Celebration Party

Despite everything going on, I went ahead with my plan to have a party to celebrate Mandy and Ken's birthdays. We had some of friends over for a laid back party, and we had a blast. To top off the festivities, we were joined by Norm! I know that Ken was dealing with his grief from the loss of his grandmother, but it was so important for us to celebrate his life and Mandy's.

Ken and Mandy were spoiled with their gifts. Michael wanted to be sure that each of them got something special from him.

I was so glad that I can capture this picture. I simply adore that I can do things to have Ken smiling like this. This picture also shows the amount of fun that we have with our friends.

I know that this was Ken's gift from Ermanno and Barbara, but not only is it a great bottle of bourbon but the box and packaging are gorgeous.

It is always important to celebrate with cake. There is just something about making that wish that adds something special.

You would think that Norm was the guest of honor! He so enjoyed being over to our house and hanging out, and we all loved having him around.

This was the scene around our table as everyone talked laughed and enjoyed each other's company. Taylor is trying so hard to be a grown-up, so she sat in the wings the entire evening. At one point the conversation turned rather raunchy and Taylor piped up, "You guys know I'm still here right?" I told her she going to go to bed instead of hanging out with the adults, and she replied, "No! This is way more interesting!"

Quail Forever Banquet

I cannot believe that it has been three weeks since the banquet!!  I ended up with a cold, then the flu and then bronchitis, and it wiped me out for three weeks. I am now medicated and am on the mend, but January was a rather crappy month for me, and poor Ken had to pick up all of the slack!

We had a great time at the Quail Forever Banquet. First and foremost, the quail that I stitched was a hit at the raffle. I was worried that whoever won it wouldn't like it, but the guy was thrilled.

The food was great and the people were nothing but fun. Ken and I ended up with a ton of the raffle prizes. It was nice to win again!! We never win at any other raffle that the QF Banquet raffle. There were "girl" prizes that they were giving away, and I ended up with one - a scarf. Ken is such the manly man that he didn't mind modeling it for everyone.

As is typical, we all got out of control. Neil's poor cousin was not expecting Ermanno and his antics. Well, I have to take some responsibility as well for my part in things. Ermanno liked how my top would open on its own and said that it wasn't enough of a peek, so I opened it the rest of the way, NOT realizing that this poor kid was looking at our table at that moment. HAHA!! He got to see more than he thought he would. 

After the banquet, we ventured upstairs to the bar for some billards and beer. I enjoyed dancing with Michael, but I loved it even more when he danced with Ken.

Sadly, I was starting to feel poorly, so I had Ken take me home early compared to everyone else, and it was the next day that I succumbed to the stupid cold. 

We had a great time, and it's always fun to hang out with these men.

It's a Guy Thing

Our middle son came over the other day. He and Ken spent some time going over some things, we enjoyed supper together, and then the flexing of the muscles started.

Justin has been exercising & has started some martial arts training. There is something magical for sons to be able to kick their dad's ass at a certain point. I don't get it, but I have seen this Rite of Passage before.

To make things more funky, the Koehler men have a thing for testicles. I'm not kidding! These guys love nothing more than a cheap shot to the nuts against each other to the point that they have to call a truce just to say good night. This is what that looks like:

Hockey!!

It was time for some ECHL hockey last night. Our Arena was packed as the NHL was still locked out until late last night.  Our Ontario Reign played a very good and hard game and pulled out the win after a 9 round shoot-out. Wow!! 

There were a couple of scuffles, but the main fight was definitely the highlight. Our player, #9 - Cloud, threw down his gloves and grappled. Unfortunately, the Alaska player wasn't enjoying the beating too much and he started whining to the refs and preventing any further punches, so Cloud head-butted him instead. That earned a 5-minute Game Misconduct but it was awesome to see! Of course, this shows very clearly that I love violence in my sports, but wasn't that the entire point of hockey??

Ken and I learned that his eldest son, Sean, was in attendance at the game as well with his fraternity.We decided that we would take him out to supper after the game, which included an extra wait for a table and the time to take him home, but it was fun. Ken loves being able to see his boys, and I didn't mind some extra time out.

I was also able to meet the younger brother of a guy I went to high school with - Kevin Collins - who advertises himself as the "younger and cuter brother" of Chris Collins.  Haha!! It is always fun to meet people who grew up in my hometown area, and especially those who share similar interests.

Our after hockey meal was at the Yard House in Victoria Gardens. We had one hell of a wait, but it was fun to hang out with Sean. Sadly, Ken offered for me to drive home, so they got half-yard beers:

which made me have to settle for a pint:

Ugh!! I was very impressed that I was able to get Warsteiner Dunkel on tap. Very, very cool!!  We enjoyed our meal and the sense of family time and then got Sean home.

Ken and I didn't return home until after midnight. I was exhausted, but it was a great evening!!

Back to the Insanity

Ken and I enjoyed lounging around again this morning. We put off moving around and getting ready to avoid the inevitable - checking out. I managed to get another picture of out Ken this morning, and it looks good enough for our Anniversary frame.

