Trick or Treat?

I'll take a TREAT....
Over the years it's been real interesting to see which candies actually make it to Halloween night. I've got a husband who has a very serious sweet tooth!!

His top favorite seems to the the traditional Snickers bar. It never fails for me to find dozens of small wrappers thrown away in the trash can beside his desk!

The next candy that runs a close second in his consumption is yours and mine cute little buddies the M&M brothers..

This is a man who will clean out the cupboards.... YES, actually searching for any hidden treats! Once he has eaten all the hidden Halloween candy then he will resort to buying his own stash....and those come in the 1 and 2 lbs size bags!! Okay......I'll quit picking on him.... How he maintains his girlish figure...I'll never know...:).

Now my weakness for the sweet treats is more along the lines of.....

I tend to consume one here and there.... tuck a couple in my pocket for later. I don't lean towards liking very much chocolate at one time...so the tootsie roll is just right!

Another of my favorites is the always flavorful Saltwater Taffy....YUM.

That stuff is definitely addicting! There's a great little store out on the Oregon coast that sells this ....nice and fresh....I can give myself a stomach ache because I don't realize how much I've consumed until it's too late...;(

BUT...my favorite fun candy overall ...is the candy corn!

It's not that its all that scrumptious in taste... but I do consider it rather pleasing... it's also the game you make out of eating it. Very carefully you bite the little white tip off. Can you take it off cleanly without any white left showing? Can you do the same to the other end. Of course, there is the game of what you can do with the whole candy. Placed strategically as fangs or the large end down to make very believable Bugs Bunny teeth...:D

As Halloween nears it never fails that I've got to go out and buy more candy before the big evening....the neighborhood kids have learned that I'm the lady who hands out the candy in BIG handfuls.....they like me....they really like me.....ha, ha, ha.....!

Just Plod, Plod, Plodding....Along.

This has been the longest two weeks of my life!!

For 6 - 8 hours everyday I sat in a class learning more about government contracting than I ever thought I wanted to know. The only thing that made this class palatable was the fact that we were divided up into group....and I had an awesome group to work with. Over the two weeks we had 4 scenarios to do pre and post award administration, problem solve, resolve and of course refererence every government law and clause we could lay our hands on! Okay...I'll admit...some of it was actually fun and interesting....:)

Our instructor was an interesting kind of dude. His name was Bernie, he is a former government worker who now contracts with these training companies to teach these classes. I'm sure he's making a nice little profit as a private contractor! He was kind of quirky, a slightly raunchy humor, and one very fantastic cook! Since this training was two weeks, he hosted a dinner on the weekend and cooked for everyone....wow....the guy is really good. Quite impressive. I would weigh 300 lbs in no time at all if I continued to eat like that...but MMmmm...mmmm......it was tasty!

I'm happy to report that today was my last class and YES I passed...YEAH...one more class out of the way. Oh Yeah, I forgot to mention....I am also taking my evening Accounting class at the same time as this one. Only two more sessions and I can move on to something else....wooo hooo. I'm trying real hard to fast track all of this schooling so I can graduate in May 2008. So far, it's looking very promising. I'll try not to let you all witness too many meltdowns on here!

So....it's the weekend...the weather is looking promising, it's been a glorious Fall day.... and I'm a happy woman!

Puppy Love...

Those soft, warm, squirmy little bundles of joy. That warm puppy body and the licky little tongue...... I'm in love.

Puppies are so trusting and carefree. Look at those innocent little faces. Eyes that follow you and adore you. Little wet noses that want nothing more than to be stroked and kissed. When they hear your voice they get all wiggly and happy.

Can a man/woman have a more trusted companion. As they grow older they are the loyal faithful friend. Strong enough to protect and gentle enough to sense distress and give comfort. We are truly blessed to have such companions.

Memories....and Acceptance.

I took a moment this afternoon and wandered around my backyard. My original intent was to find some nice October shots...but alas....I found none to my satisfaction. The leaves just weren't yellow and orange enough yet. I'll give them another week or two then they'll be absolutely gorgeous.

There was a sentimental moment...... while looking at my birdbath and having fond thoughts of my mother, who passed away a little over two years ago. This birdbath isn't really my kind of style, but as Mom and I were browsing through a local garden pottery shop she spotted this beauty. She was sure it would be perfect for a little shaded corner of my yard. I was looking for a clay oven for my back patio in anticipation of a simple, quiet evening outside by a fire, while Mom purchased the birdbath as a early birthday present for me. We ended up bringing both items home and placing each in their current locations.

