35 isn't so bad when you celebrate with the ones you love!

My birthday seems to have taken on a life of its own, it felt like I celebrated it all week long!  Last Saturday (September 21) the parents had a little birthday par-tay for Shannon, Kathy and I and since we are all September birthdays it only makes sense to have one get together and be done with it.  I mean really, who wants to drag out getting another year older anymore than we have too!  These days the parties are more about the kids anyways, swimming even though it was fall-like temps (but we were back in the 90's today),  sneaking tastes of the cake ahem Mari, cousin dog piles, screaming as loud as could be, official birthday present openers of the family (does not matter who's bday it is), cake chants, etc.

Really, another picture?

They cannot get enough of one another, they are best cousin friends!

Super Mom did it again, another tasty cake!

Happy Birthday!

On Friday, September 27th I received these beauties along with a necklace from the Sheriff!  Proof he pays attention to EVERYTHING I say, he bought my favorite flowers and something that sparkles.

Per our usual birthday tradition, my mom and I went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch, ordered our favorite cobb salad and shared a piece of Cheesecake!

I did not get a pick of the cake, but proof we liked it!

Yesterday on my actual birthday Ken picked me up at my house, took me to Starbucks for some birthday coffee.

We then headed to Dana Point because we just cannot stay away from there, lol!  We met up with some  friends to finalize the Dam Race plans and walked back to Proud Mary's for brunch!  Since it was my birthday a Mimosa was most definitely on the menu!  Breakfast was amazing as usual.

Yes, I take a lot of pictures of my food!

After breakfast we headed down to Doheny State Beach for the Battle of the Paddle (stand up paddle race).  The weather was amazing and the event was a lot of fun, we ran into a few friends along the way and had a very nice time down there.

The start of the race!

I had my eyes closed in this pic, the light was hitting just right so you could see right through my sunglasses, thank goodness for instagram filters I was able to hide it.

Ken had to leave for work by 1:45pm so he dropped me off at home and I had some free time on a Saturday afternoon, so I texted my friend Carrie and I was able to meet up with them and cheer on her son Brayden's soccer game.  There really is nothing cuter than 5 year olds playing soccer.

Brayden is an awesome player, I am so glad I was able to go watch him!

Little Caroline sent me this....

AHHH, she is too cute!

I wrapped up my birthday with a trip to the parents house for dinner, dessert and presents.  Super Mom made my favorite steak, baked potato and salad dinner and we had a lemon cake afterwards.

Thank you everyone for all of the birthday fun, text messages, phone calls, facebook posts and instagram comments, you guys are the best.

8:11 am

 

Yep!

 

 

Yep, I am a bowl licker and proud of it!  Ice cream, cake batter, cookie dough, you name it I have/will lick it!  I even go as far as to encourage my nieces and nephew to lick their bowls as well, I know, I am the best aunt EVER!

Wednesday's Around Here!

Since the Sheriff has gone back to working weekend nights (boo) and our Tuesday night date night at El Torito (we should of told our favorite server we were leaving her for a few months) is over now because paddling season is done and he has Mr. Pie on Tuesday nights so he cannot stay out late and I get off work late, we have started Wednesday night dinner at my house for the three of us.  Ken is convinced the only thing I know how to cook is shish kabobs or some other meal that can bbq'ed, so I am on a mission to show him I have a few other culinary skills (not many, but a few) and that I can cook stuff in the oven or on the stove.  So for the first of Wednesday night dinners I had to go to my favorite website skinnytaste.com and I found a mighty tasty sounding dinner for us to enjoy.  Mr. Pie pretty much only eats mac and cheese unless he is convinced that anything else is going to be good (I waited until he was three or four bites in before I told him the green stuff was spinach) and I was not making mac and cheese, so I found something close that we could all hopefully enjoy.  Baked Ziti was on the menu tonight, it was so easy to make, however it was kind of a disappointment in the flavor department, it tasted good but it needed way more garlic and some protein of sorts.  I will definitely make it again I will just double the garlic and add some spicy italian sausage to it for a little bit more flavor.  You can find the recipe here!

I wish I had a picture but we gobbled it up before any photo's could be taken!

However it looks like my cooking may have morphed Mr. Pie into a green man, oops!

