Joey's Special Day

Joey’s Special Day

January 16, 2010; the day our first born came out of the closet. He not only came out he came out full flame.

The day began with Todd and I going to JandP's house to begin an adventure on the Little Morongo Canyon trail. It was an overcast morning as we drove out to the beginning of the trail in Palm Desert. We had Joey with us and he was excited as usual to be going on a jeep trip. The girls, Lucy Liu and KoKo were left back at camp in the RV where I'm sure they were happy as larks.

We spent the day geocaching and having a blast. The trail took us all the way to Yucca Valley and the 5 hour trip was a blast. The end of the trail left us close to Paul's mom and dad's house and since we hadn't seen their new house we went over to visit them. After a brief visit we went over to Paul's brother Rob and Carol's house.

This is where the story begins all else before was only a lead up to this very special moment.

When we got to Rob and Carol's house we could hear their dogs barking.

We kept Joey on his leash when we first got there but when we all moved to the backyard to visit we decided to let him play with Skippy and his brother. OMG Joey was instantly enamored with Skippy. Skippy was a male so it worried us a little that they might fight but that wasn't the case at all. They played so nicely together but occasionally Skippy had to let Joey know he needed to back off. This was usually accomplished by Skippy turning all Rambo on Joey or by Skippy disappearing into the house via a doggie door.

Joey would come to a dead stop at the entrance to the doggie door every time Skippy would disappear into it. He nor any of our dogs have ever used a doggie door so be was totally perplexed with the whole concept. Joey would stare right at the doggie door until Skippy would come back out. Skippy was greeted by Joey who was breathlessly waiting for him to re emerge from the abyss, and then the chase was on again. I've never seen two dogs enjoy themselves so much. It was pure joy. Joey had truly found his soul mate in Skippy.

Unconditional love is certainly apparent when it comes to not even blinking an eye when your studly Beagle has revealed that he fell head over tail in love with another male dog.

Simply said: Joey loves Skippy!

The photo was taken by me. Joey is laying outside of our RV in Barton Flats campground, San Gorgonio, CA

Auburn with JandP

I had to wait until after we celebrated my sister Janice and her husband Paul's 40th anniversary in Big Bear California, to post this story. Their daughters asked us all to share a favorite story or memory of their mom and dad for a scrap book. I wrote the following story but there are many many more that remain in my memory cache.

Auburn with JandP

One of my favorite memories of time spent with Janice and Paul (aka JandP) has to be when we took a trip to Auburn Ca to attend the GeoWoodstock VI event in 2008.

Todd and I drove our motorhome to Auburn and got set up in a beautiful RV park just outside of town. JandP drove their jeep up and booked a room at a hotel not very far from where we were staying. Then the fun began.

Between geocaching our way around the area and watching the beaver in a pond at the campground, we packed every day with a new adventure. One day we took an awesome hike to a small town called Cool, had breakfast then hiked back. On yet another hike in Cool we almost got trapped by a wild fire. How exciting is that? Then there was the day that Janice, Joey and I spent on the American River with our lawn chairs in the water, drinking beer and munching on snacks. It doesn’t get much better than that. The guys were on a whitewater rafting expedition so we spent our day relaxing on the river. That was such a cool day.

The GeoWoodstock VII event was so worth attending. What a blast it was to see all the crazy geocachers in one spot. The event was held in Wheatland Ca, not too far from Auburn, on a big farm. They had booths with vendors, workshops, contests and awards for best caching related activities. We spent the whole day there then had a bbq dinner that was prepared by the hosts.

We had the opportunity to spend time walking around Auburn which was full of history and fun sights to see. We enjoyed meals and drinks at a number of the restaurants in town and Joey even joined us on the patio of one of them.

When we left Auburn we all vowed to go back and we look forward to making that happen.

