I've made it no secret that the job I'm currently holding (that's such a funny expression...holding a job....) isn't my favorite. I've recently been involved in helping to organize the registration for an event that's expecting to pull in 800 people. Sounds exciting, right? Well, today my "exciting" task was to get all of the registration sheets in alphabetical order. Which is like having a migraine at the DMV, except that they don't make Excedrin-for-filing.
Will someone please get on that? We can fly to the moon, but we can't come up with some sort of pill for the filing-ache? Priorities people, priorities.
In an attempt to save a few brain cells from the numbing task, I decided to pay close attention to the names I was filing as there never seems to be a shortage of idiotic parents out there. I was not let down. We had Atilla (I pray she's skinny and beautiful, otherwise she won't make it through junior high), and Lolly (only funny because in Australia a lolly is their word for candy. And "Fancy a lolly?" can be interpreted so many ways....). How about Art Poster? No need to question what his parents were... My favorite though, the name that had me giggling all day long - Phil McCracken.
I wish I was joking. We can only hope he has 20 / 20 vision and perfect teeth.
Phil? This is psychological abuse, and you don't have to take it. Get a therapist. Quick.
August 30, 2007
August 29, 2007
Lunar Eclipse
So did anyone stay up late on Monday night to check out the lunar eclipse? No?! Someone at work told me that the next one wouldn't be until 2287! I have no idea if that's true or not, I didn't really check the facts. We thought it would be cool, so we set our alarm for 2:30 am to check it out.
The alarm went off and all my enthusiasm lay snuggled in my covers. It was rough. But I persevered, threw on my over-sized pajama shirt and literally waddled out the back door in my flip flops. No pants. Because really, who's going to be up at 2:30 in the morning making sure I had pants on? Not me, that's for sure. And Caleb knew better than to go that route.
I stood outside, head thrown back, looking at the (eclipsing? is that word?) moon while Caleb set up the tripod trying to etch the memory into my brain. You know, for the day when my grandchildren are sitting atop my knee asking me where I was when I saw the historic 2007 Lunar Eclipse. "Grandma! Tell us more!" Well my little darlings....back when the iPhone was all the rage....
I lasted another 5 minutes. Caleb's pictures would have to suffice.
By the time he was shooting these next few shots, I was (trying....) to fall asleep. Bear was going crazy, obviously upset at being left out of Caleb's shenanigans, his nails click-clacking all over the house.
At least he was doing something worthwhile while missing his beauty sleep. :) Love you too, Cabe.
The alarm went off and all my enthusiasm lay snuggled in my covers. It was rough. But I persevered, threw on my over-sized pajama shirt and literally waddled out the back door in my flip flops. No pants. Because really, who's going to be up at 2:30 in the morning making sure I had pants on? Not me, that's for sure. And Caleb knew better than to go that route.
I stood outside, head thrown back, looking at the (eclipsing? is that word?) moon while Caleb set up the tripod trying to etch the memory into my brain. You know, for the day when my grandchildren are sitting atop my knee asking me where I was when I saw the historic 2007 Lunar Eclipse. "Grandma! Tell us more!" Well my little darlings....back when the iPhone was all the rage....
I lasted another 5 minutes. Caleb's pictures would have to suffice.
By the time he was shooting these next few shots, I was (trying....) to fall asleep. Bear was going crazy, obviously upset at being left out of Caleb's shenanigans, his nails click-clacking all over the house.
At least he was doing something worthwhile while missing his beauty sleep. :) Love you too, Cabe.
August 26, 2007
Our Oven: A Series of Unfortunate Events
It's like a miracle. We have an oven. Not only do we have an oven, but it WORKS. That's key, people. It turns on, and it heats up to the desired temperature AND IT STAYS THERE. It's freakin' amazing. Mostly because um, we just got it. Days ago.We first noticed that the oven wasn't working when we were preparing a meal for our friends. I preheated the oven to 350 degrees but even after waiting several minutes past that familiar your-oven-is-ready-for-you-ma'am-BEEP, the oven clearly wasn't anywhere near 150 degrees, let alone 350. It made for an interesting meal. We let our landlord know and he asked us to schedule an appointment for a GE service technician to come out. After taking a look at it, the technician gave us a quote for over $1,000. A large fee for any oven, but most especially for that one, seeing as it was 14 years old. Even the technician told us that it wasn't worth the fix and that we should get a new oven, and we of course agreed. I scanned the quote and we sent it to our landlord along with an explanation and our thoughts. We'd also taken the initiative to research ovens and found several very nice ovens that were much less than $1,000. It was a no-brainer for us.
Not so for the landlord. He and his assistant flip-flopped more times than John Kerry (here, here or here...), and I really couldn't understand it. I am a fairly logical person, sometimes even too logical (Caleb will wholeheartedly agree with me here), and I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Why was it even a question?! You pay less money for a new oven that will continue to work for years! How long did he expect it to continue working? But after a week or two of deliberating (yes...a week or two...) they decided they wanted to fix the old oven. Which, fine. Whatever. We didn't want a NEW oven, really, we just freaking wanted a working oven. It just so happened to make more sense to spend less for a new one. So I called GE again and scheduled them to fix it. Finally, we were getting it fixed.
Except that we weren't. GE showed up and basically said "Hi. What are we doing today?" Um, yes, you're FIXING OUR OVEN. As discussed. But of course, you guessed it, it wasn't discussed. GE had failed to mention to the independent contractors (grrrr.....) that we were fixing the oven. So now we needed to not only reschedule, we needed to order the parts. Fabulous. We did, and waited another week for the parts to arrive.
Remember, this is our oven. Just wanted to remind you.
The parts finally arrived, yee-hoo, and I called GE. "Oh, yes Ma'am, we've already scheduled an appointment for you for tomorrow!" WELL. That's a step in the right direction, isn't it? The next morning Caleb is waiting at home for the appointed service call, sometime between 8 am and noon (We'll be there sometime between 6 am and 6 pm, and yes you need to stay at home the entire day....). And yup, you guessed it, there was a glitch. This time, however, a very unexpected one.
I get a call at work from Caleb and he says, "Kim, GE called. They said that (our landlord) called them and ordered a new oven. We're getting it sometime next week."
YEAH! WE'RE GETTING A NEW OVEN! SMART MOVE! FINALLY!
And........when were they going to tell us that? Just curious......
So we had to wait another week. Fantabulous. I was getting a little sad, thinking about retiring our itty-bitty George Foreman, missing already the lingering smell of grilled chicken from three days ago. And cereal. All that cereal for dinner.
You can see why, when I mentioned a few days ago that we may be getting our oven the next day, I was a little hesitant.
But it's here, in all it's $500 glory. Caleb and I both left work early that day to watch them put it in. After six weeks of waiting, it was like going to Disneyland for the first time. Magical.
August 24, 2007
Flora
Flowers from the few bushes in my backyard that I plan to keep:
And our neighbors plant that I covet:
And our neighbors plant that I covet:
August 23, 2007
Baby Elijah
One of my good friends, Katie, had her second little baby this last weekend, Elijah.
So beautiful.
Congratulations Katie and Josh! Can't wait to snuggle him at our annual Girls Christmas party....
August 20, 2007
Dessert
Last night we had planned to head down to our friend Mark's house for a barbecue with my sister and her best friend (who brought our *new* car! yeah!!!), along with a few of Mark's colleagues (and interns...). That was the plan at least, a lovely Sunday barbecue. I planned on bringing a summery pasta salad and a dessert. Nothing fancy, since um, we still don't have an oven. But that's another story for another day. I don't even want to jinx it by talking about it, but we're hopefully getting one tomorrow.
(This is where I make a quick dash to knock on wood, I'm not superstitious, but desperate times call for desperate measures...)
A few hours before we were supposed to head down for dinner I called Mark to check up on things. He told me that his friend, a native Italian, was coming to dinner and had decided to "whip up a few things". And by a few things, he meant three different types of pasta, two different types of anti pasta, and a little dish of mushrooms in his own special sauce. All this, thrown together on a whim at 11:30 the previous night.
We both agreed that it was probably smart for me to uh, ditch my pasta. Poste haste. There's no competing with an Italian. Ever.
Of course, it was absolutely fantastic. Everything. He spent at least an hour and a half preparing everything, and my little thrown-together-at-the-last-minute green salad looked piddly in comparison. After we'd filled ourselves to near overflowing, we sat around the table talking about how amazing it was, totally and completely satisfied.
It took me about five minutes before I realized that I'd brought Indoor Smores for dessert. Indoor smores. Indoor. Smores.
It's a lovely compliment to pesto tortellini, fettucini carbonara, and gnocchi. Just......lovely.
Very high society.
(This is where I make a quick dash to knock on wood, I'm not superstitious, but desperate times call for desperate measures...)
A few hours before we were supposed to head down for dinner I called Mark to check up on things. He told me that his friend, a native Italian, was coming to dinner and had decided to "whip up a few things". And by a few things, he meant three different types of pasta, two different types of anti pasta, and a little dish of mushrooms in his own special sauce. All this, thrown together on a whim at 11:30 the previous night.
We both agreed that it was probably smart for me to uh, ditch my pasta. Poste haste. There's no competing with an Italian. Ever.
Of course, it was absolutely fantastic. Everything. He spent at least an hour and a half preparing everything, and my little thrown-together-at-the-last-minute green salad looked piddly in comparison. After we'd filled ourselves to near overflowing, we sat around the table talking about how amazing it was, totally and completely satisfied.
It took me about five minutes before I realized that I'd brought Indoor Smores for dessert. Indoor smores. Indoor. Smores.
It's a lovely compliment to pesto tortellini, fettucini carbonara, and gnocchi. Just......lovely.
Very high society.
August 17, 2007
As Is
I haven't talked much about everything that Caleb and I have been doing to improve our little rental home, mostly because we've been too busy working. Caleb has been the busiest, re-painting the white picket fence and fixing the sprinklers. We also re-painted the bathroom, and it looks one bajillion times better. Pictures will follow, once I find a shower curtain that measures 72 x 92. I'd prefer one that doesn't have fishies, odd blue tile swirls, or random geometric shapes. It's proving to be a difficult task, and the longer it takes the better and better the fishies look. I'm praying it doesn't come down to that.
One of our recent purchases was a last minute decision while checking out at Ikea. Caleb was in a less-than-happy mood because I was "being difficult", not wanting to purchase the first lamp I laid eyes on. We're in dire need of some more light fixtures around the place, these old homes don't come equipped with as many ceiling lights as we're used to. So we're checking out and I decided to run and check the As-Is area to see if maybe some fabulous couch was waiting for us to take it home, and oh yeah, only costs $100.
No such luck. But it's better to have looked and lost, than never to have looked at all.
(Wow, it's late.)
At the very end of the pile I found a few boxes of discontinued hanging lights for $10. And while we quickly discovered the reason they were discontinued (doesn't align flush with the ceiling, and um...the white bulbs are different. One has a lip and the other one doesn't! But hey! It's eclectic, right?!), with a little lovin', a bit of black spray paint, it looks fabulous. Or, at the very least, brightens the area.
Those curtains are not my favorite, but just so happen to be on the bottom of my To Do list. I have my priorities straight, people.
Sort of.
One of our recent purchases was a last minute decision while checking out at Ikea. Caleb was in a less-than-happy mood because I was "being difficult", not wanting to purchase the first lamp I laid eyes on. We're in dire need of some more light fixtures around the place, these old homes don't come equipped with as many ceiling lights as we're used to. So we're checking out and I decided to run and check the As-Is area to see if maybe some fabulous couch was waiting for us to take it home, and oh yeah, only costs $100.
No such luck. But it's better to have looked and lost, than never to have looked at all.
(Wow, it's late.)
At the very end of the pile I found a few boxes of discontinued hanging lights for $10. And while we quickly discovered the reason they were discontinued (doesn't align flush with the ceiling, and um...the white bulbs are different. One has a lip and the other one doesn't! But hey! It's eclectic, right?!), with a little lovin', a bit of black spray paint, it looks fabulous. Or, at the very least, brightens the area.
