December Blurbs

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Debbie

Early December, I enjoyed a “Monday Funday” with my girlfriend down in the heart of San Diego = Seaport Village

Lunch at the Fish Market

And the hubs and I enjoyed a lovely dinner date with this couple last weekend. Love spending time with friends…

The hubs and I enjoyed a beautiful Christmas program – Weeks ago.

We enjoyed the view and music from our front row balcony seats. After the program, we had a lovely time at our neighbors party.

“At Christmas I no more desire a rose than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth; But like of each thing that in season grows.” – William Shakespeare, Love’s Labour Lost

“Shakespeare may not desire a rose in December, but he didn’t live in San Diego” – From the diary of the previous owner of our home.

A December rose is a wonderful treat. And these roses are left for our enjoyment from the previous owners.

A beautiful night sky – I was admiring the sky one evening while out cleaning my paint brushes and roller. Go me! I finally finished painting the last hallway a few weeks ago.

December 19th = the hubs last day of work thru 1/6/2014!

The babies are happy. Although we think we lost one to that egret, as we only count 9 of the original big guys. But they are happy and loving life – Image shot a week or so ago.

Last Friday, the hubs took me Christmas shopping in LA. I thought we were going to do some shopping in the Fashion District. But that was just a little “white lie” as the hubs had other plans. Plans to surprise me with diamond earrings. And surprise me, he did.

I told him I really didn’t need anything for Christmas. However, I did tell him I could use socks (mine have holes the size of quarters), a sweater and new hiking shoes.

But this is what the hubs thought I needed and what I got to unwrap Christmas morning.

Arriving to Christmas Dinner at The Hotel Del.

Carving the turkey

Sand in my toes after dinner, was just what I needed.

Sandcastles

A Sandcastle for Christmas.

The view – looking out to Point Loma.

Ice Skating – It was fun to watch…

Remembering Christmas Past – The silver ornament revealed a hidden surprise on Christmas morning, 1998. I said yes! And we’ve lived happily ever after.

This Christmas – A day we – enjoyed sandcastles, time together on the beach, Christmas Dinner at Hotel Del, the afternoon and evening with friends, more presents, a bonfire, roasting marshmallows and visiting into the night.

Feeling Blessed and enjoying these days with the hubs.

Blessings – Debbie

Family Days in Florida

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Debbie

This post is going to be a bag of family images during the week stay in FL. I still have so many images to process. But for now, I’m ready to get a few out there.

A few of the things we did that week = had the famous roast beef sunday dinner at mom and dad’s, with the family. I got to play with my nieces hair, did their nails, got plenty of rest, played poker, played backgammon, enjoyed a nice river dinner out with my little brother and his wife (my big bro was not in town as early as we were for this), enjoyed Cold Stone, went to Bass Pro with the family, enjoyed pumpkin pie every day from Thanksgiving – December 1st, purchased fudge, went to visit my grandma, aunt and uncle + cousins, enjoyed lunch with my aunt + uncle + their family + my mom = a total of 11 of us family members, had dinner with friends, went shopping with mom, I’m a heavy on the olives kinda gal and had all of the olives on my Thanksgiving plate disappear from a certain brother :), helped mom with Thanksgiving preparations, enjoyed a dinner out with just my parents, enjoyed watching my parents get surprised by one of the twins (she said she was not able to come as she’s in the middle of exams following Thanksgiving = she lives in Washington), having her there made our family complete, I got to take amazing pix of everyone, enjoyed a big family dinner with everyone at my little bro’s (guy on the far right of the first image in this post), met quite a few of my nieces and nephew’s friends, visited my parents church and enjoyed listening to our nephew play the piano and sing during service, talked to my nephew about coming out to Cali, to take his Sr pix this year and much much more.

Meet the family

My two siblings + parents. My older bro on left, he’s a year older than me and my baby bro on right, he’s a year and 1/2 younger than me. Feeling blessed to be right smack dab in the middle.

Pop and me

I love how he just cracks me up!

My niece all the way from Washington State.

And her twin sis in Florida.

