Halichoeres bivittatus

C and I are talking about a trip to Belize next year. While looking up the types of fish you might see around Belize I came across a fish called a slippery dick. No joke! So...I plan on asking our snorkeling guide when we are down there if he knows where we can find slippery dicks. Warning "Adults may grow to be a length of 8 inches". This makes me smile!

A Little Cabin in the Woods

Last weekend C and I rented a cabin in Heyburn State Park. My parents rented the next next cabin over. We lucked out and had a break in the weather. We were able to walk the trail of the CDAs and have a lovely campfire (s'mores included). We had a slight bump in the road when Kona ran after a deer and disappeared into the woods. Dad and C had to hike up a mountain to find her. I am still not so sure that she would have come back. On the way home we stopped at the casino and lost 10 dollars. All in all it was a great weekend.

Anti-Valentines Day

This year C and I decided to boycott Valentine's Day. No sappy cards, no wearing of red satin shirts, no red roses (I am so over those), no chocolate in a heart shaped box. We did have chocolate, but that is an everyday occurrence for me.

On Friday we made manicotti (sp?) and sipped some lovely wine. On Saturday we hiked around Round Lake went and saw Leroy Bell at the Panida. The concert was great, this was my second time seeing him. I do have to say I was kind of distracted by the locals dancing up front. The dancing was...how do I say this in a nice way....UNIQUE.

One young lad must have watched flash dance, ballet, break dancing and moshing and decided it would be a good idea to blend it all together. I can see him dancing as a little tyke to the song Dancing Queen. He was all over the dance floor...deep knee bends, enthusiastic arm movements, jumping up and down, grand entrances (with the help of the red curtain covering the doors at stage right and left, and grand exits that usually involved ballet leaps. At one point I saw him run in to the wall and grope it. Another time he picked up his partner and ran across the floor with her...I never did see her come back. With moves as "special" as that I can just imagine an old man in the audience saying "something is not right with that boy".

At one point during the concert Leroy told the crowd that "this is the song everyone jumps too". So...I see this man come jumping down the isle...doing jumping jacks!!! Umm...not what I think Leroy had in mind. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The girls in Sandpoint have their very own dancing style. It either involves swishing around their knee length hair with their hands stretched above their head (hippy style) or it involves bumping and grinding in a very serious sexy fashion with their trashed boyfriend.

I love local concerts!!!

C was super sweet and a good sport all weekend, he had a head cold, but he was still very attentive. On Sunday we got pizza at 2nd Avenue Pizza (so yummy) and played a naughty game of skipbo. I could tell you the rules of the game but we are considering patenting them and making millions to retire off of so I better keep it a secret.

Time Flies Or Does it Flys?

Wow! I can't believe it has been over a month since my last blog. It is amazing how quickly time has flown by. Here are some of the highlights:

Birthday:
I turned 31 without too much pomp and circumstances, but it was a great birthday none the less. My mom and dad had myself and C and my brother (also his birthday) and his family over for spaghetti and meatballs followed by ice cream cake. I also received the best present I have ever been given from C. It involves "quality time" as he likes to say. He gave me a plane ticket to Ireland!

Ireland:
C and I am busy planning/dreaming our trip to Ireland. We are trying to be flexible with our plans so we are planning but not planning. Mostly I am planning what I am going to wear which has involved many hours of Internet shopping. I am still try to find the perfect shoe that I can wear for 12 days straight, something I have never ever done before.

Cashed in my Christmas present:
C gave me a gift certificate for a weekend get away to Hot Spring Montana for Christmas. Two weekends ago we packed our dogs into the car and headed off on our first official road trip together. We had a rough start because Kona ate a pen and got ink all over C's carpet (did I mention he rents- I am sure his landlord loves me). Then during the drive Kona puked down C's door and left a pile of her breakfast on the floor of the truck. Once we finally reached the hotel we took the dogs for a walk and Kona ran through a field and got seeds stuck in her fur (half hour later we had all those pulled out). The hotel was a hoot, very very rustic in every sense of the word. But, we had a great time and it was nice to get away and spend some time together just the two of us. http://www.symeshotsprings.com/

Bio-Luminesce:
While we were at the symes hotel they were celebrating the Chinese New Year so they had the fire dancing (I use this term dancing very loosely) group Bio-Luminesce perform. What a crack up. If it was a comedy show it would have been better. The artists were overly serious about their "art". One act included moving candles around in glass globes while one guy spouted his "enlightened" theory on life. All I heard was blah blah blah... The best part was when they put the candles down by the tip jar which was sitting by piles of dog poo. I enjoyed watching people put money in the tip jar while standing on doodoo. I know I am evil. Apparently two of the "dancers" couldn't be there because their house burnt down...hmmmm....explain that to the insurance company. http://people.tribe.net/0ca050fc-8dd2-4a51-a2a2-0a68b828ee6e (you can see some videos of their performances on this site).

Skiing:
:o( No skiing yet. C and I have had every intention of going up, but I haven't been able to find anyone to go skiing with me while C is in a lesson. A-- wish you were here.

Love:
Things are going amazingly well with C and me. I have never felt this way about anyone. He is so kind and thoughtful and a really good man. We have so much fun together, probably more than we should. I can't imagine him not being in my life. Definitely a good thing. Isn't it funny how when thing are going really good in a relationship you kind of want to keep it all to yourself? Maybe I am the only one that feels this way. Anyway...just know things are going really really well.

Job:
The economy continues to take a toll on the retail business. We have experienced more lay-offs and really good people have been let go. Such a sad situation. As of today I still have my job. There is going to be some restructuring, which I am not thrilled about, but overall I think the changes will be good for research. Unfortunately, I don't see them being good for my career. Oh well...such is life during these times. I am just happy to be employed.

I guess that is the latest news for now. Promise I will be better at keeping this up to date.