A trip to Islands would be our favorite place to get a burger.

After all, they’re known for their fine burgers and drinks.  And every now and then, we get a hankering.

The ambiance truly has the Island flair.

Although we’re not in Hawaii, we feel the love.

 The menu is fun

and tropical…

Before our meals arrived, we had such a great visit.  My hubby had just asked me when it was that I first fell in love with him, like I am today.  The answer was easy and he then reached for the camera on the table and took this pic.  And said, “yes, that’s my Debbie Sue.”

We’re not perfect, but we’re perfect for each other.  I heard that quote sometime ago and it stuck with me.  A flood of memories came back from our early dating years.  And many of these special memories were shared together again today.

Soon we were served.

Hubby had “The Big Wave” with cheese.  P.S. the yummy fries are unlimited.

I had one of my favorite tuna wraps ever.  They certainly put lots of love into the preparation of this sandwich, words can’t express the goodness.  But there in the back, way in the back are the best onion rings on the planet!  P.S.  Their onion rings are unlimited too!  I didn’t ask for more as I only finished 1/2 the sandwich but I did make room for all the rings.

After all, I had to save room for Cold Stone as that was the plan after dinner.  What a way to top off the meal.

From Islands to Cold Stone, it’s certain I’ve taken in a whole lot of calories.  But it’s certain that it will also add up to great memories for years to come.

Blessings – Debbie

Are are right up there at the top of my list these days.  And weekends seem to be the only time we really get to enjoy sitting out here together.  During the week, it’s always pitch black and a bit too chilly to enjoy dinners outdoors.  So, we’re taking advantage of it as much as we can.

As I started putting a few things out on the table, I decided to whip out the candle too.

I made nachos for hubby and put together some cheese, turkey, veggies and dip for myself.

Our outdoor visits may not be well documented but I do cherish these times.

And after we cleaned the table, I still wanted to stay put.

But I didn’t as we had a number of things to cross off the to do list.

That table is bugging me, it’s just now reminding me that I need to move it again.  I constantly put my feet up on the bar below the table.  And as I rock away in my chair, I continue to ever so slightly scoot the table.  Excuse me while I get over it.

Well that was noon and now we’re cruising into the dinner hour.  Hubby just announced that he’s hungry for a burger.  More along the lines of our favorite burger joint “Island Burgers”.  Now I’m hungry for one.

He’s in the middle of a show at the moment.  So time will tell what we do with our Island Burger craving. Who knows, we may be scrounging around in the cupboards and fanning the refrigerator door soon.

Blessings – Debbie

My friend Beth recently moved from one condo to another in Downtown San Diego.  But the joy of this move is that she and her hubby are new home owners.  YAY, what a lovely new home they have.

And the views from their place are simply gorgeous!  …Continued from yesterday.

It’s such a fun place to be as there’s so much activity to enjoy down below.

And from above too!  How cool to watch the planes land at the San Diego Airport.

A little view of Balboa Park from the condo.

And how sweet and whimsical is her pretty red and white tree?  LOVE it.

While visiting yesterday morning, we watched this home in a neighboring town burn!

A man renting this home  was caught with bomb-making compounds.

“They’re going to make the structure itself act as a chimney,” Caldwell said. “So they’re going to ensure that the house starts at a very high, hot fast burn.

The various pops and bangs were likely from ammunition and hand grenades that were among the illegal stockpile of weapons and bomb-making materials discovered in and around the home three weeks ago, Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said.

The residents nearby were all evacuated and a neighboring interstate was closed down for this event.

Bomb arson experts ignited the house through the garage at 10:56 am and within thirty minutes the home turned to ash as reported.

We’re happy this man was caught and all were safe from potential harm.

After that excitement, we set out on foot to visit Little Italy.  It’s a great little place to visit just steps away from Beth’s condo.

What a pretty street corner!

Friends, walks and splendor blend beautifully.

Around each corner, there’s more to enjoy.

