My weekend

Hello my fellow bloggers! I can not believe that Christmas is a week away. Yesterday Zac and I spent all day getting our Christmas shopping done for our families. We had been putting it off for awhile but I am surprised how well we did. We also found time to buy new wheels for Zacs new truck. He drove to Reno on Thursday night to pick up his newest Dodge truck. Zac is back to work today and I am just relaxing and wrapping Christmas presents, which I love doing. I never thought I would enjoy wrapping presents but I find it relaxing and Im so excited to give my presents to everyone!

Alright, so back tracking to Friday! So I decided that it would be fun to get a group of friends together and go shooting. I still had pumpkins sitting on my porch from Halloween and the best way to get rid of pumpkins you ask? Shooting them! So I talked to my friend Manny and Aaron at work and they were down to go. Friday around noon we met for lunch before heading up to Cow Mountain.

I thought it was going to be a lot colder up there but it wasn't to bad at first. Once the sun started setting it got cold quick. However, we were able to enjoy the most gorgeous sunset! The pictures do not do it justice. After a few hours of shooting we headed back down the mountain to enjoy some home made carne asada at Manny and Yolis house. Yummy! When we finished dinner I introduced them to some games that my family and I played when I was home for thanksgiving. We were all laughing so hard, Yoli was crying! I must say it was an awesome way to spend a Friday. Here are some pictures from our day.

Back in black

Okay, okay, okay. So we bought a street bike. I know this seems random, probably because it is random. Our weekend consisted of driving all over the place looking at vehicles because Zac sold his truck on Thursday night. Our last trip was to Berkley where we bought a 2009 Ninja 250. Zac thought it would be great to commute to work. I worry about him on the bike but he is also going to get a truck so he won't have to drive in the rain. Im excited because its just like my old Ninja, except way cooler looking! Anyways just thought I would let you know whats going on in the world of Fleckner. Maybe this weekend I can get some pictures of the actual bike.

 

Treat Yo Self!

As Christmas time approaches I can't help but think, what do I want this year? When I was younger it was so easy to make a list. Now that Im older, I find it harder and harder to think of things that I want. I have decided that its either A) I have/get everything I want or B) Im just more mature in my old age and realize that I don't really "need" certain things.

Well, I got to thinking and what I decided is that I would like a quad. If you know me at all you have to know that I have always liked quads/motor vehicles. Heck, about four years ago I even bought myself a street bike! Now, Im not saying that I need a quad for Christmas but I think if I start now then I will one day own one! I have realized that in the past when I want something, Im pretty good at getting it. I know that it might not be right away but one day. So many things that I put my mind to in life, I have received. So Im putting my mind to this one! Isn't life great? So many opportunities. So much to do, so little time. Ill keep ya'll posted!!

Its begining to look a lot like Christmas!

 

The Fleckners are ready! The other weekend Zac and I were able to go get our Christmas tree. It doesn't feel like Christmas until you have your tree! I love coming home having the tree all decorated, lit, oh yeah and the smell! No plastic trees for me. I don't think my family has ever owned one and I plan on keeping that tradition.  Anyways, we brought our tree home and it was a little to tall to fit the star. We bought a 7 1/2 footer and our roof is 8. We made it work.

Isn't she a beauty? The only thing I don't have is a tree skirt. Im in the search for a silver one that isn't to cheesy.

Next on the list is the Calistoga tractor parade! It is an annual event and I believe this years was the 16th. If you want to check out more pictures of the parade you'll have to look at my pictures from last year. I must say there was a great turn out this year and even though I was all bundled up it wasn't that cold! Okay, maybe it was a little cold but I was toasty and I didn't notice. After the parade it was back over to Jason and Chelsies house for drinks! It is starting to feel like Christmas around here, can't wait for the first snow up on St.Helena mountain.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well my thanksgiving started with a 8 hour drive. Zac was working this thanksgiving so I decided I would spend the holiday with my family. I was able to get off work a little early on Wednesday but then ended meeting up with the hubs in Novato for a quick dinner. I finally made it home around 1:15 in the morning!

Thanksgiving had arrived. I was able to sleep in (for me, not that long). I woke up to a delicious smelling house and in the words of my father "smells like a beautiful woman lives here!" Our thanksgiving dinner began around 3:00, my mom had the table decorated so beautiful! It felt like it should of been in a Potterybarn magazine. The grandparents probably showed up around 12:30. It was so great to visit with them! My grandma brought me books that she had been working on for quite some time. She had researched our family history and turned it into books! I am so bummed that I left them at home because I was excited to start reading them! My sister has hers and she said that the books about my dad are so interesting! Around 3:00 the Kleins showed up and we were all hungry and ready to eat! My mom had made almost all the food for that day. I don't know how she does it. One day I am going to have to try a thanksgiving meal just to see if I can coordinate it to be done all at the same time!

