Stuff you care nothing about, but matters to me!

What Are You Doing New Years Eve?

2011-12-30T10:47:00.000-08:00

This is beyond adorable, and so timely. I adore Zooey Deschanel , add in some Joseph Gordon-Levitt and this is too good to be true. Enjoy, and have a fantastic New Years Eve!

The Death of Courtney's Kindle

2011-12-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

Tragedy struck our household this past weekend, my kindle passed away.....

One day it was happy, bright, and quick to turn the pages. Then, all of a sudden, lines began to appear across the top of the screen, the pages ceased turning, and the screen became a mess of black & gray writing and lines...oh the lines!

Apparently this is not unheard of for older Kindles (I had a second generation) but it isn't something that Amazon can fix. Luckily they have a program where for a reduced fee they'll sell you an upgrade (not the newest versions, but a new to me version).

I hadn't realized just how addicted I was to my Kindle until it began it's death spiral. I was right in the middle of a book! However, it didn't even cross my mind just to run to the store and buy a copy of the book. And, I could just use the Kindle app on my iPad or iPhone to read. But, oh no, I had to whine and groan and gripe about it to Chris for hours.

Luckily for Chris my new one arrives tomorrow!

2011 Holiday Season in Bullets

2011-12-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

Argosy Party at the Four Seasons - Glow sticks and dancing
Thanksgiving in Oly - Turkey had by all
Christmas Ships, Christmas Ships, Christmas Ships
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with Angie - Chris & Brandon left behind
Expedia Party at Lucky Strike / The Parlor - Chris won me a pink platypus
Christmas Ships with Friends & Family - Ruby's first Argosy Cruise!
Coworker Christmas Party in Auburn - Left bread crumbs to find way back home
Christmas Celebration in Oly - Pizza and Presents, an awesome combination!
House's B'day - Tap House Dinner & Sherlock Holmes 2 (I slept through the middle)
Final Night of Christmas Ships - Dinner at Cantinetta and viewing from Gas Works with Shannon, House was on the Good Time 2
Christmas Eve Dinner - Best Ham Ever, Way to go Bro!
Christmas Day - Presents, presents and more presents, smiles all around
Christmas Day Dinner at Jay & Mary's - extended extended family, good food, good times
Day after Christmas - One more hurrah with the Parentals, dinner at Cactus...Yum!

All in all a wonderful family & friends filled holiday season. Cheers to you and yours in 2012!

Merry Christmas from the House's!

Cat Gift Guide

2011-12-23T09:35:00.001-08:00

Goodbye Maddy

2011-12-01T13:31:00.001-08:00

Ms. Madeline Hedgehog, beloved cat, and all around wonderful friend passed away yesterday. She brought my brother's family lots of joy and will be greatly missed.

Goodbye Maddy......

Beep Beep, we got a Jeep

2011-12-01T10:36:00.001-08:00

Chris and I were sucked into an end of the year, end of the month, financing special, customer cash back sale last night and came home with a new vehicle. We've been shopping for months, finally test drove a few weeks ago, and fell in love with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

I managed to snap one picture of our actual vehicle. I realize it is a crappy photo, so I've included a stock photo of how awesome it is.

Winter Is Coming

2011-11-30T12:57:00.001-08:00

For all of you Game of Thrones / Calvin & Hobbes fans out there (myself included).....

Thankful

2011-11-23T09:14:00.001-08:00

Where to even begin. There are so many things that I am thankful for, how about a bullet list?

Chris House - 'nuff said. Best husband ever.
Mom & Dad - My parentals are awesome and I look forward to every minute I get to spend with them.
Jeff, Sara, Ella, Sadie & Ezzy - My brother and his family, love love love them.
Angie, Brandon, Sandi, Ben, Grandma Vi - Chris's family, so glad that they were part of the marriage package.
Jetty Pants & Ares Berries - These two fill my life with joy and keep me warm at night when the heater goes off.
Extended Family & Friends - Wow, I am so thankful that I have such amazing people in my life. I have the best Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, friends of my parents, Argosy Family, friends & friends & friends..... I know that I always have someone to turn to....
My work family - "They" say you spend about 15% of your life at work, well these folks make it worth it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jetty VS Wood Floor

2011-11-13T16:14:00.001-08:00

I finally took the time to catch on video the phenomenon that is Jetty VS our Wood Floor. It is way too scary to cross facing forwards, but backwards it is somewhat ok. The first minute or so is me trying to coax him.

Hiking with BAKP

2011-10-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday dad and I met up with Janice and Ron for a hike up Saddle Rock. For those of you living in Wenatchee, you probably know this hike well. I absolutely love the views that you get from the top. The sun was shining and Wenatchee looked gorgeous. I wish the trail head was outside my back door and I could climb up there anytime I wanted, especially with my hiking buddy BAKP!

My hiking buddy BAKP and I at the top (Thanks for the coffee Ron!):

Looking back at Castle Rock from the trail:

BAKP and Freddy the Fir (yes, he names trees):

The hikers BAKP, Janice and Ron:

Looking down river towards Rock Island:

Looking across the river at East Wenatchee:

Looking up river towards Rocky Reach Dam:

Look over there, things and stuff:

Pretty Janice:

Big Al the Kiddies Pal (BAKP)

2011-10-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

I just found this on my phone and realized that i needed to post it. My dad rocks!

Road Trip! Canada August 2011

2011-10-02T09:36:00.001-07:00

Did you know we took a road trip to Canada in August? Probably, but I never got around to blogging about it. Anyway......

Chris and I took a vacation in August and road tripped to Canada. We started off from Seattle on a foggy Sunday morning at 5:30am and drove to Anacortes where we took a Washington State Ferry to Sidney (Victoria), BC. From there we drove 271 KM north to Campbell River, BC where we checked in at Painter's Lodge fishing resort!

We spent the next couple of days fishing (I caught a 16lb King) and exploring. We had beautiful weather and truly enjoyed the Campbell River area. I highly recommend a trip there!

Painter's Lodge from the water - our room was in this main section of the lodge right above the restaurant/pub/lounge (very convenient!):

The Boston Whaler fishing boat lineup:

5am sunrise:

Me with the fish I caught and the little one that House caught:

One afternoon we took the water taxi across to Quadra Island and the Painter's Lodge sister resort April Point. There we rented scooters and explored Quadra Island. Seemed like a crazy hippie infested island and we had a great time "scooting" around it!

Chris and I on the water taxi:

Exploring Quadra Island:

My "scooting" getup:

One afternoon we drove south of Campbell River to play a round of golf at Storey Creek. We were paired up with another twosome and come to find out they were from Bellevue! Small world. They were up on their 65ft boat and had to come to port when their fridge went out. We had a nice visit with them as we played this beautiful course.

After 3 nights at Painter's Lodge we headed south, stopping in Nanaimo for lunch and then taking the BC Ferry from Mill Bay to Brentwood Bay. I had never been on a ferry quite like this one.

Chris at the Mill Bay ferry dock:

The funky ferry:

Chris and I on the ferry:

We stayed at an amazing resort in Brentwood Bay cleverly named the Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa. Another highly recommend! Our room was beautiful and I loved the bathtub (think huge, with jets, lined with candles, bath salts included) so much that I took 5 baths and we were only there 2 nights!

Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa:

Our patio, lots of cribbage was played here!

The gateway to the beautiful tub (oh and there was a stone shower with heated tile and steam sprayers that was pretty awesome also!):

Chris so excited that he couldn't hide it:

We spent one morning touring The Butchart Gardens (Chris was in heaven, I was allergic). I will admit it was quite beautiful!

Chris loves reading all the signs:

After leaving the gardens we drove up Mt Douglas and hiked to the lookout where Chris found more signs to read:

Gorgeous view of Victoria and the surrounding areas from the lookout. Again, highly recommend!

