A Tuesday Update

I'm feeling SO much better this morning. I slept for 8 peaceful hours. I just came back from grocery shopping. I'm ready for all healthy eating again. I'm ready for work. It's raining outside, but that's OK.

Happy Tuesday!

There's always a bright spot

My wonderful weekend get-away ended with very bad driving conditions for the ride home. We're talking white-knuckle. It poured the entire time. We're talking wipers on the fast setting. It was foggy. It was up and down mountains. With lots of trucks. It was no fun. The music was good. The new Norah Jones CD is awesome. We listened to the Beatles, Robin Thicke, Toby Keith, etc. Music was the bright spot of an awful drive.

I've had a very blah, blah, blah day. Very unlike me. I slept for 10 hours last night. That never happens. What was left of the morning flew by. Emily and I went to the Apple Store in Annapolis Mall for some issues she's been having with her iPhone. Then we went to The Cheesecake Factory. Why wasn't I smart enough to not order? I wasn't hungry. I ordered a small pizza appetizer. Emily ordered chicken quesadillas. We ate all the bread and butter that came in our basket. Emily doesn't like guacamole and there was a huge scoop of it on her plate. I ate my pizza and her guacamole, plus the bread. We both left there groaning. We came home and I had my pajamas back on by 3:00. I was so tired. I read a little, then took a nap on the couch. I never nap. Never. I slept till 5:00. Then I ate the candy I got from Candyland in Deep Creek. Those jelly kinds with sugar on them? I feel so bloated and yucky and SO not me. I caught up on blog reading. If I didn't leave a comment, know I read what you posted, OK? It was good to catch up with my friends. I think I'll get back to my book now. I'm looking forward to working tomorrow. Really. I like my routines. The bright spot of today? Knowing that tomorrow will be better.

Homeward bound, soon

Well, our time at Deep Creek is just about at an end. I could easily spend a week here. I've always been a beach person. Didn't quite understand the appeal of a mountain vacation. Now I do. Of course, I might have a different opinion had we stayed in a musty old home or cabin. We're in the Rolls Royce's of mountain homes. It's been wonderful. Karen and her husband have owned these acres for 27 years. The building of this home started in 2004. They used their old home on weekends and vacations and were able to watch the whole process. We watched a DVD of the build last night. It was amazing. From the look of the changing seasons, I'd guess it took about 2 years to build. When it was done, they had to knock down the old home as the property is only zoned for one house. Karen was an executive with a private bank that was bought out last year, and she was laid off. Her husband teaches at the Univ. of MD in Baltimore and they have two sons who attend school there. Karen decided to move up here and work at a local bank. Her husband either comes up for the weekends or she drives to Baltimore. This was a weekend she was going home, and when she heard Rob and I were coming up, she offered us her home. And here we are, so grateful. One (of the many) very cool things about the house is the central sound system. There's a tiny Bose docking station in the utility room for an iPod/iPhone, etc. There's Bose speakers throughout the house with controls for each zone. That's been great. There's even speakers for the outdoor hot tub. Speaking of that...amazing too. I'm wary of hot tubs because of germs. How nice to use one that you know is clean. It's been in the 20's at night when we've used it and the water is at 102 degrees. Need I say more? We've watched movies at night. It's chilly downstairs in front of the big-screen Sony HDTV, but we've had plenty of blankets and a nice sectional to stretch out on. We watched Road to Rodanthe and Inglorious Bastards. A tear-jerker and an intense war movie. I loved them both.

The house is all cleaned up and ready for us to go. It's pouring outside. I don't want to leave. We're not in a rush, so I'm going to wait it out and hope the rain stops. In the meantime, I'm going to relax. A little more.

I'll end with pictures from yesterday. We went hiking at Swallow Falls State Park. It was a perfect day. I think you need to click on the blue link for Swallow Falls S and then click on slideshow to see the pictures full size with captions. If you want to, that is :)

A home in the woods

It's about time for a new post, wouldn't you say?

