Wow, has it been 8 months since i last posted? I blame it on Facebook:-).. well I had to update my "home" journal since I finally got the bed I've been lusting for the last 3 years!! .. i do feel bad though (just kinda bad...)since Brian made us the upholstered headboard just about a year ago but i couldn't pass up a 15% off sale that worked on this bed..I've tried to buy this bed with every discount C&B ever put out with no luck so imagine my suprise when I tried this Blk Friday and it took!!.. and here she is..the Collette Bed! I'm "almost" done with the bedroom now.. only took 5 years:-)... merry early Xmas to me! Oh and Thanksgiving as good as usual...ate waay too much.. made a German Chocolate cake that Brian LOVED.. and I actually loved too and i'm not a huge sweets fan.. Will probably make it again next week when we host hotpot/white elephant at the house..if i"m not too lazy:-). After dinner we were both wide awake due to a nap so headed to the casino, lost money and since it was already like 1am we stopped at the outlet for the midnight madness sale.. and madness it was.. I will say it again after saying this 4 years ago.. I will NEVER do that again! haha.. stood in line for almost 30min just to pay for an item and there were lines to get into every store.. so we gave up, got home at 3am, and missed the early morning shopping..oh well.. now i just need to go out and finish my Xmas shopping for everyone else

Another beautiful Saturday and we finally made it to Mt. Baker. We had plans to go the week prior but got lazy and I caught a cold so this was a better day for it anyhow.. Got up a little late and not as prepared as we usually are..pit stops for gas, bread for the lunch but 3 hours later we were at Mt. Baker. Took a little to find "Artist Point" but finally found the right parking lot.. lots of cross country skiers and some snowshoers. Started to head up, wasn't quite sure where the route was..but a nice guy on his way down confirmed we were headed in the right direction so up and up we went. We hiked our first steep hill..got up and then found another yet more steep hill and another and another:) fell backwards a few times but thank goodness for the fresh snow, so soft, so fluffy so different then the crunchy snow we found at Rainier..half way up and it was almost 1pm so stopped for lunch joined at one point by a huge dog who smelled our chicken..after lunch back to it..Gorgeous is what i kept saying to myself.. got to Artist Point and it was all worth it.. 360 views all the way around. Couldn't have asked for a better day, clear blue skies, warm, hardly any wind..did I already say gorgeous? on the way down, I fell twice on the very steep hill again and at one point gave up and sat on the snow and start to scoot hoping I would just slide..didn't happen but it made for a good laugh...it was hard to get motivated that day but when we got back we both said, so glad we went...still amazes me all the beautiful places there are just a few hours away from home and all these years I've lived here, never went out to explore ...snowshoeing is just the most relaxing activity. With so many things to "stress" about, when I am out in the mountains, fresh, cold air, snow, gorgeous views, quiet.. just makes everything go away:-)..cheesy I know but can't wait to go again before the season is over ..thank goodness for the snowstorms the last week!

we were headed towards just below that top peakthe most steep climb of the trip.. Brian made steps for me as he went..how nice:-)what a viewlooking down from another steep climb

Summit shot:).. just so happy its all downhill from here

First day of Spring and it was a gorgeous 67 out. Took advantage of the amazing weather with a hike to Lake Serene in the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. I was almost ready to cancel when Brian said we had to be up at 6am and out of the house by 7 on Sat! Had a tough time getting up but I woke up to coffee and bacon so I couldn't complain. At the end it was all worth it. Great hike, beautiful setting. The hike itself was a little more then I expected..its 3.6 miles each way with the last 2 miles consisting of 28 switchbacks going up, up and up.. wow my legs are paying for it today. Felt good though to get out, not to mention the reward of a gorgeous lunch spot on top of "lunch rock" overlooking the still frozen lake and Mt. Index. Amazing how good cold bread, chicken and cheese tastes after hiking all that way. Next time I am carrying up some warm coffee! It was so calm up there and just pretty.. the forest itself was really cool too with lots of old tress, moss, plants and a couple of waterfalls..the last part of the hike was probably the hardest only because of the ice/packed snow on top of the rocks which made for some icy conditions. Can't wait to go back in the summer when the lake is thawed and the snow is gone!

