Fresh Horses

I watched Fresh Horses probably 20 years ago and remember enjoying it so I put it on our Netflix list. Ted graciously watched it with me tonight. I enjoyed the movie, but I found most interesting is that Ben Stiller and Viggo Mortensen were both in the movie. I think it's neat to watch movies from my childhood and teen years and see big name actors before they became famous.

Holiday Greetings From Korea

We received this beautiful Christmas card from Ted's parents earlier this week. It arrived a few days after Christmas but it did have to travel all the way from South Korea to get to us.

Pet ER

When we picked up Callie from the vet Monday morning I grabbed this Pet Emergency brochure. While we hope we never need to take Callie to the ER at least now we know where we could take her.

Callie's New Tree

Ted bought Callie this new cat tree this evening. We really hope the scratching post on the tree will help stop her from scratching our new couch. Fingers crossed!

Ornaments

Ted and I bought these ornaments in Vegas. Even though we won't get these out again until next December it's fun knowing they will be part of our future Christmas tree decorations.

More Holiday Pictures

Ted and I stayed at the Monte Carlo hotel and they had so many wonderful holiday decorations inside and outside the hotel. I didn't post these pictures yesterday but I like them and want to share more holiday pictures.

Merry Christmas From Monte Carlo... And Bellagio

Ted and I spent Christmas in Las Vegas again this year and we met Ted's cousin Ed and his fiancee Stacy there. All the casinos do a beautiful job of decorating their lobbies for the holiday season and we took advantage of the decorations in several of the casinos for holiday photo ops.
Picture #1: Beth and Ted in Monte Carlo.
Picture # 2: Ted, Ed, and Stacy in Bellagio.
Picture #3: Ed, Stacy, Beth, and Ted in Paris.

Callie's Cousins

Ted and I saw these beautiful lions at the MGM Grand this morning. They reminded us a lot of Callie. Granted they are a lot bigger but they are related to Callie none the less.

It May Not Be A White Christmas But We Did See Snow

On our way to Las Vegas this morning we saw quite a bit of snow on the mountain tops. Even though this is the most snow we will see this Christmas it was a nice taste.

It's A Kindle!

My beautiful Kindle arrived today courtesy of my wonderful husband Ted. I can't wait to set it up and start downloading and reading books on my very own e-reader. Thank you, Ted!

Gift Exchange

Tomorrow is my department's gift exchange and I just finished wrapping gifts for Sharon and Francee. I have to say I am impressed with my wrapping job.

Preparing Bags For The Transition House

For about 20 years my coworker Terre has prepared bags of personal care items for clients of the Santa Barbara Transition House each holiday season. The bags contain socks and personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, etc. The items are purchased by Terre or are donated by different local companies. This afternoon several coworkers and I helped Terre stuff 18 bags for women and 9 bags for me. It was really neat to see the bags come together and know what a difference these items will make for the people who receive them. It definitely helps get me in the holiday spirit.
Pictures #1-2: Organizing the items to be included in the bags.
Pictures #3-4: Placing the items in each bag.
Picture #5: The finished product. Pictured left to right: Carlyn, Sharon, Francee, Chris, Terre, Joe, Lynda, Debi.

Callie Spreads The Love

Ted and I caught Callie snuggling with her boyfriend this evening. She plopped down on the floor with her boyfriend between her front paws and we couldn't resist taking lots of pictures to capture the moment.

Yellow Roses

Ted stopped by my office yesterday to drop off these gorgeous yellow roses, just because. They certainly brightened up my afternoon.

Tupelo Junction Cafe

My department had our holiday lunch today at Tupelo Junction Cafe in Santa Barbara. Despite the rainy weather we enjoyed a wonderful meal and then had cupcakes from Crushcakes for dessert. A great way to celebrate the holiday season.

Sex And The City 2

I was going to watch Sex and the City 2 this evening until I realized it is almost 2 1/2 hours long which is way too long for a weekday night movie. Perhaps I will watch it tomorrow night.

Last Books Before Kindle...

I asked for a Kindle for Christmas, and since it is almost two weeks away I decided to pick up more library books to tide me over until I hopefully receive a Kindle.

