What's Up With Susan?

Idyllwild

2012-01-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to a memorial service for the mother of Matt's co-worker. They grew up in Idyllwild and that is where she still lived. I think the entire town turned up and then some. They had to have it in the school cafeteria to accommodate everyone so there were children's painting all over the wall and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. Some interesting characters spoke and a terrible bagpiper played Amazing Grace. It was like an episode of Northern Exposure. But, there is something to be said for living in a tiny close-knit community like that.

This was a photo taken just outside of town looking out from the mountain. So pretty up there. I remember going there once as a kid to visit my parent's friends . All I remember was that they had a giant rock in the front yard that we played on.

Nice

2012-01-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

They fixed the cracks in our street.

Isn't it lovely?

Biking

2012-01-11T20:18:00.001-08:00

Matt was all gung-ho about bike riding New Year's weekend so, on the 2nd, he cleaned up our bikes and aired up the tires. I couldn't refuse after he'd done all of that work.

We biked over to the lake which only took about 20 minutes each way. However, there were a lot of hills and we went through these skinny dirt paths that didn't agree with me. I felt like I was in a Mario Kart game....I'd run into the bush on the right and immediately run into the bush on the left and so on.

It was pretty fun overall so I think we'll do it again but I'm choosing the route next time.

January 1, 2012

2012-01-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

Well, my "year of pictures" experiment is over. Did it inspire me to take more photos? I think it did. However, I still forgot to take photos at some of the most important times. I tend to get wrapped up in living the moment and forget to record it. Nothing wrong with that but I'm one of those people that cherishes my memories so it's important to me to have something to show for them.

I've long kept scrapbooks and photo albums so I want to continue to do something like that in my blog. I also want to share some of my favorite things. I'm still going to strive to post to my blog weekly, at the very least, but I feel the daily aspect forces the issue.

So, what about today? Well, here are 2 photos taken last summer at my dad's retirement party in La Jolla. Mike Nicholas was there and took a bunch of photos of our extended family with a few exceptions (Will, for one). The first includes my dad's brother and family (The Shanks). The other includes my mom's brother and family (The Shooks).

Shank squared

Shanks and Shooks

December 31

2012-01-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

I think this was one of my mom's old ornaments.

I love it because it is so unique.

They don't make them like this anymore.

December 30

2012-01-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite ornaments...

a vintage metal Alice in Wonderland.

December 29

2012-01-01T12:28:00.001-08:00

Well, I might as well stick with the egg theme I've got going. This is one of 4 eggs that I bought when Matthew and I went to Prague. Their custom is to paint eggs with ornate designs and use those as ornaments on their trees.

December 28

2012-01-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

This is a little diorama ornament I made for a

school contest, probably at Witter Elementary.

It started with a L'eggs egg. Remember those?

December 27

2012-01-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

I'm going to finish the year with some of my Christmas decor, starting with these 2 nativity scenes from my Grandma. Technically, there is another nativity in the mirror, courtesy of my mom and Avon, but I want to focus on the 2 items front and center.

I'm actually just guessing that they were my Grandma Artha's because they look like they were from Europe and Russia and she traveled extensively. I really like the wooden Russian nativity because the little figures inside are all hand-carved. Plus, it has a cool top. The other is an egg which was cut open and has little hinges for the doors. It's pretty ornate but it keeps falling off it's stand despite my attempts to glue it in place. Luckily, it's never even cracked.

December 26

2011-12-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

Dignan loves his Grandpa

December 25

2011-12-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Mom and Dad opening presents on Christmas morning.

December 24

2011-12-29T22:06:00.000-08:00

Our neighborhood does luminaries on Christmas Eve. We walked around a bit to see them but it was COLD outside.

This is our house. Notice our reindeer? So far this year, the local boys haven't put them in suggestive poses. There's still time, though.

December 23

2011-12-29T22:04:00.001-08:00

Both sets of parents came to our house for Christmas.

Of course, we had to play Mexican Train.

December 22

2011-12-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

Our tree

and my hundreds of ornaments

(at least it feels like hundreds when I'm trimming the tree)

December 21

2011-12-29T22:01:00.001-08:00

Loading up the sleigh

December 20

2011-12-29T21:57:00.000-08:00

My Rudolph Village has been up since the end of November. It's always the first decoration to come out of hibernation each year. I love it! I've said many times that I wish I could live there. It's so cute. No pollution, low crime rate, talking animals...what's not to love?

This is Hermey's Dentist office.

December 19

2011-12-29T21:56:00.000-08:00

With some of the leftover Legos, Matt made...

