2010 Resolution

I never make resolutions. Well, actually, I do but not on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. It is senseless to make a rule for my life on only one day of the year. I come up with new rules all the dang time.

But I thought it would be a productive thing to read my 2010 Horoscope (even though I don't believe in Astrology) to try and come up with a plan for my year.

Boy was that a mistake.

The very first prediction I read was ominous. It was very negative, telling me that I was going to have a really rough year. But it tried to put a positive spin on it by talking about how Capricorns are strong and I will be earning the respect of many people by being true to my Astrological sign and weathering the tough times.

I blew it off.

Then I began thinking about it as I was trying to fall asleep in the middle of the night. And I began worrying.
"What did it mean by a rough year? The City Council Campaign? My personal life? Am I really up to this?????"

For several days I kind of agonized over it. Then I figured out a solution. I looked up my horoscope on a different website. I liked what it had to say.

It said I would have a very prosperous and successful year. My business would earn money, I'd be enjoying some travel, family life would be just fine, and the only thing to worry about would be some possible stomach troubles at the end of 2010.
I like it. I'll take it.

My only resolution: don't look at those stupid horoscopes.

New Years Eve

I began the day feeling kind of iffy, with a really stuffy nose and half my face was numb. Can't explain the face thing, but my allergies were certainly responsible for the stuffiness.

After cleaning at home and walking some dogs, I made some goodies and headed to the airport. Steve was there with his boss and we decided it would be easier to have our dinner there. I set up all my food and beverages, then waited two hours for them to join me. Two hours!!!



Two hours was long enough for me to get filled up on jalapeno thingies.



And I spent too much time browsing Facebook.

After we ate, Steve and I headed to a friend's house party. It was our first time at this house, and I was really surprised at the decor....like the stripper pole in the living room....



It made for a really funny show.

We primarily sat with Rick and Robin, and I did my best to take photos of them when they weren't ready. Sometimes that's how I roll...



Honestly, I think it was my mission to take as many bad pictures as possible.



But of course I took note of the Blue Moon in the sky.



Won't see that again till I'm an old lady!

We made it home shortly before midnight, and rang in the new year in each other's arms. Awwww! Sorry, no photos of that.

One Last Thing About Christmas...

Being the dog walker that I am, and being the holidays, I am out on the streets with other people's dogs a lot lately.

Today I was walking Sadie and we came across a rock in someone's yard. A special Santa Rock...

Steve's Christmas Present

Steve said at the beginning of December, "Hey, I think we should all just make each other's Christmas present this year."
My mind started working, you could actually hear the gears start turning and squeaking.
I asked him if he'd like to make a scrap book for each of his daughters, so they could begin their adult lives with keepsakes of their own. Just a good collection of pictures of them from birth till now. He thought it was a great idea. Until I asked him to help me compile the photos. They needed to be picked out and scanned, then reproduced.
So that never happened. He got them each something from Staples.

Meanwhile, I needed to come up with something for Steve. I've made him lots of things over the years: the hammer head cane, the customized race car cooler to match his race car, the custom scooter to match his race car. But those were Birthday presents. This was going to be his Christmas present. Hmmmm....what to do...hmmmm.


I decided to go through my extensive collection of photos, to put together an album for him. It took about two hours to choose all the pictures on my laptop; they are thankfully very nicely categorized and all I had to do was click click click and they were transferred to a USB thingy. I chose several themes: family, travel, toys, and pictures of us together where we'd posed for the camera. Oh yes, almost forgot about the funny photos; ones where he either had on a funny hat or disguise. There were about 10 of those.

It was a neat trip down memory lane. I was re-living moments that were actually quite clear in my mind thanks to my very meticulous way of saving photos on the laptop. Every event, every special day, every photo has been carefully saved according to the date and event. The first photo we ever appeared together in was in April of 2005. He had come to a fundraiser I was putting on, and shocked the elite fru-fru members of Havasu's society by hugging on his younger girlfriend.



There were photos from family outings, like Mexico, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Glamis Dunes. There were family reunion and family Christmas party photos. There were car shows, trips in the semi truck for this or that, and Birthday parties.
155 photos later, I was ready for Walgreens. They printed them in two hours. TWO HOURS!
I wasn't ready for them, so I picked up the photos the next morning. Only, I didn't know it was Christmas Eve. I thought I had a whole 'nother day. WRONG.
I spent eight hours that day sorting photos, clipping them, arranging them, and gluing them into the album.
And I was pleasantly surprised at how much he loved his present.






How do I top that? I don't know. I don't think I can. I am physically unable to do another eight hour photo album.

Smiley Cyrus

At Uncle Jim's on Christmas Day, my cousin's daughter broke out her new guitar. I kept trying to get in and take photos of her, but she would hide her face each time I appeared. So I photographed her from around the corner.

She didn't know what to think of me, because all the rest of the adults were hanging out and talking with, well, adults. I wanted to play.

Especially when I saw her new doll house. It wasn't a Barbie Dream House (enter trademark symbol here) but it was cool enough. All wood, with little dolls and fantastic Art Deco furniture. I just wanted to play.

When she saw me over at her three foot tall doll house, she joined me. I would rearrange a room, she'd knock it all down. I kept telling her that we needed to stop it with the Hurricane Katrina stuff, and she'd give me a strange look. Hey I can't help it if she doesn't watch the Weather Channel!!
I gave her doll a Snuggie (enter trademark symbol here), and Avery would yank the Snuggie off. Well, it WAS her sock anyway...



At 7pm, Avery's mom and dad announced that it was time to go home. Being friends with four year olds has its limitations.

Lost and Found

Sensei Rudy from the gym has a big cardboard box called "Lost and Found." It's been growing and growing since I started torturing myself in his dojo last summer.
Once in a while I will casually go through the box and see if there's anything of mine or Shay's. Never. We take our clothing home with us. We like our clothing.
Sensei Rudy reminds people all the time that they need to look in the "Lost and Found" box for their things because he's getting ready to throw the stuff out.

So I went shopping. Sort of.

Got myself a new outfit.



"Kee yaa!"

Christmas = Food. Good Food.