Monday, December 31, 2018

Monday: The Upside for the First Week of 2019

New ideas are emerging as the sun stays up a minute or two longer every day now that solstice has passed. Monday: The Upside will be a collection of photos I take over the weekend along with some positive thoughts. Having something fun to look forward to, whether it is a date on my calendar, that first cup of coffee in the morning, lunch with a friend, a visit from loved ones, etc. is what I live for. In the spirit of upside, here is what I have on my plate this week.
  • Going dancing with the hubs tonight along with a couple hundred like-minded friends.
  • Tomorrow I shall enjoy a day off and think about the new year.
  • Finish up my application for retirement benefits from State of Alaska so I can send it in soon.
  • Tomorrow is Day 1 of The Minimalist Game.
  • Photo shoots on Saturday and Sunday, one with a very pregnant friend, and another with pitbull(s).
What are the Upsides in your upcoming week/year?
 
love, susan
 
 
The boathouses at Clover Island (Kennewick, WA)


The lighthouse at Clover Island (Kennewick, WA)

Sunrise on the Columbia River (Kennewick, WA)

Abbie and me. She always howls when I try to take her picture.


Thursday, December 27, 2018

New Products

 
I recently visited with a friend who happens to have one of those fancy-schmansy espresso machines. She uses a bean that is indescribably great. When she put a can of this stuff in front of me with a spoon, I asked her how she got it to fluff up so much. No, no, Susan ... I just took the lid off the can. She told me where she bought it and I made a special trip to stock up on this yumminess. (Note: I am still trying to get off the dairy products and have been less than successful. Maybe this product will be my answer.)
 
I love finding new-to-me products. Granted, I have used lots of coconut cream out of a can but this one is far superior to the those I have been buying. Coffee beans from her supplier are on the way, too. I hope it all tastes as good as it did at her house.

When I was working out at Hanford, I had lunch with a group of women who were always buying new products (mostly crackers) and bringing them to share at lunch. Man, I got a lot of good ideas from them.

Got a product you love that you'd like to share with us? Please leave a comment with something you've tried recently that you're crazy about.

love, susan


Friday, December 21, 2018

Taking My Lessons from Bears: Wrapping Up 2018

♥️Resist was my watch word for 2018. It served me well for the most part. It has been a different year. I started seriously thinking about taking my retirement from the State of Alaska last year. I have the paperwork in hand and getting ready to send it in soon for a retirement date of early June. I'm not sure I'm ready for full retirement but I know, for certain, I am ready to work a lot less. I am tired. I recently listened to a podcast of some young people who took a sabbatical which included going off social media and truly not working for a year. I have taken a summer off but never an entire year. I know I have enough to stay busy but, honestly, that isn't what nags me. I've always been a wage earner from about age 14. I was raised to pay my own way, and I thank my parents for that. It isn't that we don't have enough to live on that keeps me up at night, it is that deeply ingrained training that I am wage earner. It's a hard concept to overcome. If I'm not earning a wage, what is my worth? And, at age 60, will I ever be employable again if I decide I hate not working? If you are not in my age bracket, you will be some day. These are things you'll have to think about. So, for the remaining 10 days of this year, I shall try to resist future tripping. ♥️I have resisted drama. The specifics I'll leave to my personal journal but let me say here that it is a growth thing for me to put my virtual hand up and say, not my circus. This does not come easy to me and it has left me feeling a bit cold-hearted at times. I walk a fine line between being a very good listener, an emotional sponge, and someone who just has to walk away sometimes for my own mental health. If you are reading this and I have walked away from you, please know it was more about me than you. My dance card is full. ♥️I have resisted my ego. I was promoted early in 2018 to a job that I was less happy doing. I got honest and asked to go back to the job I had loved for many years. It was a good move for me (thank god for Unions!), a good move for my office. ♥️I have resisted  being a volcano. I have personal struggles that I wake up with every day. Some days are easier than others to maintain an even keel. Thankfully, I have closed mouth friends who allow me to vomit when I need to, which likely has saved my life from blowing up. Everyone should have friends like mine. They are pure gold. ♥️What I have not resisted well is sugar. I went off the tracks back in July on a vacation trip and I have struggled since then. I have gained back 15 lbs. of the 35 I lost and I am so uncomfortable in my skin right now.
 
