April 15, 2012

Lots of Laughs

Last nights dinner with the family was AMAZING!! I've never laughed so hard in my life. I am so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life and to be able to claim them as family is priceless.

Having my brother and sister in law with us made our big family feel complete again. We all miss them so much and to have them here is so special. I know having us all together was really the best part of my mother in laws birthday.

The food at the restaurant was delicious but what were we thinking ordering all that food. We celebrated my mother in laws birthday at Boca Di Beppo.

The poor dishwasher for the evening, he earned his paycheck last night with the amount of dishes he had to clean on our table alone.

After dinner the party and the laughter continue at my in laws home. Sorry the picture is so blurry that's what happens when you can't stop laughing.

What a fun night I can't wait for the next birthday party!!

April 14, 2012

SURPRISE!!

Today is my mother in laws birthday and to celebrate we (adults only, no kids allowed) are going out for a family dinner. The best part of tonight will be that my brother and sister in law will be here from Washington state. It was going to be a surprise for my mother in law but because we recently had family members suffering serious health issues the surprise was foiled. I had no idea they were coming until my mother in law told us they'd be staying for a week and that the restaurant reservation had been changed so it was still a surprise to me. That would have been an interesting evening, showing up to the wrong restaurant in the wrong city!!

I can't wait to see my brother and sister in law I haven't seen them since their wedding in September. My boys are sad that they can't attend Grandma's birthday dinner. They don't understand why it is adults only. They remind me that they behave properly in restaurants and don't eat that much. My oldest who is a 30 year old trapped in a 12 year old body really can't understand why he's not invited. He like most 12 year old does not see himself as a child. It's especially hard for him to see himself that way when his younger brothers are 5 and 8.

The boys are also eager to attend Grandma's birthday party because they haven't seen their auntie and uncle since before we left Washington. Their wedding was a "kid free" event also. Luckily for them we will be having a BBQ this week to celebrate Grandma's birthday and auntie and uncles arrival.

April 12, 2012

SO OLD!!

Rainy gloomy days expected for the next couple of days here. As you can imagine I'm ecstatic about it.

I've recently fallen in love with my iPad again thanks to the iOS upgrade. I really wish *Blogger* had an iPad app. I use the iPhone app on my iPad but have to enlarge the text and can see the pixels.

Silly thing to complain about I know but it really does bug me. You know what is not silly to complain about? Me having to buy a super cute pink iPad case on *Amazon*.

What's wrong with buying on *Amazon* you ask? Well I'll tell you what's wrong, because Apple released the iPad ,iPad2 & iPad3 so quickly, one after the other, stores no longer carry iPad cases. I have to purchase my case online and I hate having to wait. I'm more of an instant gratification kind of girl.

Which brings me to another bee in my bonnet! I hate when I do go into the retail stores to try and buy an accessory such as an iPad invisashield and the sales people say "Oh you have just the regular iPad?"

I had no idea a 2 year old iPad was now considered such a dinosaur?!? I got my iPad on sale (phenomenal price) because the store needed to make room for iPad2's.

Then the brilliant minds at Apple decide to release iPad3 one year later. So now I have to shop online for the accessories to my old relic the iPad. In the early morning hours watching bad infomercials crying into my Pepsi.

Speaking of infomercials how awesome is that Forever Lazy?!?! 😉

*Correction my iPad is 1 year old.*


April 11, 2012

RAIN!!


(Our house in Washington)


(View from the master bedroom of Mt. Rainier)

I woke up this morning to the sound of the pouring rain and it put a huge smile on my face. I have been missing Washington lately and looking through photos of our time there. I the miss the ferry rides and the excitement we all felt pulling out of port. I miss Gig Harbor and the great museums and Pirate Days.

Driving the family into Seattle to explore all the city has to offer. I miss my cute house in Black Diamond and the boys school. I miss my friends, neighbors, and Good Will. I miss the gloomy skies, the brilliant colors of spring, the rain, and the trees the beautiful vast and expansive forest. I miss looking out my bedroom window and gazing on Mt. Rainier. What a great time, what a great place.

I love the rain.


(A Seattle neighborhood park)


(Us sight seeings)

April 10, 2012

New Name

So I changed my blog name, even though I love the mental image of Butterflies in Mason Jars it really had nothing to do with my life as I share it on my blog.

Now my blog title is A Simple Kind of Dream. Which is very close to my original stolen from me name Simple Kind of Life.

I think A Simple Kind of Dream is a much better name for my blog and completely captures my view of my life. What I wanted is what I received, my simple kind of dream.

LET'S ROLL



So I was recently invited by my friend Christina to play a little game known as BUNCO. She invited me last month to be a substitute player as you need 12 ladies to play this game. I had a wonderful time learning the game, which I had never played. Meeting new people and getting out of the house.

Yesterday I was surprised to hear from Christina that they needed subs *that's BUNCO ladies slang for substitute* for tonight's game and if I was interested in joining them? I was more than eager to join them as the past 2 weeks of the boys Spring Break left no personal time for myself.

Now the first time I played BUNCO with this group was the previous month as I stated before. There were 2 ladies who didn't seem to warm up to either myself or another sub named Karen. When asked by the other ladies of the group if we, Karen and I, would be interested in being permanent members instead of subs both these ladies spoke up and reminded the other women of the group that they needed to first check with the absent women to see if they were truly no longer interested in playing BUNCO and being permanent members. Fair enough but let me point out that these women Karen and I were subbing for had missed several monthly games in a row.

So at last night BUNCO game I found myself subbing with Karen again. Whom may I mention I adore right off the bat. She is a naturally warm person who is friendly to everyone. She has this wonderful life motto maybe you've heard of it? Treat people as you would like to be treated. I'm telling you Karen is brilliant!!

Back to the story.

We also had I think 2 more subs but most defiantly 1. Now at the beginning of the evening the ladies of the group were discussing a member who again had not shown up for the evenings game. They had made phone calls and sent emails and were finally able to reach her. They had briefly discussed her interest in the group but were not completely clear if she was no longer playing with the group. I thought it was obvious she wasn't playing anymore when she stated it was "just something she couldn't put her time into" but since she didn't say "I'm out of the group" or "I'm not playing anymore" they decided they needed to ask her again.

So the game is over they are trying to calculating who has won the big money prize when snarky women #1 announce to the ladies after my and Karen's names are once again offered by the other ladies as permanents and/or subs that "You guys don't need to just invite your friends we have subs on the list that should be called first you guys." I looked at Karen and said "OUCH! oh that's nice."

Then snarky#1 says that they need to talk to the absent ladies and double check if they in fact are no longer a part of the group. Snarky#2 says to snarky#1 that the sub they clearly had a preference for wanted to be permanent group member and they added her! Now next months game is being hosted by the new member in her home.

Now they did take our information once more, if it made it in the BUNCO folder who knows. These women clearly have some kind of aversion to me and clearly take their BUNCO game and possible club members responsibilities very seriously.

I hope you find this post as funny as I do. Who knew BUNCO was so serious?!?!
FACT: If you don't play BUNCO you have no housewife street cred.