And their baby bro – He’s the senior who mentioned coming out to So Cal for me to take his senior pix in the spring.

My nephew from North Carolina

And his little brother from North Carolina – This guy is also a senior this year. And he’s also the nephew who plays the piano and sings.

While enjoying the cool of the evening with friends, aunt Deb (that would be me) told the girls to “work it ~ work it” I just love the result!

Our three nephews – There is never a dull moment with the fam. As you can see, the proof is in the pudding.

My nephew and his buddy – Boy’s certainly know how to work it too!

When friends arrive late one evening – Hot chocolate + a bon fire in the backyard, made for the best way to spend the time with friends.

Here we have pops enjoying the cool evening hours as I was out shooting the grandkids. It is then when they brought my attention to grandpa. As this shot begged to be taken.

I don’t know where the funny bone genes came from, but I think you are looking at two possible candidates.

There are a lot more images to share from our Florida travels. But I’ll leave you with our Thanksgiving dinner picture, gathered ’round. I love my family and so thankful we could all be together. Even if my little bro took all my olives. 😉

Blessings – Debbie

There is Always Next Week

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Debbie

That’s what I said last week about digging out the Christmas Tree with sore aching muscles.

Remember? I had been painting this room while the hubs was out-of-town.

And when he came back into town, he helped get the rest of the furniture moved back into the living room. In fact, he moved the furniture one evening after I had gone to bed (early) exhausted. And when I woke the next day, it was as tho somebody took a magic wand in there.

Then over the weekend, “the Tree” made an appearance as the hubs got it all set up for me. And we enjoyed the lights and flickering flame in the fireplace while relaxing during the evening hours.

But this new 9′ tree took many days to fluff the branches and decorate. Well wort the effort, if you were to ask me.

Wednesday afternoon, we had the opportunity to see rare drama here in So Cal. Image shot from my neighbors driveway. We’ve had rain on and off ever since.

Wednesday = morning book club meeting with the girls. Words are few, but my heart is full of the love we have for each other in this neighborhood and group. Then we went out for the end of the year luncheon at Olive Garden. Good times, laughter and visits = My heart beats joy. Then I had a little Wednesday afternoon scoot over to Costco with my neighbor and friend. Amazing day all the way around.

And then is where “There is Always Next Week” comes into play.

On Thursday (yesterday), I finally finished the Christmas Tree!

I must say, I’m so delighted I took the painting of the house chore on before the holidays. It’s not only nice to have it done, I finally have the paint color of choice on our walls after many many years of wanting to paint the place we get to call home.

It truly is a blessings making this place home sweet home. Hopefully for a very long time.

Blessings – Debbie

Work and Play

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Debbie

The last week has been one of work and play.

First up = Painting and more painting. The walls quickly went from the light blue tint to the light yellow tint.

Play – A play date occurred with my friend after a day of painting.

I still can’t get over how dark it is at 6:30 pm.

But a good meal was certain. I had the Buffalo Wings = Perfection!

Our boys were out of town on business – not a great shot, but it documents our lovely evening.

I’m happy the hubs wasn’t gone too long. And it makes me smile that he thinks of the littlest things he knows I like.

We’ve had 3 dates since his return Thursday. This is his Friday off week. And I consider this to be such a great weekend, it feels like vacation.

Now it’s time to wrap up this post, such that I can get back to our delightful weekend in progress.

Blessings – Debbie

Keep Calm and Blog On

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Debbie

That’s what one tells them-self, when said person is a bit more than two weeks behind on the blog.

When one needs to keep calm, it never hurts to have an extra cup of coffee. So I did.

And with this post, I thought it would be nice to say a few blurbs of what’s been going on around here. Sprinkled with a smattering of photos, to keep things real.

Things like – Taking an image of our hard work, what a beautiful wood pile. The hubs did the chopping and I did the stacking. A great big cheers to having that job finished and we will celebrate with many a fire in the fire-pit in the coming days/years.

We started hiking the hood again.

I especially love hiking, just before sunset with the hubs.