EMBRACE
 
My 2019 watch word came to me a couple of weeks ago while I was putting my pajamas on at about 5:30pm, right after I arrived home from work but before I cooked dinner. I couldn't wait to scarf whatever it was I cooked and trudge up the stairs to my pillow. I've been in this pattern every winter for the last 10 years. In the past, I have beat myself up endlessly for just wanting to pull the cover over my head and say wake me when it's spring. It occurred to me that I really should stop beating myself up for a disorder I have very little control over, and ♥️embrace♥️ it. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a fact of life for me. Bears don't beat themselves up for being bears and doing what bears do in the winter ... hibernate. Why should I? The moment I had this thought, I felt free.
 
I am also going to ♥️embrace♥️ insomnia, black coffee, my hubby, gray skies, slowing down, feeling like a ship with a loose sail, and the fact that two of my three dogs are in the end stage of their lives. I am going to try to embrace feeling uncomfortable for awhile and really listen to others' struggles and solutions for that. I am going to embrace what was, what is, and what will might be. I'll try to be graceful and thoughtful in my words and actions.
 
How about you? Did you have a watch word for 2018? Will you have one for 2019? Tell me about it!
 
♥️love, susan

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Dog Diaries


We're all up in here waiting for winter solstice. Missy Moo went to the vet this week for a teeth cleaning. We thought she might have to have some teeth extracted but apparently they are all in good shape. She is in the early stage of kidney failure though. She sleeps a lot these days and drinks a ton of water. We love this old girl. Her eyes show her weariness and I know I'll have to make some decisions in the following months. Until then, we're going to spend extra time loving on her and the other two home wreckers. ***sigh***
 
Christmas love to you, susan

Monday, December 10, 2018

Bartering

 

Cold Weather. Getting out in the cold this weekend kicked my tail. I had 3 photo shoots for family photos. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it very much but man, oh man, I got chilled to the bone and couldn't get warm. I wore my silky long johns yesterday. My Alaska friends will laugh at me because it is 32 degree here.   Bartering. The first family I did photos for on Saturday asked me how much I charge for coming out in the cold. I usually just tell people that if they insist, I love coffee. But this guy comes from a long line of fishermen, so I told him I would love a piece of fish. He brought me a frozen salmon filet and a big, steaming hot latte. OMG .. loved that. We are having the fish for dinner tonight. My friend T says she loves bartering. I didn't know people still used that term and it really got me to thinking about it. I'd like to see bartering make a comeback! Photo Bartering. I will take photos for anyone who asks. Many of the folks who have given me the title of family photographer are young people who struggle to make ends meet. I always tell them to pay it forward. I hope they do. Do you ever barter with friends?  love, susan

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

November 2018 Dining Out Budget Results Revealed

 
Drum roll please. Dude, we stayed under $100 for the month of November's dining out budget. Stick with me while I tell you how I spent it.  Just Joel's: We stopped for breakfast on a Sunday morning because I have been dying to eat at this new local establishment my friend raves about. Breakfast out is my favorite meal. The hubs and I split a veggie omelette and skipped coffee since it was later in the morning. With a tip, it was $15.45.  Bangkok Thai: I snagged a buffet lunch there twice this month. It is my weakness. Total $27.46. Yummie Pho: Lunch for one with a tip: $11.76. The price of pho has gone up. Note to self ... this is not a good deal for soup. Greek Island: Met a former work friend for lunch. $12.32  Bacon & Eggs: On a Sunday drive to Walla Walla, we split an omelette and had 2 coffees at this great local spot on main street. $17.61. DINING OUT TIP: If you are like me and love the experience of eating out but you hate busting your budget, try splitting a meal with your loved one. Another item that will kill your budget is drinks. Who couldn't use more ice water in their diet? 
 
TOTAL SPENT IN  NOVEMBER
DINING OUT:  $84.60

My monthly budget is $100 and I'm feeling good about it. However, I am going to have to be careful in December because I spent $82 last night for a pizza party to celebrate the hubby's birthday with friends. This leaves me $18 for the rest of the month. I feel fairly confident I can do this. I have a Friend Day on my calendar this Sunday. A bunch of us get together for lunch and shopping at a different mall every year. We're meeting up at a local crepe place. My diet doesn't allow for flour & sugar and I really blew it last night on pizza so I may just be having some of their fantastic coffee. That'll help keep me under budget. The rest of the month, I am done eating out. Can I do it?  What I learned in November: I eat lunch out too much. I think I'll try to pick one day that I want to go out for lunch with work friends and try to stick to that. The way my budget looks right now, I won't go out to lunch until January. But, that gives me something to look forward to. Guess I'd better go now and make my lunch for today. That's my favorite excuse for eating out ... oh, I didn't have time to make a lunch.
 
