Confessions from the Dollhouse

I confess: Dear Candlestick flea… I so wanted to have a love affair with you…. a new venue, new vendors, a change of scenery, fresh blood…. but alas Candlestick, you do not hold a candle to my beloved Alameda… your prices were gauging, your eye candy was lacking, and your ambience was uninviting… You were referenced many a times Alameda, by many of people…. I promise to never stray from you again… The after noon was not all lost…
I always do enjoy a good trip down memory lane…

Do you remember Little Town of Happy People?


What about the Fisher Price camera that you look through and push the button and see different scenes… I saw a giraffe and a zebra on this day…


Remember these charms? I had a wrist full!


Ahhhh classic Nintendo… I still have mine!


Laura Ashley anyone? My pre-teen bedroom was covered… from wallpaper, to bedding, lampshades, to bulletin boards, all that can match your favorite dress!… I think Laura Ashley contributed to my aversion to matching….


I day dream of dollhouses…


I vow that one of these will be my first purchase once I’m a home owner…


A typewritten shameless plug…


This beauty almost came home with me…. wedding wear for the darling?


This beauty did….


My punishment for cheating on you Alameda???… a wicked sunburn….

Last weekend was spent celebrating the darling’s birthday… We opted to take little trip down memory lane, throw in some wedding business, and end with a grand surprise. First up was a trip to Chico… both our alma mater, however we never knew of each other in our Chico days…. It was fun to be in Chico together and reminisce about our old stomping grounds and how our experiences differed… Basically we ate, drank and shopped our way through Chico. Chico still and will probably always remain my favorite food town. Celestino’s was the first stop along with a Margarita stop at Tres Hombres… A stop at Sierra Nevada for some take home treasures and of course a tasting…

A detour at Panama’s to enjoy a famous tea…

And a visit to Normal street bar for a Vodka surprise shooter for me and a beer for the darling… Dinner was none other then Hula’s… quite possibly my favorite meal on earth….

I think the best part of the day was skipping errrr driving down memory lane and visiting all of the houses that we lived in during our days at Chico. The darling only resided in one and was giddy with excitement when we drove up. The house is actually for sale and for a split second we actually contemplated….

My list of Chico residences was a bit more involved. 4 1/2 years equalled 5 different locales, natch!
Year 1- The Dorms- Whitney Hall


Year 2-



Year 3- The Basement


Year 4- The Sorority House


Year 5- Six People Four Bedrooms

But all good things come to an end and we had to leave Chico far too soon then we would have liked… Oneward to take care of some wedding business that will be posted about on We Thee Wed… The final destination was a total surprise for the darling… unfortunately for me he had a small hunch of where we were headed so I threw him off the trail for a bit…. as soon as we turned onto Highway 65 he knew exactly where we were headed… Thunder Valley Casino … a little slice of Vegas in Northern California…. Relaxation, a bubble bath, champagne, dinner, drinks, and a few bets later the darling and I were nestled in bed….

Winner… Winner… Chicken Dinner


An oldie, but a goodie, my favorite machine since 2001…


I’ve ear marked this machine for next time!


Cleaned up for dinner…