Central Coast Winery Visits

Spring break of 2014 found us heading up to one of our favorite spots in California.  We headed up the coast with Ron and Sharon and met up with Brenda and Steve for a few days of visiting and enjoying the great wines of the area.  Thanks to another blogsite, "Scrap our Stash," for the inspiration - designed by Brenda Ragsdale.  I used my Close to My Heart Pathfinding kit and embellishments I know I have had for years!  

Heather and Sharon Creating Centerpieces

For Heather's wedding reception, she came up with the idea of using succulents in her center pieces. And we were so lucky to have Sharon come over to help us.  She is a great friend and we were able to put these together in a couple of hours!  They were so beautiful on the tables!

Birthday Dinner

Celebrating my birthday with our good friends, the Horaceks and Sharps.  First time for them to be eating in the kitchen!   They are all great sports, ready to go along with what we plan.  

The paper I used in this layout and the one I posted yesterday, is from the Workshop on the Go kit Laughing Lola.  

Celebrating Jan's Wedding Anniversary

Using the remaining papers from the Wings Workshop On the Go kit and the new spray pen, I created a page focusing on Jan St. Pierre's 25th wedding anniversary.  I was working at Cabrillo at the time of her big day!  Here we have Jan (top row in the center) surrounded by her Cabrillo workmates.  Heather was there as Margaret's "date" for the evening.  I think that we haven't really aged that much since this evening.  I think the year was 1998.  So, Jan if you read this, let me know if the year was '98 or '99!

125 Degrees / Oatman and Havasu

It was June, 1994 and we took a trip to Laughlin with the Carnines.  It was one of the hottest days ever when these photos were taken....it was around 125 degrees...I swear!  Well, we decided to take a side trip to two possibly even hotter spots!  Oatman (because Kathy and I wanted to see where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon) and Havasu, just because!  Michael is wearing this thing that Greg bought at one of the shops in Oatman....it kept your neck cool.  I remember everyone wanting to wear that and we had to take turns.  Even though I don't look too happy in the photo with Michael, we still had a wonderful family outing!

Night At the Oscars with Diane and Kathy / 1989

Kathy Carnine and I enjoy watching the Oscars every year.  This particular year, way back in 1989, we were going to watch it with friends at Kathy Gorman's home.  Carnine and I decided to hit the thrift stores and find our elegant gowns to wear to the social event of the season.  No one knew what we were going to do.  We even had Kathy's husband Greg, drive us to Kathy's house and he did a great job, opening the door for us.  One of Kathy's daughters made the sign....we were Blackwell's top dressers for the Oscars that evening!  What great fun we had with our group of friends!  It's even better knowing that we still have great fun!

The 365th page - January 2, 2010 - January 2, 2011!

Here it is!! The final page of my personal challenge beginning January 2, 2010 of creating 365 scrapbook pages!   This photo goes back to 2000.  Just a good group of friends enjoying good laughs and good times!  We are so fortunate to have these wonderful memories and relationships still maintained (Hogues, Carnines, Sharps, Fitzgerald and Vinci)

Fat Daddy's in Kihei

We were heading over to a favorite spot in Kihie, Life's A Beach, when we smelled the bbq coming from a restaurant next to it.....Fat Daddy's! A small place with great service, great bbq and side dishes and very tasty drinks! Brenda's choice of drink while we were in Hawaii was a Lava Flow and I think Fat Daddy's made at least the prettiest one if not the tastiest! Just remember that if you're craving bbq while in Maui...head on over to Fat Daddy's! You will think you're in Texas!

Spectacular Island Scenery

Just a few more shots of the scenery we enjoyed on our little ride. It's just amazing to think that all this ocean separates Hawaii from California. I could sit there all day and enjoy the sites, sounds and smells of the local area. Once you have been bitten by the Hawaiian lifestyle you never want to leave and you are planning on how soon you will return! Aloha!

Hula Pie for Breakfast!

How can you not have hula pie when you are at Duke's? This happens to be the favorite dessert of my girls! Next year, I am going to see if I can buy the plate in addition to the Mai Tai glasses. This one piece of pie was enough for all four of us (though I think Roy really wanted the entire piece for himself)! When you visit Duke's, you have to try the Hula Pie!!!!

Here's.........Dukes!

It is so great to eat your meals outdoors on a beautiful patio knowing that the ocean is just beyond the bushes. Love the atmosphere at Duke's. It never seemed that crowded and I wonder if that was because they just recently opened. The restaurant was right between where we were staying and where the Sharp's were. A great meeting place!

Breakfast at Duke's

Did you know that Duke's is now in Maui? And what is even better is that it is next to the resort where we vacation! Yes, it was breakfast but a late breakfast. That explains the Mai Tais. And let me tell you that Mai Tais are fantastic with Banana-Macadamia nut pancakes! Who would have thought that was possible! Did I mention the coconut syrup? Looking forward to visiting Duke's again next summer!

Arizona with the Carnines!

This is a photo book of our visit with Kathy and Greg back in 2008; a wonderful weekend with our dear friends. We visited some great places....Casa Grande National Monument, the historical town of Tubac and back to Phoenix for breakfast at a restaurant I saw on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives! This little book measures 8x8 and was quite easy to put together since I had bunco tonight and I'm a little tired. It was fun to make!

Title Page for Lisa's Baby Book

Next week is Lisa's baby shower and I will be "in charge" of the baby's scrapbook! It is a surfing theme since James is quite fond of the sport. This will be the opening page of her book. I included the invitation that her mother and sister (Kathy and Laura) made and a spot for a picture of Lisa. I am looking forward to seeing the album at the end of Baby Boy K's first year!

Girl Friend Weekend 2008

I just heard that one of my dear co-workers will be retiring. It made me think of all the fun we have had (even at work)! Like she said, she knows that we will still be getting together for scrapbooking, for those girl weekends and day trips that help to keep us sane! Her retirement will just give us another reason for the group to plan something fun for/with her! We all love Chris :)

Taco Tuesday!

For the past couple of years, we have been enjoying Taco Tuesday at El Ranchero in Claremont. Our usual group consists of Roy and me along with the Sharps and the Horaceks. Whenever we have company in town on a Tuesday they go too! It's nice to go where everyone knows your name....hey I think that sounds like a good song coming LOL! The crew at El Ranchero is the best!

Vegas Weekend

It's me and Corrina! And we are enjoying a wonderful refreshment on the Strip! It's part of the Vegas thing....you need a big glass or a guitar filled with alcohol! LOL. Just another way of celebrating a fun weekend with the girls from work! I think we need to go again!

Mission Inn, page 2

More views of how beautiful the lights are at the Mission Inn. Photos cannot describe how festive the Mission Inn becomes during the holiday season! After dinner, the four of us walked around the downtown area. They had an outdoor ice skating rink (just for the Christmas holidays) and look at Steve.....we had a huge dinner and he's holding a bag of kettle corn! I'm sure it's mine since I'm taking the photo. Once again, we had an enjoyable evening with our friends.

Chicos Guapos!

Here they are!!! Roy and Greg! We were in a little bar that looked like a cave in Nogales and after that one, we went to another one! Greg is always so colorful, don't you think? We had a great time shopping and trying to make deals with the shop merchants. I wonder what our next big adventure will hold in store for us!

Chicas Locas

Kathy Carnine and I have been taking, what we call, "big adventures" since the 90's! Sometimes, it would be just the two of us; sometimes we include others with us! This time, we took Roy and Greg with us to Nogales, Mexico! Interesting little town with some great margaritas! I do believe it is time for us to take another "big adventure".