We traveled around the town and went onto the Main Base both North and South. After a few more really bad directions, we learned that Point Loma Naval Base does not have a decent Exchange and their signs suck. We went to Pass and ID only to find out that they no longer handled IDs - mine is going to expire so we figured we'd handle that since we were on a base. 

Luckily, the woman at "Pass and ID" was able to give really good directions and we followed them and went off base to find the location for the ID Cards which was in building 400 - which was directly after  Building 285 and before Building 370.  The numbering system makes no sense whatsoever there!!

Ken was really wanting to find some items that we can typically only find on a Base, so we took the directions to the MCRD and went there. Ken called it the "Hollywood Marines" and he explained why to me the entire time we were there. The Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego is really nice. Apparently, it is a lot nicer than Perris Island where Ken went, and calling the Marines that graduate from MCRD the "Hollywood Marines" is how the other graduates feel better.  Ha!!  We found the Christmas ornament for our tree to commemorate this trip, but we weren't able to find the glove liners or the pens that Ken wanted at the MCX. Oh well. 

It was graduation day, so we had to get through all of the families. Ken cannot believe that Marines are allowed to enlist at the tender ages of 12 of 14 - which is what these young men looked like to us. Sadly, that makes us the "old people" on base. Yuck!

Lucky for me, my husband is a good sport, and he tolerated me taking a picture of him with the Hollywood Marine Corps sign.  HeeHee

After stopping for lunch, we headed home.  Thankfully, we didn't get stuck in too much traffic. I was worried about the Vegas traffic since we left late on a Friday afternoon, but we did pretty well getting home. 

(Now that we're back in the High Desert rather than the warm beach area, I'm sure that Ken will continue to complain that he's cold, but at least he'll be justified.)

Anniversary Trip

It was time for Ken and me to celebrate our anniversary. I cannot believe that we have been married for 4 years now. There are times that it seems we have been married longer because we know each other so well, and then there are other times when it doesn't seem long enough and we find ourselves hoping for the 50+ more  years.  We started our tradition of going full-tilt on the anniversary in celebration of his making the first one when we were initially told he wouldn't live that long. (You can see many of the stories Here if you are new to this blog.)

This year, rather than try to make plans and not tell the other, Ken and I sat down and went over the many ideas that we had for a trip to take. We decided on trying out the Bayside Cottages at Point Loma Naval Base in San Diego. We wanted to continue with going places together that we hadn't been to before. We really wanted somewhere where we could relax and unwind, and this turned out to be the PERFECT spot.

Now, getting checked in was an entirely different story. It was a complete mess trying to find the location to check-in to the cottage in the first place. We found the Base just fine, entered through the gate and followed the signs. Apparently, Navy bases do not have to have any system for their building numbering systems, and then there was the problem that the address we were given for the Getaway Inns was not where they were located. After 40 minutes of wandering around the base, we finally called.

Um, no. Making a phone call and talking to a person did not actually help us find them. We did manage to find the cottage, but we couldn't find the lobby of the Inn to check-in. What?! The woman apparently did not understand that we were calling from on the Base, and we figured out that she was giving really good directions if we were trying to find the Base (seriously, "look for the grey ship that's not really a ship" was the best that woman could do??). Ken finally spoke with someone who realized where we were calling from and gave us directions we could follow.  Yay!! So, even after all of the wandering, we were too early to check-in, so we walked across the street and had lunch.

Oggi's was our first choice for lunch, but apparently, they did not make their December 21st Grand Re-Opening date, so we settled for a Mexican place. Ken and I were starving, so we were good with just about anything we could find.

At 1500, we walked back into the lobby only to be told that they weren't done with the cottage yet.  Apparently, the cleaning crew never made it over there, so we sat in the lobby and watched CNN and waited.  

The lady at the desk, Kate, felt really bad and gave us coins for their espresso machine. It wasn't bad coffee, but it wasn't a substitute for the alone time that we were desperate for.

Another hour squeaked by, and we were finally in the cottage. Oh my!! This was so worth the wait!! Ken and I looked at the pictures of the cottage online, but they did not do it justice.

I went onto the wonderfully tiled patio and took a look around. There was an outdoor heater, a tiled counter and plenty of chairs for lounging. It was amazing!! Then, there was the view!

Last night, Ken and I stayed in for the evening.  We had done some grocery shopping in town and had sandwiches from Panera, so we spent the evening taking in the view from the patio and enjoying cheese, crackers and wine. It was so amazing to be able to talk to one another without having to talk over or around the children and then to be able to talk openly about things was another plus. There is a lot to be said about taking the time for your spouse, and we are lucky to be able to do this at least once a year.

Ken and I lounged at The Bayview Cottages all day today. We have a lovely view, and the cottage is spectacular. We were disappointed to learn that the Navy is going to demolish these cottages and get rid of the harbor for a new mammal training later this year, but at least we were able to enjoy them now.

