Tyrone Wells performs "Sea Breeze"

I never get tired of listening to this song.  I don't remember how I found him and his music. I do remember listening to this song and instantly falling in love with it. And no, I had not seen a picture of him yet. It was his voice I fell in love with first and then I saw how gorgeous he is and I was a goner. 

Now for a little bit of bragging....

I was on his facebook page a while back....I am a little bit of a stalker---shhhhh....don't tell him. I don't want to creep him out. LOL While on his page I noticed he asked if anyone knew some good things to do while in Bend, OR. Well, I know plenty of good things to do here in my home town so I answered the question and asked him if he was planning on having a show here during that weekend. (See...I am a good stalker, not a scary one.) He sent me a private message and asked where he could play that was a smaller, more intimate venue.. After my heart skipped a few beats..."Oh My Gosh, I just got a private message from Tyrone Wells!!!!! I suggested Silver Moon Brewery. Well, guess what? He took my suggestion and will be playing at Silver Moon on June 5th at 7pm. And yes, I already have two tickets. If you happen to be there...I will be the girl in a day dream pretending that he is singing Sea Breeze only to me. And as far as I am concerned, that is exactly what he will be doing. Okay, just play along with me and my little fantasy. A girl can dream can't she?

Bend, Oregon- The Place Where I Live

I love where I live. 

Smith Rock State Park

I grew up here in Bend, Oregon. My parents moved us here from the San Francisco Bay Area when I was 5 and my brother was 3 1/2. They wanted us to grow up in the country where the  population was low and the people were kind. I moved back to San Francisco to attend school after I graduated High School and lived there for 15 years. Then I had my family and when it was time for them to start school I knew I didn't want them growing up in the city either. So my ex-husband (we were still married then) and I moved back to my home town to raise the girls. 

The View from Pilot Butte

It isn't as small as it used to be- the population is now 80,000 compared to 14,000 when  I moved here as a child. Most of the people are kind. It is a family community. The city shuts down after 8pm during the week. And on the weekends it shuts down around 10 unless you are out for a night of brewery and bar hopping downtown. It is an amazing place to raise children. And it is only 20 minutes to the ski resort of Mt. Bachelor- the best skiing and snow boarding  in the west. It suits the outdoor lover in all seasons....hiking, kayaking, horse back riding, fishing, boating, biking, white water rafting, skiing-both water and snow, sunny days, cool nights. I can't say enough about how happy I am to live here and I hope I never have to leave. 

 I thought you would enjoy some pictures of Bend 

so you could see just how beautiful it is here......

The first four pictures are my neighborhood- The Old Mill District. Literally, a hop, skip and a few jumps from my house.

Old Mill District Shopping/Restaurants

Farewell Bend Park

Farewell Bend Park

View from my Neighborhood

Elk Lake with Mt. Bachelor 

The View from Mt. Bachelor

Mt Bachelor Ski Resort

Old Downtown Bend

Drake Park/ Mirror Pond
 with Cascade Range in View

I Love My Goofy, Funny, French Bulldog...

Bruno Wants to Play too, a photo by MyTangerineDreams on Flickr.

This is Bruno. How could I ever have a bad day with him by my side? And I mean constantly by my side. He follows me all around the house. Never lets me out of his sight. He thinks he is a watch dog and protects me from all the evil bicycle riders outside.

My Etsy Addiction

I used to sell on www.etsy.com. If you don't know what Etsy is you need to click on the link and see what you have been missing out on for the last several years. Especially if you are one of those gals that loves to shop. Besides Facebook, and now my blog, Etsy is the only other website that I go to every day. Now, I don't buy something every day, but I do look and find things that I love and then add them to my  Favorites Page. And when I feel like I have some extra money and want to treat myself I will go to that page and buy something. I also love to buy gifts, party supplies, jewelry, bags or purses, funny stuff, art work, and vintage supplies for my crafting projects.

I have been called a hippie, bohemian, eco-friendly kind of girl. And I would agree with that to an extent. One of  the main reasons I love Etsy is that you can buy from the individual and know who your money is going to. Or you can buy from a small boutique that is just getting started.  For some reason I feel better giving my money to the underdog instead of the huge corporations. It is sort of a buy local sort of feeling over there. I have gotten to know many buyers and sellers and have made friends on Etsy too.

My most recent purchases are as follows:

Horse tags for Mia's 9th birthday party- I am making her invitations and putting together some cute favor bags                      using these.
School Messenger Bag for Claire- Her bag just ripped apart the other day and she picked this one out. It was cheaper than buying a backpack and really well made, and according to her much cooler. Love that my kids want to be fashion forward, LOL
Antiqued lace paper pieces for crafting- I will share what I do with these once I use them. Right now I am working on a collage using a piece of this.
My favorite earrings- I love these earrings. If you see me out and about I will most likely be wearing these.
My latest purchase- She custom made a pair of these for me with a silver ear piece. I don't wear gold usually. Custom ordering is another fabulous option on Etsy. You just send the seller a message and ask if they can make your idea come to fruition. I have never had a seller say no. Oh and I have to link to How I found these Earrings in the first place. Another favorite blog I like to visit. Especially if I am looking for a yummy recipe.

So there is a good sampling of what you can buy. And if you take a gander over to the right of my blog you will see the last 4 items I have added to my favorites. Go and look around. You can pretty much buy anything you want over there and have fun doing it. Can't beat sitting in your jammies with a mug of hot coffee with the Today show on and shopping all by yourself instead of in a crowded store.

Cheers,
Christina

I Have a Thing for Purses

Here are few purses I am currently coveting.
 Most of them out of my price range but beautiful to dream about.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/41860296/brown-zipper-pouch-with-clip-new-style
I really, really want this one.

           

                                                         This would get a lot of attention for its uniqueness.                                              
             http://www.etsy.com/listing/35801762/gondola-medium-tote

                                                      
                                                  Sunshine and Ruffles make me happy

                                               http://www.etsy.com/listing/44250840/yellow-sunshine-leather-ruffle-bag-by

Perfect for a night at the Opera
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65551154/evening-bag

This one is more in my price range. The perfect Summer bag.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/66315156/rainbow-granny-bag-black-twill-trim

I love the unique shape of this one
http://www.etsy.com/listing/68582876/handmade-capsula-fashion-bag-brown

For a black tie event
http://www.etsy.com/listing/68583276/completely-crystal-evening-clutch

The every day bag that would be worth every penny if I could afford it
You have to click on the link below and see the inside. It is gorgeous!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/69521429/red-leather-bag

The Joy and Fashion of Running

After yesterdays post I thought I would share my latest purchase with you.

These are the running shoes I have on order. Originally $100.00 on saucony.com, but I found them for $85.95 with free shipping at buyshoes.com. I love me a good bargain! Even if it is only $14.00 saved, that is $14.00 I can use for something else. Seems silly to be excited about new running shoes but I can not wait until they arrive! These are the same shoes I have been running in but the updated version. I highly recommend them. I tend to get plantar (bottom of the foot) pain and these babies are so cushiony soft that it is like running on clouds. Okay, maybe that is exaggerating a bit, but really- I love them. And the color....well, what more could a girlie girl want- pink, black and white. No brainer right? I have learned that you can find some cute outfits to run in too.