People who have blessed me with their presence

This was my horoscope today in my Daily OM:

"You may feel insecure about your financial situation today, which could lead to feelings of uneasiness or anxiety. Though your worries may be valid, you could end up making the situation worse by obsessing about it. If you can instead take some time to turn your thoughts in a more positive direction, you will be able to see your situation in a better light today. You may wish to begin by thinking about the positive aspects of your life, giving special attention to the blessings and joy that already surround you. You can think about the wonderful people who bless you with their presence, as well as the material abundance that you already possess. Allow yourself to feel a sense of gratitude for the abundance that already exists, and more abundance is sure to follow. "

So, here is my list of the people who bless me with their presence (in no order of preference or importance)

1. Dad
2. Mom
3. Phil
4. Eydie
5. Cheryl
6. Tina
7. Ashley
8. Philip
9. Kay H.
10. Deb D.
11. Debi G.
12. Debi B.
13. Joanne
14. Kristen
15. Jana
16. Cindyann
17. Alex G.
18. Kiana
19. Aunty Kay
20. Uncle Lamont
21. Leah
22. Jackie
23. Troy
24. Al
25. TJ
26. Rusty
27. Aunty Anne
28. Uncle Henry
29. Aunty Lynn
30. Uncle Bull
31. Aunty Maryanne
32. Kale
33. Uncle Yuki
34. Kelly
35. Christine
36. Ngoc
37. Carol J.
38. Otto
39. Carol M
40. Linda I.
41. Paul Y.
42. Marty
43. David
44. Vickie
45. Erik
46. Becky
47. Paul R.
48. Diane R.
49. Jim D.
50. Karan
51. Annette
52. Amy
53. Sadie
54. Jordana
55. Bella
56. Skye
57. Christoph
58. Michele F.
59. Sabina
60. Eric K.
61. Nancy K.
62. Patti W.
63. Mike W.
64. John H.
65. Tom
66. Pam
67. Mo
68. Uncle Francis
69. Aunty Jean
70. Aunty Betty
71. Aunty Dorothy
72. Aunty Mabel
73. Uncle Richard
74. Aunty Jane
75. Shari
76. Betty K.
77. Karen K.
78. Geri W.
79. Javier
80. Leticia
81. Allie
82. Luke.

I didn't think my list could be this long! OMG, I will add to my list another day. :) I have a lot of people in my life! :)

Thought of a few more...

A few more added to my what would i do if I won the lottery list:

Move Kay and John to live up by me so we can craft!
Buy Kristen her puppy dog and help her with her deposit.
Make a studio where my crafty friends can all come to visit and play whenever they want.
Make sure that the studio would be stocked with whatever they wanted to play with.
Send Phil on another trip to Africa. LOL
Maybe send Philip with him.
Take Ashley to Las Vegas for her 21st birthday.
Have a really fun reunion for my family in Hawaii.
Take Kay, Jana, Cindyann, and Deb to Hawaii.
And take Kay with me to visit all the stamping girls in their hometowns so we could stamp with them!!

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Today Phil and I were talking about what we would do if we won the lottery. Yes, it's pretty big, and yes, I probably want to do so much more than the amount that we'd get. But here's my list of what I would do if I won the lottery:

1. Take care of my family.
2. Buy a house with an in-law unit so I can take care of my parents.
3. Buy 2 condos, one for Ashley, one for Philip.
4. Help out my sisters and Phil's sister.
5. Buy a new car for me and for Phil and for Ashley. Pay off Philip's car.
6. Pay off my cousin's bills.
7. Take my stamping friends on a trip to Disney World.
8. Go to Las Vegas with my scrapping friends.
9. Have Phil go to Africa.
10. Pay for a couple of my sister's trips to africa.
11. Go to New York.
12. Go to Hawaii to visit family
13. Take my niece somewhere that she would like to go.
14. Go to Disney World with Debi G.
15. Go to Japan with my aunts and cousins to track down our geneology.
16. Travel across the country in an RV, yep really! LOL.
17. Go to the UK.
18. Visit Australia.
19. Find a nice resting place for Phil's parent's ashes.
20. Find a nice cabin in the mountains.

ok, by now I probably would have ran out of money, well, maybe at about # 14 or 15. LOL But it's nice to have dreams! LOL

A neat thought...

I'm reading a book by Sylvia Brown about what happens when we pass away. Where do we go? And it's really very interesting. I've never been afraid to die. I figure when it's that time, it's that time. I've lived a good life, yes, there are lots of things to look forward to, but I'm happy with how I've spent my life.