Those curtains are not my favorite, but just so happen to be on the bottom of my To Do list. I have my priorities straight, people.Sort of.
August 15, 2007
8 Counts
Is it that bad to be really, genuinely sad that a reality show is nearing it's end? Thank heavens for my DVR, because I can feel the withdrawals coming......
And so my next item of business is to find a real live legitimate dance studio. For adults.
And so my next item of business is to find a real live legitimate dance studio. For adults.
August 14, 2007
Meme
Bethany tagged me to do this meme, and I usually try to save those as my "quick post" ideas. You know, when you haven't posted in a few days.....and you know you should....but you can't find time....or have an idea....
So. It's perfectly fitting for tonight.
5 Things I was Doing 10 Years Ago
*Wow, 13. I was hiding. Drowning in arms that were too long, feet and hands that were too big, and braces. Ugh.
*I'd just started dancing at a horribly new dance studio that taught me nothing, except that I needed to find another studio if I wanted to keep doing it.
*If I remember correctly, I was raising, about to raise, or had just sent back, my Guide Dog puppy. It's too late to figure out which.
*Was this the Spice Girls era? I shudder.....
*I've blocked this age out of my memory, if you couldn't tell. I'm scrounging. I really really really hated junior high. Loathed. Couldn't wait to escape it.
5 Things On My To-Do List Today
*Organize Caleb's closet and drawers. They're stuffed to the brim of clothes he doesn't wear. I swear I've talked about this already.....
*Find a freaking couch that we like and can afford. It's impossible.
*Transfer and decorate our new big bookshelf. All hail Ikea!
*Transform our home into something my style. Something I love. Something I'm proud of. Something.....not......THIS.
*Decide what I want to be when I grow up. Among other things.
5 Snacks I Enjoy
*Granny Smith apples with Adam's crunchy peanut butter. Heaven.
*Blueberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, banana's (only if they're still green), lychee's......and any other fruit. Till I'm brimming with it.
* A Laughing Cow Lite Garlic & Herb cheese triangle slathered onto 5 Ritz Crackers.
*Chocolate covered sunflower seeds from Trader Joe's.
*I LOVE dipping little red, yellow, and orange peppers into some lovely little sauce. Mmm....
5 Songs I Know the Lyrics To
*Almost all the Dave Matthews Band songs. He is The King, after all. How do you even pick a favorite though? It's impossible really, but I've always loved the good 'ole classic, Ants Marching.
*Man In the Mirror by Michael Jackson. How can you NOT love this song? Caleb!? I'm talking to you!
*Promise by Eve6. Ah, junior year. How I loved thee.
*Nearly all of the Dixie Chick's songs as mandated, because I am a Female. Our girl children will soon be born with this knowledge, singing along in their cribs. "Cause Earl had to die...."
That's a little creepy.
*Missy Higgins anyone? Well, she's a little Aussie girl I came to love in...Australia. Duh. Most famous for her song, "Scar". The Aussie version is better than the one they're touting around here in the States. Just so you know.
5 Things I Would Do If I were A Millionaire
I'm assuming it means all of a sudden. And because this is imaginary, I'm going to assume by millionaire it means more than one million....because I can. That's called IMAGINING.
*Buy a house here in La Silicon Valley. So that when we sell it to move back to Utah we could put cash down on the Utah house and have enough left over to travel Europe. For a month.
*Invest! Invest! I'm like a little chipmunk, keeping nuts in my ginormous cheek pockets for later. It helps me breathe.
*Take Caleb to Australia, show him all around Sydney, and then go explore the places I didn't get to see. Like Ayers Rock.
*Find a little deserted island in the Caribbean, buy it, and build one fantabulous resort. Then I would charge A-List celebrities a ridiculous fee to stay the night. Richard Branson ain't got nuthin' on me....
*I've always wanted a cabin or vacation home somewhere. Like the Poconos. Or Hawaii. Or Italy, I suppose I could handle that, too.
5 Bad Habits
*I People Watch. A lot. Which is a lovely aesthetic term for staring. I can't help it, people are fascinating.
*I always forget a load in the washer. Sometimes for days, long enough that the clothes start smelling funny....so I have to wash them again. WASTEFUL, I tell you.
*I check the internet way. too. often.
*I am my own worst critic.
*When I'm concentrating I fiddle with my cuticles, and they are in desperate need of an intervention.
5 Things I'd Never Wear Again
*Can anyone say matching sweaters with stirrup pants?!
*Those hideous glitter and puffy glue shirts.
*A perm. Ugh.
*Remember those accordion shirts? The ones that look like they were made for dolls, but then stretch out to your size? WHAT WERE WE THINKING?! Yes, can I please get one of those shirts that add two inches to my waist? Thank you.......
*Fabric hair scrunchies.
5 Favorite Toys
Toys? Like, now? Alright....
*My (alright...our...) camera. Totally worth the price tag.
*My (alright...our...) laptop. See above bad habit...
*The DVR. Best invention EVER.
*I really love my heart rate monitor / watch. Seriously. It's amazing.
*I've run out. Honestly. My tennis racket? Is that a toy?
4 Jobs I've Had
It'll have to be my four favorite jobs....
*Cold Stone Creamery. As sad as it is, I really loved working there. Best high school job ever, we had so much fun.
*Receptionist at my dad's engineering office. LOVED the people. Still do.
*Bridal Consultant at my uncle's (not my uncle....my mother's cousin...) famous bridal shop, Abbey Bridal (Maggie Sottero, anyone?) in downtown Sydney, Australia. If I could, I would STILL work there.
*Admin at the OSU Foundation in Oregon. Great people, amazing (read: FABULOUS) benefits. Lots of fun.
Notice that my current job isn't on the list? Hmmm.....
4 Movies I Can Watch Over and Over
*Moulin Rouge, love the music.
*Sense and Sensibility. Nothing to explain there.
*O Brother, Where Art Thou? Nothing beats the first time I watched it, but it always comes close...
*Stranger Than Fiction. Really loved that show.
4 Places I've Lived
*Good 'ole Bountiful, Utah. The Homeland.
*North Ryde, NSW, Australia. My own personal Real World.
*Albany, Or. Where the sun don't shine....hehehe......
*Silicon Valley, CA. Totally crazy, totally populated. So much to see and do. And the sun always shines.
4 Shows I Enjoy
*So You Think You Can Dance? Amazing. Love it. Miss it already.
*The Office. Love it.
*Divine Design (thanks Bridgette! I love it!)
*Lost. When does that start again?
4 Places I've Been On Vacation
Again, favorites....
*Lake Powell. #1, as always. My other home is my houseboat.
*Paris, France. We also visited Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo and drove into Italy for the day. Amazing.
*Hawaii (Maui and Oahu). Ahhhhhh.............
*Melbourne & Cairns, Australia (and Sydney I suppose, though I was technically working and going to school...)
4 Favorite Restaurants
*Biaggi's Italian Restaurant. Where I finally gave in and fell in love with salmon again.
*Thea Mediterranean Restaurant - slightly expensive, but different and SO SO good. In fact, I could really go for that lemon soup right about now....
*Novak's Hungarian Restaurant. Owned by a little old Hungarian man and his wife, the man up front and seating people (he even pulled my chair out for me!) and the wife in the kitchen. Amazing. Seriously.
*P F Chang's. Mmmm........lettuce wraps....
Phew!!! And now to tag....wah ah ah...Kjersti, Bridgette, Jess, Trisha, Kelly, Lindsay, Shannon, Miranda, Em....okay, so if you're reading this? You're tagged. Now. Go and do.
So. It's perfectly fitting for tonight.
5 Things I was Doing 10 Years Ago
*Wow, 13. I was hiding. Drowning in arms that were too long, feet and hands that were too big, and braces. Ugh.
*I'd just started dancing at a horribly new dance studio that taught me nothing, except that I needed to find another studio if I wanted to keep doing it.
*If I remember correctly, I was raising, about to raise, or had just sent back, my Guide Dog puppy. It's too late to figure out which.
*Was this the Spice Girls era? I shudder.....
*I've blocked this age out of my memory, if you couldn't tell. I'm scrounging. I really really really hated junior high. Loathed. Couldn't wait to escape it.
5 Things On My To-Do List Today
*Organize Caleb's closet and drawers. They're stuffed to the brim of clothes he doesn't wear. I swear I've talked about this already.....
*Find a freaking couch that we like and can afford. It's impossible.
*Transfer and decorate our new big bookshelf. All hail Ikea!
*Transform our home into something my style. Something I love. Something I'm proud of. Something.....not......THIS.
*Decide what I want to be when I grow up. Among other things.
5 Snacks I Enjoy
*Granny Smith apples with Adam's crunchy peanut butter. Heaven.
*Blueberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, pineapple, banana's (only if they're still green), lychee's......and any other fruit. Till I'm brimming with it.
* A Laughing Cow Lite Garlic & Herb cheese triangle slathered onto 5 Ritz Crackers.
*Chocolate covered sunflower seeds from Trader Joe's.
*I LOVE dipping little red, yellow, and orange peppers into some lovely little sauce. Mmm....
5 Songs I Know the Lyrics To
*Almost all the Dave Matthews Band songs. He is The King, after all. How do you even pick a favorite though? It's impossible really, but I've always loved the good 'ole classic, Ants Marching.
*Man In the Mirror by Michael Jackson. How can you NOT love this song? Caleb!? I'm talking to you!
*Promise by Eve6. Ah, junior year. How I loved thee.
*Nearly all of the Dixie Chick's songs as mandated, because I am a Female. Our girl children will soon be born with this knowledge, singing along in their cribs. "Cause Earl had to die...."
That's a little creepy.
*Missy Higgins anyone? Well, she's a little Aussie girl I came to love in...Australia. Duh. Most famous for her song, "Scar". The Aussie version is better than the one they're touting around here in the States. Just so you know.
5 Things I Would Do If I were A Millionaire
I'm assuming it means all of a sudden. And because this is imaginary, I'm going to assume by millionaire it means more than one million....because I can. That's called IMAGINING.
*Buy a house here in La Silicon Valley. So that when we sell it to move back to Utah we could put cash down on the Utah house and have enough left over to travel Europe. For a month.
*Invest! Invest! I'm like a little chipmunk, keeping nuts in my ginormous cheek pockets for later. It helps me breathe.
*Take Caleb to Australia, show him all around Sydney, and then go explore the places I didn't get to see. Like Ayers Rock.
*Find a little deserted island in the Caribbean, buy it, and build one fantabulous resort. Then I would charge A-List celebrities a ridiculous fee to stay the night. Richard Branson ain't got nuthin' on me....
*I've always wanted a cabin or vacation home somewhere. Like the Poconos. Or Hawaii. Or Italy, I suppose I could handle that, too.
5 Bad Habits
*I People Watch. A lot. Which is a lovely aesthetic term for staring. I can't help it, people are fascinating.
*I always forget a load in the washer. Sometimes for days, long enough that the clothes start smelling funny....so I have to wash them again. WASTEFUL, I tell you.
*I check the internet way. too. often.
*I am my own worst critic.
*When I'm concentrating I fiddle with my cuticles, and they are in desperate need of an intervention.
5 Things I'd Never Wear Again
*Can anyone say matching sweaters with stirrup pants?!
*Those hideous glitter and puffy glue shirts.
*A perm. Ugh.
*Remember those accordion shirts? The ones that look like they were made for dolls, but then stretch out to your size? WHAT WERE WE THINKING?! Yes, can I please get one of those shirts that add two inches to my waist? Thank you.......
*Fabric hair scrunchies.
5 Favorite Toys
Toys? Like, now? Alright....
*My (alright...our...) camera. Totally worth the price tag.
*My (alright...our...) laptop. See above bad habit...
*The DVR. Best invention EVER.
*I really love my heart rate monitor / watch. Seriously. It's amazing.
*I've run out. Honestly. My tennis racket? Is that a toy?
4 Jobs I've Had
It'll have to be my four favorite jobs....