The food was delish! After we stuffed ourselves we did our family tradition to go around the table and say two things that we are thankful for. Ill never forget my dads this year, he said: He is thankful when its cold out and he gets to wake up in the morning and hear/feel that the heater has turned on :) I agree with him. One of the best feelings! After lunch we were all in a food coma so we just sat and enjoyed each others company. My uncle Phil and aunt Mai showed up after we ate, so it was really nice to see them.

Slowly but surely everyone started to head off home. Jen,Bob and I decided we would stay up a little later and watch a movie. Little did I know that it would take a hour just to get the movie to work on the TV! We ended staying up till 1:00 (which is late for me because I LOVE my sleep). The next morning the boys had a golf game and Tiffy, Devin and Brodie were coming over to see us and Dana was going to stop by to see me!

At around 10:00 Tiff, Brodie and Devin showed up! I was so excited to see them. Brodie has gotten so big since the last time I saw him ( a week after he was born). I must say I like holding an older baby rather then a new born. You have to be so careful with their heads when they are so little, but now he can hold his head up all on his own!

While Tiff, Devin and B were hear Dana showed up! We took our turns holding cute little Brodie. We were getting hungry so we thought we would go get some lunch together. Now I know what you might be thinking. Thanksgiving was yesterday and there should be tons of left overs! Well there is but I would like to save that for dinner. So for lunch, it was delicious burritos. After lunch Devin,B and Tiff had to head over to her dads house for some more turkey. Before we knew it, it was already dinner time. We enjoyed some thanksgiving left over, wine and then some games! I had never played these games before but I was laughing so hard I was crying! I am still trying to find a group of people I can get together with up here so I can teach them how to play telephone pictionary and celebrity. After a wonderful night of laughing it was time for bed. Dana decided to spend the night because she was headed back to San Diego in the morning. Jen and I were planning on having a family day on Saturday.

Saturday came and I could not believe it was 85 degrees outside.....well I CAN believe it because its So Cal, but I only brought clothes for cooler weather. I had to borrow one of my sisters dresses to go out to lunch. When my dad got home from church we decided we for sure wanted to go somewhere to eat outside. We headed to downtown Esco and had lunch a VINZ. The weather was perfect and the company was even better!

I spent the afternoon with the fam and even Tiff came over to the house to hang out a little bit. My last date for the weekend was to see my friend Janelle. We decided we would be in Temecula at BJ's Brewery for dinner and drinks. I sure love that Janelle, it was like we had never been apart. We were laughing the entire time! As much as I love being up north there are so many people I love down south! It makes it hard sometimes but I am thankful that I get to visit them and they come up to see me.

Family and friends I could not be more thankful or lucky to have you in my life. I love all of you so much! I feel so special when I get to spend time with any of you even if it is not for long. I am so blessed.

My Tire.

So yesterday at work was not the best day but I managed to pull through. I made it all the way home, got out of my truck and heard this strange whisteling sound. It was already dark but I used my handy flashlight app on the good ol Iphone and discovered that one of my tired was loosing air! Not because it had something stuck in it but because the valve where you put the air in had a huge crack! First thing I did was call my husband (who is at work of course) and ask him for some suggestions. He said for now I should put the truck up on a jack so that when my tire goes flat it won't bend my wheel.

So I usually woun't take pictures of myself changing a tire but I happen to have pictures because Zac wanted to make sure that I put the jack stand on the frame rail. Im not some car savvy girl but I know how to jack up a truck and put a jack stand under the frame rail. It was cold last night and I could barely see so I thought I would just get things ready and then tomorrow (today) would be go time.

My day to sleep in I woke up at 7:30. I guess thats an extra hour and a half then usual. I wanted to go back to sleep but I could NOT stop thinking about my flat tire and my hair appointment I had to get to by 2:00, so up I got. I dressed warm because its been SO cold lately and its going to rain today. I got my manual out from my truck and got started. I had my spare tire down from under my truck in no time. Once I moved over to the tire with the flat, well thats when it got difficult. I knew what I needed to d, loosen all the nuts and remove the tire and pop the new one on. I tried my very hardest to get those suckers off but they were on there tight! I even wanted to use Zacs new impact gun but the garage is such a mess I don't know how I would find a socket to fit. So after trying for a bit and hurting my hands I ended up calling my father in law. He told me to be safe he was going to come over and help me. Thank goodness!