Anyway, one thing she said in her book is that when you pass, every animal that you've loved in this life and in past lives are waiting for you there on the other side, or Home. What a neat thought. I love knowing that the cats, rabbits, birds, and maybe even the fish that we've ever had are all there waiting for me. And let me tell you, there are a lot of cats up there. Remember, I'm the CCLWLDTS.

How fun to think that Snow and Bubbie are up there waiting for me and Phil to come to see them. LOL Do you think they would follow us everywhere like they did when they were alive?

Heath Ledger

I was so very saddened by his death today. It's always sad when someone with so much promise in their life has their life cut short. It was really such a shock. Just this weekend I was reading an article in Wizard Magazine on his role in the new Batman movie, the Dark Knight. And I know I couldn't wait to see him in the new movie.

I've always wondered why things happen the way they do, why people are taken from us at such a young age. There is always a reason for it, but it's always so very sad.

Concerts...

Ok, way back in the day, I used to go to a ton of concerts with my bff Chris. We would go to all these different shows by ourselves. Every New Year's Eve you could find us at the Cow Palace watching whatever band was playing there that year. It was a ton of fun! And we went to a few of the day on the greens too.

I'm going to try to make a list of the ones I remember seeing...

1. Journey
2. Santana
3. Bon Jovi
4. The Who
5. The Clash
6. T-Bone Burnette
7. Triumph
8. Eddie Money
9. Bryan Adams
10. Night Ranger
11. Scorpions
12. Ratt
13. Y&T
14. Metallica
15. Rising Force
16. U2
17. The Pretenders
18. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
19. Genesis
20. John Waite
21. Huey Lewis and the News
22. Greg Kihn
23. Julian Lennon
24. Quarterflash
25. George Thorogood & the Delaware Destroyers
26. Rick Springfield
27. 415
28. The Eric Martin Band
29. Def Leppard
30. Tesla
31. Paul McCartney
32. Elton John
33. Melissa Etheridge
34. Mary Chapin Carpenter
35. Van Halen
36. Heart
37. Daryl Hall & John Oats
38. Corey Hart
39. Rod Stewart
40. The Doobie Brothers
41. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
42. The Starship
43. Jefferson Starship
44. REO Speedwagon
45. John Cougar Mellencamp
46. Alice Cooper
47. Yes
48. Michelle Shocked
49. Kenny Loggins
50. the Monkees
51. The Jackson Five
52. Jackson Browne
53. Rush
54. Loverboy
55. Eddie and the tide
56. Paul Young
57. The Power Station
58. Duran Duran
59. Phil Collins
60. Chicago
61. Prince and the Revolution
62. Sheila E.
63. Sammy Hagar
64. Billy Squier
65. Scandal
66. Quiet Riot
67. White Snake
68. Barry Manilow
69. Anderson/Bruford/Wakeman/Howe
70. Air Supply
71. Tina Turner
72. Chris Isaak
73. Steely Dan
74. Cyndi Lauper
75. America
76. Faith Hill
77. Amy Grant
78. Sting
79. Tim McGraw
80. Vince Gill
81. Nanci Griffith
82. Bruce Hornsby and the Range
83. Danny Wilde
84. Survivor
85. Michael Bolton
86. Kenny G.
87. Celine Dion
88. Dokken
89. Georgia Satellites
90. The Outfield
91. Asia
92. Great white
93. kansas
94. Mr. Mister
95. Janet Jackson
96. Survivor
97. Black Crowes
98. Glass Tiger
99. Indigo Girls
100. Clay Aiken
101. Kelly Clarkson
102. Lone Justice
103. Richard Marx
104. George Strait
105. Bonnie Raitt
106. the Cramps
107. The Fabulous thunderbirds
108. Sadie Brown :)

LOL that's all I can remember off the top of my head. Can't remember all the opening acts. but I think I got some of them. And I know that since I don't have all my ticket stubs, I won't remember them all. Hmmm, will have to think of more cause I know there are more out there! LOL

Things that I love...