*Cold Stone Creamery. As sad as it is, I really loved working there. Best high school job ever, we had so much fun.
*Receptionist at my dad's engineering office. LOVED the people. Still do.
*Bridal Consultant at my uncle's (not my uncle....my mother's cousin...) famous bridal shop, Abbey Bridal (Maggie Sottero, anyone?) in downtown Sydney, Australia. If I could, I would STILL work there.
*Admin at the OSU Foundation in Oregon. Great people, amazing (read: FABULOUS) benefits. Lots of fun.
Notice that my current job isn't on the list? Hmmm.....
4 Movies I Can Watch Over and Over
*Moulin Rouge, love the music.
*Sense and Sensibility. Nothing to explain there.
*O Brother, Where Art Thou? Nothing beats the first time I watched it, but it always comes close...
*Stranger Than Fiction. Really loved that show.
4 Places I've Lived
*Good 'ole Bountiful, Utah. The Homeland.
*North Ryde, NSW, Australia. My own personal Real World.
*Albany, Or. Where the sun don't shine....hehehe......
*Silicon Valley, CA. Totally crazy, totally populated. So much to see and do. And the sun always shines.
4 Shows I Enjoy
*So You Think You Can Dance? Amazing. Love it. Miss it already.
*The Office. Love it.
*Divine Design (thanks Bridgette! I love it!)
*Lost. When does that start again?
4 Places I've Been On Vacation
Again, favorites....
*Lake Powell. #1, as always. My other home is my houseboat.
*Paris, France. We also visited Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo and drove into Italy for the day. Amazing.
*Hawaii (Maui and Oahu). Ahhhhhh.............
*Melbourne & Cairns, Australia (and Sydney I suppose, though I was technically working and going to school...)
4 Favorite Restaurants
*Biaggi's Italian Restaurant. Where I finally gave in and fell in love with salmon again.
*Thea Mediterranean Restaurant - slightly expensive, but different and SO SO good. In fact, I could really go for that lemon soup right about now....
*Novak's Hungarian Restaurant. Owned by a little old Hungarian man and his wife, the man up front and seating people (he even pulled my chair out for me!) and the wife in the kitchen. Amazing. Seriously.
*P F Chang's. Mmmm........lettuce wraps....
Phew!!! And now to tag....wah ah ah...Kjersti, Bridgette, Jess, Trisha, Kelly, Lindsay, Shannon, Miranda, Em....okay, so if you're reading this? You're tagged. Now. Go and do.
August 11, 2007
Tyler, or, how I ruined his senior year
Since our good friend Tyler is here, I thought I'd regale you with one of my favorite Tyler Stories.
Tyler is one of Caleb's best friends, and so in high school we'd hang out quite a bit. One of these times they decided that they were going to give Ty a buzz cut. They watched Ocean's 11 quite a bit. I sat on the toilet watching, since the closest I'd ever come to cutting hair was shaving my own leg, and I'll just go ahead and be presumptuous and assume that somehow that didn't qualify me. Caleb had however, so he quickly did his thing, and soon Tyler was all buzzed and stuff, feelin' pretty Brad Pitt-hot. Caleb handed me the shaver (buzzer? No...that's not right...) and instructed me to go trim his sideburns in the garage while he cleaned up the bathroom. "Uh........okay...." I stuttered, thinking surely that was something I could handle. But as I stared up at his sideburns, weapon in hand, well...I was a little nervous. I sucked it up though, turned it on, and......slipped. Slipped going UP, and using the wrong side. So he pretty much had a huge bald stripe going halfway up his head. A sideways, inverted mohawk. A landing strip for flies. It was disastrous. I don't think I've ever felt so embarrassed, so horrible, so......well, I wanted to crawl under my covers and stay there for a century or so. Tyler saw my face, and I can only imagine what he was feeling. The next few minutes were a blur, Caleb saw my butchering job and they decided they'd need to just shave the rest of his head that length. That's how bad it was. He literally looked like a cancer patient, bald, with just a glint of dark hair pushing it's way through. All I remember is Tyler saying that his mom was going to kill him, and me silently afraid she'd turn on me next.
It all turned out okay in the end, his hair grew back as hair tends to do, and Tyler decided he'd still be my friend, which was mighty big of him I think. But to this day, I still have to refer to him as the kid I butchered. "Oh, he's THAT kid....", or "OH! I remember that.....". And so on and so forth.
Most recently...
Mom: Who's going to buy your car, again?
Me: Tyler, Caleb's good friend? You know? The one that I shaved?
Mom: OH! Yeah, Tyler. He's a good kid, I like him.
Me: Yes, we do too.....
Tyler is one of Caleb's best friends, and so in high school we'd hang out quite a bit. One of these times they decided that they were going to give Ty a buzz cut. They watched Ocean's 11 quite a bit. I sat on the toilet watching, since the closest I'd ever come to cutting hair was shaving my own leg, and I'll just go ahead and be presumptuous and assume that somehow that didn't qualify me. Caleb had however, so he quickly did his thing, and soon Tyler was all buzzed and stuff, feelin' pretty Brad Pitt-hot. Caleb handed me the shaver (buzzer? No...that's not right...) and instructed me to go trim his sideburns in the garage while he cleaned up the bathroom. "Uh........okay...." I stuttered, thinking surely that was something I could handle. But as I stared up at his sideburns, weapon in hand, well...I was a little nervous. I sucked it up though, turned it on, and......slipped. Slipped going UP, and using the wrong side. So he pretty much had a huge bald stripe going halfway up his head. A sideways, inverted mohawk. A landing strip for flies. It was disastrous. I don't think I've ever felt so embarrassed, so horrible, so......well, I wanted to crawl under my covers and stay there for a century or so. Tyler saw my face, and I can only imagine what he was feeling. The next few minutes were a blur, Caleb saw my butchering job and they decided they'd need to just shave the rest of his head that length. That's how bad it was. He literally looked like a cancer patient, bald, with just a glint of dark hair pushing it's way through. All I remember is Tyler saying that his mom was going to kill him, and me silently afraid she'd turn on me next.
It all turned out okay in the end, his hair grew back as hair tends to do, and Tyler decided he'd still be my friend, which was mighty big of him I think. But to this day, I still have to refer to him as the kid I butchered. "Oh, he's THAT kid....", or "OH! I remember that.....". And so on and so forth.
Most recently...
Mom: Who's going to buy your car, again?
Me: Tyler, Caleb's good friend? You know? The one that I shaved?
Mom: OH! Yeah, Tyler. He's a good kid, I like him.
Me: Yes, we do too.....
August 10, 2007
A change will do you good
I had my hair cut today, super short.
Remind you of anyone? Hmm? Ringin' any bells?
Alright. If I must.
Okay, so I need to work on my pout. Loose a few....or 400...pounds. About three hours in the tanning bed, and win the lottery in four states. And even then, I could never pull off those glasses.
I'd been thinking about doing this for a while but was having a hard time finding a salon. Not that there is any shortage of beauty salons in the Silicon Valley, far from it actually, but I couldn't honestly believe how expensive it is to get a decent hair cut. I couldn't find anything under $55, and even then, those salons didn't have good reviews. Last night we took our lovely friend Tyler (who is visiting us from Utah and oh yeah, is buying our car that we haven't replaced yet.....OH, THIS SHOULD BE FUN) out to dinner at a fancy little mall near our home. Mall is really an operative word, it's more like a conglomeration of fancy restaurants, posh stores (eh? you like that?), and nothing within a 5 miles radius that any normal person can afford.
Anyway.
So while we were waiting for our table I popped into the Aveda salon to see if they had any openings in the next, oh, three weeks. "Actually, yes, we just had a cancellation, can you come in tomorrow afternoon?" COULD I? Ahem. Yes, that'll do.
I arrived on time apparently to wait 30 minutes while drinking ice water and reading an article on Ashley Olsen. Apparently this is protocol. Then a thin, black haired woman, a little reminiscent of Nelly Furtado, came and finally said she'd get to that whole cutting-my-hair business. Or whatever.
"Oh my gosh, I'm like, SO sorry. I've been like, color-correcting since like....ohmigosh, like, 9 this morning? Wait, today's Friday? Yeah, since like, 9 am."
Oh boy. This is going to be painful.
I showed her the pictures I'd printed off the internet, right side, left side, and back that explained exactly how to cut the hair. She took one look at it, and was like "Oh yeah, I know how to do that. I took a class." she said, though it only took a few seconds of her twirling my hair before she'd picked up the paper and started intently reading it. I tried to suppress my worry, I mean, she was a senior level hair stylist right? She knew what she was doing. Sure, maybe she's not the brightest of the bunch, but they wouldn't let her work there if she couldn't properly wield a pair of scissors. Right? RIGHT?!
I was right on both accounts. She knew how to cut hair, very well in fact, and was a total and complete ditz. Maybe I'm being too harsh, maybe I was just annoyed from the wait and her endless suggestions that this cut would look so much better with highlights. Have you ever thought of highlighting your hair? My hair used to be your exact color, but look! I dyed mine. If you highlight your hair, it would just like, totally make it pop, make it shinier, make it smoother. Totally look like, way better. Hey? Have you ever thought of dying your hair?
Needless to say, I won't be going back. I love it, but in her very own words, "Any stylist could like, totally do this cut." Well! Lovely! I shan't be back then! Toodles!
So she charged me an arm, a leg, my first born child, and all of my allowance. And then she asked for my credit card. Besides my car and plane tickets, it was the single most expensive item I've ever purchased for myself. The woman told me how much it would be and my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. I had an idea of course, knew it would be expensive, but I was just not expecting to hear that number. I might have nightmares.
I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I'd let her add highlights.
I'm feeling a little queasy, excuse me.
(Okay, quick! Look at the back! I like it.)
Remind you of anyone? Hmm? Ringin' any bells?Alright. If I must.
Okay, so I need to work on my pout. Loose a few....or 400...pounds. About three hours in the tanning bed, and win the lottery in four states. And even then, I could never pull off those glasses.I'd been thinking about doing this for a while but was having a hard time finding a salon. Not that there is any shortage of beauty salons in the Silicon Valley, far from it actually, but I couldn't honestly believe how expensive it is to get a decent hair cut. I couldn't find anything under $55, and even then, those salons didn't have good reviews. Last night we took our lovely friend Tyler (who is visiting us from Utah and oh yeah, is buying our car that we haven't replaced yet.....OH, THIS SHOULD BE FUN) out to dinner at a fancy little mall near our home. Mall is really an operative word, it's more like a conglomeration of fancy restaurants, posh stores (eh? you like that?), and nothing within a 5 miles radius that any normal person can afford.
Anyway.
So while we were waiting for our table I popped into the Aveda salon to see if they had any openings in the next, oh, three weeks. "Actually, yes, we just had a cancellation, can you come in tomorrow afternoon?" COULD I? Ahem. Yes, that'll do.
I arrived on time apparently to wait 30 minutes while drinking ice water and reading an article on Ashley Olsen. Apparently this is protocol. Then a thin, black haired woman, a little reminiscent of Nelly Furtado, came and finally said she'd get to that whole cutting-my-hair business. Or whatever.
"Oh my gosh, I'm like, SO sorry. I've been like, color-correcting since like....ohmigosh, like, 9 this morning? Wait, today's Friday? Yeah, since like, 9 am."
Oh boy. This is going to be painful.
I showed her the pictures I'd printed off the internet, right side, left side, and back that explained exactly how to cut the hair. She took one look at it, and was like "Oh yeah, I know how to do that. I took a class." she said, though it only took a few seconds of her twirling my hair before she'd picked up the paper and started intently reading it. I tried to suppress my worry, I mean, she was a senior level hair stylist right? She knew what she was doing. Sure, maybe she's not the brightest of the bunch, but they wouldn't let her work there if she couldn't properly wield a pair of scissors. Right? RIGHT?!