After leaving the top of Mt Douglas we visited the Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse and enjoyed tasting 9 yummy ciders while enjoying their view. Another highly recommend. We came home with many of their ciders to enjoy!

After 2 nights in Victoria we packed up once again and took the ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen and drove into Vancouver for our final night. After checking in at the Marriott downtown we took to the streets to explore. We walked towards the water and encountered the strangest looking structure. After staring at it for about 5 minutes we finally realized it was the Olympic Torch from the 2010 Winter Olympics!

Nearby was Douglas Coupland Digital Orca. I'm a huge Douglas Coupland fan so I thought this was pretty cool.

Another highlight from Vancouver was stumbling upon the Steamwork's Brewing Company. Tasty beers, yummy food, and super friendly staff. We stopped in there for a pint and ended up going back later for dinner since we liked it so much.

So, needless to say, we loved our road trip to Canada and if you're in the Seattle area and looking for a beautiful, fun, enjoyable adventure, I'd highly recommend a similar road trip!

How Cute Are These Two?

2011-09-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

I just can't believe that Ella is 10 already (10 going on teenager). We had a great time this past August with Ella. She attended Stacey & Tyler's wedding with us and then spent the night with us in Seattle before flying (unaccompanied minor!) back to Portland. So fun!

I Believe

2011-09-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Too Much Doctor Who

2011-08-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

CANstruction 2011

2011-07-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

This year I was the Team Captain for the Expedia CANstruction 2011 challenge. Our team (Egencia) raised over $3,500 for Hopelink and built Big Ben out of cans. We didn't win any awards this year but we had a great time participating. I love seeing what everyone builds each year. Many creative minds reside in the Expedia family.

Big Ben (over 2000 cans):

The big winner - Apollo 7:

Very creative TSA screening station:

Easter Island out of tuna cans:

Treasure Island:

CANcun (get it!):

The Wenatchee Crew's Weekend in Seattle

2011-07-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my parents and some of their friends visited for a fun filled weekend in Seattle. We had such a great time. I'm so lucky to have such a great relationship with my parents and that their friends are so supportive (my extended family). What a great group of folks!

We started with a Friday night dinner/show at Teatro ZinZanni (Hail Caesar!). Caesar even visited us for a group photo!

Saturday the Wenatchee crew explored downtown Seattle (Pike Place, etc.), apparently eating their way through the city.

Saturday night we all met back up and took an Argosy Cruise out to Blake Island to take in the new Tillicum Village Show. Chris was able to show off all of the hard work he and the Argosy team have been doing at the island. The dinner was fantastic (love the new menu items) and the new show is great. I really enjoyed the added cruise director narration on the way to the island. I always seem to learn something new.

Can't wait for the Wenatchee crew to visit again!

My mom is so beautiful.

Good times.

This is for Mr House

2011-07-13T13:08:00.001-07:00

Apple Skillz

2011-07-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

Chris: "Did you prune the apple tree?"
Me: "No, why would you ask that??"
Chris: "You're from Wenatchee, seemed like something you'd know how to do."

7 Years

2011-05-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

Today is the 7th anniversary of Chris and Courtney's first date. 7 years of fun! So happy I responded to that first email.

Happy 2nd Birthday Esme!

2011-05-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

Today, little Ezzy turns 2 years old. My how time is flying.

How cute is she?

She loves her "Papa"

Raised Garden Bed Update

2011-05-23T17:50:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Chris and I spent a lot of time finishing up our raised garden beds area. We added paths between and behind the beds and a patio on the far side (former home of the dogwood tree). It was a lot of work but we are both VERY happy with how it turned out! Luckily the sun was out in full force yesterday afternoon so I was able to get some good pictures. Also, check out how the potato sacks (relocated to the new garden area) are doing compared to my last post about them.

My Buddy

2011-05-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is how I spent yesterday afternoon. Life is good.

Potato Sacks

2011-05-04T18:48:00.001-07:00

For Christmas this past year Chris gave me some Potato Sacks. Double layer felt sacks in which to grow potatoes. So, at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show this year I picked up some heirloom seed potatoes from Irish Eyes. I picked up some German Butterball and Red Norland seed potatoes. A few weeks ago I had the chance to plant them and lo and behold they actually sprouted!

Raised Garden Beds

2011-05-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Chris and I took advantage of the sunny weather (finally!) this past weekend to build our raised garden beds. At the end of last season we had ripped out our old garden bed (small) and covered an entire section of grass with black plastic to fester over the winter. Saturday morning we pulled up the black plastic and began our work.

First I had to dig up the dogwood tree that has always been in the wrong spot. It was here when we moved in. An entire side of it broke off when a drunk raccoon jumped on it. It has always looked out of place. So...I dug it up *flex*.

The next thing we noticed was that we were going to need some sort of retaining wall to keep our new garden area from eroding under our neighbors fence. It only took 1 hour at Home Depot to come up with a viable solution. Hollow cement blocks (22 total - 16 x 8 x 8 inches each).

While Chris built the beds (he's safer with saws) I built the retaining wall. It isn't the straightest most level wall I've ever seen, but it will serve it's purpose.

Jetty was a huge help. He ate lots and lots of grass so we didn't have to pull out the edger. This is him with his mouth full.

After much slaving away we had our raised beds built!! Next up we'll build some paths in between them and a small patio at the far end for a bench. If anyone would like to come play in the dirt and help out, just let me know. We pay in beer.

Good Friends / Good Times

2011-05-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

Two Saturday's ago Chris and I met up with Angie, Brandon, Joe and Jennifer to take in an M's game. The outing started with a stop at Fado for some pre game beers where we were surrounded by bunnies. No really, surrounded by bunnies....well people dressed like bunnies. And a few dressed like skunks, turtles, and sluts (bunny sluts).

After we surrvived the bunny invasion we wound our way to The Safe to take in the game and were treated to a 9-1 loss by our Seattle Mariners. At least the company was great.....

Oh, and if you take in a M's game this year, be warned that the center field landing is now a complete meat market. I mean really, worse than it used to be...and I didn't think that was possible.

At least the M's won.....oh wait....

Chris & Joe

Angie & Brandon

Jennifer & Courtney (no one knows what I'm doing here.....)

Duwamish Alive!

2011-04-18T10:38:00.001-07:00

Saturday, Chris and I spent the day helping out with a cleanup effort on the Duwamish River for the Duwamish Alive event. Argosy Cruises donated the services of the Beaver (the Argosy work boat) for the event, Chris was the captain and I came along to help out. Chris kept telling me that my #1 chore was to not get injured. That is always a good thing for me to aspire to, but not always achievable. Luckily Saturday was one of my "good days".

There were volunteer events all along the Duwamish but we were stationed near the kayak cleanup. Volunteers took donated kayaks out onto the river to pick up trash. When they had filled a bag full they would then bring us the trash to haul back. We also spent some time picking up our own trash. My big find was a floating 40, empty with the cap on.

All in all it was a great day, and time well spent.

It was a very chilly morning on the waterfront:

Slowly the sun began to shine:

Happy Birthday Ella (1 day late again)

2011-04-11T07:25:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Ella's 10th Birthday. 10th!!! Here are some of my favorite pictures of her from the weekend we spent in Wenatchee.

Batter up!

Ella & I

Ella & Grandpa

Post skiing happiness.

Happy 7th B'Day Sadie! (1 day late)

2011-04-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Sadie's 7th b'day. I was so lucky to get to spend some time with her and her sisters a couple of weekends ago and ski with them at Mission Ridge. Here are some of my favorite photos of Sadie from that weekend.

Sadie and I skiing:

Little munchkin, big goggles:

Sadie style:

Ella Skiing

2011-03-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Check out this great video I got of my brother Jeff and my father "instructing" Ella down the ski slope. She did fantastic! Click to view.