I’m back to painting the walls in the house.

Do you know that Christmas music has filled the space in our home, going on 3 weeks? I admit, this is a first. I really don’t know what’s into me, but Christmas is in the air and I feel it. And I’m shopping for a new Christmas tree. I think I found just the one. This is not a non-sequitur people. It has everything to do with painting, as it truly filled the air with every brushstroke and roll of paint with the roller.

Below – A finished image of the family room. The paint color is Behr – Summer Bliss

Don’t mind the stuff on the window ledges, I didn’t have everything back in place when I took this image.

After painting a couple of days in the family room, I took a two-day rest. And I read for two days. The great news = I finished the book for my book club meeting this month.

Fry – Who knew goldfish/fish young were called fry? And that they hatch a brownish color? And they can take up to a year to develop color? And they can change color up until they have fully matured? I’m pretty jazzed with the little yellow and black guy who is changing color before our eyes. And it’s hard to believe that some of the little ones look pretty close to 3″ in size already. I knew none of the above going into this, but it’s a joy learning as we go…

And one day while sitting at the edge of the pond, the reflection begged to be captured.

Speaking of the pond – The fountain sprung a leak and water was seeping out (a little drop at a time). Thankful for a good pond guy who was able to repair the leak for us last week.

Speaking of repairs – The washing machine broke last Thursday.

The best load for the washer to break = the last load. The load you debate even throwing in the wash. You know, a few sweaters that would be nice to have fresh for our cool San Diego nights. I was feeling a bit smug (Thursday evening) to have all the clothes put away and the ironing all up to snuff.

And it’s still in need of some tender loving care. But I have hopes that the appliance man will have things under control tomorrow. Fingers crossed…

I have to put in a big plug-in for the St Louis Cardinals, the hubs hometown and team since childhood. The hubs predicted (before the playoff series) that they would nail it in 6, in honor of #6. What do you know, he was right on the money! We’re looking forward to our Cards in the World Series!

We helped our friends do a little moving down here from LA over the last two weekends. And we enjoyed a nice dinner with them last weekend.

Snapped this guy on one of my little outdoor garden jaunts.

The garden is one of my favorite places to relax.

Let there be birthday cake! Red velvet birthday cake. I whipped this guy up over the weekend.

Our daughter came for a visit (down from LA) and it was her birthday. I couldn’t think of any other cake to bake, than her favorite red velvet.

And I decorated her card with fingernail polish. It’s my new favorite way to decorate the envelope.

Twas a big celebration weekend of whining and dining.

I spent a bit of time in the garden this morning. Remember? One of my favorite ways to relax.

And shot several images.

And sipped on coffee.

And spent some time on the phone with my pop.

And I’ve been really good about staying out of the leftover ice cream. I call that a big accomplishment.

And I’m ever thankful we sent “ALL” the leftover cake with Kristy. Lord knows I would have a hard time staying out of that.

And I feel blessed getting this new week started off on the right foot.

Blessings – Debbie

Labor Day Weekend

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Debbie

Turns out, Labor Day weekend was all about labor around the house. And from what I can see, a lot of love and hard work went into making things happen.

We had 7 trees taken down. Three cedar trees – It was sad to see those beautiful trees go, but the root systems were too close to the pond. Two Brazilian pepper trees – It was also sad to see these amazing shade trees go, but the roots were a problem around the pond and house. One willow tree – The willow is my favorite tree of all time, again, the roots were a problem. And one other tree, I can’t remember the name of it, but it was in a place where we would like a path, so it had to go.

Yay for us, we kept the wood from the willow and cedar trees. Looking forward to that fire-pit one day!

And have you any idea how beautiful it smells of cedar outdoors? And the fresh mulch is plentiful.

And 3 old (very old) large stumps removed + another 4 stumps ground down on top of that. We’re not sure why the previous owners left these mammoth palm stumps or the other stumps, but they did. So the guys cut them down and the stump grinder got busy grinding out the rest of the stumps. Note: the clothesline in the right of the image was taken out over the weekend too. Can you see my happy grin?

