fireside ocean frontview from San Juan Islands

Hello all! I have officially been on spring break for almost 5 days now! I am spending some time with my dad's sister Betty and her husband ward and their dog Hermione (for all you harry potter fans). I flew into Seattle last Friday and it was a beautiful sunny day so we had our fish tacos from Anthony's out on the deck, We then walked around Seattle's sculpture garden and enjoyed the lovely weather. We also went to the Japanese flower garden and although it is still a little early for everything to be in bloom is was still peaceful and beautiful! As many of you know I am contemplating a move to Seattle when I graduate on July 31, 2009 and that my biggest concern is my 62lb boxer Weissen! Anyway I was so surprised to see what a dog friendly city Seattle is! There was dogs everywhere tied up outside the grocery stores, at the dog park, walking down the streets, in people's cars which of course I was happy to see! On Saturday evening we ate Chinese, my aunt and uncle have a great variety of culturally diverse friends and also lived in japan for sometime so a visit to the Japanese grocery store and Chinese food is nothing out of the ordinary plus they always know just what to order, we had Mu shoo pork (best I've ever had), Tofu in the chef's special sauce (delightful), and hand shaved barley green noodles with shrimp, chicken squid (my favorite) quite delicious. On Saturday morning my uncle's nieces Vanessa and her husband Scott (must mention charming Australian accent) and Jennifer along with her 9 month old daughter Reeve (which comes from Jennifer's mothers name Monreeve Sp?...how creative) came over for brunch! It was great to see them, to meet scott and to catch up! Betty, Ward Herm and I then set out to catch the ferry to San Juan island where B & W have a newly remodeled cabin on the ocean! Snuck in a bowl of clam chowder primarily b/c Chad loves it and so I could say I ate clam chowder while I was here.....it was just fine but you know how cream and I mix so I took it easy. So since I have been on the island it has been cold 20's to 30's windy and snowy yesterday but already melted. Sunday morning we walked to Roche Harbor for breakfast with the a few other islanders. Was told that a son of one these people is going to going to UW and dog sits/walks (makes it seems so simple ha). Went to town yesterday and bought the Niece and nephew t-shirts and had a cup of Joe! Taking walks with the herm and enjoying my fireside ocean front view here on the island! As for moving here that's a whole other blog ............................I am a terrible tourist as far as taking pictures but I'll do my best! Much love XOXOX from San Juan, I'm off to walk the west beaches of the island.....Just returned from walking the rocky beaches and hiking around the state park and low and behold.......The whales were out! The whales are back early this year and there are 3 new babies or calves I think they are called and they were off in the distance a bit but we were able to see them jumping and swimming along which made my day! Now Salmon steaks for dinner!!!!!

The ocean is just too amazing!

Above: Aunt Betty and I at the Japanese Flower Garden

Above: Uncle Ward, Hermione and I at the sculpture park!

busy busy busy

So I've been wanting to blog and add pictures of what I've been up to but......ughhhh. There is no time! My good friend Staci Elizabeth Parker moved away from me in December.... Omaha feels empty with out her. When I drive by your old apartment I want to cry....Here's staci.....this was taken last March when we drove from Omaha to Albuquerque for spring break and yes I got kicked out of a bar and yes I sang karaoke bringing the bar to their feet because I turned it into comedy hour and yes it was spring break so I was drunk.......in a bar .......they threw me into public! Anyway Staci and I have decided to stay in touch through blogging! Staci and I liked to try our hand at cooking...Staci makes some mean caramel corn and she otherwise likes to cook from a box she says. So we tried making cinnamon rolls one time...Key word tried!If nothing else we had fun and found a few utensils...such as a rolling pin that I lack in my kitchen (coke can worked great) so anyway the rolls weren't that great! Plus the fact I wasn't using grammy's recipe. Next time I will or maybe the pioneer womans recipe. What am I getting at here is that I have been cooking Staci..... well last weekend I was on a roll any way I made apple dumplings delicious and easy trust me Staci you can handle this one! and Then I made guacamole which must have been a theme recently! But yes I actually chopped up cilantro, and smushed the avocados and everything.....what's left is still in the fridge probably better check that ehhhhh. and Then I also made meat loaf (my mom's recipe) hot crash potatoes. Just call me Betty but sorry no pics!