Mr. Jetty Pants

2011-03-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

Mr. Pants had a fantastic weekend in Wenatchee visiting with his cousins.

What a handsome puppy:

He's so patient with his cousins:

He loves playing fetchers and chasers:

Here he is hiding during a game of hide and seek:

Girls Fish Too!

2011-03-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Chris, Angie, Brandon and I attended the annual Fly Fishing Film Tour. This was the 4th year of the tour. Chris's 4th time attending, my 3rd and Angie/Brandon's 2nd.

Chris and I picked up fly fishing back in 2004 (or maybe it was 2005) when we took a fly fishing class at The Avid Angler. I'm by no means an expert, but I know how to cast without wacking myself in the head or busting off my fly on the bank. And, I have been known to actually catch fish.

At the Fly Fishing Film Tour there was a drawing. Upon arrival you were given a white card to fill out with your information and then walk all the way to the front of the theater and drop it in a box. We all filled the cards out and Chris and I walked them up to the front. During the intermission they held the drawing. They drew for some fly line, a couple of bags, and then it was time for the big drawing, a fly rod. They drew out the card and the guy said "well this is a first, a woman winner" - queue the groans from the crowd - and then he said "Courtney House".

I walked up to the front while all the men in the audience (probably 90% men - 10% women) gave me dirty looks and retrieved my Sage VXP 9 ft 6 weight rod. Angie told me later that the 4 men sitting behind us said to Chris "Please tell us she knows how to fish", to which Angie turned around and said "YES! She does!" (love my sis-in-law).

Here I am getting ready to try out my new fly rod (and new wading boots - thanks Chris!). See boys, girls fish too.

Salton Sea

2011-02-28T13:47:00.001-08:00

You can just make it out in the background. From a lookout accessible via trail from the Palm Springs Tramway.

Desert Hikers

2011-02-28T13:41:00.001-08:00

From our Feb 2011 Trip to Palm Spring - Chris House, Allen Jones, Ron Ward, Nita Jones & Kathy Ward. Indian Canyons Trails.

Snow Day

2011-02-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

Not substantial, but at least we got some of the white stuff before winter leaves us for good this year!

Parentals

2011-02-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

Top of the tram in Palm Springs.

Only 17 More Shopping Days

2011-01-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

see more Lol Celebs

Country Tour

2011-01-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever paid close attention to your shipment tracking?

Yesterday I placed an order with Amazon.com and as usual received an email that my order had shipped. I clicked on the link to see what the arrival date was and I saw the following:

Apparently my package is making some sort of US Tour. Kick off in Nevada! One night only in Kentucky! Stop over in Ohio!!

I'm curious where else it will go......

I Leveled Up!

2011-01-13T09:13:00.001-08:00

House Family Christmas Card 2010

2011-01-05T12:57:00.001-08:00

In case you didn't receive one, Happy Holidays from the House family.

Showered With Gifts

2011-01-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Christmas (other than that part where I was sick for 2 weeks straight). We celebrated with Chris's family the weekend before at Grandma's house in Olympia and we were showered with gifts. The following weekend we took a trek over the hills to Wenatchee to spend a few days with my parents and once again were showered with gifts. We also received a few gift showering packages along the way. I decided to make a photo collage of my gifts so I can remember them next year.

User Error

2010-12-20T11:31:00.001-08:00

You have to be able to laugh at yourself, and I seem to have plenty of opportunity to do so.

Sometimes I don't know my own strength. And often, when opening things, I forget about my brute strength and rip doors/handles/lids right off.

Last summer it was the lid to the deck box. Chris made fun of me for weeks.

Just recently it was the door handle in our Volvo, from the inside. When Chris took it in to get fixed the guy said to him "I have no idea how she managed to do that".

Well, I managed to do it again. Just a few weeks after getting it fixed. Good thing I don't lift weights, can you imagine?!

So, the door handle is broken. And, in order to exit the car I have to roll down the window, open it from the outside, and then roll it back up.

Last week I drove into work, parked the car, rolled down the window, opened the door and then noticed that the RED warning light was on in the car. I let out a giant sign, pulled out the manual and looked up the warning light. The note said "pull over immediately and read computer text on dash". So I looked at the dash and couldn't read the message because the light is going out in the dash computer. It only works when the car has been off for at least an hour, only for about 10 minutes or so. Big sigh again.

I went upstairs and called our repair guy. They didn't have an opening until Monday. I began to panic. There may have been anger, there may have been yelling, and possibly a few tears. I was very upset. It also didn't help that my commute is fairly far and I was stressed about a busy day at work. Needless to say, I may have lost it. Poor Chris.

Around two in the afternoon I finally had a break and went down to the parking garage to see if I could read the warning message (since the car had been parked for some time). I opened the door and got in, leaving the door open so I wouldn't have to do the window routine to get back out. I turned on the car, the warning light came on, and I looked over at the message. It was there, clear as day, "Driver Door Open".

Huge Sigh.

Dreamforce'10

2010-12-07T14:01:00.001-08:00

I'm in San Francisco this week for my 7th Dreamforce event. Dreamforce is the annual users conference for Salesforce.com.

To give you an idea of the growth that Salesforce has had, the first year I came to dream force there were a handful of partner booths, the entire conference was held in a hotel, and we were bused to the closing keynote.

This year Dreamforce has taken over Moscone (conference center) North, South, and West in downtown San Francisco. The line for this morning's keynote was thousands long at 8am this morning for a 9am start. They are expecting over 30k attendees this year, and that number doesn't include all of those who are watching around the globe on the live feed!

Needless to say, the growth has been phenomenal, but I am far from surprised.

I'm looking forward to this morning's keynote and hearing about what is coming next for this company with a rocket pack on.

Haven't heard of Salesforce.com? It is time you checked them out!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Gearing up for the Holidays

2010-11-27T17:38:00.001-08:00

Testing out BlogPress on my new iPad (early Christmas gift to myself!)

Jetty is getting in the holiday spirit early this year!

Location:SW Kenyon St,Seattle,United States

Percival Jones House: August 10, 1997 - November 16, 2010

2010-11-21T17:36:00.000-08:00

Percival, Percy, Pman, Peterman, Petey, Big Kitty, Big Pete

Last week we lost our good buddy. He was quite the cat. Or as Kevin Mullarky says "He was a real prick of a cat". If you've met Percy, you know exactly what he meant.

Percy was.....well, Percy was a bit evil. It takes me both hands to count the number of people that had to visit their doctor because of a Percy bite. He had a dirty dirty mouth.

But he was my buddy. Percy and I went through a lot together. He and I even moved to San Diego and back together. When no one else was looking, he'd climb up on my lap and purr and purr.

Percy loved food. He REALLY loved food. He also loved surveying his land. We'd let him out the back door and he'd just roam, sniffing about, and then he'd find a spot to lay down and just take it all in. He also loved drinking from the tub. And he loved telling you all about it. He was a loud kitty.

Chris, Ares, Jet and I all miss Percy (well, maybe not Ares, and I'm not really sure Jet noticed...but Chris and I miss him for sure).

He was quite a cat.

RIP Percy, we'll keep an eye on Pound Kitty for you.

Kidnappers?

2010-11-10T07:17:00.001-08:00

Chris and I are trying to sell Sebastian, our 2002 Subaru Outback. We have had tons of interest, but as of yet no buyers. One of the tricky things about selling a car is the test drive. Chris and I have a system. If the interested party is male he rides along, and if the interested party is female I ride along. But last night a couple showed up, together, and after a few glances between us Chris went along with them.

After they had been gone about 10 minutes I began to watch out the front window for their return. A few minutes later I began to receive text messages from Chris. Here is a transcript:

Chris:

Am on north 99

Me:

Whoa! What?!? Are you being kidnapped?

Chris:

They seem nice but may be kidnapping me

Me:

Should I call the police?

Chris:

Not yet

Me:

Ok keep me posted!

