Red Geranium

New Accessories

2010-05-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not typically an impulse buyer. I like to assess and prioritize what I am going to need/want and generally have a plan when it comes to saving for something or using birthday/Christmas money. Sometimes when I'm at Target I'll pop a pair of cute flats or earrings into my cart, but by the time I get to check out I feel guilty about them and take them out, simply because they're not part of my shopping agenda for that day. This can be a good and frustrating quality. On the one hand, it prevents me from spending a lot of little money unnecessarily that adds up to a bigger chunk of money. My rule is, if I am still thinking about the item a week later, I will allow myself to go back and seriously consider purchasing it. However, sometimes the coveted item is not available anymore, which can be frustrating.

So there's this necklace that I've been wanting on Etsy for about a year. I found the seller randomly when I was trying to get inspiration with what to do with yo-yos after I had made a bunch and didn't know what to do with them. I thought they were really unique. THEN to add even more fuel to the fire, this girl bought one and wore it to her brother's wedding, and seeing it as part of an outfit sealed the deal. But, we're trying to be good about using the credit card and I didn't really have a good reason/occasion to wear or buy one. Then this Easter I wore a simple grey dress, and I thought this is my chance for a yo-yo necklace, and I can wear it a lot this summer with tank tops...

And then the next thing I knew this pretty little package greeted me one day when I came home from work.

And here she is in all her glory. You'll have to excuse the picture... I just threw it on with what I was wearing so I could throw it up on the blog. I just love it. Without fail, someone compliments it when I wear it. Seeing how it's pieced together, I will definitely try my hand at assembling one this summer. Maybe a new item for the fall craft boutique at church?

And then there's this other accessory that I've been sporting lately, which, if we're friends on Facebook you already know about....

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my 22 week belly picture taken today after work, which explains the scrub pants and rather worn out look. Our second son is due 9/15/10 and is completely healthy. We are so full of happiness and gratitude. The story of God's faithfulness and perfect timing with this baby will come shortly, I promise Internet. I guess at first I didn't want to mention anything until I was in the double digits weeks-wise and the chance of miscarriage was reduced. Then once I passed that hurdle I wanted to wait until after the 14 week ultrasound just to make sure that there were no abnormalities/problems. After we cleared that, I thought well, I may as well wait until we know the sex of the baby... and then I just didn't post anything out of laziness. But now I'm ready to announce and fill you all in on the amazing journey we've been on because exciting things are happening people!! And, as my sister in law pointed out, I really should get back to blogging before I actually, you know HAVE the baby and then shock everyone with his sudden appearance.

Thanks for all the love and prayers. I have missed you all!!

Crafting for a Cause

2009-11-07T22:43:00.000-08:00

Every year on the first Tuesday of November our church has a holiday boutique that is put on by the women's ministry, Women In Touch. Who is the backbone of Women In Touch you might ask? None other than my wonderful mother in law! She would blush and tell you it's not true, but really, it is. She works hard monthly to coordinate their luncheons, the speakers they have, hand makes hundreds of favors a month to set at the ladies' place settings... she's the real deal. To see this big boutique come together year after year under her direction is pretty inspiring. So many people give of their time and talents to provide home made goodies to sell for the boutique, with all of the proceeds going to missions. They even sell some goods from underground churches we support in China and Vietnam - really incredible!

Well, every year AFTER the boutique has happened I tell myself that I will craft a couple of items a month and put them away so I won't have to cram everything in last minute. So far, that hasn't happened. The cramming and jamming seems to be where it's at for me right now. But honestly, I enjoy participating and offering something to sell, so I don't really mind. It's just that I know I could produce a lot more to sell if I wasn't up against the clock at the end. In years past, I've given embroidered onsies. But I didn't have any purchased, washed and ready to go. I was feeling the time crunch and was having a lack of inspiration. Then I was reading this lady's blog (which I do quite a lot) and something caught my eye. She was wearing a fabulous headband that was decorated with yo-yos. I started to get excited. About a year ago I came across an online tutorial on how to make yo-yos so I already had some in a baggie stashed amongst my crafting supplies. I hadn't been sure what to do with them - it was MEANT TO BE!! I grabbed my glue gun and went to town.

They were so easy! And I loved how they turned out! Don't all the colors just make you smile?

I ended up making ten which seemed like a very small, insignificant drop in the bucket. But that's not what it is about. And it really motivated me to get it together for next year. And to make one for myself.

Boo to You

2009-11-07T22:35:00.000-08:00

Round these parts Halloween is pretty fun. It's my Gramps's birthday, so it has always been a celebration. Not into the gory stuff, just a extra fun day to celebrate, dress up and what not. As a kid I loved the dressing up (mostly because that meant I got to wear makeup! and eat candy! and stay up late! all the normally forbidden things when you're 8). Also, if I'm reminiscing about Halloweens of days past I need to include my elementary schools AWESOME carnival, called the Shriek-o-Rama which was soooo much fun - oh, fond, fond memories!! Now, it's just fun to be the grown up in my own home and decorate and prepare for it. Last year was the first year in our house and we were shocked at the number of trick or treaters we had. Apparently, our street is the place to be. And I guess I understand the appeal. It's a cute flat street (in a very hilly little valley) and our neighbors decorate with lights and jack o' lanterns and spider webs. But we didn't feel like celebrating. We had just gotten Gabe's diagnosis and pretty much wanted to keep to ourselves. Handing out candy was the only thing we did. THIS year though, we were prepared and ready to join in the festivities!!

Blitz got in on it too. Joe stuck him in his old EMT jumpsuit, and to our amazement he kept it on all night. It was quite the hit with my family and the kids who came to the porch.

So I invited my folks and my Granny and Gramps over to help me since Joe had to work that night, and I knew it would be busy with kids and thought they would get a kick out of seeing everything since anymore their streets are VERY quite on Halloween. What I didn't know was that since it was the night before Daylight Savings was to end, Joe got to start work an hour late. It was great to have him there too. We carved our pumpkins, got to visit with everyone, and played some rounds of Quiddler (a really fun word making card game), and manned the door. We mostly let my mom have candy duty, which she loved. We live in the same district of the elementary school that she works at, so to see the kids' reactions when they saw her at the door was hysterical. You know, that feeling of weirdness and shock you would have if you ever ran into one of your teachers outside of their classroom in a real place, like the grocery store or gas station? That's what was all over their faces. "Mrs. L? YOU live here?!?!" Then you could hear them muttering to themselves after they had gotten their candy the mind-blowing fact that Mrs. L had given them Halloween candy.

This was the first year that my Gramps didn't carve a jack 'o lantern for himself on his birthday. He just thought that all the carving and scraping would be too much for his hands this year - I wish I knew how to work the scanner, because there are some really cute pictures of him at around 4 with his birthday pumpkin that are priceless. I just love my Granny and Gramps. There is no one like them!! I'll have to do a post some day just about them - they have a very romantic story (well, I think so anyway) complete with a blind date meeting and a war wedding. This past July they celebrated their 67th anniversary. I want to be like them.

So we had about two and a half hours of a solid stream of people, and the grand total of trick or treaters was 168. We had 6 big bags of candy that I had gotten, my mom brought 3 and Granny brought 1 and we still had to send dad out for a candy run to Safeway before the night was over.

Aaaaaand Blitz helped himself to his own treat at the very end of the night. When things died down at the end, I pulled the pumpkins in so they wouldn't get smashed in the street overnight and placed them on the hearth for safekeeping. Ha!! I was in the kitchen cleaning up, and when I walked back into the living room, that's the sight that greeted me. Who knew dogs liked pumpkin?

On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

2009-10-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

This installment of the Red Geranium blogtasticness is not coming to you from your usual lovely hostess with the mostess. Instead her hubby, Mr Red Geranium will be sharing an excerpt from an excellent book I've been reading. Now you might not think this is very fitting with the regular texture of my wife's blog. But from my perspective its required reading. Even though most (if not all?) of the readers of the blog are of the fairer sex, I don't see that it matters and I believe this article is applicable. Don't make the mistake in thinking that this is written only for soldiers and police officers. Whether you are a mamma bear who is protective of her anklebiters and can get more involved with your kids' safety at school and in your home, or maybe you need a to encourage your man to become all the sheepdog that he can be...this is a must read. Take another step or three with me up the continuum and away from denial. Please don't live in denial. Its a dangerous place to be . . .

On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
(From the book, On Combat, by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman)

"Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself.

The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for?"

- William J. Bennett
In a lecture to the United States Naval Academy
November 24, 1997

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another.

Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.” Or, as a sign in one California law enforcement agency put it, “We intimidate those who intimidate others.”

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen: a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath--a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? Then you are a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

The gift of aggression
"What goes on around you... compares little with what goes on inside you."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone has been given a gift in life. Some people have a gift for science and some have a flair for art. And warriors have been given the gift of aggression. They would no more misuse this gift than a doctor would misuse his healing arts, but they yearn for the opportunity to use their gift to help others. These people, the ones who have been blessed with the gift of aggression and a love for others, are our sheepdogs. These are our warriors.

One career police officer wrote to me about this after attending one of my Bulletproof Mind training sessions:

"I want to say thank you for finally shedding some light on why it is that I can do what I do. I always knew why I did it. I love my [citizens], even the bad ones, and had a talent that I could return to my community. I just couldn’t put my finger on why I could wade through the chaos, the gore, the sadness, if given a chance try to make it all better, and walk right out the other side."

Let me expand on this old soldier’s excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are dozens of times more likely to be killed, and thousands of times more likely to be seriously injured, by school violence than by school fires, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their children is just too hard, so they choose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.”

Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. As Kipling said in his poem about “Tommy” the British soldier:

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001, when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.” The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

While there is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, he does have one real advantage. Only one. He is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.

There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory acts of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

However, when there were cues given by potential victims that indicated they would not go easily, the cons said that they would walk away. If the cons sensed that the target was a "counter-predator," that is, a sheepdog, they would leave him alone unless there was no other choice but to engage.

One police officer told me that he rode a commuter train to work each day. One day, as was his usual, he was standing in the crowded car, dressed in blue jeans, T-shirt and jacket, holding onto a pole and reading a paperback. At one of the stops, two street toughs boarded, shouting and cursing and doing every obnoxious thing possible to intimidate the other riders. The officer continued to read his book, though he kept a watchful eye on the two punks as they strolled along the aisle making comments to female passengers, and banging shoulders with men as they passed.

As they approached the officer, he lowered his novel and made eye contact with them. “You got a problem, man?” one of the IQ-challenged punks asked. “You think you’re tough, or somethin’?” the other asked, obviously offended that this one was not shirking away from them.

“As a matter of fact, I am tough,” the officer said, calmly and with a steady gaze.

The two looked at him for a long moment, and then without saying a word, turned and moved back down the aisle to continue their taunting of the other passengers, the sheep.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, “Let’s roll,” which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers--athletes, business people and parents--from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

“Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

"here is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men."
- Edmund Burke
Reflections on the Revolution in France

Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.

If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church. They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs. Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to slaughter you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, “I will never be caught without my gun in church.” I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a police officer he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down 14 people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy’s body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?”

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for “heads to roll” if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids’ school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them. Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, “Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?”

The warrior must cleanse denial from his thinking. Coach Bob Lindsey, a renowned law enforcement trainer, says that warriors must practice “when/then” thinking, not “if/when.” Instead of saying,“If it happens then I will take action,” the warrior says, “When it happens then I will be ready.”

It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: You didn’t bring your gun; you didn’t train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by fear, helplessness, horror and shame at your moment of truth.

Chuck Yeager, the famous test pilot and first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, says that he knew he could die. There was no denial for him. He did not allow himself the luxury of denial. This acceptance of reality can cause fear, but it is a healthy, controlled fear that will keep you alive:

"I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency equipment, and kept me flying respectful of my machine and always alert in the cockpit."
- Brigadier General Chuck Yeager
Yeager, An Autobiography

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation:

"..denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn’t so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling. Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level."
And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.

If you are a warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be “on” 24/7 for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... “Baa.”

This business of being a sheep or a sheepdog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-grass sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

Beautiful Night for a Stroll

2009-09-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Wishful Thinking

2009-09-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

I like purses.

A lot.

They are probably my one "big" indulgence. I still have the very first purse I ever was given when I was around 3; navy blue corduroy, with a little leather strap. It was a vital part of my ensemble when I would go on walks around the block with my Granny and we would collect leaves, flowers, rocks and I would stick them in my purse for safe keeping til I got home and could organize my loot. Now it is safely stashed away in my memory box along with favorite books and tiny shoes and a favorite stuffed animal.

Then in my teens, I graduated to all kinds of colorful, patterned, glitzy bags big and small and had Rubbermaid bins that I stored them in since there was such an abundance. When my family went to New York I thought I had died and gone to heaven on Canal Street where you can buy designer knock offs for cheap. Eventually though, I outgrew them and gave them away to some high school girls at my church who were happy for the freebies.

Now, I actually have some very nice designer purses that I love. Joe has seriously spoiled me in that way - and I am totally enjoying that cause I'm sure when kids come that will change. The only problem is, since they are more expensive than the trendy ones I could run into Target and grab, I feel obligated that they should be serviceable FOR.EV.ER. and match any and all seasons/clothes/colors etc. This means that I have had to tamp down my instincts to want the colorful bags and choose the sensible black and browns. But I miss the colors. I miss the fun.

Anyway, I was browsing online today, and I saw the pretty thing above (Kate Spade Westbury Opus-Drawstring in leather) and instantly like the cobalt-y blue color. Ahhh... maybe one day.

What're some of your favorite things to treat yourselves to?

And also, I hope you are enjoying your Labor Day - I know I am!! 12:30pm and I'm on my second cup of coffee still in my PJ's! Not too shabby!

I Think Jane Austen Might Be Slightly Offended Right Now...

2009-09-04T00:12:00.000-07:00

People are weird. I mean, I think you really have to be slightly disturbed to turn the Bennetts, Bingleys and Darcy into brain- eating -undead creatures.

But on the bright side there is finally a version of Pride and Prejudice that Joe can really get into!

(Any others of you out there have guys that're into zombies? Or is it just me?)

We Didn't Have Any Fun At All...

2009-08-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

That was sarcasm. It was awesome. And to prove it, I uploaded 23,000 pictures for your viewing pleasure - cause let's face it, the pictures are the best part.

Hitting the road. So happy!!

Where we stayed...

We noodled around the harbor that the hotel was located at and got our bearings and found some yummy restaurants to try out...

My super generous father in law lent me his super cool Kindle!! Honestly, when I first heard of Kindles, I was a little bit of a snob and thought it was really weird - why would you want to replace a book? I like the way new books smell and the way the pages rustle and crinkle and it makes sense to snuggle up with one. But when they asked me what books I had packed for the trip and I replied no new ones since the one I had thought I might buy was still in hardback and $30.00. My FIL said that we could download it to his Kindle for half the price. So I gave it a shot - and it was wonderful. So lightweight and convenient. I may have to invest in one of those suckers.

We went to Cowell Ranch State Beach and it was pretty much deserted. Perfect spot for a picnic lunch.

This is what happens when you and your husband leave your spot to see something in water. Don't worry, we helped the seagull after we got the shot!

These were the only other people at the beach - fishermen. I was really surprised because it seemed like shallow water to be fishing in. They were pretty fascinating to watch.

We found unexpected little things all over the place... different from what you find in our quiet hometown.

Joe took a 5 hour guided kayak tour from the harbor we were at out into the ocean and 9 miles up the coast... can ya tell he's just a wee bit excited??

This guy kept me company as I watched Joe suit up and take off... closest I've even been to a pelican...

Yeah, he's all for kayaking now. If you know Joe at all, you know that he is a passionate person and goes into something whole hog. He has gone through many a hobby... so it looks like kayaking is in our future. He's all set to head back to Half Moon Bay to get some classes and experience under his belt and dig deeper into it.

And what did I do while he was gone for 5 hours?

I drove the truck into downtown Half Moon Bay and explored a little, then headed back to the hotel and got some coffee and a pedicure at the spa where we had gotten a couples massage earlier in the week. I was a happy camper.

OK, so when we knew we were heading to the coast, we HAD to go to Gorilla BBQ in Pacifica, which is like a 15 minute drive from where we were staying. We had seen it on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network and oh baby, it did not disappoint. I really love good BBQ and this ranked right up there on my list. My brisket sandwich was melt in your mouth!!

Like all good things, it did have to come to an end. But it was so so so wonderful to get away - and it didn't take a faraway trip to really make a big difference. Just taking ourselves out of the normal routine was like a breath of fresh air. No cleaning, meal planning or shopping - just relaxing and going with the flow. Best of all was getting that reconnection with Joe. I married me a good guy. I like him. I enjoy spending time with him. I can't wait for the next chance to get away with him. But 'til then, I will think back often to these last couple of days and be thankful at what we were able to do.

Tinkering

2009-08-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

Awesome flight I took with my Gramps this past April on the Aluminum Overcast - only one of a few original B17s from the War still in operation, just like the ones that Gramps trained pilots on during the war... just chose it to fiddle with on the blog... trying to see if I can reformat photos on here to be bigger... I think I really like how it looks... now I have to figure out how to resize my header in Photoshop -crap!!

A Change of Location

2009-08-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I was all poised to purchase our flight tickets to New York. I had already found a great apartment on Craig's list to rent for a few nights in the city (which incidentally was an awesome way to do it. way more $$$ friendly than a hotel and you get a real taste of the local flavor. oh, and the place was nicer than our house - like newer and completely remodeled.) and then we were thinking we would head to New Jersey to stay with Joe's brother Jake and his lovely wife Lisa so we could see what their life there is like. But I wanted to run the final flight times by Joe before I hit the "buy" button.

He was already into his shift at work. Sometimes that doesn't make for the greatest serious conversation environment - what with the radio and walkie-talkie going off with calls for service and people messaging him on his computer asking questions and stuff. But that night seemed to be a little slow. So I filled him in on what I had found. And he was quiet.

I should probably point out now that the funding for this vacation was anonymously gathered and delivered to us - for us to be able to get away and relax. I can't tell you how completely wonderful, surprising and humbling it made me feel to open up the envelope and see what had been so generously gifted to us. (THANK YOU if any of you who gave are reading this...) The money would cover our tickets and lodging in NY. I had figured that all the extras we would cover.

He finally said that he had been thinking that a trip like that wouldn't be very relaxing or romantic - more like a family vacation staying with his brother and hustling here and there trying to cram all the sights in. Plus, we would need to stick to a stricter budget - so hopefully see a show but beyond that try and be frugal. He had been thinking that if we stayed in California and nixed the airfare, we could really, REALLY treat ourselves to something wonderful and completely pampering... like massages and room service.

Massages?!?! Say no more. I was in. New York will still be there for another time. Point me to the spa!

So that night I searched out quaint and cozy B&Bs and was thinking that it would be awfully nice to head down the coast to see Hearst Castle and stay in Cayucos or Morro Bay. I have fond memories of vacationing there with my family for a few summers through Jr. High and High School and would love to share it with Joe. But unfortunately most of the cute places were booked for the dates we needed. So I expanded my search parameters and called Joe again and asked if he had any ideas. He suggested Half Moon Bay, which isn't all that far from where we are and I was a little bummed because that meant there wouldn't be much of a road trip... and we have an awful lot of fun on road trips together. But then I found this place and that melted away. It just seemed so appropriate for what we were aiming for... besides, don't you think that the ocean is healing and soothing? I sure do. The beauty and vastness of it just completely reminds me of the bigness and thoughtfulness of it's Creator.

Oh yeah, it's gonna be awesome!! It feels so nice to look forward to something... 3 more days. I think I can make it.

Blitz's first time at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, our 4th anniversary 1/29/09

Geez Louise

2009-07-23T00:36:00.000-07:00

Well.

I guess the new header is me dipping my pinky toe back into bloggy -land. I downloaded a trial of Adobe Elements, and I don't even want to tell you how long it took me to arrange one measly banner. *harumph* So if anyone has any great tips on how to make it go faster I would surely appreciate it. Oh, and also how do you get rounded corners on pictures when you edit them? I need step-by-step instructions like you would give to a 5 year old. Thanks in advance!

Of course, this is typical me. Jump head long into something and then get completely frustrated when it doesn't look as fantastical as it does in my mind and come to realize that I don't know what the heck I'm doing.

Also, adding another time-involved project to my list. That is typical me too. I have about 5 rotating projects currently. You'll get the low down on them all.