For supper, we found a place online - The Brigantine Point Loma. I had done an internet search, and this place had good ratings. Ken and I loved it here!! The food was excellent and the service was superb!! It was a great way to have an opulent night out to celebrate!

We enjoyed some more wine and crackers after we returned, and then turned in early. It was so nice to NOT have any plans or even have to go somewhere. I wanted to feel guilty about being so "lazy" but Ken and I earned every moment.

Winter Break

My big plans for the time off from work was "NOTHING."  Yep, that's right. I didn't want to do anything but what I wanted for fun. With everyone being sick, it was just that much easier for me to do!! 

The first thing on my list: sleeping in. Ahhhhhhhhhh!! What a wonderful feeling to not be a slave to the alarm clock!! I'm sure that actually getting sleep has been one of the reasons I have avoided the illness and germs that the kids keep passing around. I also have to say that it's great to be able to lay in bed and actually chat with Ken in the mornings rather than hustle and bustle to the routine of the day. 

Another fun thing that is completely selfish of me, is that I have been stitching. OK, I haven't been stitching as much as I had hoped, but the ability to just sit and stitch on my projects without any feeling of obligation or "I have GOT to make the time for this" has also been wonderful. I even managed to make some progress on Jordan's baby sampler.  Yay!

One of the main reasons I haven't been stitching as much as I would like is because I am actually taking the time to catalogue all of the stitching stash that I have. I knew I had quite the collection going, but now I have realized exactly how much I have. Holy crap! 

A little backstory here: My Blackberry phone was dying, and I had limped it along to make it last. At almost 4 years, it was finally time to get a new phone. I deliberated and contemplated the options I had. I agonized over it because I really - REALLY - did not want to learn a new phone or have to go through the trouble of transferring all of my data over. Yuck! Well, I'm not working out of the house, so the Blackberry isn't as "job important" as it once was, and I can sync my Google Calendar to the iPhone since I use it on my iPad. Plus, there's all of the shopping apps and lifestyle apps that I have been using on my iPad that would be so much more convenient in a travel size, so I opted for the iPhone. There is a iPhone 5 out, but I chose the iPhone 4S. For 1) the 4S was cheaper since it was an older version and I got a great trade-in value on my BB, 2) There's a ton more things I can do with the iPhone than the BB, and 3) I can create really cool cases through Heritage Makers.

So, I went ahead and purchased the organization app through the Cross Stitch Guild. I had spent a long time looking at the various apps available for cataloguing, but this was the best one.  I've spoken with the creator, and they are working on some great upgrades to make it even better, which makes me happier that I purchased that one. Most of the apps are very specific: DMC thread, fabrics, beads, etc. The CSG has everything in one location - well, other than beads, but they're looking to add that. 

As you can see, the app allows you to log in everything you have or might have. It will make it so much more convenient for me when I'm looking to kit up a project or to decide which project to do next (since I'll know if I have everything or not). And then there's the ability to decide at a sale what I have and what I don't. Oh the luxury!! Oh, and notice that I can take pictures of my phone screen with the iPhone - I couldn't do that with the Blackberry - cool!!

 This shows me exactly what I have on hand for floss, what I need for a project and what I don't have.

 Jane said they're working on making it possible to create folders, so each of the manufacturers can be separated and then the colors placed in each folder.  For now, I'll have to search by name for the Crescent Colours, Valdani, Gentle Arts, etc.

 Again, I cannot separate by manufacturer, but it's still great to see what I have inside all of the bins. 

And then, I can see who it is made by, what size I have, and then a picture of it!! Whoo-hoo!

This particular endeavor for my Winter Break is taking me a lot longer than I anticipated. It would have been easier if I didn't have such the stash collection, but it's been fun to see exactly what I have on hand!

Another Winter Break item on my to-do list is to spend time with friends. Ken and I were able to hang out with a former co-worker of mine, Jasmine Viveros, and her wife, Sherry along with some other friends of theirs. We had a great time, and not only was it fun catching up with Jasmine, but having adult time was fabulous!!

Ken and I are going to host a New Year's Eve party, so we had to do some shopping. Ken did the grocery shopping with Brian and I dragged Justin to do the decoration shopping. We met at Starbucks for some much needed caffeine before shopped. I enjoyed being able to get a picture of Ken and two of his sons. 

So far, Brian hasn't seemed to mind hanging around. It's obvious that he still doesn't care for me too much, but at least he's made the effort to hang out with his dad. He has locked himself in our guest room when he doesn't care for the conversation or company, so I was rather relieved when he said he was going to spend New Year's Eve at his old church than with us. 

For the last Family Night of 2012, Ken suggested a Blackout Night. Ken, Taylor, Brian and I played Contract Rummy while Mandy and Jordan played their own card game. Taylor and Mandy used their Christmas money to purchase iPod Shuffles, so Taylor kept lamenting the loss of her new electronic, but she didn't seem to mind once she won the card game.  We cheated a little bit after the game was over and while we left the lights off, we did heat up some popcorn and watch a movie together.