Chris:

Ok
Took Seneca Exit

Me:

Ok Good

Chris:

Waiting to get on s 99 at columbia

Me:

Ok, do they seem interested in the car?

Chris:

Hard to say
Heading s on 99 now
On w seattle bridge
On 35th
Switching drivers at car wash place

Me:

Ok, where are you now?

Chris:

Pulling up
Open g door

I think what really threw us off was the extended test drive. Every other test drive we've had has lasted a maximum of 10 blocks. This one took Chris on a tour of Seattle in the dark and rain. Hopefully this means that they'll call to day with an offer. Keeping all my fingers and toes crossed.

Thanks goodness for text messaging/cell phones though, or I probably would have called the police!

Auto Refill - The Saga Continues

2010-11-09T12:16:00.001-08:00

A while back I blogged about my woes with the Safeway Pharmacy Auto Refill Program (click here). And, well, it hasn't gotten any better.

I received a new prescription a month ago and promptly headed to the pharmacy to get it filled. I knew that I still had one more refill left on my previous prescription but asked that they cancel that and make sure to take it off the auto refill. I also asked that the new prescription not be enrolled in auto refill. All went as planned.

About 2 weeks after that I received a call from the automated "Machine" informing me that my prescription was ready to be picked up, my auto refill prescription, the one that should have been canceled (?), or maybe the one that wasn't supposed to be set up on auto refill (?). The suspense was almost more than I could stand so I rushed right over to the pharmacy.

Old prescription, old auto refill......never canceled.

Just for grins I asked "Do you still have my new prescription in your machine?". "Yes". "Ok, is it on Auto Refill?". "No, of course it isn't, you asked that it not be enrolled".

Beyond amazed I once again left Safeway awe.

You're not going to be surprised when I fill you in on what happened next. A few days ago I received a call from the automated "Machine" letting me know that my prescription was ready to be picked up. My prescription that wasn't on auto refill. Oh joy.

I could barely wait to rush to the pharmacy and find out what they were going to supply me with this time. At the counter I gave them my name and they searched high and low for my prescription. Nothing. I explained that the "Machine" had called me just that morning, and you won't believe what they told me this time:

"Oh, well that is why. The machine calls you, then you're supposed to call us and we'll refill your prescription, the call is just a reminder".

Really, I'm not kidding, this is what they told me. I only wish I could make this stuff up.

Bad Pants Karma

2010-11-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

I've been having issues lately keeping the seems of my pants together.

Example 1: I recently purchased a pair of work slacks (you know, those awesome wrinkle free kind they have now). I purchased them from my favorite clothing store Eddie Bauer. I purchased the same size and style that I always do. I was very excited.

That is until the first time I wore them, to work. I'm not sure how long it was before the seam split and I noticed, but it could have been up to 6 hours.

Oh, and it wasn't just a simple leg seam split. Oh no, it was a middle of the butt split. Of course, at work. I claimed that I was cold and wore my long jacket the rest of the day.

The next day I packed the pants back up and returned them to the store. No questions asked, they replaced my pants with a new pair.

Fast forward a week. I decided to wear my new new pants to work, put them on and proceeded to get ready for work. Luckily the brilliant side of me decided to examine the new pants before leaving the house this time. Low and behold, guess what I found. Yep, a hole in seam of the pants. Yep, middle of the butt.

Fast forward another few days and I find myself back at the store again returning the pants. The gentleman at the counter was very friendly and helpful, up until the point where he suggested that perhaps I buy a bigger size. That isn't something you suggest to a woman. End of story. I calmly tried to explain how I hadn't even worn this pair. He then brought forward another pair, same size/style as my previous two and suggested that I maybe try again. Again, in my brilliance I asked to examine the pants before I left the store. Oh, and guess what, there was the beginnings of a hole in the seam, middle of the butt! I asked for a refund instead.

Example 2: Another fairly new pair of work pants, I've worn them a handful of times, this time purchased at Nordstrom. And again, who knows how long I was walking around with a hole in my pants but it could have been anywhere from 1 to 8 hours. Oh and this time, instead of a middle of the butt seam hole, the hole was on the opposite side of my body, same region, you get the picture. Oh yeah, and bright pink underwear. Awesome.

I'm switching to skirts.

2010 Summer Vacation

2010-09-27T20:04:00.001-07:00

Chris and I spent our summer vacation, and our 4th anniversary, visiting our honeymoon locations - Anderson Island & Lake Chelan.

We started off the week enjoying Labor Day weekend on Anderson Island. First order of business was the Labor Day Parade. Jetty was a big hit, kids love Jetty.

We also watched Ben drive his new tractor in the parade. We couldn't get him to smile.

Jetty loves Anderson Island, and truly loves to get as stinky as possible.

We stayed on Anderson Island until Wednesday when we packed up and headed over the mountains to Wenatchee. We visited the new boat dock on the river and enjoyed an anniversary dinner with my parents at McGlinns.

Thursday morning we packed up again and headed up to Lake Chelan. The first order of business was golf at Bear Mountain. Angie and Brandon arrived just in time for our tee time.

Friday morning we took our 4 kayaks up to Lake Antilon for some trout fishing. It was a beautiful day.

After fishing we had lunch at Blueberry hills and then wine tasted our way back to the cabin. We stopped in at Four Lakes, Tildio, Hard Row to Hoe and Chelan Ridge winery. Back at the cabin we discovered that one of Jet's favorite games is fishing. Chris catches him a fish, and he sniffs it while it flops around. We were barely able to tear him away from the dock!

Brandon loved the lake.

And finally caught a fish.

Saturday was spent wine tasting again. We had lunch and tasting at Karma, stopped in at Nefarious and Tunnel Hill and then ended the afternoon at Tsillan Cellars.

All in all it was an awesome week!

Suckering

2010-09-27T11:07:00.001-07:00

This is what we call Suckering in our house. Jet has this weird habit where he lays down with a toy or blanket and suckers it, for at least 20 minutes. Just suckers and suckers and suckers. Perhaps he was weaned too early?

Too Much Excitement

2010-09-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Jetty and I spent this past weekend in Wenatchee. Jetty LOVES visiting his grandparents and has so much fun. The flip side of all that fun is that as soon as we return home he has to nap for 2 days straight. Here is one worn out puppy!

Food For Thought

2010-08-31T08:59:00.001-07:00

Haunted Grocery Store

2010-08-26T07:45:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I stopped in at Safeway on my way home to pick up a few groceries and I had the oddest experience.

First, while standing in the produce section, near the case along the wall, more than 4 feet away from it, all of a sudden a giant head of cauliflower came rolling down and launched itself into the aisle. I glanced around but no one was within 20 feet of the cauliflower display. Finding it a bit odd, I went over, picked up the cauliflower and returned it to it's temporary home. Still a bit confused, but not thinking too much of it I moved on.

Then, upon entering the soda/water/sparkling water aisle, still 4 feet away from the display case, bottles of sparkling water started leaping off to the top shelf, taking cans of tonic water with them on their way down, and breaking open all over the aisle upon impact. Now I was a bit freaked out and glanced all around me, above me, behind me, but no one was anywhere near the display.

Not knowing quite what to do, I noticed a woman mopping the floor at the other end of the aisle and proceeded to approach her and recount my story of the water bottle escape. She smiled and let me know she'd be happy to clean it up. Then on a whim I decided to recount the story of the cauliflower to her as well. Her eyes grew wide and her smile dropped immediately from her face and she said to me "Oh my god, we're haunted!". I waited for her to smile and laugh it off, but when she didn't I just nodded and walked away.

If Only For A Few More Days.....

2010-08-16T11:08:00.001-07:00

I was filling out an online survey for an event I attended last week and came across this question. In a few days I will move to the next category...... *sigh*

Ha!