He was over and had my spare was on! He did tell me that those nuts were on there so tight that there is no way I would of been able to get them off. He was also impressed that I was able to get that far on my own. So what did I learn today?A) I KNOW how to change a tire B) Im not strong enough to get my tire off and C) It might be a good idea to get AAA. Anyways almost time to get ready to go to my hair appointment. Hope you enjoyed this little story!

It finally happened.

Well its here people. I finally got "sick". The other day I woke up with a sore throat. I made it through the day and went to bed early but today, not so good. My voice sounds like a man and I felt like I wanted to just lay down! Well thankfully I have the nicest co-workers! Yesterday my friend Martha brought me chicken noodle soup and a cookie and Dr.Wyatt gave me some sudafed! Today my friend Melinda bought me some tea, a tangerine and this drink thats called Synergy. Now, this drink is suppose to help me feel better but its tastes...weird. It almost is like a fizzy vinegar. I'll do anything to feel better, so down the hatch it goes.

I must say on my drive home I actually felt like I might be on the mend. I really think that all my sweet co-workers coming to my aid has boosted my spirits. The other day my friend Martha wrote on my facebook:

"If knowing that someone cares
helps the healing process...
.... Then you should be feeling better already. :)"

Thanks to all the great people in my life!

On a second, not so good note. Zac found out yesterday that he did not get the full time position at Mill Valley. To say he was disapointed is an understatment. However, today is a new day and we are both feeling better! We are keeping our heads held high and we know that his day will come! Better luck next time. Here is something my momma sent me the other day to help lift mine and Zacs spirits.

I'll be happy when...

 

     We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get

married,  have a baby,  then another.    Then we are frustrated that the

kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are.    After

that,  we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with.    We will

certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.    We tell ourselves

that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act

together,  when we get a nicer car,  when we are able to go on a nice

vacation or when we retire.

     The truth is there's no better time to be happy than right now.

If not now, when?    Your life will always be filled with challenges.

     It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.

Happiness is the way.

     So,  treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more

because you shared it with someone special,  special enough to spend

your time with ..... and remember that time waits for no one.

     So,  stop waiting

Until your car or home is paid off.

Until you get a new car or home.

Until your kids leave the house.

Until you go back to school.

Until you finish school.

Until you lose 10 lbs.

Until you gain 10 lbs.

Until you get married.

Until you get a divorce

Until you have kids.

Until you retire.

Until summer..

Until spring.

Until winter.

Until fall.

     There is no better time than right now to be happy.     Happiness

is a journey,  not a destination.    So work like you don't need money,

love like you've never been hurt,  and dance like no one's watching.

More Family!

Now that I have your attention with that gorgeous photo above I'd like to share with you all the wonderful weekend I had with my sister and her hubby. Makes me look like a pretty good photographer living up here, all I have to do is point and shoot. This was taken with my canon at Bennett Lane winery.

So I guess the best place to start is at the begining. Bobby and Jenny drove up after work on Thursday night. My sister and bobby were coming up north to celebrate my sisters birthday which was Thursday. They probably didn't get in till 1:30 or 2:00. Friday morning Zac left in the morning to head over to Mill Valley for his big cheifs interview. He said that it went really well but he won't find out if he gets the full time position until Monday. So we are back to waiting! While Zac was gone I cooked breakfast for Jen and Bob and then we got ready for our day. Once Zac got back into town we decided we would take a little bike ride around Calistoga.

After riding around for a bit and getting some great pictures we decided we would ride our bikes over to Summers Winery and do a wine tasting. The great thing about being a local is that we got our wine tasting for free! We of coarse bought some bottles. We had Jen choose her favorite and got it for her for her birthday. It was a good tasting which included a little chocolate and even tomatoes. I skipped the tomatoes. Yuck!

When we finished up at Summers we went across the street to Envy but they were having some issuses with their pipes so they we closed for the afternoon. Well luckily wineries arn't to hard to find around here. Back on the bikes and further down the road we hit up Bennett Lane winery for one last tasting. We had a really good time tasting at Bennett Lane and actaully learned a lot from the man doing our tasting.

Okay so I know that was a lot of pictures to go through but I just have so many great ones it is really hard to pick just a few. After we were done at Bennett Lane we were a little hungry so we wanted to get a snack before our big meal at Rutherford Grill. I was happy to drive everyone to Barolo for some of their delicious bruschetta! Im not a tomatoe fan but this bruchetta has only veggies on it and it is SO good! I just love it.