So, I've been thinking about the things that I love. And here is my list...(in no particular order)

1. My family
2 . My friends (You know who you are)
3. Velcro and Oreo
4. The USA
5. My heritage
6. Reading books
7. Watching movies
8. Listening to the kitties purr.
9. My computer because of the friends that I've met.
10. Ok, I just love being on the computer.
11. Star Wars
12. Living in the bay area
13. the Fourth of July
14. My truck
15. Watching the birds and squirrels outside my window every day
16. Really nice customers
17. Lord of the Rings
18. Being with my niece, Kiana
19. Taking a road trip
20. Driving by myself
21. Listening to music
22. Watching TV
23. Spending time with my family
24. Going shopping with Phil
25. Having a girl's day with Ashley
26. My beanie babies
27. My webkinz
28. Hallmark Christmas Ornaments
29. Going to the beach
30. The camping trips I took with Chris to Yosemite.
31. Watching Alex play softball
32. Making jewelry
33. Rubberstamping
34. Scrapbooking
35. Reading magazines, I just LOVE magazines
36. Listening to the kids tell me all about their webkinz.
37. Throwing webkinz events at the store.
38. Opening up boxes of new things, and seeing what is new.
39. Spending the day relaxing with the Sunday paper reading the ads.
40. Going shopping with the girls on our special days.
41. Spending time talking story with my family.
42. Disney Movies
43. Going out to dinner with the Gibsons.
44. Remembering the first time I saw Star Wars in the movie theatre.
45. Spending time with my dad
46. Watching Anime or reading Manga.
47. Going to Baldie's for dinner
48. Crafting something new, and having it turn out really well.
49. Spending time with my Stamping buddies.
50. Baking
51. Listening to KSFO (who would have thought...)
52. Teaching my friends new crafts.
53. Painting
54. going to the gift shows with my cousin
55. Sirloin tips and eggs at IHOP.
56. Shopping at Target
57. Going to Disneyland
58. Going to Las Vegas
59. Figuring out how to do things on the computer.
60. Animals
61. Feeding the squirrels in my backyard.
62. The time I spent living on my own
63. The first Christmas I spent with Phil, having my first Christmas with Kids.
64. Reading about Mythology
65. going to Borders
66. Mechanical things, and trying to figure out how they work.
67. colors
68. Paper
69. waking up in the morning looking forward to a new day
70. going to Japantown
71. The bead stores.
72. going to Concerts
73. Taking Pictures
74. Seeing something that I've drawn made into a physical part
75. Dragons
76. Cats
77. Wildlife
78. Starry Starry Night by Van Gogh
79. Spending all day in my PJ's
80. Watching TV with the fire burning and the cat sitting with me.
81. Spending family time with Ashley and Philip
82. Watching the kitties enjoy the warm fire or heater
83. Feeding the cats at my mom's house
84. Harry Potter books and movies
85. Watching Debi G. dress up for Halloween
86. Seeing a funny movie
87. Jane Austen Books
88. David Eddings books
89. Christmas Lights
90. Going to the movies with my friends
91. Spending time with my friends, just talking or shopping, or whatever. LOL
92. Earrings
93. Going to Hawaii to visit family
94. Looking at old photos of my family and friends
95. Playing Card games with Phil
96. Playing games on the computer
97. Watching Phil play softball
98. seeing a new kitten out in the yard
99. helping out my friends when they need help
100. Blogging

Webkinz Event

Today we had a Webkinz Event at the store, and let me tell you, I don't know who had more fun, me or the kids! LOL

It was really fun planning. We had a couple of contests, the Operation Gumball and Wishing Well 2. They are a couple of games on the site. And I made a board for the Wishing Well, the kids won prizes if they matched or not. It was great fun!

And we also had a Kinz Style Fashion contest. The winner had to have the most creative dressed webkinz. The girl who won dressed her webkinz beagle in a hula outfit and used a Ukelele from her American girl dolls. OMG, there were a ton of great entries. It was so neat to see what the kids would come up with!!

I'm just glad that after all the planning and preparation, the kids had just as much fun as I did!! We're gonna do another one next month, and I can't wait! :)

Road trip from Oregon to SF

One of my favorite trips was one I took with a couple of friends so many years ago. Back then I worked for a bicycle accessory company called Avocet. And it was the best job. Not only did I get to help draw parts for things like Cyclometers, Altimeter Watches, and saddles and tires, but I met a great group of people that I spent a ton of time with after work as well.

One year, two of the engineers and I decided to take a road trip. One of the engineers named Marty would ride miles and miles every day. And we all talked about taking a road trip where he and Paul would ride their bicycles from a specific point up the coast back to San Francisco. And I would be their SAG wagon. We all took I think 10 days off to do this. We calculated that Paul could ride between 50 - 75 miles a day, and that since Marty would ride 100 miles a day, he would backtrack so many miles a day to make up the distance.

We figured we'd either camp out most days, maybe rent a hotel room in between so that we could definitely be comfortable a few days in between.

So, one Saturday we drove out to Coos Bay, Oregon to begin our adventure.

