Santa and Barbara

K and I returned from Santa Barbara last night after a lovely holiday with K's family. K's parents and sister are wonderful people and spending time with them is fun! I could not have asked for better in-laws.

We went out for many meals...purrrrrr, puuurrrrrr...ate a home-cooked meal on Christmas....saw Ocean's 12 on Christmas night.....went to a chruch service on Christmas Eve (to make Papa Durham happy)...hung out with K's sister, Erika....K's parents delivered Starbuck's to us each morning (how nice they are!)...puurrrr, puurrrr.....and pretty much shared a lovely holiday.

K's return trip was a royal pain in the a**. She was lucky to make it home at all yesterday after all the problems she encountered. Our tickets were not purchased at the same time so we ended up on different flights, and routes, for the return trip. I ended up getting home five hours earlier than expected because I was able to catch earlier flights as a "stand by" passenger. K got the short end of the stick because her initial flight out of SB was delayed and caused her to miss her connecting flight our of SF. So, she ended up getting home four hours later than planned. In the end we got home safely, which is all that matters.

It sure felt nice to get home to our new little house! We ate a pizza from American Dream and watched a documentary - then had a good nights sleep.

I love my K!

Time for a run. - A

Monday Morning Blues

It's always so hard to go back to work after the weekend...this week is especially tough knowing that the workweek is abbreviated.

K and I had a lovely weekend.....

On Friday we simply went home after work and relaxed. We watched a movie (the second Harry Potter), ate some baked ravioli's, and chilled on the couch.

On Saturday we had a nice morning together....ate some breakfast, drank coffee, and played with Compass. The weather turned out to be beautiful so I went for a run and K got some exercice on the Gazelle. In the early afternoon we ventured over to Hawthorne to do some holiday shopping, which ended with little success. Oh yes, we had a yummy vegan curry over rice for lunch. I had a gig in the evening...it was slightly odd.

puurrr...puuurrrrr....puuurrrrr...puurrrrr...

On Sunday K met with Karla and hashed out some issues. I'm happy to report that all is well between the two ladies. No blood was spilled, no punches were thrown, and deciding to get married has officially cost K but one friend. We watched the third Harry Potter movie

puurrr...puuurrrrr....puuurrrrr...

I had my 90-day review at work last week, which went well, and have been given a couple of options. Option 1: $1 per hour raise (apparently they are going to keep me around!), or Option 2: Keep my current take home pay and work four 9-hr days per week. K and I discussed my options and we decided on the 4-day workweek. There are many advantages...especially if we have a child! I informed my boss this morning....four-day workweeks here I come!!!

Now, back to work! - A

Hide-a-couch

Pulled out the hide-a-bed last night and watched some Law & Order while snoozing...trying to get rid of a nasty little bug. K was sweet and took care of me...tomato soup, salad, and garlic bread.

I feel much better today.

K got up early this morning so, of course, I did likewise. (5:30 in the AM!) Compass and I had a soggy walk around the block...I even made her run for a while, which she didn't seem to enjoy.

K is getting her hair done today at Halo - a little color and perhaps a trim? I look forward to seeing the result! K is wearing an adorable skirt today with black hose, long black boots, and about three different black shirts. ("Shirt" may not be the applicable name for all the items covering her torso...I have but a simple vocabulary for clothing!) She is such a beautiful, warm, sweet woman.

Lots of work to do today. - A

Can I have fries with that?

K and I had a lovely weekend! We watched some movies, took Compass for a few long walks, and had some yummy meals. On Friday night we went up to LaCenter (Washington) to have dinner and some drinks with friends and had a nice time. During the drive we talked more about the wedding ceremony and actually hammered out some details. So, as of this weekend, I would say the details of the ceremony are pretty solid. Geez, I can't wait to see K on our wedding day, I know she will look splendid. (Shoot, she is simply gorgeous in jeans and a tee-shirt...I can't imaging what she's gonna look like on that day!)

Puurrr.....puuuurrrrrr.....

Puurrr.....puuuurrrrrr.....

Here's the movies we watched this weekend:

• Spiderman II
• Maria Full of Grace
• Super Size Me

Here's some stuff we cooked / ate this weekend

• Pizza, salad, vegetarian baked beans, cheese ravioli with sun-dried tomato cream sauce and garlic bread, 5-layer vegatarian bean dip, veggie corn dogs (Morningstar products rock!)
  
• Hashbrowns, toast, eggs, and some cinnamon / buttery / sugary pastry thing I created on the fly, coffee (of course!)

Well, I need to figure this whole ring thing out....

