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!!

Busy, Hopping, Sedulous...

Take your pick of which word from the title to use as the word to best describe my/our life at this point. I try so hard to take the time to blog (journal) our life, but then I realize it's been a few days or even weeks.  This past week was no exception. Once I again, I found myself traveling for work. Yeah, me and my silly ideas that cost me time, but it was worth it to meet with my Nor Cal team.

Most of the people I work with in the Northern California location (everywhere north of the Highway 58 line) have not actually met me let alone gotten to know me. There are a few that I am trying desperately to get them to understand that I'm not only part of their "Team" but that I actually know what the hell I'm doing.  Flying is not my favorite activity - I seriously hate it, but I made the decision to fly to Oakland rather than driving not only to save the gas money and wear and tear on my little car, but also to save some significant time. Unfortunately, all of the brain trauma kills me in an airplane not to mention that I'm a stress case about not being in control. Ha! 

But, I arrived safe and sound in Oakland, California on Wednesday afternoon, and I was totally lucky in that two of my co-workers decided to join me that night: Kym Riner and Kimberly Odom.  We had a blast in San Francisco just hanging out and enjoying a meal together. Sadly, I was a complete dolt and forgot to take a picture of the three of us having a great time. I did manage to their gifts done in time to give them rather than having to ship them.!! Yay. All four of the charms look so cute together!!

I did remember to take a picture of myself before I met up with Kym and Kimberly though. I love my new sparkly top.

Thursday morning, I enjoyed being totally lazy in getting up. Sleeping in, no kids screaming - it was nice.  The meeting went well.  I didn't win over one of my hold-outs, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. The information I needed to get out was well received, and I'm hoping it really makes a difference with everyone soon - I would LOVE to have my job go more smoothly.

Rochelle Hooks, Mark Hotlebeck, Kimberly Odom (cheering), Danielle Hodge (giving the rabbit ears), Louise Cranstron, Kym Riner, and Kylee Luchetti.  Katy Alvarez was missing from the pic since she had to leave early.

I so looked forward to the weekend. I wanted to relax and stitch as well as wrap gifts and get the tree finished. Well, those plans changed quickly. Two of the girls' friends decided to come over and hang out most of Saturday. Oddly enough, I suddenly found a Science Project going in my kitchen and it wasn't even for my kids. So much for quiet and relaxing. I guess I'll have to settle for knowing that my house is the "cool" house.

Just as I was starting to relax after the extra screaming and giggling girls left, Ken asks me what time we wanted Cynthia and Grant over for supper. I was glad to find out that we hadn't actually made these plans in advance, but apparently, the men were talking about it. So, we had our friends over for supper Saturday night. As always, we all had a great time - there's nothing better than sharing good food, drink and laughs with friends!!

The weather is chilly at night, but it's still pretty mild for our winter season here. The heater that Ken put on our patio helps a lot.

This morning, I was able to sleep in, get the rest of the presents wrapped and under the tree, and then I made crepes for breakfast. I even spoiled everyone with some bubbly with our Brunch (cider for the girls and some Wiens Celler's Amour De L'Orange for Ken and me!). As always, my Brunch is a hit - so much so that Jordan was licking her food!!

Mandy and her "hat" from the champagne bottle

Then, just as I was going to (finally) shower, the doorbell rang and I had an extra little girl in my house.  I keep forgetting that Kaitlyn lives down the street, so we're within easy walking distance. I decided to take charge of the situation, and had the girls pick a movie to watch to contain the noise. LOL

Ken picked up Justin this afternoon, and they put up the outside Christmas Lights while I worked on the Christmas Tree lights. Yay!  So, while the men worked on the outside, I worked on the inside and the girls played with their friends in the driveway. Some of our icicle lights have completely gone kaputt, so Ken wasn't able to get the archway over the garage completed, but he did make great strides AND our new additions of the reindeer is really cute despite the fact they're hanging out in dirt rather than snow and greenery.

