Baby Boy Quilt

Not only did I make Christmas gifts for my own family & friends this year, but I made my first commissioned quilt!

A woman at work asked me to make a quilt for her baby grandson.

While not everything turned out like I wanted, I learned a lot (sewing skills & selling skills) & think the quilt turned out pretty cute.

I know kids will latch on to whatever they will latch on to, but I can't help but hope that this little boy will love the quilt for years to come. That hope is why I enjoy quilting.

Christmas in Long Beach

Santa Katie's workshop was a busy place leading up to Christmas. Sadly, Santa Katie isn't nearly as skilled as the real good ol' St. Nick. Maybe it's his hundreds of years' experience...maybe it's his hundreds of elves...but somehow he manages to get all his gifts made & delivered on time. Not me!

Despite what I thought was an early start, & a bit of assistance from Elf Jacob, I still failed to finish & mail out all my gifts on time. One gift (or part of a gift...she also requested placemats) that did get to its recipient on time was a tree skirt for my sister & brother-in-law.

I've had the fabric for this project for months. It took me so long to decide on a pattern. I would make up my mind & start to lay everything out just to change my mind again & again & again. But I'm really happy with how it finally turned out.

One of my favorite little details is the snowflakes in the quilting. Thanks to my new sewing machine (the best Christmas gift from the best boyfriend) I have all these fun decorative stitches.

The fabric is super cute & this was one of my favorites.

And of course I had to get a picture of my tag on the finished project.

Karie got the tree skirt on Friday...barely in time! But it was under her tree for the big day & looked great!

Jacob & I spent Christmas day cooking (ham balls, vegetable casserole, party potatoes) & baking (pizzelles, sugar cookies). My mom safely made it to California (all by herself...I'm so proud) & we walked around Naples looking at the houses decorated for Christmas. Apparently the neighborhood theme was "Movies."

Mom has a bit of a thing for Snoopy.

This was the winner in my mind though! Talk about a Griswold house!

After we'd had our fill of Christmas lights we came home to have dinner & open presents. All in all, it was a wonderful, relaxing day.

I hope that you all had a Merry Christmas as well...full of family, friends, love, & laughter. We missed all of you terribly & wished you could have been here...because it's 70 here & most likely a lot colder where you are. :)

How To: Winning a White Elephant Gift Exchange

Deck the halls with boughs of holly...fa la la la la, la la la la.

'Tis the season to be jolly...fa la la la la, la la la la.

Don we now our gay apparel...also known as tacky Christmas sweaters.

It's that time of the year again...Tacky Christmas Sweater parties, fruit cake jokes, mistletoe hung in inappropriate places, & White Elephant gift exchanges.

Jacob & I have always considered ourselves a fairly skilled team when it comes to White Elephants parties. Somehow we always seem to walk away feeling satisfied with the gifts we have received: suggestively shaped cacti, old school Christmas CDs, a gingerbread house kit, a balloon architecture kit, etc. We didn't just get lucky to get those gifts though, no, we strategized. The keys to winning at a White Elephant party are teamwork, predicting the number of steals, showing no interest in the gift you want, and ultimately, the steal. Under normal rules, we are almost always able to end up with at least one gift we have our hearts set on. This year was a bit different though.

We attended two White Elephant parties. The first was for our job site. We had a wonderful dinner at The Grove followed by the customary 'select gift,'have gift stolen,' 'steal someone else's gift,' repeat. I walked away with a couple of DVDs (Dumb & Dumber and A Christmas Story) & a desk-size bean bag toss game (aka Washers). A few days earlier I had mentioned to Jacob that we should pick up a copy of A Christmas Story, so I was quite happy with my loot. Jacob came out the big winner: a 750 ml bottle of Crown. Teamwork people! Since technically I won the gift, I'm re-gifting it to him & it's wrapped under the tree now. You're welcome, Jacob.

The second party was a bit more challenging. Tiffany & her roommate, Alex, throw a Tacky Christmas Sweater/White Elephant gift exchange party every year. (How cute are we dressed in our matching turtle necks?) As we all settled into our seats, Alex started to tell us the rules. And wouldn't you know it, she changed them on us! Everyone knows the rules of a White Elephant gift exchange, right? No immediate steal-backs & only two steals per gift. Apparently I've taken for granted that those rules are not ones that everyone lives by. Apparently you can decide that you want no immediate steal-backs, that there is no limit on the number of times a gift is stolen (gasp), and that after a gift is stolen, the gift-less party goer can't steal another person's gift (the horror)!