Time to work - A

What a Fox

We watched Out Foxed last night, a documentary about Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel, and it was pretty good - actually, "scary" might be a better description.

K left work early today for a trip to the ever-joyous DMV. Long ago did those tags expire! She said that once she is done at the DMV she has an appointment for something relating to my wedding ring. Hhhmmmm....I wonder what she has up her sleeve? Does it take long to shape plastic?

Speaking of rings.....We had a well-respected jeweler take a look at the wedding ring I gave K (it is an antique) and they informed us that it would have to be completely restored. I threw up on the woman when she told me how much that would cost. (Well....I didn't actually vomit on the lady...but I wanted to....) So, I need to do some ring shopping / redesigning of my own. Sh*t! There is some pressure when making such decisions! The last thing I want to do is give K a wedding ring she can't stand!

We made salmon teriyaki with rice for dinner last night. Oh, and we had a salad with homemade thousand island dressing. K seemed pleased.

Puuurrrrrr.

Time to research metals. - A

Mr Coffee

Alright, gosh darnit! I made two, count them....two!...pots of coffee this morning and both came out weak and poopy. I didn't do anything differently from all the perfectly satisfying batches made in the past few weeks. One batch decided to spill all over the counter and onto the floor I just cleaned. Nice way to start the day! Arrggghh!!!!! K was a sweetheart and patient with my caffeine frustration.

K's last group is tonight. I'm so proud of her.

K looks exceptionally beautiful today. - A

Going Postal

Where the heck is all of K's mail? Geez Louise! She changed her address with all her personal billing folks and submitted a change of address to the post office months ago and.....she's received poop-zilch-zip in the mail. Needless to say my little K was not pleased this evening. Then she stubbed her toe on the poorly placed fire extinguisher in the kitchen. (Placed there by yours truly...oops!) No shots were fired. :0)

But...tomato soup and homemade breadsticks seemed to help my little lady relax! We watched Spiderman and cuddled. - A

Puurrrrrrr

What a lovely night! I prepared homemade calzones for K tonight. (She requested them earlier in the day.) Made two kinds: one with cheese and pineapple, the other with just cheese. Both were topped with a simple homemade tomato-basil marinara. Yummy. K seemed to really enjoy them....and Compass was not shy about begging.

Puurrr...puuurrrr. - A

Compass!

Got something I can eat?

Circle

Busy day today for both of us....I taught three lessons and ran a couple of errands. After the lessons I went in to work for a while because one of the residents passed away and K was administering a "Circle" in honor of the passing. She gracefully read a wonderful piece to the group and then presented everyone with an opportunity to speak about their experience with the person. She had candles burning, seated us all close together, and set the mood for the experience. It was quite touching. K was wonderful; compassionate, gentle, insightful, and warm. I'm really proud of her and the work she does every day. Very few people get the chance to make a difference in the lives of others and she does it on a daily basis.

Wakes, circles, funerals...they truly are for the living. As I sat there tonight listening to a family talk about their loved one who had just passed I was reminded of how precious life is and it's fragility. I know that any day, at any time, the world one thinks they know can be turned upside down in an instant. I love what my life has become and I am happy. Should my world turn upside down I will always cherish these past few months with K. I love her dearly and am thankful for every moment we spend together. - A

Warm food and warmer bed

Picked up a nice comforter and cookware today. Sh*t, I am sick of shopping but it's nice to create our home together. - A

High Rollers

It was time...time for a new TV and food staples. Damn! Costco is expensive even though it is cheap! You can't walk out of there without spending at least $100...and that's just for toilet paper and bottled water. Got a nice TV there for not too much money and also picked up a nice little all-in-one printer unit for cheap. My wallet is now much lighter.

It was nice to get the food staples purchased - now we can cook some good grub at home. K seems to like my cooking and I sure enjoy doing it but until tonight we didn't even have salt or pepper.

The house is coming together nicely! - A

Another Gig

Had a gig tonight in North Portland. Man oh man was the place smokey....yuk. I used to never think twice about the secondhand smoke at my gig's but now things are different. Heck, I don't want to die at 40...not now.

Speaking of K, she returned from her trip to Seattle tonight and showed up at the gig! What a sweetheart. She didn't stay long due to the unbearable smoke cloud lingering in the joint...but it sure was nice to see her walk in while we were playing.

Time for bed! - A

Moved In

We moved in to our new house today! Actually, we moved in a couple of days ago but today is the "official" move in date according to our lease. The house is great!

My back hurts... - A

The Suspects

Here we are at the beach!