I completed the Christmas Tree all except for the bells that represent the first four years after Ken's brother, Timmy, died.  I love going through all of the "firsts" ornaments and reliving the experience attached to each of them. The girls loved putting their ornaments on the tree, and then I finished with the bottom of the tree with the glass balls. 

Unfortunately, Ken putting the bells on the tree always makes him cry, and then I cry with him, and I'll spend most of tonight feeling bad for Ken. He so misses his brother at Christmas-time, and I know it's the main reason he struggles to enjoy this holiday. I would love to be able to heal Ken's heart from the loss of his brother, but I'm so very powerless to do anything. What a wonderfully loving man he is! 

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

We had our Date Night on Thursday. I was very, very excited because not only were our plans going to take us out of the High Desert, but we had tickets to see TSO in concert.  I have wanted to see them in concert since - well, forever! OK, they only started in the 90s, but it seems like forever to me. So, I saw they had a new performance and were headed to Ontario, CA and I purchased tickets for Ken and myself.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

So, we left early and headed down to Victoria Gardens. Sadly, we weren't as early as we wanted because the weather wasn't it's typical Sunny California. It never ceases to amaze me that a little rain and cloud cover makes it impossible for people in So Cal to drive. 

We chose to have supper at The Cheesecake Factory. We were torn between that, Islamorada, and TGIFridays. We don't normally eat at the Factory, so we went with that idea. Apparently, eating before 6 pm is out of the norm for Victoria Gardens, so we were seated right away. 

Our service left something to be desired, and we were not impressed with the quality of the food. Oh well, it was still great to get dressed up a little bit and go somewhere for supper. 

We walked around a little bit to work off the meal, and we wanted to stop by the cigar shop that we had seen driving in. It was a cute little place with a ton of selection. We bought a couple sticks, chatted with the owner and then grabbed some coffee and headed over to the Citizen's Bank Arena for the concert. 

As we have only been to the Arena for hockey, Ken was very curious how it would look for a different production.  I had managed 5th row seats right in the front, so we settled in and waited for the show.

Of course, Ken has been in a total smart-ass mood meaning that he keeps up with his "jokes" which makes the rest of us groan and moan and he has taken to making funny faces in the pictures. Well, I'm making sure to include all of the funny-faced photos from now on.

Once the concert started, I was hooked!!  Sadly, I saw that Ken was not as excited about the show as I was, but he did enjoy parts of it. 

The "new" show was great. The story that was told was excellent and, at times, heartwrenching. The theatrics were amazing!! I was so surprised about the ending - they didn't actually want to end performing, so then they played and sang some of the "older" songs - the ones I had heard from the radio and from friends' CDs that made me like TSO, and I loved every moment.

The concert was three full hours. I have no idea how people can perform that long, but they did, and it was obvious that they enjoyed every minute of performing. I was blown away by Wish Liszt - the two pianists did an amazing job and had a blast with running around and switching pianos. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to play like that again!! I miss playing the piano, but I so appreciate those who do! 

Then came the rendition of the Carol of the Bells. I loved every second of it!! One day, I'll try singing again and teach the girls as well. To be able to do a four-part on this song is amazing!!

By the time we were leaving, I was amped up. Again, I was very bummed out that Ken did not enjoy the concert as much as I did, but he was a trooper about it. 

We arrived home very late and safe. The weather, again, did not cooperate with us. It was rainy and foggy heading home, but we were very lucky that people were driving carefully this time. 

It seems that the concert has put me in the Christmas spirit finally!

Work Meeting - in style

I called a meeting for work in order to meet with my San Diego team and do some "team building."  In all honesty, I knew that everyone needs a break at this point, and I found a great "excuse" to give one to everyone. A major improvement in my working relationship last year was when I started to meet everyone face to face.  Suddenly, I wasn't the huge bitch that was rumored. Well, I can be a bitch, but it's usually with good reason. Since this semester has been absolutely insane for everyone, I figured it would be a really good idea and just spend some time going over what it is that I do, how I do it and the why.