So the snack made us all even more hungry! So we drove down to Rutherford to enjoy some dinner at The Grill. When we got there it was an hour wait! I tried to make reservations but the only opening they had was at 9:00 and we did not want to wait that long! So we brought Jens bottle of wine for her birthday and they enjoyed a bottle while we waited for our table. The wait seemed to take forever but once we sat down to eat oh man....it was worth it. Yum!

Finally our day had come to an end. We headed back to Calistoga and Zac and Bobby made us a nice warm fire! We had our hot cocoa and movie and we were good to go.

Day two: Hello Saturday! And hello rain! What can you do in the rain? Well I like being out and about but the rain doesn't really allow for that. After having another delicious breakfast we got ready for the day and decided that we would go drive by some houses that Zac and I have been looking up on Redfin. When we finished that we thought it would be a perfect day for a movie! We all felt like something light and funny so we went with Puss and Boots.

The movie ended and it was time for the good stuff, Tex Wasabi! Zac really wanted to sit upstairs and we were able to. I had my favorite the tootsie roll and Jen tried something off the menu called the Leprechaun roll, it was delish! I think I might have to try that again when I go back.

Even sitting here right now I am thinking about that delicious sushi. Its weird because like my sister says sushi has everything I don't really like! But when its all together I really like it!

Once sushi was finished we thought we would head up to the casino and try our luck! The tables were all at $10 so the boys didn't want to spend at least $20 only to be able to play twice ( if they lost).Zac and I decided to try our luck at the slots. I think some of Zacs moms luck has rubbed off on him because he put in a dollar and won $10! I know thats not much but its better then going to a casino and loosing your money. We stayed there for awhile and Zac got down to +5 and then called it quits. Not a bad day spent in the rain!

Now we arrive at Sunday, the last day. Zac left early again, back to work. We decided we would go out to eat for breakfast. Jen had been to Hydro but she had never been to Cafe Sarafornia so she wanted to try that out. The food was good as always! The day before Jen and I had made reservations at Golden Haven to have mud baths. We had never had a mud bath before so we were excited to test it out and if your going to have a mud bath Calistoga is THE place to do it. Thats what we're known for.

We got a great deal for our mud baths. They are usually around $89 per person and we were able to get both of ours for $89! What a steal. So around 12:30 we headed over! First they give you robes and flip flops to put on and walk you to your mud bath room. Jen and I decided to wear swimsuits...I guess for our own ease of mind. The mud is very hot when you get in, it feels like a jacuzzi. You can't touch the bottom of the tub because it is very HOT so you have to ease yourself in. The mud has this moss in it that makes you float. It is the coolest feeling to just be suspended in that muck! I have to be honest though it does stink. It has sulfur in it which basically smells like rotten eggs. We laid in there for about 12 minutes and then showered off the mud because it was time for our mineral bath. You get to sit in a nice mini hot tub and relax. The point is to sweat to get rid of all your toxins. After being in the tub for awhile they take you to a room and wrap you up like a burrito and turn down the lights and let you just relax! It felt so nice!

Once we finished out burrito nap we were HUNGRY! Jen had been craving Guignis the whole time so this was the perfect time to head over to St.Helena and get a delicious Guignis sandwich. I love their sandwiches. On our way home I dropped Jen off at the Calistoga Inn becaue Bobby was at the bar watching the Charger game. I wanted to get home so that I could check on Hudson because I had left him in the house. When I got home he was laying on the couch :) Better then being covered in mud.

So tonight is our last night. I go back to work tomorrow and Jen and Bob our back down to So Cal. All in all it was a great weekend! Im so glad they were able to come up here and enjoy a little break. Happy Birthday Sister!!

perspective.

Good morning blog followers. Today I get to enjoy a day at home. We were a little over staffed at work so here I am. I woke up this morning and I was feeling in a funk. Every once in awhile I get in these moods and today was one of them. I decided to get out of this funk I would take my boy Hudson on a walk and enjoy all the fall colors and the beutiful weather we are having.

And this is where I live. Not to bad.

My weekend in a nut shell

My friend Melinda (who is in the middle) just recently turned the big 21. On friday night some people from work decided to take her out to celebrate. We headed over to to Johnny Garlics at about 5:30 to enjoy some food and some drinks. As you can see in the picture above us girls are enjoying whats called a "Bowla" quite delish. The food was great as well. Shout out to Dr.B for paying for everything. What a nice guy!

After Johnny Garlics we decided we would split up from the group and head down town to continue the celebration. We stopped at Christys first, I had never been there before but it was a pretty nice atmoshpere, with a live band. When we finished up there we walked across the street to Stout Brothers. It was a little more up beat there, Erica and I tried to get our groove on even though no one else was dancing. At the end of the night Zac came and picked us up. Thanks hubby!