Volunteering At The Santa Barbara Food Bank 2011

This afternoon my company volunteered at the Santa Barbara Food Bank as part of our 2010 holiday giving project. I went with several coworkers to pack up boxes of food, separate frozen goods, and sort lettuce. I appreciate the opportunity to volunteer with my coworkers.
Picture #1: Debi, Carlyn, and Eric stacking boxes of non-perishable food items.
Picture #2: Debi, Sharon, and Carlyn sorting lettuce.
Picture #3: Donna, Debi, Eric, Francee, Sharon, and Carlyn.

Winter's Bone

Ted and I watched Winter's Bone this evening. Neither of us remembers putting it on our Netflix list yet here it is. The pacing of the movie was a bit slow but considering neither of us knew we even wanted to watch it, we enjoyed it.

A Wonderful Surprise

It's been a long time since I've been totally surprised. I can honestly say I was totally surprised yesterday when I received a call from my best friend Nicole who said she and her mother Darla were in Pismo Beach. This is unusual because Nicole lives in Hayward and her mother lives in North Carolina. Darla is visiting Nicole and her husband and Nicole decided to show her mom the beaches along Highway 1. When they arrived in Pismo Beach Nicole called me to let me know they were in our area. Fortunately Ted and I didn't have any plans for the afternoon or evening so we were able to get together with Nicole and Darla. After dinner they decided they didn't want to drive to Santa Barbara, which was their ultimate destination, so they stayed with us. It was wonderful catching up with Nicole and Darla.
Picture #1: Darla, Beth, Nicole.
Picture #2: Nicole, Beth, Darla.
Picture #3: Nicole and Beth.

Designated Sober Driver

Lompoc had a license check point this evening and the Police Department passed out these designated sober driving gift cards. Hopefully I won't ever have to use it but I do think it is a nice gesture since a major point of the check point is to catch drunk drivers. At least they are giving people alternatives for getting home if they feel they've had too much to drink.

40% Off... Love It, Love It, Love It

Ted and did some holiday shopping this evening after work. Borders in Santa Barbara is going out of business and all of their merchandise is 40% off. I went in to Borders looking for a Justin Beiber CD (not for me) and I ended up purchasing two CDs and three books for me. I hate to see stores go out of business but I love a good deal.

Holiday Train

My coworker Betsy put up this holiday train at her desk and it has to be one of the cutest holiday decorations I've ever seen.

I Am Ready For 2011... My Calendar Tells Me So

I bought my 2011 calendar at Borders yesterday and now I feel ready for 2011. The love affair I have with my calendars is probably a bit unhealthy. I honestly feel that they ground me and help center me.

Holiday Wishes

One of my company's holiday projects this year is purchasing gifts for clients of the Transition House in Santa Barbara. I chose to purchase gifts for a 9 year old girl who wants a Justin Bieber CD and a 6 month old girl who needs a diaper bag.

Food Bank Donation 2010

My company is donating food to the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County and I purchased my donation last Saturday. I tried to buy food that I actually enjoy that is somewhat healthy.

Splice

Ted and I watched Splice last night. I'm not the biggest fan of the sci-fi genre so I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it.

Seasons Greetings

We received a holiday card from my sister and her husband Quincy today. It incorporates a picture from their wedding. I love it.

Holiday Music

Now that it is officially December I figured it was okay to break out my holiday music CDs. I love the music during this time of year.

More Tastefully Simple

I ordered a few more items from Tastefully Simple. I'm particularly excited to try the parmesan cheese biscuits and the cinnamon muffins.

Frosty The Snowman's Top Hat

My coworker put out this holiday themed candy dish and when I saw it it reminded me of Frosty the Snowman's top hat. Very charming.

Purse Hook

A received this as a gift last year but I didn't know what it was so I had it in my Goodwill donation pile. Fortunately, my sister-in-law Carol went through my Goodwill bags and knew what it is. It is a hook that you use at a table to hang your purse (the pick disk goes on top of the table and the hook hangs underneath the table to hold your purse. I'm so glad she let me know what it is so now I can use it.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

The holiday decorations are starting to go up in my office. I love this time of year.

The Losers

Ted and I watched The Losers last night. We've been putting off watching it for days as I didn't think I would like it. It turned out to be better than I expected.