In other budgeting news, in November I paid my home and auto insurance for the year. It was $2,011 ($168 a month). I have budgeted $250/month in this category so I have some wiggle room where I can take some money out of that line item and move it somewhere else, if needed. I like to pay my insurance in one lump sum because I don't want to have to think about paying it every month. It also saves a monthly service fee that I can always use somewhere else.
 
One last thing I want to tell you is that I am loving the budget feature on my credit card account. If I use my card for all my purchases, it is easy for me to see where my dollars fall in my budget. Love that. My local grocery store only takes dedit cards so I have to keep a good eye on that by hanging on to my receipts. I only go the store on Sundays so that's easy for me.
 
If you've read this far, I thank you for dropping in. Hope you found something here that might be helpful to you. If you have any tips for me, please share them in the comments. I love hearing from you!
 
love, susan

Monday, November 26, 2018

November 2018 Wrap Up: A Life List

Days flying by. I have been doing a lot of different things in my morning routine. Mostly listening to podcasts and journaling. I haven't given serious thought to blogging for weeks. I remember when I first started this blog, my mind went crazy with ideas for blog posts. I want to get back to that place. Part of it I think, as I sit here writing, is that I simply need to write for myself, no matter how scattered it may sound. I added a photo of my home office desk here. How messy my desk is usually is an indicator of what's happening in my mind. It's kind of a mess right now. It has been for a while. My mind and the desk.

PONDERING I am in the process now and putting together my application for retirement with the State of Alaska. My target date is early June. I have a few things to pull together before I send in the packet but I'm heading in the right direction. Trying not to future trip ... it 'aint easy.  WATCHING Just finished up Ozark, second season on Netflix. Loved it. Watched The Kominsky Method (Season 1) yesterday. Liked it a lot. Watched a full length movie called Fair Game that stars Sean Penn. Loved it, recommend it. PODCASTING I've been listening to a lot of interviews with Alec Baldwin on his podcast called Here's the ThingREADING Can you believe I am still reading a book I started last summer? I'm embarrassed to say that. CREATING I made a birthday card to send out to someone special today. LEARNING I can do anything I put my mind to. PLANNING Thinking about putting together a pizza party for the hubby's birthday which is not very far away. FINAL THOUGHTS Never give up.  love, susan













 

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Much To Do About Nothing or Everything


I recently had a nice conversation with a stranger on a FB group I belong to called YOU'RE PROBABLY FROM FAIRBANKS IF YOU CAN REMEMBER ...  Someone posted Remember A&W Drive-In? CJs? Which was better?

Listen, I've forgotten so many things in my almost 60 years since birth but there are some experiences burned in my brain that I can recall as if it were yesterday. Where my boyfriend took me to lunch is one of them. I never forget a good sandwich or boyfriends I  have married.


Step back in time ... when I first started going out with my first husband, he would pick me up for my half-hour lunch and whisk me away in his sexy brown, 4x4 Ford pick up.  I'm sure I loved that truck as much as I loved him. A package deal, really. And, those lunches. He was existing on unemployment checks, living in the basement of his parents' home. That he spent his little amount of income taking me to lunch made it even more special. Luckily, he wasn't unemployed too long because I really loved going to lunch as much then as I do now. I'm not sure he could have afforded me for long. 

I can picture everything about that scene. His curly mop of hair. The sound of that throaty truck, the drive-in where we parked for lunch, the cute waitresses. I think Sandy Miles worked there. If you are from Fairbanks, you knew the Miles girls. Those were good times.

This is much to do about nothing unless you're me. It doesn't take a lot to put me in a melancholy mood these days. I seem to cry at the drop of a hat. Memories have been bubbling up, as they often do in the winter depression that is my regular visitor. It's all good. I don't wallow in it.  As a matter of fact, I've come to enjoy the memories and learned to let them be. I'm just here today to record it.

How about you?  Remember much? 



love, susan



Monday, November 19, 2018

Tom Hanks

Talked with my step-daughter yesterday. I have been disturbed ever since. Some would say I have always been disturbed. They might be right.  No, really, I kind of am.

Her new beau had tickets for a book signing with Tom Hanks recently in Portland. For some reason I cannot recall, he went without her. I mean ... Tom Hanks! Who doesn't love him? Anyway, if you hadn't heard, he wrote a book. I have the audio version which is read by Tom Hanks. It is fabulous.  You should buy it.