"Lunch Rock" overlooks the lake and Mt. Index

I think this is called "Bridal Veils" Falls..its a waterfall although you really can't see the water in this picture..

wow, this poor blog is so neglected. Its a new year and so happy to start over...2009 wasn't exactly the great year but I'm excited and looking forward to a great 2010! Christmas was fun as usual although a little different without Jenny ..first year thats happened for as long as I can remember where all the "kids" weren't around.. We did a white elephant exchange this year which I think we'll do again next year. I contributed a zebra print Snuggie:-) Lets see..work has been alot crazier then I ever expected after the reorg...Its definitely been a challenge and some days I'm not sure if I can do it anymore but I'm learning..or I tell myself :-) anyhow, aside from that nothing much going on...Brians' still in school for another year or 2 or 3..haha...I've also been cooking quite a bit lately...I've found cooking to be such a stress reliever for me... I look forward to getting off the bus everyday, coming home, turning on the music in my kitchen and making dinner ,..best part of my day. Yesterday had some friends over for a potluck...we had lasagna, beef stew, tomato basil soup, followed by apple crisp..all very tasty and fun to share with everyone...today, made some awesome fried chicken...its been over a year since I last attempted this dish and so glad I did.. Brian took a bite and I think he was actually speechless for a min.. just a smile on his face then he said, no need to drive to Popeyes anymore.. I'll take that as a compliment;)

Love the new paint color! slate it is for the next few years;-)... also hung up the lennons and a bunch of photos downstairs...actually feels more like we want to live here now which is a good thing...since we plan to stay awhile...also bought a new back door - dutch door actually since we currently have a dutch door and I love it so much. need to find paint for that now..either a brick red or a burgundy/purple...a little more then i expected to pay but its a nice door, fir...Frank's doorstore rocks.. yes a stored devoted to nothing but doors!

and Maui was amazing as usual. loved the condo in Wailea, loved the "new" beach we found in Wailea/Makena..so quiet. In fact, on our last day there we showed up early around 8am and we were the only people there. The water was so clear I could see fish just standing in the water...crazy. Didn't really do much this time other then eat and soak up the sun. went to the Maui Ocean center, Mama's fishouse, some hiking upcountry... found a great Italian place walking distance from the condo - matteos...so good... oh and the gelato - still thinking of the gelato. Brian and I have decided we are going to start our Maui fund right away so we can go again next year...yes there are so many places to visit in this world but I heart Maui and why change it if it aint broke...such a Brian thing to say;-).

4 years later and I am "tired" of the living room....so whats the cheapest thing to do? new paint! haha...when Brian hears me say paint color I think he prepares himself for paint colors..aka, 2 to 3 shades later I'll finally like something..but maybe , just maybe we'll get lucky this time and I'll love the color we chose...slate.. just worried it might be a tad dark when its cold and dark out but we're hopeful it'll work out okay:-)... also going to finally frame our family photos and hang them...we now have 15 PB gallery frames thanks to my Xmas gift cards:-) to cover everyone including some very cool old photos of Brians' grandparents from the early 1900s... and those Lennons I framed for Brian will finally find a home in the living room. I bought 2 shelves this weekend and was going to put them up in the living room then fill it with photos, prints but nah...we have those huge Lennons with nowhere to go so why not. Just need to choose the 2 I like best and a home for the lonely 3rd:-)... also need some new curtains and a redo of the mantle... oh new coffee table maybe?? k, I'm pushing it...no photos till its done and I actually like it:-).
and today was our 7 year anniversary! crazy.. 7 years has just flown by...no celebrations today...took it easy and will be celebrating in Maui in 5 days! can't wait! this was the same week we went last year..hope it'll be just as nice. got a condo this time for a change of pace so not sure what we'll get but staying in Wailea again and hoping to try the different beaches instead of just the one at Maui Prince...

My new headboard! It almost cost us our marriage:-) but heres the bed Brian made for me.. some foam, a piece of board, batting, and some fabric with plenty of staples and voila!..100bucks instead of 699 plus 150 to ship at PB:-)

PB One...

And one we made...