Lego Dignan

December 18

2011-12-29T21:55:00.000-08:00

Lego Gee

It could have been more elaborate if I'd had more time.

This was just what I could do over 2 nights.

December 17

2011-12-29T21:48:00.001-08:00

It's always hard to think of a new idea for my Christmas cards. This year, I actually had several ideas but they were all pretty difficult to realize. Lego Gee seemed like it would be the easiest...but I was sadly mistaken. I got a lot of great ideas from one of the workers at the Lego Store in Fashion Valley and we came up with a rough game plan while we were there. I was feeling confident until I got home. Then I was on my own. I can't tell you how many times I'd try to put on one lego and the entire thing would just break apart in my hands. There was a lot of cursing for a few nights in my house.

December 16

2011-12-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

I didn't take this photo obviously but I already returned the book to the library so this is the best I can do.

A co-worker recommended this book and Matt and I listened to the audiobook on our way to and from Ventura over Thanksgiving. It was pretty good and I picked up the actual book after we got home so I could finish it. I didn't love it as much as Ready Player One but it was still pretty interesting...and scary (think HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey).

December 15

2011-12-29T21:38:00.000-08:00

It's been so cold in the morning,

Dignan needs a sweater...

but he sheds so much, his hair comes through the sweater.

December 14

2011-12-29T21:37:00.001-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

December 13

2011-12-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

Key West sunset

December 12

2011-12-28T20:34:00.001-08:00

"I told you I was sick."

Best epitaph ever.

December 11

2011-12-28T20:31:00.000-08:00

Another grave, actually 1 stacked on top of another.

You can see some of the other graves stacked behind it,

although there are areas where the graves are stacked 6 high.

December 10

2011-12-28T20:26:00.001-08:00

There is an interesting cemetery in Key West. Because it is built on bedrock, it was hard to dig down very far. Therefore, as more and more people died, they had to stack the graves on top of each other. You can see a few in the background. There might be some more in my other pics.

They also had a sense of humor down there and some of the gravestones are whimsical or comical. This one was a giant cactus wearing a holster.

December 9

2011-12-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

Cake!

December 8

2011-12-28T20:21:00.001-08:00

I never shared the rest of my photos from Key West. First, I have a few from Mario's wedding at the Hemingway House.

There is a funny story behind this fountain. Ernest Hemingway used to go to a bar down the street ALL the time. One night, he got really drunk and ripped the urinal off the wall of the bar's restroom. He told them that he spent enough money there so they owed it to him. He carried it, by himself, all the way home. He wanted to display it in the yard so his wife bought a big pot to perch above it and she turned it into a fountain.

December 7

2011-12-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

Star Wars plant.

I saw this at the mansion and it's about

the only thing I can replicate at my house.

December 6

2011-12-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

So, while the woman of the house spends her time gardening (or telling the gardener what to do), the man of the house collects old cars. My favorite was a replica of the car in To Catch a Thief. It was a beautiful blue color and it was absolutely gorgeous. However, I thought the cutest car was this old Thunderbird with the little drive-in food try. He also has a Ferrari and about 4 other cars. Matt was supposed to build a 10-car garage for him but the city wanted something crazy like $25K to rezone or put in a new water line. Whatever their reason, it cost Matt a job.

December 5

2011-12-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

Still in Rancho Santa Fe.

This is one of the rest areas along a hillside path.

It also has a view of the valley below.

December 4

2011-12-28T20:03:00.001-08:00

Matt's clients had a Christmas open house today to showcase their fabulous new kitchen. It was in Rancho Santa Fe which is a pretty nice area and Matt said I'd really like the house. Of course, I thought the kitchen was gorgeous since Matt and crew always do beautiful work. But, I was more interested in the gardens. They have a huge property with winding paths down a hill, one of which leads to a little grotto that overlooks a valley. Spectacular. This is the grotto which was at the end of a walkway covered in vines. To the left was a little gravel area with chaise lounges so you could relax and enjoy the view. Plus there was music piped in everywhere. And did I mention that the woman and her husband each have their own wing in the house? So, that's what you do with too much money.

December 3

2011-12-28T20:01:00.001-08:00

The Lorax, ready for Christmas.

December 2

2011-12-28T19:59:00.001-08:00

There's also a Dr. Seuss area at the Islands of Adventure.

I met Thing 1 and Thing 2.

December 1

2011-12-28T19:55:00.002-08:00

Speaking of Chocolate Frogs, this is a display in a window at Honeydukes. The big box in front opened up to show the frog and collectible card inside and then the frog croaked. All of those wizards on the card displays moved around too. Very cute. I haven't opened my box yet but I have a feeling that the frog won't hop away and the wizard will just stay on the card.

