What a beautiful weekend my friends!Friday night papa came down, he and i took Jaida on over to Jenni's where we met her and the boys and headed downtown to the park. Free music around blues festival is always a bonus, and their are vendors elbow to elbow with new and interesting pieces of art or jewlery. After hanging out by the fountain, diving for Mardi Gras beads by the various cars strolling around handing them out we enjoyed the festive magical feeling that is EUREKA:




Brendan


Bradley





After hanging out in the park, we decided to go grab dinner at the Pied Piper (Cat House) They had a great band there too!




Jenni took the kids to her house, and papa and I watched the rest of this particular band play and then headed back to get the kiddo. It was a nice, relaxing low key evening! You just can't beat that.

SATURDAY- BIRTHDAY PARTY DAY!
From the second I opened my eyes, until i finally laid down that night it was ON. Busy as all get out! I dont think i sat more than a full five minutes at a time. Jaidas birthday party was a successs. Cooper and Adyson came- that was her big surprise, the kids missed eachother and were inseperable. Papa made it down too and we had a great time, watching the kids swim, eating sandiwhiches and melted cupcakes in the sun. Good Times.







Jaida, is one of those kids that no matter how worn out they get, they stay in the water, damn near UNDER the water the entire time, and are morphing into fish right in front of your eyes, minus the tail fin.




When we finally got her to come out of the water, it was hard not to laugh yourself into a dizzy state of mind- i mean really... it's hilarious and cute at the same time


So then we opened presents and had a few snacks for the break.









Of course anytime you have to take a break from swimming non stop in order to open your presents- you then need a snack and a short nap. The girls worked together to get the chairs set up 'just right'





While the kids were spacing out into their own water logged world, we all got to have a little giddy kid fun ourselves... as always.











All in all it was a beautiful weekend. We couldn't have asked for better weather, better friends or better cupcakes. Jaida turned 5 with a smile on her face and pool water in her hair. I still can't believe she's five now, but i'm proud of her, i'm thankful for her more than anything in this entire lifetime, this beautiful young girl is the most amazing person I could ever know, or have the pleasure to know like i do. She will be a great success someday, she already is and she's still my baby... .always will be. I know she wont read this until it makes a book someday (fingers crossed) but she is my world, the greatest woman i know and i can't wait to see what she is like later in life. Thank you my little girl, for making me the person and mother i am today. you have completed my life!

FABULOUS FRIDAY!

AHHH! Friday. Can it get better than this, I ask myself. HELLS YEAH it can. It's not only Friday, but 80 degrees and BEAUTIFUL. It's been a very productive day all around. Not only has the day flown by work wise but I managed to get a good amount of sun on my lunch break. I swear I could hear the boats while i laid out there! I'm only a few miles from the lake, and lemme tell ya, I cannot wait until tomorrow. I'm hoping that the storms they predict will hold off long enough to take the kids to the lake for a picnic.

The 'community' I live in has an actual 'Island' or peninsula rather, but who needs to argue that point? Since i have to pay to have the address that i have, i get free access to the (very well kept i might add) pool and pool house, and also the camp grounds. If i want to play golf i get a discount or i can pay out the ARSE for a membership and uh, no thanks! I dont play golf, but i can drive a mean cart! SO- I'm hoping since Jenni's boys are staying with me that it will be nice enough to camp, if not camping... at least swimming either at the pool or in the lake... whomever is brave enough. Personally I just want more SUN. I felt so alive when i got up from laying out today.

I did something i've not done in years... mainly because i'm scared to death of skin cancer, but at the same time... i have NEVER been this white before. I tan pretty well considering i have Indian in me (at least that's why i'm told i tan so well) when i try, but i've spent a lot of time slathering myself with sunblock the last two years... i'm done! I greased myself up like a holiday turkey with baby oil and spent 20 minutes on each side. I can see the difference, can anyone else? Doubtful.