I’ve been through this area via car but never on foot.  Lets just say it’s better on foot. 

What a cheerful painting on the side of that building.  So happy we didn’t miss it.

Windows were painted…

And restaurants dotted the sidewalk.

But this is the place Beth took me.  When in Little Italy you must do Italian!

So many choices…

And since I’m a pasta kinda gal, this is the dish I ordered.  Amazing cream sauce with a hint of buttery garlic.

DA-licious!  I believe I’ll order this exact same thing next time.

Great little ambiance and amazing artwork adornin the walls.

After lunch, Beth gave me the grand tour of her new home sweet home.

What a nice piece of land for a pool.

These chairs look so inviting…

And there’s always room for more.

The lobby is simply gorgeous!

Wow, and there’s even a quaint library just above the lobby.

After the grand tour, we hit a very cool consignment shop.

I took a picture of this piece as it gave lots of inspiration as far as my pottery goes.  However, with as busy as December is looking, I don’t look to get back into my studio until early 2011.  I look forward to it!

It was such a fun filled day.  And I look forward to many more days with my good buddy well into the future.

And before I go, here’s one last picture of Beth’s sweet Mitzy.  I can’t get enough of her cuteness.

Blessings – Debbie

I spent the day with my friend (Beth) and had so much fun taking pictures of her cute Mitzy.

Curled up in her little bed – Too cute!

She hopped up next to me for some pictures.

I wonder if she knows how adorable she is.

Pure sweetness right here

What a little sweetheart!

The evening hours are winding down, so I’m going to call it a night.  I’ll have more to share about our activities tomorrow.

Until then, goodnight and sweet dreams.

Blessings – Debbie

Just a phone call away from plans changing.  Or so it went yesterday morning as I was leisurely sifting through pictures and sipping my first cup of coffee…

Ring a ding ding…Hello

Hi honey, the Fry’s Electronics on the other side of town has that camera…  Much to my surprise my darlin’ informed me that indeed there was a camera left on a store shelf in our town!  It was difficult chasing this thing down, and we didn’t want to order it for various reasons.  But finding it was key as we soon learned most retailers were short on stock for this model.

I quickly made a call to the store and asked if they still had the model in stock.  I was asked for my name and phone number just in-case we were disconnected.  It took a while but worth the wait.  The gentleman took it a step further as he printed out my ticket and placed my camera at the front of the store for me to pick up (without me asking if he would hold it for me).  It was a great feeling driving to the store knowing there was a camera already allocated for me.

Upon arrival I hung and immediate right, just like the guy had instructed.  Went up to the appropriate counter, told them who I was and what I had come to pick up.  And just like that, I paid for the camera and away I went.  What a great shopping experience all the way around.  We love you Fry’s Electronics!

The pictures below have nothing to do with the new camera.  The new camera is still in the box.  If I’m good from now ’til Christmas, there’s a high possibility it could be mine.

So, I was sitting at a light on my way home looking over here at this Starbucks.  And the thought came to me that I only had about 3 pumpkin spice lattes this year.  The crazy thing is that the strong desire for them will not return again ’til next autumn.

But the wild thing about the whole autumn thing is the fact that it’s finally getting around to autumn in Southern California.  We enjoyed autumn in Alaska this September, an autumn in Indy and St Louis early November and a pretty little autumn here in SoCal in December.  Wow!

But some things never seem to change no matter the season.  These shots were all taken yesterday afternoon.

This view will look the same 6 months from now.

And other areas look like paradise year round.

While I do enjoy autumn and the pretty colors, I’m thankful for all the different spices to life in these parts.

I picked up this magazine in our mailbox yesterday afternoon.  It came to the attention of Resident.  It puzzles me as I received it last month too.  Hmmm I didn’t order it, don’t intend to order it, but I will enjoy it on-the-house for as long as they wish to send it.  Thank you Good Housekeeping!

