Fun with Mac

Mason was in a pretty cranky mood tonight. He's typically pretty tired by the time Friday rolls around each week, but he also didn't take a nap at daycare today, so he was beyond tired tonight. Anyway, he asked to look at pictures on my laptop, and instead of clicking on iPhoto I accidentally opened Photo Booth instead. Mason thought it was really funny, and we ended up playing around with the different "effects" for a while.

Wee Bit Wednesday 14

{one} what was your first job?I guess technically it was babysitting. As far as a real, paying taxesjob, it was at National Car Rental when I was 14.
{two} have you ever seen a stand up comedian?Yes, but no one "famous" or really memorable.
{three} when was the last time you played mini golf?I honestly have no idea.
{four} what was the last picture you took?It was a self portrait of my new haircut!

 
{five} burnt food: yes or no?Is this a trick question? That would be a no. Gross!
{six} if you have a pocket full of change, what do you do with it?Put it in my piggy bank.
{seven} can you touch your tongue to your nose?No.
{eight} do you scrapbook?Never. It's actually something I refuse to even try. It lookstime consuming and very expensive.
{nine} do you buy lottery tickets?We don't have a lottery in Alaska, but I have occasionallybought them in the lower 48.
{ten} do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it?Without a doubt...BEHIND it! I hate having my picture taken.

Happy Birthday, Nana

Today is Nana's birthday! I am so incredibly lucky to have such an amazing mom, and I cannot imagine how my life would be different if we weren't just right down the road :) It's so special to me that my son has this close relationship with his Nana and Papa! You're the best, Mom!

Mason and his Nana on the train

Helping Nana eat her birthday cake

Where in the world is Papa?

My dad (aka Papa) is on a month long motorcycle trip. He and my Uncle Ken (who lives in Maine) have been doing some version of this for  years now...this time they're meeting in Sturgis, South Dakota (before the actual Sturgis event) and riding together from there. I don't know exactly where they will be because they don't know exactly where they will be, but I know for sure they're going down to Arizona to check out a retirement home for my aunt and uncle.

This is the first year that Mason has really been aware that Papa is gone, so I printed out a little North America map for us to mark on each night where Papa is sleeping. Since we don't always hear from Papa each night, I have a feeling I'll have to do some guessing along the way, but Mason won't really know any difference.

While my dad is gone my mom and my aunt are helping to cover "Papa daycare", mainly the mornings that I have to go to work at 7am and Todd isn't off until 9am. This morning was one of those mornings, and Mason had to show Nana his "Where is Papa?" map.

This is the star. That is our house.

This is the road where Papa is driving. 

More ideas

Still wanting to cut my hair...and still too scared to do it! I know, it's just hair, and it will always grow back. But for anyone who has ever had a haircut that they HATED, you understand just how long it seems to take to grow out a bad haircut! Anyway, found these pics that I also like. Which do you think? The Sienna Miller ones? Or these?

And, just in case I totally chicken out once I get in the chair....I'll probably just add more layers, like this next pic....

Wee Bit Wednesday 13

{one} do you always wear your seatbelt in the car?Yes. Always. 
{two} do you crack your knuckles?No. It kind of grosses me out. 
{three} what is your favorite flavor of gum?Orbitz Sweet Mint or Bubble Mint
{four} what is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own?My engagement/wedding ring.
{five} who is your best friend?Todd.
{six} what is your favorite smell?Anything citrusy. And homemade sauce that hasbeen on the stove all day simmering.
{seven} what is your favorite lunch meat?Turkey, but it has to be sliced very thin.
{eight} do you still have your tonsils?No, they were removed along with my adenoids when I was about 4.
{nine} do you untie your shoes before you take them off?90% of the time I wear Danskos, so no laces. 
{ten} what color is your car?Grey/silver

Fun times

I decided to just make another slideshow of pictures from my trip to see Mariah. I had a great time, it was nice to get away for a fun reason for a change, and also to hang out and have some girl time. I realized how long it had been since I had actually seen Mariah last...and it will not be that long again! And I won't be offended if Kenai forgets me again, although, he actually did pretty well while I was there with remembering who I was.

The weekend went by way too fast, but we managed to do a lot of things. We went to Bodega, where I was able to grab some new sand for my collection. Had some yummy "Chicago" pizza and went out for drinks. Caught the newest Harry Potter movie before heading out to Sonoma for wine tastings. We also spent an afternoon in San Francisco and did the evening tour of Alcatraz. I have to recommend doing to night tour if you go...it was worth it just to see the hospital wing. One fun thing about the hospital was seeing the old x-ray equipment, and being able to tell the tour guide what things were. Random fact: on Alcatraz, x-ray was an inmate job. I would love to go back and be able to spend more time in the Sonoma/Napa area for sure, and there is always more to see and places to eat in San Francisco!


