Oh, Jo-ohn!

Dear Brother-in-law,

Did you think I would leave you with just a trip to Italy with your family?

No way!

Enjoy!

One wakeboarding boat.Two wave-runners; one silver, one red!

Mendocino... aaah...

Let us return to the 2009 blog give-away...

This one is for you, Mae.

This is one of the more obvious gifts, I have to admit.

If you were to ask Amanda what she would buy if she had a million dollars, she would say, "Sea Arches in Mendocino."

If you were to Ask Amanda if she could live anywhere in the world, she would say, "Sea Arches in Mendocino."

If you were to ask Amanda where her favorite vacation spot is, she would say, "Sea Arches in Mendocino."

Are you seeing a pattern here?

So my make-believe gift to Amanda is...

An all expense paid trip to the Bahamas!

... just kidding. How about, "Sea Arches in Mendocino."

So not only do you get the house, but the two golden labs, Jake and Lucky, come with the house. And you are also the proud new owner of the Gallery Book shop in town. You have to make a living somehow, right? Money doesn't grow on trees!

Just kidding! In this fantasy world it does. (Well, not actually a tree, more like a low growth shrub of sorts...)

I just thought it would be fun to have complete access to an whole inventory of books - AND- you are right across the street from Out Of This World, the second best shop in the village.

So tonight you can pretend that tomorrow you get to pack your things and move to Mendocino, where you can fall asleep to the distant sound of the Fog horn, then wake up and work on your garden, play catch with the dogs, have afternoon tea, then curl up with a good book in front of the fireplace.


Enjoy!

More of the 2009 blog give-aways are coming. It's just that being a philanthropist is hard work! Now I know how Oprah feels! (please note that I am totally making fun of myself...)

And...

I told my kids the other night at dinner that I thought I would implement a new rule. They don't have to eat *fill in the blank* that they don't like if they can make a rhyme about it.

I know. It doesn't make sense. But I thought it would be fun.

So the offending food that night was Lima Beans. Yeah, right! Like they can make a rhyme about Lima Beans!

Ashlynn (in less than 1 second): Lima Beans, collard greens, peachy keen, Veggie Tales!

Dang you, Veggie tales!

I guess it was a silly idea anyway.

Villa Toscana

Lisa (the other one), I hope you can tell from the title that this one is for you.

My sister in law is well known in the family for her mad culinary skills. My children have written school papers about how yummy Auntie Lisa's cooking is. Briggs said something along the lines of "Mom. Auntie Lisa is the best chef in the world, but I still love you."

So my imaginary boat load of money is taking Lisa (and John by default) to Italy!

Here's how it works:

You will be staying at this awesome villa with your sweetheart while you take an Italian cookery course.

While you are having a romantic time in Italy, your cute brood of boys will be staying with us! Because we've done it before and it will be fun (remember, this is all pretend...)!

Once you have mastered the art of Mediterranean cuisine, your boys will be magically and safely transported to you in Italy where you will be staying in your very own private villa, Villa Orcia. The boys can swim and explore the grounds all day, while you explore the properties of olive oil!



Sogni dolci!

Alooooooha!

This one is for my Mom and Dad.

At little background, 'cause that's how we Hallows's roll...

My mom doesn't like to travel. I don't blame her. It is too upsetting to her system.

My dad does like to travel.

Luckily they have found a place that they both like to travel to: HAWAII!

My parents have discovered that not only is the Hawaiian culture intoxicating, but it is rich in history, which they love. My dad's grandfather was a missionary in the islands in 1908. Their first trip there together allowed them to encounter an unforgettable moment for family history.

I'll give you the good parts version:

A son of a ward member of mine works in the Historical archives of BYU Hawaii. They call the guy and set up a meeting once in the islands. No prior info was exchanged. As they were hanging up the phone after setting up a meeting time, the BYU guy says "By the way, what was your Grandfather's name?"
Dad: James Kirby Allen.
silence.
BYU guy: You are not going to believe it, but I am looking at a picture of your grandfather as we speak.
Chills...

So... here is my gift.

This is your new vacation home to relax in while in the islands. (Don't forget to click on the link to view more details of the house.)

It is located in the upcountry of the Big Island. I chose this location because it is lush and beautiful and peaceful. It also is in close proximity to Parker Ranch - a cattle ranch open to the public (I'm thinking photo ops, Dad) and rich with history.
The house (in my imagination and yours) contains a state of the art computer system equipped with all of the latest photo editing equipment and software. For you, Dad.
You will also have the luxory of driving this car around whenever you visit your vacation home.

And Mom, there is a library in the near-by town of Kamuela.

Mom, an exact replica of your bed and pillows is set up in one of the 5 bedrooms. Sweet Dreams and Aloha!

Welcome home to Pasadena!

This next one is for my lovely sister-in-law, L Ro. (Her husband and son get to enjoy the spoils by default!)

Congratulations! Welcome to your new home!

This lovely home is located in beautiful Pasadena, only 6.5 miles from JPL! That's right, it is only a 13 minute commute for your hubby, which means... more family time!

The home has 5 bedrooms, 5 full bathrooms, a finished basement ( which I will reveal my plans for later!), a pool ( with a gate around it for K Ro's safety) and over 3,000 sq feet of loveliness. Of course, a decorator is included at your disposal to make it your own.

There are plenty of rooms for family and guests to come and stay,or to create your very own craft/sewing room!

And the final surprise in your imaginary gift from me...

I am giving you... Amanda!



That's right! Because this is all in my head, I am gifting you my sister! Why? For days when you are not feeling like the rock star that you are, Amanda will step in and take care of K Ro for you! (You understand, right, Mae?) Consider her a guilt free nanny (that's what I do.) She loves children and they love her. She's great at giving advice when you need an outside perspective and she always makes you feel like the best parent in the world - and you, L Ro, deserve to be reminded of that frequently!

So there you have it, your 2009 Imaginary blog give-away! Enjoy dreaming!

This one's for you, Annessa!

So my mind started racing the other day. (mark, get set... oh no.)

I started thinking what I would do if I won a boat load of money. I quickly moved past all of the boring responsible stuff - mortgage, investing, college, etc. Then I started thinking fun.

This post will be the first in a series where I will gift extravagant, albeit imagninary, gifts upon my family and friends. Money and reality are no object. I can do whatever I want to do to make my loved ones happy! Remember, I'm thinking fun, not responsible.

If you are unhappy with your endowment, just let me know. 'Cause I can return it! (It doesn't really exist, right?)

So my first thoughts were with my sister Annessa and her family. I thought how I would love to send them to Ireland for a vacation. Annessa has always wanted to go there and I would be so excited if I could actually make that happen. Being a strawberry blonde beauty, doesn't she deserve to go to her ancestral homeland?


I would rent them a cottage in a beautiful scenic part of the "Emerald Isle". They could visit castles, the seaside and just take in the beautiful greenery. Here is the cottage you will be staying in. I went for traditional, rather than totally modern.

The Cottage, Glenview lodge.
Following are pictures of the kitchen and one of the bedrooms.
To view more of the cottages quaint surroundings, click here.

I hope you have as much fun imagining this vacation as I did!