Other than that, things have slowly ebbed back into a normal rhythm here. I've been back to work since the beginning of April, off of the Zoloft since Memorial Day weekend. Getting excited that we're headed to New York at the end of next month for vacation with money that was generously and anonymously donated to us for a "get away trip fund" after everything happened. We weeded and planted roses and hydrangeas in the front and side yard and still have to tackle the blasted back yard. Keeping up with antics of my crazy dog (he chewed up my reading glasses in a major way). Finally painted our bedroom a lovely shade of grey.

And yes, I'm sure it is on all of your minds so I'll just come out and say it. We're trying again. As in, trying for a baby. I know that there's a school of thought that says you shouldn't really share that news for fear of people pestering you and always asking "So....?", but I'll be frank. There is a part of me that is a little afraid. Afraid that we're doomed to have a repeat. Afraid that we may never get pregnant again. Really, fears that don't have a foundation... even if all those fears came true I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT that God would still be with us, just as good and loving as ever and we would make it. He has shown that to me so graciously these past few months. That being said, I am human and definitely wrestle with those little seeds of fear. So I WANT and NEED your prayers. We've shared this whole journey together, so why not the next part too, whether we get pregnant easily or face a hard time of it? Because you all have been such a support to me - even in my absence from posting - your sweet emails and notes on facebook - oh, what a great group of women to hold me up! And so, would you please pray that we would have an easy time getting pregnant and have a healthy little one?

So there ya go. What started out to be just a line or two to say "hi" became a gumbo of life's recent events. Oh well. Good to be back.

Let's Raise These Families Up

2009-03-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hello dear readers! I have all been keeping tabs on you, and just waiting for the right time to to post my own things. I think up brilliant posts in the shower or while I'm trying to fall asleep at night, but I just am not sure HOW I should get back into blogging. Do I walk you through the whole story of Gabe? Or update you on the mundane things that are going on in my little world? While I am still puzzling that one out, there is something important that I wanted to ask of you, that is not for myself.

I'm sure by now all of you have heard about the 4 Oakland police officers that were killed in the line of duty this past Saturday. To say it hits close to home is not an understatement, and not just because Joe is part of the law enforcement community. You see, one of the officers was our neighbor.

I can't claim a close relationship with him or his wife, but he and Joe would talk shop and they were always friendly. I especially remember him this past Halloween because apparently he had trick-or-treating duty with their little girl, and I'm not sure who was having more fun; him or her.

I don't know whether they're believers or not, but readers, please let's bathe these four families in prayer!! Their fathers/husbands gave their lives protecting a community that is more often than not extremely ungrateful for police presence... what heroes.

I know the community will rally and show a strong sense of unity. There has been between two and ten uniformed OPD officers posted 24 hours a day outside their house since the shooting, and will be until the memorial service on Friday. How awesome is that!! Many of the houses on our street are flying their flags to show we know. We care. We appreciate.

A lot of times it seems like firefighters get all the glory. No one really likes the actual enforcers of the law... and yet, how selfless and brave are they! If you hear a siren, say a prayer for either an officer one you know, or just for law enforcement in general. I try and do that. It's a tough, often thankless job. One where there's no guarantee of safety, we just assume it will work out that way.

All this to say, I know what strong prayer warriors you all are, and I know how strongly prayer works. I have seen it demonstrated time and time again these past five months. I know there is nothing as soothing and as comforting as the peace that God can provide, and I wish that for their wives and children. Won't you join me in asking for that for the families? Thank you dear readers...

On Today

2009-01-15T21:28:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was not a good day emotion wise. I cried a lot. Grief is such a weird thing the way it leads you through so many different thoughts and feelings one right on top of another. Sometimes one of the hardest things to deal with is that life just seems to keep right on moving on like he (Gabe) wasn't even here. Even my own body seems completely traitorous in the fact that it has snapped back into shape (don't throw rocks at me) without a sign that he was there. I just want to slam on the brakes because I don't feel ready to move on just yet... makes me want to climb onto the roof of my house and scream "does ANYONE understand what just happened to me? " And yet, one of the comforting thoughts is that life won't always be like this - the sting and sorrow won't always be this strong. Even on not good days, I am noticing little glimpses of the joy that will be restored to us again in small ways.

So today was a better day than yesterday and here are the little things that helped make it so:

Kisses from Joe & Blitz

Taking a real hot shower without fear of "stimulating" things

Watching Angie Smith's video and feeling like I know her personally - what a lady!!

Downloading Beyonce's "Put a Ring On It" and Britney's "Circus" (don't judge me)

Finding this verse and of course applying it to Gabe: "But now,thus says the Lord, your Creator, and He who formed you, 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.' " Isaiah 43:1

Granny's soup - I swear it's better than a magical elixir

A spring-like day

Loving and understanding family

Sweet emails in my inbox and cards in my mailbox

The DVR simultaneously recording Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares & The Office

Freshly washed bedsheets

Baby steps. But it's good. Here's hoping it continues on in that direction.

Gabriel Joseph

2009-01-09T01:40:00.000-08:00

Well friends, there has been a dark cloud over our heads here since October 14, 2008. So dark in fact, that I considered stopping this blog all together. But one of the things that I like best about this whole bloggy world is the transparency that comes along with it - to a certain degree anyway. I know that the bloggers I feel the most inspired by and connected to are the ones who lay it all out there. When tragedy struck me was I going to run and hide, or be honest about it and maybe, just maybe my experience might be able to help others?

I decided that I would keep the blog going, and I know that it will be a good tool to help me deal with the hardest loss I've ever had to face. Bear with me dear readers, I will fill you in with segments on the journey that Joe, myself, and our precious son Gabe went through the past 2.5 months and how God has been mightily at work in our lives in a seemingly hopeless situation.

For now, I will tell you that on December 30 at a routine Dr's appointment, they were not able to find Gabe's heartbeat, and that he had passed away due to heart failure - I was 6 months along with him. Prior to that in October we had received the devastating news that he had a random chromosomal disorder (Trisomy 18), which was basically a fatal diagnosis. We were hoping that he would make it full term... here's the email we sent out after the doctor's appointment on 12/30/08:

Friends and Family,

Kate and I found out today at our Dr's appointment that Gabe passed away due to heart failure. We were hoping for him to make it to full term (he was at 6 months now) and get to at least share a few moments if not days to hold and interact with him, but it wasn't meant to be. The next step is we will call tomorrow morning to schedule an appointment in the following few days to induce labor. Please pray that the labor goes smoothly and for strength for Kate during the labor and delivery which the Dr expects to last 24-36 hours. One thing that we praise God and are thankful for is we got the results of the amnio, and Kate and I are not genetic carriers, so there is no increased risk for a Trisomy 18 baby in future pregnancies.

As King David said when his and Bathsheba's son died, "I will go to him"...it looks like we'll get to go hang with Gabe in eternity. Its a comfort to know where he is and that he already has a new body and is not feeling any pain or suffering. Thank you for all your kind words of encouragement and prayers throughout this journey. Look forward to seeing all of you soon and we covet your prayers and our relationship with each and every one of you. Your support during this time has meant the world to Kate and I.

Love,

Joe and Kate

"Gabriel" means God is my strength.... Psalm 18:1-3 conveys it well: "I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies".

So I was induced on January first, and after 22 hours of labor delivered our sweet boy, Gabriel Joseph, on the 2nd at 1:21pm. He weighed 1 pound and 7 ounces and was 12.5 inches long, with dark hair. I came home the following day, and now am trying to recover. It is hard to have the remnants of pregnancy to have to heal from and deal with, and not have the baby. But God is so good friends. And do you know, if I had to do it all again, I would. Now, that is not saying that I want another Trisomy baby or anything like that... but if it was between having Gabe in my life or not, I would definitely choose to carry him all over again. I am amazed at how God used a little boy who didn't speak a word or even open his eyes to change me and Joe and all who heard about our situation and in the process, to reveal Himself to us.

Be patient with me. This whole time has been filled with some good days, some bad, and that is still the case. Don't be offended if I don't read your site right now or don't comment... I will eventually. But in this healing process, I need to protect myself too, and for whatever reason, there was a large group of us in the blog world who were all pregnant at the same time, and that is just too hard to deal with right now, though I wish you all nothing but the best. And my own posting about how all the events unfolded may be rather slow... as my body mends and my head clears I will try and get back into the swing of things. I know it will come.

Insurance...? And more belly pics...

2008-10-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

So, about a month ago when I started to see a slight swelling of my belly, I thought it was time to go purchase some belly butter. I know that really it's all up to genetics as to whether or not stretch marks will show up on your body, but I thought that even if I developed them, I would feel better about the whole thing knowing that I had been proactive and at least tried to do something to prohibit them. And anyways, it certainly couldn't hurt anything... right? So I ended up with this wonderful stuff from Burt's Bees - wow is it yummy. I love that it doesn't smell coconutty and a little goes a long way. I just rub a little on after every shower and head on my way. I'll report on if it helps at all, or not.

We had a Dr's appt on Thursday and got to hear the heartbeat for the first time which was awesome!! The nurse practitioner had a little bit of a time actually finding the baby, and I'll admit, I did start to get a little nervous as I laid there on the table just waiting to hear it. Even with her reassurances that it usually takes a little while to find it and that nothing was out of the normal I don't think I exhaled until I heard the fast little "bomp, bomp, bomp" clear as day and couldn't help but grinning. Everything measured great, she was pleased by my weight gain (7 pounds total so far) and we got the appt date for the BIG ultrasound where we find out what Baby K is packing - October 30. I am so excited for it! Now here is where it gets interesting. I feel that this baby is a girl - I really couldn't tell you why I think that, I just do. When I close my eyes and picture the three of us I see me, Joe, and a little girl. Now, that is not to say that I would not be thrilled by a boy - I don't care either way one iota. Joe is guessing that it's a boy, although the baby's heartbeat was in the 148-153 range, which according to the old wives tale indicates a girl and I think for a split second he wanted to change his guess, while I just got a kick out of it, but tried to take it with a grain of salt. So to all you mamas out there, was your "intuition" correct? Did the wives tales pan out for you or is it all really a crock?

14 weeks

16 weeks

Well, here are the belly shots. While I can note definite change, it really is not at all dramatic in clothes, and most people are still surprised at how far I am and how little I show. All the ladies at work monitor me constantly, and I think they're more excited for me to really "pop" than I am - and let me tell you, I'm excited to. To me, it just seems like a pot belly and not a baby bump - or at least that's what I think most people assume when they see me. Oh well. I know that in the next few weeks the baby will go through some big growth spurts and in turn will make me grow... it's just this phase is a little weird. But one thing that is helping me get through it is the Bella Band - wow that is one amazing invention. It was frustrating being mostly too small yet for things in Maternity Land, but clearly being too big for my khakis, dress pants and skirts, this thing has comfortably extended their lives to get me through a few more weeks and I love it!! (And it will definitely help me get back into them after baby. ) Well, that and I did stop by Old Navy's 75% off sale and get a couple tops in a larger size and a pair of pants that were the larger for me.

Just for funsies it occurred to me that this was the last image of my living room that you all saw...

and now it looks like this:

So cozy! I love it. I love the crisp, chilly weather we're having right now too - Fall is the best. Last weekend I bought some mini pumpkins and Indian corn for the mantle and mums for the porch - next will be heading out to the pumpkin patch - fun! And now dear readers, I'm off to either nap or walk Blitz... hmmm, which will it be?

The Student

2008-09-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

So, I've gotten a few inquiries as to how Blitz is doing since his return home. Simply put, great! No signs of pain or limping, and while there is a definite small bump on the front of his right leg, we think it might be more like scar tissue that swelling as it doesn't feel warm to the touch. He settled right back in with us like he never left, and still loves playing with his green squeaky ball and laying in the bathroom between the wall and the toilet and being in the kitchen. The biggest change has been his size. When he left he looked like this:

And now he looks like this:

Sometimes it's hard for me to remember that he still does have quite a bit of puppy in him still just because he looks full grown (which he is not quite yet) when he's getting into something he's not supposed to or driving me a little nuts during his "bewitching" hour of about 8pm-9pm. We try to walk him twice a day and that really helps him be a contented hound in the house; no crazy rampages thru the living room grabbing all the pillows off the love seat or sticking his head in the hampers to grab socks to chew on. The weirdest thing that happened lately was that at my family birthday dinner last week, we brought him to my grandparent's where the dinner was at, and he was a prince the whole time. Then, as the dishes were being cleared to make way for the cake and coffee Granny went out into the garage, Joe went to help her and Blitz followed right behind. Joe heard a "crunch" and looked down and saw that Blitz was munching on a half- hidden -under -the- dryer tray of rat poison. My Granny and Gramps felt so horrible - they didn't even remember that they had any poison down. So after a call to poison control, trip to the emergency vet ($$$) he is just fine. By doing that, he also managed to weasel out of the appointment that we had for him to be fixed... yes, he's a smart one!

Last Tuesday night was our first night of obedience school with him, and it was really fun. Lots of good tips and techniques and he seems to be a pretty quick learner. We just have to be diligent with the homework. So, we'll just continue one day at a time with him and enjoy him to bits - which is easy to do. He is gorgeous to look at and has personality out the wazoo!

Some Secrets Are Too Good To Keep

2008-09-12T22:18:00.001-07:00

Well folks, no beating around the bush - save the date of March 25, 2009 because Baby K has chosen that approximate day to make his/her grand arrival into the world!! To say that Joe and I are thrilled would be a severe understatement. So far, I'm 12 weeks and feeling good. I feel very fortunate that I only had 2 little bouts with morning sickness, and the biggest symptoms I've had so far would be extreme fatigue and my skin reverting back to looking like I'm 13 again (yuck!). There are so many thoughts swirling around in my head, I don't really feel like I can write cohesively, so I think I'll just address the most asked questions list style... and just so you all know, I did want to spill the beans a while ago, but if any of our nearest and dearest found out about the baby via this blog and not us telling them, we would've been in some hot water. So, with everyone accounted for, now I can let all you in on the most exciting thing taking over our lives, and my body!

Yes, this was a planned pregnancy. You know how there are some points of time that are just seared in your memory? Well, on Thanksgiving Day '07, Joe came to me and said that he felt we were ready to start a family, and some other really touching things. So together, we threw away the circular pink pill pack, and eagerly expected in a month or two to find out that we were pregnant. But the road to pregnancy was a little longer than I thought it would be. By the fifth month, I was starting to get a little nervous and wondering what exactly was the hold-up, and by the sixth month I felt positive that something was wrong. But not Joe. He never wavered or stressed about it, and said that we would cross that bridge if and when we came to it. I tried not to focus all my thoughts and energy on it, but it felt like everyone and their mother was coming out of the woodwork to announce they were expecting. I was aware of when I would be ovulating, but I didn't use the sticks anymore to tell the exact day since that was kind of taking the fun out of it, and didn't seem to really work anyway and decided that I would try my hardest to enjoy the "now" rather than the "someday". On the night before we left for San Diego, I realized that I was supposed to get my period while we would be down there and was trying to figure out what supplies I should pack - but would I get it? Would this be the month I wouldn't? I was kind of tired of the whole hold your breath to wait and see, and then be all disappointed when it comes. I didn't want to ruin the vacation for Joe with a poor attitude, so I thought that I would take a test that night, it would be negative since it was a good 4-5 days before I would be getting it, and I could mentally "prepare" myself for it. So I grabbed the stick, peed, and before I could even lay it flat two lines instantly popped up.

Positive prego test July 14, 2008

Shocked doesn't even come closed to describing the panoply of emotions that all coursed through my body while I was staring wide-eyed at those lines. I closed the window in the bathroom so my neighbors wouldn't hear me and think something was wrong and screamed my head off. Of course, since it was night, I was home alone and seriously thought about calling Joe and shouting it to him over the phone, but at least had enough clarity to realize that probably wasn't the best way to convey to him the news that he was going to be a daddy. I had bought and tucked away a little bib for just such an occasion that had a picture of a stick figure cop with the words "my daddy is my hero" and I laid that along with the pregnancy test on top of his packed suitcase. That was a hard night because I knew I would have to do a fair amount of driving the next day, but I was so excited/pumped/shocked/moved I couldn't sleep a wink... and every so often I would flick on the light, walk over and look at the stick just to make sure the two lines were still there with a dumb grin on my face. When Joe finally did get home the next day, his reaction was everything that I could've hoped for - I wish I had the camcorder then to record his reaction. There was lots of hugging and kissing and disbelief and more hugging and kissing. I don't think there have been two happier people leaving on a long roadtrip - we floated out of the house.

Yes, we will find out what the baby's sex is. The big ultrasound is for sometime around Halloween, and hopefully baby cooperates. We've got names "fairly" settled - if you ask Joe, they're pretty much locked in, but I'm a little more hesitant to say "yes, that's the name I want my child to have for all eternity!". And Joe has proved pickier about names than I ever would've thought... especially the ones for a girl. So wish me luck.

First sonogram at 5 weeks on July 24 due to some spotting. They wanted to check to see if they could find the sack since the baby wouldn't show up yet, and they did as indicated by the two little plus signs - it's the dark rice shaped thing above them.

9 week sonogram on August 20 - the head is pointing downward, you can see a teeny arm, rounded belly and little leg. It was so amazing to see something so tiny yet so incredibly alive. The tech would poke it a little with the wand and we would watch it wiggle and squirm... watching the heart pump was awesome too.

No, I haven't really had any cravings yet. In weeks 5-7 where I did have my little bout of sickness the food that sounded the best to me were tart things like lemonade, pineapple, grapefruit and sour green grapes. Now I'm fine to eat anything, although chicken and any seafood doesn't really sound all that appetizing... I mean, I could eat it and not gag or anything like that, but I would rather have salad or cereal. I still don't really look pregnant, just a little bit of a chubby belly (which is kind of odd to see what was once flat now bloated looking - sweet flat stomach please return to me!!), but it hasn't "popped" yet, as you can see below. Please excuse the dog walking clothes, dirty mirror, and poor photography in general. I didn't have a of patience to fiddle with it tonight, but I wanted to be able to post something, so this is all I got.

12 weeks along

So from here on out, this blog is going to be saturated with baby stuff. Because I've got baby on the brain. When I think of the roles that Joe and I will be stepping into to fulfill I am filled with awe... so much of this is completely out of my control. Sure, you do the best you can with taking vitamins, eating healthy and reading up on how to do things, but for the big things, I am not in charge. The Lord has already written this little babe's birth story and life story and knows what qualities He will endow this child with. We are merely tools to accomplish those things and bring out those qualities. This is another way that the Lord is bonding Joe and I together, truly forever - there will be this perfectly created and entertwined combination of the two of us to make up one brand new person - world, are you ready?

Guess Who is Coming Back Into My Life?!?!

2008-07-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

As of next Thursday, BLITZ!!!!!!! For good! This is just the icing on an already big, fat, gooey-chocolaty cake. Life is so peachy right now...

Oh, and San Diego was great. Tropicalish, relaxing, fun... but that seems like old news and much less interesting than that other little gem of information!

Skeedaddle off to San Diego

2008-07-14T18:19:00.001-07:00

In less than 12 hours we'll be on the road bound for sunny San Diego, and this sweet, sweet resort (thank you Hotwire!) which we got a steal of a deal on. Then it's up to Long Beach to see folks we love. I think the laptop is coming with us, so I might post some pics along the way... have a great week!

I Want to be the Next Elle Woods!!

2008-07-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

OK, not really.

But all my secret Broadway/musical knowledge geekiness has been brought to the forefront by this show:

Shut up. Stop laughing. I'm baring a part of my soul here people!

MTV is doing a reality show to replace the current lead in Legally Blond the musical, and it has me hook, line and sinker.

When I was little I was quite good at singing and did lots of theater in church and the community and even got contracted to do some Christian kids musical recordings. Then junior high came along and the pond was a lot bigger, and I got a whole slew of insecurities about how my voice matched up to others and what a scrawny bean-pole I was - I didn't want to be the center of attention. Then high school came and I didn't have the cojones to enter into that super clicky world... so my little musical ambitions drifted away, although I am still an avid lover of all things Broadway. A highlight of my life was when on family vacation in New York in '03 I won front row tickets to Wicked, and got to have Kristin Chenoweth sing right in front of me. She was so close I could have reached out and touched her sparkly-blue Glinda skirt.

I love seeing the auditioning process and imaging myself there; although, Elle is not a role I would ever get. She's just not me. I think that if I could cast myself in a show, I would be Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie. She's got moxie. And I can bring that too. I'm rooting for Lauren (the young one).

House Guest, Doggy-Style

2008-07-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the kind comments regarding Blitz. While it doesn't sting as much, I still feel bummed out and while I know its rather pitiful, I still ask Joe if maybe there's kind of anyway possible to perhaps somehow bring Blitz back. So far, no luck. Hmmm.