Uncommon Type: Some Stories
by Tom Hanks

Okay, I'm over it now (not really). 

love, susan

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Bathroom Humor

Had a great conversation with my son over the weekend. I made him laugh.  A belly-busting, tear jerking laugh. The moment was totally unexpected and I'm still on a pink cloud thinking about it.

 
I was telling him about this new comforter I bought a couple weekends ago. I had put it on the bed and decided to lay down and take a Sunday afternoon nap with my dog. I reached down to pet her and found a wet spot in the middle of my brand-spanking new comforter that had less than 30 minutes use. Exploding anal glands was the source.  (this is where my son lost it!) OMG, it's the worst smell you can even imagine ... which made him laugh harder.
 
My son has my sense of humor. I don't presume to describe his but mine is perhaps best described as ironic with a hint of dark. Anyway, the conversation went from there to how their cat seems to always find the carpet instead of the linoleum as a catching place for his vomit. Why??????
 
Thanks for the laughs, son. It truly will keep me going this week.
 
love, mom (Susan)

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Currently: Goodbye October 2018

Weather this week is what I'd call perfect. The numbers are in the low 60's. I just looked and the forecast has changed a bit to include some spots of rain and breezes. Meh. It's fall!
My Favorite Moment(s) Last Week were far and few between. I did a photo shoot on Saturday for a friend who is in the family way. We went to the park behind my office building (pictured here) and got some great shots. She looks radiant and it was the bright spot of my week. She is naming her baby Nora. We also went to a dance Saturday night and that brought great joy to both my hubs and me. What's Right in the World is that tomorrow we'll have trick or treating at my office. My co-workers and other employees at the courthouse bring their kids in costume to see each of us for treats. It is the best day of the year at work, in my humble opinion. We deal with very heavy stuff there so this is definitely a day we all look forward to. What I'm Resisting is all the chocolate in my work place. I haven't resisted very well and it's a bummer. Today I plan to take some action towards resisting it all together. Wish me luck. What I'm Thinking is that my next challenge will start on Thursday for my dining out budget. I've spent the last two months in a grocery budget challenge and next up is dining. I've picked a number ($100) to stay within for dining out. Can I do it? We'll see. I love a good challenge! Want to join me? What My Future Holds Today I'm talking with one of my Alaska benefits people to talk about retirement. If This is My Last Day on Earth, Here is My Final Thought I'd be pissed if this was my last day and I spent it at work. I am so done with having my time belong to someone else. I'm actually a little angry every time I walk outside my door to go to work. The anger is gone by the time I get there. I am ready to spend some time doing what I want to do. I don't want to be one of those people who retire and die the same year, ya know?  love, susan


Sunday, October 28, 2018

October Grocery Budget Challenge Total: Over Budget $11.55

October Grocery Challenge has come to an end. Warning: long post!
 
Last week, I had $55.35 remaining in my $200 grocery budget. Today I overshot that by $11.55.  I made some observations I'll write about here. The upshot is that if I didn't have the money to spend on the extra groceries that put me over, I'd have to put some items back on the shelf. It would be so easy for me to do that today.  Here's what I would put back:
 
Flour 2.38
Sugar 2.38
Yeast 3.60
Buttermilk 1.67
Quinoa (bulk)  3.52
Total:  $13.55
 
I recognized a couple of things that I would have done differently today. First, I went out of the house without having coffee. I was in a fog. That was my first mistake. My second mistake was the impulse to make bread for the hubs this week. I could have put that off another week. No matter. I have the extra cash to cover my overage but what if I didn't? Did I need the quinoa? Nope. But now I have it and I'm going to use it.
 
This challenge, for me, has been to prove a couple of points.
 