We have plans for this area and we’re having a lot of fun tossing ideas around.

These guys were scattered about the lawn. Some were knocked down by all the commotion.

I found it interesting to take images of the chopped willow.

I read a book in a day over the weekend! That is a first for me, worthy to be noted. This is the book we voted on (last week) in the book club for the month of September. The first sentence captured my attention and could not put the book down until I had read from cover to cover.

Loved reading this on the Kindle.

Our neighbor brought over a mess of beans from their garden. What a fresh tasty treat!

We hired our old gardener from the first place we rented. It was a joy to see him again. He did amazing things around the house yesterday. And I felt pooped at the end of the day, just by observing the hard work he put in.

To break up all the work around the house over the weekend, we had a wonderful dinner out with friends Q, Julie and Phil. Outback was the place for dinner as Phil treated the first big chunk with gift cards. I had the yummy grilled chicken and veggies. And to top off our dinner, the hubs and I had our own private date at Cold Stone. The hubs had the founders favorite and I had the peanut butter cup perfection. So GOOD!

I know this is trailing my back to good health post. But allow me to say, we’re all in favor of sweet treats in moderation. And we were right back to eating healthy following that treat. And let me tell you, there is no regret.

Then today rolled around. I wasn’t ready for the hubs to go back to work. But Tuesday morning arrived. So off to work for the hubs. And it was off to work in the house for me. It was in need of a cleaning and I was just the gal for the job.

It’s good to see home sweet home taking shape. I think I’m ready for Labor Day Weekend, round #2!

Blessings – Debbie

Weekend Update

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Debbie

Good Monday Afternoon! I don’t know about you, but the weekend seemed to go at record speeds.

I worked in the garden. The hubs worked in the garage. And when we came together at the end of the day, the hubs had both of our cars parked in the garage and he had all of his tools, workbench and such put in the 3rd car stall. And I had the fish pond all sparkly clean once again. The lily pads were cleared of all dead pads and any fallen leaves were cleaned out too. It was such a nice feeling of accomplishment.

But the most exciting part of our weekend was attending the annual neighbor block-party. All the neighbors (nearly 50 of us) gathered for hors d’ oeuvres, dinner, dessert and coffee. Our neighbor put on such a beautiful spread. All tables were covered with table cloths and dotted with pretty flower arrangements. It was another beautiful cool summer night to be outdoors, visit with neighbors and greet neighbors we had yet to meet. Torches were lit at dusk and we watched the sun set down over the mountains.

One neighbor mentioned that we need to get together on their patio one evening. And another neighbor said we should do dinner one evening. It’s a feel good feeling to be here.

I debated taking my camera to the party, I did. And since the party was held right across the street from our house, I thought I had ample time to get it should I decide to take pictures. As it turned out, as much as I wanted to take pictures, I was having a bit more fun. And decided not to bother this time. Next time…

In other news, autumn is running heavily thru my veins. And I’ve had the craving for the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte for the last three days.

This picture has nothing to do with this post. It’s just one of the images I shot in the garden after it was hit by the morning sprinklers.

Another early morning image from the garden.

Sigh, In the news about Jury Duty. This is my last week to report…I hope. I had to call in again last evening. Was told not to report at this time, but to call again on Monday August 26th. That’s today. It’s been one of those months where I wonder each day if I’m going to have to report the next day. Only time will tell.

I’m not sure how many followers I have. And not sure if any of you recall my search for good health. Well I’m still rockin’ it! And I plan to post in the near future, to talk about this journey I started back in June 2011. And where I am today. And what direction I’m going. And where I see health in the future.

Until next time…

Blessings – Debbie

A Month of Stuff

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Debbie

Where did the month go? Tomorrow will be a month since I last posted. And things continue to move at record speed.

So like the last post, I’ll begin where I left off. I’m using the images and comments I posted on Facebook and going by the date. Off we go!

July 15 – Image from the pond this morning – There are times I get the tendency to get really excited. Especially when this gal landed. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but she’s the biggest of the dragonflies I’ve seen yet. I believe she was laying her eggs and was not pleased with me.