Happy Anniversary to a Great Couple

The photo was taken by Todd and it was when we were visiting Sutter's Mill in Coloma California within the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park

I'm a Closet "One Tree Hill" Fan

OMG I'm a Closet "One Tree Hill" Fan!!!
I know most of my followers are saying, wtf is One Tree Hill (ps I know people who have potty mouths). Well to answer that question, it is only a most totally fun night time soapy around. I'm sure the target demographic is people who are 20 to maybe 30 years old but somehow I stumbled into the group. Not only does the show offer plenty of drama it also has a good moral ending to each show, that is if you can get by the numerous sexual undertones and shoddy attempts at humor. I mean really when Hailey and Nathan open their home to Hailey's mean sister Taylor who is sleeping with David, Hailey's other sister Quinn's ex husband, how can you miss. I guess if Brooke, a successful fashion designer and proprietor of Clothes over Bros, can still be in love with Julian, a struggling movie producer whose beautiful (and hot) star actress, Alexandra, is nothing but a constant reminder to Brooke of her needy and insecure side, then anything is possible.
This is classic entertainment, I don't have to tell you that, my fellow fans but shhhh, no one knows I watch.
Oh, almost forgot. The picture was taken by Todd, of course, in Durango Colorado in August of 2009.

This Week in my Life

Wow, what a fast week this was. Things at work were busy all week, it seemed like as soon as I was finishing one project another came up. That is the way I like to work though so I am not complaining. Before I knew it, it was Friday. And with the arrival of Friday came some devastating news from our Executive Committee. My place of employment for the last 20 years was closing. The time frame is approx. 2 years for the closure to be complete. Did I mention that my husband is employed at the same company. It's going to be a big change for us but I am sure we will figure out what we are going to do. I can't help but worry about the people that have it a lot tougher then us, for them I hope things will work in their favor. We are fortunate in that we have each other, and we can do whatever it takes to get through. I pray that we do the right thing for the clients we serve, we have spent too many years caring for them to see them get services that are less then they deserve. My favorite saying is and always has been, "this too shall pass" and I have to continue to believe in that. Oh BTW, the picture is of a hawk outside of Todd's office. Nice, huh? Where else can you work that you share office space with a Coopers Hawk.
Now on to the very best thing that happened to me this week. My best friend from my teenage years found me on Facebook. OMG it was awesome to hook up with her again. We share so many memories of the most important time in our lives as teenagers. We found each other way back then for a reason and we have re-found each other now for the same reason. It's funny how our paths took us in so many different directions yet we reconnected like it was merely yesterday.
Here's the cool thing. When we go to Seattle this summer we will stop and see her in Oregon. How perfect is that?
Now it is Saturday and it is the beginning of my husband, Todd's, birthday weekend. His birthday is tomorrow but we plan to start celebrating today. Maybe a movie, maybe dinner, we'll see.....

Lucy Liu

This is Lucy Liu our long haired Chihuahua. We got her from my sister Janice and brother-in-law Paul. We got lucky enough to be able to adopt her and take her into our family. At the time she made the second Chihuahua we had and she became a sister to two Beagle's, a short haired Chihuahua and a cat.
We knew Lucy Liu from our visits to my sisters house and we liked her alot but when she came into our house it was not long before she totally won our hearts over. I have to mention here that we narrowly missed losing Lucy Liu to my niece Danielle and her husband Terry. They really liked her alot too but for some reason couldn't take her at the time. I think they had a cat and thought there might be a conflict with the two of them. Whatever the reason we lucked out!
I swear Lucy Liu knows exactly what you are saying and reacts appropriately. We couldn't believe how smart and intuitive she was. It was obvious from the beginning that she was going to be daddy's girl and Todd was more then willing to fulfill that role.
Lucy Liu has a passion for fresh vegetables of any kind. When she hears us chopping anything on the cutting board she abosolutely goes crazy. We treat her to a carrot or celery or lettuce every once in a while and you would think that we were feeding her a steak. It is so adorable.
Her favorite thing to do (besides eat) is to cuddle up with Todd in bed first thing in the morning after she has been outside. She lays right up next to him and falls quickly asleep. She would stay there all day if she could.
When we adopted her we had no idea that she would fit so nicely into our family or that she would turn out to be the BEST dog we have.