By 3:30, this chicken was in the oven.  This picture was taken right before the meat fell off the bone.  It literally fell apart as I took it out of this dish.

I rubbed a little olive oil over this tater and salt and baked it right on the oven rack.  I put a pan down below to catch any drippings.  Such a good potato, we’re going to have another again tonight.

Steamed broccoli for just a few min.

Twas a tasty little meal.  Hubby insisted he help clean up and shortly before the kitchen was all put back together, I heard him racking these balls.

We ended up not shooting pool last evening as the night seemed to move along so quickly.  Hubby said “my, with it getting dark so early, it seems like all I do is work, eat and sleep.”  That’s how it feels around here on these dark nights in paradise.

But at the end of the day, I’m thankful for food on the table, a roof over our heads and each other.

Blessings – Debbie

This next paragraph was written by my dearest on his facebook page yesterday.  Unfortunately, I gotta admit that every single word of that paragraph is truth.  Read for yourself on how we moved past these minor frustrations and slipped into the next phase…Harmony!  I did get his permission to air this bit of truth as I thought it might help others in our same situation.

I bought a Harmony 900 universal remote and my wife can finally turn on the TV!  This is great; I don’t have to have 4 friggin’ remotes anymore!  Every time Debbie wanted to watch the TV instead of the Blu-Ray, she would call technical support, i.e. ME!  But now, she just presses “Watch TV” and “voila” it does all the rest.  I’m sorry Santa, but this Christmas gift is not going back under the tree!

My comment after that – I have never had a relationship with a remote quite like I have with this new one.  Me over here singing the praises of this very sweet, kind and user friendly thing called a remote.

Why, I even overheard hubby exclaim the other night “This thing is SMART!”

It looks so sleek sitting there in the charging case.  How pretty is this opposed to the 4 remotes that used to adorn the end table.  I used to shove some of them into the top drawer, but not anymore baby!

And you don’t have to worry, It won’t bite, promise!

Just pick it up like so.  Once moved from its charging cradle it comes “alive”.  This is the part where I get excited, it knows I’m on the other end ready to do something.

How cool is this?  All I have to do it touch the screen and tell it what I want to do and it takes care of the rest.  It even turns on the surround sound!  It’s amazing that I don’t have to use two different remotes at this point and try to remember what I’m doing.  I’m a basket case when it involves more than one remote.

It seems all I’m interested in these days is the Blu-Ray/Pandora Christmas Music!

I’ve been listening to Christmas Blues today, such a treat.  I’m still amazed that I don’t have to ask hubby how to turn on the TV if I want to switch between Pandora and the tube.

The name Harmony 900 can only mean one thing “Harmony is truly in the house.”  Amen.

I feel much better now.

Blessings – Debbie

Sometime back, hubby and I picked out some favorite things at Macy’s.  Actually those items would be along the lines of comfy jammies to slip into after a long day of work.

We knew there would be sales so we waited, didn’t push for the Black Friday sales but just waited for the sale.  And finally, along came the sale on our jammies. 

Sales paired with coupons, even better!

I was hopeful something good was going to come out of this trip.

Yes, the deals are in the bag! I picked up both of our favorite sets 50% off plus another 25% off the sale price.  I left the mall clutching my treasures.  So thrilled that this day involved sales, coupons and jammies.

I couldn’t help but enjoy my ride home.

I still get excited with this scenery on my day to day jaunts.

Cheers to another successful day in December.

Blessings – Debbie

On any given evening we can be found playing games.  Nintendo, the Wii, chess, backgammon and shooting pool would be some of our favorite things to do together.

Hubby quite engrossed playing Nintendo Ditty Kong Racing.  Sometimes I like to sit and watch him play.  Its one of those “sit on the edge of your seat” type games.

Last evening we went from Nintendo to shooting pool.

He was stripes and I was solids.

