Monthly Archives: November 2011

Better Days I Can Not Remember

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Finding the love of my life brought new meaning to love.  Marrying the love of my life has given new meaning to happily ever after.

This is the ornament that held my engagement ring all those years ago.  It has such special meaning and will always be treasured.

It was a wonderful surprise on Christmas morning when my boyfriend asked “will you be my wife”.  Words can’t begin to express the joy we’ve shared as a couple thru the years.

I was quite surprised this year as hubby wanted to upgrade my rings.  He forced me to LA (the diamond district) a few weeks ago.  And I kinda liked it.

We became so familiar with the area and spent a total of 3 weekends there.

This is the set we had made and picked up Saturday.

We shopped the top rated places we found on Yelp and did lots of research in between.

Lots of thought went into these.

When we finally found just the right jeweler, he made all of our dreams come true.

He made drawings of the rings in 3D – then stereolithography molds were made. I was impressed with the technology to get all the right measurements.

I’m beyond thrilled with its beauty.  But beyond that, grateful for the love we share.  Love truly is the Greatest Gift.

Saturday, the 26th, was the exact day we picked up the set.  As we were on our way home that evening, we stopped for this amazing sunset.

This was hubby’s post on FB that evening.  It’s worth repeating on the blog.

“What a great way to end a great day with Debbie. On our way home down I-5, just as the sun was setting, a sign appeared up ahead. Vista Point, next exit. It was a beautiful sunset on the Pacific. Better days I can not remember.”

Blessings – Debbie

A Thanksgiving To Remember

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Hubby and I have a Thanksgiving tradition.  The tradition revolves around sleeping in, getting all pretty and driving to the place where our reservations were made.  I suppose it has to be one of my/our newer favorite traditions.  Here are the perks:  no cooking ~ no leftovers ~ no mess ~ no clean up ~ where the two of us enjoy each other and the day.  I’m so happy we started this tradition a number of years ago.

Where hubby and I spent our Thanksgiving, The Hotel Del.

I was able to catch a break in the clouds when the sun came out for a spell.  May I insert that it was so cool to be barefoot on the beach on Thanksgiving?

Blending Christmas decor with Thanksgiving seems the thing to do and now I can’t imagine not blending the two.

 

The food was amazing!

In fact, there wasn’t room enough to try everything.  But I’m sure it was all cooked to perfection.

The dinner music was so lovely…

And the ambiance was perfect.

Hubby and I were lucky enough to have this window seat, looking out to the ocean.

There was ice skating in paradise.

And a very happy couple.  We spent a good 4 1/2 hours and enjoyed everything all the way around…

As I wake from fond memories of Thanksgiving, I’m so thankful we have no treats lurking around to tempt me.

I’m thrilled to announce that I lost a little more weight during Thanksgiving week.  To be exact 2.2 pounds!  I also measured my waist this morning to see how I’m coming along.  Turns out, my waist is a whole 5″ smaller so far this year.  I’m so thankful for that too!

It’s been a great year and so far, I’ve reached my weight loss goal and then some.  This was done by setting mini goals + reaching them + continuing to set mini goals = success.

But the most exciting key I have in my pocket is the fact that hubby is right here doing it with me.  He’s my biggest fan and for that, I’m grateful.  I wouldn’t be where I am on this journey without him.  We both look forward to reaching our goals and keeping this healthy lifestyle for life.

May we continue to give thanks long after Thanksgiving.  May we continue to love and appreciate our loved ones.  And may we never forget WHO has given us these blessings.  Thank you Jesus!

Blessings – Debbie

The Full Value Of Joy

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“To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” – Mark Twain

Pic taken in the garden and toyed with in Lightroom.

I’m blessed beyond words to have the love of my life.  He sprinkles my days with love and paints the most brilliant of colors into all of my days.

Today, just because, he treated me to a wonderful lunch date.  And just because, he tells me I’m beautiful and that he loves me.  It’s so special to me because I feel it so deeply day in and day out.

Because of him, I never feel alone and I feel so blessed to get to divide our great adventure with each other.  I personally can’t think of a better way to express joy, thank you Mark Twain.

Blessings – Debbie

About Last Week

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Last week was the week when the Christmas Spirit hit.  And this is the way Monday morning took shape.

The sentimental ornaments we’ve collected over the years were all given a special little place to hang.

The nativity nook was created while other areas were decorated.

The stockings were hung and by Thursday, everything had a home.

By the time the weekend rolled around, hubby made big plans to take Friday off and take me into LA for a nice couple day weekend.

We enjoyed amazing views from the Hilton penthouse spa.

Plans were made for Korean BBQ in Korea Town.  We enjoyed this little sit down Friday evening.

This has been a wonderful week all the way around.  It’s nice to have everything in place for this Thanksgiving week.  I’m so ready for it to get here!