I also went bowling last Saturday with Eric he came to town to see his beloved Sharla. So Matt Sharla's cousin and Ross's cousin for those of you who remember way back when I was married (not literally) anyway we all went bowling! It was fun had some delicious gizzards and some miller lite......good times with friends pics to come of that!


However this is my super cool Friend Dana and I! Well went to see my bloody valentine 3-D hence the cool glasses! Not that either of us cared to see it we just wanted scary and this was 3-d so hey and we got the cool glasses which by the way are still on my head I just realized! Stupid movie Hot actor so it was all good!

Dana and I plan to dance our pants off tomorrow possibly with her sister in-law Natasha because after a long week of trying to become a nurse (Ps attempted to start my first IV in the ICU this week, got it then the vein blew or infiltrated then I missed then I called the IV team.....thanks patient who's name I of course cannot say...will remember you forever. and I hung blood and held a bite block for an EGD and pushed some drugs...that's it) ohhhh yes dancing with dana and tash we all need a drink and to dance our pants of at some ridiculous white trash bar I am sure! And Saturday's plans involve going to eat at JAZZ downtown because I never have and Matt (sharla and ross's cousin) insists I must so going to eat with Matt probably Sharla and some peeps! I'lll try to document this weekend in pictures!

There's your weekly update I suppose as for next week no cooking my pants are getting to tight! so Good night gotta go to the gym and study group at 9 am on friday....study who does that!

Much Love

It's snowing!

It seems that which ever direction I travel I always miss the good snow fall! Well not tonight! It's snowing here in Omaha and of course it is because I had a night planned out on the town with a cute sweater dress, tights and boots and well now I'm staying in........Funny thing I'm not that upset about it! Something nice about an evening in when it is snowing! Had a girls night last night with Miss DAna Christine Olsen (Hold on she's calling...weird how that happens) anyway Dana Christine who is not Dana Marie which I tend to like to call her quite often...ooops! Anyway I was going to make us pizza for dinner at her apartment but the crust called for butter and Dana didn't have any butter so we traveled to the bag and save up the street. We got the butter and decided we needed some dessert (right ;)) So we picked out some edy's loaded cookie dough ice cream and butter and headed to the register well i left my suitcase of a purse in the apartment so it was up to Dana to purchase these items. Well her card got declined so the cashier said try it as debit nope didn't work so Dana informed me that I had to put the Ice cream back.....must have been a sign from the good lord above that we didn't need that ice cream. Well then our teeny bopper cashier had to have someone come cancel the ice cream off ticket so our butter was like 80 some cents so Dana hands him 2 dollars and he of course handed one back to her...funny thing she works at a bank! well we found it quite amusing and all in all we got what we went for butter! So we made a pizza....definitely not a fat free pizza we don't watch calories on girls nights..ohh no we made a stuffed crust cream cheese minced garlic mozzarella peperoni cheddar cheese pizza .....AMEN we are never ordering pizza again! Then Dana, Sarah B and I watch Mama Mia....totally cheesy totally cute! Speaking of movies The other night ughh lets see when i got back into town Erin Om Bomb and I went to see the curious incident of Benjamin button...don't waste your time. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great it was mixture of titanic and the notebook with a reverse aging issue and well if Mr.Pitt had not been in it I would have been bored out of my mind, but he's hot so my drooling kept me awake. My aunt is in town...crazy cat lady......We are a lot a like in many ways we both love animals like it's our job, she is known as the humane society of my hometown, we both love to take long baths, and of course we love to cook and eat! So we're staying in tonight and going to watch The Women which is an amazing chick flick, no boys are in this movie well at the very end a boy makes an appearance but he's not yet claiming to be a man so that makes it ok! Anyway if you haven't seen this please do! And tomorrow weather promitting I am going actually go to the gym and possibly see Bridal Wars which just came out today I believe, I am a sucker for chick flicks as you see!