2010-08-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Volunteer

2010-07-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

So we opted out of growing a garden this year. We pulled out the old garden space leveled the land, and expanded it 3 times the size of the old garden. Next we will install raised beds, but we're waiting until later in the season when it cools off since we won't be planting anything this year. Right now our garden area looks like a burial ground where Percy can bury his victims. And we all know that Percy has plenty of victims. But instead of the bodies of Percy's victims we found this plant growing in the burial ground. Anyone know what it might be? It has some flowers that just started blooming and one that looks like it might be turning into a pumpkin/squash/thing? I'm excited to find out what we grew by accident! I wish more exciting things would grow in Percy's burial ground.

Oh Sookie

2010-07-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are True Blood fans. Can't get enough of this HBO adaptation. After the season premier we were looking around on HBO on demand for some of the short True Blood videos and came across this gem. I've been singing it for weeks. Oh yeah, the D oh Double G.

The Truth About Mondays

2010-07-26T13:40:00.001-07:00

2010 Front Yard Update

2010-07-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here in Seattle and the work we did in the front yard this spring is finally starting to pay off. Here are some updated pictures:

This is where the giant Juniper bush used to be.

The birdbath we used to have in the back yard (replaced by new solar birdbath), the cement kitty used to live on our front porch, and the leaf birdfeeder we picked up at the West Seattle Nursery yesterday. We've had quite a few Robins bathing in the bath.

A few more pictures.

Auto Refill - A tale of frustration

2010-06-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

I'm in a battle of wills with the Safeway Pharmacy on Roxbury in West Seattle. In October of 2009 I took my new prescription in to be filled and received pleasant service and prompt drugs. In November I called in for my refill and picked it up a few hours later. Easy Peasy. Then in December of 2009, things changed.

I called in and asked for my refill and upon my arrival at the pharmacy counter was informed of the wonders of Auto Refill. Did I know that I'd never have to remember to call in? That they would input me in the system and I would receive a call when my prescription was ready, at a minimum 5 days before my prescription ran out. Sounded nice to me so I signed up. Or so I thought.

In January, as I took my last pill, it dawned on me that I had no more. Where was the call from the Safeway Pharmacy you ask? Well I asked the same thing. I took a trip into the store and asked. I was told that they had called, but that they do not leave a message. "The machine" does not leave messages. Ok fine, at least now I know. So I took my drugs and headed home.

Then it was February and I received a message on my phone from "The Machine" that my prescription was ready. Really, weird, I thought it didn't leave messages. Oh well, prescription acquired.

March. No message, no call that I'm aware of. I call in to inquire if my prescription was ready and was told "of course it is, you're on auto refill, it is always ready at least 5 days early". So I ask "well why didn't I receive a call then" and was told "oh, we don't call, you just know to come in". Hmm.....curious.

April. I don't even bother wondering. I just drive to the store, two days before I'm out, and ask at the counter for my prescription. It isn't ready. I am told "that is weird, we show that you are on auto refill, but it wasn't triggered this month". Ok fine, I understand how computers can "error", I decide to let that one slide.

May. Again, no call, no message, I take a trip to the store. I am told that I was called, but when I didn't come in they returned my prescription to their stores. Seriously. I was there 4 days before my prescription ran out. I know for a fact I never received a call. I ask them to double check my phone number. Correct. I ask for the date it should have been ready. Correct (even though I was apparently already late???). Ok fine. I asked them for my prescription, pay and leave.

Today. Not surprisingly I never received a call. No message. 4 days before my prescription runs out. I drive to Safeway. I ask for my prescription. Not ready. They check the computer. Weird, I'm not signed up for Auto Refill. And even stranger, I'm told "You were never ever enrolled in Auto Refill". They offered to sign me up.

Seriously.

I give up.

Boys Will Be Boys

2010-05-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

We traveled to Maui this past weekend for the wedding of Steve & Iris. Here is a great shot of the boys getting ready for the ceremony:

The Disaster In The Gulf

2010-05-13T08:26:00.001-07:00

I've been watching the news about the Oil Spill/Leak/Eruption in the gulf with sad disbelief. Today Ann Curry tweeted a link to some amazing photos that really bring the whole situation home. I thought I would pass along that link: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/disaster_unfolds_slowly_in_the.html

What, if anything, will we learn from this?

Cheever Family Photo

2010-05-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

In March I made a quick trip to Wenatchee for an impromptu Cheever Family gathering. My mother is a Cheever, the oldest of six siblings. We had a great time visiting, listening to my cousin Sunny and her husband Lou sing, and relaxing around the campfire. Of course there were a ton of photos taken, but this one is by far the best. That's my cousin Sunny's French Bulldog Pepe front and center.

From Cheever Family Gathering - March 27th 2010

Sadie's B'day Dress

2010-05-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

And here is one of Sadie in the adorable dress (if I do say so myself) that Uncle Chris and I got her for her 6th Birthday:

Ella's 9th B'day Cake

2010-05-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

Here is another photo I found. This one is of Ella and the b'day cake Sara made her for her 9th Birthday.

Jet & Esme

2010-05-10T07:42:00.001-07:00

In April I took a trip to Portland to visit my nieces for their birthdays. I finally got around to downloading the pictures and found this one:

2010 Front Yard Remodel

2010-05-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

Ever since we moved into this house the giant juniper bush in the front yard has been a thorn in our sides. Finally we decided to bite the bullet and have it removed. Of course I had to first try to remove it myself and you'll see from the pictures I didn't get very far. I spent about 8 hours attacking the juniper and was only able to remove about 10% of it. Ken's Yard Service came and removed the entire thing, ground the stumps, and hauled the debris in a little under 3 hours.

Here is a slideshow of the progress we've made. The first few pictures are the miniscule progress I made.

Grandpa Jack

2010-05-05T08:16:00.001-07:00

On April 16th Chris's Grandpa Jack passed away. Here is a copy of his obituary that was in the Auburn Reporter on Friday April 30th. We miss him like crazy, but are happy that he is now at peace.

Jack Grinnell

February 28, 1913 - April 16, 2010
Jack passed away peacefully after a brief hospital stay in Olympia. Jack spent most of his life in Auburn, where he and wife Viola settled after his service with the Navy in WWII. Jack and Vi ran Auburn Federal Savings until their retirement. Jack was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, Elks, and Kiwanis. Jack and Vi moved to Olympia in 1993. When not spending time at the family cabin on Anderson Island, Jack spent his free time fishing the many rivers and lakes in the state. Jack is survived by his wife of 72 years, Viola, his daughter Sandra Skewis, and grandchildren Chris House, Angie Marmion, and Darcy McClintock, 3 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great grandchildren. No services are planned, but memorial donations may be sent to the donor's choice.

Jury Duty

2010-05-03T11:12:00.001-07:00

Today I am performing my civic duty, I am on Jury Duty.

My summons noted that I was to arrive at 8:30am this morning, downtown Seattle.

At around 7:15 this morning I happened to pull up their website where in bold red letters it stated:

PLEASE NOTE: There was a printing error on the April and May summons you may have received. The summons instructs citizens to report at 8:30 AM. The report time should be 8:00 AM. Please accept our apologies for this error and report at 8:00 AM on the date you have been summonsed.

I was the in hurry mode. If you know me at all, you know that I can't stand to be late, for ANYTHING. So I busted through the rest of my morning rituals, sprinted to the bus stop, caught the 21 express, walked 8 more blocks to the courthouse, and arrived at the front door at 7:58am.

Once I cleared security and checked in I grabbed a nice end seat and settled in. And since that moment I have sat here. And sat. And then sat some more. It is now 11:12am and I am still in the exact same spot.

Excitement. Let me tell you.

No Hoomuns

2010-04-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

!TAXI!

2010-04-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

On my desk at work I have a Spanish phrase a day calendar. I thought it might be fun to try and learn short snippets of Spanish.

