HAPPY BIRTHDAY AK!

A big birthday shout-out for my Honeyman on his day!

The day will be spent with our West Coast posse; and will include barbequeing, sipping tasty Spaten, a bubbly VC toast for the man of the day, and some THC testing.

Ak's main bday present was the purchase of our new BBQ - The Big Green Egg. Ak did tons of research prior to purchase, and determined that this was the grill for us. It is very unique...check out the link!

http://www.biggreenegg.com/home.shtml

Here are some akjn home views:

back patio

front gate / courtyard

courtyard / kitchen & front door

Lexy's new house

The Big Green Egg

Hot Stuff!

The "Leaving the East Coast Last Supper"

CNN & Timmy's dessert


On Sunday, April 29th, Chrissy and Jen hosted a wonderful party for akjn and Felicia, complete with traditional Easter fixings. Our flight to CA was Monday am, so this was IT. It was a wonderful time, the food yummy, and the beverages were flowing.

I wanted to thank Tim, Ted, and Dave for being there. Big H U G E thanks to Jenny from the Block, and of course to my girl Chrissy-you are the best good buddy :) You started the day a bit weak (jojo walking down 202 at 9:00am), but ended super strong, just like Wonder Woman.

It was so nice to have everyone together, as akjn was not looking forward to a long drawn out day/evening alone with my mama saying goodbye - too too sad. So this was perfect for us, and for her, too. She didn't want to be alone either.



You are Wonder Woman, sister!

I can still crack up at my mom listening to Nelly's "hot in herre"...classic moment! and the Abba!


Well, the end of the evening came, and the tears just busted out...I can say that saying goodbye to you guys was so hard, and saying Adieu to my mom broke my heart. Very tough...ak had as hard a time as I did. He was pretty settled in WC, too, and the cross-coast move was R O U G H. We won't be doing that again any time soon. We are slowly getting adjusted. It didn't help that I started my job on my bday, May 7th. The mover's arrived Saturday the 5th....it was chaotic and manic. It's gotten much better, and we are looking forward to our first guest, Armand, arriving June 1st :)




CNN & Dave (aka Yanni-lover)
Jen - thanks for hanging with Felicia and answering her medical questions :)

Thanks for all of the birthday emails and blog shout outs - they meant alot!

Pinf-thanks for the call...that was really nice, and we hope that you are serious about your cycle trip.

Well, the weather is F A B, between 75 and 80 daily, and 65 every night. No humidity...jojo's hair has been looking super-fly out here!



Mom and JFTB...mom looks a little "deer in the headlights"

Peace out, peeps! I am a little rusty....bear with me.


Oh...I almost forgot...

Ak wants to write a book about the move. Here is the first sentence:
"It all started when the movers pulled up to the treehouse. I watched the driver take out the lampost, which at first distracted me from the graffitti all over the truck."

Miss you Chrissy....get out here ASAP!!!

The State of Things in the Treehouse

Chrissy's Bedroom >


















Living Room >














Blocked fireplace >


















So, you know how excited the Glow is to return to CA; however, in order to get there everything has to go with us. Packing to move is at the bottom of my list of things to do, but packing for vacation is at the top. I think Alaska pulled a back muscle yesterday...I've got him on the Vicodin, and he is like La Liz Taylor. I am feeling pretty abused myself...tired, sore, and girl needs a manicure BAD. My hands are just shredded, with some permanent Sharpie marks to add to the look. We have both vowed to schedule massages once the mover's pick up the mother load at the end of the week, and I'll follow that with a sweet mani/pedi....I can't wait!

I don't know if I shared with y'all that I am employed. I start on May 7th (my 38th bday-mark your calendars), and it is the exact job I left October 31st, 2003. I will once again be the Assistant General Manager at Mansion Grove Apartments, 876 units (with another 500 to be added by 2009), and a staff of 26, and benefits! http://www.prometheusreg.com/residential/mgv/mgvDesc.html
I am very excited!!

HAPPY EARTH DAY, peeps!

You Decide

Which picture does (mean) Chuck resemble most?











Van Gogh's self portrait,


















The Scream by Edvard Munch,














or Mean Chuck as himself?



Submit your votes now....

Roots Ramble, Rain & the Southern Visitor

The Roots Ramble was awesome! The Man in Black at the Plummy and Bill Kirchen at Sligo's were both amazing....my feet still hurt from all the toe tapping I did in my heels.