I always cheer for him when we play and he continues to tell me that I need to have a competitive edge in this game.  Well I still cheer for him but this evening was one of the first times I won.  Great job honey and thank you so much for being a patient teacher.  You’re the best!

There were times while learning how to shoot that I began to wonder if I would ever get it.  I used to have such a hard time just making the connection.  Now I’m learning what type English, speed and so forth to use in the stroke.  It’s fun not only making the right connection but also getting my ball set up for the next shot.

Playing together is something we’ve always made time for.  We feel playing as hard as we work is what life is all about.  Speaking of playing, I hear hubby in playing Nintendo while I’m wrapping up this post.  I think you know what I’ll be doing in just a second.

Wishing lots of hard work and play to all the world.  That’s what creates beautiful balance if you were to ask me.

Blessings – Debbie

Ever wake up from a bad dream and then finish it to make it all better?  Well I did that last night.  I woke up in the wee hours of the morning distressed from the nightmare.  So I closed my eyes very tight, then fashioned a very happy ending.  The good guys caught the bad guys and we all lived happily ever after.  The end.

I’m so happy that dream was the worst of my day.  Whew!  Since I gave it a happy ending, I was able to safely move on with the day.

I started off with the usual cup of coffee.  I know, hard to believe but starting each day with that cup kicks off the morning on the right foot.

Then we slowly moved around and had a nice long visit about all things related to Santa.  A list was made and double checked.  Lots of online research was done and a shopping run ensued.

But first things first.  Hubby treated me to Macaroni grill for a late lunch.  Our meals were so yummy and it put us in the mood to get out and shop!

We hit what my hubby calls the “Toy Store”, AKA Fry’s Electronics.

This is my hubby’s absolute favorite electronics store on the face of the earth.  It’s mammoth = it has everything (unless of course they’re sold out) and lots of fun!  Did I say how huge this place is?

I’m in love with all the gigantic saltwater fish aquariums.  They have many saltwater tanks of varying shapes, sizes and habitats consisting of Caribbean, Pacific Reef and Red Sea – as well as two tanks of moray eels and a massive, 32,000-liter shark tank.

There’s not a chance I’d miss an opportunity to enjoy the tanks.

A couple more tanks ~ I found these aquarium pics online as I’m not allowed to take pictures in the store.  Although the pics don’t do justice, they give a little idea of the size and beauty.

We made a nice dent but unfortunately the Toy Store was sold out of some of the items on our list, so we ran on over to Best Buy.

Not quite the Toy Store but we were able to check a couple more items off the list while there.

Now we’re home all nice and cozy in our jammies, relaxing on this beautiful Saturday night.  Home sweet home, my favorite place to be.

Blessings – Debbie

Each Friday the gardener arrives to make our yard beautiful and I make him a little lunch.  Without fail, I always worry that he’s not going to like what I give him.

Will he like the raisins and applesauce?  If not, hopefully he’ll like the banana, yogurt and trail mix bar.

His lunch with a spoon slipped in, I hope he likes something.

covered…Then I take it out to the patio set with plenty of bottled water.  What if he doesn’t like water?  Don’t be silly, I need to remind myself.

Then I worry about the sandwich.  Oh dear, does he like the 3 Seed Oat Bread or spicy mustard and mayo?  Would he prefer just the plain stuff?  Does he like turkey and Swiss or would he prefer cheddar…He never tells me his preference but he always shows appreciation. So today when I offered him a different kind of fruit…Oh nevermind, I drive myself nuts.

I do the same thing with my hubby too.  Much of the time I second guess what I think he will like as making him happy, makes me happy.

That’s the same reason I left the house to meet hubby for lunch without lipstick/gloss.  I know he really doesn’t like kissing me with lipstick, so it’s a rare occasion I put it on.  Makes both of us very happy and it proves to be a win win situation.

The pretty day as I pulled out of our driveway to go meet my hubby.

But when our lunch was involved, I told him I really didn’t care where we went.  There are times I have a hankering but today was not one of those days.