Anyhow, to further exemplify how kindhearted our breeder Al is, we have this girlie crashing at our casa. Meet Tilda, she's Blitz's mom.

On the day that Joe returned Blitz, Al felt very bad for us that we wouldn't have a dog in the house, so he offered to let us take one of his dogs temporarily. She may be here with us for a couple weeks or months depending on when her new kennel down in SoCal is ready for her (cause remember Al is sending her down to his business partner so that they can keep Blitz?). Joe and I agreed that she is the best trained dog that we've ever been around. You tell her something once and she does it. Yeah, the difference between a 4 year old dog and a puppy is huge. She is very sweet and mellow - mostly she just wants to lay around the house, and she is completely glued to Joe. She likes me, but she loves him. Sorry that these pics aren't the greatest. They were taken late one night in the gym/garage as she was being brainwashed - er, I mean introduced to the Crossfit workout program.

Last night Joe and I took on a new role as Advice Givers to Young Couple About to Enter the Law Enforcement World. It was fun and a little weird - it just pointed out to me that we have come quite a ways. Funny that they would want to pick our brains about what to expect and how to cope when it still feels like we are feeling our way through a lot of it still. And will continue to. Cause that's just the nature of the lifestyle. But it was really nice too... I didn't have someone who had gone through it to talk to, so if I can be that to someone else, awesome! Since Justin got hired into the same department as Joe, I hope that we'll be able to build a friendship with them. I really liked his fiancee Kirsten - she was very nice and down to earth. We don't have a lot of couple friends who are in the department, so this would be a very welcome development.

Plus, it was an opportunity to get some Greek food. Who doesn't like that?

Heartache

2008-06-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

I don't want to write this, because if I do, it will make it seem all the more real.

Joe left this morning with Blitz to return him the the breeder, Al.

To say that we are sad would be a monumental understatement. Since last Thursday, things have really sucked around here. Let me explain... Last Monday Blitz was at my folks house for the day while Joe was sleeping and I was at work. I got a phone call from my mom as I was walking out of work asking me to come straightaway to her house, something was wrong with Blitz's right leg. When I got there, he had a swollen spot on his foreleg that looked like somebody had shoved an egg under his skin it was that puffy and a significant limp. My mom had no idea what happened because she was with him the whole time - no falls, yelps of pain, she didn't see any bees outside next to him, nothing. She had put him in his crate for an hour while she went to a Dr. appt and when he went in he was peachy, when he came out he had a bump and a limp. I wasn't really that worried, because he let us touch it and didn't seem in pain or agitated. So I took him home, iced it, and got an appt for him the next morning with the vet.

Joe took him to the appt, (another 500 bones spent) they did Xrays which confirmed that there was no break or fracture, so they thought it was most likely a spider bite that got infected and sent him home with some antibiotics. The lump went down, he perked right along, and we thought all was well. Until Thursday afternoon when the vet called with devastating news. He had had a radiologist look at the xrays, and right off he noticed that something was wrong; Blitz's joint was malformed, which had cause his bone to slip out of place, and caused all the swelling. He explained that if you cup your left hand and place it over your right hand that you've got clenched in a fist, that is how the joint SHOULD be formed to rotate and bear pressure properly. Now, make both hands into fists and place them knuckle to knuckle, and you have how Blitz's is formed. They said that the more he grew and heavier he got, the more pain he would be in, and more unstable the joint would be. There were three ways to fix it:

1. Surgery on the joint that would cost upward of $5,000. We would have to severely limit his exercise an activity so as not to re injure the joint, then when he would be a year old and done growing they would preform the surgery, and then he would have to be casted/splinted for 8-12 weeks while it healed.

2. Amputate the entire leg including the shoulder blade. Since he is so young he would recover very quickly and should adapt with no problems. But what the hell kind of quality of life would that be for him?

3 Euthanasia (ick, ick, ick!!)

Option #1 was out because even if we could afford that kind of treatment for him, with our schedules how could we care for him with limited movement/exercise??? German Shepherds NEED an outlet for their energy, and even if the surgery was done, there's no guarantee that it would be successful or require something more, and where is the $$$ line that you draw? That really left it between #s 2 & 3. I just didn't feel good about #3 AT ALL. He is so full of life and has so much to offer - how do you just snuff that out? I am all for ending it when pets are in pain or beyond any other help. But for the love of Pete, this is a puppy - who happily chews his ice cubes and digs in the backyard and fetches his ball and sleeps on your feet while you stand at the sink and do dishes. So option #2 was looking more like a possibility, but I knew deep in my heart that it would probably dampen the quality of his life just to keep him in ours. I cried a lot. Heck, who am I kidding? I still am.

Friday I got a flu bug and we had one of the hottest days of the year. Oh yeah,and my period too. Poor Joe. I was a nauseated, cramping, crying mess who felt that I was about to spontaneously burst into flames. So he took me and Blitz to my folks to the sanctuary of their AC and we stayed there over night since he had to go to work and he smartly realized that I was in no condition to be left alone.

So we waited, and waited, and I cried and cried. It seemed like no matter what we chose it was a crap decision, and one that didn't have a great outcome.

Yesterday, Joe took Blitz to the breeder's house so he could see him with his own eyeballs. Al and his wife Sylvia are such loving people. My goodness, what they offered to us and to Blitz was more than generous and really shows their character. They felt very strongly that they needed to "make it right", and wanted us to entrust Blitz to their keeping, for them to raise. Even though his condition is not hereditary, simply a birth defect, they felt the need to step in and basically give Blitz the best care and life possible. They will not put him down and they will not amputate. While they have never had this occur in a litter they have bred, they have owned other shepherds who have had joint issues so they know all the intricacies of how to care for him with the types and amounts of exercise, joint supplements, etc. When he is a year old, they will have the joint surgery done on him in Mexico where it will be much cheaper and they have family, and he will live out his life as a family pet to them. There's a part of me that screams "just tell me what to do and I'll do it!! anything!!"... but I just don't have the set-up that they do, or the expertise to deal with something like this. They are also going to give us a another puppy from a littler they hope to have born sometime in the late fall. I have mixed emotions about that... yes, I want a dog very badly, but dang it, I want the one I had.

So last night as Joe and I were discussing all this I was still feverish hoping against hope for a miraculous healing, it was becoming very clear that we had to accept Al's offer. It was truly the best thing for Blitz. Honestly, the best possible scenario - his body stays intact, he stays alive and there's no one else who could care for him as well. And what is truly amazing, it that for Al and Sylvia to take him, it is a sacrifice for them to do so as well. The zoning laws where they live says that they can only have 3 dogs at a time, and they already do. They will send one to his friend Luis is LA so that Blitz can stay with them. Talk about above and beyond.

I sure cried a lot this morning as I gathered some things that needed to go with him to his new home. Part of me feels silly, because it is not like I lost a person in my life, and in the scope of things, this is a relatively small loss compared to what other people in the world are dealing with. But... he was my buddy. Always close by me, following me around making his funny little noises. It is sad to think that for awhile it will be just me here at night.

That is a very lonely thought.

Ahhh, Thursday

2008-06-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

I used to love Thursdays because in was NBC's "must watch" line-up; you know, Friends, Seinfeld and ER. Now I love them because they are my breather day during the week. One little 24 hour period with no work, and lots of options for how to spend my time. I look forward to them like you can't believe because I know that the majority of the week is over, with only one more day to plow through and then the weekend. Thursday is the only day off that Joe and I have together. We try to make the most of it by combining our energy to get through yard work, housework or errands, but a lot sometimes we don't even make it off the couch and out of our PJ's. That's nice too. Even though I still wake up at 5:45am because the little beastie is ready to start his day, I don't really mind. I can have myself a nice leisurely cup of coffee (or two), watch the Today show and browse blogs. Heaven!! On the docket for today: must go to Old Navy to get some new summery type tops and some clothes for Joe, then head to the mall to see if I can get a pair of jean capris and a skirt or two for work/church, and a summer pair of dress shoes - I'm thinking wedges. I really haven't spent money on clothes for awhile because I feel like our money should go towards things for the house and yard to try to get it to a more finished state, but... time to bite the bullet. Then tonight, time to assemble the desk!! I have extracted a promise from Joe that it will happen, because I fear if it doesn't, the boxes will sit there for another week. And that would drive me up the wall. Then I'll have plenty of time to cook a great dinner, walk Blitz and curl up on the couch with my boy. Can't beat that. Let's see how many of those things actually happen!

Can It Be... ???

2008-06-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Oh yes it is... here I am!! Oye, what a month it has been. On May 10th, we were able to bring Blitz home. It is so much fun having him here with us - and a LOT of work. Luckily, he took to sleeping in the kennel at night really well, and after a week and a half was sleeping thru the night with no potty breaks like a champ. Housebreaking has been another issue. At this point, there are really no accidents any more, but for the first two weeks I wondered if there really was a light at the end of the tunnel and at what point I should buy stock in Bounty.

When he had been with us for 2 weeks we took him to the vet for his second round of shots, we got him microchipped, spoke to the vet about when we could sign him up for the snip-snip, and casually mentioned that he drinks A LOT of water. Like he would drain his bowl and then keep licking it and licking it. Since I've never had a larger type breed before, I didn't know if it was normal or not, but thought that it was just more of a nuisance because since he was constantly guzzling water, it was hard to gage when he would need to be taken out which resulted in lots 'o pee everywhere. Well, five hundred dollars later, we walked out of the vets office rather shell shocked.

No, the vet informed us, excessive water drinking is NOT normal, so a barrage of tests was done on him, and a lot of the possibilities as to what the diagnosis could be looked pretty grim. It could be something just as simple as a UTI or he just absolutely loves water. Or it could be his kidneys were not formed correctly so his body tells him to drink as much water as possible to help them flush things out. But they really can't do anything to test that until he's full grown and they do an ultrasound. If that were indeed the case, ultimately his lifespan would be shortened and there would be no cure. Or, it could possibly be diabetes lipidus. If that were the case, it would mean that his brain was not creating enough of a certain hormone that concentrates urine, and was always sending the message to his body to constantly drink more. There is medicine for that, but it could range anywhere $3-7 a day for the medicine for the rest of his life. So until we heard back from the vets office with some results, they wanted us to record how many cups of water a day we gave him to see just what his intake was.

The conversation that Joe and I had that night was not a fun one. Basically Joe said, we had to figure out where the $$$ line was that we were not willing to cross. Could we really afford to provide the best life for him, if in fact Blitz had an illness? The very painful answer, was no. It broke my heart to think about having to find another home for the little fluff ball that I had become very attached to. He was MY DOG. I cried like a 5 year old. We decided that we would wait to hear from the vet before making any decisions. Luckily, it seems that his blood work and urine samples all showed good levels of whatever they were looking for, although thru charting his water intake he does drink not quite double what a puppy of his size and weight should. So, the vet wanted to do a trial run on the diabetes meds for about a month. If his water intake were to decrease while on the meds, then we would know that it is in fact diabetes, if no difference, then no diabetes, and he's just a water lovin' hound. I am pleased to report that so far a week on the meds, and no difference. YES!!! Things are looking up, and at this point, we know that he'll be with us for many years.

So that's the latest with Blitz... that doesn't even include me slicing my hand open at work while cutting an avocado for my sandwich at work, me getting in a fender bender in our new car, Joe getting an a car accident at work (he's fine), saying good-bye to Joe's brother who decided to go to Australia for a year. Whew. That's a lot. But that doesn't mean that I haven't had time to look at all your blogs, just because I've been so negligent of my own. This lady? I love her whole site. I love learning about how she does her photography, and I've already cooked several of her recipes. And her and her? Well, they're inspiring.

The desk for the office has been ordered, so hopefully after that the new computer will not be far behind. That will make blogging and uploading photos SO much easier - getting to use the laptop only when Joe is sleeping is hard because there's 42 other things I should be doing. Whoever said sharing is fun was a liar. I'm ready for my own space!!

This Should Help Get You Through to the Weekend

2008-04-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Since I happened to get scheduled for a day off today, Joe and I had a whole day to ourselves...which was a rare and wonderful occurrence. We toyed with a couple of different ideas, but ultimately curiosity got the best of us - we wanted to see what Blitz was looking like in person! So off to San Jose we went and had a nice lunch before heading over the the breeder's house. Good news, he gets to come home on May 13th!! Less than two weeks. We still have some things to pick up, like food bowls, chew toys, treats...and probably a slew of other stuff. Anybody have any crating tips they would like to share? I'm all ears. I've read a couple books and feel fairly confident what kind of nighttime regime I'm gonna (try to) have, but during the day is a little different story. We do have a puppy pen and crate in the office, but any other tips/ lessons learned would be very appreciated! I'm sure most of what we come up with routine-wise will be trial and error...

Isn't he just so stinking cute?!?! Lots different than a month ago when the eyes had just been opened and he was pretty much a squirmy lump. Did you know that shepherds come in 3 different coat types? I didn't either. There's short, plush, and long haired varieties. In the beginning, I had originally wanted a Rottie, because I didn't want to deal with long hair. Joe helped me see the light as to why GS are superior, and I thought I could deal. When the puppies' coats were coming in, it was determined that one of the males was a long hair, so that really simplified which one was for us, once again, I didn't want the long hair. This time, when we saw the breeder he said that the other male was turning out to have more of a plush coat, and would that be ok? We assured him that it would be, because I came up with a solution. It's called Dyson.

Just chillaxin' with Joe. Because he's cool.

Here's Tilda the mom at lunchtime with the pups. She's a real sweetie. Poor girlie, puppy teeth are sharp! Yikes!

For those of you who are really observant, you can kinda see I cut my hair. I really like it - about 4 inches taken off. I was inspired awhile ago by Katie Holmes... but it's not quite as short as hers (yet). It's more like an A-line bob... because of the layers that were already in my hair it's not quite the shape I want it to end up being, but I was impatient to get it cut, so we went for it. Holly (my hair dresser) will get it fine tuned a little more next time. I love her. She's always game for whatever I decide, and I do go through a lot of things. Normally I decide to chop my hair off, then regret it and try to grow it out while experimenting with bangs, no bangs, different parts, highlights, different layers...I'm all over the map. But so far, no regrets. I love that it has a real shape to it, and blow drying is waaaaay easier. I guess we shall see. I'll try to get Joe to take some better pictures of it.

And the closing shot. We wore him out but good! I hope that your Wednesday was as fun as mine!

Thought of the Day

2008-04-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Once Joe got out the door last night I grabbed an ice pack and propped my feet up on the couch with the remote control, and settled in to my weekend. After the nasty way the week started, it felt really good to sink onto the sofa and feel my body relax. I turned on the TV, scrolled thru the guide, and found that they were doing back to back showings of these movies. How could I not watch?

I think I had just started 5th grade when Father of the Bride came out. And I LOVED IT. I thought Annie was beautiful and wanted to grow up looking and acting just like her. I thought the Banks' home was gorgeous. I thought Annie's wedding was the most fabulous I had ever seen and hoped that one day mine would measure up to it too. But what I really loved was Annie's relationship with her dad George, played by the hilarious Steve Martin. They played basketball in their backyard, just like my dad and I. He was the over-bearing, over protective parent who had trouble with change, just like mine. Her mom was the one who quietly straightened out everything with extreme amounts of patience, just like mine. It just so happened that year was my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary, so to celebrate, they took us all on a cruise of the Mediterranean. On the two flights to Spain the movie showed was Father of the Bride. In the theater on the cruise ship, the movie was Father of the Bride. On the flights home... you guessed it. I was in heaven, and due to that frequent viewing, we all had the whole thing pretty much memorized and still quote some of the one liners to each other ("Velcome to the nineties Mr. Bonks!!!", "No, no, I said TWO hundred and fifty a head..."). I think this and Pride & Prejudice are the two movies I get the most flack/teasing about subjecting my family to.

When thirteen years later I was planning my own wedding, I pulled it out and watched it just for kicks. It was hard to believe that I was as old as Annie and that it was my turn. I wonder if my Dad felt the same way too.

Sorry, but believe it or not, this is the only wedding pic that I could find on the laptop... the desktop is not up and running yet. This is me and my mentor Melinda (a bridesmaid) getting hair/makeup done before the wedding.

And seeing it last night make me grin and even tear up a little too (am I becoming like my mother or what?!?) from being on the opposite side of things. Is it crazy that here I am thinking about how a comedy from the early nineties has been applicable to my life over a span of 17 years? Because now I see it a little more from the parent's view point. I've had my turn. One day, I'll have an Annie. And it will be her turn to be the bride, and Joe and I will have to let go. Is that schmaltzy or what? But that's all I've got on a Saturday morning...

Bulging L-5

2008-04-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

Lightning pain shoots down.

Ice, walk, ice, lay down, repeat.

My right leg tingles.

Sheesh, it is bad when I have time to think up the ridiculous idea of composing a poorly crafted haiku to express my pain. Of course this was the worst possible timing for this to have occurred. If there was ever a day that I NEEDED TO BE AT WORK, it was today. And my body seems to be rebelling at a very innocuous chore - weed pulling. That I did LAST THURSDAY. Are you kidding me?!?!? I don't know why the delay between the pulling and the pain, but I didn't even know anything was wrong until Saturday evening. Joe had gone off to work, I was about ready to go to a party for two friends birthdays, and then I made the very poor decision to stand up from the sofa. And it was all over. I heard a loud pop and felt a jolt of pain course down my right leg. It was sharp enough pain to make me holler, and I decided to get off my feet. Which is pretty much how I stayed up until last night when I was getting no relief and the thought of sitting at a desk chair for 8 hours at work had me nervous. So I went to Joe's dad (who is a chiropractor) and he worked me over big time which was good, but then the muscle spasms started which he said was not a good sign, because that meant that the nerve was compressed. I was still keeping a positive attitude because I was hoping that I would magically be healed in the morning and good to go for work. I was instructed to see him in the morning and he would give me the go ahead... or so I was hoping.

So I go in and hop on the table (or slowly waddle up to it grimacing all the while) and I hear him say, "Oh good, your pelvis stayed in place over night!". Uhh, no wonder it hurt like the devil if my pelvis was out of place!!!! So he nixed the idea of work for today because sitting is a big no-no. I just got back from seeing him again this afternoon for another treatment and this time my pelvis was not so cooperative and did not stay adjusted. I am really hoping that this all heals itself fast. Because it is really boring laying down, and I had no idea how much I twist my hips in a day but I get a nice little reminder in the form of a couple zings. It makes me feel old to be this immobile and I have no idea how people with chronic back problems function through daily life! What a mess of a Monday...

New Life

2008-04-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

I don't think that there's anything as wonderful and exhilarating as holding brand-new-to-the-world baby.

Chris & Kiyoko at our old apartment pre-baby

Our dear friends Chris and Kiyoko became parents to the beautiful Laney Lillian Young on March 27th. They called us that morning at 2am to let us know that they were going to the hospital, and when we got the call later that day that she had arrived safe and sound, we hopped in the car and headed down to Monterey to meet her. We thought that she was a very considerate little girl to be born on a day that Uncle Joe was off and Auntie Kate only worked a half day. When we got there, they were all asleep so we bummed around Monterey a little while getting Jamba Juice (mmm) and noodling around a book store. When we went back, we had a great hour visit with the three of them. I couldn't get over how beautiful Kiyoko looked; obviously, she looked very tired (12 hour labor!), but...she really did glow. Or something. Motherhood definitely added another dimension to her.

The new and improved Young Family

We can't wait for them to come up here for a visit!! We are thrilled for them and all the new possibilities that Laney has now brought into their world.

Friends from the first time she farted in my arms!

Bloggers, Meet Blitz

2008-04-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

We're getting a puppy!! And this is the little dude!

We got to go Thursday night to see the puppies and hopefully try to narrow down which one we wanted. Obviously, it's hard when a puppy is only 2 and a half weeks old to tell much to differentiate it from it's siblings. Joe knew he wanted a male and I am just thrilled to be getting a dog so gender didn't matter to me, and so that helped bring the choice down to the two males. One was a pudge, with big paws and head, and the other one while not scrawny, was definitely smaller. We asked the breeder, Al, which one he thought would be the best dog for us (knowing that we want strictly a pet and are not planning on breeding or showing). He said that if he had to choose one to keep as a pet, it would be the smaller of the two. He said that little puppy impresses him every feeding time by the way he latches onto the mom even though he's getting smooshed between bigger sisters and brother, he does not give up his spot. Simply put, he has focus, and I guess tenacity. Al thinks that will transfer over into his training and willingness to want to please us. So, unless something were to dramatically change with his health or development... we'll be bringing him home sometime in mid-May.