He cracks me up!

Normal or at least a new normal!

Paddling season is OVER and things are slowly returning back to normal around here, Gracie has come to remember that I am hers, my bruises from the Catalina race are fading, my athlete's toe is healing ( I seriously have a toe that looks like some kind of virus/fungus or something got ahold of it and it does not match the rest of my toes, but I am to embarassed to go to the doctor for my lame pinky toe, just my luck it is staph or something nasty like that!), laundry is getting done, house will be cleaned one of these days, they blog is getting some much needed attention from yours truly and most importantly food is making its way to my kitchen table, I actually cooked dinner a couple times this week, holla!  It feels so good to be home and to have my life back at least temporarily, but I cannot help thinking about what is next, what am I going to do with all of my new found free time?  The Sheriff goes back to working weekend nights starting this Friday, boo!  I'm not gonna lie, I am selfishly very bummed about this, he will be missing the best day of the year (my birthday), a few family gatherings and just plain ole good hangout time, oh well, I will survive! :)

Proof I made dinner!  OMG, it was soooooo good!

Maybe I will put my suitcase away today, errrrr maybe not! 

I just cannot help it!

See it is not entirely my fault I am the way I am!  Being a Libra has shaped my personality and there are no if's and's or but's about it, we are all doomed.  Sincere apologies to my friends and family, I just can't help it. Lol!

 

 

I cannot afford anymore bad luck, so I had to share this with you!

10 days and I think my life will be over!

Ten days till my birthday people, I think I just vomited a little in my mouth, I am going to be 35, gasp, I'm not married and I do not have any kids, I wonder what people will think?! Lol!  Please say it ain't so, I don't want to be 35, I want to be 25 (actually I would rather be 28, that was my golden birthday and it was a great year that year), life is passing by way too quickly, please make it stop.  Thankfully the 27th is my Friday off, so I can sit inside my dark bedroom and mourn the passing of another year all by myself, whah!  If you would like to get me something to make me feel better, here are a few things you can buy me......

- Gift cards, I need new clothes desperately and somehow I spent all of my $$$ this summer!  Banana Republic would be a great place for me to shop!

- Or Super Dad could make me something like this!

- Or a paddle cover found here!

  

- Instead of a cover how about a paddle?  I would like the flower one size 49 please!

- Or you can all just come celebrate with me on September 28th and we will have a grand ole time!

I really don't need anything, just some wants!

Happy Birthday to me in ten days!

Catalina 2013!

Catalina!  I am exhausted just thinking about it!  You all have got to remember this post from last year and how we had a series of unfortunate events that led to the last place finish of our poor pitiful boat and its crew.  Well the Catalina race was two weeks ago on September 7th along with the birthday of my very favorite sister Kathleen (I have been trying to figure out how I was gonna give her a shout out without going back in time, problem solved) and our boat and crew did amazing, talk about ending the season on a high note!  About three weeks leading up to the race I was tired, oh so very tired, work was killing me, I was and still am way behind in chores around the house, Gracie was pretty much in the custody of the AV Pet Suites and I was feeling really guilty about that, I needed a break and just flat out did not really want to paddle anymore, put a fork in me, I was done.  So done, I was very close to emailing our coach and telling her I was not going to do the Catalina race, but then Kona happened and it gave me the jump start I needed to finish out the season and I am so glad I did.  I was lucky enough to be placed in a coed boat one more time, this time I was with Meegan, Melanie, Patti, Greg, Buck, Dana, April & Eric (our coach).  When I saw the line-up I knew we were going to have a great time, seriously these are 8 of the nicest people I know and they are all strong paddlers, however after seeing the line-up and all of these great peeps I kind of panicked I knew with Eric in the boat he would be steering the majority of the race if not the whole thing and where did that leave me, but paddling each time it was my turn to hop in the boat.  Now this would be a non-issue had I spent the season paddling, but I spent the season steering now don't get me wrong when you steer you have have a hand in every stroke but you also can rest when you need too, so I was scared!  