I can't help but stop and think about where I was this time last week- ESTES PARK, CO. My second favorite little town on earth (Eureka is first.... and until you spend time here, you'll never understand it)

We had a room right on The Big Thomspon River, complete with a hot tub. Mr. Tulsa was brave enough to get in it (this is water melting from the snow caps people.... COLD ASS WATER) and we spent the better part of the afternoon sipping wine (ok he had GIN... but Rangpur so it's ok) and chatting in the hot tub. THAT is where the picture from yesterday came from. I have posted a few pics for you to gander at whilst I tell my boring story:

I can't remember if this picture was Friday afternoon or Saturday Morning... I think Friday afternoon??? Hell if i know anymore it all blurred together. I haven't actually relaxed like THAT in a longgggg time. It was weird to be honest. By the time we got stuck in the Denver airport on the way home Sunday, I was a laughing scattered mess.

This is Claires- Cute little place on the square. This is where my cousin Tara and i saw the family of Elk come rest in the middle of the part last summer (or was it the summer before?) Anyways, then the police on segways came and chased them off. It was comical, i mean really... a segway? Up agains a daddy Elk? IF he wanted to kick your ass mister, he would have done so. I think he was just being kind since there were so many spectators in the area. Back to the story- Claries has good bloody marys and great service. If you go, try it out. It's nothing fancy, but it's got GREAT food and good drinks! You can't beat the view either.

Of course I try (key word here... try) to take pictures of most things i eat, or places I suppose. mainly so i can rant about how good it is...I often see people that work in the establishment looking at me funny while i set up the 'scene' of the menu and my meal/drink. I keep waiting for the day when they ask me if i'm a critic. I can look at them dead in the eye and say "No, I just have a very serious obsession with food and pictures" then snap one of them and see how they react. I keep waiting, they never ask... If you're wondering... NO, these Bloody's are not even close to comparable with the Cat House Bloody Mary. It's worth the trip to Eureka Springs (yes people... Arkansas) just to have one.. I promise! For the guys out there, all the girls who work in the bar are smokin' hot... ladies... Latty's pretty damn cute too!!!! You should go... no matter it's super fun and the peeps are a hoot. Why else would i hang out there?

Oh YEAH- damn attention span of a hummingbird on days like today. Sorry. Anyways, so after we ate we tried to go up to the mountain, but the tram was closed (doesn't open til next weekend.. jerks) So we stopped off and got our beverages and headed to the hot tub. Here are some pics for you of that little outing:

This was fabulous. 105 degree water... cold mountain air coming down from the Rockies in swoops. It was marvelous. I think we were in there for a few (several) hours.

and then from the other direction: (keep in mind the Big T is actually a LOT bigger than this down river... this place is up the mountain a bit and closer to the National Park)

This is the 'cabin' so to speak over on the right. We were towards the end, on the bottom. THE ONLY people in the place (i guess they call it a lodge... whatever) so that was super. The one person besides us was a worker who was right by the hot tub, he was cutting tiles for the first little room that was being remodeled. I think we scared him off to be right honest. He looked like Santa! I am now fully convinced that Santa Claus in fact lives in Estes and does handy work in the off season... oh, and drives a really old Toyota Truck.

Here, you can see by the horrid expression on Tulsa's face HOW FUCKING COLD the water actually is. But I think by this time we had a few drinks in us and it didn't matter. I got in too, but there is no photographic proof and thank god for that because look at this:

NOT ONLY I do look like a block of swiss cheese but my hair is still in the faux hawk. See people, i'm not your average bear! I'm not too good to post horrible pictures of my muffin top on the Internet....blending in with my snow white legs and bleached out swim suit... NO.. Besides... I am at lesat a .5 shade darker after today... so HA! I like this picture though... it's kinda cute and sorta funny if you look at it right. I'll leave you with that.

