Best Valentine's Day Ever!

My Honey always does something really romantic, creative and unexpected for Valentine's Day. I have often regaled (bored) friends and family with tales of "Valentine's Days Past." Well folks, this one goes down in the annals of Valentine history:


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Flight: 1 Round-Trip Ticket
All flight times are local to each city.
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Fri, Feb 15, 2008
San Francisco International Airport, (SFO) to Buffalo, (BUF)

Flight: United Flight 914 (on Boeing 767-300)
Depart: 07:50 AM, San Francisco, CA (SFO)
Arrive: 03:53 PM, Washington, DC (IAD)

Class of service: Economy

1 Stop - change planes in Washington, (IAD)
Connection Time:

Flight: United Flight 7833 (on Embraer RJ145 Amazon)
Depart: 05:25 PM, Washington, DC (IAD)
Arrive: 06:41 PM, Buffalo, NY (BUF)

Class of service: Economy

Total Travel Time: 10 hrs 51 mins
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Mon, Feb 18, 2008
Buffalo, (BUF) to San Francisco International Airport, (SFO)

Flight: United Flight 7775 (on Embraer RJ145 Amazon)
Depart: 07:35 PM, Buffalo, NY (BUF)
Arrive: 08:46 PM, Washington, DC (IAD)

Class of service: Economy
1 Stop - change planes in Washington, (IAD)
Connection Time:

Flight: United Flight 225 (on Airbus A320-100/200)
Depart: 09:45 PM, Washington, DC (IAD)
Arrive: 12:44 AM, Arrive next day San Francisco, CA (SFO)

Class of service: Economy
Total Travel Time: 5 hrs 9 mins

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I've got my Honey home for 3 days! Did I mention I'm a lucky gal?

To All The Boys I've Loved Before

I know the guys have been feeling left out ever since I got all mushy for "my girls", so what better time to show them love than on Valentine's Day?

I have had the great pleasure of knowing some of the most self-actualized men on the planet. They are without exception caring, intelligent, thoughtful, respectful (most of the time...) and comfortable in their own skin. They aren't threatened by the strong women in their lives--and believe me, there are some strong women! They have enriched my life and the lives of others, showing us how to be true to ourselves, strong and independent-minded, but still open to new ideas and considerate of others.

I want to thank all you guys for the unconditional love and acceptance you've given me over the years--even when I might not have deserved it or returned it. I'm a lucky gal!

Canine Eugenics

My guilty pleasure for the last couple of days has been watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on TV (three weeks ago it was the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction--I know, I'm weird). Now I'm not really a dog person, but I'm fascinated by the variety of physical traits on display and the overwhelming number of different breeds. It's hard to believe that the majority of these dogs descended from something that looked a lot like a wolf!

I really think selective breeding has gone a little overboard for some varieties. Apparently English Bulldogs can't even whelp naturally anymore--the puppies' heads are too big so for safety they usually deliver by C-section! And what about the bizarre grooming on some breeds--who can take a Poodle seriously with that haircut?

While I do enjoy the sporting dogs, my favorites are the toy breeds--there's something to be said for cute and useless (lucky me). Although I suppose you could use a Pekingese as a footstool...maybe not so useless after all!

I'm RICH, I say! RICH!

Let me preface this post by saying I may be lucky in a lot of things, but lotteries are not among them. I can't say I never win anything (as you will soon learn, that is clearly not the case) but I can say my winnings are few and far between. For the longest time the highlight of my life was winning a colouring contest at age 4--and by winning I mean having lunch with Ronald McDonald along with 20 or so other "lucky" children.

However my luck is changing, baby, 'cause yesterday I won 50 bucks! Well, not exactly--I won a $50 gift card for the local mall. Same difference. And I didn't have to colour anything to get it! Sadly, the powers-that-be want photographic documentation of the happy occasion, but I'm not going to let that dampen my enthusiasm.

Let the shopping begin!

Snow Day, Part Two

After spending 10 to 15 minutes removing ice and snow from my car and another 5 minutes trying to move it more than 1 foot, I determined I was thoroughly stuck. So off to work on foot I go, having to choose between risking life and limb dodging cars while I walk on the street or slogging though knee-high snow drifts on the uncleared sidewalk. When I finally did encounter a clear section, I managed to slip and fall on some ice. And I don't mean slip-and-fall-on-one-knee kinda fall. No this was a both-feet-out-from-underneath-me-falling-heavily-on-my-left-side kinda fall.

So, Honey, I did walk to work today--are you happy now?*


*sorry for the snarkiness--love you! :)

Snow Day

Remember the elation you felt as a kid when when you woke up on a school day and saw a raging blizzard outside? You just knew it was gonna be a snow day. Woo hoo! Snow day! Well, I got to experience a little taste of that today when I got an email at work telling me that a "business decision" had been made to send everyone home early due to bad weather.

That wonderful feeling lasted right up until the moment I stepped outside.

WARNING: This one's sappy!

There's something you get as a woman from relationships with other women that you just can't get from your relationships with men. Don't get me wrong--I love the men in my life! They're all wonderful and I wouldn't trade a single one. But a close female friend can almost seem to read your mind--knowing what you mean when you are having trouble expressing it, knowing what to say when you really need to hear it.

I'm fortunate enough to have more than one of these kinds of relationships when some women never get to experience even one. Each relationship brings its own unique quality and experience to my life and I am richer for it. I have drawn upon the well of their knowledge and believe me, they have all taught me something. I can only hope I have given back to them as much as I have taken.

So this is to say "thank you" to my gals--you know who you are. I love you, I appreciate you and I want you to know how lucky I feel to have you in my life. Think of this as an early Valentine you all deserve.