Meesh gets an A+ for scoring our VIP passes-thanks doll!

We were graced with Pinf's presence.....T&C definately added to the festivities of the evening.

Fortunately, the weather did not unleash itself until the early hours of Sunday am. I spent a deliciously cozy night on CNN's couch with the maple leaf quilt. It was a seriouly slow-starting day....the sound of the wind and rain lulled me into a coma-like state that only my hunger pulled me out of.




CNN and Pinf

THE WEDDING and THE 7-DIRTY-7

Well, it was another whirlwind extended weekend with the college buddies as we gathered from all East Coast points in Melbourne Beach, FL, for Jeffe and Kristin's wedding. We arrived last Wednesday, and by Thursday at noon our first guests had arrived, and our hosting duties began. Ak's mom was away, so we were the master's of her domain, and I must say we were quite the host and hostess. We had all three bedrooms full until Sunday night. Jojo spent Monday washing sheets and towels like I was Alice, the Brady's maid.

Anyway, the wedding was at 4:20pm on Saturday, which was a gorgeous day. The ceremony took place beachside with just friends and family, then we enjoyed a great dinner together, followed by silliness at the local beach bar. We were pretty much pickled all weekend...I distributed ibuprofen and Gatorade every morning.

When we weren't involved in wedding affairs, we were hanging out at Steve and Stacey's house down the street, drinking, eating and laughing it up. We most enjoyed watching double S's son Chase jump and swim in the pool 50 times in a row :)

The time we spent with our friends was awesome, and the wedding was perfect timing for us to see the college crowd before we head west.

A funny thing happened to us on the plane ride home....
We were sitting in the front of the bus, so the drinks started prior to take-off. We kept commenting on the crappy appearance of the plane-the paint was flaking off of huge areas on the outside, and the US Air logo to the right of the door as you got on looked like it had been touched up with a Sharpie and red nail polish. The seats were tired, but for 2 hours and free drinks you can do just about anything. The sky rats were actually under 30, blonde, attractive AND NICE. Alaska told them so, too! Anyway, Alaska started messing with the phone in the armrest, and when he pulled it out it was totally grimy. I immediately gave him one of my spearmint antibacterial wipes to clean up. All of a sudden we noticed that the door to the cockpit was OPEN, and both sky rats had their heads in there. Next thing we know, they make an announcement asking if anyone sprayed anything, and to come forward immediately. I discreetly flagged down one of the gals, and showed her the used wipe and the packaging. Apparantly, the smell penetrated the cockpit, and the pilots were worried that something was "happening". Once the problem had been detected, both ladies laughed and said what a change it was that the plane smelled good, and futher told us that the crew christened the plane "the 7-dirty-7". As usual, we're always stirring up something when we travel.



The gang pre-ceremony














Kristin, Jeffe and Brandon














Newlyweds in front of Ak' s mom's














Chase and Steve in the pool


















Oh, I almost forgot a great idea we came up with during one of our drunken evenings. Basically, we discussed the feminine or weird names that soaps have: Dove, Palmolive, Dial, Lever 2000, Oil of Olay, Soft Soap, etc., so we came up with a new name for a men's soap that's not on a rope: Sack Up. The slogan would be "Wash up with Sack Up". Would the blogger boys use it?

California, here we come!

Gold Dust and the new digits.











The abode.














The back patio.













View down our street.


We have made a huge leap forward in our quest for the west! After an intense week of searching and often being disapppointed, we found our pot of gold in beautiful Los Gatos, CA.

I am eager to host the 2007 Blogger's Convention!

Estoy buscando una casa nueva....

Nestled among majestic oaks, the picturesque and historic village of Saratoga is just minutes west of San Jose, California. Saratoga features many fine restaurants, specialty shops and unique galleries. Saratoga also hosts a summer concert series and the 175 acre Villa Montalvo estate—home for performing and fine arts. Recreational opportunities include horseback riding, hiking, camping, and touring the local wineries (Garrod Estate Vineyards & the Mountain Vineyard)—all under the serene redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

We are going next week (finally!) to find our new home in Saratoga, California! We are pretty much set on the location, and hope that we are successful in finding something we like. I'm feeling pretty lucky, as this is the exact timing of our first CA home search mission in 3/99.