We came to the conclusion of just the place to dine.  As we approached the stoplight hubby said “then again we could do BBQ.”  Allow me to insert, there’s only one place here that has BBQ to match our craving for Texas BBQ.  So, I knew just the place he was talking about.  Then he said, “no, lets stick to the plan.”

Soon we wheeled into the parking lot of Panera Bread (plan A) and made our way to the door.  But allow me to back up.  Before we got out of the car, BBQ was brought up again and I chimed in saying “ya know honey, there’s just something about that sliced brisket and sweet potato fries…”  And at that point he was just about to reach for the door of Panera Bread when hubby exclaimed “Would you like to go to BBQ tonight”  But before I had a chance to answer he said “Lets have BBQ now!”  And just like that we spun around and pointed ourselves in the direction of one of the best BBQ joints ever.  If you were to ask us.

The beef brisket platter is always way too much for one, so we split the plate.  My generous portion, I cleaned the plate.

As you can see, they do not put a lot of thought into fine china.  But I do enjoy where they place top priority.  THE MEAT ~ So tender a knife is not required, it truly falls apart.  Oh, and lots of BBQ sauce on the side for dipping.  The sweet-potato fries with sour cream, SO GOOD!

This joint has a cool relaxed atmosphere.

We didn’t read any of these articles prior to our first visit.  And we don’t need anyone twisting our arm to come back for more.

And they have a nice sense of humor…

It was just one of those perfect lunch dates where our tummies and conversation hit the spot.  I left feeling so complete in every way.

And here’s a shot of what autumn looks like in SoCal.  Hello neighbor as I passed by her house prior to pulling into our driveway.

Now I have a few hours before hubby comes home.  I hope to have this place in order for our upcoming weekend.  I’m thankful hubby shows appreciation and blessed to be able to do all the things I grew up wanting to do for my husband one day.  I’m living out my childhood dream with so much pleasure.

Blessings – Debbie

I get so excited when we find just the perfect thing.  This year we found, ordered and received this new Precious Moment to add to our growing collection.  Its dated 2010 – Can you guess why its so perfect?  Well, if you remember, we took our first train ride together from Fairbanks to Denali, AK this past summer.  We will never forget that great experience.  Now he serves as our 2010 Precious Moments reminder.

Our annual Swarovski 2010 Star ornament arrived too!  We’re all caught up on this set.

Here’s one of the 2008 Lenox ornaments we just received.

Here’s another 2008 that just arrived – Now we need 2009 and 2010 from this collection and we’ll be all caught up.

Our tree is part of the fabric of our family Christmas tradition.  The ornaments represent each year we’ve been together and there will always be room for more.  Rumor has it we’re getting a new tree by next Christmas.

I picked up this candle (for the kitchen) while I was out and about yesterday.

I love the slight Christmas-y aroma that fills the air – just right.

To fluff and prepare for the birthday of The King would be my very favorite occasion to celebrate.  It’s a celebration of love and hope for all the world.

Blessings – Debbie

This new time change has me in a state of concern.  By 3:30pm, the sun has already settled behind the mountain and seems to be bedding down for the night.

From my perspective…

As 4:30 approaches…

And another beautiful day turns to night

On the bright side, my neighbor in the distance already had the lights on last evening.  It’s so cheerful looking at the neighborhood all lit up.  It’s a pretty distraction of the fact that it’s 5:00pm.

And by 8:00pm I begin to catch the sleepy wave.  Then when 10:00pm  rolls around, it feels like the middle of the night and I find myself with my eyes half open searching for bed.

But the thing that really gets my panties in a twist is the fact that I can’t seem to remember this happening every single year.  It causes confusion, lots of adjusting and going to bed with the chickens.  I guess that’s not such a bad thing after all.