Some great gifts (a 'Hunger Games' picnic bag & a 'Lord of the Rings' Pez dispenser set) & some awful gifts ('Paulie' on laser disk & awful cheap perfume) circulated through the group.While we REALLY REALLY wanted the Hunger Games picnic bag, we walked away with an Egyptian mummy night light, a frisbee promoting "The Room" (apparently one of the worst movies ever made), and a circus character waffle iron. (Can you tell that everyone else at the party works in the film industry?)

Maybe I should add another key component to winning a White Elephant: perspective. Um...my mom is visiting for Christmas & I'll plug in the nightlight so she doesn't get scared in the dark...so...score? Jacob & I love to play frisbee at the beach...so...score. And we had waffles for breakfast the morning after the party...SCORE! We win!

Movember has come & gone...

Some of you may fondly (or not so fondly) remember Jacob's "No Shave November" a couple of years ago. That was the first year we were dating so a lot of my family & friends first met him with that Abe Lincoln beard. Naively, I thought that after college, & now in the real world, he would stick with the well manicured beard that I love so much...oh boy was I wrong.

Our job site observes "Movember." This year, our co-workers showed their support through donations & growing mustaches. So this is what I lived with for an entire month...a creeper stache.

This picture was taken at the company's Christmas party. What are the odds that the year we move from Kansas to California, the company hosts a Western-themed Christmas party?

Jacob was well prepared already having the boots & jacket & obvious mustache. After borrowing a bolo from my grandpa, he was set. Thanks, Papa! I had a bit more difficulty getting into character but thankfully Tiffany let me borrow a shirt & a belt buckle so I could pull off the look.

We had a great time at the party! Jacob finally two-stepped with me. I was able to meet his co-workers from last summer & several peoples' spouses. And I met the mechanical bull! Sadly/Happily/Luckily there's no big story to tell...but I can now say that I've ridden a mechanical bull.

While the mustache worked for the party, don't worry, it was gone the next day. And now, a couple of weeks into December, I am happy to say that the beard is back!

Holiday Weekend

We had a great Thanksgiving!

Wonderful food, wonderful company.

Everyone said Tiffany made a delicious turkey.

And apparently Seaton liked my pumpkin pie!

Jacob & I had today off from work & will be enjoying a relaxing weekend.

I'll be sewing; he'll be working on a few projects around the apartment.

Maybe we'll decorate for Christmas...now that Thanksgiving has officially passed.

Sunday's high is supposed to be around 80 so we may have to spend the afternoon at the beach.

Happy Thanksgiving

(Apparently we do get some fall leaves in SoCal!)

There is so much to be thankful for today: the new adventure Jacob & I started this summer, our jobs, our wonderful families back home & the technology that helps keep us connected, our family out here who is spending the day with us, & the Coco Bolo's recipe we smuggled out of Manhattan!

We're spending the day cooking with Jake & Tiffany, calling family & friends back home, watching football, watching Harry Potter, drinking sangria, & hopefully we'll get a few good games of Farkle in, too!

I hope you all are spending the holiday with loved ones & eating lots of yummy food!

I clicked my heels three times...

And found myself back in Kansas. For a weekend anyway...

Jacob & Mom surprised me with a trip back to Kansas for Arkalalah! My 28th Arkalalah to be exact and yes, that does deserve specific mention.

As I was walking through the Wichita airport I saw this...

...and knew I was back in Kansas. I texted this picture to Jacob that afternoon & he begged me to bring some decent beef back with him. Poor guy still hasn't found any decent meat out here.

Mom was there to pick me up & the first stop on our way to AC was to see Bear at work. The second stop was Planet Sub. I am a girl with her priorities in order! I hadn't had a Tempeh Reuben sandwich in MONTHS & to say I was giddy would be an understatement.

It was a wonderful weekend full of family & friends. That's the great thing about Arkalalah weekend...you can see just about everyone you need to see just by walking up Summit Street on Saturday afternoon. We made it to the pancake feed, parade, arts & crafts fair, night show, & too many food vendors to count.

I meant to take pictures to post for you: the carnival, funnel cakes, family, & friends good enough to be family. But as usual, I forgot.