I've enjoyed many an evening outside with my clay oven, but have almost completely ignored the birdbath. I didn't have the heart to tell Mom I wasn't all that enchanted with it. As you can see....it has begun to weather and blend with it's setting. I do believe this little birdbath is growing on me. As I stood there looking at it...I began to envision what it will look like when the ivy begins to climb up the base of it. The ivy...was also an idea of Moms. I've grown used to the funny little birds, frogs and flowers....they don't seem quite so ridiculous anymore.

I think I learned a simple lesson on this mid-October day....

NEVER too old to play.

How many stay actively involved in sports throughout their lives?














Why is it that we think team sports end when we leave college?

We had a discussion at work the other day as to why people quit playing sports! Several reasons were: Family commitments, Work, Fear of Injury, and just other interests. The discussion was quite lively due to the different opinions on this subject. There are several of us who have made it a point to stay involved. Yes, we've all experienced injuries, aches and pains, but the love of a team sport runs deep. I personally enjoy having a group of friends to come together with and the friendly competition with other teams. I like the feeling of staying fit.

I love my team...and do you know the average age on my team?......about 40, maybe more. Our pitcher is the oldest and he is in his mid-70's!! If I can hit and run like he does when I reach that age....I will be a happy woman.


Do you think companies should promote more physical fitness for their employees....maybe require it?

Mom and Dads Night Out

Randy and I were invited to a big birthday bash this past Saturday night. It was a celebration for a couple of guys who were turning 50. This was the first time I've gotten to dress up and go out in very long time. Why is that? As we get older do we become lazy or just too tired to make the effort?

Once we were there it was completely enjoyable, great music, good conversation and food. The band was fantastic, check out their website: http://www.themoes.com/ These guys really knew how to rock it. Unfortunately, I'm still healing from a torn achilles, but was still able to kick my heels up a bit. Here's one of the birthday boys and myself....David Meyer he's a good friend from highschool days. Hopefully he and his wife will be doing some cycling with me this next summer, as well.

School News....

Wow.....It's been awhile, I guess I kind of suck at blogging....:)

Life's been busy. From July through September is my busiest time of year at work. Thankfully the stress level is coming down and I'll be able to ease back into a more normal work routine. But.......

I've had a pretty full load with mostly business classes...with the odd Humanities class thrown in. I just finished up with a class I THOUGHT was an ethics class...so it was a bit of a surprise to find out it was very deep into Philosophy.....wow...what a bunch of crazy, dead guys...ha.ha. In about a week from now I start a full two-week (80 hours) Contracting course. Luckily, it's here in Portland so I won't have to deal with strange hotel rooms and travel pains. I will still be going to school in the evenings too. Wait.....that's not all...

Starting the end of November I will be doubling up on my classes...and this will continue until April. This will ensure that I am able to graduate the end of May 2008 with my Bachelors in Business Administration. From the schedule I've worked out it seems to be very do-able. The winter months are the slower/less stress time at work. I've got a couple holidays and off-weeks thrown in there to allow me to do catch-up work. I'll be fine, but definitely busy.

How's the rest of the family doing?

Ashley is going to Mt Hood CC....just picking up the last few miscellaneous credits she needs before heading off to PT schooling for the next 3 years. She's taking a couple on-line classes, so her need to drive and spend too much time on campus is substantially less. She's working full time in a PT clinic and really enjoying it...and learning a LOT.

Brandt has graduated....(see graduation picture I posted earlier) but he is still working on the finishing touches of his senior project. Hopefully this will come to an end in the next couple months. I do believe he is anxious to finally move in to his chosen field....yeah. He is also working in the concrete business with Randy until he lands an engineering job.

Erin is going to Ashmead College -- she has about 6 more months and will be a Licensed Massage Therapist. She is really enjoying herself and has definitely found her profession. It's wonderful to see her so excited about the classes and clinics. I've volunteered to come in to the clinic so she can practice on me....ha..ha.. Actually, there are many massage schools that have open clinics that the public can go to for massages....and the price is substantially less. Little Keely spends half of a day in daycare...and seems to really be enjoying it. They've moved her from the infant room into the toddler room....she now gets to play with the big kids, read books, color and is now in the process of potty training! Wish I'd had someone to potty train my kids!! She's a true joy to this family and it's so much fun watching her discover her world.

Randy is as busy as usual with the concrete business. We are now moving into the wet season...so he tends to get a little grumpier. Someday, he will have to move in to some other type of business that is less physical...he's not a spring chicken anymore...;) Hopefully we can take a nice relaxing week in January or February to some place warm....so we can dry him out.

Life is good.....