The House Work Resumes

So we decided we took a long enough break. We started working on the house again last weekend. Hubby did a lot of little odds and ends, one of which was to organize the garage a little better. It made a HUGE difference.


I spent the weekend working on the new office. We decided to move the office into what was going to be our guest bedroom. We decided we're going to install a shower in the half bath that's attached to the current office so that guests will have a private bath to use.


The new office had a white shelf going around half of the top of the room and a wallpaper border above it. I had to pull all the shelves down and then get the wallpaper down. I got a tip that fabric softner worked well to help dislodge the wallpaper. I also bought a little thing that pokes holes in the wallpaper so that the liquid would soak in.


I thought it would be easy since I'd removed some wallpaper round the window in the bedroom and it worked like a dream. This was a LOT harder. It took me the whole weekend to remove the wallpaper.

The last wall only came off in tiny pieces...

I thought I would have the wallpaper removed and the room painted before the weekend was up.


*sigh* I forgot to multiply the time I THOUGHT it would take by three!

Here I was almost done...I hate wallpaper!

Mammoth 2009

Our second annual Mammoth trip at the lifestyles of the rich and the famous Mammoth Lakes Monache. I hate to brag on myself, but I'm getting really quite good at snowboarding. I love my Burton Lux, it rides like a dream, except for when it makes me fall!

We started off at the local Tiki bar when we arrived for Happy Hour. They have strong Mai Tai's for $4, but served them in plastic Bud Light cups...very high class!

Hubby is awesome as always no his new Arbor Element. We had fun getting used to our new boards. He gives me a handicap by riding backward so I can keep up.

Oh yeah, that's me, and yes, that's dirt. The snow storm came early this year and there wasn't as much snow as usual, but there was hardly ANYONE there!On the gondola headed back to the Westin for lunch.

Just before my scary blue square/black diamond run!

Our friends, Peffernin and Meg-O, came to share, but because of Eric's lame company (the one hubby quit last August) his time off permission was rescinded the Friday BEFORE he was to drive out (the drive occurred on Saturday).

At the end of our last day...we're tired, but sad about leaving the next morning. We discussed squatting in the hotel room, but decided it wouldn't be good for our criminal records.

Here's a video of me shredding!!! I felt like I was going much faster than it looks...

On the drive home, we stopped by Randsburg, the living ghost town. Trust us, don't go, it's really not worth it. Although it is only a 10 minute side trip (that's total, not to get there). It was actually kind of sad and I felt like I was on the set of a horror movie.

The Keep Out sign didn't help...

From Blizzard 2008 to Rain Storm 2009

When I fly to Portland for work, I usually fly in and out of SeaTac and drive to Portland and back. This is so I can either stay an extra night with at my parent's house or stay the weekend with them.

All went as usually on Tuesday. Flight on time, it was raining, but that's typical in Washington. Got to the hotel just fine.

Worked Wednesday and then got on the road to drive up. I call my mom to let her know, she says be careful because there's been a lot of rain.

There's a lot of traffic because it's rush hour, no biggie. It's windy, but not raining that hard. It's typically a 2 hour drive, with traffic, it usually turns into a 3 hour drive, tops.

About an hour and half into it, my mom calls. I-5 is closed at Chehalis. Right when she calls, the traffic has stopped. I've hit the closure. She's very worried, but I tell her, no big. I'll go around the water.

The "around the water" took an hour and a half to figure out and I was only in Centralia by then. For those of you who don't know, they're only a little over 5 miles apart on I-5.

Just about everywhere I turned there were closed streets due to flooding. I had no idea it was that bad. If I had known, I would have just stayed in Portland and tried to drive out today (in the light!).

The drive only took four and a half hours...not bad. I'm just thankful for the GPS. I mean, sure, we named our GPS Trixie because she always tricks us into going the absolute longest or wrong way. I named my Blackberry GPS OOPS (Out of Pocket Shennae-nae) because she's totally ghetto and lies about the wrong way to go as well.

But last night, in the rain, with a closed road at every turn, OOPS pulled through and found a way for me to get home safe and sound...I'll never curse her again, well, almost never.

Little Mookie

I was taking the tree down and Little Mookie got involved...he's always trying to help.

Happy New Year

We spent the holiday in Huntington Beach at a Tiki restaurant called Kona. It was known as Sam's Seafood Restaurant until recently and then it was bought out. The new owner is dedicated in keeping the Tikiness up at the place which makes all the Tiki enthusiasts happy.

The night was filled with dinner, drinks, and Tiki bands playing.

We had great fund and stayed in the Hilton at Huntington Beach for the night so we wouldn't have to drive the hour and a half home.

I got to be sober sister so we could drive back to the hotel...hubby had great fun with his Pabst Blue Ribbon. I think it tastes horrible (Melanie, we're talking worse than Schlidt's Ice).

True to our nature, we forgot the camera, but I managed to do a few cell pics...sorry they're not very good.

Here's our first picture of the year together...the Blackberry wasn't cooperating very well...

Oh yea, I found these pics on my phone from bowling with my parents...I knew Tacoma was ghetto, but really! I admit, I had to buy the bling teeth though...it was too funny to pass up!