Just a short post to tell you how awesome this little scanner is. For Christmas Eric’s parents gave me a gift certificate to Amazon. With it, and a little of my own money, I bought the Pandigital Photolink 8.5-Inch x11-Inch Photo Scanner. I bought it because it scans in 300 dpi and 600dpi either straight to your computer or to a memory card. For some I suppose that this wouldn’t ge too interesting or exciting, for me.. IT ROCKS! I have all of my grandmother’s photos, memorabilia, etc. that it’s not even funny. I’ve long wanted to scan all her pictures and burn them on to DVD for each of my cousins. I got over 3K of my grandmother’s pictures scanned with this thing in two days. I had been using my flatbed scanner and while it scans, it takes longer. This little thing is so little I can sit at the dinning table, watching tv and just sling my pictures through the scanner every few seconds. AMAZING! I’m just about done with all my grandmother’s photos and things, next stop.. all my mom’s pictures. Thanks to Bob and Julie for a great Christmas gift!

Isn’t it funny how you can go a week or more and not journal but have a ton to say? I mean, I enjoy journaling and posting here and getting comments and everything but I’ve not been journaling/blogging for about a week. Hummm…. I guess it could be because I’ve been busy with things. I know that’s an excuse for everyone. I have been working, which I’m loving. I love my job and the people I work with. it’s so nice to work with people that have a common goal and interest. It’s great too that I’m working on the projects I’m working on. I mean I’m helping make some decisions for the future of the training organization. How cool is that! I’m doing the typical, create training courses for online delivery but I’m also in charge of determining and giving recommendations for authoring tools we’ll use for now and in the future. I’m working on moving some of our content, like manuals to wiki’s, which is super cool. I could give you the link and password but then I’d have to kill ya… HAHA… I’m working on developing some Instructional Design Standards and templates for us to use which is cool too. It’ s just so nice to have such growth opportunities. it’s the stuff I’ve always wanted to be doing but haven’t had the opportunity in my last job for a variety of reasons.

This weekend Eric’s parents were here which was so nice. I love it when they come, or my mother comes because we always have a great time and it’s not a high maintenance, gotta make sure they have something to do, sort of thing. Of course we had great food and exceptional company while they were here but I think the best part was playing Pinochle for a couple of hours. Of course this time the guys beat us but usually Juile and I are the winners. Oh I also need to say THANKS a TON to BOB for getting the cable up in the garage with the curtains. If not for Bob and Eric, I don’t know when it would have gotten done..

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One of the many things Julie and I did while the guys were golfing, was to head to Carefree for the day. We found this super cute English Tea shop that has a great lunch and high tea. It was so much fun to choose a hat to wear while enjoying a high tea. The food was phenomenal, the tea awesome and the shop too cute for words. Julie and I had a great day. It was so fun to do something so fruu fruu. We both joked that we’d never get Eric or his father in a place like that. It was lace, tea cups and all sorts of things from wall to wall.

I’ve been down here in AZ for about 5 days with Eric, my mother-in-law and father-in-law and LOVING it. I’m being really bad about posting partly because we’re just having too much fun, swimming, reading in the warm sun shopping, the spa, the sun, etc while the boys golf and also because there’s only Internet (wireless) in the lobby which mean little contact with the outside world which isn’t half bad. I’m having such a relaxing time I honestly wish I could stay down here. It’s been in the high 60′s to mid 70′s this whole time. Right now it’s 74 and sunny outside. God I love the sun, I can’t get enough of it. It’s times like this that make me realize how much I hate the rain in Portland.

Today Eric and I are off to visit some of my friends down here while his parents have a quiet night at home. No Pinochle tonight. Oh, that’s another thing, Eric and his parents taught me how to play so we’ve been playing several hands every day so far us “girls” are up two games.

Pictures will come but not until I get home, can’t be bothered posting them right now because every minute here on my computer is another minute I’m not in the sun Keep warm all my northern friends and know I’m not jealous of the cold at all..

Today Julie and I headed across the mountains to the annual Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Convention in Bellevue, Washington. Usually when we go we get up at the crack of dawn to get over the mountain in time for out first class. This year we decided to start our first class a little later so we didn’t need to leave until about 9:30, which was a nice change. Julie and I talked about all sorts of things all the way over to the convention. It’s funny because some people wonder, OK Eric wonders, how you can talk to someone for that long but I guess it’s just one of those things that comes easy to me and Julie.

This year we did a little different at the convention. In years past we’ve taken the same classes so we could sit together and take the same classes but this year I signed up early and Julie wasn’t able to so we only got into one of the same classes. Originally I thought it wouldn’t be as fun taking classes separately, that I wouldn’t like it as much but it was really fun. We each took difference classes for our first class, then our second class was together and the third class we took two different ones. It was pretty cool. So cool, in fact that we might have to do that again next year. It was great to meet other people that share the same hobby. In my first class I met this great woman from Canada. We talked the whole time during the class while we were listening to the teacher. I ended up running into her later in the day too. After our first class we hit the vendor fair again and did a little shopping.

The vendor fair was OK but nothing exceptional. I don’t know if it’s because I have a lot of “stuff” or if I’m stingy with money because I know another place I can get it with a discount. Anyhow we did a little shopping and I found some things that I wanted. I think the best thing was the Sizzix Sidekick. What’s great about it is I can use my QuicKuts on it and spare my had the squishing required using the QuicKuts machine.

We didn’t get lunch there at the convention this year. Julie was thinking and we brought our lunch, just something small, a Lunchable or something. It was another smart move because the food at the convention isn’t that great and the cost is pretty high for the sub-standard food. I was so glad Julie has thought about bringing it, it made the lunch time so much better.

After lunch we headed to the class we had together. It’s so funny for Julie and I to sit in the same class. This year I really realized how different our learning styles are. We get into class and get our kits and the first thing we both do is take out all our pieces but that’s where we stop being the same. I’m the activist, I’m the one that starts looking at the same, reading the directions and start working on the pages while the teach is talking. Julie on the other hand sits and waits for direction. She doesn’t start until she’s supposed to and when she does she pays attention to the details, very reflective. It does work well for us because the teachers go so fast that I can get mine done and help Julie at the same time so we both get done.

The last class was crazy for both of us. Although we didn’t have the class together both our classes were quick and messy. It was nuts since the class didn’t start until about 4:30 and by then Julie and I were both sort of tuckered out and just about ready to head home. After our last classes we jumped in the car and headed home knowing “the guys”, OK Eric, was making us dinner. Again, the whole way home we talked and talked.

Once home we had the best dinner ever. Eric is such an awesome cook. He made the best beef tips in wonderful red wine, asparagus and potatoes. It was yummy. After dinner Julie and I both pulled out all our booty and showed it to the guys. Oh yeah, they were excited… Not really!