this little life of mine

And, just like that, it's Christmastime again! Merry Christmas to all my family and friends! I don't even know what to write about this year, as not all that much happened. It was a very quiet year!

I ventured off to Green Bay, WI in March for my annual trek to hang out with some of the most amazing people in the world, and enjoyed a couple restful "stay"cations in Morro Bay, Avila Beach and Cambria, California.

The Workplace still has Furlough Fridays, so I used that extra time off as an opportunity to hitch a ride to visit my grandfather in the lovely Yellow Rose Inn, an Assisted Living facility where he is enjoying the comforts of home while being cared for by an amazingly wonderful staff of attentive and loving folks.

Mom and I planted a vegetable garden again this year, and were pretty successful with the tomatoes and bell peppers. We also did pretty well with our rose bushes in the front yard, and some flowers we planted in pots in the back. 

Other than that, I just read a lot of books and took a lot of pictures! It was a pretty darn good year! Here's hoping 2013 is just as nice - Cheers!

Midas Touch rose and red tea roses.

Our garden. 

Our flowers. 

The Rock K Ranch near Green Bay, WI.

Lambeau Field, Green Bay,   WI.

Avila Beach, CA.

Moonstone Beach, Cambria, CA.

Morro Rock, Morro Bay, CA.

 
In an effort to make my Christmas easy and stress-free this year, I ordered photo Christmas cards though picnik.com and QOOP.com. I chose a beachy California shot from our vacation to Pismo Beach this past September and used the "Ortonish" effect to make it all soft and dreamy, then went step-by-step though picnik + QOOP's  greeting card maker to create & order the cards. It was super easy and FAST; I got the box of cards in about three days! I did just a brief Christmas letter this year incorporating photos from my trips to Green Bay, Vegas, Pismo Beach and Morro Bay as well as a before and after shot of the newly landscaped back yard (using picnik.com's "Vignette" effect which is one of my favourites!). My new printer did a great job on them even though it's not specifically made for photos, and the whole thing was simply a piece of cake! Now I'm all done and can just sit back and relax! Merry Christmas!!!

 Season’s Greetings! 2008 has really flown by, and while I’m still battling iritis, and work has been insane, I did manage to take a few trips this year and have some fun!

Mom and I took a weekend trip to Santa Barbara early in the summer. We toured the beautiful old Mission and Mission Rose Garden, and visited the sobering display of crosses at Arlington West.

In the fall I visited my best friend Julie at her brand new house in Ohio, and met her two new kitties, Fester, the all-black cat, and Dash, the little grey kitten.

I spent Halloween in Chicago with a group of my internet friends. We were so lucky to have nice, warm weather that weekend! It was awesome to see everyone again!

I hope you all had a fantastic 2008 and I wish you many blessings and joy in the coming year!

(Also seen on my journal for Holidailies)