It was so much fun! we would have breakfast together. pack up our stuff. They would be off. I'd meet them at a specific time and place for lunch. But before and after that time I would get to do some sightseeing, shopping, and find a place for us to stay. It was great! It was like going on a trip by myself, but then getting to be with someone for meals and in the evenings.

One day we thought we lost Marty on the Lost Coast. it took him a lot longer than he thought to ride it, and we were about to drive out to see if we could find him when he got to the hotel. LOL Phew! Good thing!

I don't think I would have ever gone down the coast like that if it hadn't been for this trip. I stopped at the lighthouse that was in that movie with Mel Gibson, Forever Young. Saw Paul Bunyan and Babe the blue ox. LOL Saw some whales swimming near the coast. Went to Mendocino, stopped in Eureka. Went to the town where they had filmed Outbreak (well, went there before they filmed it). OMG, it was tons of fun!

But the best sight for me was seeing the Golden Gate Bridge at the end of our trip. I love the Golden Gate Bridge. It is just something that reminds me that I am home. I'll have to actually scrapbook that trip cause there were so many different memories that I don't ever want to forget!

What is in my heart?

This is one of my favorite things. Ok, so this one isn't mine, but I do have one just like it. I just love the concept of wearing a pendant of what I love. But sadly, you can only show 5 or 6 things that you love in your pendant heart. And I love WAY more things than that. Since my friend Karan is making a list of different things, I was inspired to make a list of what is in my heart...

What is in my Heart?

Well, in my pendant I have:

"P" obviously for Phil. He's the man I love, who I've learned the most from. He really is my best friend. We talk about everything. He's been there for me through so much in my life. I'm so lucky to have him.

A Cat. ok, those who know me know that I love cats. And yes, I'm going to be the future cat lady who lives down the street, or how Kay has so eloquently has called me CCLTLDTS. LOL I love their personalities, a cat purring is my favorite sound. And it also represents my two kitties, Oreo and Velcro. :)

A USA Heart flag. I love my country. I love living in the USA, I love the freedom we all have compared to other countries. I am a proud American. Yes, I am conservative as well, I'm more political now than I ever. Life has its ups and downs living here, and we don't always agree with each other, but at least we do have the freedom to disagree.

A Starfish. I love the beach. I've always loved the ocean, I respect the ocean. Never turn your back to the ocean, my mom would always tell us. We grew up going to Half Moon Bay during the summers. I don't think I would ever want to move away from the coast. not like I live on the coast, but something inside me always has to live driving distance from the ocean.

I'll next have to make a list of the things not in my pendant. :)

Intentions

Man and his cat

For years, Phil has wanted Oreo to be his lap cat. And until this last year, Oreo has never slept with him like this. He's always bugged me, tried to sit on my lap while I'm on the computer, and followed me everywhere till I sat down to sleep with me.

And we kept hearing from Phil, "Gosh Oreo, if I brought Snow inside (our old outside cat), HE'D be my lap cat, and HE'D be so thankful to be inside."

LOL

So, this year, Oreo has decided that he needs to sleep with his dad every night. Phil will sit on the couch, recline, and put the blanket on himself, and it's like he's the big Oreo Cat magnet. They will sit like this all night long. LOL

And tonight, Oreo was sitting with me cause Phil wasn't on the couch. But I swear, as soon as Phil sits down, he leaves me for Phil. Humph! When did I become second?? LOL It only took 10 years for Oreo to decide to sit with Phil. :)

The man and his cat. LOL

How nice was that?

Today when I got home, I found a little pile of stickers that Phil had brought home from work. One of his friends from work was throwing them away, but brought them in so that the guys could see if they wanted them.

Of course there were the conservative ones, ones about cats, and even one from Serenity the movie. But the one that surprised me the most was one that said: I heart Mr. Darcy.

Ok, I know Phil pays attention to the things I like, but I didn't know that he paid that much attention. LOL I didn't even know that he knew who Mr. Darcy was, let alone that I liked him. LOL

I mean yes, he knows that the guy I like is on Desparate Housewives now (Nate Fillion), and he knows the shows I like watching, and that if LOTR or Star Wars is on anywhere on TV, I'll watch it. But whoda thought he'd know my facination with Jane Austen books??

Growing up in the Bay Area

I always think how lucky we are to have grown up in the bay area. The weather is awesome. Really, if you think about it. We have storms, but it's nothing compared to the storms they have in the midwest and back east. LOL And there is so much to do around the bay.

