Hi From Port Townsend!

Dave, Ryan & Zach

Love my new hat!

Karen & Dave

We had a great day today! Got up early and headed into Port Townsend to walk around downtown and go in and out of all the fun little shops. We had fish and chips for lunch - so good! After lunch we went to Fort Worden to hike around all of the old bunkers, took some fun photos and did some beach combing. More to come...

In Port Townsend, WA!

We are in Port Townsend, WA for our annual spring break trip. More to come...

A New Earth - Oprahs Live Web Event

Last week I had a customer and her husband come into the store to shop and we got to talking. I can't remember what started the conversation or how we got talking about it, but she started to share with me this new book she got from Oprah's latest book club. It is called "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. She told me she was doing this live web event on Oprah's website called A New Earth She shared with me how she is learning to live in the moment and stop all of those little voices in her head that bring her down. I told her how I stay awake at night with all of these thoughts coming and going...what I forgot to do today, what I have to do tomorrow, I go through my "worry list" and then I start to beat myself up for all of my failures, mistakes and weaknesses. We both just connected for a moment and nodded our heads in unison - yes...she knew exactly what I was talking about. I love that, a moment when a complete stranger can touch your life, maybe even change it! I wrote down the information and went home and registered for the web event. I am off to Waldenbooks and/or Hastings to get myself a copy of the book today.

I have read other spiritual books. Some of my favorites are The Four Agreements, The Secret. and any of the books by the Dalai Lama. I am not a religious person but I am spiritual. I was raised Catholic but to my Mom's disappointment I do not attend church and have not raised my children Catholic. I do believe and have raised my boys to believe that there is a higher power and that it does not matter if you believe it is God, Buddha, Muhammad or any other god or goddess - just that we need to BELIEVE. We are a very open minded family and have raised our children to not judge other's beliefs or convictions. So, I am excited to explore this new book and to learn and grow as a human being.

I will be watching the first web cast - Monday night, March 3rd at 6pm (pacific time.) If anyone else is reading this book or doing the web cast, let me know!

Antique Store Photo Safari

Shawna and I went antiquing again today in Moscow. We hit the Goodwill store and the Antique Mall on North Main. I brought my camera in and took lots of fun pictures all of the things I wish I could buy. I did manage to find a few items I could not live without. Check it out!

Found this 1950's yellow pitcher to add to my collection! Love the lid!

I got a green potato ricer to go with my "green" collection of kitchen stuff.

Found these wooden letter blocks with the initials for each one of us in our family and put them in my printer's drawer.

Added these to my new owl collection!

Wine, Cheese, Chocolate & Taxes?

I love my accountant! Carmel Minogue is my accountant and she is the best! All week long I have been dreading my meeting with her to go over my corporation files, personal taxes and to have our annual board meeting for the stores. I just hate talking about taxes and profits and expenses and all that stuff! But, Carmel always makes it easy on me. We started our meeting off with some wine and cheese and crackers! I brought Shawna, our Pullman Store Manager, along to participate in the annual board meeting and we made a little party out of it!

Carmel told us what an amazing job we are doing in managing the two stores. She has been more than just an accountant to me for the past 5 1/2 years. She has been my mentor, big sister, investor and friend! I could not run my stores without her and her staff. We ended our meeting with some chocolate and a refund! Yeah!