My favorite so far has been:
Tengo alergia a las nueces.
I have an allergy to nuts.

This could really come in handy for me next time I travel down to Mexico.

Most of the phrases have been funny or relevant. However, today, ......well see for yourself:

Really?

Yep, We're the Dummies

2010-04-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a funny story for you.

The other night I got home from work and walked Jet like I always do. Then we got home and I fed him, like I always do. Then I had to run down to Target and pick up a few things, which I hardly ever do. And Jet was upset.

Now keep in mind that Jet rarely gets upset. He's a pretty laid back puppy. But he loves his people time. And apparently I had not given him enough attention.

When I arrived home from Target I found this in the middle of the floor. Could it be any more ironic?

(Not the best picture ever, taken on my phone!)

Loving My Kindle

2010-04-05T10:50:00.001-07:00

I posted a while back about how I broke down and got a Kindle (mainly because Chris had ordered one and I was jealous). Well I've had it for a few weeks now and I must say "I love my Kindle!".

Chris and I recently took a trip to Maui and our Kindle's came too.

Flying with the Kindle was awesome. My case has a little slot for my boarding pass and passport. I could lay the Kindle on my tray table and read without having to hold my book open. A few people asked me questions about the Kindle on the plane. I finished one book and launched right into another without having to dig out my backpack.

Sunbathing by the pool with the Kindle was also nice. I finished another book while sitting by the pool, hopped onto the wireless and ordered another and was reading again in minutes.

And, since both of us have Kindle's we only had to take one charger. Not that I really needed to charge it on the trip, it would have lasted the entire 8 days, but it was nice to know we had it just in case.

I'm in love with my Kindle.

Am I wishing I'd have waited and purchased an iPad instead?

No, not at all. I love reading, and I love my reading time to be separate from my computing time. I have an iPhone already and don't plan on getting an iPad anytime soon.

Do I miss the feel of books?

Of course, but not as much as I thought I would. I love that I can increase the font size on my Kindle (yes, I am getting older). I treated myself to an Oberon Design cover which I love love love and a Decal Girl skin that is super cute.

Highly recommend!

To Kindle or Not To Kindle

2010-03-11T07:42:00.001-08:00

That is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately.

I'm the gadget junkie in our family, always the first to get the new hip toy. So when Chris ordered a Kindle a couple months ago I was not only jealous I was a bit ashamed. But really, at the time, I had no desire to have one.

I love reading, but more importantly I love books. I love collecting books, especially from my favorite authors. But then there are those books that you read once, sort of enjoy, never want to read again, and take up valuable space in your already too crowded house. I was torn. But really, who's to say that I couldn't read some books on the Kindle, and others in their hardback first edition form that I covet?

So Chris received his Kindle and right away I knew I was going to want one. He ordered a super cool leather case from Oberon Design, and a skin from Decal Girl, and I wanted those too. I have been watching him enjoy his Kindle for weeks now and I've grown green with envy.

Yesterday I broke down and ordered my very own Kindle. And true to form I had to have it right away so I opted for 2 day shipping. I haven't ordered my Oberon case or my skin from Decal Girl yet but you can bet those won't be far behind.

I'm so predictable.

Just Like The Professionals

2010-02-19T07:24:00.000-08:00

Did you know that they make flesh colored tape? I had no idea until yesterday.

Yesterday I was a guest speaker at a Salesforce event for their new Chatter collaboration solution. I've been a speaker for them before but I have always used a lapel or hand held mic. But yesterday when I showed up they wanted to fit me with an over the ear microphone.

As the production staff was getting me fitted with my mic a gentleman came up with a roll of flesh colored tape. He said he would attach it on the side of my cheek, and then he said "Just Like The Professionals".

So here I am, just like a Professional (Thanks to my AE Tom for snapping this photo).

Emma "The Bully"

2010-02-17T07:38:00.001-08:00

Emma lives up the street from our house. Emma is a happy, playful, dopey yellow lab. Emma likes to escape from her yard and often we find her and return her home.

Last week I was walking Jet across the street from Emma's house when leash free happy go lucky Emma runs up. Now, Jet and Emma are friends, but poor little Jetty is about 1/5th her size. Emma started bouncing all around, hopping up and down, trying to get Jet to play, and she accidentally knocked him over. There was yelping and Jet was a bit freaked out. The noise alerted Emma's Dad and he ran over and grabbed her and took her home.

Jet, a bit frazzled, followed me home keeping a wary eye out for Emma.

Last night, after we'd returned home from dinner, our doorbell rang. Emma's two sisters (super cute little girls) were at our door with a Valentine gift for Jet from Emma. A little bag of heart shaped dog treats. And attached to the bag was the following note:

A Month!!

2010-02-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh.

It has been a month since I posted on my blog. A month. And honestly, I don't have much to post other than "A MONTH"!

But here are some bullets about what has been going on in the past MONTH:

I went to a week long conference for work and ran the projector. Go me.
I was awarded a President's Club trip to Maui, Hawaii. Yahoo!!
Chris dug up some lawn in our backyard. Now it is mud. Turns out that Jet loves mud.
I finished our taxes. Hurray for the energy tax credit.
A coworker and her baby girl passed away. Much sadness around the office.
We went to the Fly Fishing Film Tour with Angie and Brandon. We didn't win any goodies but we each got a nice yellow hat.
I've become addicted to Vampire Romance Novels thanks to Jenn.
Chris gave me a Le Creuset French Oven for Valentine's day. I can't wait for him to cook for me with it.
Chris got a Kindle. I now want a Kindle. I might just snag his while he isn't looking.
My parents are traveling the Southwest and keep calling with stories of sun, and pools, and good friends. I'm happy for them, but oh so very jealous.
Percy decided he's too big to fit in the litter box so he just goes in front of it. Boy that has been fun. Try googleing BIGGEST LITTER BOX EVER and notice how few options there really are.
It is spring in Seattle already and I haven't skied once yet this year.

See, really nothing too exciting........but really....A MONTH??

Wayback

2010-01-16T13:16:00.000-08:00

You probably know this already since everyone and their dog (literally) seems to have a Facebook page, but this week is supposed to be wayback week and you're supposed to change your profile picture to a retro one of you as a kid. Seems a bit silly, but after a while it really started catching on and there are some pretty hilarious and cute photos popping up.

I decided to dig up some old photos, scan them in, upload them to Facebook, and tag all my friends. Here are a few of the ones I scanned in.

1983 Brownies - Check out the beauty we had for a troop leader (HI MOM!)

1984 Brownies - Currently my Facebook profile picture!

1986 Abby's Pizza Fastpitch Softball Team

1989 or 1990 Shockers Fastpitch Softball Team

1992 Summer Breeze Dance

1991 JV Tennis

1992 Varsity Tennis

Watch Out For 900 UQX

2010-01-13T07:26:00.001-08:00

Wow, I am still a bit shaken after my experience this morning during my commute.

I hate commuting via car, I've mentioned this before, but today my commute tops my list of all time worst experiences.

I don't tailgate. In my book it is unsafe and rude to the person in front of you. As I was merging from the West Seattle Bridge onto I-5 this morning I was probably 3 car lengths behind the person in front of me. This apparently infuriated the man driving the compact car behind me. He had been tailgating me for about a mile, but as we approached the merge he began to flash his lights (seriously!) and narrow the already short distance between our vehicles.

Trying not to be rattled, I maintained my speed, which apparently infuriated him further. At this point he sped into the shoulder, around me on the right, and then cut directly in front of me, dangerously close to my front bumper.

Of course I was a bit freaked out so I hit my horn. I continued to honk at him as he came to a stop, in front of me, now on I-5, in the middle of rush hour. He then put his car in park, ON I-5 (!!!), got out and began yelling at me, pointing at his watch (apparently he was in a hurry, such a hurry that he had time to stop ON I-5), and flipping me the bird.