Thanks for letting me come invade your space for a few days...and for being my tour guide!

Wee Bit Wednesday 12

{one} what was your first pet and how did you come up with its name?He was a golden retriever named Frosty. I was about 4, and he was named after Frosty the Snowman.
{two} do you like your ice crushed or cubed?Crushed.
{three} do you believe in love at first sight?No. Lust at first sight? Sure. But love? Call mea skeptic, but not so much.
{four} do you have any nicknames?A.J. Most of my family calls me that. 
{five} what movie do you never get tired of watching?Wizard of Oz
{six} how do you like your eggs cooked?I ONLY like scrambled eggs. 
{seven} are you named after anyone in particular?My first name, no. My parents just liked the name My middle name is the same as my grandmothers, though. If I had been a boy, I would have been named after my great-grandfather...Pasquale! 
{eight} what are three things that you would like to do that you haven’t done yet?Go to D.C., see and NFL game, and get my masters degree.
{nine} what one thing always brightens your mood?A big hug from Mason.
{ten} what five things will you always find in your purse?My wallet, chap stick, eye drops, cell phone, and an epi-pen.

Riding the rails

This morning Mason had a big surprise after he ate his breakfast. My mom and my aunt were taking him on a train ride! A REALLY, REALLY, HUGE TRAIN (these are his words)

They boarded the AK Railroad downtown and road to Girdwood. He was so excited when he got home, he could not stop talking all about it. He also got a new ARR shirt, hat and toy train. When he was going to bed tonight he told me that he wanted to go on another train ride...we'll see, kid...maybe. He also kept telling us "All Aboard" and that they missed their train home (Papa picked them up in Girdwood, they didn't really miss the train).

My mom sent me some pics of the big day.

Girl Time!

On Wednesday morning, I leave for a weekend trip to San Francisco to visit my "number 1" friend, Mariah. I am so excited to just hang out, have girl time, drink, soak up some CA sun, maybe check out a winery, and go on the night tour of Alcatraz! I saw this article on Yahoo today and it made me even MORE excited, and admittedly a little more creeped out by the whole idea of Alcatraz at night!

I feel like I've been leaving my boys a lot lately, which is sort of true. I went to Oregon in May, Chicago in June, and now I'll be going to California. But this is the first trip I'm going on that will be FUN and relaxing. Not one filled with either classes, workshops, doctor's appointments...or any other form of stress! I definitely feel like I've earned this trip.

Petaluma, here I come!!!!

How many cabins do we have?!

Mason has been having such a blast this summer with all the outdoor activities we are able to do. He loves both the boat and the cabin, but sometimes gets a little confused since he knows that there is a "cabin" on the boat and a cabin at the lake...the title of this post is actually a direct quote.

We wanted to let Mason get some energy burned on the beach. Sadly,
this beach was a typical AK beach and full of rocks. At first Mason was pretty
disappointed, but soon discovered the endless joy of throwing rocks into the ocean!

Crazy cousins!

Cameron and Sarah by the fire

Wee Bit Wednesday 11

{one} what’s your favorite day of the week and why?I would have to say Friday. It's my day off and Masongoes to daycare, so even though it is usually full of chores to do, at least I get a little time to myself to do them
{two} if you could have a glimpse of your future, would you choose to see it and what time would you want to see?I don't think I would want to know. I wouldn't want it to changethe decisions that I would make.
{three} if you could be any animal, which animal would you be?A sea turtle. They are one of my favorite animals, and I think it would be amazing to be able to swim aroundso easily and gracefully in the ocean.
{four} do you have a lucky number?No, but I prefer even numbers to odd numbers. I know, it's weird, but, what can I say.
{five} if you could bring one famous person back from the dead, who would it be and why?My mother-in-law. I really didn't get to know her very wellbefore she died, and I never got the chance to know her healthy. And I know Todd misses her very much.
{six} fill in the blank: peanut butter and ____________.FLUFF with bananas!
{seven} would you rather live by the mountains or by the beach?I guess technically, I live by both, although the beacheshere are not very "beachy". I would definitely say the beach.I love being near water.
{eight} do you have any tattoos?Yes. Five of them. Well, six if you count that my newestone is a cover up of a little one I got in my earlytwenties. Actually, that reminds me I never posted a pic of my newest ink...well, here is the before and after.

{nine} if you could retire tomorrow, what would you do?First, I would sleep in tomorrow. But then I would probably be bored...and broke. I think I would actually  go back to school. 
{ten} what is your favorite all time movie?That's tough. Garden State.