November 30

2011-12-28T19:55:00.001-08:00

Hagrid's Hut

November 29

2011-12-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ah, Butterbeer. You could order it frozen or regular. We got frozen and I liked it, although you can't drink that much because it's so sweet and you get brain freeze from the ice. Maybe I'll order regular next time. It's non-alcoholic and tastes kind of like butterscotch. Yummy.

This particular cart was parked in front of Honeydukes Sweet Shop which you can see on the right. I bought a Chocolate Frog and some Fizzing Whizzbies, just because I could.

November 28

2011-12-28T19:49:00.000-08:00

Hogsmeade.

You can see how it's skewed a little to make it look bigger.

November 27

2011-12-28T19:46:00.001-08:00

Back to vacation. I have a bunch of pics from Universal Islands of Adventure, more specifically the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

This is us in front of the Hogwarts Express. And we didn't even have to find Platform 9 3/4 to get here!

November 26

2011-12-27T22:18:00.000-08:00

Another pic from mini-golf yesterday.

It was a nice course and I had a lot of fun.

It had been years and years since I had played...and I won!

November 25

2011-12-27T22:14:00.000-08:00

Mini-Golf with the Barrons

November 24

2011-12-27T22:10:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

And thank you, Blake & Janet, for such hospitality.

November 23

2011-12-27T22:09:00.001-08:00

Century plant in bloom

November 22

2011-12-27T22:04:00.000-08:00

Chloe and Grandpa

November 21

2011-12-27T22:02:00.000-08:00

Nieces and Nephews

November 20

2011-12-27T21:59:00.001-08:00

Too cool for school

November 19

2011-12-27T21:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight, we had a 40th birthday party for Matt. I was so busy, I forgot to feed Dignan this morning. I also forgot to take a single photo. I'm hoping to get a few from Matt's brother so maybe I'll post those later. In the meantime, I'm showing a couple of the photos his parents sent me from his childhood. It's totally Matt.

November 18

2011-12-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

Matt, in front of the Mexico area at Epcot. This is another building with a restaurant inside that is made to look like it's outside. Once again, totally cute. We had lunch here and I like it because there is also a boat ride inside so you can eat near the water. They also have a Mexican marketplace and Tequila Bar packed into that pyramid. It doesn't look that big from the outside!

November 17

2011-12-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

On the Spaceship Earth ride at Epcot, they take your picture at one point. I thought it had already been taken so I was making a weird face to be silly...when the flash went off. We assumed there would be a funny photo at the end which they'd try to get us to buy. Oh, no. They use the photo of your head and insert it onto a cartoon body which traipses around in a little video playing in your car. We thought we would die laughing.

THEN, when you get off the ride, it spits you out into a big room...and there, on giant screens, are photos of your video for everyone to see. I snapped this photo of it before it disappeared forever. I was surprised that you couldn't buy it; or I just didn't see where you could. This is the one time I probably would have spent the money.

November 16

2011-12-21T21:11:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday, Matthew! We visited Epcot today and had dinner in the German Oktoberfest restaurant. I had eaten here with my family a long time ago and I knew he would love it. You can see the stage in the background but you can't really see that it's all decorated to look like you're outdoors in a little German village (even though you're inside). It is totally cute. They put on a show with different entertainers including an Oompah Band. Plus, they have an all-you-can-eat buffet which is pretty good. I love me some sausage and sauerkraut with mustard. Matt had a giant beer, just like at the Munich Oktoberfest, so I think he had a fun birthday. Even though it was just the two of us, we sat at a table with a bunch of other people so it still felt like a party.

November 15

2011-12-21T20:54:00.001-08:00

Finally! I had waited so patiently (over a year!) before visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and it paid off. We stayed at the Royal Pacific which is a Universal property so they let us into the Islands of Adventure an hour early. There were only about 50 of us at the time they opened the gate. Yes, I was there at 8:00am. Unheard of!

We all went straight to the Harry Potter ride which is housed inside Hogwarts and we got on the ride in about 5 minutes. I wasn't in love with it the first time I rode it...or the second. We rode this crazy Dragon Challenge ride after that. I don't know what possessed me to agree to it because it was the most hardcore roller-coaster I've ever ridden. Even Matt said it was like something at Magic Mountain. My legs were wobbly after that so we spent the rest of our free hour walking around Hogsmeade. It was fantastic. I'll have more pictures later. I wish the area was bigger but there was a lot of attention to detail. I loved every minute of it!

