the beach the beach the beach

Sorry I have been so blog-absent lately.  I have been busy in the office trying to wrap things up before BEACH TIME!!  We will be headed out on Saturday and I am so looking forward to this vacation!  I need time to relax, regroup, and have fun.  It has been a tough year.   Too many losses.  Too much heartbreak.

My focus now is in trying to get all of my hearing aid deliveries taken care of and working on the fun stuff for the beach..

It is going to be better than ever before, I hope,  with prizes being quadrupled and the game has morphed into something even bigger.

We will start off with a scavenger hunt like last year.  This year I am a lot more organized though, and I have Photos/Videos/ and Items  separated so as to make it easier on the teams.

Top prize is $500!  Holy cow that's a lot of loot!

I've been saving and working hard all year for this, so let the fun begin.

Second place will be $100 and Third place $50.

Only three teams will be competing this year...  But I look for a lot of energy and enthusiasm.  Especially when I tell them about the bonus Wheel of Fortune/Let's Make a Deal Finale!

Oh yes.  Lots of planning and saving has been put into this vacation....

So stay tuned.   And bear with me...  I will be back to blogging when things slow down a bit.

Gracie will be bonding with Aunt Angie who will be house sitting/dog sitting and I look for them to have fun together as well.

One year ago...

  I can almost hear the sound of those ocean waves beckoning me... come... come...

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

You Can't Go Back, Can You?

When Gary and I first met about fifteen years ago we stopped off at Cornish Manor in Oakland for a romantic dinner.  The ambiance was amazing and I remember thinking about how incredibly lucky I was to have found such a romantic, handsome, funny guy.   Dusk had come and we sat in the car for just a moment before going inside and I thought I'd melt when he kissed me that night.  

We were young then (not even fifty!!) and our love was new.  We ate dinner by candlelight in one of the uniquely decorated rooms and then we went upstairs to see what trouble we could get into...

I remember that night so vividly and I thought about it on Saturday when we decided to do a re-run...  kinda...

Day trip to Oakland!

I look at pictures of us back then and pictures from now, and I think...  where in the world did those in between years go!

Somewhere in the waves of time we both turned gray and older.

 The fun stuff upstairs at the restaurant is gone and it's all about fine dining now.  Hmmmm....  Wonder what they ever did with that armless gal?

Just as Gary and I changed through the years, Cornish Manor changed a bit as well.

There is a saying out there... somewhere...  "You can't go back..."

I do not find that to be entirely true.  We went back on Saturday.  

And I had fried oysters and lobster bisque.

It was quiet. peaceful. nice. fun.

A prelude to our 14th anniversary which will be coming up in September.

The scenery in Oakland is breathtaking.  God's beauty.  His handiwork.  

Psalm 37:4  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give  you the desires of your heart.

While I was visiting Oakland with my romantic, fun, handsome husband...  I did indeed delight myself in the LORD ... in awe.

And my hearts desire for the day happened to be one scoop of chocolate and one scoop of butter pecan on a homemade waffle cone.

Did you miss us Gracie?

Not really.  I slept all day.  I enjoyed the quiet time.  I didn't have to answer to nobody and I did not get yelled at for barking at the mailman.  Did I miss you?  You bet I did.  I sat at the window all. day. long. waiting on your return.  I did not think I would survive, I was so very lonely without you.  I thought for sure you'd bring me home something.  a bone.  a treat.  a toy.  dairy queen.  anything to show your appreciation for a guard dog who watched the house diligently and bravely all day while you were away.  I was so glad you didn't spend your time away together obsessing about me, and that you were able to forget all about me focus on one another for the day.  How sweet.  

First, A Plan

 Taking three kids school shopping is not high on my list of things that I love to do.  "I'll need your help," I told Lindsey (my daughter).  

First the plan.  

My demands:

 Complete cooperation (stay settled and focus on the plan....  also stay in sight and do not wander off JAKE!  No complaints!  Do not be impatient/picky/obnoxious/hard to get along with MARISSA!  

We split up.

Lindsey and Summer teamed up and Jake and Marissa stayed with me.  

First Jake.  I was impressed with his ability to shop sensibly and his taste in style was Grammy-approved.  Good job, Jake!

Marissa next.  First thing in the basket was a jacket.  Fifty dollars??!!  I asked her if it was something she could not live without.  It was indeed something she could not live without, so it made it's way to the checkout.  It was on sale half price plus I got 30% off my entire order at Kohls.  Not so bad.  

Meanwhile in the girls section Lindsey had big success with Summer, who starts pre-K this fall.  Summer is laid-back and easy.  She loves everything girly.  She is a star shopper!

A new back pack for Rissi.  

A new pair of shoes for Jake.  

Then a toy for each for being such good shoppers.  Jake picked out a toy and shirt for his brother too.

And so ended our back-to-school shopping spree, 2016.

The older kids were oohing and aaahhhing as they watched the numbers go up on the cash register while checking out.  We weren't sure what our total would be...    I held my breath and Lindsey was looking a little unsure.  Riss and Jake were giggling, and being wowed by the increasing numbers.  The girl checking us out told the kids that their grammy must really love them to buy them all this stuff.  (She is right!)

It was okay.  The total was in the range that I expected and I got a nice chunk of Kohl's cash to spend next week.  

At 30% off our entire purchase it was a great time to shop!  And we shopped early enough that there were a lot of choices yet.  

I did not ask for the style show that followed, but it blessed my heart that these kids appreciated the clothes and that they showed me their appreciation by taking the time to model their new clothes before jumping in the pool on this hot summers day.