I was right on both accounts. She knew how to cut hair, very well in fact, and was a total and complete ditz. Maybe I'm being too harsh, maybe I was just annoyed from the wait and her endless suggestions that this cut would look so much better with highlights. Have you ever thought of highlighting your hair? My hair used to be your exact color, but look! I dyed mine. If you highlight your hair, it would just like, totally make it pop, make it shinier, make it smoother. Totally look like, way better. Hey? Have you ever thought of dying your hair?
Needless to say, I won't be going back. I love it, but in her very own words, "Any stylist could like, totally do this cut." Well! Lovely! I shan't be back then! Toodles!
So she charged me an arm, a leg, my first born child, and all of my allowance. And then she asked for my credit card. Besides my car and plane tickets, it was the single most expensive item I've ever purchased for myself. The woman told me how much it would be and my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. I had an idea of course, knew it would be expensive, but I was just not expecting to hear that number. I might have nightmares.
I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I'd let her add highlights.
I'm feeling a little queasy, excuse me.
(Okay, quick! Look at the back! I like it.)
August 6, 2007
Belated goodbyes to our apartment complex
To the staff: Goodbye. We will not miss your snooty (snotty!) ways. Nor will we miss your fake smiles. We will however, miss the hilarious pinched nasal sound of your robotic salutations: "Wel-come to (insert name here) Apartments." (No seriously, try it, pinch your nose and try it!)
To the one neighbor we talked to: Goodbye. We sometimes crossed paths at the gym. We found your student id and credit card on the bench downstairs and when we returned it you gave an exasperated "I've been LOOKING for those....", like they were nothing but a comfy pair of socks. Maybe a misplaced bookmark. You also left your bike chain in front of our door for a long time and one day I got so sick of seeing it I hung it from your door knob. Sorry about that.
To the man in the wife beater: We had our routine at the gym. You always, without fail, wore a white wife beater and always had a smile and hello for me, even at 6 am. You always watched the news while working out, the tv turned on very loudly. I didn't mind. You helped me figure out how to break the rules by unplugging the tv cord so that I didn't have to listen through my headphones. Thanks, it helped through the miles. You were also very nice and pretended not to notice when I'd suddenly hop off the treadmill and run to the bathroom - knowing, I'm sure, that when you're jogging and need to go? Well, there's just no tip-toeing around it. Thanks for that.
To the cute Indian family two doors from us: I fell head over heels in love with your little girl, she is the cutest baby I've ever seen. Sorry about that day Caleb and I ran into you and your parents at the elevator, that was a little awkward....
To the quirky man with the purse dog: You were weird. But I liked you. You let us crash your party in the rec room our first weekend there so that we could watch "The Office" since our tv wasn't hooked up, and turned it up full blast so that we could sort of hear it over your drunk friends. That was very cool of you.
To the gay man in the puffy white jacket: I don't know what to make of you, you didn't seem to have a job. You walked around the complex with your poofy little white dog at odd hours of the day, when I would exercise before work, in the middle of the day, and late at night. There was not one time that I saw you walking that you weren't picking your nose. Not once. You didn't drive on your own, at least not that I saw, always getting rides from an older couple that I can only assume is your parents. I hope you're enjoying that.
To the man who lived above us: You woke me up once in the middle of the night, screaming "I HATE MY LIFE!!!!" at the top of your lungs. Several times. It scared me more than I can say, I laid there, eyes wide open and heart pounding, for at least an hour after, trying to calm down. I hope you're getting some help.
To the odd couple with the black lab: Sorry we took Bear away from you, you seemed to have an odd love for him. Every time we were outside for more than five minutes you'd come running down so that your dog could play with Bear. Hopefully you've found a replacement.
To the maintenance / cleaner guy: You were the only nice staff person. Hopefully they treat you well, and if not? You can totally find a better job, one that doesn't require wiping down treadmills four times a day.
And to everyone else living there: There's much better out there. Trust us.
To the one neighbor we talked to: Goodbye. We sometimes crossed paths at the gym. We found your student id and credit card on the bench downstairs and when we returned it you gave an exasperated "I've been LOOKING for those....", like they were nothing but a comfy pair of socks. Maybe a misplaced bookmark. You also left your bike chain in front of our door for a long time and one day I got so sick of seeing it I hung it from your door knob. Sorry about that.
To the man in the wife beater: We had our routine at the gym. You always, without fail, wore a white wife beater and always had a smile and hello for me, even at 6 am. You always watched the news while working out, the tv turned on very loudly. I didn't mind. You helped me figure out how to break the rules by unplugging the tv cord so that I didn't have to listen through my headphones. Thanks, it helped through the miles. You were also very nice and pretended not to notice when I'd suddenly hop off the treadmill and run to the bathroom - knowing, I'm sure, that when you're jogging and need to go? Well, there's just no tip-toeing around it. Thanks for that.
To the cute Indian family two doors from us: I fell head over heels in love with your little girl, she is the cutest baby I've ever seen. Sorry about that day Caleb and I ran into you and your parents at the elevator, that was a little awkward....
To the quirky man with the purse dog: You were weird. But I liked you. You let us crash your party in the rec room our first weekend there so that we could watch "The Office" since our tv wasn't hooked up, and turned it up full blast so that we could sort of hear it over your drunk friends. That was very cool of you.
To the gay man in the puffy white jacket: I don't know what to make of you, you didn't seem to have a job. You walked around the complex with your poofy little white dog at odd hours of the day, when I would exercise before work, in the middle of the day, and late at night. There was not one time that I saw you walking that you weren't picking your nose. Not once. You didn't drive on your own, at least not that I saw, always getting rides from an older couple that I can only assume is your parents. I hope you're enjoying that.
To the man who lived above us: You woke me up once in the middle of the night, screaming "I HATE MY LIFE!!!!" at the top of your lungs. Several times. It scared me more than I can say, I laid there, eyes wide open and heart pounding, for at least an hour after, trying to calm down. I hope you're getting some help.
To the odd couple with the black lab: Sorry we took Bear away from you, you seemed to have an odd love for him. Every time we were outside for more than five minutes you'd come running down so that your dog could play with Bear. Hopefully you've found a replacement.
To the maintenance / cleaner guy: You were the only nice staff person. Hopefully they treat you well, and if not? You can totally find a better job, one that doesn't require wiping down treadmills four times a day.
And to everyone else living there: There's much better out there. Trust us.
August 4, 2007
Score!
I've been trying to re-vamp this place for a while now, and, well...it wasn't going well. Mostly because I have no idea what I'm doing. At all. Me don't know squat. In fact, I've been so frustrated with my lack of knowledge that I found myself looking up online degrees in......something about how to build your own website and learn all that silly HTML mumbo jumbo...or something.
I swear it was legitimate.
I started trying to come up with a masthead um, three or four months ago. I started late one night following some very vague directions I found online and then got frustrated, deleted most of it, and left it alone. I'd come back to it every week or so and made absolutely no progress, and almost deleted the whole thing once. I finally picked it back up this week and made it a goal to finish before the week was over. It's 11:56 pm on Saturday. Yeah for me!
I sat, cocking my head and admiring my (super hard!) work, and got a hankering to figure out the centering issue once and for all. I was going to do it! Yes! Go me! Actually, I just went to Beautiful Beta's forum (he'd helped me figure out how to add another sidebar and clean up my html) where I had posted my problem SEVERAL months ago to see if someone had answered my question out of the goodness of their heart. And lo! Someone had! Turns out I only needed to add TWO FREAKING LETTERS to the margin. Seriously. I tried it out, a little skeptical, and........it worked. Imagine that. Maybe I need to dig up that media degree web page again....
In other news, my Jamba Juice exploded all over me today. I was walking back to my car, my small Berry Fulfilling smoothie in hand, desperately trying to get something out of the straw. It wasn't having it. And deciding that some lovely little fruit chunk must be clogging the end, I blew into the straw to dislodge it and it literally exploded, the lid nearly flying off and a golf ball sized splatter landing smack dab on my new white shirt. Curse you, push-up bra. I played it cool though, continuing to my car, hearing the snickers from the punk-kids loitering outside. I'm so above that.
Luckily for me Target was near, so I slung my newly-favorite BIG purse strategically over my um, splatter, and quickly bought the nearest do-able shirt, begging the fitting room lady to please let me wear it out. "Oh, sure, you can do that, just make sure you pay for it." OHH!!!!! Is THAT how this whole store-thing works!! PHEW.
It's too bad I wasn't closer to the mall.....
I swear it was legitimate.
I started trying to come up with a masthead um, three or four months ago. I started late one night following some very vague directions I found online and then got frustrated, deleted most of it, and left it alone. I'd come back to it every week or so and made absolutely no progress, and almost deleted the whole thing once. I finally picked it back up this week and made it a goal to finish before the week was over. It's 11:56 pm on Saturday. Yeah for me!
I sat, cocking my head and admiring my (super hard!) work, and got a hankering to figure out the centering issue once and for all. I was going to do it! Yes! Go me! Actually, I just went to Beautiful Beta's forum (he'd helped me figure out how to add another sidebar and clean up my html) where I had posted my problem SEVERAL months ago to see if someone had answered my question out of the goodness of their heart. And lo! Someone had! Turns out I only needed to add TWO FREAKING LETTERS to the margin. Seriously. I tried it out, a little skeptical, and........it worked. Imagine that. Maybe I need to dig up that media degree web page again....
In other news, my Jamba Juice exploded all over me today. I was walking back to my car, my small Berry Fulfilling smoothie in hand, desperately trying to get something out of the straw. It wasn't having it. And deciding that some lovely little fruit chunk must be clogging the end, I blew into the straw to dislodge it and it literally exploded, the lid nearly flying off and a golf ball sized splatter landing smack dab on my new white shirt. Curse you, push-up bra. I played it cool though, continuing to my car, hearing the snickers from the punk-kids loitering outside. I'm so above that.
Luckily for me Target was near, so I slung my newly-favorite BIG purse strategically over my um, splatter, and quickly bought the nearest do-able shirt, begging the fitting room lady to please let me wear it out. "Oh, sure, you can do that, just make sure you pay for it." OHH!!!!! Is THAT how this whole store-thing works!! PHEW.
It's too bad I wasn't closer to the mall.....
August 1, 2007
Eat, Sleep, Drink it up
After flipping through the photos from our most recent trip (see below), I think you'll see how fabulous it was. We had ourselves a really good time. Caleb tried out surfing and discovered that he really loved it. I hardly saw him at the beach and his skin is now about 12 shades darker. It looks like I've gone and run off with my Latin Lover. Or maybe just a regular beach bum. And me? This is the first year that I haven't wanted to go, go, go. I relaxed. A lot. And shopped, nearly as much. It was perfect.
OH! My gosh. The best part. We saw Wicked. You know, like Wicked, the Broadway play. And I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. It was absolutely positively the best play I've ever seen, and I've seen Phantom twice. I actually CRIED at the end of the first act, and it's not a sad play. Quite the opposite in fact, it was hilarious. It was just beautiful, and perfect, and wow. I need the music. And I need to see it again, and again. Apparently though, I've already missed the San Francisco performances which totally blows, and I've been trying to concoct a really fabulous reason to travel to um...Chicago....Philidelphia....New York...Hartford, CT.....or really, just back to LA. It's way past wanting now, it's a full blown need. Right up there with vacuum lines.
OH! My gosh. The best part. We saw Wicked. You know, like Wicked, the Broadway play. And I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. It was absolutely positively the best play I've ever seen, and I've seen Phantom twice. I actually CRIED at the end of the first act, and it's not a sad play. Quite the opposite in fact, it was hilarious. It was just beautiful, and perfect, and wow. I need the music. And I need to see it again, and again. Apparently though, I've already missed the San Francisco performances which totally blows, and I've been trying to concoct a really fabulous reason to travel to um...Chicago....Philidelphia....New York...Hartford, CT.....or really, just back to LA. It's way past wanting now, it's a full blown need. Right up there with vacuum lines.
July 24, 2007
Kwik-E-Mart!!!
