A whole lot of fun ...

Was had on vacation ... contrary to what my first post may have sounded like ;). Going to visit Jessie is like being home, but much better. You don't have all the "home" responsibilities, but still have all the luxuries. Needless to say, some of the best times were at Jessie's ...

Things like:
Watching our favorite TV shows together;
Watching a girly movie;
Painting our toes;
Eating Peanut Butter & Chocolate Ice Cream w/ Sliced Bananas;
Going to Borders to read magazines;
Going to Starbucks (everyday!!);
Long chats;

Trips to the local casino ... okay so this one reveals a piece of me I tuck away and most people don't know about ;). Thankfully I do not live close enough to any "real" casinos or we might be in trouble ... because I LOVE SLOTS. Yes, it's true, my name is Andrea and I and I am a self confessed nickel slot gambler. However, I have never spent grocery, mortgage or any money other than "play" money on this "habit." So I don't think I need rehab yet ;). So, I drug Jessie with me and we had a good two hours of fun playing penny, nickel and quarter slots. Jess did much better than me. The added bonus? Free fountain soda all over ... they had stations around every other corner where you could help yourself ... and really I don't remember seeing any alcohol ... plenty of smoke, but no alcohol. And then we had the hour drive there and back to have some good girl talk. A very fun memory!

And together, we started our most ambitious knitting project yet, a tank sweater from the Spring '07 Interweave Knits magazine.

Here is what it *should* look like finished:


And here is what mine looks like thus far ... 32 rows into the project:

I've already learned that the yarn I picked is a bit bulky, but there's no starting over now. I only spent about $15 on the yarn, so it's a very inexpensive first attempt at a sweater and I'm learning a lot ... and know I'll have to learn much more. I've already triple read the pattern and have no idea what to do come about 20 rows from now ... thank goodness for local help ;).

I made a lot of progress as we traveled to the coast and then our daily trips up and down the coast, visiting waterfalls, beaches and more. I also got to indulge in another joy of mine ... reading. After Ethan went to bed at the coast, I curled up for some good reading while Matt enjoyed some quiet tv time (i.e. without Ethan yammering the entire time). Jessie shared the best book with me, A Shop on Blossom Street, by Debbie Macomber. So, so, so very good ... and she let me bring home the next in the series, A Good Yarn (she hasn't even read it yet ... isn't that a good friend?).

Did I mention that Matt spoiled me with some early birthday treats? One was an hour massage ... ahhhh, so very nice for a mom. And the second was this adorable dress from Nordstroms. The one I got is an even cuter graphic floral print in more blue/green and black tones, but this gives you an idea ...


It was a total splurge and I love the way it fits, so fun and girly ... a good dress to welcome in my 30's I suppose.

Well that's enough happy goodness for one day ... Happy Wednesday!!