Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

An interesting topic...a friend of mine got one of those 'getting to know you' questions whilst he was interviewing for a job. If you could invite 5 people to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be? It got me thinking how I would answer that question. ( I love stuff like this, although I don't like them on the spot!) Here's my list:

1. JRR Tolkien--but of course.
2. Marilyn Manson--what can I say, the guy fascinates me!
3. The Queen of England--I'm fascinated by royalty. And hey, wouldn't it be fun to see her and Marilyn in the same room?!
4. My husband--but of course!
5. And Orlando. A little eye candy. And my husband wouldn't mind.

And how about you?

Crazy Busy Life

What do starting a new business, interviewing for a possible position on radio, taking kids to and from camps and lessons, and getting ready to put a house on the market so one can buy the house of their dreams have in common? Nothing at all, but they are all components of my crazy life right now. Hence why I have not been blogging! Not that I don't want to share the news, oh no...it's just that some things are up in the air, and quite frankly the thought of trying to organize it all in writing has been overwhelming. It's been hard enough to organize it all in my LIFE....

But I'm not complaining! It's all good. The kids are having a good summer with their activities, as they should. We've been enjoying our Rec Center pool a lot in his HOT weather, and being there is always like being a party with neighborhood friends. I don't think I've ever gone to that pool and not seen ONE person that I know or at least recognize.

Remember how I attended my friend Pam's Silpada Jewelry party about a month ago and casually mentioned that even though they seemed fun, Home Party Girl was just not me? Well, I guess it is. I can't quite even explain how or why it happened, but I found myself on the Silpada web site just poking around and reading up about it, and the more I read, the more excited I got at the thought that maybe I COULD do something like that. Again, I don't fancy myself as Susie Sales, but what's great about it is the jewelry really does sell itself. It is gorgeous, and so much fun to wear! At a party all I do is set up my baubles on a table, no presentation or anything. Just chatting, gabbing, getting girlie with women-folk. What's not to love about that?! OK, calling up your friends and practically begging them to host yet another home party for you can be a little daunting...but at the same time, why not? They get free jewels out of the deal, I get to hang out with them for an evening. It's a win-win. I figure once I work out of my circle of friends, there will be no more Pity Parties. And you know, there is nothing wrong with learning how to ask for something. That's something I haven't always been good at, and in the words of Loreal hair color, I'm worth it! So are you. So I've been busy as a bee learning the ropes and getting everything set up to go. My first party will be up at the resort we're getting ready to take off to! Oh, did I mention in the midst of everything we are also trying to plan our cabin vacation???

Meeting with the program director (and assistant) of a radio station, you say? And that's all I'm going to say. Mostly because I don't even know the details, to be be honest. But you will know when I do....:-)

A new house! I love my house, don't get me wrong. I love living where we do, I'm thankful for all that we have. But sometimes you reach a point where you realize that you could probably get more for your money if you just get that much farther from the big city. Only 5 minutes farther, really. On a whim because it would be fun--ever since I fell in love with Fairy-Tale house that is totally out of reach--we decided to just see what was out there, and before we knew it we had walked into our dream house. A dream house that could possibly become a reality....if it stays on the market as long as we have ours on to sell, that is. The sad fact is the people won't accept a contingent offer right now, so we're scrambling. I'm trying really hard to just say 'whatever will be, will be', it's really all we can do....but that's tough. Both Cory and I, and even our realtor, gasped and/or screamed as we rounded each corner of this place, knowing then and there that this was Our New Home. Time will tell, I suppose....but anyone that knows me knows that I am not a patient person!!! Keep your fingers crossed for us, please!

So nearing my birthday month here, I'd say 40 is going to go out with a bang, wouldn't you? Whew!

More Fun in the Hot Hot Sun

Or in the shade, as often as we can be there in this balmy weather. Last night we had the Billadeaus and pizza on our patio. (not necessarily in that order.) Nice! Nothing like some good food and good fun with chatting and Ladder Ball. What is it about lawn games that is so darn fun? You stand around and swat away bugs, but still. Good times.