Before we left on vacation we had to make a quick trip to the Kwik-E-Mart to pay our respects. It was beautiful. Heart-warming. They had donuts, Squishee's, Krusty-O's and Buzz Cola all for the taking. They'd just run out of the latter two before we arrived, so we settled on Blue Vanilla Squishee's, so sweet your teeth literally rotted right on the spot, and donuts covered in pink frosting, or rather, pink food coloring with a smidgen of sugar. Now, I'm not a donut fan by any means, can only barely stand the cake-like ones, but I took one for the team since they were of course, Simpson Donuts. Even only eating half a donut and a few swigs of Squishee, I think I consumed my entire week's worth of sugar.
Totally worth it. It was awesome.
July 23, 2007
It's all Michael's fault
I don't think the drive down to Southern California could have been any crazier, except maybe if aliens had dropped down out of the sky and sucked our car up into their ship to perform various tests on our human form. Even then, I would have been drier.
We started off fairly late as far as long car rides go, leaving a little after 8 am. Bear was absolutely thrilled that he was going, his anxiety from the night before when he saw our suitcases, only a dream. We let him in the back seat of the car as we were loading and securing the house, and he stayed out there, doors open, until we were finished. There was no way he was going to budge out of that car, there's nothing he enjoys more than to come along with us everywhere we go. And he was coming, just not all the way. We usually leave him at the PetsMart Pethotel because it's the cheapest in the area and the first place he hasn't come home from looking like he'd just spent a week at fat camp. Eating nothing more than entire cups of air and big bowls of nothing. This time however, it was booked as was every other Pethotel in the area. So I hunted around and found one along the way, an hour north of where we're staying now. We'd just drop him off on the way! And because I am evil, I spent the entire car ride laughing at how he thought he was going along with us...Caleb didn't find it so funny.
A few hours into the car ride we ran into some traffic in some mountains (which ones you ask? I have no idea....). Part of the mountain had caught on fire and there were several trucks and even a helicopter fighting it. We were mostly at a standstill watching the fire blaze. One of these times we were stopped we sat and watched, deer in the headlights, as the woman in front of us backed up, and kept backing up, until she ran right into us. Lovely! I love car wrecks! So! Very! Much! We got her to pull over, which was an ordeal in and of itself, and she hurried out of the car, glanced at her back bumper and yelled "I'm fine!", headed back to her car and drove off. Great! Thanks! We're good too, in case you wondered. (Thankfully we were, bless the bumper.)
The next incident happened when we'd finally made it out of the traffic and found a little place to eat and fill up the car. It was pretty hot, so I stayed with the dog while Caleb went in, to let Bear go to the bathroom and stretch a little, so that maybe he wouldn't put his panting, death-mouth right next to my face. I really need to brush that dog's teeth.
Anyway, because Bear is neurotic, he spent most of the time on high alert, straining his neck, wishing it longer, to try to see inside the restaurant and keep an eye on Caleb. The mutt has some serious separation issues. Very serious. The moment he saw Caleb he freaked out, bouncing at the end of the leash, and put his foot directly into the large cow-pie sized pile of poo. I'm not kidding, that thing couldn't have come from anything smaller than a very fat cow. We used all the napkins we had to clean off his paw, even rubbed it with my antibacterial hand sanitizer. Thinking we had pretty much conquered the poo, we let him back into the car. Mucho grande mistake. Let me tell you, the stench was absolutely insane, and not your typical dog-poo smell (remember? Possibly cow?!). It was this sickly sweet smell, almost methane-like. It probably could have powered our car. I nearly lost the lunch I was about to eat. I had to pull out the hand sanitizer again and ended up using half of the bottle, rubbing it all over his bed in the back seat. Mmm....lunch......
Fast forward twenty minutes, and we're smack dab in the middle of L.A. traffic. Think speeding, followed by quick stopping ("fast, slow, fast fast slow...."). One of these times, Caleb had to slam on his breaks and reached his hand over to hold me back at the exact moment I'd picked up my still very full drink, spilling every single ounce of it in my lap. I was swimming in Diet Coke and ice. I was so wet, and we'd used every napkin we'd had on the Bear Poop-Foot Incident, that I had to mop up the seat using my very soaked pajama pants, and spent the next hour of the car ride in my underwear, attempting to dry my pants on the dashboard.
It was perfect timing, almost too perfect. Very suspicious. Caleb giggled a little too hard. Too much. My guess? Payback for making him listen to my old CD mixes, turning up "Man in the Mirror" a little too loud. The fake mic probably didn't help either.
Man, I love road trips.
We started off fairly late as far as long car rides go, leaving a little after 8 am. Bear was absolutely thrilled that he was going, his anxiety from the night before when he saw our suitcases, only a dream. We let him in the back seat of the car as we were loading and securing the house, and he stayed out there, doors open, until we were finished. There was no way he was going to budge out of that car, there's nothing he enjoys more than to come along with us everywhere we go. And he was coming, just not all the way. We usually leave him at the PetsMart Pethotel because it's the cheapest in the area and the first place he hasn't come home from looking like he'd just spent a week at fat camp. Eating nothing more than entire cups of air and big bowls of nothing. This time however, it was booked as was every other Pethotel in the area. So I hunted around and found one along the way, an hour north of where we're staying now. We'd just drop him off on the way! And because I am evil, I spent the entire car ride laughing at how he thought he was going along with us...Caleb didn't find it so funny.
A few hours into the car ride we ran into some traffic in some mountains (which ones you ask? I have no idea....). Part of the mountain had caught on fire and there were several trucks and even a helicopter fighting it. We were mostly at a standstill watching the fire blaze. One of these times we were stopped we sat and watched, deer in the headlights, as the woman in front of us backed up, and kept backing up, until she ran right into us. Lovely! I love car wrecks! So! Very! Much! We got her to pull over, which was an ordeal in and of itself, and she hurried out of the car, glanced at her back bumper and yelled "I'm fine!", headed back to her car and drove off. Great! Thanks! We're good too, in case you wondered. (Thankfully we were, bless the bumper.)
The next incident happened when we'd finally made it out of the traffic and found a little place to eat and fill up the car. It was pretty hot, so I stayed with the dog while Caleb went in, to let Bear go to the bathroom and stretch a little, so that maybe he wouldn't put his panting, death-mouth right next to my face. I really need to brush that dog's teeth.
Anyway, because Bear is neurotic, he spent most of the time on high alert, straining his neck, wishing it longer, to try to see inside the restaurant and keep an eye on Caleb. The mutt has some serious separation issues. Very serious. The moment he saw Caleb he freaked out, bouncing at the end of the leash, and put his foot directly into the large cow-pie sized pile of poo. I'm not kidding, that thing couldn't have come from anything smaller than a very fat cow. We used all the napkins we had to clean off his paw, even rubbed it with my antibacterial hand sanitizer. Thinking we had pretty much conquered the poo, we let him back into the car. Mucho grande mistake. Let me tell you, the stench was absolutely insane, and not your typical dog-poo smell (remember? Possibly cow?!). It was this sickly sweet smell, almost methane-like. It probably could have powered our car. I nearly lost the lunch I was about to eat. I had to pull out the hand sanitizer again and ended up using half of the bottle, rubbing it all over his bed in the back seat. Mmm....lunch......
Fast forward twenty minutes, and we're smack dab in the middle of L.A. traffic. Think speeding, followed by quick stopping ("fast, slow, fast fast slow...."). One of these times, Caleb had to slam on his breaks and reached his hand over to hold me back at the exact moment I'd picked up my still very full drink, spilling every single ounce of it in my lap. I was swimming in Diet Coke and ice. I was so wet, and we'd used every napkin we'd had on the Bear Poop-Foot Incident, that I had to mop up the seat using my very soaked pajama pants, and spent the next hour of the car ride in my underwear, attempting to dry my pants on the dashboard.
It was perfect timing, almost too perfect. Very suspicious. Caleb giggled a little too hard. Too much. My guess? Payback for making him listen to my old CD mixes, turning up "Man in the Mirror" a little too loud. The fake mic probably didn't help either.
Man, I love road trips.
July 21, 2007
On Ethics
Discussing "Before He Cheats", by Carrie Underwood while driving down to So-Cal (such a Cali phrase...):
Caleb: The music video is so lame, it could have been much better.
Me: How? If she'd been naked?
Caleb: No! Well, of course it would be better, everything's better when you're naked. She could be auditing me while naked and I'd still enjoy it.....
Long pause, and a small smile creeps across his face...
Caleb: Wait, what were we talking about?
Caleb: The music video is so lame, it could have been much better.
Me: How? If she'd been naked?
Caleb: No! Well, of course it would be better, everything's better when you're naked. She could be auditing me while naked and I'd still enjoy it.....
Long pause, and a small smile creeps across his face...
Caleb: Wait, what were we talking about?
July 19, 2007
Catching Up: Lake Powell
And....actually....I don't know who that is...never seen 'im...., originally uploaded by dancingnancy_1.
You see this and wonder what in the world could possibly possess anyone so completely that they would feel the need to make such ridiculous facial expressions. And you'd have a valid point, except that you don't know that he's at Lake Powell. And if you been to Lake Powell, then this makes perfect sense. The sheer joy of being in such a beautiful place where you wake and sleep with the sun, lounge around for hours at a time, or enjoy a wide array of water sports, can be quite overwhelming. It's too perfect. And this right here is that feeling captured. I Heart Lake Powell. And you should too.
(Click on the pic to see a small sampling of our 4,594 Lake Powell pics)
July 16, 2007
Cigar and a Coke?
It appears it is physically impossible for me to blog for two days straight. And the sad part is that since I haven't been regularly blogging I've got all these ideas for posts stored up in my head, but just like my DVR box, they keep getting deleted as new ones eek their way into my grey matter. So I just end up posting about the house again. I just realized I haven't even posted Lake Powell pictures, and that was AGES ago. I also haven't posted 4th of July pictures, or pictures of my friend's wedding, and we're about to go on Family Vacation #349, a week in Oceanside, CA, or rather, 7 days of Moss Family Fun, 60 Strong. We're petitioning to become our own state.
This little gem is mounted on the wall of our utility room, connecting the kitchen to our backyard. Either the owners were enthusiastic Coke drinkers or The House is pushing it's beverage-of-choice agenda. I don't know about you, but I'm feelin' the itch....
My goal before we leave this Saturday is to catch up here, and maybe even throw in a few well-thought-out posts, which would be a lovely change, wouldn't it? It just seems that we've been so caught up in making our new home livable, that all we do is work, come home, work, take a break to hang out with our friends (while we all talk about the work we should be doing on our homes), go to bed late, and then wake up again to start all over. I don't remember what it's like to get a decent night's sleep, it's honestly been ages. And I am well aware that this is the time to be "stocking up" for the years and years of no sleep when kids come into the picture. But before I continue on, whining about the no-sleep, the endless work, the slacking of the blog posting, I'm just going to shut up and post a few random shots in hopes of saving this lackluster post.
................................
.............. . . . . . . . .. .
And that's where my laptop ran out of juice and I was too tired to walk the two feet across the room to plug in the cord. So I went to bed. And that pretty much sums up the last few weeks, doesn't it?
And since this is pretty much the rambling type of post, here's a little story for you. As Caleb and I were cleaning the house we discovered a "hidden" drawer in our dining room. I guess hidden isn't the right word here, more like there wasn't a handle and the hole had been spackled over. We pulled out the drawers so that I could properly clean / disinfect them before I filled them, and found this:
That would be one book, "An Actor Prepares", two maps of Florida, two cigars, one deck of cards, one bag of batteries, and one....olive oil holder? So I've pretty much discerned that these people were fledgling actors who played cards by the light of their cigars each night, drinking entire grape-shaped glasses of olive oil, convinced it would soften their vocal cords, while dreaming of one day making it big in Florida. And the batteries? Well....maybe they were saving up for their battery powered car. Very environmentally aware.
And now, I give you....Caleb's favorite part of the house.....
This little gem is mounted on the wall of our utility room, connecting the kitchen to our backyard. Either the owners were enthusiastic Coke drinkers or The House is pushing it's beverage-of-choice agenda. I don't know about you, but I'm feelin' the itch....
