.  Phew!  A huge bonus for me was catching up with some industry friends that I haven’t seen in years!

A drawback to this show is that I work in the craft industry and I am a HUGE crafter – you name it and I do it!  I so wanted to have sticky fingers at many of the booths but alas, I behaved (for now anyway).

Last night the girls (Joan, Ursula and Laura) and I came home to a wonderful reception by my feline roommate.  Scarpetto instantly  had the 3 visitors wrapped around his thumb.  We humans enjoyed a couple bottles of wine, an awesome salad and the lasagna I made before the show (I froze it then let it slow thaw in the fridge while at the show).  The guests definitely did enjoy the lasagna as everyone had seconds!  After cleaning up after dinner we just hung out in our jammies and chatted for a few hours before retreating to the comfort of our respective beds.

Today I’m taking Laura to the office for an hour or so.  She freelances for our company and is anxious to meet some of the people she deals with and see our facilities.  I told her she couldn’t see my office as I’m confident it is still very much a disaster area since we don’t have any cleaning fairies.

After that the four girls are heading to Temecula wine country to do some touring and/or sampling and to enjoy an awesome lunch.  (Joan & Ursula get to peruse the  website and figure out which ones we’re going to visit while Laura and I are at the office).  Tonight is a mystery but we’ll figure it out. 

Tomorrow we’re off to the coast to putter in various little towns and watch the sunset over the ocean.  Tomorrow night is another mystery right now but it will be fun too.  Saturday morning Joan and Ursula head back east then Laura & I head off to our skydiving adventure. 

I’ll share pix and stories as I can!  Have a great few days everyone!!

I’m Still Alive…

…just incredibly busy with trade show preparations! 

I’ve been getting up between 1:30-3:00AM to get work done while hanging in my jammies.  I leave for the office around 6AM and head home anywhere between 4:30-630PM.  When I get home I work for a couple hours then head to bed because I’m too exhausted to do anything else.

Today and tomorrow should be the last of the incredibly chaotic work-work days…then it’s one day and one night of speeding through all the house stuff I need to do so that when my guests come home with me after the show I can open the door without worrying about the mess on the other side.

Of course, that means I need to have a serious talk with the feline roommate before I leave… ;-)

I’ll be back before the show — everyone have a great rest of the week!!