Blessings – Debbie

Earlier this month we, well not “we” but the bike shop gave our mountain bikes a complete overhaul.  They’ve been sitting in the garage/storage for years and were in dire need of a little TLC.  There were tubes, brakes, saddles and handlebar grips changed out for new.  And both bikes were given a nice polish before they were placed back into our hands.

Along the path this morning.  Twas a joy ride…

With blue skies to pretty backyards, it was a great way to spend the time.

I really like these new grips, so comfy…Not sure that the picture shows the true effect.  But these guys are not round rather they almost seem a bit flat on the top providing comfort for the hand.  So happy the “bike repair man” sold me on these grips.

and this new odometer/clock gizmo ~ Thank you hubby!

And this new saddle.  For all of you professional bikers, do not laugh, I quite like my new cushy seat.

I’m getting used to these 15 gears again.  Haven’t used them in the past quite like I need to now with all these challenging hills.

Hubby and I are looking forward to hitting all those trails you see out there in the distance.  Back in the day, this was something we both enjoyed doing together.  We look forward to hitting the road and putting our matching set to good use.  Fun times = time spent together doing the things we enjoy.

Blessings – Debbie

I’m not sure what exactly got a hold of me today but whatever it is, its triggered my sappy side.

From the excitement of having hubby home for the Thanksgiving holiday ~ to enjoying the Christmas Spirit filling our home ~ to thoughts drifting off of home and how over half of our lease is up on this house we call home.  But the one thing I am, is happy and feeling blessed to be right here where we are at this very moment.

We cooked in the kitchen and made pot stickers together and if felt good hanging in the kitchen together.

The plates were prepared…

Hubby watched over our stickers

We sat at the little kitchen table across from each other and the view out our window was a special treat.  Sure we enjoy this view, but perhaps I’m getting a bit sentimental knowing this will not be our view forever.

I took a familiar stroll out back…

And things, even though they’re the same, looked different…

The sunbeams reached through the trees and I soaked them up as much as humanly possible.  I felt like parking it in the backyard all day.

And then I came in and started the wrapping of a few gifts.

When hubby asked what I wanted to do earlier today.  I really thought staying around the house sounded best to me.  I enjoyed our simple day and as the hours weave in and out I’m blessed to be spending it with the one I love.

Blessings – Debbie

As we approach the upcoming Holiday Season, Christmas would be the holiday I push to celebrate.  While I like decorating for autumn and Thanksgiving a couple months before Thanksgiving, I feel a stronger urge to do the same for Christmas.  While Silent Night plays in the background and Christmas tree lights glow in the corner, I feel thankful and blessed  with life, joy, happiness, peace, family, friends and each other.

The family room tree is our special tree, dripping with ornaments we’ve collected together as a couple. The tree holds ornaments from Precious Moments, Lenox and Swarovski. And each year that passes, we add another ornament from each category to the tree.

New Tree topper – I finally got the courage to make this bow.

Mantel – A look up close

The game room was sprinkled with a few decorations.  The doorknobs were touched with jingle-bell decorations, garland was added to the mantel and a little tree tops the chest.

I added some pictures of several ornaments from our favorite Christmas tree.  We love how the collection expands year by year.

Precious Moments 1997 – Our very first Christmas together as a dating couple.

Precious Moments 1998 – Our very first Christmas together as an engaged couple.  Hubby asked if I would be his wife Christmas morning 1998.  This was also the year hubby flew solo. This ornament has very special meaning to us.

Precious Moments 1999 – Our first Christmas together as husband and wife.

Lenox – 2000

Lenox – Cherub

Lenox – Each year we collect dated ornaments as well as some that aren’t dated.  These are a few of my favorite.

Swarovski – we’ve collected these stars annually since 1997.

This is the 1999, our first year as husband and wife.

Swarovski – 2001

Swarovski – 2007

We continue to move into the season embracing the blessings in our life.  So in the height of this week of Thanksgiving, shall we continue to count our blessings and not forget “The One” responsible for these blessings.

Blessings – Debbie