One Cold Sunday in January

I guess by some standards it isn't that cold but for us So Cal residents 25 degrees is considered cold especially on the high desert where once you factor in the wind chill factor it turns out to be a very chilly day.
We decided to relax for the day and stay close to home. A perfect day to make some homemade salsa and enchiladas. So off to the store I went to get a few supplies. I literally had to drag myself past the free puppies at the door to the market and once I did I found myself in the middle of shopping madness. I think everyone in our small town was in the store buying snacks and supplies for the playoff game that was scheduled to air at noon. The supply of fresh tomatoes was dissipating before my eyes so I elbowed my way into the display and grabbed myself about 6 decent roma tomatoes (this is exciting post material, isn't it). I hurried through the rest of the store being careful not to harm anyone in my path, found a decent checkout lane and as I was making my way out of the store, proud of my accomplishment of getting out in under 30 minutes, I realized I forgot the ice. Oh well, we'll do without it this time around.
I pulled into our yard, grabbed all of the groceries and Todd snapped a picture of me for today's post. I figured it was a good way to introduce our Jeep "Ruby" too, she is probably the funnest member of our family.
While we were waiting for the game to start I made a delicious, but HOT, salsa with some fresh chili peppers that we brought back from Sante Fe New Mexico. I made a quick call to my brother-in-law Tim to get his recipe for the salsa then I added a little of my own twist to it as well. He makes the best salsa and yes he is the same one that makes the best ribs as well.
Now it was time to put together the ingredients for homemade chicken enchiladas. The chicken will marinate in the green chili/tomatillo sauce until we are ready to assemble the enchiladas. Oh boy are they going to be good. I'll try to remember to take a picture of the finished product that is unless I get to excited about eating them first. Oh BTW, free homemade enchiladas if you become a follower of my blog.*
Todd spent some time, and a whole lot of energy, working the wood pile and bringing us a hefty supply into the house to keep us warm for a few days. Whoo Hooo
Time to watch the game now, I picked NY to win. Have a great day.

*This offer only valid to people living within a 60 mile radius of me. Offer only good through 1/25/10.

KoKo

I would like to use this blog to introduce KoKo our 7 year old Chihuahua.
We got her from a good friend when she was only 8 weeks old. She was rejected by her mother and needed a lot of attention to assist her in surviving. My friend could not dedicate the time it was going to take so she asked if we were interested in giving her a home. We already had two Beagles and two cats but we took KoKo into our home.
I took some time off from work so that I could spend as much time as it took to help her survive. I took her to the vet, got her shots and the medical advice I needed. She was so weak that she could hardly support her own weight. She would fall over and just lay there. She fit inside one of my socks and that's where I kept her to keep her warm. I had to feed her with an eye dropper and the feeding schedule was frequent.
After numerous trips back to the vet, countless hours of sleeplessness and a good many tears, she started getting stronger and stronger. She is now and has been a bundle of energy whose main purpose in life is to fetch anything and everything we throw for her. She loves both Todd and myself but is definitely my dog. Todd says that is because I spent the most crucial hours with her and the bonding that took place is one that will never be broken. I have to agree with this.
My sisters, Mary Ann and Janice, love to tease me about how much time I spend with KoKo. KoKo is rarely out of my arms or less then a arms length away from me. They may tease me but I know they love her too. Right sis'?

Williams Arizona

Williams, Arizona
This was our first stop on what was to become the greatest 3 week road trip that my husband Todd and I took with my sister Mary Ann and her husband Tim. We were each traveling in our own motorhome, which btw, is the perfect way to travel and really enjoy life on the road. These great States of our sure offer up more then enough adventure and excitement for every degree of desire and there is no better way to take advantage then to amble across the country in an RV.
There is much to say about Williams Arizona, but first, what an awesome town to visit nestled at the entrance to the Grand Canyon. We spent our days exploring the backroads in our jeep, bicycling, hiking the trails and walking around the rustic town of Williams. And of course our train trip to the Gran Canyon National Park was truly the highlight. Williams offered up some interesting characters along with good old home food and drinks.
Every day you could count on a late afternoon thunder and lightening storm that brought with it a shower of rain. Once the storm passed over us the sun would reappear in time for an evening of serene and breathtaking sunsets. This was the perfect backdrop for our nightly communal dinners in the living area that our RV's created. There is nothing better then the taste of food when it is prepared on the BBQ and I must add that my brother-in-law makes the very best ribs in the western United States. Sounds like a Bobby Flay challenge, doesn't it?
I can say with utmost certainty that we will visit this sleepy little town in the future and can't hardly wait for that day to come.
Did I mention that we travel with our three dogs, Joey our Beagle, Lucy Liu our long haired Chihuahua and KoKo (whom many consider an additional appendage of mine) our short haired Chihuahua. They are the biggest reason we bought an RV so we could take them with us wherever we go. Sure beats having to leave them at the kennel, it always killed me to walk away and abandon them for however long we would be gone.
Bare with my while I learn all of the ins and outs of blogging. My next lesson will be how to link each blog to a photo album. Featured in this picture is me and Joey and my sister Mary Ann and her husband Tim. Until next time.