  • It is totally possible to live within a budget. Most times, I don't really want to be on a budget but I also don't want to work the rest of my life to spend money needlessly. I am capable of stretching a dollar and I actually enjoy the challenge of it. I tend to think in terms of how much a bag of groceries cost ... on the average of $25.  If I'm living on a budget and we decide to eat out, we can easily spend up to a week's worth of grocery budget in one sitting.  We typically eat out at less expensive places like Thai or Mexican. My next challenge is going to be looking at just that, the dining out budget. I'll say one more thing about this. Eating is simply fueling up for us. We try to not make it a main event at our house.
  • It does not cost more to eat well. I'd love to dispel the idea that eating fresh costs more than prepared, packaged foods. It would be difficult for me to do this in real life because you won't find much packaged food in my shopping basket. I do buy hummus, guacamole, and salsa pre-packaged. People are going to believe what they believe but I'm here to tell you that .68 cents for a large granny smith apple is not too much to pay versus a $1 for a king sized candy bar. Say no to potato chips. Try some popcorn instead.
  • I don't have to drink fresh ground coffee to be happy. It's nice but not necessary. However, one of the ways I collect coffee cards is through my side hustle, photography. I ask people to pay me in coffee. Love that!
  • Budgeting can be fun. I've enjoyed getting creative with the food I already have in my pantry and fridge. My daughter-in-law has enjoyed this challenge and we've both learned things about each other the last two months. She and my son take glass containers to the store where they shop to buy items in bulk. I'm fascinated by that. I've enjoyed using up the canned goods I did have in my pantry, to free up room for dried goods like beans and rice.
  • Zero waste is not just a passing fad.  We have a large garbage can and we can go a whole month without putting it out to the curb for pick up. My husband has finally bought the idea that we should not put it out until it is full. It saves the sanitation people from having to stop to pick up a barely 1/4 full can. What if everyone did that?
On a side note, last year I bought a pile of cloth napkins (you can get them all day long at thrift stores) to use in place of paper towels. Nothing makes me think more of my mother than when I'm using too many paper towels wastefully. We didn't have much growing up (lived paycheck to paycheck) and paper towels were a luxury item. Some things never leave my mind and this is one of them. So the cloth napkins have been a great way to cut way down on paper towel purchases. I would have never thought of using cloth napkins had it not been for my d-I-l. I also have a friend who has a bachelor's degree in environmental science. She says that if we all just make one change, we can make a difference in our environment. I asked her one time what would be the easiest change I could do, and without a moment's thought, she said, "quit using paper towels". I have a good start on that but not quite all the way there yet.
 
Why all this talk about budgets?
 
I am on a fast track to retiring in 2019. I would be lying if I didn't tell you that it scares the crap out of me to think about how much is enough to retire. One of the biggest taboos in our culture is to discuss money. Lately, I've been listening to a lot of podcasts and also just listening to people, in general, about money. I feel just slightly less anxious after doing this budget. I know I can feed us on a pretty low budget, that's for certain.
 
The last thing I want to do is leave you with a couple quotes a wise man once said to me that I have kept and tried to live by.
 
The best way to give yourself a raise is to spend less money.
 
It's not how much money you make, it's how much
money you keep of the money you make that matters.
 
 
Thanks for dropping in. love, susan

Friday, October 26, 2018

Friday Mood

This morning, I got up and put a load laundry in the washer so I would have jeans to wear to work today. Jeans Day at work. You'd think I'd have enough pairs of jeans to not have to do laundry on a week day but you'd be wrong.  Not jeans I really want to wear, ya know what I mean? I have lots of jeans but I truly only love 2 or 3 pair of them. Why I keep the others around is a lifelong mystery. Anyway, not what this post is about. I've been getting up and plugging my earphones in every day, sitting in front of my light box listening to audible books and coloring. I bought this coloring book 2 years ago and have barely touched it until now. One page of flowers took me a whole winter to color. What I've noticed this week is that when I am listening to an audible book, I'm able to focus on the coloring and comprehend the book very well.  The reason this is interesting to me is that when I am reading, I cannot have any noise whatsoever in the room or I lose focus.  The light box is a life saver for me in the fall/winter. I've been creative over the years with finding things to do while I sit in front of it. I love to journal. I sometimes read. And, now I am coloring. What is frustrating is that I never have as much time as I would like to sit there. This morning, I found myself in the best mood I've been in all week. Weird. I think it is a combination of the light, coloring, great stories read to me by Tom Hanks, and Jeans Day Friday. I am so over this week.  A lot to do about nothing, I know. Hopefully, I look back on this entry and remember that these things I've done today helped boost my mood. If something is working for you, it's a good idea to keep doing it. I think I will. How's your mood this week?


love, susan

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Budget Story: Month Two

Hey All! Not sure how it is already the 23rd of October and I'm just now posting this but better late than never. My daughter-in-law and I are engaged in a budget challenge and this is month 2.  September, I went over my $200 budget by $55.35.
 
Here we are past the mid-marker of October and I have spent $144.11. I think I can stay at or under budget this month! If you are new to this blog post, I am feeding just my husband and me, and three dogs.