Rob and I are on a little weekend-getaway in Deep Creek Lake, MD. Originally we were to stay at Pam and Mason's condo at Wisp, the ski resort here in Deep Creek. Then my client/friend Karen offered me her home while she was away for the weekend. I'd remembered her photos of the house as it was being built. It would give Rob and I the opportunity to be alone, but to hang out with Pam and Mason at their place with their friends. As it turned out, the 260" of snow here has melted and the skiing season is over and since we had another place to stay, they decided not to come up. So here we are. We're about to go for a hike, so that's all from me for now. I'll leave you with this link to my Picasa Web album. Click on the pic, then slideshow to see the pictures bigger. Ya know? More later!

Deep Creek Lake, MD

There's no place like a good hotel

A quick note from the road....

I'm in Rosslyn, VA, attending a 2-day cutting class at the famed Graham Webb Academy. If I could, I'd do school all over again just to attend the Academy. Really. Kids who go here for their cosmetology license come out with skills that rival experienced hairdressers. They didn't have schools like this back in the day. I took Classic Cutting 1 two years ago and I'm back for part 2. My friend Kit offered to share a hotel with me, just for the fun of it. We're staying at a fabulous boutique hotel, The Hotel Palomar, and if I could, I'd move in. I really would. Did I mention the bathroom is stocked with Aveda products? That won me over from first glance. Rosslyn is only about 45 minutes from where I live, but it's so nice to walk to class and not bother with traffic. This hotel is visually beautiful. They have a nightly wine reception, complementary. With hor dourves. Here's some pictures of the room, and the view from the outdoor terrace.

That's Georgetown in the distance

The Washington Monument

My class was about a 2 minute walk from the hotel. There were 28 students. Here's a few pictures.

I brought my 'girl' back to the hotel to blow dry her hair. Tomorrow we'll do a different cut on our 'models'. Kit will take the Metro to her job while I'm at school. We'll go home when we're both done. In the meantime, the wine reception is about to start, so, I have to go. It's a rough life.

Chocolates anyone?

I got 4 or 5 bags of Lindt Truffles for Christmas. I didn't eat any. Until last week. Did a switch suddenly get turned on? I can't stop eating them. I'm on my 5th truffle tonight. Wah. Yum. White chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter. All good. All bad.

My book club meeting was wonderful last night. There were 11 of us with at least 5 separate conversations going on at any given time. The noise level was ridiculous! The food was great. Everyone loved the book. There were lots of hugs and kisses. I'm so fortunate to be part of such a great group of women. I'm considering downloading the next book to my Kindle for iPhone. I downloaded a trial chapter and it seems doable. The font is big enough. It could be a fun way to read.

Speaking of iPhones, I've started playing some games on mine. I'm not good at games in general, but I've found some that I can actually do. I've never regretted getting my 'phone'. I was really envious last June when they came out with the new version, but I wasn't eligible. They've come out with a new iPhone the past two Junes. Guess who's eligible this year? I'm so excited, in advance. I've heard all kinds of buzz about this new one. I'm frugal in general. Cold house, clothes from Marshall's, etc. I work hard for my money and will get my new toy when it comes out.

I spent most of the day at home. I had my new dishwasher delivered and installed. I also had a new garbage disposal installed. I was forced to sit on the couch on my laptop for hours while the installation took place. Darn. I wasn't able to clean up my basement as planned. I guess it's back to 'out of sight out of mind' again. I ran to the mall afterward and then picked up the kids from school. Came home and cooked dinner. Early. We were finished and the kitchen cleaned by 5:00. For the first time, I didn't rinse the dishes before loading the dishwasher. Will they really get clean?

I spent time catching up on blogs today. I have a lot more to go. I miss you, my friends. My only plan for the rest of this night is to read blogs. And not eat truffles.

Hope your Monday was a good one.

I'm in my happy place

I'm at Border's. I've been here a while and have no plans to leave. If only I weren't so hungry. The silly thought of having Chinese delivered to Border's crossed my mind. I wonder if it's been done before? I'd never do it; I just thought how much I'd enjoy Pei Wei's Spicy with Shrimp. I think I'll order it before I leave.