I'm sure I looked like an idiot as I slowly took my hand off the horn and sat their with my mouth wide open and a look of surprised disgust on my face.

Finally, after he had made his point (??!?) he got back into his car, began to drive forward, and then cut off the car next to him on the left and sped into the morning.

In a moment of clarity during the event I managed to memorize his license plate. Dear West Seattle-ites, keep an eye out for 900 UQX, he's on the verge.

Expedia Volunteer Day Video

2010-01-12T16:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a video that Megan Prine put together from last weekend's volunteer event. Thanks Megan!

Give A Day, Get A Disney Day

2010-01-11T07:49:00.001-08:00

On Saturday I was treated to a crazy surprise.

I was signed up to volunteer with a group from Expedia, Inc. (the parent company of my company) at Northwest Harvest through the Seattle Works Program. I've volunteered at Northwest Harvest so I was pretty sure I knew what we'd be doing. But oh no, I was not aware of who would be there....

Mickey Mouse!

A whole group of Disney representatives were there to kick off the Disney Give A Day, Get A Disney Day Tour!

It was great, we were given Mickey Mouse ears to wear, a What Will You Celebrate sweatshirt, a Mickey Mouse Rice Krispy treat, and a coupon for one free day at any Disney park! But the best best gift of all was Mickey Mouse and the Jaminators (drumming janitors) in attendance!

You can learn more about the Disney Give A Day, Get A Disney Day Tour here.

Christmas Recap

2010-01-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, the holidays just flew by this year. It went so fast I feel like something monumental should have been accomplished, but no, not really, just a wonderful low key holiday season spent with our wonderful friends and family.

We started off the holiday season on December 19th with a trip to Olympia to celebrate with Chris's family. We opened gifts and celebrated Chris's birthday with a yummy chocolate cake that Angie made (way to go Angie!). We were spoiled, as usual, and Jet received many wonderful gifts including his very own quilt!

On the 21st, Chris and I celebrated his actual birthday with a quiet dinner at Jak's in West Seattle. Super yummy as usual.

Then it was the 23rd and we celebrated the end of the Christmas Ship season with a huge group of our Argosy family on the Goodtime III parade boat! It was a beautiful, calm evening and the choir was amazing. We had such an amazing time.

The 24th was spent in the kitchen getting ready for Christmas dinner with my parents. They showed up in the afternoon and we enjoyed a wonderful Prime Rib dinner. Jetty was so excited to see his grandparents I thought he was going to wiggle out of his skin. Percy was in love with the presents and the tree and slept in front of it all day and night:

Christmas day we lounged around and opened gifts. We were again spoiled and so were the pets. Here is Jetty and Grandpa on Christmas morning watching Chris open a gift.

Once we'd powered through our pile of gifts we decided that it would be fun to go downtown and catch a showing of Sherlock Holmes. It didn't dawn on us that everyone else in Seattle would have the same idea. We arrived at around 1:30pm only to find that the next available showing was at 7pm. Needless to say we didn't feel like hanging around that long so we stopped in at Starbucks and enjoyed a holiday latte and headed back to West Seattle. On the way back we decided to drive along Alki, and on a whim pulled into Jack Block Park. The sun was out, the wind was calm and the view of Seattle was incredible. We explored the park for a bit, walking off some of our holiday calories, and finally headed back home happy and refreshed. Turned out much better than sitting in a dark movie theater!

Saturday the 26th we all took a trip south to Portland to continue the celebrating with Jeff, Sara, Ella, Sadie and Esme. It is such a treat to be able to spend even just one night with the entire Jones family. Jeff and Sara spoiled us with an amazing dinner, as usual, and some great wine. And the girls were quite entertaining.

Sadie, Aunt Courtney, Ella

Love these girls!

I just had to break out my new Cabin Cozy and display my Gossamer impression for the girls. They LOVED it.

Sadie had to try it out.

Jet and Ezzy were fast friends, they are just about the same size!

She's got the Jones hair for sure.

Sunday we returned to Seattle to attend the Wedding reception of Kat & Kevin at West Seattle Bowl. What a fun idea for a wedding reception. We had a blast, and oddly the only picture I snapped was this one of Chris and James.

On Monday we decided to hit the road again and spend a night at the Anderson Island Cabin before we had to return to work. It was cold, very cold, but oh so beautiful. No fish to be found so we spent most of the time watching DVDs and playing card games. Jetty LOVES the cabin.
We had to keep reminding him not to swim.

After we returned from the island it was back to work. Chris worked on New Years Eve so I stayed home and watched TV and turned in around 9pm. Pretty standard. Now we're finishing off the holiday weeks with a couple quite days at home, cleaning, organizing, game playing, and relaxing. Tomorrow it is back to the grind. Another year of celebrations come and gone. I can't say enough how lucky I am to have been able to spend it surounded but our amazing friends and family.

My Holiday Gig

2009-12-18T15:45:00.001-08:00

Many of you haven't heard from me much this holiday season. Where have I been you may be asking. Well, my days have been pretty much the same, but my nights have been filled with Holiday Fun! I have been moonlighting as this famous holiday character. Can you tell it's me in there? Does the wave give it away?

Holiday LoLz

2009-12-17T09:36:00.001-08:00

Brothers

2009-12-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

This, seriously, is what Ares does to Jet almost every single day. Or he bites his ears. Or just slaps him on the butt.

Brothers!

It is a Fantasy!

2009-12-15T14:04:00.001-08:00

Ok, well maybe not really. But, this year Chris created a Fantasy Football league called Football for Fisherpeople that Angie, Brandon, Chris and I joined.

Here are our current standings. In case you didn't know, I'm KikiRules!

First Christmas Ships of the Year

2009-12-08T13:53:00.001-08:00

Last night we met Angie and Brandon up in Edmonds to ride the Christmas Ship. This was my first trip out this holiday season and it was a fun time. Even the mayor of Edmonds was on board and gave a nice opening welcome to all riders. But oh my gosh was it cold out there last night!

Can't you tell what a good time we were having?!

Don't Drink and Deck .....The Halls

2009-12-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Chris and I had a fun Friday night. We started with dinner at Matador in West Seattle. Then we stopped in a the West Seattle Nursery and picked out our 2009 Christmas Tree. Once home we mixed up some Holiday Cheer and decked the halls.

The next morning we awoke to this (luckily it did not lean the other way or we would have had a much bigger problem!):

Saasy and I - Dreamforce 2009

2009-12-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

The Salesforce.com mascot Saasy and I took a break from the event to visit the beach in Hawaii. Fun times!

Thankful

2009-11-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

I am thankful today for so many things.

I am thankful for Chris who spent the entire evening preparing an amazing Thanksgiving meal for us to take to Olympia today and share with his family. I am also thankful that he shares his life with me.

I am thankful for my family. Chris and I both so lucky to be close to our families and to enjoy spending time with them.

I am thankful for my career. A year ago on Thanksgiving I was unemployed and unsure of how soon I might be able to find work. To be gainfully employed is wonderful.

I am thankful for Chris's career and the family I have come to know and love at his workplace.

I am thankful for our friends. The people we surround ourselves with truly mold our life and how much we enjoy it.

In general, I am just really thankful. I recognize and appreciate how lucky I am for the life that I lead. Not just on Thanksgiving, but on every day of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

Why I Love Social Networking

2009-11-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

As many of you know I'm an early adopter of new technologies and always seem to sign up for the newest social networking site. I've had a twitter account for a couple of years now, and for the first year or so I was wondering why. But then Twitter just took off this year (duh) and the social networking world is now my pearl filled oyster.

Last week I attended Salesforce.com's annual users conference, Dreamforce. Twitter was a big theme there. Twitter integration for Salesforce, Twitter list to follow your fellow admins, Twitter hashtag to see your name on the screen during the keynotes, Tweetups, and a live Twitter feed in the developer lounge. I was in Twitter heaven.