Having a nice Monday ~ a little lunch date with the hubs ~ a little reading on the patio ~ and taking care of the babies. We went from 10 fish to well over 50 fish in our pond. Happy Monday Peeps!

July 16 – On Yer Mark, Get Set… – I’m having a lovely Tuesday. Fish watching and dragonfly watching and bird watching = Oh My!

July 17 – Nature Weeps – The image today is honoring the little baby fish I put to rest today. I found the little 1 and 1/2 inch guy on the bottom of the pond during my morning cleaning of the pond. Cause of death – It appears a larger fish was hungry for protein.

July 18 – Joy Comes In The Morning – We woke to the fish spawning this morning.

July 19 – Having a beautiful day – It’s the hubs friday off ~ we have a friend coming over for a visit ~ It’s another breakfast, lunch and dinner on the patio kind of day + another female is spawning this morning. Happy Weekend!

July 20 – Fish Lips – Good Morning to those on the west coast and Afternoon for you on the east coast.

I would like to spend more time taking images of these guys at meal time. They are so much fun to watch.

July 22 – Capturing things around the pond is such a delight. This is one of the images I snapped this morning.

It’s a busy day – Paid a visit to The Home Depot – Picked up two different samples of paint color – Picked up a nice paint brush – Sampled both paint colors – Made my selection – Finished applying the paint from one of the samples to the walls in the kitchen – Allowing paint to dry for a final decision – And hopefully we’ll have a fresh painted kitchen tomorrow! Happy Monday!

July 23 – Somebody’s touching me – I thought it was pretty cool to watch these two fight over the same post yesterday. And then the funniest thing happened. That blue dude landed right smack dab on the orange guy’s wing…

July 26 – Chillin’ – So the last four days, I managed to paint the kitchen and dining room. Well, almost, I’m almost finished. But for today and the weekend, all paint brushes, rollers, paint and equipment are on strike until further notice.

Just for today – I managed a nap – laundry in the works – fish/pond sitting – Tea infused with honey sipping – and enjoying our new paint color. Happy Friday and the best to all of you this weekend.

July 31 – We celebrate our 14th commitment to love and to cherish each other for life. As the hubs sat across the dinner table, he said “I still remember the first time I saw you across the room”…And we reminisced from the time we first met 17 years ago. This has been an amazing journey and I’m blessed to spend all my days with my very best friend. There truly is no place I’d rather be.

This image was taken in the backyard after our anniversary dinner.

August 7 – Question ~ Can anyone tell me what this creature is? He/She lives in water as I just scooped him/her out of the bottom of the pond this morning. And scooped many others out the other day. And it’s no more than 1/2″ in size.

Note: I discovered after posting this image that he/she is dragonfly naiad! Remember all the dragonflies I shot while laying their eggs? Well here’s one of many babies I scooped out (not knowing)…

August 7 cont… – In other news, It’s been crazy ~ fun ~ busy around here the last couple of weeks. I’ve been to book club ~ To a dinner party with the hubs ~ Neighborhood picnic with the hubs last weekend ~ Getting ready to have a few neighbor girls over tomorrow morning for coffee on the patio ~ Having fun with painting the “inside” of the house ~ spending quality time with the babies ~ fortunately, we’ve been able to keep the “big” birds out of the pond ~ All of the fish are still with us, sans losing a few babies ~ And the little fry are getting so big, some are over 2″ already ~ I can’t believe how fast they grow.

August 7 continued – Kitchen before and after images. Unfortunately, I did not think to shoot before images. The before shot was taken after I unpacked the kitchen boxes. So the lighting does not do justice to that dusty pink color. But the new yellow is so cheerful. Now to decorate the upper ledges on both sides of the kitchen…

August 9 – I had a guest back to back two days in a row. How fun to do round two for coffee on the patio with my new friend.

And that brings us to the weekend. The hubs and I enjoyed a nice weekend around the house. Trees were trimmed, the lily’s in the pond were divided up as they are getting so big – the garage was tended to and garage organization is well underway.

