The ladies at Laguna, CA

Aunt Myrna, Mom and I on the lanai at Laguna.

Family enjoying the parade

Flora's butterfly

Disney sense of humor

After standing in the wet section for the World of Color show

The family Disney adventure starts!

Starting the Disney adventure

Flora's first trip. Isn't she cute?

Then again Rome wasn't built in a day

Definitely still have a LOT of boxes left.

It's starting to look like a malia house

No Martha Stewart

No it won't win next month's cover of Martha Stewart. But it's fun and
wonderful to have one room in the house actually put together!

The elements of my style or more comedic than serene. I figured as long as I have to live with the brown bamboo wallpaper, I mind as well have fun with it. I drew the line at the plastic "grass skirt" shower curtain.  Should be funny anyway! 

Government and other bizarre lifeforms

Apparently one of the many microwave ovens that keep the office running (figuratively of course) died. A new one was promptly ordered to replace it. When Alice, the summer hire went to switch the units out, she found the old one wasn't broken, just unplugged.

Today is the first official day of summer. Considering it's hotter than blazes (estimated to be mid-90's this afternoon) I think it has been Summer for quite some time.

Cookoo bird.

Me and an emu kept running back and forth with each other along the
fence.

Checking out the balcony

Metro. Again.

I sit waiting for a train at dupont. The station was packed when I got
here. Then the train off loaded. Partially because it was too full to
close the doors. When they finally moved the train off the platform
(15 minutes later), the station populace was disgruntled to say the
least. Now we sit moving slowly, at the next station, breathing air
made hot by too many bodies and the dc summer.

I am not the first, nor will I be the last to complain about DC's
notorious red line. But as the makeup melts off my face and I send
texts to office to give them a heads up, I needed the feeling of
sympathy of describing my troubles to an audience.

Thunderstorms approaching

My walls new color

Got to love dc rush hour on metro

That's my complete thought. Somehow I must love this torture or else
why would I keep submitting to it daily.

Adventures in Malia-land

I moved into the new place yesterday. All the really heavy stuff got
moved with the help of my friends Bud, Mashari and Merissa. We spent
about 2 hours moving and loading and unloading. 3 cars filled to the
brim. I still have more to clean and grab at the old place. And my
whole body is sore. I did more moving and errands by myself last night.

But that's not the adventure. That started this morning when I went to
get Rebecca at the door, who graciously agreed to paint a few walls in
the apartment with me. I locked the bottom lock to be safer last night
and relied on it this morning. The last tenant didn't tell me (or the
landlord) that she never had the key to the bottom lock. I was well
and truly locked out of the apartment. With Rebecca, my phone and my
useless keys.

We tried the neighbor who shares the balcony (wasn't home) and the
locksmith recommended by the condo association (didn't have a working
car) and kept striking out. We finally got a locksmith who promised to
arrive in roughly 1/2 hour. In the mean time, another friend arrived
and after 20 minutes and two AAA wallet cards, he had the door open.
After looking at the lock and the door jam, the locksmith commended my
friend on his skill at breaking in. It was apparently a next to
impossible feat. And when he put a new bottom door lock on, he drilled
it slightly wider to prevent anyone from being able to do it again.

Thank goodness for the kindness of friends.

My first balcony sunset

This is the photo everyone in the office saw

In fact, it went out in email. Yep, that's the back of me. Playing putt-putt golf. And getting a hole in one!

The office dancing.

So times my office sucks. And the job is boring. But some days, it's
actually pretty rhythmic.

The office lost power. And I just thought I was going crazy

That's pretty much it. I have been very tired today. But when the
whole office when pitch black for a few seconds I thought I was having
a migraine or blacking out for a minute. Nope. It really was the
power. Now my computer is thinking it may turn on again. Sometime in
the next century.

Sometimes you just need a snuggle with a green-eyed friend

807 pictures

807 pictures

807 pictures