With one exception. I took plenty of pictures of this little guy!

He is just the most adorable thing I've ever seen! Lindsay & Adam are lucky I didn't run off with him. Jacob was warned that he may get a call saying to go buy a crib because I was coming home with a baby.

Lack of Protein

Jacob was talking to his dad on the phone as we were pulling onto the 405 this evening. Because we ride together we're able to use the carpool lane that allows us to zoom past all the other single drivers who have to wait at the light that restricts the number of cars entering the freeway. We love how we're able to do that!

Now we're no experts, but my guess is that a semi can't just hop into the car pool lane to enter the freeway & cut us off, but that's exactly what happened today. As my tendency to get a little worked up while driving is well known, you won't be surprised to hear that my reaction was immediate, passionate, & consisted of one or two words that I can't say in front of Warren.

Rob then made some comment about the hand gestures that must accompany my vocal outbursts. I explained that while I'm quick to verbally insult the other driver, I'm never quick enough to honk or give the bird.

"Must be the lack of protein...it affects your ability to react."

Rob's always one to find a circumstance to ridicule me for being a tree-hugging vegetarian. :)

Stand up...stand up...

So I don't know about you all...but I am PUMPED for this weekend!

I fly out of LAX tomorrow morning & get into Wichita at 1:35 CST. It's going to be a weekend full of my family, my girls, Warren, Arkalalah (darn medallion was found before I could even read a clue), fried food, & Boulevard beer!

And K-STATE FOOTBALL!! I don't remember the last time I was this excited for a game. What a game it's going to be. We're #8 in the nation...playing #7...at home! Thanks to Facebook I was reminded of this video. Please watch it...because I have...about 1,000 times...this week. Practice your fist pumping & jumping...because I have been. And get ready to cheer on the Wildcats!

Trip to San Diego

Last weekend Jacob & I took a little trip down to San Diego!

We were able to tour a new building the company built...an awesome new building. Now that Jacob is officially in the construction business...& I guess I am, too...I'm trying to see beyond a building's "cover" & appreciate all the work behind the walls. So I have to mention all the great finished concrete walls, the polished concrete floors, the stainless steel staircases, & the office pods on cantilevered concrete decks that stuck out from the side of the building. The thought behind the design of the building was impressive, too. The offices, labs, break rooms, hallways, & staircases were all laid out with the intent of increasing interaction among all of the scientists in the building. Also impressive is that upon completion, the company will be applying for LEED Gold certification for the building. But I also have to mention the VIEW! To the North is the Torrey Pines Golf Course (just let the intro play for a bit) & to the West is the ocean. The building sits on a cliff that adrenaline junkies use as a jumping off point for hang gliding!

While we didn't do any hang gliding (maybe next time), we did hit the open water for a bit of sea kayaking to check out the La Jolla caves. A friend of mine from High School lives in the area & we were excited she could come along! Here are some pictures & videos from the day.

We've been kayaking before, but never on the open water. We were out past the point where the waves break & it was so much fun riding the swells as they came in. One surprised us though & Nikki got a close view of the fish she & Jacob were checking out!

You should all be proud of me for being as far from land as I was. Every once in a while I panicked imagining Jaws jumping up out of the water...but thankfully, we didn't see any great whites. We did see a leopard shark though! It was in really shallow water & looked to be about 5 feet long!! There were also a few seals out that afternoon. Yay!

Another thing to note: Jacob was rather obsessed with the birds that were perched on the cliffs. Apparently they're racists. There were very distinct groups of white & black birds...too bad they haven't yet learned that we're all created equal.

New Wave Quilt for Katie (Kenzie)

I am so happy to finally post pictures of this quilt. I started it over a year ago without any solid idea of who it would be for or why I was making it. But then a friend saw it in progress & told me how much she loved it. Perfect, I thought, someone to give it to! And several months later she told me she was pregnant!! Double perfect, an excuse to give a friend a present!

The quilt made it to its new home a week ago. Apparently Katie (pregnant Katie, not me Katie) had a really rough week at work & her daughter had a bad one as well...which of course made Katie's week even tougher. Then Friday...voila! A present in the mail. I was so glad to be able to put a little happy in her week. But I should have known better than to send her a quilt & only send her daughter a book. About half an hour after getting home, Kenzie had already stolen her mama's quilt.