August 12 = Today already! My goal was to hit the grocery store first thing = check! Catch up on the blog = Check! And tidy up my office space = No check for that box, yet. But I still have the afternoon. And as soon as I hit “publish” for this post, I’m moving right along such that I can put a nice check in this box by the end of the day.

Blessings – Debbie

Plan A

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Debbie

It appears the “Plan A” that was shifted from Monday and put in the Thursday slot (today) is just not working out.

So I really wanted to go to the fair. Alone. At my pace. To view all the spectacular images entered into many categories of the photography competition. I have friends who have their work on exhibit. And I wanted to see those images. I have a couple of friends who came in first place in a couple of different categories. And I’m bummed that my plan A just didn’t work out.

All plans are fun when we make them. But sometimes, something has to give.

Like having my roots colored because my girl had a cancellation this morning.

And if my girl didn’t have a cancellation, My plan A for the day was to stay home sweet home. After a busy week with the neighborhood girls, I was in the mood to be around the house.

And perhaps the fish had something to do with it too. As I missed them.

Would you like to know one of the sweetest things the hubs did yesterday?

So yesterday, I was involved with my very first book club with my new neighborhood girlfriends.

I was invited to come to the meeting even tho I had not read the book. Now after sitting thru the discussion, the novel is in my hands and I already have a good start on this book.

Back to yesterday. I was going to be away (at the book club) from the babies for a couple of hours.

And the hubs got worried that something could happen to the babies, especially since I would be gone during the usual hours the heron shows up for food.

And he couldn’t bare the thought of me getting hurt and losing a baby to the heron.

So the hubs checked his work schedule, came home to guard the babies. And he made sure our back-up decoys were armed and ready to scare the big birds away. And was back to work in time for his next meeting.

And he left the sweetest note, letting me know he had been here.

That is just like my guy and I love him so.

In other news:

Enrollment Begins July 2nd – So I received the college course schedule in the mail yesterday. Actually, the hubs brought it in.

And all I could see = Enrollment begins July 2 – WHAT!

And all I could think about is how nicely I’m sinking into summer and how I wasn’t ready for this.

So we turned the pages to the photography section and discovered thru the process that I need to take off this fall semester.

Sometimes we need to take a load off.

Cheers to hunting for paint colors and other things for the house. And cheers that school is not part of my “Plan A” this fall.

Blessings – Debbie

Share this:
Email
Like this:
Like Loading...

San Diego – Wild Animal Park

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Debbie

Situated on 1,800 acres, home to more than 2,600 animals representing more than 300 species.

Its renowned botanical collection represents 3,500 species and 1.5 million specimens. More than anyone can see in a day.

So the girls in my neighborhood set the date for a Safari. I was so happy to join this wonderful adventure with them. (Yesterday Morning)

While I don’t know this little gal up in the front, I was totally smitten with her.

They call it “WILD” for a reason. Twas fun watching the animals kick up some dust while claiming their ground.

It’s fun to watch these guys at mealtime.

It was a treat to see this 38-year-old White Northern Rhinoceros out for a stroll. She is one of the 7 left in the world. It’s sad this species is going extinct, right before our eyes.

Bit of trivia, she has lived past her life expectancy of 35 years and still going strong.

You never know what you will run into on a stroll thru the park.

there was something about her sweet face that I just had to capture.

We learned a bit about owls too. Did you know the owl has 14 vertebrae in their neck? That’s twice as many as we have.

Did you know the owl’s eyes are fixed? And the great thing about having 14 vertebrae in his/her neck is that it allows them to spin their head all the way around.

Have you any idea by looking at his size how much he would weigh? I really thought this bird would be quite heavy. Turns out, he only weighs in at 5 pounds. He truly is made with a lot of feathers.

More Safari adventures to come, I’m sure. But this is all for now.

Blessings – Debbie

Safari and Friends

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Debbie

Tuesday and Wednesday were a blend of new neighborhood friends, a Safari hike and old friends.