The race got started and the first water changes were made, everyone was doing great, we made a few adjustments here and there but overall we just moved right along and had a great time.  A little over half way there we made a water change and I climbed into seat five and not knowing it my foot slipped through the seat and I punched a water bottle holder that was screwed on to the boat right off.  We all get into the boat and we are moving past another DOCC boat and we are yelling at them cheering them along and bam we huli, we are now in the water, with all of our stuff everywhere and we are all shaking our heads to what had just happened.  Later it turns out that our coach was reaching down for the the thing that I broke off the boat and since he had his head down he was not able to stop us from going over.  All in all it was really funny! Towards the end of the race I was sitting in seat two, what the heck I have not sat seat two in oh like a year!  I was in there for four pieces and I was getting tired and hungry as I was paddling along I seriously thought about just jumping out, all I wanted to do was eat and that was all I could think about.  I got a short break shortly after I thought about jumping and then it was back in the boat to steer us to the finish line, Eric had all of us girls and Greg finish the race along with the promise of cheeseburgers for lunch as long as we did not let any boats pass us on the way in.  This past Sunday we all had cheeseburgers together!  We finished the race in 5 hours 34 mins! I had the best time ever!  I am so proud of myself and our boat, we were supportive, encouraging and never once had a negative thing to say to one another, I hope I am lucky enough to paddle with all of these people again next year! 

Hugs and high fives for a job well done!

Packed and ready to go, I may or may not of found a pair of wet pants inside a Ziploc bag last night from Catalina, eww!

These hot things (no shirts and all) met us at the beach in Catalina, they were borrowing our boat to race it back to Newport Beach the next day, umm sure, no problem you can borrow our boat anytime!

Dana, Me, April & Buck representing DOCC for 3rd place in the Open Unlimited Coed boat!

Eric, Melanie, Me, Buck, Patti, Greg & Meegan!  Sadly Dana and April were unable to make it.  Eric took us and our significant others to lunch at the Dana Point Yacht Club, thank you Eric!

Ken's boat on the other hand did not fair as well, the were the very last boat in but they persevered through two huli's, a poorly rigged boat and a steersman who wanted to go a different direction than back to Newport Beach, but they finished and that is all that matters!

The 2nd huli of the day!

We dropped beers from the bridge for them!

Waiting for the boats to come in!

It was a beautiful weekend in Newport Beach and Catalina, we could not of asked for better weather or better people to share this journey with, congrats to everyone on a job well done, until next year!

Better Late Than Never, Hawaii - Part 3

Goodness it is has been three weeks since I last updated my little space on the world wide web.  I guess you can say it is kinda like my my suitcase, I arrived home from Hawaii safe and sound dropped my suitcase by the front door and no joke it is still sitting there thirteen days later.  Needless to say life has been buzzing by at lightening speed and is just now showing signs of slowing down temporairly.  

Anywho, I left off at needing to go hydrate for the double haul race.  Hydrate, hydration, hydrating was an understatement, they whole time I was there my entire body was swollen from the heat and humidity but yet I was sweating like crazy so despite being so swollen I consumed more water than I thought was humanly possible.  The double haul race was awesome, we had a great crew and we came in 9th out of 22 boats in our open coed division and the age spread on our boat probably could of won us an award.  I was the youngest on the boat at young age of 34 and the oldest was 68, crazy!  We had a great boat, our blend was amazing for it being our first time ever paddling together and we just had tons of fun.  Below are just a bunch of random pictures that were left on my phone so I thought I would share them.

Getting ready for the double hull race.

Some palms on the beach.

Another random boat/beach pic, it looks like it is gonna rain.

Our double hull crew, I love this picture!  Funny story about the gal on the right closest to this pic, she is my the wife of my friend Elisse's husband Andrew's ski coach in high school. Totally random I know! We were chatting and she said they moved from up north, I asked where, she told me, I asked if she knew the Tweet's she said yes and it just snowballed from there.  Even funnier part is I have not told Elisse yet, so Elisse if you are reading tell Andrew!

The start line, we waited here over an hour, it was crazy hot but fun!

Had to stop at Dairy Queen, yum it was good.

Welcome!

Ricki, Diana, Me, Sally, Jill & Nancy!

I started taking selfies after the shots of fireball started!  Cheese!

DOCC women's team in Kona, what a great group people!

Time to go home, red eye flight home!  I was asleep before the plane took off!  

Way to much fun packed into one week.  I am already looking forward to and saving for next year!

Aloha!