So cute!

There was much discussion about the name... Back when we were researching what breeds we thought would be compatible with our wants and needs, the German Shepherd came to the forefront straight away. As Al has told us "they (German shepherds) are first in somethings, but second in everything", meaning that they are an extremely versatile dog - they pretty much do it all - hunt, swim, great with kids, protective, herd, agility courses, schitzhund, do well in snow, the list goes on. Because of their temperament and intelligence, they can easily adapt to what you need them to do. But I digress. Joe really started liking the albino ones (too weird looking), or the all black ones that looked like wolves (too scary looking). I was completely against both. I kept having visions of the white dog rolling in the dirt and mud and looking gross and being a nightmare to keep clean. So I struck a deal with Joe that as long as he agreed to get a German Shepherd that looks like a traditional one, he could choose the name. He went through a lot!! There were some real doozies. Actually, it was a guy that used to be in Joe's group of high school guys that he led at church a few years back that came up with the name. He was home on spring break, and came over to workout with Joe and have dinner with us. He said that we should think of a German name for him. He threw out "you should name him 'Blitz' from blitzkrieg, that would be really cool." Blitzkkrieg means "lightning war". And the name grew on us. So thanks Andrew!!

So get used to this little face. Because until little munchkins come, he and his antics will be getting a lot of air time on here!

A Little More Rome & Florence Photos

2008-03-08T14:55:00.001-08:00

********This is rather long. Grab a cup of coffee or tea. Get cozy.*********

I realized that I hadn't shown any more of our amazing trip this summer...and I thought this was the easiest way to do it. We all need to give an extra round of applause to Joe for his skillz with the Sistine Chapel pictures - photography in there is a big no-no. So he had to nonchalantly stand with the camera at his hip, and snap away, and he got some great, non-blurry shots. Is he amazing or what? Also, I feel duty bound to tell you that the pictures of the "David" are of a copy, not the real one. The real one is in a tiny, tiny museum with about 6 security cameras aimed at it and many people monitoring it walking around it, enforcing the no picture rule. Joe wanted to try anyway, but I was scared they would take the camera or something. Which is too bad, because it is beautiful, immense, and looks like at any moment he's going to stride off the pedestal. Incredible. Be on the lookout the next couple days for a slide show of Venice. Pinky-swear promise!

East Coast VaCa (from, oh, two months ago)

2008-03-08T00:53:00.000-08:00

So have I been the poster child for a bad blogger or what? You know it is bad when your husband sends you not so subtle hints that you should update your blog accompanied by sighs and stares.

Tsk, tsk.

Here's my feeble attempt to make up for my rudeness, because really, that is what it is. I've still been reading other's work, just not caring to contribute any of my own. Now, we have been swamped by a lot here recently, but I can't even really play that card when half the people that I read have at least one child if not more so you know they've got their hands full, and they faithfully find the time to keep me entertained. The cycle must stop! So follow me while I reminisce about our trek to Virginia and DC.

Jefferson's beautiful Monticello.

The real reason for the trip: Jerrod, Amanda, John and Tyler. We love them! It was so great to be able to spend time with them, see what their lives are like, and relax in their home. Thank you four so much for your warmth and hospitality. We can't wait to return the favor when you guys can make it out to Cali! I even got to meet some blogging pals too!! Candace and Kelly, thank you both so much. It meant a lot that you took time out of your very busy lives to come spend an evening with us! You both are as sweet, funny and warm as your writing portrays you to be.

Oh, sweet baby Tyler. I held him every single chance I got. What a happy little guy.

Mt. Vernon, Washington's home, was one of my favorite historical sights that we saw. Because we were there in the extreme off season, it was like it was open just for us. I could've sat out on the back porch for a long time. So peaceful and quiet looking onto the Potomac.

OK all you Ugg haters (my SIL Amy!), take note. I wore mine in the freezing snow, sock less, and this girl who always has cold feet and hands, had toasty warm toes. They are awesome, and I will use them forever. So there.

Some fun facts about Virginia: I had my first Chick-a-Fillet and Cracker Barrel experiences. They were tasty. The speed limit feels extremely slow. Most traffic seems to amble along at 40-45mph, verses the Bay Area's 80mph freeways. It drove Joe nuts at times. Also, road signage is very confusing. When we were heading to Lynchburg at one point we saw sings that told us we were on 129 South and (I think) 52 North at the same time. Not sure how, but we were. All in all, I really liked it.

Moving on to the DC portion... we stayed in the historic Foggy Bottom section which is about 5 blocks from the Georgetown area, and it was great!! Waaaaaayyyy too cold, and so I think to do DC justice we'll have to head back in the spring sometime. For instance, the last day there we had planned to do a open air bus tour so we could see all the monuments, and we woke up that morning to a raging snow and ice storm. There was a lot we missed. Owell. Reasons to head back, right?

I started noticing that most of the old churches have bright red doors. Love it!!

We were able to go to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which obviously has a lot of meaning to us. It's nice to see those heroes honored.

Me and Rex getting friendly at the Smithsonian.

The Hope Diamond. Which was really sparkly.

This was the closest we got to it walking to dinner one night. On our way to the Old Ebbitt Grill, actually. I would love to go back - the flavor there is older, and you really get a sense of America's roots, which as a history person and lover of all things old, I connected with.

I'm already set to go back. As usual, travel only whets my appetite for more of it!

Welcome to My World

2008-03-07T23:40:00.001-08:00

Welp, here she is; the Casa de Joe & Kate. Are you ready for the tour? It'll be slightly disjointed because these were just some shots that Joe took on the second or third day of being in the house. Pretty bare bones. Keep in mind that we're working on changing some things, so this is not obviously the finished product. Just some tidbits so you get an idea of what it's like here. Ready to start? Great, wipe your feet before you come in!

You'll have to use your imagination to envision hydrangeas and geraniums in the front flower bed where currently there are some nasty brown daisy bushes. Yeah, those suckers are coming out. But gardening is lower down on the honey do list. Which is too bad because since the house has been empty for so long, there are some weeds we have that could probably eat a kindergartner.

Living room. And me in my scrubs. Classy. The walls are actually a moss green, not gray like is coming thru in the picture.

So this is the one of the bedrooms that we'll set up as the "office" and place for guests to stay with us (and hopefully I can have a little nook of it designated for craft stuff). In fact, Joe's cousin Jerrod was the first to grace it with his presence last week. He slept on the floor on a Coleman blow up mattress. Nothing but the best for our guests. Currently, the color is a dingy baby blue, but we chose a cinnamony-red color called "Rum Punch" that I can't wait to slap up on the walls! It'll really warm up the space.

Next down the hall is what Joe is already referring to as "the kids' bathroom". Nothing too much to say, other than that the walls are a cafe au lait with white trim, so I bought aqua towels, rugs, and brought in some red accents. You'll see.

This is the smallest of the three bedrooms, and has already been appointed as the baby's room for when we have one. In the mean time, it holds all the stuff that we have to unpack. Don't worry, the hippy-dippy bead curtain was promptly ripped down and stuck in the garbage.

OK, now the kitchen, which I love. Do you see all the storage? All the lower cabinets have roll out shelving. Do you see all the counter space? It is wonderful Formica, not that horrible tile which we had in the apartment which never looked clean and was always loosing grout. This stuff is a dream, wipe it up and you're done. Do you see the skylight? That thing is awesome!!

Hallelujah! A FULL SIZE FUNCTIONING dishwasher!!! After three years of washing everything by hand, you can imagine my excitement. The view from the sink is out into the backyard.

And the other jewel of the kitchen is the washer/dryer. No more lugging laundry up and down a flight of stairs. No more using quarters. No more waiting for others. I commented to Joe not long after moving in that I could cook, clean dishes and clothes all at the same time here, and really be an efficient woman, thankyouverymuch. Before at the apartment? Not possible.

So this is back out from the kitchen (door is on the right) into the living room/dining area, and we're heading thru that back doorway to the master bedroom, mkay?

See how there's two doorways here? This was really appealing to us. It's like 2 barriers to whatever is going on in the rest of the house, which for Joe and his opposite hours, is perfect. He can still sleep in peace during the day, and I can go about my normal routine and function without feeling like I have to be absolutely silent. Our bathroom is to door to the right.

And here it is! Again, this room is in dire need of paint; it's gonna be a warm golden-yellow color. Probably the most exciting of all is that when we closed on the house our realtor gave us some money back (what a nice guy!), so we decided to split the money, with the stipulation that it had to go towards things for the house. Joe spent his chunk on exercise equipment and fixing up the garage to be a gym, and I spent mine on bedroom furniture. YESSSSS!!! I marched on down to Pottery Barn and ordered a headboard and bedside tables, and as luck would have it, caught a killer sale. Since the picture was taken, it has arrived, but no peeking yet for you. I want you to see the complete finished product. Yes sirrie; paint, furniture, some black and white pictures that we took in Italy blown up and framed, and you won't recognize it.

Different angle of the room.

So, here's what is in store for us. Painting. I really can't wait to do that, because once that happens, we can really place furniture, hang things on the wall, and make it look like a cozy home, not just a house.

Thanks for coming by!

Coming to You From the Land O' Boxes

2008-02-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

Well, here I sit in my house, typing on the laptop that I hijacked from my husband. If I knew how to use a Mac, I would upload photos of the place, and then you'd get a real good idea of what I'm sitting in. But alas, I was lucky just to get the internet switched on and logged into Blogger. So you'll have to sit tight with me until the nice Comcast man comes and installs whatever it is he needs to, to get my life back into comfortable, bloggable order. Gosh, even though cable was a relatively new addition to our lives, I miss is dearly. To fill the quietness of me all alone in an empty house I dug around and found the boxed DVDs pronto and have been enjoying seeing my old favorites like Pride & Prejudice (the good A&E version), Gone With the Wind, and You've Got Mail while I unpack and wind down at night.

Tonight will be the sixth night that I've slept here. Four of those nights I was alone (am I brave or what?!?). I love it. (The house I mean, not the aloneness). Of course, we're still getting to know each other (what does this light switch do?), but I feel very sure that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I feel safe and secure on this street. I'm getting used to all the new noises, like the way the furnace clanks and the floors creak, and the refridgerator making it's sound. I even got to answer the door on Saturday to meet a neighbor girl selling me Girl Scout cookies!! I bought two boxes from little Grace and had a nice chat with her mom. Joe and his dad and brother moved everything in one day, in pretty yucky weather...I was impressed. I was less impressed when it turned out that in a last minute decision to just be done with the apartment, it was decided that we needed to give it the final cleaning that night so we could hand over the keys. Let's just say that swiffering, scrubbing and vacuuming are not things I relish doing into the late night after working a full day. Glad that is behind us. This past weekend was dedicated to making all the calls for change of address stuff, and tackling the kitchen. I had my mom and Joe's mom and we went to town vacuuming drawers and cabinets, scrubbing, ripping out old contact paper and putting new in, and finally upacking the boxes labeled "kitchen" and organizing it. It felt really good to get that taken care of, and have a little spot at least that feels really functional and non-choatic.

The things that I'm coming to realize are:

1. There will be many more runs to Target for this and that, that we need RIGHT NOW.

2. Everything will not come together as instantaneously as I would like. I need to remember that it is a process. Dang it!!

3. A crowded one bedroom apartment makes for a bare house furniture wise. That just means buying a few new pieces of furniture. Since most of what we have is hand me down or scavaged, I am very excited about this prospect of getting something that we are the first owners of. And something nice enough that you would not want to scratch it or anything.

4. Most people are talking about the candidates and their platforms, while we here are focused on much more weighty things. For instance, should the garbage go under the kitchen sink, or should we get a nice free standing stainless steel one? See my point? Suddenly, there are lots of choices to make about furniture placement, wall colors, wiring issues, the list is long.

And you know what? I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Scurry, scurry

2008-01-07T23:29:00.000-08:00

So.

We found out this afternoon that the trip is a go, so off we fly to DC tomorrow bright and early, and then drive 3 hours into Virginia to see family. We're super happy that we get to see Jerrod, Amanda, John and Tyler, even though we will probably have to come home early (cutting into the DC part of the trip) so Joe can do the court thing. Oh well. Family time is most important (and hopefully meeting a VA blogging acquaintance or two?!?), anything after that will be like icing on the cake.

Since I had pretty much convinced myself that we would be sticking around here and cancelling, you can imagine that I've been dashing all over like a crazy woman. It feels like there are forty-two thousand loose ends all needing to be set straight (house stuff, loan stuff, laundry, packing, yada, yada, yada) and even though I have my trusty lists to make me feel like I'm in control, I'm sure that I forgot something. But I won't fret about that now because I must tuck myself in because my fabulous chauffeur of a brother-in-law Josh will be here way too early for my taste to take me to the airport.

So have a good week! We'll chat when I return...and then (gulp) only 2 weeks till the new house... :)

I Apologize...

2008-01-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

Did you fall of the face of the earth? Or did you buy a house, celebrate the holidays and just get really busy???
Where are you???=)

Wow Lorie, you have no idea how flattered I was that my absence was noticed. I often think that this is just a jumble of writing, and who really cares about it? So...thanks.
As to your guesses about why I'm a blogging flake... I am pleased to say that they're all correct!!

We had the marathon Christmas which was wonderful, but at last count we had 5 different family things that we attended, plus Christmas shopping, wrapping and the like. With Christmas on a Tuesday, it threw me all off kilter and lets just say that having to work the day before and after stinks. But it was great to see brothers who live away, hang out with family that we don't see often, and for Joe and I to enjoy our third Christmas together and quietly look back on all the tangible and intangible blessings that 2007 brought us. God is so very good.

On December 27th we put in an offer on a house that we had looked at 3 times. I had loved the neighborhood for a long time, but Joe had some reservations. After looking at other houses like the Titly House where all the doorjambs looked like something out of Alice in Wonderland, and the Stinky House where the smell of curry slapped you in the face as soon as you walked in, (just to name a few) we reassessed the situation, and came back to this one. We didn't think we really had much of a shot and decided that we would put in a lower offer and if it was meant to be it would work, if they didn't like it, well, we would just move on. At this point rejection really wouldn't bother us so much.
But they accepted it AS IS on the 28th. No counter offer or anything. The house has been on the market since early April, they are already in another house, so they were highly motivated to sell. What a big, BIG praise. I am completely ecstatic. The street has so much charm since it is rather tucked away, quiet and tree lined. The houses were all built in the 50's, and are all a little different from each other so there's some character there, and it is in one of the best school districts in the valley...can you tell I think it's marvelous? Another big plus is that it is move in ready. Everything is in really good shape, and while there will be things to update as we choose, we can live comfortably in the meantime. I think the only big thing that needs to be done is replace the heating system with a new one and have it wired for AC too. Compared to all the other houses that we looked at that needed things done which would cost major $$$, we feel really fortunate that's all we'll have to tackle. Needless to say, it had been a whirlwind of paper signing, inspections, walk thrus, meetings with the mortgage broker and real estate agent...whew. So far, all the inspections have gone great, and if everything continues as it is now, we are scheduled to get the keys on January 31. Yea!
But of course, it's not that simple. About a month and a half ago, Joe was granted some vacation time, so we hopped on it, and booked a trip to Washington DC/Virginia to see the sights and hang out with family. We're supposed to leave in 2 days. But due to a scheduling oversight at Joe's work, he is needed in court on Thursday. So the trip might get called off. We find out tomorrow evening if it's yea or nay. If we do go, we'll be gone 10 days and get back home on the 17th. That is not a lot of time left to pack, sort and clean for the move. Truthfully, it's a little overwhelming. So we've already started to pack up the kitchen, I sorted through my dresser and closet for a donation pickup that came thru, we've gotten a lot of boxes, so I'm feeling OK about the start...but the flip side is that there are stacks everywhere in out apartment, hardly and walking room and I HATE HOW IT LOOKS.
So you see, there's has been constant activity in my life right now...and to top it all off, I got a nasty sore throat/cold that has been causing me pain for about 5 days. The kind of pain where it feels like every time you swallow, liquid lava is going down your throat. My loving husband says that I sound like a man. Talk about terrible timing. It has caused me to fall behind in packing, miss out on some fun family stuff, and who really wants to travel sick? Not me.
Anyway, all that babble to say, things are hectic. But I will post pics of the house as soon as I can, and thanks for being faithful to check in on me, even though I haven't been faithful at all in my blogging. But I will try to do better!

ROM*E #1

2007-11-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how my posts have been kinda text heavy and picture light, I'll let the pics do most of the talking about the Rome portion of our sojourn to Italy this past August...in no particular order... Oh the Trevi Fountain... so beautiful. It is absolutely huge. And randomly placed; you turn the corner of a little alley way, and there it is.

These are all the nice people that shared the view with us. Other than the Sistine Chapel, this was one of the most crowded places of the whole trip. I especially like the guy in the left hand corner. He looks like his name should be Guido, and is your stereotypical Italian guy, puffin' away in 100 degree weather.
Us. We found the guy with the best looking camera in that mass of people and ask him to take our picture. He was from Australia and very nice. What the picture doesn't really convey is just how hot and humid it was. Our backs were completely drenched. My bermuda shorts were clinging to my body. Even in the shade, standing absolutely still, there was constant dripping. That night, there was a ring of salt around my head from the evaporated sweat. I don't think that's ever happened to me before. It is easy to understand why people liked the toga - the less clothes the better! Luckily, there was this right around the corner:
Ohhh, gelato. I'm drooling just thinking about it now. This was one of the things that made that Mediterranean heat bearable.
My lemon is on the left, Joe's cream is on the right. NOTHING is as refreshing. And unfortunately, nothing here matches it. Sadness.

These two are of the outside of the Pantheon, which is one of the oldest buildings in Rome. It was a temple to one of the gods before Constantine converted it into a church.
The inside shot.
Little street performer who was around the back. She really added a lot to the atmosphere. It was very, very nice to be walking around little side streets hand in hand with my honey to the wafting sounds of accordion music.
The Piazza Navona...full of art, people and cafes.
Joe was obsessed with the massive doors on the majority of buildings in the city. They were wood and iron with really ornate knockers (ha ha - sorry, Joe & his dad's juvenile senses of humor are starting to rub off on me), nobs, key holes, spikes, you name it they had it.
A shot of the River Tiber one night as we headed back to our tiny hotel, that was close to the Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica, which you can see the dome of.
I am really lucky that the Colosseum is not a woman, because if it were, Joe would probably leave me for it. I know that this was his favorite thing that we saw in the whole trip. We spent a lot of time here during the day and the very final night of the whole trip. It is SO OLD. It was built around 80 A.D. It is just hard to wrap your mind around the fact of something so ancient, and big and is still here. There's the whole technical aspect as to how did they really construct that with only manual labor? How did they really make the arena flood with water for mock sea ship battles? Listening to the audio guide also made me think about just what an evil place it really was. For the opening ceremony of the Colosseum they killed something like 10,000 people and 20,000 animals.

When I saw this view of the arena, it made me think of Hadassah, from the Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers, and what happened to her there. Many were murdered for their faith there.

It really gets you thinking about the early church. I mean, you're walking the streets that Paul walked. And Peter. And the Caesars. And the great artists like da Vinci and Michelangelo. It makes you feel very small and insignificant.
Well, tune in to the next installment of Rome, where Joe & I got separated at the Vatican for about an hour. True story.
Shouldn't I get a gold star for uploading all these pictures?

Have No Fear...

2007-11-18T00:53:00.000-08:00

Hello kids!

No, I didn't die. Or buy a house yet.

I've been fighting the good fight against a nasty sinus infection, an army of ants that wanted to dominate my kitchen, family birthdays/anniversaries, and life in general. You know, the never ending cycle of laundry, work, grocery shopping, blah, blah, blah. Blogging was pretty low on the totem-pole of what to tackle.

But tomorrow we look at a house. I'm not holding my breath, but who knows?

I went to a birthday party today for Joe's Grandma K who celebrated her 90th birthday and is a total example of a life well lived. It must be a great feeling to look around at a house full of 25 people who call you mom, grandma and great-grandma knowing that you are the matriarch of all that fun, loud, lovingness.

I only have to work 2 days this week! I cannot tell you how psyched that makes me...I am excited to celebrate Thanksgiving with all it's tradition-y goodness.

I ordered my very own Candace Clutch and it should be arriving soon!!!

I also ordered a book to help me learn the ins and outs of my camera. I don't want to be one of those suckers who thinks that just because they have a pricey camera means their photos are awesome and call themselves a photographer. I really want to learn to document people, places, and experiences well.

So I'll try to get back on track with the blogging. I don't want Debbie worrying about me anymore (though it was very sweet). I think the people who signed up to do NaBloPoMo are insane, though I do enjoying reading the fruits of their labors...