The other day, I got this email:

After a long COLD day, Sis and I are lounging around. I as

ked her if she needed a blanket and she went right over, picked up MY quilt from you and handed me her bird blanket. She said, "today we trade, Momma!" Oh Stinker!

I'm so glad they love it and I'm so glad we have them as friends.

For those who care, the fabric is Tula Pink Hushabye. I actually got the line in both the pink & blue colorways. The pink became this quilt, & the blue, a quilt for Warren.

The pattern is New Wave from Oh, Fransson!. This quilt was my first experience actually using a pattern & I can't say enough how great this tutorial was. Easy to understand, easy to measure, easy to make, etc. I'm so happy with the outcome.

And this was my inspiration for the quilting.

Cup quilt

I finally brought a few personal things in to work so my space would be a bit more homey. But this is something new!

My cups from lunch were leaving little sweat puddles on my desk & seeing as I always have a ton of paperwork all over...well you already know the point of a coaster!

I used some of the BITTY scraps I had left from making this quilt. After squaring up all the pieces from the quilt I ended up with some one-inch wide strips that I didn't know what to do with. Until I realized that I needed a coaster at work. And what better way to personalize my space than to make one myself!

Funny thing...the cleaning crew put my glass cat paperweight on the coaster after they cleaned one night. Kind of looks like a cat napping on a quilt!

Difference between Kansas & California #241

In Kansas, I kept a blanket in my car because Mom worried that I would get stranded in a snow storm...who am I kidding, we don't have snow storms in Kansas...I should say stranded in an ICE storm.

In California, I keep a blanket in my car so Jacob & I can have impromptu lunch picnics.

This is the beach/picnic blanket I started MONTHS ago & just finished recently. Sadly I didn't have it done in time for Jacob's family's visit or Mom & Bear's visit...& this is the only time it's actually been to the beach. But, lucky for us, another difference between Kansas & California is that now we can go to the beach whenever we want so we have lots of opportunities to take this new quilt with us.

I Win!

I think it is well known that I don't like to lose. If you question this, ask my sister or my mom or my college roommate, Kasie...they will have stories for you!

Jacob & I have been playing dominoes a lot lately...& I have been losing a lot lately. So it was a sweet comfort to get this in the mail yesterday:

During football season, the tradition in Umberger is to predict the football score for the week's game. And sometimes we predict the score for Slippery Rock University's game. Why Slippery Rock?! I don't remember...ask Greg. :)

Well, I have never won a prediction before...sad. And surprising given my superior knowledge of all things sports, right?! But all that changed recently...I WON! And Jacob still hasn't ever won a week...like I said...sweet comfort.

Dear Kitties,

I have loved spending my days with you three the past several months. You may have noticed the past week that I wasn't home with you though. Well maybe you noticed, Seaton. Avey & Jackson probably didn't...too busy spooning all day.

As much as I have enjoyed your helping me sew, fill out job applications, play on the computer, and make dinner...and as hard as it may be to get up at 4:30 every morning...I am so happy to tell you that Momma's got a job now!

I'll miss you, but I was not meant to be a house-girlfriend. Getting ready for work on my first day, I was simply giddy. And I think you (and Jacob) will be so happy to have a happy Katie around!

Love,

Momma

*edited to add:

This also explains the recent neglect of the poor blog. So sorry. But rest assured, Loved Ones, that we are happy, healthy, & BOTH employed! I'm now working (temporarily) for HP at Jacob's job site. I help with the billing (which is quite a task on a project this large) so I get to play in Excel all day again! Jacob & I have enjoyed the extra time it allows us to spend together: on the commute & having lunch. Our desks are even super close. Keep your fingers crossed that we don't get sick of each other anytime soon!

Yes, I still sew...

I started these placemats months ago. They're a gift for some friends who got married...in March. She saw the placemats I made for my sister & requested a set of her own. I have no idea what colors are in her kitchen but apples seemed rather kitchen-y, right? Hopefully she loves them.

For some reason I got stuck on the binding of the last one & just couldn't make myself sit down to finish it. I recently got the bug to finish up some WIPs (Work in Progress). So this makes 1 down, 16 (or so) to go!

(Again, sorry for the quality of photos. I need to remember to actually use my camera sometimes & not my phone!)

I'm not sure why this picture is sideways & I don't know how to fix it...oops.