July 11, 2007
In which I channel "Supermarket Sweep"
It's been three days since Caleb has been away and I think it's safe to say that things are going better than I'd expected. Bear only spent one evening prostrate in front of the front door waiting for him, and I've managed to only have cereal for three meals. I'm afraid to say that my progress on the house however, is excrutiatingly slow. I do have a rather large Goodwill pile, which would be great except for that I now own 3.5 shirts. And half of them are in the wash.
In an attempt to have something to show for myself, I am planning a trip to Ikea tomorrow, which right now is akin to grocery shopping while hungry. This could get interesting. I could make a list, that might help, I try to be a stick-to-the-list type of girl. However, I am also a very skilled rationalizer, and sometimes just forget altogether what we do or don't have. This is why I sometimes come home from the grocery store with 10 different kinds of juice when we already have four in the freezer. And also why I forget the important items on my list (like eggs! Mental note! We are out of eggs!). My Ikea list so far is this;
1. Floor cabinet for the bathroom - MUST MUST MUST. The floor is a very inhospitable place for make up and hair products.
2. Closet storage items, another bar, shoe racks etc. Our closets couldn't fit Ghandi's wardrobe.
3. We really really really really really need a new couch. It is wishful thinking to hope to find one at Ikea, but I am a dreamer.
4. A moping bucket. Because I have 1,100 square feet of hardwood floor in dire need of a good mop.
5. I am desperate for one of those dog food Rubbermaid containers. I would like to be able to walk into my washroom / little-area-that-leads-to-our-backyard without dry heaving.
6. Caleb will kill me for admitting it, but he really wants one of those head-to-toe mirrors for our bedroom so that he can do his hair-walk, smooth his shirt routine before heading off to work. Remind me to capture that sometime, it really is a sight to be seen.
7. We have zero ice cubes in our home. Nada. Zilch. We need ice cube trays.
8. A new shower curtain, which is going to be more difficult than it should be. It needs to be at least 82" in length, long enough to wrap nearly all the way around our tub. That's a good 10 inches longer than your average shower curtain. And I'd REALLY love for it to not have big purple dinosaurs or something. I have a nightmare that it's all we're going to find.
9. About nine gajillion rugs.
10. A dozen other small items. Curtains, a coat hanger, mail organizer. A few larger ones as well. A headboard, fireplace cover, another dresser.
So with my track record, I'll come home with three of these items and about ten others not on the list. Like art, a new lamp, or salad tongs. I've been married for two years and have yet to pick up a proper pair of salad tongs. Which of course, is the measure of success as a wife. Everyone knows that.
It's possible that I am going to need a small truck. Or a good dose of restraint.
In an attempt to have something to show for myself, I am planning a trip to Ikea tomorrow, which right now is akin to grocery shopping while hungry. This could get interesting. I could make a list, that might help, I try to be a stick-to-the-list type of girl. However, I am also a very skilled rationalizer, and sometimes just forget altogether what we do or don't have. This is why I sometimes come home from the grocery store with 10 different kinds of juice when we already have four in the freezer. And also why I forget the important items on my list (like eggs! Mental note! We are out of eggs!). My Ikea list so far is this;
1. Floor cabinet for the bathroom - MUST MUST MUST. The floor is a very inhospitable place for make up and hair products.
2. Closet storage items, another bar, shoe racks etc. Our closets couldn't fit Ghandi's wardrobe.
3. We really really really really really need a new couch. It is wishful thinking to hope to find one at Ikea, but I am a dreamer.
4. A moping bucket. Because I have 1,100 square feet of hardwood floor in dire need of a good mop.
5. I am desperate for one of those dog food Rubbermaid containers. I would like to be able to walk into my washroom / little-area-that-leads-to-our-backyard without dry heaving.
6. Caleb will kill me for admitting it, but he really wants one of those head-to-toe mirrors for our bedroom so that he can do his hair-walk, smooth his shirt routine before heading off to work. Remind me to capture that sometime, it really is a sight to be seen.
7. We have zero ice cubes in our home. Nada. Zilch. We need ice cube trays.
8. A new shower curtain, which is going to be more difficult than it should be. It needs to be at least 82" in length, long enough to wrap nearly all the way around our tub. That's a good 10 inches longer than your average shower curtain. And I'd REALLY love for it to not have big purple dinosaurs or something. I have a nightmare that it's all we're going to find.
9. About nine gajillion rugs.
10. A dozen other small items. Curtains, a coat hanger, mail organizer. A few larger ones as well. A headboard, fireplace cover, another dresser.
So with my track record, I'll come home with three of these items and about ten others not on the list. Like art, a new lamp, or salad tongs. I've been married for two years and have yet to pick up a proper pair of salad tongs. Which of course, is the measure of success as a wife. Everyone knows that.
It's possible that I am going to need a small truck. Or a good dose of restraint.
July 8, 2007
Settling in....
Wow. We did it. We moved in two days. Two evenings, excuse me. Packing that quickly went against my very nature, it hurt my heart to grab handfuls of clothes in my closet and fling them into a box. Not even FOLDED for heavens sake. It happened so fast, the move I mean, that even now, Sunday, I still can't believe we're here. It feels like we've gone on vacation (the most horrible vacation EVER...) and that in just a few days we'll head back. It's so nice to be in our own place though, a home with a backyard to chuck the mutt out into, a home where we don't have to figure out the logistics of getting three tons of groceries up three stories in one trip (trips to Costco were always a challenge....), an extra bedroom, more storage.
Anyway, here are a few pictures of our place, at least the parts we've managed to unload and clean....
White picket fence needs some lovin'.....
We've spent the last few days sorting through our boxes and cleaning up. Actually, I spent all yesterday on just the kitchen alone. As I said, this home was built in 1921 (I've said that, right?) and then was remodeled 14 years ago, but I doubt anyone has done more than dusting and mopping since. I spent an entire evening just washing the cupboards. Then I made the mistake of washing a portion of the wall, revealing it's at least three shades whiter than we'd thought. I'd been afraid of that, secretly hoping that whoever lived here before us was as OCD as I am. Wishful thinking, I know.
Caleb has spent a lot of time working on "guy" things, fixing the gate in the backyard, installing the worlds most complicated window air conditioner (we're fully embracing the white-trashness of that, just greatful that our home is now at a hospitable temperature...), and just yesterday, cleaning out the fireplace, layers and layers of caked on ash. It looks much better, but I think we're going to have to get a proper chimney sweep in to clean it all out. While I love the charm of an old fashioned wood burning fireplace, I'd like to not smell like I'd just rolled in one.
Bear on the other hand, isn't so sure about this new place. He loves the backyard, will lay out in the grass for hours. He just doesn't quite know what to do with himself when indoors. He'll follow us around everywhere, as if he's waiting for us to tell him what to do. He's doing much better though, much better than while we were moving. He was absolutely positively WIGGING out, whining and frantic, trying anything to squeeze out the door to be with us as we took boxes out. I finally found some sedatives we'd had for when we'd flown with him, and that REALLY helped, I highly reccomend them. Twenty minutes after giving it to him he was droopy, red-eyed and totally calm. I loved it. (I suppose it's like slipping a little Benadryl into the kiddies drinks? It's for their own good, right?) Yesterday he experienced his first squirrel in his very own yard and went nuts, waiting at the base for it to come down. When we finally made him come in he kept whining to be let out again.
We're not nearly done with it all, which is great, because Caleb is leaving tomorrow for the week to go work in the Oregon territory. Leaving me here all alone (guilt trip! guilt trip!) to finish cleaning and unpacking. Actually, I think he's even feeling a little guilty himself about it, and has been leaving me all sorts of instructions about sleeping with the outside lights on, not going out after dark, and keeping all the windows shut at night. And just now he sprayed the outside of the house with this perimeter bug spray, which is supposed to keep all those nasty creepy crawlies outside. I'm well protected. I hope. The other night as I was cleaning the kitchen I encountered a rather large black spider. I decided to be brave and kill it myself, since Caleb was busy trying his hardest not to swear at the air conditioner in the next room. I wadded up several paper towels and went for it, missing of course, and it ran over my hands and fell onto the counter. The shrill scream that came out of me was completely involuntary, and something I don't think I've ever done before. My ears were ringing. Caleb must have figured it was nothing, since he didn't even bother to ask what had happened, or maybe he was too involved in his mumbling. Bear on the other hand was on full alert, barking and whining at me. At least I know if something happens he'll at least act concerned? He certainly is no good at protecting me against intruders...
Anyway, here are a few pictures of our place, at least the parts we've managed to unload and clean....
White picket fence needs some lovin'.....
July 3, 2007
Certifiably
Oh, let me tell you, the trip home was WONDERFUL. Hung out with the fam, saw nearly all of my friends, went shopping, had a pedicure (first one since my wedding TWO YEARS AGO, IT WAS HIGH TIME!) had a lovely time at the wedding, bla bla bla. I'll post pictures soon I swear, just as soon as I post pictures from Lake Powell, which I also swear to do. Sometime soon. I swear.
The real news though, is that we got the house! On Friday! Because Caleb is an amazingly smooth talker who convinced the owners to screw the open house and just give it to us. That was Friday, and we scrambled to fill out the application before someone else snatched it up. My family doesn't own a fax or scanner, so I drove around town trying to find someone who did. I tried Alphagraphics, a local printing company, but apparently scanning OR faxing was too difficult a task, much too complicated. I should have known it would have been a bust, there were no cars in the parking lot. First indication of a failing business. Next I tried FedEx / Kinko's and got to speak to three different high school students, none of which knew a thing about scanning a document. "Oh, scanning.........right..........um..........let me go get Rocky......." Yes, please do. And while you're at it, maybe you could spit out that wad of Bubble-Yum? Maybe? Thanks.
Anyway, we got the home. And.........we move on Wednesday. I got home late Sunday night. So let's see, that leaves us two days to pack up, change / close / get our new utilities. Oh, and neither of us can take any time off of work. So that's two evenings. And just in case you forgot, Wednesday also happens to be our nation's birthday. A national holiday. A day in which no one works. Are we crazy? Perhaps.
Oh, alright, we're completely and utterly insane. Moving? In two days?!
Surprisingly, we made a lot of progress tonight. We've got everything but our clothes and bathroom essentials loving wrapped and boxed. Bear is officially wigging out, with Caleb and I not far behind. Need proof? Well then, proof I have!
Today I picked Caleb up at work for lunch so we could come home and figure out all the logistics of this crazy move. We parked my car outside and got about halfway to the door before Caleb said ".....Kim? Where's my car?" We quickly scanned the parking lot, not seeing it. "Kim?! Where is my car?!" I sighed, rolled my eyes and steeled myself for what I knew would follow, you call the cops, they come over, do nothing, and then we wait a few days to find out that it's across town, totally stripped. Caleb has a horrible track record with his cars, having had them either broken into or stolen 9 times in the last 7 or so years. Cabe pulled his cell phone out and started to dial the police as he said, "I saw it this morning when I..........", and then my brain slowly started working. Yes, he saw it that morning, as he drove it to work. His car was at his office. I had picked him up, only moments before. We had officially lost our minds.
Speaking of which, I'd better get some sleep before I'm rendered completely useless tomorrow. Despite all the craziness, I am so excited to rent this beautiful home. I still can't quite believe we have it, that I don't have to check craigslist every 30 seconds for new listings. That we actually got the home we wanted! Everything has just fallen into place, which further confirms how right this is for us. I can't wait to show you all, it's absolutely adorable.
Our internet is being turned off tomorrow, so I may not be back on for a few days. Until then, here is my new haircut. Thank you Dayvid! Love it!