Turns out, the park just wasn't very busy that day. We rode every ride that we wanted to ride and a few of them twice, like Spiderman. We went back to Harry Potter later in the afternoon and had to wait 15 minutes but the line itself has a lot to see so I didn't mind waiting. The third time's the charm. I don't know if it was because we had done other 3-D rides or because my eyes had warmed up but our third time on the ride was SO much better. I went into it thinking "okay, I'm sitting on a magical bench" and that's exactly how I felt. So fun!

November 14

2011-12-20T21:39:00.000-08:00

Today was a travel day but I took this photo last night at dinner. We ate at Smith & Wollensky which is at the southern tip of Miami Beach (south South Beach, I guess). Across the way is Fisher Island and you can see downtown Miami in the distance. The cruise ships set sail on Sunday evenings so we had a drink at the outdoor bar and watched them cruise by. By the way, Matt proclaimed his Martini to be the best he's ever had (high praise!). We ate dinner by the water also, which was expensive but worth every penny.

November 13

2011-12-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

The pier at our hotel.

I wanted to sit at the end but that lady never moved!

November 12

2011-12-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

Today, Matt and I had lunch then walked around the local cemetery (photos from that later - I wish I'd had more time there).

We met up with a bunch of people from the wedding for a sunset cruise. This was Mario, Tania and Joaquin before we set sail. It was pretty windy once we got on the open water and the food and drinks offered to us were pretty lame but it was still fun to hang out with everyone. I rarely get to see them so it was a treat.

November 11

2011-12-20T21:23:00.001-08:00

We flew to Miami yesterday and spent this afternoon driving down to Key West. I had imagined the drive would be nicer than it was. I enjoyed all of the bridges but there wasn't much variety to the scenery and the highway didn't go past the nicest parts of the islands.

Anyway, we made it in time for my friends' wedding. Mario and Tania got married at the Hemingway House. We couldn't go inside but the outdoor gardens, pool and lawn drew us back in time. It was fantastic and really conveyed the vibe you'd expect from Key West. They had everything set up so beautifully too. This is a shot of the dance floor on the lawn....and Mario and Tania's first dance.

November 10

2011-12-19T22:27:00.000-08:00

We're leaving for vacation this morning. Dignan is staying home alone for a whole week. My baby! Luckily, my neighbor, Carol, loves to come hang out with him so he shouldn't be too lonely.

It was hard leaving him this morning, though. He looked so snuggly...and sad.

November 9

2011-12-19T22:24:00.001-08:00

Prague!

November 8

2011-12-19T22:20:00.000-08:00

The day after we got engaged in Venice, we hopped on a train

and rode all the way to Munich. It was a long day but we met up

with my friends when we got there so it was worth it.

Here we're all enjoying a little beer at Oktoberfest. Prost!

November 7

2011-12-19T22:14:00.001-08:00

I realized that most of my favorite pictures of Matt are from trips that we've taken. I'm using a few as filler because we're busy getting ready for vacation and I don't have time to take photos this week.

This one was from St. Lucia. We were told there were these fabulous mountains on the other side of the island so we decided to rent a car and drive out to them one day while our cruise ship was docked. We never made it all the way out there and Matt almost got us killed because he's not used to driving on the left...but it was an adventure!

November 6

2011-12-19T22:12:00.000-08:00

Another favorite...I took this on a trip to Sedona.

November 5

2011-12-19T22:11:00.001-08:00

What...just...happened?

November 4

2011-12-19T22:08:00.000-08:00

I love this one because

a) he had a ventriloquist dummy, and

b) he couldn't go to the park without it

November 3

2011-12-19T22:06:00.001-08:00

I've been getting together some pictures of Matt when he was young to show at his 40th birthday party so I have to share a few of my favorites. Here is Matt with his older brother, Blake. They look so much like Blake's two sons. It's crazy.

November 2

2011-12-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

This is in another neighbor's front yard.

Definitely decorative.

November 1

2011-12-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

Decorative plant or dinner?

This is in my neighbor's front yard.

October 31

2011-11-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween (circa 2010)

October 30

2011-11-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

Dinnertime

October 29

2011-11-06T20:29:00.001-08:00

Worker Bee...

not sure we'll get this done before his party but we're trying!

October 28

2011-11-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

I cheated. This isn't my photo, obviously, but I returned my book to the library already so I had no choice. This is book 8 in the Sookie series. Always a fun read.

October 27

2011-11-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

Sleepyhead

October 26

2011-11-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

Jack

October 25

2011-11-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

6 days to go!

October 24

2011-10-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

Loved this book! It was so fun. It takes place in the future but the world is so bleak that everyone spends most of their time in a virtual reality game that was created by a man who grew up during the 1980's. Therefore, the game has a ton of references from that time period. The majority of the references probably appeal more to Matt and my brother but I loved it anyway. I read they are making a movie out of it and I can't wait.