So I had my first neighborhood outing with the girls this week. We went for a hike over at the San Diego Safari Park. What a treat!

I’m disappointed that I didn’t have the real camera.

So these really bad cell phone shots will have to do.

I don’t know what I did to get the clear in the center and blur around the edges. But it was not what I was shooting for.

But the images give a little idea what we saw along the way.

I spy an EGG!

One last shot from our Safari ~ Walk on the wild side.

After the awful cell phone shots, I couldn’t help but want to shoot something with the real camera before the end of the day.

Flower and Bud At Sunset

As I look back on Tuesday, it turned out to be a day ~ blended with new friends, a lunch date with the hubs and a little more work accomplished around home sweet home.

Wednesday was blessed with friendships.

A little Lunch with friends on the patio.

Fresh banana bread, hot out of the oven, with coffee, after lunch.

This guy was a treat to watch all afternoon as he darted around the pond while performing quite a few touch and go stunts there at his post.

How Does Your Garden Grow – Apparently, our garden comes equipped with a very old sewing machine. And I have no idea why it was ever brought out to the garden. No idea why it’s in the flowerbed. But in a weird sort of way, it’s “growing” on me.

And my girlfriend mentioned that this would be a cool drink station when we have company. Not a bad idea.

I’m thankful for new and old friendships. Thankful for valuable time spent getting to know new friends and valuable time sharing with dear friends.

I feel blessed.

Blessings – Debbie

Memorial Day Weekend

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Debbie

It was truly a weekend to remember.

Months ago, we made plans to meet up with the hubs old childhood buddy. And what better place to meet, than in LA to watch their favorite baseball team (St Louis Cardinals) play the LA Dodgers.

The night before we made our way to LA, I posted on FB that I would be in LA watching the Dodgers/Cardinals game.

And what do you know, our friend from Phoenix comments on my status saying that she too will be at the game!

That’s her up there in the stands waving at us. Can you believe that? Thank you FB as we would have missed seeing our friend.

We were down front just to the left a bit and 10 rows from home plate. So we got on the phone and told her there was an extra seat and to come on down.

Down she came and stayed a whole 5 innings with us. Then she said she should probably get back to her family. It truly was a treat as she too grew up with the hubs and his buddy. How cool was that?

This little cutie sat right in front of me. And I couldn’t help myself, so I took his pic.

And another shot of his cuteness. I love the way his little feet dangled over the edge of his seat.

And this little cutie sat right next to the above mentioned cutie.

So I had fun taking his pictures too.

It was such a beautiful day with a nice cool breeze.

Thank goodness for the sunscreen we slathered ourselves in. Especially when I noticed a little area on the hubs wrist next to his watch where a small bit of skin was missed by the sunscreen. Twas a bit red.

Bottom of the 9th = The Dodgers fans had their rally caps in place. And as hard as they worked for the win, our Cardinals held their 5 – 3 victory. What a great day.

For dinner that evening, we met up with our daughter at the Cheesecake Factory in Redondo Beach.

We were lucky enough to have outdoor seating with this beautiful view. Might I add, their red velvet cheesecake was SO good.

And then it was time for the hubs and I to make our way back home to San Diego. This is the view of the full moon that evening as we headed south.

And soon after, I fell asleep as the hubs drove us home.

I always feel bad when I fall asleep on him.

Maybe next time I’ll be able to keep him company for the duration.

And this wraps up our fun day spent with family and friends.

Blessings – Debbie

A Safari

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Debbie

Last Thursday, friends got together for a day filled with fun and adventure. I think there were 13 of us to be exact.

We were off to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park! Such a pretty place where special animals get to call home.

You never know what will be around the next corner.

But I can tell you, African music and ambience set the tone for a great day.

Off we go!

First stop = Feed these beautiful creatures.

such fun!

I believe we were on the receiving end of this.

Wouldn’t you agree?

Sheer joy experience.

I had no clue at the beginning of our journey that we would come face to face like this.

One thing is certain. This guy enjoyed our visit too.

By guys, see you around!

We got to greet a baby! This little guy was just 8 weeks old and weighing in at approx 200 lbs.