The San Diego team decided that the central point was Temecula. Oh sweet baby Jesus!! Temecula?? That will just really suck - NOT! I planned the meeting to take place at the Creekside Grille at the Wilson Creek Winery, and then I also planned to have myself stay over the night before. If I'm going to get a "treat," then I'm going to make sure that I get a full treatment. I booked myself at the Inn at Churon Winery which is an older Bed & Breakfast, and I looked forward to this trip for a couple of weeks.

Driving down took me a good three hours due to traffic. I really hate the So Cal life for that reason, but once I was there, it was nothing but relaxation. Sadly, I missed the Wine Reception by 30 minutes, but I was able to get Subway for supper and some beer for the room. I loved the jacuzzi tub, but I completely disappointed myself by falling asleep before I could enjoy it.

The next morning, I enjoyed the wonderful breakfast and then spent some time stitching in my room until it was time to check out and get to the location for lunch. On the way to breakfast, I enjoyed a walk around the grounds and the view was breathtaking.

Once I was checked out, I got going as I wanted to be sure that I was there early so I could get everyone directed to one location and check us in to the restaurant. On the way, I stopped at Wiens Winery and picked up a couple bottles that Ken and I love.

I was very early, but I found a great little table and enjoyed the beautiful So Cal weather and sun with some jazz playing over their PA system and waited for everyone. It's hard to believe that it's the end of November and it's still in the mid to high 70s. 

Amber Verdi, our Interim Director of SPED was the first to arrive. I was really happy that she could make it as I was sure there would be things I would forget to discuss - which happened, and I enjoy her company. It's been so nice to enjoy her as my supervisor and that says a lot about what kind of a person she is.

Once everyone arrived, we were seated and enjoyed splitting a cheese platter and then we each ordered our lunch. I took my cue from another co-worker, Johanna Trask, and I ordered myself the Chocolate Shot which is Wilson Creek's Decadent Chocolate port in a chocolate shot glass with some Almond Champagne as a chaser - so to speak.

Oh.My.God - it was so very yummy!!! The entire lunch was great. Everything on the menu was more expensive that our silly budgets would allow, but it was only the one meal, so it shouldn't be a problem to have it expensed and reimbursed. 

My favorite thing about this meeting was how laid back it was. Everyone seemed to have a great time, and it was well worth the time to me since I got some great feedback and ideas from this group.

Once we were done, everyone started heading home. Stacey Houdyshell stuck around and enjoyed a wine tasting with me. She had never wine tasted before, and she seemed to like it. 

All in all, it was a great experience. Some great ideas and information came out of the meeting, and there's nothing like some camaraderie. 

Thanksgiving

I am finally getting around to posting about our holiday. This year, it was Cyn's turn to host Thanksgiving at her house, so we woke up early and drove down to the South Bay.

Sean decided that he was going to join us as did Michael Gallagher, so I drove down with Mike while Ken picked up Sean.

I texted Cyn when we were an hour out, and when we arrived, I saw Daniel sitting on a chair waiting. He was VERY disappointed to find that his Taylor wasn't with me. When I tried to take a picture of him, he covered himself up. Haha!

It's just always so cute to see Daniel's crush on Taylor, and he sucks it up for all that it's worth. He always asks her to carry him around, and spend a ton of time with him.

I was having so much fun talking and eating, that I actually failed to take pictures - which is normally my style. The kids ate mostly the sweets, but they managed to get through some veggies and turkey. Jordan loved the fondue - marshmallows, chocolate and sprinkles!

Ken and Sean passed out after eating their first round of turkey, and then came the second wind and more football. Here is the men during the majority of the day.

We settled in for the night, and everyone passed out fairly quick. Daniel was totally excited that Taylor was able to spend the night with him. Cyn and I are a bit worried about how he'll react when the day comes that we have to tell him no more sharing the bed with Taylor. HAHA!