Halloween was actually fun

Ok I actually had a lot of fun trick or treating last night.
Next year I might even drop off Morgan at the corner of Trick or Treat (Safe) street and wait for her at the corner and let her her walk the 30 houses all by her self.
It was not cold and I didn't have to ask someone "Thanks for the candy and can I use your restroom"
We were home at 8:15 and Morgan brushed her teeth and we sat down to watch a recorded Mad and then I saw her sorting her candy and eating a skittle "What" after just brushing your teeth!
Anyway we all in bed at 9:00 reading. Just my kind of night.

In Your Strangeness You Are Perfect

Ok I forgot to post a September blog.
I am still perfect.
In my own strangeness I am still perfect.
My 30 year High School Reunion was cancelled due to low sign ups and that was perfect, yet kind of strange, yet perfect.
All my worrying about it was also perfect.
Why? Because I learned that all my worrying was a BIG waste of my time.
Even when I cannot step/think far enough to see outside the picture, it all ends up perfect.
I am happy because in looking at the bigger picture, sometimes it happens years later, I see it all ended up being perfect.

Happy October

Sweaty Men and Jackhammer Noise

Ok so normally I am not sitting at home listening to the sound of a jack hammer all day long.Due to a tree root lifting up the old concrete patio and heading toward our foundation and it was time to pull it up- the tree-the concrete a total makeover for the backyard.

                                                          Mark in the orange shirt

                                       Lots of hard work has been done and plenty more to do.                          

Annual Trip to Mendocino

Morgan's white feet and tan legs.

Plenty of kayaking

Lots of fried green tomatoes and abalone

Plenty of beer

 

Great foot ball playing and falling down

Yummy Yummy

Sand Castles

Beautiful green thing for me to look at

My Plate

One Great Day had by all

 

Montana Vacation

I cannot say enough about how cool Montana was.
In Yellowstone the geysers were interesting as walking thru them the steam was warm and yet it was super cold outside.
Chico Spa and Resort in Pray, Montana and our little cabin was right by the horse stable and Morgan was so excited to pet the horses and didn't mind the horse poop smell.
I loved it because the restaurant had all my favorites: Lamb rack, crème brule, great wine and the little café/gift shop had mocha espresso!
I guess I should mention on our way to Mark's brother's ranch we stopped in Virginia City and went horse back riding. Well for me in was more Panic Attack Riding. I refused to go up  the side of a hill and told our guide to take us a different way. I was seeing myself dropping out of the saddle. I felt like I was up so high on the horses back and if I fell it would be a long way down. Of course after the ride everyone was making fun of me and Morgan was calling it the PAR ride. At 10 she still has the notion that everything is funny. Looking back maybe it was a little funny, sort of.
Greg's ranch Western Star Ranch was great (top picture) and houses 6 horses that Morgan can't stop talking about. Ruby, Sadie, Dexter, Anita, Chanel, Carter. She was the first one up most days and grabbed my camera to take pictures. Greg bought Morgan some boots (you can see her in her boots in the above picture standing next to Ruby) and Montana doesn't have sales tax so when something has a price that's the price, no math necessary to add the tax. We saw a Golden Eagle standing in the middle of the high way, a Yellow-bellied Marmot under a porch, a Bison and Elks in Yellowstone, Pronghorn's along street where Greg lives. Montana is a place where you better have a full tank of gas as you can drive miles and miles and miles with out seeing a gas station or another car. We all had a relaxing time, enjoyed the wild life and big beautiful fluffy clouds. Happy June :)

Mirror Front

As May is approaching its end I am getting excited for Chef Tom to arrive and cook us dinner for our 11th anniversary. No idea of what to get Mark for a present. In a waiting for great idea to come zone.

The crayon drawing above is "Crayon drawing on paper by Gaelen"

I love restaurants where there is a big piece of paper over the table and crayons. Mark and Morgan used most of it playing dot art, then Morgan un screwed the parmesan cheese top and didn't quite screw it on tight and it spilled on most of my half of the table while I was trying to put some on my pizza slice. You can see the cheese stains below my drawing are not my messing eating stains.
The Butterscotch pudding desert relieved my feelings of  why didn't I check the top after I saw Morgan messing with it? 

I also love buildings that have a giant mirror in front of them. Hence the picture above. Notice Mark is using his phone as a gps to find the pizza place.

Happy May!

Wait a minute April's almost over?

Yes, we went on a hike at the beach today. Actually it was at Fort Chronkhite and now I will post a picture of that

my car is down there in the parking lot and you can see people trying to surf in the ocean but growing up in So. Cal I don't know if you can consider these waves. If the H2O wasn't so, so, so , COLD I would swim in it and not be scared of getting crashed on the head. Anyway the hike was great with ocean views

and as ever I am always looking for a heart either in the form of a rock or cloud but today leaving I looked down and saw this

Well time to watch our Saturday night movie with Morgan "Clone Wars" with our new surround sound.

Happy end of  April

24 Hrs till Easter

Happy to say we are having Easter Dinner/Late Lunch at out house and my sister and her family are coming here.