They are in the mail now & on their way to Jacksonville, Florida! While I feel awful they are getting to her months after her wedding...I know she'll love walking out to the mailbox & finding a gift she wasn't expecting.

Our trip to the desert

To atone for the lack of posts recently, I promised to show you pictures from our trip to the desert. Well, I could share a lot, but trust me when I say that you don't want to know all that happened.

I'll be brief.

The holiday weekend started off great! Friday night I met a lot of Jacob's co-workers at a cheese and wine tasting. Then a group of us went bowling and I made a new friend (adorable little 2-year old boy). Saturday, Jacob woke up early to get in on the golf tournament. I slept in, did some window shopping, and went to the spa for my massage and facial. It was oh-so relaxing! Then we grabbed a quick lunch before trying to catch part of the K-State game online (fail). We had dinner with the group and then a handful of us went to the pool until it closed. This all sounds like a nice weekend so far, right? Well it was until...

Jacob started to get sick at 4 a.m. Sunday. Then I joined in. By about 10 o'clock he was starting to feel better while I was getting worse. Ultimately, we decided I should go to the Urgent Care Facility.

And here's where you get to see pictures!

Eight people from our group ended up being sick over the weekend. We aren't sure if we ate bad food or if it was some type of viral thing. But I'm finally feeling better...thank goodness! And thank goodness for Jacob. He was a wonderful nurse the past few days.

Now if only I could get back to my regular diet. The doctor ordered me to have a dairy-free diet for a week. I opted to be a vegetarian...but this vegan business? I'm sick of it. I almost cried last night because I miss milk and cheese so much!

Weekend Away!

It seems like I haven't visited here in a LONG time. Sorry!

Jacob & I are taking advantage of the long weekend & are hitting the road for the first time since The Trip. We're heading to the desert where the forecasted high is 106! Silly Jacob opted to play golf...while I'll be at the spa. I think I win!

I'll try to take lots of pictures to show you next week.xxz (Apparently Jackson wanted to say hello, too!)

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend & GOOOOOO CATS!

Ice Cream for Dinner

To set up this conversation, I have jaw issues. They started around Easter of this year & I was in so much pain I ended up eating only applesauce & mashed potatoes for about a week. My doctor prescribed me a heavy duty anti-inflammatory & a pain killer to get me through it. What happens is that my jaw pops out of socket when I open my mouth too wide or when I move my jaw side to side. The problem recently flared up again & I can open my mouth just enough to eat. Ugh.

Jacob: What sounds good for dinner?

Me: Nothing.

Jacob: Nothing as in you're not hungry or hungry as in nothing sounds good?

Me: Nothing sounds good...except ice cream!

Jacob: You can't just eat ice cream for dinner. You need real food.

Me: But my jaw hurts too much for anything else.

Jacob: Can I get you to eat some applesauce before your ice cream?

Me: I guess.

5 minutes later he offers me some of the Nutty Bar he's snacking on...I take a bite.

Jacob: Your jaw hurts so bad that you can only eat ice cream, huh?

Me: Damn.

A taste of home...

Jacob sent me this text message today:

"If you need a taste of home, take Outer Circle & turn up Lakewood Blvd."

I spent all day wondering what it could be. Maybe he found great donut shop on his way to work & he mentioned it because we both miss Ike's. Or maybe he found a big sunflower garden. A restaurant with the name Kansas in it. A sign with a PowerCat on it. I got excited thinking of all the possible reminders of home.

But I'm lazy...I didn't go check it out. In my defense, I thought I might enjoy it more if we went together. Jacob said that was a great idea, that it would be even better on the bike.

After he got home from work I asked Jacob if he wanted to go check out the surprise. (By then I had worked this little Kansas reminder into something great...not quite defined in my head...but I knew it was going to be GREAT!)

Jacob warned me that the surprise wasn't all that huge...just a little something. (Again, I thought he was just downplaying this GREAT thing so I would be even more surprised.)

Then he spilled the beans...it was a skunk. A dead skunk. On the way to work & on the way home he smelled (& apparently tasted) a nasty dead skunk. He assumed skunks wouldn't live this close so it would be a nice "taste" of home for me to experience.

Um...no thanks...that's one part of home I don't really care to be reminded of.

This weekend we...

This weekend we...