The real news though, is that we got the house! On Friday! Because Caleb is an amazingly smooth talker who convinced the owners to screw the open house and just give it to us. That was Friday, and we scrambled to fill out the application before someone else snatched it up. My family doesn't own a fax or scanner, so I drove around town trying to find someone who did. I tried Alphagraphics, a local printing company, but apparently scanning OR faxing was too difficult a task, much too complicated. I should have known it would have been a bust, there were no cars in the parking lot. First indication of a failing business. Next I tried FedEx / Kinko's and got to speak to three different high school students, none of which knew a thing about scanning a document. "Oh, scanning.........right..........um..........let me go get Rocky......." Yes, please do. And while you're at it, maybe you could spit out that wad of Bubble-Yum? Maybe? Thanks.
Anyway, we got the home. And.........we move on Wednesday. I got home late Sunday night. So let's see, that leaves us two days to pack up, change / close / get our new utilities. Oh, and neither of us can take any time off of work. So that's two evenings. And just in case you forgot, Wednesday also happens to be our nation's birthday. A national holiday. A day in which no one works. Are we crazy? Perhaps.
Oh, alright, we're completely and utterly insane. Moving? In two days?!
Surprisingly, we made a lot of progress tonight. We've got everything but our clothes and bathroom essentials loving wrapped and boxed. Bear is officially wigging out, with Caleb and I not far behind. Need proof? Well then, proof I have!
Today I picked Caleb up at work for lunch so we could come home and figure out all the logistics of this crazy move. We parked my car outside and got about halfway to the door before Caleb said ".....Kim? Where's my car?" We quickly scanned the parking lot, not seeing it. "Kim?! Where is my car?!" I sighed, rolled my eyes and steeled myself for what I knew would follow, you call the cops, they come over, do nothing, and then we wait a few days to find out that it's across town, totally stripped. Caleb has a horrible track record with his cars, having had them either broken into or stolen 9 times in the last 7 or so years. Cabe pulled his cell phone out and started to dial the police as he said, "I saw it this morning when I..........", and then my brain slowly started working. Yes, he saw it that morning, as he drove it to work. His car was at his office. I had picked him up, only moments before. We had officially lost our minds.
Speaking of which, I'd better get some sleep before I'm rendered completely useless tomorrow. Despite all the craziness, I am so excited to rent this beautiful home. I still can't quite believe we have it, that I don't have to check craigslist every 30 seconds for new listings. That we actually got the home we wanted! Everything has just fallen into place, which further confirms how right this is for us. I can't wait to show you all, it's absolutely adorable.
Our internet is being turned off tomorrow, so I may not be back on for a few days. Until then, here is my new haircut. Thank you Dayvid! Love it!
I had no idea my mom was taking this picture, and neither did she. I was about two seconds away from giving her some instructions on how to take it, and then we heard the click. Hence my stone-face. I post this one because the other picture she took had the flash on, and she was looking flustered enough as it was, holding such a monstrous camera, that "Will you please hold down the flash?" seemed a bit too much to ask. You love it.
June 28, 2007
Something to ponder as I board my plane...
A security systems tech was servicing our friend's home yesterday, and when asked about what he thought of his recent trip to Utah he immediately exclaimed his surprise at how dry it was there, how his lips were chapped and it was hard to breathe, and then added:
"You have all these crusty boogers and you're always picking them out!"
"You have all these crusty boogers and you're always picking them out!"
Which is not exactly the first thing I think of when I think of Utah. Actually, I don't think I've ever thought of that before, but everybody's different. We all have our hang ups, and apparently this man is very concerned about his boogers. As he should be, the man was 7 feet tall weighing it at about, oh, 120 lbs. His nose was the widest part of his body.
Utah: Crusty Booger Land. All hail.
June 27, 2007
Oh, hi.
Hello. My name is Kim. I......have been gone. I'd mentioned that. I just didn't know I was going to be gone for so long. I didn't know I'd go into a post-Lake Powell depression. You know, the vacation let down. This one was worse for some reason, demanding much worse than just no-pants. Something to the affect of an hour-long "ugly cry" in a molten lava bubble bath. It wasn't pretty.
Lake Powell itself was amazing, exactly what I'd needed, a week of lounging. We have a gajillion pictures, over 400 to be exact, and I've been working on fixing them up a bit to post, and hope to be doing that in the next few days.
On the bright side, because isn't this post just a peach, we've found a home to rent that we LOVE. LOVE LOVE LOVE. It's in the area that we want, it's a good size for us, (not too big, not too small, Goldilocks) it has a backyard for the mutt, it's on a GORGEOUS street, it's still close to work, it's super charming......I could go on. And this is me trying not to get too excited, we still don't have it yet. We saw it on Monday, fell head over heels in love, and immediately began, well, groveling. I swear in the course of the day we'd sent the guy four or five emails from each of us. We heard nothing until the end of the day Tuesday, and by that time we were heading over there to talk to the neighbors, try to get a phone number or something. The owner apologized (as well he should, I don't think my stomach could have handled another day...), said he'd been out of town on business and he'd have his "associate" get in touch with us. We were over the moon, until that is, we didn't hear anything that day, or today. This morning Caleb slipped a note in their front door, like a love sick teenager. We are not proud of this. But the housing market in the Bay Area is crazy. Like, insane. If you like something you have to jump on it like it's the last lifeboat. The last piece of chocolate. The last.....Mohican? I've never seen that show, but I'm sure that it applies here, right? Finally, FINALLY, Mr. Associate called us back today (I say us because he literally called both of us, separately, because of the heretofore mentioned badgering we did....) to inform us of the open house this Saturday. Which works perfect right, because I'll be in Utah for a friend's wedding.
Right.
On that note, I'm back on a plane tomorrow as I said, to see my friend get married. It's such a hard life, getting to go home so often. :) That, bytheway, is another story. Caleb? Thank you. You love me, you really love me.
Lake Powell itself was amazing, exactly what I'd needed, a week of lounging. We have a gajillion pictures, over 400 to be exact, and I've been working on fixing them up a bit to post, and hope to be doing that in the next few days.
On the bright side, because isn't this post just a peach, we've found a home to rent that we LOVE. LOVE LOVE LOVE. It's in the area that we want, it's a good size for us, (not too big, not too small, Goldilocks) it has a backyard for the mutt, it's on a GORGEOUS street, it's still close to work, it's super charming......I could go on. And this is me trying not to get too excited, we still don't have it yet. We saw it on Monday, fell head over heels in love, and immediately began, well, groveling. I swear in the course of the day we'd sent the guy four or five emails from each of us. We heard nothing until the end of the day Tuesday, and by that time we were heading over there to talk to the neighbors, try to get a phone number or something. The owner apologized (as well he should, I don't think my stomach could have handled another day...), said he'd been out of town on business and he'd have his "associate" get in touch with us. We were over the moon, until that is, we didn't hear anything that day, or today. This morning Caleb slipped a note in their front door, like a love sick teenager. We are not proud of this. But the housing market in the Bay Area is crazy. Like, insane. If you like something you have to jump on it like it's the last lifeboat. The last piece of chocolate. The last.....Mohican? I've never seen that show, but I'm sure that it applies here, right? Finally, FINALLY, Mr. Associate called us back today (I say us because he literally called both of us, separately, because of the heretofore mentioned badgering we did....) to inform us of the open house this Saturday. Which works perfect right, because I'll be in Utah for a friend's wedding.
Right.
On that note, I'm back on a plane tomorrow as I said, to see my friend get married. It's such a hard life, getting to go home so often. :) That, bytheway, is another story. Caleb? Thank you. You love me, you really love me.
June 9, 2007
Running on empty
I'm posting to acknowledge that I haven't been posting lately, and also to inform you all that I will not be posting until at LEAST next Saturday, as I am going on vacation to The Best Place On Earth, maybe you have heard of it, it's called Lake Powell. My family has a houseboat and we've been going every year since I was 7 or 8. I am not sick of it, couldn't possibly ever be. It's gorgeous for one, deep red rocks, red sand, cool water. It's impossibly cheap, around $150 per person for food, shelter and entertainment for a week. It's ridiculously relaxing, there is no cell phone service, no Internet, no television (we were actually in Lake Powell over 9/11 and didn't have any clue until the next day as we were driving home). Your biggest decision is whether or not to eat a blueberry muffin or a bagel for breakfast. And I promise to take a gazillion pictures to prove it. I Heart Lake Powell.
I am sooooooooo in need of this vacation - this past month has been insane at work for both Caleb and I. We've been so busy, so crazy. I haven't cleaned the apartment in a week and a half and people, THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING. The only time we're actually home is when we're either getting ready to get into bed, or getting ready to leave for work. The dog is in a permanent sulk. Hopefully a week of fellow-puppy-lovin' at the local Petsmart Hotel will cheer him up. It better, because I can't handle a sullen dog any longer, he is either staring at me with his woeful eyes, or has his cold nose pressed into my knee. I feel two clicks away from a "Snapped" episode.
In other news, the house-for-rent search is proving to be more difficult than we had hoped for. We saw a real piece of work the other day, a cesspool of liquor bottles, half eaten pizza, and piles of junk. I am hoping for a miracle, a nice charming two bedroom conveniently located near the Rose Garden. That allows mutts. I had no idea this was asking for too much.
I am rambling, and I realize this. But it's 1:23 in the morning. I am allowed.
Instead of staying home tonight and packing, or doing laundry, or paying the bills, or even catching up on "So You Think You Can Dance", I let Caleb talk me into going to see "Oceans 13". Not a smart move on our part since it didn't let out until midnight, but it was WORTH EVERY MINUTE. Better than the first in my opinion, and MY is that Brad Pitt lookin' hot these days, wouldn'tyasay? Seriously, go see that movie. It's lovely.
Ya'll enjoy the week, I've got to go dig for swimsuits, and maybe catch a few minutes of sleep before the alarm blares... While I am away, please do go click around on my Daily Dose and my list of Long Distance People Watching. They all have wonderful things to say.
I am sooooooooo in need of this vacation - this past month has been insane at work for both Caleb and I. We've been so busy, so crazy. I haven't cleaned the apartment in a week and a half and people, THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING. The only time we're actually home is when we're either getting ready to get into bed, or getting ready to leave for work. The dog is in a permanent sulk. Hopefully a week of fellow-puppy-lovin' at the local Petsmart Hotel will cheer him up. It better, because I can't handle a sullen dog any longer, he is either staring at me with his woeful eyes, or has his cold nose pressed into my knee. I feel two clicks away from a "Snapped" episode.
In other news, the house-for-rent search is proving to be more difficult than we had hoped for. We saw a real piece of work the other day, a cesspool of liquor bottles, half eaten pizza, and piles of junk. I am hoping for a miracle, a nice charming two bedroom conveniently located near the Rose Garden. That allows mutts. I had no idea this was asking for too much.
I am rambling, and I realize this. But it's 1:23 in the morning. I am allowed.
Instead of staying home tonight and packing, or doing laundry, or paying the bills, or even catching up on "So You Think You Can Dance", I let Caleb talk me into going to see "Oceans 13". Not a smart move on our part since it didn't let out until midnight, but it was WORTH EVERY MINUTE. Better than the first in my opinion, and MY is that Brad Pitt lookin' hot these days, wouldn'tyasay? Seriously, go see that movie. It's lovely.
Ya'll enjoy the week, I've got to go dig for swimsuits, and maybe catch a few minutes of sleep before the alarm blares... While I am away, please do go click around on my Daily Dose and my list of Long Distance People Watching. They all have wonderful things to say.
June 5, 2007
Fixation and The Freak Eye
Last Friday one of the people I work with shoved 4 tickets to the San Jose Saber Cats Arena Football Game ("You sir, are a mouthful!") into my hands. To be honest, until that moment I had absolutely no idea that it even existed, but I played along that I did. "Arena Football eh? Hmm.....That's cool....Sure....." I took the tickets anyway and invited the only people we know here. :) Good thing they're our friends, right? Cause that would suck...
We walked into the arena and the ushers ushered us (ahahahaha.....) to our seats, which turned out to be on the third row at the touchdown line. We were pleasantly surprised.
Indoor Football. In all it's glory. And indoorness.
