Happy Birthday to me and Happy Thanksgiving too!

I had a birthday yesterday... I am getting old.

I can deal with it though because Kenny is soooooo much older (he is turning 30 this year!!!)

This weekend I was so lucky to have Kenny home for 2 full days (Thanksgiving and the day after) and most of the day Saturday and Sunday! Whoo hoo!

Thanksgiving day we hung out at home, watched movies and grilled up some great steaks for dinner. It was a perfect day.

The day after Thanksgiving... Black Friday... we decided that nothing was worth us getting up at 4 am so we woke up around 7 and made our way to a few stores. We found a few bargains, but nothing great. Has anyone else noticed that the day after Thanksgiving sales are getting weaker and weaker ever year?!? Anyway, our last stop was Home Depot where we bought a few pieces of lumber and some tools to make a table for the shed. We also bought a CHRISTMAS TREE! Normally we wait a few weeks into December, but we couldn't help ourselves :)

Friday night we went over to Carl & Rebecca’s for some Cajun Cookin’. Carl & Rebecca make the best Gumbo and Potato Salad and we gladly helped them eat it all :) Hannah kept us entertained explaining her fear of Santa and that she gets her beautiful eyes from Louisiana.

Sunday after Kenny got back from his flight to Eagle, Colorado (it was minus 20 degrees Celsius! Brrrrrr) we met Danny and Tonita at the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate our birthdays! Mmmmm

Once we got home, Kenny and I decorated the house a bit. It is so much fun to have everything all Christmassy… I even decorated at work today. I guess I am just in a Christmas mood! Merry Christmas everyone!

Birthday Flowers

Spur of the Moment Thanksgiving

We are nothing if we aren't spontaneous... that seems to go for our family too.

Last Friday Jen's parents came down last minute to visit. On Saturday night David, Jamie & Jeffrey decided to come down so we could all go to Sea World together on Sunday!

Early Sunday morning we went to Balboa Park to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. They are amazing! If you haven’t had a chance to go see them… GO RIGHT NOW! They are only going to be here through December.

At Sea World, we had so much fun watching Jeffrey interact with all of the animals... he wanted to jump right in and swim with the sea rays and dolphins... and David just about let him :)

That night we decided to do a Thanksgiving dinner since we were all together. The guys fried up a turkey... when they weren't spending time playing with guns!

They also deep fried BACON-WRAPPED-SNICKERS… I know it sounds gross. It was gross. I blame David… it was his idea! Well, the guys kind of liked it, but as you can see in the pictures… I have a more refined pallet.

Thanksgiving a la Merwin

Jen's parents came down this weekend spur of the moment to celebrate Thanksgiving & Jen's birthday. We spent the day shopping, shooting and sorting (clothes).

Tonight we decided to have a "Thanksgiving Meal" as a tribute to Blake & Allison... salmon... because the turkey is still frozen solid!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone :)

Happy Birthday Tonita

Happy Birthday Tonita!

Hope you enjoyed the apple pie in Julian as much as you enjoyed the water reeds in Peru :)

How old do you think I am?

Okay, so I turn thirty this December. I know, so you, my beloved readers, just rolled your eyes back into your head thinking, “if only I were thirty again!” But get over it, this my tale of woe.

So I am constantly barraged with over-aging. I have been aged as old as, oh say, forty-five to fifty year old! Of course, everyone does some major back pedaling when I tell them I am yet to hit thirty. It is the typical “well you don’t look that old, you just act that way” or “well, its because of everything you have done, you know, a flight school and all.” It always ends that same, I ask, “how old do you think I am?” and I am always aged at least an extra decade!

Danny and Tonita came over the other evening to watch Survivor, as they do everything Thursday night. On some weird impulse (driven by Danny), Danny and I ended in the grocery store looking for the fixins for chili-cheese dogs.

As dumb luck would have it, I ran into the same lady three times, once in the produce section, once in the chili section, and now here we were again in the dairy section.

As I slide up next to her to check out the best price on cheese, I blurt out, “It looks as though I am stalking you.”

She kindly smiles back. No, not the “hey-get-away-from-me-you-crazy-stalker-guy- but- I-will-smile-to-calm-you-so-you-don’t-attack-me” smile.

No it was a real smile as she responded, “No problem, you college guys gotta eat cheap!”

Did you hear that? “College guys.” Yep, a solid eighteen to twenty-two years old, maybe even twenty-four because we were slow learners, but definitely not thirty.

I think I actually did scare the poor lady with my reaction. I almost hugged her….or did I? I can’t quite remember.

Anyways, Jen and Tonita had to totally ruin it for me when Danny and I returned home and relayed the story. They, of course, felt the need to dash my highest compliment in days by claiming that she probably saw Danny and mostly referring to him. Well, balderdash, it was directed at good ole stalker me. (and do “early twenty-somethings” use the word balderdash?....ARGGGGGG!)

New Bag

I just got this cute new bag at Target! It is even cuter in person.

I saw it last week on clearance marked down from $25.00 to $11.00, but was too cheap to buy it. Yesterday I happened to be in Target again doing returns and it called out to me. I walked by, trying to avoid it, but then saw that it was marked down to $5.75! I had to get it… I really had no choice :)

It reminds me of the blogs designs that I have been working on. Do you think I can write it off as a business expense?!? :)