It's been a super fabuloustic day today! I keep getting lost in the sky and i have YET to see a cloud. I hope (as always) no matter where you are, who you're with, or what you are doing. Work, play, school, or on the other side of the world in bed right now, that you are as happy as you can possibly be WHERE you are... right this second. If you're not... get your ass up and eat chocolate, drink some Riesling, or sing your favorite childhood song. Whatever it is that makes you giggle a little inside. Sometimes, even when things are really hard.... if you fake the smile, and you work hard for the laughs, they become real... and you forget what your frown was even about to start with, you carry on with what WAS a fake smile on your face... and continue your day being happy. If thats not enough, and you just live to see how many chipmunks I save... WELL- I let keane out once today........... for only a few minutes (because if he didn't stop trying to ride the dogs out the door during potty breaks there was going to be a fight) and he didn't manage to catch a damn thing! HA. So i'll leave you with with this cute little number- the serial killa- resting for his next hunt _TADA!

(check the fangs on this guy! Man he's a beautiful cat.... but geesus those poor chipmunks!)

Cheers my friends......... until Monday...........MUWAHHHHHH!

Ten Things I'm Most Thankful For

1. My Daughter- Nothing is more important than offspring. :)


2. My Job- considering the fear deep inside because of our economy.


3. My Friends/Family- without them I would be so lonely.


4. Sunshine after days of gloom


5. People, the few people who are still sincere when they ask how you are.


6. Emotions- all of them, even if they fight over whether I should laugh or cry.


7. Steriods- because without them, i would be a sniffy, wheezing, snotting, itchy ball of ooze 90% of the year. Thank you Allergy Shots!


8. Animals/Pets- Because you can find such peace in them. What do they have to worry about? -When will this lady feed me again, i have the munchies' - ' I wish she would change my litter box after each duty'- 'upon which piece of furnature in this house shall i rub my face on today?' - 'I like this sun spot (lays down on floor) dammit, it's moving again (getting up to turn in circles in a new sunspot on the floor) AHHH, there we go' - 'I'm bored, I think i'll bark out the window like a lunatic just to scare my mom.... "BARK" yep, works everytime!"


9. The Words I Love You- no matter who they are from, no matter what 'way' they are meant... they ARE the three words humans need to hear the most- even if we dont admit it.


10. LIFE- I am thankful for every single, person, place, feeling, action, re-action i've ever had in my life.

I dont have anything else to say today. I can't muster up the creative energy to tell you in detail about our "Tocheise Fest" anymore today... so you'll have to wait, i'm sorry. I just thought i'd tell you what was on my mind today- (like that's different from any other) and tell you my THANKS... Oh- and you know what else- 33 followers! I am so thankful and happy every time i see you guys and you're avatar on the right side of my blog. Sometimes there is even one more, and i get all giddy! Thank you! Thanks for your comments- thanks for the blogs you write, thanks for the laughs, the tears, the dreams and the silly stories you share. Peace and Cheers my friends!~

Off the Wall Crap:

Good Afternoon Friends! I dont know about you, but i woke up to the SUN today (ha, and they said it would be icky this week!) It feels amazing outside! It's actually so warm on my front deck, i can smell the wood! You know, when the sun heats the deck to a certain temperature and suddenly you can smell it......... that! Ok, so maybe i have a super sniffer... Whatever!

I informed Jaida a moment ago, that we were going to get our cat today.......... funny that she thinks we need two because I was thinking the same thing......... I guess we'll find out. (if i get two cats... we wont be able to go to the zoo this weekend 'financially'........ i think i'll tell her that and see what her decision is)

Did you know you actually CAN make yourself sick eating salad? Well, you can, because i did it today. I figured after the huge cheese lunch i had yesterday that i would slim it down today and have a salad. I ate two.......... i feel sick. So much for healthy!

I came to a stunning realization earlier today- I cant' remember friends birthdays, their kids birthdays or their anniversaries, let alone a phone number (without my cell of course) but i can remember things that all of us did in high school, early HS and Jr. high- even elementary school if you really want to get technical............... WHY?

Why do laundry piles grow no matter how many loads you washed and put up last night? There are only two humans in this house............. WTF!

I'll post later today with pictures of the new addition(s)- Stay tuned............................