Blessings – Debbie

A Sunset to Remember

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This was just over a week ago when I ran to the beach on a whim to catch the sunset.  Arrival – 3:30pm – Just enough time to scout the area to see where I wanted the sunset backdrop to fall.

The perfect spot.  I thought the pier at this angle would be best.

A collage of pictures taken from the evening to remember.

It’s nice to get away from our normal activity and change it up from time to time.  This made for an extra special evening.

Blessings – Debbie

Good Morning Sunshine

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Every now and then, I get the urge to check out the sunrise.

Today just so happened to be one of those days.

So I took a little trip to Coronado Island and spent the early morning hours watching the sun come up.

A view of San Diego from the island.

Good Morning San Diego!  I love you!

Playing – that would be me and what I did best today.

Next stop, The beach! ~ The plaque next to me reads “To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides” with a sweet ocean breeze.  In honor of Gordy and Betty Beaubien Don and Polly Valliere  From: Beaubien Family and Valliere Family. ~ Just beautiful, I love it!

The Beach!

One of my favorite places…

It truly was a fun place to chill…

Next stop ~ Seaport Village – To stroll and visit this area is sheer bliss.

Here’s where I stopped for breakfast.  It was such a beautiful place.

Seaport Village Resident – Love him!

A flag on the streets of Seaport Village.

The shoe fits!  And I’m totally getting into the Christmas spirit.

On that note, I’ll say I’ve had a blessed day.

Blessings – Debbie

On a Cool Wet Autumn Day

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Good evening!  What a crisp ~ cool ~ wet ~ autumn day it has been.  But it did not dampen my spirit.

  • Coffee was sipped while in my jammies early this morning
  • I enjoyed a wonderful lunch date with hubby
  • The house was cleaned
  • My laundry baskets are empty
  • The ironing pile is finished
  • I’m sipping on another cup of coffee this evening
  • Hubby is due to walk thru that door any moment for the weekend
  • Yes, indeed my spirits are pretty high about now

Lunch at Panera Bread: Chicken Noodle Soup + Chicken Salad Sandwich + Baguette = Goodness.

Cheers to a pretty Cool Happy Friday! ~ Photos taken from the backyard this morning.

Blessings – Debbie

Autumn in So Cal

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What a lovely autumn here in southern CA.  Days are sunny with temperatures averaging mid 70’s and evenings are very crisp and cool.  Mornings are greeted with coffee (again) cheers!  I found a new coffee cream aka half n half that I’m adjusting to just dandy.  The healthy new me/us is improving and things are going well.

These pix were taken on one of my enjoyable hikes in the sunshine.

The color of autumn in So Cal.  Have I mentioned “I love autumn” from the rooftops?  Well I’m doing it now.  Come to think of it, I believe I sing it from the rooftops every year.

Autumn in Southern California is simply amazing.  Meet the Chorisia speciosa AKA majestic beauty.  I’ve taken pix of these trees in the fog and on blue sunny mornings.  No matter the background, this tree is no doubt majestic.

Hiking and house hunting ~ I looked at another house last week, this time it was in our neighborhood.  How fun to house hunt on foot.  We love our quiet neighborhood nestled in the mountains with a nearby lake.  Who knows, our next house may be right under our nose…

One of our beautiful evenings.

Another haircut?  When the urge strikes, I take my head of hair into my own hands.  Cut by me this time…

Halloween night ~ Best costume by far ~ My Cowboy!  He even answered the door saying “howdy”.

The morning after – This is what was lurking behind the freezer door, two Reese’s!  I touched them but they had a special someone’s name on them.  It was a positive experience as I was able to 100% stay away from all chocolate and goodies.  I’m saving up “BIG TIME” for Thanksgiving!

I’ve shared this view from my hike so many times.  But, as I was hiking this week, I had to stop and enjoy the sunshine as it burned the fog from the mountain tops.

Lesson Learned:  Learn when to leave well enough alone!  Apparently I couldn’t stop cutting my hair.  Now I just need it to grow an inch or so.  I had to break down and make that emergency call to have my girl get me out of a pickle.  No more cuts for me for a long time.  Promise!

A quote from my hubby’s FB status this morning – “Something’s going on here.  My wife had a bad hair day on 12/31/1999.  We call it the “Y2K hair day”.  Now she has another bad hair day on 11022011.  What are the odds of that?  If I could only predict when the next Y2K hair day will be, then I would keep her away from salons and scissors that day.  PS: Debbie, your hair looks fine!”

I LOVE that he loves me no matter what!

The evolution of the haircut – I’m assuring myself that it has already started to grow.  That = I have stopped cutting it for the first day in a while.  The aim is for it to reach the length of the top two pix.

And on that note, I’m pleased to report that I’m pretty much caught up.

On a brand new note ~ “Do you realize Thanksgiving is just 3 weeks from today?”  I can’t wait for the turkey and all the fixin’s!

Cheers to Autumn with a thankful heart!

Blessings – Debbie