Tomorrow the goal is after the house look-see to post about Rome. I know, I know, two months late. But Joe asked if I was ever going to write about it. And when he requests something for this little ho-hum blog of mine, that I'm not sure he always thinks is the greatest thing (why do you want to share things with complete strangers?), I think I should capitulate.

Nightie-night!

A Jonah Week

2007-10-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

If you ever read the Anne books, you know that Anne's term "a Jonah day" is code for a really, really sucky day. Because let's face it, getting swallowed by a fish is pretty bad. Well, I dub this week "Jonah week". Let's just say work was not a happy place to be. Which is really rare for me. Normally it's pretty routine and placid and although I definitely don't see myself being there for years to come, I enjoy the people I work with and for. Right now, some coworkers are having major life issues at home and just because of proximity/typical office stress stuff that normally wouldn't phase them, but is totally triggering them, I get to bear the brunt of it. Just being rude, icy, nitpicky about my work which in turn makes me defensive, and in general not like their normal selves...I hate it! The worst thing is, the problems that they're dealing with are things that I've never had to face, and so mostly all I can do is listen and pray for them - I have absolutely no advice to give, and any words of comfort I think to say seem pretty hollow.
TGIF!!!
Now that I'm cozy in my sweats and curled up here at home, some of it seems really silly, and I don't know why I let it bother me. But I hate the tension, and feeling like I've done something wrong...even when I haven't, and thinking that someone is unhappy with me, even though I know perfectly well that I don't have anything to do with the root of the problem. Ack!
Well, I have two days to recover. Focus on other things...like getting my booty in gear and cranking out the remaining things I have to do for the fall boutique at church...and coming up with a Halloween costume, 'cause we're going to a party on Halloween night. I don't know if it's just the week I've had, or that I don't feel in too Halloween-y a mood right now, but my creative juices are not flowing - any suggestions as to what I should be?

Sorry Charlie

2007-10-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

The house is a no go. The short version is they got another offer for the exact asking price, and they took it.

The longer version is that on this past Monday while at work, I got a call from the realtor who was a "sub" for ours while he was out of town, saying that he hadn't seen anything new on the market that would interest us, he wanted to let us know that he hadn't forgotten about us, and oh, by the way he had talked to the seller's realtor and he was going to be presenting the sellers 2 offers in 15 minutes.

WHAT???????? This is the point where shock took over and my mind went numb and I was pretty much useless.

"But I thought we were waiting for them to counter our offer, or at the very least respond with a yes or no....and what about getting the mom evaluated? Are they raising the asking price? I don't understand...", I sputtered. The agent said that it was highly unusual that they never got back to us and basically let it fizzle out. And no, they weren't raising the asking price, they just wanted to get one that would be a lot closer. And did we want him to call the selling agent and tell him we were still interested and he could throw ours into the pot with the other 2? At this point, I told him to call Joe and get his opinion as to what we should do. This is where it got sticky.

Joe, bless him had gotten off work at his regular time in the morning, but had to stick around for traffic court...so he was tired, and hungry, and did I mention tired?? That is not the most winning combo. So he called me after talking to the sub agent dude, and it went something like this. Keep in mind that neither of us had any paperwork with our chicken-scratch figures, Joe was really fatigued, and I was in shock in an office, because basically at this point we had 10 minutes to decide what the deuce we were going to do with a LARGE sum of money and our future.

Joe: Do you think we should go for it?
Kate: I don't know.
Joe: If they don't get the mom evaluated, what's the worst that could happen to us legally? I mean, if they don't like it after it's done and sold to us and then they realize she wasn't in her right mind, I guess they could take it away from us and then we'd be back in the same position, right?
Kate: I don't know.
Joe: Even if they said yes to our higher offer, we'll still have to work with these people on all the inspections/negotiations...is this really the type of people we want to deal with?
Kate: I don't know.
Joe: Do you recall any of the figures as to what our mortgage payments would be if we put down an offer of X amount? I mean, I recall that we qualified for X amount, but just because we qualified for that, doesn't mean we can actually afford it...
Kate: I don't know. (See how helpful I can be at very crucial moments in life?)
Joe: OK. Let's do it.
Kate: Really?
Joe: I don't know, what do you think?
Kate: I don't know.
Joe: Forget it! We're not doing this. It just doesn't feel right, and I don't have any peace about this situation at all...let's just hold tight and see what they do with these new offers.
Kate: OK.

And there you have it. I was a little mopey throughout the rest of the day, but I'm over it now. It was nice to finally have a definitive answer, even if it was the one I didn't really want. I'm sure that we'll be back out there this next week, scoping out houses, so definitely keep us in your prayers that the right one will pop up, and I will keep all of you in the loop.

***Chris, I'm surprised at you! Where do you think I learned my repertoire of moves to entice Joe with? I know, I know, Joe is a lucky man. And it's all due to Showgirls. Don't knock it till you've tried it!

What the frap???

2007-10-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

So.

I walk out to my car this morning to go to the party store and Safeway to pick up a few things for the big birthday-palooza that we were having with Joe's family to celebrate all the fall birthdays (5 in total). I got in my car, started backing up, and noticed something funny looking about the windshield wipers. They looked a lot smaller. Infact, they looked a lot like two metal rods, no acutal wiper part seemed to be attached. So I put in it park, hopped out, took off my sunglasses thinking maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me...and nope. They weren't. Someone stole my windshield wipers.

Yeah.

What kind of loser does that? This is the third thing that has happened to my cute little car. Let's recap: they've scraped the registration off, they broke in and took clothes from the trunk, DVDs (which I had to pay Blockbuster back for) and my favorite pair of sunglasses, and now they stole my stinking windshield wipers. And it's supposed to rain this week.

I CANNOT wait to be gone from here...

Pending?

2007-10-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

I guess that is the best way to describe where we're at with the whole house thingamajig. Here's the scoop...
Remember how I said that the lady who owned the house is in her 80's and now living in a nursing home, and no one is really sure what her whole understanding or frame of reference for this whole process really is? Yes? OK, keep that in mind.
So on the night we wrote up our offer, our realtor Craig took it straight to the seller's realtor, Jon, and he took it to the owner's son and daughter-in-law to discuss and go over. The three of them felt that it was a very solid offer, they could work with us, and they were pleased. And the people rejoice.
The next morning they went and talked to the mom/owner, and as Craig put it, she "went off the deep end", and completely wigged out and started saying that she knew good and well that her house was worth x amount of dollars (about $60,000.00 over what the asking price was that she agreed and signed to), and that everyone was trying to put her through the wringer. Boo!! Hiss!! And there is where it's at. Everyone pretty much thinks that she needs to have her mental competency evaluated, and if she doesn't really understand what is going on, then the family needs to step in and either get power of attorney over her, or something. It stinks because all the sane people think it's great and didn't shoot our offer down, but as of now the only person who legally can do anything is out to lunch (so to speak), and basing her figures on about a year and a half ago. Funny, I thought that the son would be the problem person, since the sale of the home is really going to be his inheritance, I thought for sure that he would be a real stickler for the price and not like our terms, and here it is that she's the one with the issue! I guess technically the offer fell through because they didn't get back to us with a firm answer by the time we had asked them to in the contract. We just had Craig let them know that we are very much still interested in the house, they know what our offer is, and once they hash out all their details they know how to reach us. I guess that's all we can do.
I would really appreciate prayer for contentment and patience. I think because there wasn't a firm answer either way it bugs me, since I didn't hear a "no" I'm still holding out hope. And I guess that anything could happen. It was nice to see a date that we would be out of the apartment by and on to bigger and better things; coming back here to something so tiny each time seems harder and harder. As it happens, our realtor Craig is leaving town and won't be back until the 18th (I think), so not much could really be done on our part until then anyway. Maybe this is just the Lord's way of slowing things down a little, or protecting us from some unseen problem. I just have to TRUST in the Lord's timing and wisdom for our home. Easier said than done!! In the meantime, until we hear from the seller we'll just keep our eyes open for other homes popping up and see what comes next...

Pins & Needles

2007-10-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

Today Joe and I did something we've never done before...we made an offer on a house. So now we sit and wait to see if they'll accept our offer.

GULP!!!

I'm sure that they'll come back with a counter offer, and things will go on from there. But it is a weird feeling. To have to love the house enough to be willing to sign up for 30 years of debt and a sizable mortgage each month, and then still be able to walk away and not look back from it if they don't meet our terms or won't come down in the asking price. I've been told numerous times not to get attached to any one particular house...and I've tried not to. But it's hard for me. When I walked in it for the first time, it instantly felt like "home", and I was already trying to mentally place the sofa and loveseat in the living room. It's the right age house for us - the previous owner is now in a retirement home, but she took really good care of it, so it isn't a dump, just a little dated. Which is very much what we wanted to find - something livable now, but with potential to update and put our own twist on, at our own pace, as opposed to a complete fixer-upper where you have to do mucho work just to make it comfortable. It's ready for a young family to give it some life! Is it weird that I really wanted the house to need us? Probably not, since I also believed when I was a kid that my dolls and stuffed animals had feelings. Now you probably think I'm nuts...oh well.

It would be an extreme blessing for us if in fact this house works out; the only reason that we're able to even consider it is because of the dropping prices and very generous grandparents who are eager to help with a down payment. But this is the type of house, that if we had 2 or 3 kids, we could comfortably grow into it and live there for an extremely long time. Nice size back yard, quiet street, great school district, the whole kit 'n caboodle. The great thing is, Joe and I have been on the same page throughout the whole process, and that I attribute to prayer. This is the biggest financial decision we've ever (and might possibly ever?) made.

All that to say, am I excited? YES Will I be disappointed if it doesn't happen? Yeah. But I'll be OK with it. I know that the Lord will provide us with exactly what we need, when we need it. It's just exciting that this process is underway. I think I'm in for a sleepless night tonight though...I can't wait to hear back (hopefully) tomorrow from our agent!!!

New Favorite?

2007-10-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that I'm not on the forefront of new things... it takes a little bit of watching and waiting to see if they pan out before I take the plunge. TV shows fall into that category, especially since we got cable when all the series were ending last season, I really felt out of the loop. Mostly what I watch is on cable - lots of TCL and Food Network, and I get my dose of reality (or lack thereof) TV by watching Lauren and the girls on The Hills. If my TV received only those two channels, I could make it. I'm not a fan of too many of the shows on ABC, NBC, you know the main channels...I think they had their heyday when I was in high school and you had the good version of ER with George Clooney, Seinfeld, Friends, Mad About You, and a super stellar cast on SNL. Anymore, a lot of the shows are just plain trashy to me, or interest me.

All that to say, I was channel surfing last night and landed on NBC at 8:30PM on 30 Rock. I'd obviously heard about it for awhile, but knew nothing about it, except that it won the Emmy for best comedy, so I decided to watch until the first commercial. Well, I watched the whole darn thing and laughed a lot during it. I think I'll tune in next week. What really surprised me though was Tina Fey, aka Liz Lemon - she is so watchable!! And cute. And smart. And witty. I think she may be my new favorite sitcom lady. I haven't had one of those since Jennifer Aniston. Huh.

And since I'm on the topic of TV, I must say that on The Hills, Elodie was absolutely amazing and got hers in the end over Heidi. I wish I had that kind of guts!!

The Birthday Boy

2007-10-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

Is my hubs!

Today we celebrate 27 well lived years, and pray for many, many more to come.

What did we do to celebrate this momentous, joyous occasion you ask? Why, we worked opposite schedules (fun, no?), and I gave him 27 spanks, with an extra one for good luck. OK, maybe that was TMI. In a perfect world, we'd be hitting up a restaurant in SF, or maybe our favorite restaurant Kincaid's. Unfortunately, it was a no-go tonight. The turn around time between me getting home and him leaving for work was just too tight. I did manage to swing by Whole Foods after work and pick up his favorite schtuff to make a kick-butt birthday dinner, just for him. I really try to limit my shopping there...it is not far at all from where I work the majority of the week, so it is a BIG TEMPTATION, because it's beautiful. The produce section looks like an artists palette the colors are so bright, and they have just about every food product you could think of. But it is uber expensive for everyday groceries...so only for special times do I let myself enter the front doors.

So here's the spread...rack of lamb cut into chops, tomatoes stuffed with couscous topped with breadcrumbs and cheese, throw in the Martinelli's and you've got yourself one scrumdiddlyumptious meal/party a deux. It looks great, but it tasted amazing, if I do say so myself.

Here's to you Joe, my darling husband. I love sharing life with you and watching you become more and more of the man you were meant to be with each passing year. Happy Birthday!

September Breakdown

2007-09-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

Do you keep a calendar? I do. I love to write down appointments, dates to remember, birthdays, etc. While I was flipping throught my little Hallmark freebie one that I keep in my purse, I was pretty shocked at how many big things happened this month. But that accounts for why it felt like it was a blur. The fall is my favorite season of the year (unlike others I know *Marisa*), but it's also the kickoff in our household to the birthday/anniversary/holiday extravaganza that doesn't really let up until February. Here's what my schedule looked like for the month of September.

On the...

2nd: Spent our last day in Italy and flew home. Boo.

Us in front of the Trevi Fountain, Rome.

The view of the Duomo and red rooftops of Florence from our bedroom window.

Joe in front of the Colosseum.

The Grand Canal in Venice, riding on the water taxi to our hotel there.

9th: Happy Birthday to me!! I turned 26. It's not that different than 25. I was hoping I'd wake up with more wisdom, patience, maturity...something? But nope. It's not quite the same as when you were a kid and woke up on your birthday morning feeling empowered and slightly magical because you were now EIGHT as opposed to only SEVEN, and your world was bigger with new priviledges, responsibilites and a later bedtime. I still wake up excited that it's my day, but the age really doesn't seem to matter anymore. Anyhoo, I got some new kicks that I love - Uggs (or ugglies as Joe calls them)!! Lots of cards and phone calls and feeling loved on. Cheers to another year!

11th: Full time hours start at my work. Went to the 9/11 memorial at our church. They also honor all the local first responders (fire dept, police, emt) and Joe got to wear his uniform and looked like a stud. I felt very proud of him!!

12th: Met with Jim & Carolyn Millen and decided to do a weekly Bible study with them. So excited about this!! (But to do full justice to this topic it deserves its own blog)

15th: Went to my hair appointment for a trim and decide to dye my hair darker. Originally I was thinking a chocolate brown (I was just really sick of the blond grow-out that really bothered me when I looked at myself in the Italy pictures), but my hairdresser said she knew the perfect shade for me called "mahogany" that has some darker reddish tones in it. I've only ever really highlighted my hair, so this was rather extreme for me. I came home and knocked Joe's socks off. It's just a tish darker and more auburn-y than my own color. I think it's great! I wish I had a picture of that to show you...I'll have to get on that. Walked thru some open houses with Joe later than night just to get a feel of what's available.

17th: Happy Birthday Mom!! Celebrate with the family and go out to yummy Greek food.

21st: Knowing that Joe's schedule shift is fast upon us, we head to our mortgage broker to see how things look as far as getting a loan to buy a house since our goal is to be in one by the end of this year. So we looked over our budget, income, spending and bills for about 3 hours (before we met with the broker, so we'd have some #s to give him). Not the most fun thing I could think of to do. We had to do like 5 different scenarios of a budget to make sure that we'll be able to swing the house payments when we have kids and I stop working. But it was worth it. This time I didn't feel like puking when we talked about those humongous sums of money like I did when we touched bases with him earlier in March. All the numbers meshed up and we walked out of there pre-approved for a loan. Hurrah!

22nd: Can't stand not having anything fallish out even though technically fall is still one day away, so the wreath goes up. Get started on the onsies for Sandy's shower on the 29th...here they are finished below. Sandy doesn't want to know if it's a boy or girl, so I made one for each. I'm really partial to the little girl's one. Sandy and her husband are living in New Orleans right now, so that's why I incorporated that into the onsie. Drive all around our town that afternoon with Joe and my folks going to open houses, my dad teaching Joe what to look for when you look at a house (he used to be a realtor), call a lot of Realtors to get house info. Have dinner with Jim & Carolyn at Texas Roadhouse, which is where I ate the best chicken fried steak I think I've ever had.

23rd: Joe changes to vampire hours. The shift starts at 9pm til 7am, with Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays off. Boo. Start watching Ken Burn's new documentary The War about WWII - very, very good.

25th: Happy Birthday Darlene (Joe's mom)!! We'll celebrate with his side all the September & October birthdays in a couple weeks.

26th: Was asked to submit a recipe for a new cookbook that our church is putting together, and it's due today. Since the last one was published in the 70's, this is exciting. But then I had total indecision about what to choose. I felt like I was going to be judged by what I selected to have put in the book, like if people thought it would sound gross, or weird, or be too easy (silly, I know). In the end I chose to send my Frittata recipe because: I make them fairly often so I stand by it as a GOOD recipe, it's easy to change to your own taste once you know the method, and I was fairly certain it would be the only one like it in the book. It'll stand apart from all the Chicken Divan, ya know? Mmmmm, doesn't it look yummy?

29th: Can't go to Sandy's shower b/c we're meeting with a realtor and with her parents living a good 2 hours away from me (where it was to be held), I didn't have enough turn around time. Very bummed about that one. Drop her present off at my friend Debbie's house so she can take it to the shower for me. But the meeting with the realtor went well. After three hours of talk, we're now serious home buyers; after Joe is off probation with work on Oct. 15, everything is good to go!! It is crazy cool to think that we might just get to celebrate Christmas in our own, new home this year. It makes coming back to this little apartment tough, so I just keep telling myself we'll be outta here soon, I can hang in there just a little more.

So, come on October!! Can't wait to see what you're gonna bring me!

La Dolce Vita

2007-09-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

I'm home! After a whirlwind 10 days, 3 blisters, 618 pictures, many euros, 3 train rides and 3 cities later, I'm back home in good old CA. In all honesty, I'm a little dazed. It's a little cruel actually how life demands that you hop right back into the routine at full speed ahead. It seems like you need an extra 3 days to process where you were and what you saw. I don't know where to start. I feel like there's so much to share and tell and describe, how do you encapsulate our adventure in one little blog? It would be big, boring, and probably scare all you off reading my posts for sure. So what I think I'll do is share things by topic, and sorta spread it out. So have some patience with me. I will say now, however, that it was definitely the trip of a lifetime, and something that I'll be forever grateful that we decided to do now, rather than relegate into the category of "someday". In Italy, they say they live the "dolce vita", or "sweet life", and I have to completely agree. The pace is slow. The people are wonderful. The food is amazing. Truly, whether you're at a little mom & pop trattoria, or a tiny pizzeria, or a big hostelaria, you can't get a bad meal. The blend of ancient and modern together in Rome, Florence, and Venice is beautiful and surreal. You feel richer just for seeing the things that those cities have to offer you, be it works from the masters like Michelangelo and da Vinci, old ruins from the Forum built by slaves, or the lazy rivers that glide through the cities. Rome absolutely stole our hearts, and will forever be a special place to us. On our last night there before we flew home the next morning, we went to our favorite restaurant in the city, and then walked across the street to the Colosseum, where we laid out on the grass in front of it, and got some amazing pictures. It was the perfect way to say goodbye. Even though I could have stayed on vacation for a whole lot longer, 10 days was a good amount of time - we left in love with Italy wanting more, rather than feeling like we were sick and tired of living our of our suitcases and just ready to be home. The funny thing about travel though, it once you get a taste of it, you want more, more, more!! On the plane ride home the wheels were already turning as to where we could explore next. It would be really nice if we could swing another big trip before any wee-ones come along. But I don't know...if we get into a house, that's where all the $$$ will be going... so who knows. It is nice to be home though. Nothing feels as good as your own sheets, pillow, and bed, plus this is the land of complementary ice with your drinks. And fall is almost here, which means my birthday is just around the corner, as well as my favorite season of the year. So stay tuned, much more to follow...Ciao!

A Wicked Awesome Feat

2007-08-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

So while I was slavin' away at work on Friday, Joe was out enjoying the great outdoors with a buddy from work at Yosemite. They decided that they would drive up, hike up Half Dome, and drive back home all in one day. Like all goodly planned things, it didn't exactly happen that way. But nevertheless, they had a great time. When I saw the pictures the next day of their hike, I had to post them because one: they're pretty cool, and two: I'm really proud of Joe. Now, he did this hike once before by himself, so, obviously, I knew he could do it. But it's a lot different when you go with other people. And this hike is not to be sneezed at. It is massive, and tough. You had better have the right gear and mental toughness otherwise, you're in trouble with a capital "T". This is no little walk in the woods - it is a pretty big endeavor. Granted, you're rewarded at every point along the way by absolutely amazing views, but this is not for the faint of heart. Depending on the pace you go at, it's a 6-8 hour trek, that really becomes a climb at the end straight up the granite back with just cables to help you, so you're pretty much hugging the rock, trying to scoot up and not think about what would happen if you tumbled and took a fall. It wouldn't be pretty. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it, because of my fear of heights, so I'll just stick to the Yosemite falls and Vernal falls hikes. Guess I'll just have to live vicariously through Joe...

Almost to the top. See how high up you are?

There he is, reaching the summit...I love how the setting sun looks. I know that technically this picture is a little too dark, but dang it, this is my blog, and I have the artistic license here, OK?

I know this isn't Joe's favorite picture of the bunch, but I like it, especially for those of you who have never been to Yosemite, this gives you some scope for just how high and big it really is. The valley floor of Yosemite is below him, plus you get to see how he is sitting right on the top of the curve of it. My feet and pits start to sweat when I look at this picture, because there he is, swinging his legs off it. If it were me, no way would you have gotten me to the edge, and I would probably be face down clinging to the rock crying my eyes out, and dreading the trip down, cursing whoever it was that talked me into doing it in the first place. Not Joe. He looks completely carefree and at home on the little ledge, right?

Here's the winner shot of the batch in my opinion. The lighting is gorgeous. A man and his mountain. Gotta love it. He told me as he tumbled into bed upon arriving wearily home in the wee small hours, that despite the screaming sore muscles, total physical and mental exhaustion it is worth it. So I'm sure that he'll be right back up there again. And, just in case anyone out there has forgotten...

YESSSSS!!!!!

Shout Out to Sandy

2007-08-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

I just found out today that one of my ol' friends from school days is expecting her first baby in January. I am so excited for her - I really haven't been able to stop thinking about it today. I'm not quite sure why. I mean, quite a few people from my class have had kids...heck, even my high school boyfriend has now been a dad for about a year. But this is different...she's the first one from my closer circle of girlfriends from then to actually experience pregnancy - she's the one sustaining life. Not like the guys I know who're now dads...I mean, that's very cool too, but not the same b/c it's their wives who went through all the emotions/physical change/etc. Trippy! I mean, this is Sandy who in 3rd grade volunteered to pull out my tooth for me, watched Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken with like 84,000 times (small exaggeration), played soccer with at every lunchtime in Jr. High, giggled and gossiped with in High School during band... Of course, we had our arguments and normal girl drama too...but when I think of my school experience, she is a big part of it. Hard to believe that we're really at this stage of life, when I can picture running around Chabot Elementary school's field chasing soccer balls with her like it was yesterday.
Not too uncommon, but we kinda lost touch during college; however, thru the joy that is MySpace, have reconnected enough to know what each other is doing, send a comment, and keep tabs on each other. She should be really grateful that I still don't know how to use the scanner, otherwise I could post some adolescent pics that are dynamite...you know, that lovely awkward stage. Actually, come to think of it, Sandy always looked good. I look like a skinny geek, so you're really not missing much.
Anyhow, I just wanted her to know that I'm thinking about her, excited for the journey she's on, and wanted to pay a small tribute to her, because saying "congrats" just doesn't seem adequate enough. Especially since it made me get to reminiscing about elementary, Jr. High and CVHS. I don't think I let her know how much I valued her friendship - and that's not right. She was an awesome buddy to have. Bye 4 now !!

***Edited to Add***
Sandy was kind enough to send me our eighth grade sticky-pic from the yearbook...can you dig the matching overalls? Very 1995. So I'm on the left, Sandy's in the middle, and Debbie is on the right. Interestingly enough, Debbie was always interested in showbiz, and lo and behold she graduated from UC Berkely and has been wrapping up her master's (all aimed at the entertainment field) at Stanford and directed a short film for her thesis. She'll be famous, and I hope she remembers that she owes us a limo ride like she promised if she ever "made it". She is also gorgeous now, no more pouffy bangs... Good times, good times!

Special Day

2007-07-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

I can't let yesterday go by without saying that on July 24th 3 years ago, Joe proposed to me at Yosemite. Like everything else about life that I am figuring out, the reality of what it has turned out to be is better and different that I imagined. Life with my buddy by my side is so satisfying and good. He amplifies my life in every way. Even though the wedding was 6 months later in January, and that's when we made vows to each other in front of everyone, July 24th is really the start of it all, when we promised to be each other's for life. It has a special place in my heart. That's all.

OK, so I'm hooked

2007-07-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

As I was heading out of the apartment to Target last night, there was something on the doormat. Lo and behold it was a glorious little package from Amazon, with my Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I let out such a big gasp that Joe came running into the room thinking something was wrong. Being the mature adult that I am, I squealed, jumped up and down, then calmly put the package on the coffee table, determined to do my shopping and open the package when I got back. So I did. When I returned I ripped into that bad boy, and proceeded to read until 5AM this morning. I don't even remember the last time I did that. I didn't even feel tired. I finished it this afternoon. So before, I was completely ignorant about the wizarding world, not really caring about what I was missing, and somewhere along the way Harry and the gang won me over. I think it was around book 3; that's when I found myself wanting to know what happened next. I have to say, I love the way the series ended. I like it when there's a definite ending, and you know where the characters end up in their lives. So to sum it up kudos to Harry, Hermione & Ron, and kudos to J.K.Rowling for creating an awesome world/sport/story... (what would it be like to spend a day in her imagination?) it was simply smashing.

Enjoying the "now"

2007-07-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been ruminating about how I love different periods of time. Seeing as how history was my major, this isn't really surprising. I think it's fascinating to learn about people, places and how day to day life was. WWII, the pioneers, the Tudors, the Spanish Inquisition, the Boston Tea Party, I'll take it all. You'll either find my nose stuck in a book reading, or when I'm not doing that, I'm day-dreaming about the future. Funny, huh? I mean, complete opposite end of the spectrum. I like to imagine what our house will be like, what colors I'll paint the walls, what flowers I'll put in the backyard, where the playhouse and swing set will be in the backyard, and three cute kids bouncing around. It doesn't seem to take much to spark some sort of dream in my head; just getting the new Pottery Barn out of the mailbox does it. Seriously, that thing is to me now what my American Girl catalogue was to me when I was 9. I love to pore over every page, see what's new, read all the descriptions, you get the idea. The thing is though...I don't think I give enough attention to the present. Not that I'm not happy with my life now (quite the opposite), but it just doesn't seem as interesting. By thinking about the past or the future, I don't know if I'm getting as much as I can out of right now - and I don't like that very much. I don't want to cheat myself out of all the great things that my life has to offer me right now. I think some of my problem is that I compare myself to others, and see where they are in their lives, and instantly think that I need to be right there too...even though I know that what's right for them now, isn't necessarily right for me. I don't think that loving history, or thinking about the future are bad things, but being consumed by them sure is.

Relying in the Lord's timing isn't easy...I know that I'm being prepped for the next stage of life, even though it sometimes seems like I'm going nowhere fast. But God ushers us into different seasons of our lives, not a day too early or late. That's a comforting thought. So while I'm here, I will embrace all things that He's put on my plate and in my life. I will embrace all that each day has to offer me. I will embrace the now.

Oh, happy day

2007-07-02T17:42:00.001-07:00

Indiana Jones is coming back into my life sometime in the spring/summer of '08. I actually squealed with delight when I saw this production photo - proof that they really are making a fourth one. I CANNOT wait! It's a good thing when Joe and I were dating that no whip-cracking, antiquity hunting archaeologist ever ran into me, because things might've turned out very differently... Just to clarify, it's Indy I have the crush on, not Harrison Ford. And also, I'd just like to say that when I'm 64, I hope I look as good as he does.

Lake Berryessa, CA & Italy, baby!!

2007-07-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

So I'm in the bedroom, while Joe is languishing on the sofa watching Apocalypto (which is why I'm hiding in the bedroom. No way am I about to watch that movie). He got a nasty, nasty sunburn on his entire back this weekend; so bad, that he didn't go to work today. Poor guy. So I'm the go-fur girl, and aloe vera applier extraordinaire, since coincidentally I was off work today too.

We were up at Lake Berryessa this weekend, helping our friends Brian & Cami with their newly purchased houseboat. They went in on it with our other friends, Luke & Amy Taylor (who just had the new baby), so we'll probably be up there quite a bit. It was a lot like camping - no running water, no electricity, and HOT!! The guys built the swim deck on the back, and we organized and cleaned inside. The entertainment of the weekend were their too cute for words kids, Grace (5) and Sam (3). Sam has the deepest voice on a kid that I've ever heard, and is obsessed with trucks. He carries around an orange monster truck and asked Joe about every 20 minutes "Joe, where your truck?", and when Joe wasn't around to be asked, he asked me, then his parents. Very funny. We were also there to witness Sam catching his first ever fish with his brand new Shrek fishing pole. He was about ready to jump outta his skin he was so excited, and proceeded to bellow for about an hour after to everyone who walked down the dock that he caught a fish. So it was a good weekend, other than the burning. I assumed it would be me who came home redder than a lobster, seeing as how I have a love/hate relationship with the sun. I hate being this fair, and how anal I have to be about protecting it. I love being on the boat, and in the water, but in that intense of a setting, sometimes its just not enjoyable - its a pain to have to reapply the sunscreen, and still feel yourself toasting up, and then being all splotchy, red and stingy the next day. Oh, the crosses I bear... I know, I know, whine whine whine.

On a much more exciting topic, ITALY HAS BEEN BOOKED!!! We bought our round trip tickets to Rome, so it is definitely happening. I don't think there's a word for being this outrageously excited. Just the thought of walking around some palazzo, eating gelato gets my adrenaline pumping. We'll be taking off August 24 and coming home on September 2. It's not a very big chunk of time, but we kind of felt like it's a now-or-never kind of deal. Who knows when Joe will get this amount of time off for vacation again, and we don't have any super big responsibilities...so, off we go! We'll be in Rome then take the train to Florence and on to Venice. It is cramming a lot into a little, but we figure we're young and can do it. We won't be able to see everything, and that's OK - at least we're going. There's a lot of choices to make, and they're not all easy. We came to the conclusion that we can't make it to London this go-round, which is disappointing. I love it there, and Joe really wanted to see it...we were really tempted to get round trip tickets to London, and then just catch a charter flight to Italy, but in the end it would be more expensive, and eat up 1.5 days with extra travel, so it's just not worth it. Just another reason to go back there though, right?

So today, I've been pricing accommodations and enjoying every second of it. I think so far, the place I'm most excited to be staying at is what we've found in Rome, the Hotel Santa Maria. It is a converted cloister, and right in the heart of the ancient section of the city, the Trastevere, which (supposedly) is central to all the big sights. It looks quaint, beautiful, and like it's got a lot of character. I was super opposed to staying at the Marriott, or something like that; I want a real taste of the local flavor - and I think we'll get it with this place. As soon as I wrap up this post, then I'm gonna jump into Harry Potter #2. I finished the first one over the weekend, and I liked it. I'm curious to see what this one'll bring. I hear Joe, gotta go slather on some more Banana Boat...

This is me, jumping on the bandwagon

2007-06-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

Again I manage to have a huge gap in my postings...I don't mean to, but here it is almost 2 weeks later...excuses, excuses...I have lots, but they don't really matter. The bottom line is, I just haven't done it. McCloud was fun, I took lots of pics, but honestly, I don't even feel like posting the pics because there are so many to choose and write about, it feels like an overwhelming task. Eek! Someday...onto other things...

Here's something juicy about me (OK, well, maybe not)...I have never read the Harry Potter series. And I was given the first 4 as a Christmas present about 2 years ago. I dunno, just never had the urge. I suppose I have a preconceived notion that I won't like them because they're in the fantasy/science fiction realm, and I just can't get into that genre. I've attempted many times to read Lord of the Rings, can't do it, it is way too painful. It's like my brain can't conjure up the worlds because they're just too weird, nothing makes sense, so I give up. A Wrinkle in Time and the Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe were as far as I could delve into all that. Plus, when big phenomenons like the Harry books or trends come along, I'm never on the breaking wave of them - usually I'm at the tale end. I guess I like to see if they really pan out before I invest time or money into them. Anyway, I've heard that if I can get past the first two, it gets a lot better. I'm ready to see what all the fuss is about - I mean, lots of people I know and respect adore these books and are voraciously rereading them before they get the last one this summer. That is dedication - they wouldn't do that for a lame series, right? I also think that it will be good reading material for the plane; you know, something easy and quick. So here I go with book one, jumping on the Hogwarts bandwagon.

In crafting news, I've been stitching some onesies that are to be baby presents, but as luck would have it, the little guy that was supposed to be born on July 8th, decided to make his appearance yesterday morning in the wee small hours, and I only have one onesie done, one in the works, and a blanket to make. So. I have a little catching up to do on that front. But I learned that I can get one stitched pretty much in one night. My mom called yesterday and said that there was an impromptu baby shower thrown together at her church for this Friday night, and she has a gift card, but was hoping I could stitch her a onesie to go with it (one for a little girl), so could I pretty please do it? I said yes, and this is the result.

I really like how it turned out - so cute! When I was ironing on the transfer, I also prepped another onesie, because its my goal to make a semi-duplicate of whatever I'm currently working on and stash the other away to sell for our church's Holiday Boutique in November, so that way when it rolls around I'll be set and won't have to scramble last minute as much. I'm really curious to see if my goods'll sell, and if people even like them (and of course to raise $ for missions too). I also want to use my spiffy camera and take some pics to decorate the kitchen wall with - I have some ideas that I'm really excited about and can't wait to start! So much to do, so little time...
***BTW*** The Prilosec-like meds have really been helping my stomach, I feel great! Finally 2 days ago I got the results from the blood test. The #'s are alright, it shows that I am anemic (which most likely means the ulcers bled a little), so I have to come back in for another bloodtest. Lucky me! Thanks for all the kind prayers and words.

Wilderness Survival 101

2007-06-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

That's what I call it. To Joe and his family, they call it camping. And that's what we'll be doing this weekend. But they can't fool me. There's no public sinks/showers, or outhouses with the crescent moon on the door. You wanna wash up? Jump in the creek. Need to go to the bathroom? Here's the shovel. Of course, I do have to say that when the girls are along for the trip, they do pull out all the stops, and set up a shower in the trees, and set up a little port a potty for us...but still. They have a serious aversion to campgrounds and all the people in them, and really never go to them.. So they head out to their little Shangri-La up by the base of Mt. Shasta called McCloud. You know you're there when you see a little bar, post office and gas station all rolled into one building. Turn immediately left off the highway, drive around the forest for a ways, then stop. Set up camp, you have arrived. This'll be my second time going. It's all a little shocking to me - I was not brought up to be a camper. My family has a cabin, so that's where we would always head because there was always work to do on it, and my mom loathes camping. She says that its no vacation at all for the woman, and I do see her point. Its a lot of packing/preparing, and then a ton of clean up/ laundry. But, Joe adores it, so I better get used to it, right? Besides, I get totally soft when he talks about doing stuff with our future kids there, and teaching them stuff, and keeping the tradition of going there with his bros up. So really, it's a lost cause.
Of course, McCloud does have its charms...it is very tranquil, and beautiful. At night you hear the creek rushing by, and the stars are awesome to see. And, its just fun to be together. So even though I was a punk when writing the first paragraph, I'm not really dreading the trip. But I am dreading the heat. I saw today that one of the towns up there was at 103 degrees - yuck. And it won't be a restful weekend by any means; I overheard Joe and his brother Jake go over the pros and cons of a day hike, and there's rumored to be a night hike in the works. The boys and Lisa left today to go set up camp and stuff (and they're the real hardcore campers anyway), and I am heading up tomorrow night with Joe's parents after work. Hooray for a 6 hour drive plus weekend Bay Area traffic when we'll be trying to get out of town! Smile!! Then we come home on Sunday, and jump right back into the grind. So, here I am, blogging, when really I should be packing my bag.
It's a little weird without Joe here. It's not like I can't sleep if he's not here, but it is a little strange, all the same. When I got dinner tonight, I just chose something that sounded good to me. Didn't think about quantity or making a complete meal. Trying to combat the blazing heat, I treated myself to cold shrimp with lots of cocktail sauce, corn on the cob, and some lemon gelato for dessert. Yummy! I also had total domination of the TV and computer (a rarity), the alarm won't go off at 4:30am, I don't have to iron him a shirt or pack his lunch...so that's all swell. And I'll definitely enjoy it. But I'll be glad when he's back. I miss him.

iPod Lovin'

2007-06-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is my apple green mini iPod. I use it everyday and love it to bits. When its not in the dock, it's in my purse/car being toted around. Quite awhile ago, Candace made a cozy for her iPod that was awesome, and I tucked away that idea in my head to do at a later time. Every time I would go to make it, something would come up, and it would get put on the back burner. The other night, when Joe was watching something he had DVR'd that I wasn't really into, I grabbed some felt scraps, floss, a needle and went to town. This is the finished result:

The front; please folks, hold your applause till the end.

The back with spiffy initial letter "k"...

And we'll wrap up with the full body shot.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Mostly, I was using it as an exercise to practice some different stitches, because on the onsies I find myself using a lot of the split stitch, and that's it. If it was truly heinous, I could pitch it...but I ended up thinking it was pretty darn cute, and wanted to share it. Right now, I'm a real navy girl, and I love the aqua and coral against it - gives it a retro kick that I can't get enough of. Note to self - next time, use a ruler when cutting fabric. Eyeballing it is tough. And also, invest in a white pencil, because free styling your design on dark fabric at night is not the easiest. Having a little guide would be lots easier.

Lately, these two men are dominating the play time on the iPod...

Chris Rice is relatively new to me, and I think he's great. Especially the "Lemonade" song. I find myself humming it throughout the day.

Michael, well, I could listen to him sing the phone book and be enraptured. My mom and I are going to see him in August when he comes into town...till then he croons to me on my commute.

And there you have it. The up-to-date info on me and my iPod.

The D40 Has Landed

2007-06-13T16:23:00.001-07:00

And I'm in love.

The American Media Is Driving Me Nuts Right Now

2007-06-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

Just a little rant that I don't think the horrendous behavior of a blond heiress who is a twit needs to be the #1 story in the country right now. All day on the radio, Internet and TV have been blow by blow segments and updates as to whether Paris Hilton will or won't go back to jail. To quote Seinfeld and Joe's cousin Jerrod, this is completely asinine. What must we look like to other nations around the world, when this is what we as a country choose to put all our attention on? I can't believe that the media thinks this is good reporting. There are so many other things to be talking about; why not instead of people protesting her being in jail, they protest the presence of Al-Quaida terrorists cells here in their communities that plot to kill Americans (because they really do exist - don't believe me? Talk to your local law enforcement)? Why not honor soldiers and their families in interviews and rallies for them? Does she really deserve all this air-time and attention for breaking the law? Props to the judge who is sticking to his guns and doing what her parents should've done long ago: give her consequences for her actions. I admit that I like reading about the starts and celebrity gossip; when People magazine comes around I gobble it up. But I like the things like knowing where Reese Witherspoon shops, and seeing a picture of Jennifer Aniston walking her dog. I am sick of the constant barrage of Lindsay, Britney and Paris who keep getting lower, and lower, and lower and that the US can be so captivated by worthless people doing worthless things.

My Old Nemesis Is Back...

2007-06-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Ulcers. Boo. I dealt with them 8 years ago as a senior in high school. It wasn't fun. It happened smack in the middle of the school year and sidelined me for a good 2 months. I had a bleed-out, was in the ICU for a few days, had fun things done like an endoscopy and getting my stomach pumped. Yea. The consensus was that I had a major allergic reaction to Advil, so since then, I haven't had any Ibuprofen, NSAIDS or Advil. Not wanting to experience any of that again, I've been uber careful about the meds I take and try to be good about the foods I eat too; no more drinking glass after glass of grapefruit juice or pizza with red sauce. I'm not a smoker and only have a margarita once in a great while, so its not like those vices are the culprits. And I've done well since then. Sometimes when I feel upset, or under a lot of pressure, I'll feel a twinge of the old soreness, but nothing a few Tums couldn't help. But, about a week and a half ago for no apparent reason, the old symptoms were back. It was what I have always been dreading might happen - a repeat performance. Heartburn, tightness, just a constant uncomfortableness that wasn't going away. So today I went to the doctor. I figured I gave it a chance to subside, it hadn't, and I didn't want to fool around with it. So after 3 vials of blood drawn, being poked and prodded, here I am, just waitin' to know what they've found. They did give me an Rx for Prilosec, which helps block the production of excess acid in your stomach. Hopefully that does the trick and lets my stomach heal. If not, its off to the specialist for me, and I would be willing to bet that there would be another scope (ugh). So I'm praying that this all blows over. I think the hardest thing for me right now is wanting to know exactly why this was triggered again - I mean, I've steered clear of what was the "known" cause, so what in the world could it be? Is it chronic and something I'll have to be careful of forever? I know that stress can be a contributor too, but that one is tricky. I typically don't go around and think man, I feel stressed today, or I'm so stressed out right now. If someone were to ask me if I feel stressed out, I would probably answer no. Am I busy? Definitely. Is there enough time in the day to get everything done? No. But that's just life, and I don't really see it changing much, so you just have to get in and do it, otherwise it won't get done. Maybe that's not the right attitude to have and by having it make things harder on myself than I need to. Asking for help is not a bad thing and I need to remember that. Because even if I think I'm OK, obviously my body is telling me differently, and its time to reassess some things. I dunno. Guess just wait to see what the doc says and take it from there.

Graduation & Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti

2007-05-29T18:07:00.001-07:00

Bet you thought I was gone for good! Nope, just a slacker. Haven't been around the place for the past two weekends, and not home much during the week, and when I am, I'm either catching up on chores, or enjoying important TV shows like Little People Big World, or Law & Order SVU. I still don't really feel like writing, but want to share the pics, so without further ado, here they are...

HUME LAKE COUPLES RETREAT

So, so, so glad that we were able to go to this. It looked a little sketchy for a stretch there, but God is good. He knew we really needed this piece of rejuvenation and focusing on us and Him. Hard to believe that a week ago at this time Erin, Kiyoko and I were in our swimsuits laying out in front of the lake, gearing up to do the GPS Treasure hunt. *Sigh* Very fun. There's no place else quite like Hume Lake. Think of the biggest and best summer camp you've ever been to, multiply it by 100, and you get Hume. They have quality facilities, quality location, quality worship, and get awesome speakers. You get the gist. We were fortunate to tag along with the Lankford's church, so we met a lot of new people, and they were all really nice. The scandal of the weekend was they thought Joe's identical brother Josh (whom they all know because he interns with Chris at their church) was there with a mystery woman (me). I lost count of the people who tentitively came up to Joe and said "Err, are you Josh, or Joe? And who are you with?". It was pretty funny.

Joe and I committed that we would always try and do things to benefit our marriage and relationship; we've just seen too many people focus on other things within their marriage like kids, work, etc., and we just want the foundation of "us" and where we are with the Lord to be rock solid, with the idea that everything else will be stronger and better off for it. That's why we're so for premarital counseling with a real counselor vs a pastor who definitely has the best of intentions, but not the same training. Ours was invaluable; in fact, we went back to her for about 1 session a month for 4 months right before Joe started the academy because we knew it was going to be a tough stressful situation. It really helped, and I firmly believe that working on yourself or relationship in that capacity is a good thing. More people should do it. OK, I'll get off my soap box now...
So, we took full advantage of all Hume had to offer like renting bikes and riding around the lake, the high ropes course for the guys, paddling out into the lake on a boat, the pool, the GPS treasure hunt (which was fun but really exhausting), the snack shack, hanging out at the coffee shop Hume n' Beans talking and laughing...really just playing. It was great. They took care of everything. But the real "meat" of the retreat was the speakers, Bill & Pam Farrel, who wrote the book Men Are Like Waffles & Women Are Like Spaghetti . We had all read the book, and actually, we had done it together as a small group with the Lankfords a few years ago. The whole point of the book in a nutshell, is that men compartmentalize things, while women connect everything together, and how to work through and with those differences in a loving relationship, rather than have them grow into really big problems. Communication, people!! That is what a lot of it boils down to...and Lord knows, I'm not perfect at it by any means, so it was really good to hear positive ways to work on it.

What was also really cool about the weekend, was not only being with the Lankfords (of course), but with our other friends who mean so much to us. Very rarely do all our schedules mesh together; so this was great. Hopefully, we can make it an annual thing where no matter where we are, or what we're up to, we can make it to this together. Friends are so important, aren't they? The older I get, the more I see just how much they do for us in our lives, and what purpose they have in them; especially for me, my girlfriends. Erin, well, I would have to sum it up that she is definitely my "kindred spirit" (you'll only get that reference if you read the Anne of Green Gables books, and if you didn't, I feel really sorry for you - its like you missed a piece of childhood). We are two peas in a pod. No matter how long it has been, we always start right back from where we left off - and we've never had a fight. No stupid girl drama with us. She was my maid of honor, she'll be my kids' aunt, and we'll be fun crazy old ladies together. 'Nuff said. And Kiyoko, she is the most generous person I know, coupled with fantastic advice. I love the frankness of our talks, how we can be creative and crafty together, and that time spent with her is time well spent. How did I get so lucky?

Me and my favorite guy. Jeez, I'm white. You can't tell where I start and where my tank top ends...

Biking around the lake with the Sorgels (Chase & Erin).

Contrary to what you might think, very yummy food - not camp-y at all. And check out the view from the dining hall...not too shabby, right?

Thank you Alder (especially room 201) - you were good to us...hope to see you next year!

GRADUATION

It was really fun, and I'm really glad that we were all able to be there, except, it really pointed out to me that my grandparents have really aged, and this was probably the last trip we'll make with them. I've been fortunate to have traveled quite a bit with all my grandparents, but this time was a very big contrast to all the previous times. It was stressful on them not remembering where they were, all the security precautions now, etc. Not too fun to watch. But on the flip side, my brother's graduated, we had an awesome dinner (no, didn't make it to the premiere), and really great memories. Luckily, we were blessed with a foggy morning for the graduation, otherwise I would've burned to a crisp despite the fact that I lathered on the sunscreen. We were seated out on the football field and there was not one spec of shade. I really hate being so fair, and I hope that our kids inherit Joe's tanning abilities. Anyway, the speakers were good, but there were A LOT of names we had to sit thru till they got to Blaine's. When they did, we all jumped up and screamed like maniacs. It was fun. Tip: If you are ever in the vicinity of the Napa Rose, go eat there. Even if its just for an appetizer or dessert. The whole time I was eating, I kept thinking that our friends Chris & Kiyoko should've been there, because they're the real foodies. Each dish looks like a work of art, and tastes amazingly good. You know how sometimes you go to a really classy or gourmet place, and nothing tastes good, because its all a little too fancy & weird? Not so here. Truly one of the best meals I've ever had. And if you don't want to eat, just go there to look, because it is gorgeous. Its a combo is Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, and the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite (we stayed there for a portion of our honeymoon), all beautiful timber, big boulders/river rock and stained glass, huge fireplaces, classy piano music playing - love it! I keep telling Blaine to please, please keep working at Disney when we have kids so we can use his sweet discount there at the park and hotels. He just rolls his eyes. I'm only half joking.

So, now you're caught up. Jeez, I didn't feel like writing, but man, I got on a roll. What's up next? Well, I just finished the first onsie, now onto another. We got our tax refund, so I'm hoping that this weekend we can go to a store and at least peruse if not buy a new camera (exciting!). We went and saw Pirates last night, and I'm still not sure what I think. I could watch Johnny Depp play that character forever - he was definitely the best part of the movie. I'm still trying to figure the plot out...I'm half convinced there wasn't really one. Not too sure. Anyway, have a great first weekend of June people!! (June - can you believe it?!?)

Just A Quickie...

2007-05-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

So after work tomorrow, we hop onto Jet Blue and fly to LA LA land for my little brother's college graduation. That means that I'm starting to feel anxiety about my list of "To Do"s; laundry, packing, dishes, general straightening up. I don't know why, but before I go away, I feel like I have to speed clean everything, and have it all set. I think mostly, it helps me not to feel overwhelmed when I get back home about all the things that need to happen for the start of the week. I dunno if its the best system or not, because it doesn't make me the nicest person, and I know that I won't get the majority of it done...but a girl can try, right? And anyway, this is supposed to be a fun little trip. I don't want to start it off now in a stinky mood. Jet Blue is the coolest airline to fly on. All the seats are leather, there's a TV in the back in the seat in front of you that gets a ton of channels, and their snacks are far superior to anyone else's. I don't know why, but anytime that flying is involved, I am that much more excited. Flying with Joe too. We've only done that once when we went to Hawaii...so its a fun little treat. The graduation will be nice, it shouldn't be scorching hot down there this weekend, and then for dinner to celebrate, we're eating at this really shi-shi restaurant in California Adventure Land - the Napa Rose I think. Because my bro works for Disney, he gets a really nice discount and was able to pull a few strings and get us in. That in and of itself is impressive. What makes it doubly so is that the night we will be there also happens to be the night that Disney will have the premiere of the third Pirates movie, with all the starts there. In fact, they will be eating at the same restaurant later that night. Snazzy, huh? I am still secretly hoping that maybe he can get us into Disneyland to actually see the premiere and Johnny-Keira-Orlando. We'll see.
It feels weird that my brother is now a full fledged grown up. Of course, he'll still be living the student lifestyle for a few years more - he has decided to get his master's in PR, so he'll definitely have some hard work ahead of him. But I'm super proud of him. I predict that he'll end up in some cool, different job. I bet it's in a studio...so he'll be hobb-nobbing with the rich and famous. I doubt that he'll move back up the the Bay; LA fits him.
And lastly, before I run off, I just wanted to let you all know that this week, Comcast cable & DVR landed in our household (yea!). And it is good. And life will never be the same.

Wish List

2007-05-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm satisfied with my life, and grateful for what I have. Yeah, I don't have anymore room to cram things into my very-fastly-growing-way-too-small-apartment. But I have one sublime wish list, and I just know that getting the things on it would make my life even that much better... I would make it work!!

Numero uno on the list is a dog. You are either a dog person, or you aren't and we happen to be. When you've been raised all your life with pets, it makes a big difference when you can't have them. I want that companionship for walks and days when Joe is at work. This is a picture of the breed I want; a Rottweiler! Most people look shocked when I tell them that part. Me, a little white girl wanting a bad ass type dog. But, hey people, I've done my research, and they're great dogs. Since I'll be by my lonesome a fair amount at night when hubby has work, I want a dog that is protective. Not just protective as in barks loudly, but as in when people see it will think twice, decide they don't feel like being bitten or torn to mince meat and go away. They're great with kids, and they don't shed like the other breed we were looking at (German Shepherd). Plus, look at that little face, ain't it sweet? Joe is interested in one other breed too, but I'm holding firm. You'll see!! I also have an awesome name in mind, but I'm not sharing that yet, lest one of you takes it for your canine. But alas, that has to wait till we find a little house. I think the landlord would notice if we tried to sneak having that kind of behemoth of a dog.

Oh, how I know that I would love TiVo! Of course, getting TiVo would necessitate getting cable, which let me tell you that I am all in favor of. That's right, since we've been married, no TV. We do have a beautiful TV, but it's main use has been for DVDs and XBox. It made sense in the beginning because we were poor and didn't want another bill to pay. Then we had the money, but Joe was in the academy and didn't want the distraction. Then he finished, but was afraid that we'd get sucked in and turn into blobs. And there the issue has rested. But, man I miss the Food Network, TLC, and Law & Order SVU. Also the news, and silly stuff like who was voted off American Idol. We can live without it...I would just rather not at this point. Also, (and I use this point quite a bit), what is a girl supposed to do by herself at night? I'm an avid reader, but even I can only read so much. And now I have little craft projects to work on, but sometimes you just want to veg, you know? I know we're almost to TiVo land...just a little farther to go.

I really hope I get this for my birthday in the fall. I have been eyeballing the LeCruset pots for years, and I am too cheap to pay for one for myself. Plus, we do have limited cabinetry in our closet sized kitchen to store something so big with my other pots and pans. But I do not care. This pot is awesome and beautiful; this is the new color, I think it is called "Caribbean Blue", and I love it! Much better and fresher than some of the seventies-like colors that they use. All the "chefy" girls on TV have this style pot, so I need one too. Because having this pot will let me be just like them. I bet it makes the food taste better too.

And in the left corner, Nikon...........in the right, Canon. This will be happening within a month or two - a DSLR of my very own!! I have dabbled in photography since high school ( darkroom, develop your own film, win a ribbon at the county fair; you know, the whole shebang) and enjoyed it. I inherited my dad's old SLR, and had a blast using it. But now that technology is pretty obsolete. It only makes sense to get a digital one. But my head is spinning with options. Growing up with my dad (who is EXTREMELY loyal to certain brands) it was Nikon all the way. So I've been drooling for awhile over the D40. But lately, my head has been getting turned by Canon. Some of Joe's family members have gotten them, and some people whose blogs I read also use them and seem to really like them. Which way to go? With what I know, or be a rebel and switch sides? Any advice in this area would be appreciated.

Ooohh, aahhh, Crate & Barrel, do you ever go wrong? Although I admit I do prefer Pottery Barn, you knock my socks off with this bed ( picture matching bedside tables on either side). But I like even better what it represents: a unified grown up bedroom!! Again, this will have to wait for a house. I'm just tired of having a mish-mash of furniture - I'd like it to stop looking like we're in college, and be put together. The bedroom has definitely gotten the short end of the stick. Instead of a catch all space in a tiny apartment, I want it to be a quiet and relaxing place (read: no computer/ironing board/snowboards/tools/cop gear). Since we've been so thrifty, we've never bought a big piece of furniture together. It'll be fun and grown up. While I would love to have a complete set of bedroom furniture (one day baby!), I would settle just for a headboard and bedside tables like the beauty in the pic ...

So there you have it. The stuff that my materialistic dreams and wishes are made of.

Little Blurbs

2007-05-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

I thought the best way to recap this whole blur- of- a -weekend was to post the pics that I liked the best, and write a little blurb for each one as it entered my head. I could write pages and pages about conversations, meals, Chris's message, but I don't want to totally bore you to tears. So without further ado, the Road Trip With the In-Laws of 2007 to Long Beach re-cap:

You can probably guess that two of those guys are twins. You're right. Joe (my hubby) is in the blue, and Josh is in the red. Andrew, one of Josh's housemates, is on the far left with the chip. This picture makes me think of the Sesame Street song "which of these things is not like the other". Anyway, Andrew is a recent seminary grad, is dating a lovely lady named Carla (who I got to meet this time), and is a music pastor. He is also one of the most well-read, eccentric, musical people I know. He can talk to you about opera or 80's hairbands in the same sentence. Andrew was the consummate host, and took us to one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to (and being raised in CA, there's a lot, so that really says something), El Chulo. Muy excellante!

Well, here is the awesome twosome. These guys crack me up. Being twins, they have a bond that goes way past brothers...I don't really know how to describe it. There's the normal finishing each other's sentences, reading the other's mind, and knowing how the other is hardwired. But it goes a lot deeper than even that; it is very cool to see. Especially now that they don't live together, I think they get along better. Where as before there was typical sibling stuff, now there's a real friendship. Josh is such a great guy- whoever ends up with him is one lucky girl. I really liked seeing him in his element at church doing announcements, meeting people that think he's such an asset to the church, and even in the house with the guys. He's really grown a lot.

These are my in-laws. This is the second trip that Joe and I have taken with them to the LA area, and I hope not the last!! I am really fortunate to have married into a family where I feel so connected and comfortable. We really had a great time. I like being with them away from home, work, responsibilities, etc., because they really open and loosen up. Funny stories come out and there's a lot of laughter. Also, when I see them interact, I see a lot of myself and Joe. Wonderful, wonderful people.

These two cuties (and I don't mean me and Joe) are the Lankford girls. Jessalyn is on the left, Makayla on the right. Jessa was just a baby when Chris and Melinda came to our church, and now she's about to turn 8! She is just the most kind child I have ever met. She wants to share everything, and talks to everyone. It's like conversing with a mini adult. Makayla will be 5 in the fall and she's a little firecracker. It was great trying to see a child process the fact that Joe and Josh were twins. She's pretty used to seeing Josh, but adding Joe to the mix was a little mind blowing to her. Why did they have the same face? Are they brothers too? Am I married to both? Too cute. They are well behaved, polite, and full of spunk. Just what I'd like my kids to be like. Chris and Melinda have done a great job, and it's really encouraging to watch them parent. The most embarrassing point of the trip was when we were all hugging goodbye, and Jessalynn gave me a squeeze, then pointed to my stomach and said,"you get pregnant girl!". I turned about 3 different shades of magenta. Fun times.

You've heard me say it before, and I'll say it again. We love the Lankfords. Period. Chris married us, and Melinda was a bridesmaid. That kind of connection doesn't just happen, so when it does, you HAVE to cherish it. We miss them horribly. Every time we visit them in LB, and go to their church, we always turn to each other and say, "so, you wanna move down here?" We never would (the whole So Cal vs Nor Cal is a different blog), but just the thought of being in their church body makes us consider it. As usual, we left them feeling great. There is nothing like the knowledge that you are loved and prayed for. We had a lot of laughs, and a lot of talk. Of course, it was nowhere close to enough, but we'll take what we can get. Hopefully, we'll be able to join them and some of our other friends at Hume Lake over memorial day weekend (keep your fingers crossed that Joe's schedule allows it...)

Interesting things happen when you turn your camera over to a 4 year old. She didn't do too badly though...she got us all in the shot.

Makayla's self portrait. She's too funny and adorable.

On the crafting front, I've started making yo-yo's. I don't really know what I'll do with them...I was thinking a garland, but then I discovered that I'm not a speed whiz yet, and that might take awhile. I think for now, I'll just use them to embellish stuff. I also am stitching my first onsie, for a friend who is having her third baby this July. Joe's eyes turned into golf balls when I pulled them out of the Target bag, and I had to reassure him they weren't ours. I did start oohing and ahhhhing about how cute and tiny they were, and I'm sure Joe thinks that I'm starting to get babyitis...I mean, I don't have a full blown case, buuut, I am developing a few of the symptoms... :)

Road Trip!

2007-04-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

So, we're heading down South this weekend to Long Beach with Joe's parents to see brother Josh ( who is Joe's identical twin, and is in seminary down there at Talbolt, which is associated with Biola University). Joe and his dad are going to fix his brakes or something like that. It was all thrown together really fast, and the trip itself will be a blitz of visiting and shopping and eating. Fun, fun, fun!! The only stinky part is that we have to pick up Joe's parents at 3:30am, which means I have to kiss my Saturday sleep-in good bye. And I really hate to do that. But the big pay off is time with Josh, and the Lankfords! Oh, how I love the Lankford family. We have missed them so much since they moved back down to LB for Chris to be the lead Pastor at a church there. When they were here, their home door was always unlocked, they led awesome couples Bible studies, and we'd hang out talking with them till the wee small hours. You always feel recharged after spending time with them, and feel completely loved on. Hearing Chris preach on Sunday will be a treat! And Melinda, well, where to begin? She is so open and willing to share advice and listen. When I'm with her, I'm reminded that to be transparent is a good quality. To share struggles and joys, really connecting with people through those things...I usually tend to do the opposite. If you can't tell, I think very highly of them, and am thrilled to be seeing them. I promise to post pics when we're back home.

And on an unrelated note, I just have to say that I'm really disappointed that Prince William and Kate Middleton broke up. I truly hope its not the end for them. She seems so classy and together...and an "average" type girl (plus, her name is Kate - how could I not root for her?). I mean, I know that her family has money, but it doesn't have a pedigree and isn't "in" in the higher circles of society, certainly not the set that the royalty moves among. Meeting as they did in school, he was able to choose from a wide social range of people to date, and could focus only on the things that were important to him in a person, versus family pressure to continue dynasties, alliances, rank, etc. I think it very unlikely that he will date that type of a girl again...I'm sure that the types of girls he will be surrounded with now will have very, very blue blood. Too bad. I hope we haven't seen the last of her.

Kelly's Questions

2007-04-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

So, these questions are from the funny and lovely Kelly...here's a little snapshot into the depths of "Kate"...

1. David Bowie or Mick Jagger as your husband for a lifetime?
I think that I would have to go with Mick Jagger...way cooler to be with a Rolling Stone than with a man who would probably steal your makeup and wear it. I dunno, David Bowie has always been kinda androgynous to me...and I would rather be with a man who you know is a man.

2. If you had to live outside of the US where would you live and why.
Jeez Louise, that is a toughie. How do you choose just one place? I think though, that I would have to go with London. It has everything that I love; history, culture, a language I already know, the hustle of the city with the country not far at all. About 5 years ago, we took a family vacation there and rented a little flat right off Trafalgar Square for about 2 weeks. It was my favorite vacation ever. I loved being within walking distance to everything; museums, the bakery, the grocer, pubs, restaurants...so great. I could easily see myself slipping into life there and loving it.

