Oh Valentine’s Day – how people love to hate you. I feel like there are two camps in regards to Valentine’s day. The Folks who say that it’s stupid and why should you dedicate one day a year to telling the people you love how you feel. And then there are the people who Loooove valentine’s day, and are shunned by the first group for neglecting their loves all other 364 days of the year.  (Just the impression I get and spurred on by stupid Ashton Kutcher)

This year, Dylan and I will be spending Valentine’s day weekend in Seattle without dog/cat/houseprojects/cooking/cleaning/dvr etc. And we’re staying at a swanky downtown Seattle hotel and going out to sushi dinners and getting massages and my hair did – the whole nine yards. Of course, this is all taking place on the 12th and 13th and we’ll spend 3 hours in the car on actual Valentine’s day and probably not do much else (this is called cheating the Valentine’s day system). But I only see Dylan 3 days a week – which is equal to only 156 days out of the year (assuming he’s working 4-10’s out of town through 2010) So dang it, we’re going to celebrate Valentine’s day and enjoy every minute of it.

And I’ll probably tell him I love him the other 156 days I see him too That’s how Valentine’s day works at the Toomey house this year.

Love ya!

Well hello again neglected blog – how are you?

Here are just a few things I thought I would share:

My spoiled animals – who have become ESPECIALLY spoiled during the week while Dylan is working out of town (aka, the dog thinks the people bed is now a doggy bed)

Please note that there is very little room for me when all is said and done here.

It’s January in Portland which means it should be cold and rainy and miserable. Instead we’ve been having some almost spring-like weather lately. So it probably won’t stop raining until July this year. But one morning a few weeks ago I had to grab my camera and take a picture of the most amazing sky as the sun was coming up. This was my favorite.

I loved the bare wiry trees against the pink sky.

And lastly way back when I made my 30 by 30 list. I crossed a few things off in 2009:

• Grew Dahlias (and some even bloomed)
• Took a train from Bridgeport CT into NYC (Amtrak, the real thing)
• Made a quilt for someone
• Went to a NCAA tournament basketball game (Go Zags!
• Have a well trained dog (minus the whole sleeping on the bed thing)

I’ve had a few nice bottles of wine here and there, but I’m not sure I’m ready to cross it off my list. But most importantly, here is what I plan on tackling in 2010.

• Read the Bible
• Learn to drive a car with a manual transmission
• Grow a vegetable garden

I think that is a good start for the year. Plus I’ll be chipping away at things like my Pulitzer reading list. And I turn 25 this year, so only 5 years to go!

Sometimes the conversations Dylan and I have are just too absurd not to share. And now they get to be documented over Google Chat, so they are even easier to share!

If you would like to know the details about Dylan’s burning* people for energy plan, I’ll send you the link to his blog.

*Technically he’s discussing cremating people for energy. These are the ideas that you come up with when you work in the middle of nowhere apparently.