Happiness Is.....

*Friday night with family & friends; Kali, Kevin & Strider joined us at a local pub to watch one of my favorite bands perform. The lead singer is a dear friend of mine & Beren's, love to listen to him sing!



*Saturday morning breakfast on the beach; a little hair of the dog in the form of a Bloody Mary was just what the doctor ordered!





*watching a local Boot Camp class, intrigued but not feeling at all motivated to join them! The instructor did provide some nice..scenery..though..*wink*...



*relaxing at home for a bit and then tossing together a little meal of Penne Arrabbiata. So easy you don't need a recipe, just brown some onion & garlic, add a can of diced tomatoes (fire roasted are best), chili pepper flakes, sea salt & parsley to taste, pour over cooked Penne (I had leftover in the fridge), top with Parmesan and enjoy!



*After the busy few days we've had, I welcome the pouring rain outside; what perfect weather for an afternoon curled up on the couch...ahh....

Happiness Is...a Mental Health Day!

I've been feeling a bit gloomy and under the weather so I took yesterday off and spent some time treating myself to:

*a trip to the hair salon where I had my tresses colored, trimmed and styled. Mmm...that scalp massage was so relaxing!

*a visit to the gourmet market for roses, strawberries, fancy water and a fabulous new magazine

*a bubble bath with yummy new soap I bought in New York

*a little afternoon cat nap (kitten included)



*a before dinner glass of wine and some girl talk with Rhiannon at my favorite Italian restaurant

*an evening out with Beren enjoying one of our best friends' band perform at a great little tropical bar & grille



I realize more & more that no one else is going to "take care" of me, I have to do these things for myself. A day of pampering and a bit of self-indulgence really gets this gal back on track....ahh.....I now feel refreshed and ready to return to work this morning!

Wild & Wonderful Weekend

We picked up Beren's girls Saturday morning and went on a little "field trip" to the children's art museum where Kali works. Of course we got the special backstage tour..wink..wink...



We brought along Strider's stepson as well, the more the merrier!



The kids really enjoyed all of the exhibits but I think Kenny's Closet was our favorite.



Isn't it fabulous?!!



I found this work of Kenny Scharf's to be especially appealing, am looking into purchasing it in print form if possible.



From there we went to the grand opening of the aquarium store where Kevin works, was tempted to purchase a beautiful salt water set up but somehow contained myself. I did, however, snap a quick pic of these adorable cakes, must attempt to recreate myself sometime!





Saturday evening we went out to see another of our favorite bands at a country bar not far from home. Since this particular band does not play country it was quite fun to see them out of their element!



My hat was obviously a bit hit with everyone!





(Welcome to August in the tropics; the guys start out the evening wearing shirts, I promise! )

Sunday morning we headed back to the boat to have a bimini sunshade installed (finally)! We can now do some more sailing without broiling.

Beren's girls sat on the dock and enjoyed the view while Dad worked on the boat.



After a delicious dinner of Carmela's Lasagna and Magnolia Cupcakes, Sunday evening we fought the stormy weather (more on that later) and met Minerva and her family at the tiki bar/restaurant, had hoped to see another of our friend's bands perform but Tropical Storm Fay put an end to that plan.





So, that was our busy weekend! Now, back to the grind of daily work..groan..assuming that I can get Bettie out of the flooded driveway..wish me luck!