October 23

2011-10-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

This is what the rest of your patio will look like

after your husband pours a concrete countertop.

October 22

2011-10-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Discovered a new restaurant in Poway, where Miami Grille

used to be. This one is called Company and they serve THE best

fries in San Diego. No kidding. The sweet potato fries rock also.

October 21

2011-10-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Matt didn't have to work today so he poured the

concrete countertops on the bar. Hurray!

October 20

2011-10-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

I went during the Christmas season so I had to.

October 19

2011-10-25T20:53:00.001-07:00

I didn't eat here but you can order a Green Eggs & Ham Sandwich.

October 18

2011-10-25T20:52:00.001-07:00

Slow down!

October 17

2011-10-25T20:48:00.001-07:00

Just when I thought my job couldn't get any worse, one of the people in my department quit. I am now in L.A. for the week trying to figure out what is happening with all of his work...because my boss wouldn't accept his 2 week's notice and walked him out the door as soon as she got the resignation letter.

So, I'm just dreaming of the day I leave for vacation. Since I won't want to remember one thing from this week in L.A., I thought I'd post some photos from my last trip to Orlando. From the Universal Islands of Adventure Theme Park, here is Gee with Spiderman.

October 16

2011-10-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

Cereal display...there's something wrong

with the new Boo Berry. He looks weird.

October 15

2011-10-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

Buildings

October 14

2011-10-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

Forest

October 13

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Grass

October 12

2011-10-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Another neighborhood Century Plant

October 11

2011-10-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

This year, they only chose their 100 favorite items to display.

October 10

2011-10-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Gee!

October 9

2011-10-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

This pasta was sooooo good. A bit pricey, though. 2 boxes of artichoke hearts ($4.50 each), 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes ($4.50), Italian sausage ($5.00) plus multigrain penne, chicken broth, basil, garlic and wine. I guess when you figure that it's enough food for 3 dinners, it's not so bad.

October 8

2011-10-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

Fire...first one this Fall.

October 7

2011-10-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

Finished this book tonight. I've described it as a cross between Wes Anderson and Augusten Burroughs so that means I liked it. Didn't love it it but I liked it.

Weird thing happened about halfway through, though. I suddenly had the feeling like I had read it before so I spent the second half of the book trying to remember the ending. Of course, I couldn't because it was just released and there is no way I read it before.

October 6

2011-10-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

Reception

October 5

2011-10-12T20:21:00.001-07:00

A view from the Carnival ship of the Queen Mary and the cruise ship boarding/security dome thing. You can barely see the Chocolate River in the foreground. Ha ha. That's exactly what it looked like but, in actually, it was just the ocean around the Carnival ship. Totally brown. Gross.

October 4

2011-10-12T20:13:00.001-07:00

Back to Brian's wedding in Long Beach...it was on a Carnival ship but we started our day at the Queen Mary next door. I had never been and we only got to go in one little area but it was really interesting. They had a bunch of old advertisements and photos from back in the day. They even had a replica of the ship that was cut in half so you could see the outside of the ship on one side of the display and all of the little rooms inside the ship on the other side of the display. Very cool. I couldn't take a photo, though, so I took one of Matt screwing around instead.

October 3

2011-10-12T20:08:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when an old friend visits me and I forget to take a photo. I dig out some ancient thing that you probably want to forget. So, here is today's hint...if you see me, remind me to take your picture!

My high school friend, Clint, came over tonight for dinner with me, Matt, Stephanie and Emily. It was so great to see him and I had a lot of fun hanging out with him.

October 2

2011-10-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here is Miss Emily, flower girl extraordinaire. She was so cute. Matt's friend, Brian (Emily's dad), got married on a cruise ship before it sailed. It was pretty weird being on the ship just for a few hours while everyone else was totally in vacation mode. I have to say that I hated the Carnival decor on the ship and I never want to cruise on them. There's my tip for the day.

October 1

2011-10-12T20:01:00.001-07:00

I hadn't seem my college friend, Rob, in years! Luckily, he lives in Seal Beach which is pretty close to Long Beach, and Matt and I were up there for a wedding. We had dinner with Rob at the YardHouse but I wish I had more time to hang out with him. I really miss him.

September 30

2011-10-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hanging out at the Catamaran bar with friends

September 29

2011-10-10T20:42:00.001-07:00

The courts at my fantasy club are a bit nicer

than the ones at my real club.

September 28

2011-10-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

Our club

ha ha...a girl can dream

September 27

2011-10-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Ready for tennis