...went to 2nd Street. It was a lot like Mass Street in Lawrence: lots of restaurants, bars, and shops. One major bonus was the lack of those jerky bird fans. I have to remember to take Sam & Karie there the next time they visit.

...ate cupcakes! (Jacob: something chocolatey - nutella-y. Katie: orange cream cheese.)

...made ourselves a little more at home. Jacob hung several things on the wall to make my mom happy - she said we needed a few things on the walls before she came to visit again. Well, things are on the wall, Mom, come visit!

My dad gave me this printer's drawer & it perfectly houses all my thread - both new & vintage. The print was a housewarming gift from my mom. We have ordered the matting for the print but it hasn't come in yet. I was just too excited to wait & nicely asked Jacob to hang it for me NOW!

...enjoyed Avey's help. This is actually a good angle for her! She doesn't look nearly as pudgey as she really is.

...went to the Farmer's Market. I have been craving blackberries so I was excited to find several great berry stands where we picked up several containers of blackberries, strawberries, & raspberries. We also brought home a bag of little petite potatoes (the "gourmet" variety - yellow, red, & purple potatoes) & jalapenos. We're going to eat WELL this week!

...and started a new project...Sunday evening...that did NOT get finished.

Jacob was less than thrilled...

Paddle On!

Last summer Jacob discovered Groupon (angels singing in the background..."Aaahhhhh"). One of his first purchases was a kayak tour with a local company. He knew how much I love kayaking & surprised me with it when I visited. The tour took us through the aquatic backyards of some amazing neighborhoods & part of the Anaheim Bay National Wildlilfe Refuge.

I knew we had to take my mom & sister when they visited because they love driving around & looking at houses (as do I). You can even hear them talking about which houses & boats they would like to have (pretty much any of them!).

I love how Bear starts to show off her kayaking skills...with her paddles backwards! She said she was a pro because she & Zac kayaked on their honeymoon...apparently not.

Jacob thought he was too good to kayak with us...he preferred to try his hand at paddle-boarding. He did a great job & kept his balance the entire time...despite our constant attempts to try to knock him off into the cold water. (Mom was chasing him in the previous video so she could surprise him & make him fall off his board.)

Please do not think more into Mom's comment about her "babysitting house." To clarify, she's talking about when Bear & Zac start giving me nieces & nephews.

The video was taken with our new waterproof camera. Maybe not the best quality but hey, it's waterproof!

Where I didn't respond like my mother would have...

Walking into the Ralph's near our apartment, Jacob & I are constantly asked to sign this petition against online sales tax, sign that petition to help save the oceans, save the tigers, etc. I'm all about political activism & saving the environment...but please leave me be when I'm grocery shopping....I'm already in a bad mood. We've tried being nice & tried ignoring the pair of people (always in pairs) guarding the entrance but I'm still not exactly comfortable with how I want to respond. They are just THERE in your FACE when you leave the grocery store DEMANDING your attention.

Tonight we had to return a Redbox movie & as we left Ralph's we were again asked to sign the sales tax petition. I politely declined & expected to be able to just walk away without any other response as is what normally happens. Nope...not this time...

"I HOPE YOU GET TAXED OUT THE ASS!"

Ugh...I hope you have a nice evening, too, sir. Bless your heart.

Mom & Bear visit

My mom & sister were here for the weekend! We had so much fun at the beach, kayaking, & visiting. It was hard Monday when they both left...especially because Mom was supposed to stay through this week so she could "really see where we live." Two full days was not enough time with them but family calls & we jump into action.

Sunday night, after a whole day on the water, we went out to dinner at the Pike (downtown area). While we waited for a table at the restaurant, Mom, Bear, & I wandered around the boats & all the little shops. We found a hat shop, funnel cake stand, & a pirate store. Mom took lots of pictures (like she did all weekend: "ooh, look, surfers!" "ooh, I need a picture of that bird of paradise, canna, palm tree, etc.") of the people & boats. She also got some pictures of the Queen Mary (to be explored next time).

Dinner was great. We sat outside & because we were all little lobsters it was a bit chilly. Those two had such a hard time believing that the outdoors wasn't air conditioned!

After dinner we HAD to go back to the hat shop. I'm not really a hat person but I found a great beach hat at that store. No, I didn't get the Dr. Quinn hat...

I told you...all day on the water. I'm actually glad my brother-in-law wasn't there to make fun of my raccoon eyes!