 
HOW I'M DOING IT
One item I haven't purchased in October is coffee.  The hubs has a couple of cans of coffee stashed in the pantry. In the interest of staying under budget, I am willing to drink off brand, canned coffee. I put creamer in it. It's hot. It's caffeine. The other thing that happened this month is that I was gone one weekend so I didn't get to the store. Amazing how we can survive a week without shopping. Oh, almost forgot ... some super nice people I take family photos for gave me a huge, whole, fileted salmon. I cooked it for dinner on Sunday and had leftovers for lunch yesterday, dinner for the hubs last night, and plenty enough for lunch again today. Love that!
 
HELLO COSTCO
I visited Costco last weekend. I hate going there but I wanted to buy a brand of black bean burgers I had tried at a friend's house. Since I was there, I picked up other items that will keep us to the end of the month. Hummus times two. The half & half will get me into November easily. I wish I didn't hate going to Costco so much. It's the crowds. Perhaps I'll learn to get over that. The one impulse purchase was the Sweet Hot Chili Sauce, didn't need it. On the upside, I have enough frozen cherries and blueberries to take me well into November. I bought a couple of large bags of mixed greens so we're into salad this week.
 
THINGS
I'VE
LEARNED
Last week I bought 5 bananas. Now, I'm not much of a banana eater but I love it in my oatmeal. I have discovered that I actually like it in my oatmeal better when the brown spots appear. No more waste. We ate them all. I also have been adding nut butter (protein) to our morning power bowls. I still have some black beans and brown rice in the freezer for that morning when I simply can't stand the thought of oatmeal one more day. Truly though, I rarely get tired of oatmeal. It's so good for you!

I have 8 days left in October and $55.89 to spend. I still have to buy something for the office Halloween thing. Our office invites employees to bring their kids in to trick-or-treat and we get a nice turn out. I usually buy microwave popcorn instead of candy. The kids love it and it isn't any more expensive than candy. With what I have in the fridge right now, I don't think I'm going to need a trip to the store.

Feeling good about my budget this month.

Do you have a food budget? How are you doing?  Would love to hear your ideas and thoughts on budgeting. Leave me a comment!

love, susan

Saturday, October 20, 2018

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Last night I tried something new. After hitting the art show featuring our good friend, Heidi Elkington, we walked over to the Emerald of Siam for dinner with T. It was a great surprise when we learned that there was a blue grass band playing. A fantastic blue grass band! We haven't heard blue grass since we moved here 10 years ago. One of the songs they played last night was U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. It was a beautiful rendition. When the waiter said they don't serve pho on really busy nights, he suggested this soup. It was a nice salty, slightly sour flavor with big chunks of fresh mushrooms and shrimp. I did not miss the noodles.
 
It felt good to be up past 7pm. I've been sleeping too much lately, seasonal affective disorder is in full bloom. If I have an event to attend or photos to shoot after work, I can stay upright but once I get home, I'm done and in bed. Then, I'm up at 3:30 or 4:00am.
 
The Dead Show was great. My friend got the entire gallery to showcase all her dead works. This one pictured here was my absolute favorite. It is on a very large canvas and somebody will be lucky to have it for $2,000.  What I see in this piece are parts of Heidi that only someone who knows her can identify. Her beautiful mom was at the show last night along with a dozen of our mutual friends and friends we just haven't met yet. The gallery is small and it got super hot with all the bodies inside so we didn't stay long.
 
At work, our human resources department has been placing painted rocks all over the courthouse property for the last two weeks. It has been delightful to find these hidden treasures. It has become almost an obsession with a few of my work friends. I love that it has given us something to talk about besides crime. And, it has gotten us to go outside on our breaks to walk. I think my Fitbit has hit 10,000 steps every day this week. There's that.
 
I have a super busy weekend lined up and for that I am happy. Today, I'm going out to the country mercantile pumpkin patch to take family photos for friends. Later, I am doing a shoot for a family who donated $ at a silent auction and won my services. Tomorrow, I'm going on a photo walk early in the day and then shooting Christmas card photos for my friends Doug & Rosemary at their horse farm. They have 4 mini horses now!
 
It feels to good to have some fun on my calendar. Hope you have a great weekend wherever you are. love, susan

You Made My Day, Dude!

A couple weeks ago while I was driving back to Portland after spending the night on the Oregon coast, we came up on some road construction ...