Time for breakfast!

We got a little chuckle at the male lying in the mud. He was rolling around making his call of the wild for all the ladies. And letting all the males in the area know who’s boss.

I’m still in awe…

The next guy we got to feed was a rhino. How cool is that?

We also enjoyed giving a friendly pet.

And then we said goodbye. Sorry buddy, you finished all the apples.

Total joy ride…

We were fascinated with the length of his tongue and how he used it to secure his food.

What a great day to remember.

When our Safari journey came to an end, we made our way to lunch. Tables were arranged with tablecloths (specifically for our group) overlooking the valley and beautiful scenery.

I have no picture to share, but the memory is lodged in my mind, never to forget.

Blessings – Debbie

Breaking the Silence

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Debbie

I interrupt the silence because, well because, I’m so far behind and there is so much to report since I last updated.

The last I checked, I was just getting ready for my spring break. That was 3 weeks ago! And during spring break, so many things happened.

For starters, I asked my girlfriend if I could have a photoshoot with her beautiful children. She said YES!

So we met at the local park where we spent hours playing.

This cutie had me wrapped right around his bitty finger.

We had a blast playing on the jungle gym!

Bubbles were blown and carefully watched as they drifted away.

And lots of fun was had, as this little princess loved to pose.

Made for some great shots.

She was up for anything I suggested AND she loved it!

Random special moments, frozen in time.

Balloons were passed out as the first fun gift. The little man thought I was pretty cool for bringing balloons. And his big sister felt like she was at the fair.

The little guy worried the balloon would pop!

Sweetness as she watches the little brother.

Then I passed out the lollipops at the end of the photoshoot. It seemed the thing to do as I wanted to give one last treat as a Great Big thank you for helping with my assignment.

The little guy said “this is my favorite lollipop in the whole world” – Not to mention he gave the best hugs and unexpected kisses “on the lips” of all things! What’s a girl to do?

My heart overflows with so much love for my sweet friends.

And I can’t thank them enough for giving me a shot.

And that wraps up a little of what happened 3 weeks ago.

Blessings – Debbie

Raindrops

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Debbie

A day of rain is in order. Much of the year we see blue skies laced with sunshine. And rain happens to be a rare event for us.

So when it rains, my soul rejoices.

And catching drops mid splat was one of the things I enjoyed this morning.

So while the skies are grey, I’ll carry on.

But it sort of feels like a mixed up day in a good way.

Plans have been changed for this day time and time again.

There were plans to hike (3 miles) with my friends to Starbucks this morning.

Those plans changed yesterday as I was going to take my nephew to the airport.

And then the girls who were hiking decided to have a nice little coffee/movie fest at my neighbors this morning, due to rain in the forecast.

And then my nephew decided to drive himself to the airport.

And then my hubs asked me to meet him for an early lunch.

And so my plans changed this morning to ready myself for an early lunch with the hubs.

As it stands, I’m still in my pj’s, working on my second cup of coffee, my neighbors are probably into their second cup of coffee while watching a movie during our rain, while I’m enjoying the rain and thinking about throwing another load of clothes in the wash.

But soon and very soon, I’ll be getting ready for my date with the hubs.

I love this day, I need this day!

Blessings – Debbie

I Call The Shot – one picture at a time

My world of art, life and health thru a lens

Category Archives: Friends

December Blurbs

Like this:

Family Days in Florida

Like this:

There is Always Next Week

Like this:

Work and Play

Like this:

Keep Calm and Blog On

Like this:

Labor Day Weekend

Like this:

Weekend Update

Like this:

A Month of Stuff

Like this:

Plan A

Enrollment Begins July 2nd – So I received the college course schedule in the mail yesterday. Actually, the hubs brought it in.

And all I could see = Enrollment begins July 2 – WHAT!

Like this:

San Diego – Wild Animal Park

Like this:

Safari and Friends

Like this:

Memorial Day Weekend

Like this:

A Safari

Like this:

Breaking the Silence

Like this:

Raindrops

Like this: