What's That You Say, Mrs. Robinson?

Quietly giving thanks

This Thanksgiving Dan and I are at home with Payton. Darren is up at my Mom's and I'll join him there tomorrow (after we do some black Friday shopping that is). It is a very different kind of Thanksgiving these days. We used to go to Dan's Mom's house with about 20 other family members. It was crazy in many ways, but it was great.

Now it is very quiet. Dan and I watching football, Payton in and out of the house. Ronaldo likes that we are here on the couch for sure. I'm still cooking only instead of the whole shabang, our menu looks like this:

• Roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots
• Sausage stuffing
• Garlic mashed potatoes
• Swiss corn bake
• Garlic and butter green beans

We just finished a yummy appetizer of bacon wrapped water chestnuts (pictured here). YUM!

And this year I'm more thankful than ever for my family. We may not be a perfect family, but we love each other very much and everyone is healthy.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Testing 123

Playing with my new phone and the Typepad application. Very cool. What will they think of next?

Houseboat bound

On Tuesday EARLY AM we will be loading our sleepy children young men into the Jeep and heading up to Bullard's Bar Resevoir. My Mom and step Dad have had a houseboat on the lake for about 14-15 years now. We go up at least once every summer, more if we can. Both of the boys have literally grown up there. I am including some photos of last year's trip here.

My friends, this is a true vacation. There is nothing to be done but lay around on a "floaty" or a tube listening to tunes (I made a special play list on my iPod this time...a sampling of the tunes is at the end of this post). The houseboat is equipped with a full kitchen and a couple of BBQ's. For breakfast we either do bear claws, fruit, bagels, etc. or sometimes we do pancakes (Jim's grandpa's recipe) or leftovers in a skillet (potatoes, corn, onions, eggs, maybe some bacon or steak).

The more adventurous folks do water skiing, wake boarding, tubing, air-chairing etc. Sometimes we take the ski boat on a trip up the river (Yuba River) where the water is much colder from the mountain run-off. Sometimes we venture over to someone else's houseboat for cocktails or karaoke. This year we will also have some other friends up who will be camping on the shore so we'll be visiting their campfire one night.

The kids have a blast swimming, jumping off the top of the houseboat, looking for frogs on the shore. They eat a lot and sleep a lot. I feel so fortunate that my kids have grown up with this experience year after year.

My grandparents have even come up several times. My grandmother, at the age of 80ish has even taken a jetski ride! A very mild one, but still, quite impressive in my book.

This year on our way up we will be stopping to see my grandparents first (they live about 45 min. away). My grandfather thinks that this is the last time we will see him as his health is ailing fast. We have thought that he was on his last leg for about 5 years now, so who knows. You just never pass up the opportunity to have a "last visit" because you never know when it just might be reality this time.

We will be spending the 4th of July at the boat which I don't think we've ever done before.

I'm personally looking forward to a few naps on a floaty, some skirt steak on the bbq, a cocktail or two, a good book, time with the family and friends, and head start on my Maui tan.

Dreaming of time away

I've got a kick ass summer planned so far. Check this out:

June 23-27: In Vegas for an HR conference but hubby is coming with me. "What happens in Vegas..." Staying at the MGM Grand. Visions of hubby on the endless river by the pool while I'm networking... Taking our refund from the state of CA and putting it on the tables (Craps for him, Roulette for me)! Clearly we are not very grown up yet! Mom, don't shoot, me please. Hot sun. Working on our Maui tans (read ahead). Time for just the two of us...PRICELESS.

July 13-15: In Mexico with high school chick friends, staying at Rosarito Beach, doing spa treatments (for me, warm stone massage and a French manicure) and other assorted chick things. Becka, D, and Katie....all together now..."Juan! Una mas margarita, por favor!" Need to find a cute skirt for the trip.

August 3-14: Hawaii, the first 7 days on Maui, the next 4 days on Oahu. Do I need to say any more? OK, I will. We are going with 3-4 other families from the town we live in. At least 10 kids between the ages of 8 and 17. Almost all boys. Several people having birthdays, including me, sort of. I'll be 40 on the 19th. Close enough. Let's party. Oh, (insert Hawaiian name here), mai tai! Mahalo! Photos of our last trip to Napili Bay here. Then it's off to Oahu where we visit family and spend time here. Not a bad gig.

