A Lovely Day for the Lake

It was a lovedly day for a little walk by the lake today...

Boys and Girls and just plain cute

The Boys.

The Girls.

Just plain cute.

Yin-Yang

Size Matters

Just a quick little note that I have to share because I am just so tickled pink. Seriously, tickled pink.

Today I tried on these pants. I know the tag might be a little hard to read...but the size says 12.


12

Now, to the lovely gentlemen that read this blog, I'm sure that probably doesn't mean much, but let me tell you, I haven't worn a size 12 pants since I was 12 years old.

I'm

not

kidding.

My bootie fits into a size 12 as of today at Target. Ok, so maybe the sizes at certain stores are more generous than at other stores, but I'm not knocking it. Oh sure, they were tight, but I got them zipped so I was happy. (And they were NOT stretch pants, thank you very much!)

I know I've still got a long way to go, but considering at one time I was a size 22...I'm feeling pretty good!

54 lbs and counting....

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Up close and personal

Jack

Jill Kona

Harley

Beach Buddies

This past weekend I'd scheduled a meetup for the Golden Retriever group I organize. We had over 70 members RSVP'd to come...and then it started raining. On and off throughout the week it rained....not any torrential downpour or anything, but just enough to make things wet and cold.

Great - rain and the beach don't mix. Oh, it's not that the dogs would mind it, but it's dangerous because the runoff from the rain creates high bacteria levels in the water. I was contemplating canceling the meetup all week, but I really didn't want to because the last two meetups (both were hikes) were canceled. I know, I know, I shouldn't complain about our drizzly little weather, but it's just that the timing was bad.

Anyway...I waited...and sent out updates, and kept my fingers crossed. It barely sprinkled Friday night, and I held my breath. I woke up early Saturday morning to blue skies and sunshine! I sent out a note to the group that the meetup was still on, and I'd see everyone at the beach. We loaded up our gaggle and headed west.

And then it rained....I mean POURED on the way to the beach. Crap! Oh well, there was no turning back...I figured that I'd just stay in the car, and when I saw other members showing up, I'd send them on their way. There would be no beach fun for our pups....

Well, little did I know that Someone upstairs was playing tricks with me. The beach we were going to (Del Mar) is about 12 miles from our house. When we were about 3 miles away, and coming down a hill to where I could see the coastline, all I saw was a gorgeous blue sky and big, puffy white clouds. There was no rain in site! Yahoo!

We got to meet with some of our wonderful golden friends, and even though there was not nearly the 70 members there that had originally RSVP'd - we had a great turnout and a total blast!

Photo courtesy of Wes Taylor

Photo courtesy of Wes Taylor
Photo courtesy of Chris Wagner
Photo courtesy of me.

Thanks to members Chris & Wes for letting me post their pictures. Sometimes I get so busy chatting that I forget to get my camera out!

A-Z Mondays - the Food Version, "E" is for Escargot

Ah, yes, escargot, aka, snails. Yup, I've eaten them and I love them! Here is a picture of the most recent garden dwellers I've munched on...
...yes, under the mound of melted butter and garlicky goodness are those little tasty fellas. Hey, don't knock it til you've tried it!

Pickers

I've got another random video to share with you...this one shows what can happen when kids don't play video games all day long...these kids have a future doing this! (But watch how bored the little one in the middle looks the entire time!)

Not What You'd Expect

Just a fun video that was sent to me...I saw it a while ago and thought it was pretty good. I am a big Simon fan, and loved his reaction at seeing this guy.



I hope you are having a great weekend so far!

A Special Stop

Today Kona and I made a special stop on our VA visit. After our regular rounds of visiting our friends in the Spinal Cord Injury unit, and other various parts of the hospital, we hoped onto the elevator went up to the third floor. We had the pleasure of stopping by and visiting with a special friend of mine, Bob.
Bob and I have been friends since the late 70's....yes folks, I am THAT old! Ha ha! Bob and I graduated from high school together in 1982, and have remained friends ever since. There were some long periods of time when we weren't in touch, but Bob is the kind of friend that is very easy to rekindle a friendship with. He is a fun loving, big hearted guy, with an infectious smile and a hearty laugh. Bob has been battling cancer for quite a while now, and his health has been a roller coaster ride for him and his family. It isn't easy, yet he manages to somehow have a smile on his face and a joke or two to tell each time I see him. And don't even get me started on how he loves to flirt with the nurses...that's a whole other story in itself!

It was great visiting with him today, and I am hoping that next time we visit with him it will be at home. Our fingers and paws are crossed that his health improves, and he can finally take me out on that date he's been promising me since high school. (Hubby would totally understand!) Do me a favor, and say a little prayer for him if you are so inclined, won't you?

It's a Ruff Job...

...but someone has to do it.

I have to go out and hang out with some cool friends....
I have to get chin rubs from total strangers...
I have to look lovingly at older women....
I have to shake hands with kind gentlemen....
I have to smile from ear to ear when someone rubs just the right spot behind my ear....
I have to sit through gentle head rubs....
I have to have quiet conversations....
and I have to endure a back massage...
Ah, yes, it's a ruff job, and I'm just the pup to do it!

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Snuggle time.

Beach Buddies

It was nice enough for us to take the dogs to the beach this past Monday. Yes, that's right, while other parts of the county are dealing with record breaking cold spells, we are hangin with the pups at the beach. It was the perfect way to spend the holiday!




Keeping the eyes on the ball!

Run!

Hey, are you new around here?

Whatcha got?

6 dogs, one ball

Harley LOVES the beach!

Simple Beauty

A San Diego sunset.

Just a quick FYI - my regular Tuesday "Crush of the Week" posts are going to go on hiatus for a while...basically until I feel like posting about them again...no one seemed to be too interested in joining along so I'll just stick them out there kind of randomly.

These are just random ramblings...remember?

A-Z Mondays - the Food Version. "D" is for Decadent Desserts!

Oh, how I love decadent desserts!

I don't suppose you see a trend here, do you?

If you'd like to see what other bloggers are doing for A-Z Mondays, but sure to check out Jen's blog here!