I've been making cheesecakes. I made my Apple Almond Cheesecake yesterday morning to bring to my friends Cathy and Geoff's tonight. Rob and I were invited for dinner and I offered to bring the cheesecake, one of my favorites. Rob had to go to Philly to be with his son today. I called Cathy to let her know I'd be coming alone, with the cheesecake. She told me, in a very nice way, that she loved me, but wanted to reschedule because they were dying to meet Rob. So, there's that cheesecake. Yesterday morning I made a cheesecake that I'll be bringing to my book club meeting tomorrow. I hope that doesn't get canceled. Cheesecake, anyone?

I did a before and after haircut yesterday. I think I liked the before better.

I did my neighbor Natalie's hair today. She's 14 and I've known her since she came home from the hospital. For years she and Emily were next-door neighbor friends. Emily is 3 grades older, and the age and personality difference finally had them go their separate ways. For so many years Natalie was all 'tomboy'. She only wore baggy clothes, a lot of them boy clothes. She didn't care about her appearance at all. I've seen her grow and change so much over the years. She has such a unique sense of style now. She wears amazing contacts that make her brown eyes bright blue. Her make-up application is heavy but so artistically done. (Her mother wears no make-up at all.) She has a very edgy haircut (thanks to me). Today her mother finally allowed her to have her hair tinted black. She was one very happy and beautiful girl when she left my salon.

I chose the book for my book club. Into the Forest by Jean Hegland. I read it about 5 years ago and LOVED it. I read it this week (within 24 hours!) and loved it all over again. This link is an excerpt of the first chapter, if you'd like to get a taste of the book. Maybe I'll read it again in 5 years.

It's a rainy and gray day, but I don't mind. I was busy inside at work all day. I've been in Border's for 3 hours so far. I can't see outside, so it's sunny in my mind.

Just a hello

Yes, it's been ages. I've been reading. For my book club. I've been baking. And working. I'll be back with a real post real soon. Promise!

I blogged and watched the Academy Awards

I'm such a multi-tasker!

I knew today was going to be the first nice day of winter. Finally, there was more than a hint of Spring in the air. I got the idea from my friend Bernice to take Metro to the Mall. The National Mall, of course. Rob hadn't been since a class field trip to DC when he was in 5th grade. The closest Metro station is about 20 minutes away. I don't go often, but I finally know most of the ins and outs of purchasing farecards and when and where to transfer to the different lines. Anyway, it was a fabulous day to be in DC. We spent some time at the 'Castle' Next stop was the National Museum of the American Indian. I'd never been before. It was simply amazing. Beautiful. No detail was overlooked. If you're in DC, it's a must-see museum. Check out the link...you'll want to come to DC just to see the museum. Here's a shot I took of the Capitol from the wetlands of the museum. Yes, wetlands in the middle of the National Mall.

Last night was fun too. Rob and I went to a local coffee shop, Mad City Coffee, to hear a musician. The place was packed with the musician's friends and family. His singing was just OK, but I loved it anyway. We had sandwiches and coffee. Duh. We headed to Borders afterward. I missed my after-work Border's time. We brought my laptop. Rob drank coffee. I read MacLife. It was great being in my favorite place with Rob till closing time.

One more day of my weekend left. I'm so glad to have my Mondays. I wonder what the day will bring? It's one day closer to Spring.

Checking in

Hey! I thought I'd stop in for a quick hello before work. Not much going on here, but all is good. I'm nursing a toothache from a cracked tooth. I was at the dentist last Thursday for a hopeful fix, but it didn't work. I go back tomorrow to start on a crown. The headache's constant, but it's livable.

I have a bunch of things I've been putting off. Like getting a new dishwasher. Mine isn't working right and I've been hand-washing everything. That's getting a little old. And I need to do my taxes. And I need a new floor in Emily's bathroom. And I need to caulk my shower. And fix my shelves in my closet. And clean out my basement. Instead, I just relax and have fun on the weekends and my days off. I guess the things I want done are only wants and not needs. Yeah...I'll pick that. No rush.

And that's my little hello for today :)