Having family for Dinner though takes a lot of work.

1st- Buy the Lamb Rack, Honey Goat Cheese, Point Reys Blue Cheese (Mark's Pick), Brie (Sinfully Creamy) Cheese (My Pick), Lobster Soup, and more $ of other stuff.

2nd- Install new Skylight (see above picture of Mark) 10 minutes before it started raining.

3rd- Install new smoke detector in kitchen since I by accident pulled the cover off the old one when alarm was going off. Easy to do with all the ringing in my ear, though I could never get it back on hence why we had to but the new one.

4th- Ask Morgan 100 times to put all of the Legos, Books, Misc. junk in her room away.

5th- Admit to myself I need 24 Hour Allergy (ALLER-TEC) medicine when I realized the back yard was covered in Acacia Pollen, I was sneezing, had a sore throat was really crabby with a runny nose type of person.

6th- Say a prayer + add some gratitude that I have time while Morgan's mac n cheese is cooking to do this late March blog.

Happy Spring!

New laptop and I sitting in bed

Ok this is the first picture taken with my new laptop. "Wow you got a new lap top you ask" and I reply  "Why yes Mark and Morgan gave me a laptop for my birthday yesterday" We had a great time and even got to watch Twilight -the movie- on regular T.V. Now its 10:30 and me and my laptop have to go to bed. Very happy that I can sit in bed and write my blog.

Happy New Year 2013

As I sit here and think about wishing everyone  Happy New Year the reminder from my high school for my 30 year Reunion is blowing my mind. Is it even possible 30 years has passed? Looking at the pictures from the 20 year reunion tells me its true. Ugh.

I don't even want to let my mind wander to the "What Should I" about the Reunion. 9 months away.

I just took a mini break to stare at my mandala. Feeling better, slightly.

Thinking about this post earlier I had so many ideas about what I was going to say. Now they have gone away just like the 30 years.

I keep telling myself I am 34 but I guess I'm not.

Ugh.

Anyway wishing you a Happy New Year and a great journey on your travels this year.

Gaelen

 

Happy Holidays 2012

All is well with the Coopers! Morgan as a 4th grader is still a child of living in hugs and cuddles. Mark and I have had a great year with its many ups and downs, although I have learned alot about myself in the down times. Still I keep my faith and trust with God knowing all is well.
Blessings and lots of Love,
Gaelen

BTW what's you favorite thing to BBQ?

BBQ Time

It's the Fathers Day present BBQ! that has finally arived. For sure it is Summer now. In a hurry one night I put 2 portobello mushroooms on the grill all dressed up with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and got involved in something Morgan was doing so... 20 minutes later I took them off the grill. Wow really Dog Food tasting mushroom. They went straight into the compost bin. I do love the BBQ especially when Mark isn't home and I get to use it :).
Enjoy your summertime as it's almost over.

July Already!

Amazing that summer is here and the weather is great and I haven't been bitten by a flying bug.
The above picture is my Mothers Day gift from Morgan. I entered it into the Marin County Fair (as I usually do with her art) and we went to the fair to see it. I got my usual BBQ Corn (with Pepper and Parmesan Cheese) and we spent most of the day at the 4H exhibit, the Pig Races and the petting zoo. Then we went to the Adult Art and Bonsai exhibit. It was 5pm and we told Morgan we were going to go home. Morgan was saying "I haven't gone on any of the rides!!" I then said, "Tomorrow you are going on a field trip at camp and coming to the fair and I am sure you will get to go on the rides". So when I picked her up from camp on Monday I asked her what do you all do at the fair? ( I was thinking she showed her camp friends her painting?) Morgan said,  "Well... we went on rides until lunch and then we went on rides after lunch." Interesting. I thought maybe they would see the Chinese Acrobats or the Puppet Show. Not go on rides all day. Morgan said her favorite was the Haunted House which she went on 7 times.
Summer this year has included going down into the garage looking in the boxes and deciding what we no longer need. Boxes of books now being given to the library. Innumerable items went in the box for Goodwill. I like the Summer give away. Mark found the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library Grilling cook book which I brought back upstairs. I am so excited because the Fathers Day BBQ present is coming into fruition on the 18th when Ace Hardware has its 25% off everything sale. My plan is Grilled Halibut. Of course I am sure Mark will want Baby Back Ribs. Well now its 3pm and it is time to get dinner started. I like to eat at 5pm and go for walk. I just looked down at my pedometer and I have taken 8,107 steps today. 10,000 steps is my daily goal which is about 3.5 miles.
Happy Summer.    
 

April is my mandala month

Yes, I did use crayons to color this. I like it. It is now the screen on my blackberry. Funny as I was typing blackberry I looked down and it said lackberry. I am sure there is something I could say about the lackberry but that was not my intention for this months blog. Anyway as I mentioned I like my mandala. It is not something I am going to destroy. Hence why it is on paper and not sand and now on my phone as a reminder. I use it to settle down into my silent prayer time. To get into my feeling of atonement. My at one with the world feeling. Actually it is my at one with myself. At one with my family. At one with my community. At one with the US. In the larger picture at one with the world.