But then on Saturday I realized why I love Social Networking oh so much.

Saturday morning Chris and I decided to treat ourselves to a late breakfast at Luna Park Cafe and then a shopping trip in the junction. While we were driving home I decided to check my twitter feed.

I noticed right way that a few of the folks I follow (mainly West Seattle Blog) had mentioned that a pod of Orcas were heading towards West Seattle. Neither Chris or I had ever seen Orcas in the wild.

Of course I've seen Shamu before, but I couldn't imagine that was the same.

We ran home, grabbed Jet and the binoculars and went down to Lincoln Park. The entire time I was checking a twitter feed search for Orcas and followed their progress from Alki towards us. After about 45 minutes of watching for them we were starting to get very cold and wet (yes, raining in Seattle, big surprise) and we were about ready to give up when all of a sudden Chris spotted them. We spent the next hour or so watching the chase dolphins around and dodge the ferries. It was amazing. And we were there, because of Social Networking.

The best part was, every person that walked by us said something along the lines of "Have you seen the Orcas? We heard they were down here on (insert Twitter, Facebook, West Seattle Blog).

I love Social Networking.

Dreamforce 2009!

2009-11-16T08:42:00.001-08:00

I'm heading out tomorrow to spend the week at Dreamforce 2009 in San Francisco. Dreamforce is Salesforce.com's annual Users conference and it is quite the event.

This will be my 7th Dreamforce. It will be the 3rd Dreamforce that I have been a speaker at. This year it looks like I'll be speaking in two session, moderating a Birds of a Feather lunch session, and getting some professional photos done for Salesforce Marketing.

This year they are saying that the attendance will be close to 15,000! 15,000 Salesforce groupies!

Can't wait!

Walking For Nita! Seattle Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis

2009-11-06T08:48:00.001-08:00

I've always wanted to do the Seattle Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis but have never really made the effort. Leading up to the Holidays is always such a busy time, and I've always been able to come up with some excuse.

But not this year!

This year I have already signed up (http://seattlejinglebellrun.kintera.org/remjones) and I've even started a team (http://seattlejinglebellrun.kintera.org/walkfornita).

I'm walking in support of my mother, Nita, she has Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Anyone out there care to join us? I already have 2 team members signed up (thanks Melissa & Angie) and my goal is 10! If you want to join our team, visit our Team Page - Walking For Nita and sign up! If you can't make the Run/Walk (oh, we'll be walking by the way) but still want to help in the fight against Arthritis you can donate on the team page or on my individual page.

I plan to enjoy myself and dress in holiday attire! Should be fun.

LoL

2009-11-05T09:26:00.001-08:00

Vote Early - Vote Often

2009-11-03T08:16:00.001-08:00

Sunday evening Chris and I sat down with our ballots and the trusty internet and began our civic duty of rocking the vote.

In this off year election it was hard to get motivated. A couple of ballot measures here, a mayor there, and an executive to boot. Oh, and all of those so called Amendments that had lots of language for and none against.

What really struck me this year was the number of positions that were running unopposed. I read what I could about each of them and tried to curb the urge to write-in "Daffy Duck" or the like.

In the end we made our decisions, filled in our circles, applied our stamp, and sent them off into the night.

This was all well and good until the next morning as I was driving the work and for the first time in weeks took notice of the signs that were littering my way. And what made me take pause were the number of signs I saw for all of those candidates who were running unopposed. Seriously? Isn't that a total waste of money and resources? Is it the urge to see your name all over town that is hard to resist? And where will those signs be tomorrow? They'd better at least recycle.

I almost wish I had written-in "Daffy Duck". Next year I'll pay a bit more attention.

Random Thoughts

2009-10-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

I've been neglecting my blog. I'm well aware. I guess I just really haven't had anything exciting or interesting to say.

Last week I met up with Christy for the Great Pumpkin Festival (although I'm not sure that was actually going on yet) at the Elysian Fields. We tasted some super yummy (and some not so yummy) pumpkin beers and caught up on the haps in each others lives. It was quite enjoyable and I would suggest The Night Owl, The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale, and the Dark o' the Moon Pumpkin Stout (super yummy chocolate pumpkin goodness).

This past Friday night we joined some folks in South Lake Union to celebrate "Steve is Still 39". His 40th b'day was on Saturday so we had one last hurrah of his 30s. He and Iris brought some super yummy cupcakes from Trophy to share. Good times.

Saturday night we attended Charlie and Loralee's annual pumpkin carving contest. I carved a cat (the only thing besides the traditional jack-o-lantern face I know how to carve) and won 2nd place. I think I won second because everyone voted for the awesome alligator (made with green gourds) and Chris behaved properly and voted for me. So I got one vote and won second place.

Sunday night we went to the annual Argosy Halloween Party (talk about a busy weekend). This year it was held on the MV Kirkland at the Naval Reserve Dock in South Lake Union. As usual there was great food, great music, awesome games for the kids, and some dancing. I was at a loss as to what we should go as this year. So, I went to Target and bought two black sweatshirts and some flour sack kitchen towels. I made some ghosts out of the kitchen towels and attached them to the sweatshirts with safety pins. We wore the ghost covered sweatshirts and went as the "Haunted Houses".

There is also a scary video circulating the internet that simulates the collapse of the Alaskan Way Viaduct if Seattle were to experience an earthquake similar to that we had in 2001. It shows the Starbucks at Pier 55 falling into the sound and then Chris's office catching on fire. At least they'll have boats handy to escape on. Here is the You Tube posting of the video:

Last night we had a huge hail storm that woke me up from a deep sleep. I went out to the living room to find Chris standing in the dark looking out into the back yard. The entire yard was covered with huge hail. Even this morning when I was out walking Jet there was still plenty of hail left on the ground. Hello Winter!

So, that's about it. Like I said, nothing too exciting. I have a ton of pictures on my camera from the past few weekends (weddings, parties, etc) that I need to download and get posted. Other than that, same ole same ole around here.

Strikes My Fancy

2009-10-22T10:07:00.001-07:00

I listen to Pandora Radio a lot at work. I sit in cube land and it helps me tune out those around me that are on the phone constantly (did I mention that the cube land I sit in is the Inside Sales group??). Currently the stations I have queued up are as follows:

R.E.M Radio (This should not surprise anyone)
Indigo Girls Radio (Neither should this)
The Postal Service Radio (For when it is drizzly gray and depressing outside)
Paperboys Radio (Love love love this one)
Bon Jovi Radio (Oh yes, Rockin' out in Bellevue)
Puff, The Magic Dragon Radio (RIP Mary, so glad I was able to see you in concert that one time)
Wicked (Original Broadway Cast) Radio (Yes, I love show tunes!)

What music gets you through the day?

Bacon!

2009-10-15T12:35:00.001-07:00

I need to get Percy and Ares working on this.

My "Friend" Kelly

2009-10-13T10:12:00.001-07:00

I never answer my phone if it is a number I don't recognize.

I just saw a number pop up that I didn't recognize so I turned off the ringer and let it go to voicemail seeing if they'd leave a message or if it was perhaps a wrong number.

They left a message.

It was my "friend" Kelly.

Kelly who you ask. Oh, you know, the Kelly that I had spoken to last week about my concerns with my credit card company. My "friend" Kelly to whom I had expressed my dismay with how my credit card company kept raising my rates without me knowing. My "friend" who wanted to remind me of our "discussion" about the non-profit that can lock in my rates at 1.9%. My "friend" who urged me to call today and sign up so that I could "get a good nights rest".

Gosh, I don't remember having a friend Kelly, or talking to her about my credit problems, in fact I don't remember having any credit problems, but she urged me to call and sign up, so I guess I will!

Really? Do people really fall for this?

BAKP

2009-10-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

Like father, like daughter.