A little bit of senioritis? Certainly. I've got a LOT of work to do this summer career wise. Ask hubby. I'm literally at the hight of my career right now (so far) and I need to not just maintain, but kick ass indefinitely. Don't get me started with the "work's not everything" stuff. Check out where I work and you'll see why I'm so committed.

Work hard, play hard. That's what I'm talkin'  'bout!

Another Week Gone By

Another week has come to a close. We had a pretty good weekend. It was rainy on Saturday, but we got in a Costco run (bought a new palm tree for the backyard) and an attempted trip to the bank (long story), then a party on Saturday night. One of our friends turned 50 (YIKES) and the shin dig was a blast. Lots of folks we knew and many we didn't.

Today was great...we got a bunch of cleaning done and then one of my friends (that I've known since high school) came over with her beautiful family. Katie and Aaron have the two most beautiful children. You can read about them here on Katie's blog. She has chronicled nearly every day of their 2 years of life.

We walked to the park and the guys went and got some sandwiches. Payton and Aaron threw the ball around and it was just a really nice afternoon in the sun with dear friends. Life is good.

Looking forward to another week. My new boss comes on board tomorrow and we have a welcome dinner for him after work. More baseball during the week, and then some of my in-laws come to town on Friday to stay for a few days. We'll get to celebrate my nephew's first birthday with him on Saturday and hosting a little shin dig for him. You know I'll be posting pics of that!

Have a great week y'all! Let's hope for a little more peace in the world...

Sisterhood of the Traveling Skinny Pants

The blogosphere has once again demonstrated it's kindness and usefulness to me. While I have been chronicling my recent weight loss you have all been so supportive in so many different ways. One of my Woolfcamp comrades, Debra Roby, has also shed some pounds in the recent months and has skinnied out of her size 12 jeans (pictured here).

Now, this is wonderful enough, mind you. However miss Debra has taken it one step further. SHE SENT ME HER PANTS! I arrived home from work one day last week to a wonderful package in my mailbox (don't you love when you get something other than bills and junk?). It was the traveling skinny pants.

Not only are these pants in the size that is next on my way down to a slimmer me, but they comply with my "no more Mom jeans" rule. They are a nice low-rise variety and they also have some stretch in them. PERFECT. I could feel the good karma that came with them as soon as I put them on....

So here I am (sorry the lighting isn't the best) in the skinny pants. A size 12...the size I haven't seen in about 6 years. I love them, and I will take good care of them until it is time to send them on to one of you. I hope to soon be holding out the waistband on these puppies just Debra is doing in the first photo.

In the mean time...I was on the treadmill EVERY day this week. I got my ass out of bed early and spent 30-45 minutes walking every day. It felt soooo good and I will be making this party of my daily routine...for life. I took Saturday off (however I did walk to my son's baseball game instead of driving), and today I'm going to fit in a good hour (I like to do the 5k program as a stretch day, something to push me hard).

I also hope to be posting our menu for the week later on today...so stay tuned. Busy busy day!

Getting Paid

One of the many definitions of "professional" is: "Performed by persons receiving pay." In that sense, I am now a professional blogger!

That's right, you see those little ads to the right under the "Blogher Ad Network" language? Every time one of you views my blog with one of those ads on it, I get a smidgen of cash. Over time, that ads up and yesterday I received my first ever check from Blogher! They don't pay you until you have accumulated more than $25 and yesterday I got a check for $27 and some change. It covered the time period between October and December of 2006.

Thanks to all of you for contributing to my payday!

It may not be enough to quit my day job, but at this point it just about pays for my TypePad account. Not bad, huh? (She pats herself on the back).

Blue Christmas good-bye

Shiny, happy  tree, originally uploaded by KRob2005.

Now that the crappy stuff at work is done (SERIOUSLY bad week at work for me) I am beginning to get into the holiday spirit. At least I'm trying. I think it will be much easier/better when the kids are done with school.

I've had a serious case of the blues for the last week (and thus why I haven't been posting as much) but I am actively trying to get out of it. I don't want it to control me. I want to control IT. Good music, being with my family, making cookies, sending Christmas cards, shopping, long hot showers etc.

