Glee

Oh my...I REALLY like this show...at least from what I saw in the pilot episode last night! I think you might have to have "lived" the "glee club" life to REALLY appreciate it, but I did, and I DO!!!!

I'm not sure how it's going to "work" as a series, but it CERTAINLY shows promise. I ESPECIALLY liked the finale number "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. What a great arrangement! I heard today that it's the number ONE song on Itunes right now. Here it is for your enjoyment..



You can see the complete episode at www.hulu.com for the next 21 days. The series begins on FOX in the fall...CAN'T WAIT!!!!

San Francisco Weekend

Duane and I have been talking about a "quick weekend getaway" FOR YEARS...but somehow just never got to it.

This past weekend...we finally did! We hopped on a plane Friday night (even got FIRST CLASS!), and spent a LOVELY Saturday revisiting some favorite places in the San Francisco area.

We got into town around 9:30, and headed to our hotel, went to bed as soon as we got checked in (12:00 Minnesota time), and then got up Saturday for a WHIRLWIND day!

We started out with breakfast at Royal Donut in Burlingame (one of Duane's MUST DO'S of the trip). I had the Ay Carumba scramble (ancho chiles, eggs, ham, and cheddar cheese) with fried potatoes and wheat toast. It was FABULOUS! Couldn't tell you what Duane had...I was too focused on my scramble!

After breakfast, we looked around Burlingame for awhile, then headed down the Pacific Coast Highway to Santa Cruz. On the way, we stopped at one of my FAVORITE beaches...San Gregorio State Beach. ABSOLUTELY gorgeous, and SO sunny and warm...WOW!

After San Gregorio, we continued down the PCH, and stopped again at the Pescadero State beach. I found some GREAT sea glass, and a few shells to bring back for "the collection". I had some great sand dollar pieces from San Gregorio, but managed to SIT on them (they were in my coat pocket) when we got back to the car, so ended up with a pocket full of sand dollar "sand"...yuck!

After Pescadoro, we stopped at the Pidgeon Point lighthouse. The view from the grounds is AMAZING, and I went down a new path to the shore...AMAZING!!

While on the beach, I found the seal below lying in the sand. I thought he was dead, and he CERTAINLY seemed to be "in distress", but WAS breathing a little bit, and is HOPEFULLY okay as I type this. We went up to the gift shop, and told the ranger working there about the seal, and he SAID he was going to contact a manager to take care of it (and to leave the seal alone).





After the lighthouse, we continued on to Santa Cruz. It was REALLY crowded, and the traffic was AWFUL, so we didn't stay in town for very long. We were WAY more interested in the "getting there" than the "being there", so headed back UP the PCH to San Francisco.

We drove through the city, and spent the rest of our afternoon at the Golden Gate Bridge. I LOVE the Golden Gate Bridge, and we stopped at the "viewing areas" on BOTH SIDES to take pictures, and spend a little time walking across the bridge.

It was REALLY clear on Saturday, and I think this was actually the FIRST TIME I saw the city from the bridge....it was AWESOME!!!!

After spending time at the bridge, and SUFFERING through the horrible traffic to get back to Burlingame, we headed to Il Fornaio, an Italian restaurant that we found on our last trip to SF. The food is awesome, the atmosphere is delightful, and we were able to eat on the patio...TOTALLY cool.

After dinner, we returned the rental car to the airport, took the shuttle back to the hotel, went to bed, got up, and headed back to the airport for the trip back to Minnesota. No first class this time, but we were VERY glad to get on the plane...it was REALLY full, and we weren't sure we were going to!

I LOVE weekend getaways! Can't wait to do it again!

Hope YOUR weekend involved lots of exploration, and visits to places that YOU love!!!!

Why WOULDN'T Iowa be at the "Forefront" on the Whole GAY MARRIAGE thing??!!

...after all, my beloved HOME STATE has been on the "cutting edge" for MANY actions in support of equality:

1839- Twenty-six years BEFORE the ratification fo the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery, the Iowa supreme court refuses to recognize a contract that enslaved a man.

1851- The Iowa legislature removes legal contraints agains interracial marriage, more than a century before the U.S. Supreme Court rules against antimiscegenation laws.

1855- The University of Iowa admits its first female student, becoming the first state university in the country to do so.

1868- The Iowa supreme court rules that public school segregation violates the constitutional guarantee of equal protection.

1869- The Iowa state bar becomes the first to admit women.

1873- The Iowa supreme court rules that discrimination in access to public accommodations is a denial of equal protection of the law.

1894- Twenty-six years before the Nineteenth Amendment is enacted, the Iowa legislature grants women the right to vote in some cases, called "partial suffrage".

1970- The University of Iowa becomes one of the first schools in the country to form a gay and lesbian student group.

1976- The Iowa supreme court rules against the state's sodomy law.

GO IOWA!!!!!

Flowering Crabapple

I've been waiting since I moved in last August for this! Before I moved here, I would SO enjoy coming over to see Duane at this time of year, because the flowering crabapple behind his "next door neighbor's townhouse" (now MY place!) was SO gorgeous!

Now, I get to enjoy it while sitting on my deck, drinking a glass of pinot grigio...AMAZING!!!!!!

WOW!!!

Spring in a Box

Duane and I went to Bachmann's a few weekends ago, and I couldn't resist buying some GORGEOUS flowers and herbs for my deck. UNFORTUNATELY, this is Minnesota, and it's still another two or three weeks until the danger of frost is finally over.

So...for now, I get to enjoy my "box garden" on the deck during the daytime, and in the middle of my living room floor in the evenings...

Here's hoping YOUR spring is "springing" too!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

...to my FABULOUS, WONDERFUL mother! I love you!! Happy Mother's Day!!!

mom before she was "mom" with cousins Kim, Doug, and Darvin

mom in her "poncho"!!!

mom today (or at least two Christmases ago!)

...and Happy Mother's Day to all of you mother's out there as well. Make sure to do something special "just for you" today!!!!!

This COULD Possibly Be My FAVORITE Brownie Recipe EVER!!!!

OMG! Duane sent the following link, knowing my "obsession" with chocolate and bacon (I know, but until you've TRIED it, no comments allowed...!).

Check out these brownies: http://bacontoday.com/bacon-brownies/


...and check out Mike's website: http://bacontoday.com/

I've DIED and gone to PIG HEAVEN!!!!!