3. Would you have plastic surgery and what would you have done?
As of right now, I can't see myself wanting or having anything done. The idea kinda scares me. Although I definitely have things about myself I wish were different, I'm too scared that it would be botched and I would have something worse off in the end. However, some of my friends who have had kids and are done with childbearing sometimes talk about getting a tummy tuck or a breast lift. And these are not vain people. Soooo, ask me that question after I have 3 kids....the answer might just be different.

4. Favorite chick flick
Without a doubt, the A&E version of Pride & Prejudice (not the new version, repeat, not the new version). Hands down. The best story ever. Who doesn't love Elizabeth, and want to be her? And who doesn't love Darcy and his journey to show her who he really is?

5. most influential person in your life.
Well, there are Joe and my mom who obviously have a lot of influence on me. But, the person who has influenced me throughout childhood and adulthood is my Granny. She was the best playmate, and now that I'm a "grown up", I see what a wonderful example of a woman she has been throughout her life. All of my friends, old or new love Granny. They just can't help it. I think it is because she is genuinely interested in them and what they're up to. She has a real zest for life that is pretty infectious. She was the kind of grandma that when you spent the night would let you have cake for breakfast in the morning, always wanted to know what the new slang/dance moves were, and would play 2 square with you in the backyard. But she wasn't a pushover either - it was definitely a no spoiling zone at her house, and yet you always felt indulged. Because it was just me and my younger brother as the only grand kids, I got to spend a lot of time with her, and listen to all her wonderful stories of growing up on a ranch, meeting Gramps on a blind date during WWII and all her travels with him (they'll be married 65 years this July), raising kids, etc. All in all, she is who I want to be like the most and who I love best; there's no one else like her!!

My Feet Are So Sore, But My Heart Is So Happy

2007-04-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Number of hours we stood in line: 3.5

Cost of 2 cookbooks: $65

Number of blocks that the line wrapped around: 3-4

Number of screaming kids that their moms dragged along to stand in line: Way too many

Getting to say I saw and talked to Giada de Laurentiis: Priceless

Me & Marisa waiting...really glad that I had someone to geek out with - that made it way more fun

This is when we rounded the corner and were in the home-stretch...

This was really the only disappointing part. Giada was so nice to talk to - but her handlers and the security team were absolute nazis. No posed pics with Giada (majorly bummed about that one), no flash (in a poorly lit space), and you could only take a picture of her once she had signed your book and you were ushered to the side of the store, behind a blue tape line with people jostling into you. See that lady in the pink shirt? She was not nice, and acted like she totally didn't want to be there. I would've loved her job!! Unfortunately, this was the best shot I got...hopefully Marisa got a better one. We'll see. But who cares, really? I stinking got to talk to her, and I definitely won't forget that!

Super Duper

2007-04-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel. Just good. Happy. Content. This whole past week went smoothly, and things got done. Ross and Monica from Friends used to say "check" when they either remembered or completed something, and that's how I feel inside too. Geeky, I know, but true. Taxes? Done. Jury Duty? Called in, didn't have to go, and done for a year. Grocery shopping? Taken care of. Cleaning the bathroom (which I hate)? Smelling good and lemony. Since all those things are now behind me, now I'm really looking forward to what's ahead of me...
So, I've been flexing my crafty muscles and honing in specifically on embroidery. I was taught really young by one of my grandmas, and for whatever reason, just kinda gave it up. I guess it got lost along the way of Girl Scouts, piano lessons, gymnastics, church stuff, life in general, you get the jist. I hadn't even though about it till I was introduced to the website Sublime Stitching and was amazed at what I saw. No geese or hearts or teddybear patters - totally awesome, retro, kitchy stuff, which I get a big kick out of. This little voice in the back of my head kept saying try it, give it a shot and why not? So I caved. I figured it would be a lot like riding a bicycle and getting back on, and all that. And if not, no one would have to know. Here are my first two (in like 17 years) dish towels. I love, love, love stitching! Already my brain is starting to formulate things to do. I have some ideas for Mother's Day presents, I would eventually like to participate in a craft swap, and the ULTIMATE goal is to have some things to sell at our church's Holiday Boutique this coming November that is headed up every year by my mother in law. All the proceeds go to missions, and I would really like to be able to contribute something. All fired up with my new found confidence, I hopped back onto Sublime Stitching and ordered up some more stuff, all the while telling myself , "this is really not an expensive hobby, especially compared to Joe's (hello- mountain biking? 4 wheeling? airsoft?!?!)", and "I'm really just building up my supply base now...I won't always order like this". Right. I should monitor myself though because I would hate to go into financial ruin via that website. So that's that.
On Saturday, I'm going to a book signing of Giada de Laurentiis!!! I am SOOOOOOOO excited!! I absolutely love her, and you should to. I think there's something wrong with people who don't. There is no way I'm missing this. I will probably be tongue tied and act like a goober in general, but I cannot wait. I love my foodTV girlies. I still kick myself that I didn't head to a book signing of Rachael Ray's when she was in Berkeley. I went to work like a schmuck. I'm grabbing Marisa, and we're heading down nice and early to San Jose where she'll be at a Sur la Table shop. Another reason why I shouldn't spend all my money on that stitching site is 'cause I'll want some to spend there too. She'll be at a really ritzy shopping center called Santana Row, and they have all kinds of fun stores like Anthropologie (a fave), The Container Store, Urban Outfitters, and the Cheesecake Factory. Yum!
Another thing on the horizon for me is I plan on going to this ginormous antique flea market that is held the first Sunday of every month in Alameda, right by the bay. How lame is it that I've lived here my entire life, and never gone to it? One of my mom's good friends goes religiously, and the things she finds there are unique and beautiful. Again, I'm really excited. I have a few things in mind that I'd like to find...some wall art (anything to alieviate the whitness of the walls), antique linnen, some old suitcases/ steamer trunks...did I mention that I'm excited? I also hear they've got great food there as well to munch on while you browse. May 6th, I'm there.
And perhaps the biggest news, is that it looks about 95% certain that Joe will get some time off before the next shift change in September, about 10 days worth...so we are starting to plan a trip to ITALY!!! Or maybe England. Or Spain. But Italy looks like the definite front runner, and either way, we are definitely getting out of the country. It's where we've said we would like to travel together even before we were married. My feet don't even touch the ground at that thought, and my heart rate majorly accelorates. It seems way too good to be true. I'll definitely post more details about it later, but it just seemed that there would be no way possible at first. Which was very discouraging. In the grand 5 year plan we mapped out during pre-marital counseling, part of the reason that we wanted to wait 5 years to start a family was to travel. A lot. But with vacation time routinely being denied to rookie cops, it was making less and less sense why we were waiting (since everyone and their sister is pregnant around here), if we couldn't even travel. When Joe injured his ankle in January, it seemed even more remote. All I have to say about that, is that God's timing is perfect, and it really is through Him that things are made possible. So, I've been to Rome as a kid, but would love to go back, and I also want to see Venice...but, any other ideas of must sees? I'll welcome any and all advice!
So with all these thought whirling around my head today, I was a very happy girl. But do you know what the best part of the day was? I came home from work to find MY HUSBAND MADE ME DINNER!!!! This may not be a big deal for some of you. You may have guys that love to cook. But Joe wasn't trained up like that, and it is definitely outside his comfort zone. Normally this is OK, because as stated before, I really like to cook. But with me working full time now, I'm wiped out a lot of nights when I come home...and right now, he's got Sat-Mon off, so it just makes sense for him to slowly branch out and take on Monday's cooking. We're still in the tweaking faze of that though...a lot of other things will have to be divided up too. But this was great. So here it is, Joe's first roast; a combo of chicken, potatoes, and asparagus with lemon and thyme. It was fantastic! Talk about giving me the warm fuzzies and proving to me once again why he is the cream of the crop.

He Is Risen!

2007-04-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

I love it when during the Easter service Pastor Larry says "He is risen!", and the congregation responds "He is risen indeed!". Easter was good this year...although we didn't make it to the sunrise service under the crosses. Our church has three 100 foot crosses in the front of the main building, which is up on a hill so you can see out over the bay, and watch the sun come up. Even though its usually super windy and chilly, we love it. I missed going. Anyway, we did the whole family thing, you know, lots of food, dessert and laughing. Doubly so since we went right from one family gathering to another. Easter is so much more fun with kids around! The kids in the pics are our adorable niece and nephew, Emma & Ethan (7 and 2). So far, they're the only grandkids in the family. As I watched them scamper all over Joe's folks back yard, I couldn't help but wonder what Easter in a few years will be like -what new little ones will be added to the mix? Exciting!

Emma taking her job very seriously.

Got it!

So sweet!

Not bad photography for a 7 year old...she got us centered and everything.

Ethan & Uncle Joe chattin' it up about dozers.

Birthday girlies Megan & Emma. Thinking hard on their wishes for '07.

so, so, so, So, SO MAD!!!

2007-04-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

I walk out to my car this morning, and what do my eyes behold? My car was broken into last night!! CD cases on the roof, the back seats pulled forward with things from the trunk spilling out into the car. Instantly I felt creeped out - like, someone else was touching my stuff, and there was a dirty intruder in my cute little car. The worst, (or best depending on what light you look at the situation in) was that there was no broken glass, no forced entry. That's right folks. We conveniently left the car open to any and everyone. I was trying so hard to remember back to what the heck was going on, because I am an avid Car Locker. I was trained up by my father who is the Ultimate Locker. House doors, car doors (when they're parked in the closed garage), luggage bags, this man doesn't take a chance. Then it all came flashing back to me. Yesterday after work I went grocery shopping, and when I came home had Joe help me bring up the groceries to the apartment. The keys were handed back and forth between each other, and we each thought that the other had locked up. Apparently, neither of us did. Grrrr!!! I don't know who I'm madder at; myself, or the person who is crummy enough to do something like this in the first place.
At least they took hardly anything. In fact, at first glance, it didn't look like anything was gone. I mean, it isn't like I leave my cell phone or iPod in there so there was no major jackpot for them, but I was desperately trying to remember if there was a scrap of paper or anything that had vital info on it. I don't think there was. But they did take a bag of Joe's clothes from his academy days (jeans, polo shirt, tennis shoes). It was the clothes he wore home the day that they sprayed all the recruits with tear gas and other nasty stuff. So the joke is on them. I hope it burns their skin off. Then I noticed that my Smith sunglasses that I got for Christmas from my parents (that I love, love, love) were gone. I wanted to scream. Then, I realized that the 6 movies from Blockbuster that I had left on the passenger seat to conveniently remind me that they MUST be returned today (because they were over-due) were missing. That's right. The jerk stole the DVDs!
So this afternoon I had to schlep off to Blockbuster, where I meekly had to explain that the movies I had rented were stolen, and then I got the joy of paying $113.02 for movies that I didn't even like anyway. Suckey, suckey day. I am so over living in this apartment!! I mean carports offer no protection or privacy!! I know that things can get stolen from actual houses as well, but at least your stuff isn't so exposed. It makes me all paranoid, wondering of someone is noticing my habits, watching my car, and if they will try again. I would hate to walk out and see no car (see, that's where the positive thinking comes in - it could have been worse). Dealing with this stuff is the pitts though. About a year ago, someone scraped off my car's registration sticker. Did I mention I'm ready to leave this place? And now I have to go finish taxes. Fan-freaking-tastic.

Alphabet Soup

2007-04-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

So, even though its technically spring, at the end of last week we had a bone chilling wind. I was secretly glad because I knew exactly what I would be making for dinner...alphabet soup!! It has been years since I had it...mostly because when I would go to the grocery store, I couldn't find the little alphabet macaroni. Sure, I guess I could've bought a can of Campbells, but I wanted the real deal! I don't know what brought on all the nostlagia, but I'd been thinking about it a lot; honestly, alphabet soup is some of my earliest memories with spelling. My Granny used to make it for my brother and I , and we would always fish the letters out and stick them out on the side of the bowl and see what words we could come up with. "K"s were always really hard to find and that used to frustrate me because, of course, the first thing I wanted to spell was my name. It really bummed me out that the tradition might stop there, and my future kids would never know the joys of spelling with their soup. So I did what any girl would do. I called Granny and told her my dilema.

Granny is a little 5 ft. dynamo (who claims she's 5'1), and probably one of the people that I love best in the world. She was tickled that I wanted to make something that to her, was so basic. She couldn't believe that I: a. remembered it; and b. wanted to keep it alive. Sure enough, next time I was at my mom's, there was a package for me from Granny, with none other than the alphabet macaroni.

Turns out, that the alphabet macaroni is actually in the Mexican Foods section of the stores. I don't know if that's just a California thing or what. Who knew? Now, when Granny would make the soup, she would use any old veggies and meat that she had left over. You never knew what combo you were gonna get. My recipe for it is really more the basic version of a Pasta e Fagioli, which Joe and I really love. In fact, its in the arsenal of Food to Tempt Joe, or Food to Get Joe To Do What I Want. Powerful stuff. So here it is, in all its glory, my version of Alphabet Soup:

3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 circles of the pan with EVOO (hey I'm a Rachael Ray fan)
2 or 3 strips of bacon
1 or 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium yellow onion peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 0r 2 stems of rosemary, left whole
several sprigs of thyme (I personally go lighter rosemary and heavier on the thyme)
salt & pepper to taste
3 cans (15oz each) chicken broth
1 can (15oz) cannellini beans
1 small can of plain tomato sauce, or any leftover marinara you have on hand
2 palm-fulls of alphabet noodles

Heat EVOO over medium heat. Chop the bacon into smallish pieces and brown in the EVOO. I like to add the heartier veggies first (celery & carrots), then the onions & garlic, herbs and seasonings. I sweat them all together until the onions are translucent and soft. Next, I add the beans, and leave afew in the bottom of the can. With a fork I mash them up before I add them to the pot. The startches in them thicken the soup a little. Stir all together. Add the broth and bring to a boil. At this point you can add the tomato sauce, just enough to make the soup a nice orangey-red color. But, if you like, you could omit it all together. Once you have a nice rolling boil, add in the alphabet macaroni. Cook about 8-10 minutes.

Seriously, so good and so easy!! And the leftovers only taste better and better. Is it just me, or is bringing leftovers to work the next day becoming a thing of the past? I almost always do, and it never fails to get responses from my co-workers. Mostly, they're just curious about what it is I made, although once, I did get the snide comment "so, do you cook for your husband every night?", like its a bad thing to do. We're the same age, but obviously, you can see where she stands on marriage and cooking dinner for my guy. Oh well. I truly do enjoy cooking, which I patiently explained to her, and although I don't cook every single night, I sure try to because its healthier, and saves us money. Instead of buying Starbucks and lunch, I can just do Starbucks and still come out ahead (just kidding Joe- I never do that). :)
So try it!! Enjoy!! Because this soup is m'm, m'm good.

Crackle Queen

2007-03-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

I am a total scavenger. I can find junk and make it work...know what I mean? For instance, if you were to take a look around our little living room, the only pieces of furniture that we paid for were the TV, and the TV stand, both of which we got good deals on, I might add. Everything else was found and reworked. I love that kind of challenge! The ones that I'm proudest of are the sofa/loveseat/overstuffed chair. I inherited those from my parents next door neighbors after the Cancer Society refused to accept them as a donation b/c they said that they were too "sundamaged" (we think it was just a hot day, and they didn't want to load anymore furniture onto the truck). Score for Kate! Even though they were not attractive to me, I saw potential. I took them, and figured that slipcovering them would be a cinch. Little did I know what it all entailed. Luckily, I was able to find a lady who went to my church who did upholstery, drapery, and bedding as a little side business. I showed her a Pottery Barn catalogue as I guide to what I wanted and she said no problem. It was really fun to learn to use a surger, and see how things like that are pieced together. We covered the sofa/loveseat in a cranberry twill, and the overstuffed chair in a khaki - I absolutely love them! But I digress back to the title...

So, when I was on the quest to furnish our living room, I found an old beat up side table at a garage sale that I talked the seller down to $10 for, and found the coffee table in a pile of garbage waiting to be picked up on the curb that the owner said I could have for free. They were both pretty gross. Especially the coffee table. It was oozing sticky stuff, and had to be scrubbed and sanded a lot. Because this was right before the wedding, I had a lot of stuff on my mind, so for lack of a better idea, just painted them black. Bottom line is black no longer suits, and I was super motivated to try my hand at something new; a crackle finish to have some of that antiqued, shabby-chic thing going on. So off I went to Home Depot, and $20 was ready to go. I have to say, it was a lot easier than I predicted. I would highly recommend this project to anyone who is a little intimidated by the painting process. It really is something that could be completed in a day, and definitely a weekend. Here's the finished result close up:

I am really pleased at how it turned out, and can't wait to bring the pieces back into the living room. I'll post a pic when I do. What's even better is that Joe likes it too, although I do think he's a little concerned that I'll get crackle happy and try to do all the furniture that we have, which I won't. I don't like everything too matchy-matchy. I love the accomplished feeling that completing it gave me though. It makes me feel really confident, and happy to know that you don't have to be stuck with the same old boring furniture or styles. It is really amazing what some paint and 2 hours can do. So I say to you, get thee a can of crackle finish and transform your own piece for a little change to your space!

Back in the Saddle Again

2007-03-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

I did it. Today, I asked my bosses if I could be bumped back up to full time hours and status. It was a little nerve-wracking waiting to hear back from them, but, as they are two wonderfully kind women, they are going to work with me and give me as many hours as I want. Total answer to prayer! If they couldn't, then I would be having to look for another job - and I would really hate that. Not just because the whole process of searching isn't fun, but because in May I'll have been with this company for 2 years...and I genuinely like the people I work with and for.
Now, you may be thinking two very different thoughts, like: "Wow, she's been livin' the gravy life only working part time" or maybe "Is she nuts??!? Why is she going back into the daily grind?". Let me explain...
As to the first, when we found out that Joe was hired by the PD and would be going to their academy, we had some decisions to make. Statistically, cops have very high divorce rates due to stress and a completely demanding schedule. (Now, I know that this is seen through a worldly view point, and not a Christian one, but still, the numbers aren't so encouraging.) So we headed back to the counselor who did out premarital counseling, and I'm really glad we did. She had a lot of great advice for us. One of the suggestions being, perhaps I should cut back to part time (providing that financially we could do it), and take over all the areas of the home front, so that would free Joe up to concentrate only on the academy (which is basically a boot camp), and be a support to him that way. We opted to do that, and for us, it really worked. I have enjoyed it (mostly), and have a real new found appreciation for military wives - being responsible for every single thing by yourself (finances, food, laundry, cleaning) is not easy. I missed divvying up the "to do list". But I know that Joe really appreciated not having his focus cluttered up with all that other stuff, and did great in the academy and field training, which leads to the next point...
So, here we are, still in that routine because it got comfortable. But now he is in patrol, in a much more normal schedule (let's face it, the hours will really suck for awhile, but at least it will be consistent), and we started thinking, we were ready to take the next step. That's right, we're ready to leave the apartment and enter the world of Home Ownership. Good thing too, because lately, the little white walls (we're not allowed to paint) have been starting to close in on me. We want a yard. We want a place where we could have big family/holiday dinners at. We want to gear up to start a family. We want a dog. All that good stuff. We're ready. When we started reassessing the budget, it just makes sense at this point in life for me to go back full time. It'll help us qualify for a better loan, and we can still tuck away for the future. Eventually, when we do have kids, we both want me to stay home...but for now, back to work. It is scary and exciting, all at once. We've already met with some loan officers, mapped out a budget, and now the next step is to talk to Realtors. We won't do anything until Joe is off of probation, just in case, but that is coming up fast. I can't believe it!!
So, logically I understand why it is good to go back; emotionally, I am still catching up a little. Since I'll be M-F 7:30 -4, my days off will most likely not match up with Joe's. While I was part time, I could change what days I had off to be in sync with his. It was great! I will hate giving that up. But, I guess sacrifice is necessary at this point for something that we both really want. I'm just not the biggest fan of change, and this'll definitely be an adjustment. Part of life though, eh?

Hello, blogging world

2007-03-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am. I decided that this format is a little more grown up than Myspace, and will allow me to do what I really want - write down my babblings, post my pics, and chat with like minded people. Due to Amanda's suggestion to ditch Myspace, seeing her blog, and those of her friends, she really opened my eyes to a whole new world...one I think that I want to be a part of too. I hope it will take. I've never really been too faithful to the whole journaling/diary thing. But I'm ready for a change. I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...