This photo was taken on my cell phone. It is of a tree that I saw when I went to a Ladies Christmas Desert last week. I don't think I've ever been to a "ladies" anything before and it was quite out of my comfort zone, but it was nice. I went with a couple of dear friends of mine and it was a nice break in the week. Even though I was exhausted when I got home.

I think "It's a Wonderful Life" is in order for tonight! It reminds me of how rich I am because I have so many wonderful friends and such a kick ass family.

KP duty...peeling taters

KP duty...peeling taters, originally uploaded by KRob2005.

I've been absent for a few days. Totally blew my Nablopomo duties. Damn it.

But that's what happens when you are "in the moment" of the holidays. Too busy living the day and planning for the week to come to think about posting.

One of the changes that I noticed this year was the ability and willingness of my kids to help with the Thanksgiving meal. This photo is of D and his great-uncle Jack peeling potatoes together. P also chipped in by helping his Dad do the dishes afterwards. Yes, it was a family affair in many ways. All in all it was a great break from work and a much needed visit with the family. You can see more photos here.

Now it is onward and upward towards Christmas. Our house is already in a frenzy. More on that later.

To Grandmother's House We Go

Quick post today...we are off, like much of America...to our Thanksgiving Day destination. In our case, we are headed from the Bay Area to Nevada City, CA where my Mom lives. We will also be seeing my Grandparents (pictured here).

We consider ourselves VERY lucky that our kids know their Great-Grandparents so well. All together, our kids have 4 Great-Grandparents still with us. How much more rich their lives are that they are close to and spend time with family that is 3 generations ahead of them. I take it for granted sometimes, but remind myself as often as I can how fortunate the whole family is.

We will be joined by my uncle from St. Louis. We forgive him for being from St. Louis (we are avid Giants fans and have an issue with the Cardinals going back to 1987). It will be so great to hang out with him and catch up on what he and his new wife have been doing.

We are taking Ronaldo with us. It's a long car ride for him, but he is just so social, it is much better than leaving him at home to be dog sat. So that's it. We are off. I will be blogging Thanksgiving here and there. I think it would be fun to live blog the cooking process...we'll see how that actually works out...much love to you and yours as you chow down!

PS - you may have noticed no "What's Cookin'" this week. Kind of pointless because clearly it is the turkey that is cookin'!

Oahu, Maui, Here I come!

A while back I wrote about how I was dreaming about my next Hawaiian vacation.

Well, beloved readers, it is on the horizon! End of July. 17 more weeks and I'm off to Oahu and Maui. Somehow the Hawaiian gods and godesses have blessed us with the added bonus of hubby and I sneaking off to Maui while the boys stay on Oahu with hubbie's Mom. The photo to the right is where we will be staying on Maui (Napili Beach). A little condo complex called the Mauian.

I almost tried on swimsuits this weekend, but I decided that I could still loose about 10 pounds before we go and that I would wait until I was closer to my vacation weight before spending $100 on a good suit.

I can taste the Pinapple/Orange/Guava juice now. Warm breezes, cold cocktails, and time alone with the man of my life. Holy Cow.

Oh, yeah. Here's one more photo of Napili Beach. Put me under this tree!!!!!

And here is where we are staying on Oahu...I'll take a breakfast reservation for 4 at Duke's please!

TAGS: Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Duke's, Napili

Easy Saturday Morning

There was a time, not so long ago, when a day like this would not have been possible. Those days were filled with beautiful little boys running around the house, needing constant attention, diaper changing, food making, danger averting, and just general entertaining.

This morning I slept until almost 9 am, woke to my kids watching a re-run of Will and Grace together on the couch. I made them eggs and toast, but I didn't HAVE to. I just wanted to. Now they are doing their own thing and I'm here blogging. In an hour we will be headed out the door to drop D off at Pony baseball tryouts and then swinging by Serra to drop P off at baseball practice. Hubby is helping to run the Pony tryouts so he is busy all day. Once I drop P off, it will be to the mall for me. I'll have about 2 hours to meander, drink a latte, get some new threads, or not depending on what I find. No strollers to push, no mandatory visits to the Disney store, no potty emergencies.

Then it will be time to pick P up. Back to the house we'll go. Hang out for a bit and then at 4 it will be time for hubby and I to go to a little cocktail party after which we'll head down to Santa Clara University to watch the Serra varsity basketball team play for the CCS championships (this would be their 3rd in a row).

So you can see how different life is when you older children vs. younger children. It's not that I didn't totally enjoy those days when I would be awake at 6 am with two little boys climbing all over the bed and asking Mommy to make some Cheerios and put Raffi on the TV. I miss those times. I cherished those times. But I cherish these as well. It's just different. Instead of warm snugly kisses early in the morning, I now get IMs from the kids while I'm at work and they are home doing homework. I got one yesterday from P that said "hi mom i luv u."

Life is good.

Greetings from Woolfcamp

So here we are. Woolfcamp 2006 set at chez Grace in the beautiful (but rainy) Santa Cruz mountains. There is a Woolfcamp blog: check it out.

A big thanks to my wonderful husband who graciously let go of me today so that I could participate in this creative opportunity like no other I've had before. Stop lurking, honey, and leave me a comment to let me know how you guys are doing. Did Payton have a good practice?

He Made It!!!!

Thanks for all of the good energy you all were sending our way. IT WORKED! P made the baseball team today. It is a HUGE accomplishment for him. I'm just reveling in the joy of it all...

PLAY BALL!

That's what friends are for

Real friends tend to be around when you really need them. Becky has been my dear friend for **gulp** 25 years now. She sends these wishes to P as he awaits final cuts tomorrow. **double gulp**

Hope springs eternal

I saw a bumper sticker today that just warmed my heart. With all of the ignorance and violence and hate in the world it is sometimes difficult to have hope that it will ever get better. Today I saw proof of that in the Long's parking lot. It read...

"Former Republican"

I almost wept with joy. Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Clause

Giving Thanks

There is so much to be angry, sad and upset about in the world today, but I see that crap everyday on the news (I need to just stop watching TV all together).  So today, because it is what it is, I am going to focus on what is right with the world, at least my world.

I'll start with the more obvious things. I am thankful that I have a healthy, happy, funny, sweet and loving husband who does laundry, cooks, does dishes, kills spiders, and plunges toilets. I am thankful that I have two healthy, happy, funny, sweet and loving children who are learning to do laundry, cook, clean dishes, kill spiders and plunge toilets.

I am also thankful for my job, my house, my dogs, my large extended family and my circle of friends.

I am thankful for books, flowers, wine and pasta.

I am thankful that I am not prone to cold soars, ingrown toenails or yeast infections.

I wish other people were more thankful for peace, humanity and charity. I think that people are basically good, and I am thankful for that, but wish that we would hear more about those who are peaceful, humane and charitable.

Thanksgiving

San Carlos, Throwin' down some love

My home town, San Carlos, is seriously represent'n in the Katrina Relief Effort. We have adopted a sister city, Pass Christian, a Mississippi Gulf Coast town of 7,000 devastated by Hurricane Katrina. We will be having a long term relationship in an effort to have a sustainable impact with our help. There will be several events over the next several months to kick off our aid efforts.

I'm feelin' might proud of our city. Read more details here.

San Carlos, you really are the city of good living.

TAGS: san carlos, Katrina relief, adopt a city

Off to the Emrald City

I'm off to Seattle! I will take photos and share this beautiful part of the country with all of you. I won't be there in time for sunset tonight (actually I'll get to see it from the plane), but will wake up on the shores of Peuget Sound in the AM! Ah...finally, I'll be able to breath!

Fun in the Sun

Spent Saturday and Sunday up at my Mom's houseboat. Darren was a rock star wakeboarder. He pops up at will now and is taking wakes and generally just kicking ass. This is great for him; it's something that neither his Dad, Mom, or Big Brother can do. He is not afraid to try anything and he is reaping the rewards. I can't even tell you how proud I am.

Lots of sun, water and beverages over the weekend. Great weather (about 85 all weekend). It is officially summer! Whoooo Whoooo!

Just booked a flight to Washington for the end of July. We are all sort of going up at different times. We are going to our family home (belongs to my Father-in-law and his brother right now) in Gig Harbor, WA.  Looking forward to more relaxation, family fun and READING TIME! Speaking of which, gotta run and finish "The Other Boleyn Girl."  A PAGE TURNER!