Maybe the wind today will blow the roof off of the treehouse and scatter our belongings so we don't have to pack. Wishful thinking? Toto?

pssst....

'cuz that's how we roll

Beautiful mural, as seen from the 19th floor/Bellvue Hotel

The kids at 19

Pro, Glow and CNN

City view

The Turk's cab taking us to Rittenhouse Square (do you like baklava?)

On Saturday, CNN, PP and myself journeyed to Philly. First order of business: Dim Sum at the Imperial Inn. It was delicious, of course, and better when we found out how PP found the place. He's been going to this establishment since 1985, when he and a buddy skipped out on their stock exchange field trip, and ended up at the Inn eating sweet buns and drinking Tsingtaos.
After our bellys were full, we ventured down the street to the smallest Hello Kitty store I have even been in. PP almost got kicked out when he asked which character was HK's boyfriend and contemplated if she was sexually active.....the store owner exclaimed "Hello Kitty doesn't do that-she's not old enough". I guess there ARE bigger HK freaks than myself out there - I want HK to hook up.

Next stop-I purchased a duck for Alaska's later dining pleasure, then we began our bar crawl. PP set the rules-2 drinks at each establishment. We finally ended up at the Plough & Stars for our ever-tasty Hoegaarden served by our favorite barkeep, Randall Park. The 2 drink limit went out the window at that point.

We received word that Mr. Beebe was in Media at the Plummy, so we set off for State Street. After imbibing many Blue Moons, the blog posse stumbled to CNN's to watch some interesting documentaries...I am game for Smooshing if anyone else is!

Great day, great friends, 'cuz that's how we roll!!

p.s. the duck was incredible!

p.p.s. thanks to Pinf for coining "Pro & the Glow"

V-Day 2007

Hope everyone had a happy heart day! We did, although our dinner didn't show up until today (Thursday). Good thing, too! We've been on snow-lock-down since Tuesday, so supplies are getting slim. I thought Alaska was giving me love pinches, but I think he was actually checking me for tenderness. He admitted that if we were ever in a "cannibal" situation, I am the logical food choice...he'd be stringy and tough.

Needless to say, George and Gracie were delicious. The 49th state did an amazing job cooking and cracking. Of course I screamed and hopped around like a nut in the kitchen until they entered the pot...then I felt less threatened. Say goodnight, Gracie.

Movies that we've enjoyed during the weather-imposed lockdown:

Marie Antoinette: Fascinating, and since I read the book the movie was based on, it was especially satisfying. Sophia C. did a great job, and the flick definately has her flair. She was given permission to film in and around Versailles, so it made it more of a beleivable period piece.

Dreamgirls: We liked it, but agreed it was only worth watching for Eddie Murphy. The true story of the Supremes, Dianna Ross, Barry Gordy, etc., is even spicier than the movie.

The Good German: Excellent. We love the Deutschland history, of course, and were able to discuss with Alaska's mama for her take on the whole Berlin thing, as she lived there through the quartering of the city.

The Last King of Scotland: Superb. Disturbing. It makes you appreciate living in the USA. Check this out-Alaska's mom and dad actually met Idi Amin in Uganda in the 70's...alaska's dad had just finished working on the Namibia airport, and Idi invited them over to check out the Uganda airport...freaky.

Blood Diamond: Watched it twice....the scariest because it is currently happening. Makes you think twice about the bling, but I love me some Leo!

The Departed: Classic. Viewed twice, also. I am finally getting over Matt Damon's Chicklette teeth. And there's Leo again!

Next up in the projector room: Babel, The Queen, The Good Shepard and Pan's Labyrinth. I'll let you now how they are. You think we are on the Academy committee, or something :)

For everyone except PinF-STAY WARM! Chuck, our shovel-challenged friend, we are working on a care package for you.

AKJN are California dreaming on such a winter's day........

2006 Gold Dust and Friends

January


Slumber party @ CNN with FL girls






February

My other Valentine







March

Happy Hour in the city.






April

Bloggers @ the Riddle Ale House






May

Spring flowers







June

Very Important Princesses








July

Bobby of the Corn










August


Summer Pollyanna









September

Naggs Head sunset with Susan & Kim







October

Halloween treat









November

Most important man on the cruise-Head Sommelier Mario









December


PARTY OF THE YEAR