Lately I am bugged by the soon be be presidential election news. I don't want to hear Obama this and Romney that. I am being silent. I am finding silent is feeling really good. I am silent.  

What, St. Patrick's Day Again?

OK this is a Christmas Ornament that we kept in the garage this year but hey it's Spring-ish right?

Yes, it is the last day of March but it does count as my March blog.......

Much to say about March... St. Patrick's Day.

This year Mark and Morgan went bird watching in the 40 degree morning weather as I got ready to go to a memorial.
Funny though as St. Patrick's Day is the day my step father passed away 19 years ago.
So at the memorial I felt strange as my friend Bea who passed has a twin sister and it was amazing too see her sister, not only does she obviously look like Bea but she had Bea's voice.
I was sad, sad, sad and crying too. I know and believe we are eternal souls but the loss of someone is hard on me.
I trust I will see Bea again yet I am scared thinking about the loss of my life on earth one day. Everyone leaves eventually myself included. We all sang the Irish Blessing song which now I can't hear with out wailing.

May the road rise up to meet you;
May the wind be always at your back;
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
And the rain fall soft upon your fields;
And until we meet again,
May God hold you
In the hollow of His hand.

Rev. Karyl who did the eulogy did say that when people are passing they don't say "I wish I would have worked harder" they say "I wish I would have said I'm sorry" or "I wish I would have forgiven a particular person" this memorial has asked me to remember to tell my friends and family how much I love them. To remember to apologize when I need to. To say sorry when I need to. To appreciate when it rains. To appreciate when its sunny. To appreciate life when I wake up and go to bed. To live in Gratitude.

Spring cleaning.... well this year we are putting new windows (double pane went bad in a few) so that means I don't have to clean any windows... I do have to get the step stool out and clean the top of the refrigerator... I am thinking of how I am feeling lazy and glad I can claim it as a once a year thing although it probably wouldn't hurt to clean the top of kitchen things more often. I guess I can pass it off to Mark. Sounds like a good idea. I do know sometimes things that sound like a good idea turn out to be a not so good idea but we shall see.

Pasta sauce has been in the crock pot 2 hours which means its dinner and movie time Kung Fu Panda 2
amazing you can get a movie at the market from a Blockbuster box.

Spring Blessings to you.

Gaelen

February+Valentines+My Birthday= :)

Well, what can be better than an espresso with a heart on it? Actually that is what I would like to drink right now but I don't feel like driving to a Cafe where I can get someone to do the heart. Sorry Starbucks and Pete's I wish you would do that because your all of 2 minutes away.
Yet have to declare its 4pm and no espresso for me after 2pm.
It has been a great month with lots of things that I wished for have come to fruition.
A really yummy dinner at my favorite restaurant (pasta and parma for Morgan) and food that Mark and I enjoy! Oh I think I forgot to mention the Lemon Drop Martini.
Wait did I tell you there was no rain on my Birthday? No freezing cold wind? It felt like So Cal. and almost even made me miss Manhattan Beach but no too much.
A good friend of mine even went to South America to get married. It is the Love month you know.
Even received many Happy Birthday email's (thanks to facebook) and a few phone calls too.
Ate more than 1, 2, 3 Dark Chocolate bars! Maybe even 4 :) this month.
A new purse/backpack/messenger bag. Have I mentioned I have a thing for purse/backpack/messenger bags? I am hoping if I save them long enough Morgan will want to use one before I decide to send them off to Goodwill.
One thing about a 9 year old. I cried when Morgan gave me the Valentine card she made for me. The card was too cute and loving in a nine year old way. Today, I wish I was nine. I can hear Morgan and her friend playing wii in the living room. Giggles. Giggles. Giggles.
I did email out Valentine cards. Now as I write this I sort of think maybe it would have been better if I had actually sent them out snail mail like. Now that I just wrote that I think Gaelen give yourself a break. It was the though that counts.
I see 4 deer out the window and call for the girls to come look. Yes, I do remember seeing the ocean out the window. I am thinking how can I compare them? I am unsure of what to say. Its probably a matter of how am I feeling. The ocean has a certain energy to it. The waves hitting the sand. The deer slowly eating the grass. Both are good. Actually in essence everything is good. Even Great.
I am happy to say when I take the time to sit all things are great in my life.
Gaelen    


    

Happy New Year 2012

Just when I thought maybe I should re post last January's this year because it is still all the things I believe in I found this. Something that made me cry because it was so beautiful. Please click on this link for a short video. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Hzgzim5m7oU&vq=medium

Happy Holidays

Remember to take a breather

Ok, long time no see.
Been busy.
Very Busy.
Busy with things I do not really want to talk about.
Thinking of ways to do everything differently.
Living in gratitude.
Laughing at this picture of myself and remembering that laughing is a very good healer.
Wishing everyone reading this Happy Thanksgiving.
Gaelen