I remember growing up and going to the beach almost every day during the summer. We would go with my parents fishing in Half Moon Bay. They would fish, and we all would just play on the beach, digging holes, making sand castles. It was great! I didn't realize till I was older, how special this really was. I thought it was something everyone did, apparently not. LOL

And we were lucky enough to have a few families who lived in the area, who we spent a lot of time with during the year. The parents all were from some part of Hawaii. And you know if you're from Hawaii, you're family. LOL We always had "aunties and uncles" around. They weren't our blood relatives, but they were close enough. :)

And we would spend time going on picnics, going to each others houses to play. Saturdays or Sundays were spent going to visit different people, the grown-ups would talk story, and we kids would go running around the neighborhoods. It was just way too fun.

I just think of all the stuff we used to do as kids that the kids nowdays can't go and do. It's rather sad actually.

This is a picture of my mom and my aunt at my grandparents home on Kauai. I just love this picture. My aunt is the one that lives here on the mainland too. And I just don't realize how much of an age gap there was between them till I see this picture. It's great hearing the old stories about my grandparents and great grandparents. And I love hearing the stories on how they grew up on Kauai.

I just have so much love and respect for my family. I am a fourth generation, or yonsei. My great grandfather came over from Japan. He was the first generation. My grandfather was born on Kauai, and my grandmother was actually a picture bride.

My grandparents lived on Kauai the rest of their lives. I actually didn't see them much because we lived here in California or the mainland.

I always think how brave my parents were that they would leave the islands to come to the mainland to make a better life for themselves. I don't want to move out of the bay area, and here they came all the way from Kauai to live here. I'm just glad that they picked the bay area to live in cause I just love it here.

I do think of how scary it must have been to move from a place where you have all your family and friends, to go to a place where you know nobody. Well, they didn't exactly know absolutely nobody. LOL Luckily my dad's uncle and aunt lived here. And my dad's sister was out here too. And actually, they had friends that had moved here as well, so maybe they didn't know absolutely nobody. LOL

Had to take a picture of the squirrel's butt. I love squirrels. they're just so dang cute! I just love that they come into the yard and visit with us. And then I think... All the squirrels that come in our yard are just HUGE. I am always afraid that the hawk is going to come in and try to eat them. And there was a hawk in the tree in the yard again. I have to get a better picture of him (or her).

Today's Storm

Today we had the worst storm of the season. I actually got sent home today cause My cousin was worried that I wouldn't be able to get home later. How nice is that!

Well, while we were sitting around, we noticed that one of the squirrels was actually outside feeding. LOL Couldn't be stopped by a little rain. Well, rain and 70mph winds. LOL And the birds were out as well.

I had to dump out their big bowl of birdseed soup so that they could all eat it. LOL

We were very lucky, we had power and our satellite dish was ok the rest of the day. And we didn't have any flooding in our neighborhood. I just hope there were no raccoons down in the great raccoon highway (the sewer).

Today was the last day...

I had 4 days off in a row, and today was the very last day. What did I get done? Not as much as I wanted. I wanted to do so much during those 4 days. I had a whole list of things I wanted to do. Did any of it get done? Sure, some of it was done. Started some things.

The most important thing was that I got some rest. I had been so tired this season, so it was great to energize my batteries. I spent time with the kitties. Realized that I'm second fiddle to Phil now with Oreo Kitty. He loves his dad. And he loves me when Phil's not around. Sheesh. Well, not really, he loves me, but would rather sleep with his dad. LOL

I went to see National Treasure 2 and Enchanted. I haven't been to a movie in awhile, so it was great to go to a movie.

tried to clean, did some, still need to do a ton.

And I made a resolution. I haven't made a resolution in years, but I thought this is a good one, so I'm going to do it.

My resolution for this year is to spend more time with the people I love. Last year was spent not spending enough time with the people I care about. This year is going to change. I want to play more, chat more, and just relax a bit more.

Life is too short not to spend it with the people you love.

This is one of my avatars on Gaiaonline. Yes, I'm sucked into it big time. I just love the fact that I can be a little anime character. And it's cool cause they actually show different anime episodes on the site.

It's kind of like Webkinz for teens. And yep, I have those too. LOL I'm just a big kid. ;)

Smore nuggets

This New Years, I'm making Smores nuggets. My favorite new toy is my chocolate melter. And so I've been using it to dip things. Made my first batch of chocolate dipped marshmallows a few weeks ago for a Webkinz Event at the store. The kids loved them

So, we thought we'd try Smore nuggets. Poor Phil is gonna get a stomach ache after testing out my marshmallows. LOL