Today we went to see/hear my friend Eva's band Umbrella Bed play outside in the Walker Sculpture Gardens. What fun! Their ska music is definitely something you can't sit still to as you're listening. Even Sullivan got up and did some dancing. Sadly the kids didn't last long before they wanted to walk around and we eventually found ourselves inside the cool building looking at art. I'm one of those people who just doesn't 'get' a lot of modern art. I'm sure if I knew more about how it was made and what the artist was trying to get across it would be different, but so much of that stuff makes me scratch my head and go, 'huh'? Or worse yet I think, pshaw, give me a canvas and I could splash some paint on there..voila! Modern Art.

Sometimes things do catch my eye however, and I love it when that happens. Today I discovered a new artist that intrigued me, her name is Julie Mehretu. These are the kind of paintings/sketches that I could look at for hours. To me they are retro yet modern, clean yet ethereal. Industrial, yet one can also envision trees and movement in them. Sheesh, listen to me--the next thing you know I'm going to start wearing a beret and snapping my fingers, spouting off poetry whilst I sip my double half-caff latte with no foam. Anyway, I like her stuff. Too bad the Walker didn't have any posters or postcards available.

We did however nab a couple of cool Picasso prints that we're gonna frame and add to our changing living room. Picasso is one of those artists that much of the time I don't 'get', but there are definitely some of his paintings that I enjoy. I have noticed that the older I get, the more appreciation I have for the abstract. I'm sure both prints I bought would have elicited a loud resounding "eeeeuuu"! from me in my younger years.

So I'm feeling quite artsy fartsy today, having taken in fine music and fine art. Oh! (said in a snooty English accent) Is there any way to sweat distinguishably??? If so, I'll try to do it as a carry on through the sweltering weekend...

Burgers and Honey-Dos!

It's always fun to celebrate a birthday, even the birthday of the ol' U S of A. (who, poor girl, is WAY over 40.) I have to say I've been more than a bit embarrassed to be an American at times lately, but hey, it's not the country's fault. It's still pretty darn nice to live in such a beautiful place and I am thankful for the freedoms we have. And that's about as political as I'm gonna get.

So! Back to the REAL reason I celebrate the 4th of July--hanging out with Stephanie and John!!! I suppose being the 3rd year in a row, it has officially become our tradition to spend the patriotic holiday with our dear friends who most conveniently live right on the golf course that offers an incredible fireworks display. Not only is it a luxury not to have to fight for parking, deal with a crowd or fight our way out when the show is over, but of course it's quite luxurious hanging out with our lovely friends and as ALWAYS eating amazing food. That Stephanie even makes a simple burger the most gourmet treat ever. We had a great visit from sister Stacey and baby Cooper as well, I finally got to hear the oh-so-cute exclamations of "Oh!" he makes at everything and anything. Adorable! The weather was great--we did get shooed out of the pool with a bit of a storm, but it passed us by and didn't really thwart any of the fun.

Coreman had taken a few days off before the 4th, so we got a lot done around here. Our living room is now 'Wedgewood Grey", something we've envisioned ever since the arrival of our white leather couch. It looks amazing, almost like it was always that color. A new dining room light, some driveway patch, setting up wifey's new lovely pink cell phone....plenty of Honey-Do's got checked off the list.

But now, back to reality, and into a busy month! July is filled with camps and activities for the kids and then before we know August will be here and we'll be heading to Brookside. Crazy.

Home = Castle, Once Again

What is it with castles up for sale all of a sudden? This of course is the castle to end all castles...the ancient home to Vlad the Impaler, Count Dracula himself. Now we all know that Drac was not a very nice guy...not a vampire, mind you, but definitely had a taste for blood as he tortured and impaled thousands of people...so maybe the place wouldn't have a very good vibe, but still. You can NOT get more metal than owning Dracula's Castle, that's just all there is to it. You'd just have to do some serious Feng Shui to get out all of that bad chi. Hey, if you could afford this place that is predicted to go for more than 130 mill, you can afford a honkin' crystal to hang in the center to ward off evil spirits.