There's nothing surprising about it, there's a loudspeaker, the crazed fans, the jumbo-tron, the cowbells, the cannonthatgoesoffeverytimethehometeamscores.....Very enjoyable, Owen however, was a little unsure of all the NOISE. And the LIGHTS. And all those PEOPLE.
This is the face that he made the WHOLE ENTIRE TIME. Honestly. A little worried, a little apprehensive, a little....interested? We couldn't figure it out. I've never seen him so still, so quiet. He didn't want to be anywhere but molded into his mom. But what was he looking at, you ask?
Voila. Cheerleaders. Starting early, maybe?
Maybe you don't believe me, maybe you feel you need proof?
Oh, I have proof people.
Eh? Eh? Same open eyes, slightly open mouth, tongue resting on the lips....
This happened for .3 seconds after much poking, prodding, face-making, and tickling. It lasted another .5 seconds....
Here are a few fancy pics Cabe took:
This dude sat in front of us sporting a VERY large ring....Superbowl Ring? Anyone know who this is? I spent the evening wondering....and um, peaking over shoulders to get a better look...
And because you all were waiting for it, Freak Eye visits the Saber Cats.
June 2, 2007
Festivities
Now that our friends have moved down, you might start to see a theme. A gratuitous posting-of-the-baby. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, he happens to be highly adorable. So this is how we started the Memorial Day Weekend:
The Monkey, makes for expert crawling
Do you see this?! It's incredible. I need to get me one of these.
On Saturday we helped this little guy's parents paint two rooms in their new house. It was an urgent matter, a matter of extreme importance.
I'm not kidding. And sadly, it doesn't end there....
It was horrific. It looked like Flickr had puked all over the walls.
As hard as I tried, I could not stop talking about how BLUE and PINK these rooms were. It was like the burning of my retinas was triggering some chemical reaction between my brain and my mouth. I couldn't stop spewing incredulous exclamations. "Who in their RIGHT MIND?!", and all that. I'm sure you understand.
A boy, a ball, and his Bear Chair. For good measure.
On Memorial Day we celebrated those who died fighting for our country by grocery shopping, cooking, and barbecuing. The usual.
The spread
The scenery
And lots of fun.
God Bless America.
June 1, 2007
Mi Casa?
I didn't mean to disappear. It just sort of happened, it's been fairly crazy around here and I suppose I just sort of burnt out. One minute I was waking up for work, groggy-eyed and stumbling, and the next minute I was getting into bed, groggy-eyed and stumbling. Somewhere in between there I went to work and stuff. And a whole weekend ago was Memorial Day, which feels like ages really. I'll post some pictures of that, it was good times. We got up close and personal with the colors of Flickr.
But what really did me in this week all started on Sunday. I've spent the last month or so scouring craigslist for a little home to rent, somewhere to hang our hat and let the dog out with nothing more than a flick of the wrist. I found one on Sunday that we decided to check out, it was just down the street and it was a home. All by itself. No one living above or below, and at LEAST 10 feet on either side. It had a backyard. So we were pretty much sold. We called the woman and went to see it the next morning where I immediately fell in love. The home was built in 1939 and there is very little that has changed. It smelled like my grandmothers home, and I breathed deeply as we explored. The stove is an original and everything is white. White walls, white tile kitchen, white book shelves, white bathroom fixtures. There are so many closets and built in shelves we could store everything we own AND everything you own, and still have enough space for daily trips to Costco. There is an old fashioned storm cellar in the back, the kind with stairs leading down under the house for MORE storage. The side of the house has a lemon and orange tree. It had me at hello.
We deliberated at home for about 20 minutes before I started scrambling to fill out the application and turn it in. That was Monday.
Tuesday morning I woke up with an intense desire to restore it, visions of clawfoot tubs in my head. Old hardwood floors, those tiny square bathroom tiles. I began researching 1940's home decor. I found a clawfoot tub retailer online, the perfect white cutout curtains to hang.
By Wednesday I was imagining myself living there, where our furniture would go, which books to place where. "We're going to have to install an outdoor light on the side of the house," I told Caleb, "and I'm totally going to put an herb garden in the back."
On Thursday we were told that they were going to give it to someone else, someone who could move in immediately (our lease is up July 1st). I cried. Someone had stolen my dream home right out from under me.
This morning I cried. My house! It was gone! I will not be making homemade lemonade from the lemons I picked in my own yard. I would not be taking hot bubble baths in my own clawfoot tub. And this would have looked amazing on those white walls.
I realize that this is certainly not something I should be so upset about. It certainly had it's down sides, there was no dishwasher, no air conditioning. The washer and dryer was on it's last leg and was on my list of Things That Must Go. It's just that I've never fallen in love with something so quickly, have something root itself so strong. (Except for that huge crush I had once, but there were other reasons for that as well....) But it's hardly the end of the world. I will go on. There will be another home, another kitchen to bake ginger snaps in. I'm sure we can find another backyard with such a gorgeous deeply rooted tree.
Excuse me, I need a tissue.....
Ahem. No big deal. I'm over it. So it's back to the drawing board again. This time though, we've got less than a month to find a place, pack, and move in. This should get interesting.
But what really did me in this week all started on Sunday. I've spent the last month or so scouring craigslist for a little home to rent, somewhere to hang our hat and let the dog out with nothing more than a flick of the wrist. I found one on Sunday that we decided to check out, it was just down the street and it was a home. All by itself. No one living above or below, and at LEAST 10 feet on either side. It had a backyard. So we were pretty much sold. We called the woman and went to see it the next morning where I immediately fell in love. The home was built in 1939 and there is very little that has changed. It smelled like my grandmothers home, and I breathed deeply as we explored. The stove is an original and everything is white. White walls, white tile kitchen, white book shelves, white bathroom fixtures. There are so many closets and built in shelves we could store everything we own AND everything you own, and still have enough space for daily trips to Costco. There is an old fashioned storm cellar in the back, the kind with stairs leading down under the house for MORE storage. The side of the house has a lemon and orange tree. It had me at hello.
We deliberated at home for about 20 minutes before I started scrambling to fill out the application and turn it in. That was Monday.
Tuesday morning I woke up with an intense desire to restore it, visions of clawfoot tubs in my head. Old hardwood floors, those tiny square bathroom tiles. I began researching 1940's home decor. I found a clawfoot tub retailer online, the perfect white cutout curtains to hang.
By Wednesday I was imagining myself living there, where our furniture would go, which books to place where. "We're going to have to install an outdoor light on the side of the house," I told Caleb, "and I'm totally going to put an herb garden in the back."
On Thursday we were told that they were going to give it to someone else, someone who could move in immediately (our lease is up July 1st). I cried. Someone had stolen my dream home right out from under me.
This morning I cried. My house! It was gone! I will not be making homemade lemonade from the lemons I picked in my own yard. I would not be taking hot bubble baths in my own clawfoot tub. And this would have looked amazing on those white walls.
I realize that this is certainly not something I should be so upset about. It certainly had it's down sides, there was no dishwasher, no air conditioning. The washer and dryer was on it's last leg and was on my list of Things That Must Go. It's just that I've never fallen in love with something so quickly, have something root itself so strong. (Except for that huge crush I had once, but there were other reasons for that as well....) But it's hardly the end of the world. I will go on. There will be another home, another kitchen to bake ginger snaps in. I'm sure we can find another backyard with such a gorgeous deeply rooted tree.
Excuse me, I need a tissue.....
Ahem. No big deal. I'm over it. So it's back to the drawing board again. This time though, we've got less than a month to find a place, pack, and move in. This should get interesting.
May 27, 2007
8 Crazy Things
I've been tagged by Bethany to expose 8 little unknown things to you all. It's been a few days, because, well, it's hard to come up with anything interesting to say besides "Hey guys, I have a secret love for Cadbury's chocolate eggs. I dream in pastels at Easter."
Though these might not be any more interesting than that.
1. I can ride a unicycle. I learned in high school while on the dance team, we'd ride in the parade our city puts on every 24th of July (the day the pioneers made it to the Utah valley). We spent four hours every day in the summer riding those things, until we were so saddle sore we actually had SORES. Open wounds. In fact, some of the girls had GENIUS ideas to put maxi pads on the seats for some extra cushion. That first year we had a "retreat", basically hell practices for three days. We danced in the hot sun and rode our unicycles up insanely steep hills. I can still ride. I still think about it every once in a while, and have made a mental note to get it from my parents garage the next time I'm home. It's the only interesting talent I have.
2. As I've mentioned before, I danced in the closing ceremony for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. I rubbed shoulders with some celebrities, enjoyed the wonderful spirit of camaraderie, all while wearing a lovely black one piece suit and ski mask.
3. I hate beans. Black, pinto, refried, garbanzo, string, white, blue, purple. You name it. Just thinking about them gives me the heevies. My friends all know this and continually tease me for the one time I "flipped out" when I found a refried bean in my tostada salad. I didn't flip out, I just dry-heaved a little. Refried are the worst of the little devils. Oh, but I do enjoy edamame. I enjoy that very much.
4. When I was in sixth grade the local 4-H Guide Dog chapter came to my school and put on a presentation. It ignited a little fire inside of me that worked it's way in and through every little cell of my body until one day it randomly decided to make it's way out. I began my quest to become a guide dog handler, (puppy walker? Since when did they start calling it that?) despite the fact that my parents had made it very clear to me that we wouldn't be getting a dog. I begged. I pleaded. I wrote letters. I begged some more. I went to guide dog meetings every Monday night for a year, trying to prove my responsibility. One glorious day my dad sat me down and told me that I could either get a small dog to keep, or become a guide dog handler, which of course, meant I'd have to give up the dog after a year and half to continue on to the program. Of course you know what I chose. It was the best year of my life, followed by the hardest good bye in all of my 15 years. Bellam, my dog, made it all the way to the end of the program before he was dropped because of his chronic ear infections. They always offer the dropped dogs back to their puppy handlers, but because of my new baby sister my parents wouldn't let me keep him. He now lives somewhere in Oregon with a lovely man who takes him on mile long walks in the mountains or on the beach every day. I still miss him.
5. I seem to have an affinity for passing out. The first time I did it was in front of a few hundred people while giving a talk in church. Once on purpose at a party in junior high because it was the new "it" thing to do. I passed out in a P.F. Changs at rush hour, once while giving blood at my university, once while getting four stitches on my finger, once in the bathroom of our little apartment in Albany in front of my new husband who had never before seen someone do so. Just to name a few.
6. I've mentioned this before as well, but it's still new to me. I'm more aware of it now and so is Caleb. "What were you just thinking? You were tapping your feet.....were you counting again? What were you counting? Come on! Tell me!"
7. I think. A lot. I imagine scenarios in my head while I'm getting dressed in the morning, happy ones, sad ones, crazy ones. I imagine what my life would perhaps be like if I had made one minor little change here or there. I imagine what it would be like to get in a car wreck, spend a week in the hospital. I imagine what it will be like to have baby, how long it will take before the newness wears off and I'm fondly thinking back to the "easy days" before him / her. I imagine what those first moments will be like when I see him / her, after nine months of wondering. I imagine what it would be like to save someone, to have to use my CPR skills. I try to imagine how frightening it would be to choke on something. I imagine what I would be doing right now if I weren't married. If I'd be living on my own or with my parents. If I would be a nurse by now. If I would still be working as a receptionist at my dad's office. If I would be wishing to be married. If I would still be starving myself. I imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one, my parents, even Caleb. Sometimes I wonder those things at night, imagine what I would do, if I would melt into a puddle and not get out of bed for days. I imagine people trying to comfort me, how terrible it would be. Those nights I usually end up bawling and waking up Caleb and telling him that I'm going to die first.
Twisted, I know. I can't help it, my mind runs a million miles an hour. It's bound to land on the horrible stuff every once in a while.
8. I have always wanted to be an actress, a model, a singer, something, though I have zero skills in those areas. I secretly hope that one day a talent scout will tap my shoulder as I'm fingering through the clothes in a department store and ask me if I have an agent. I'll say no, and tell me that he'd love to be mine, as he thinks I have potential. And since this is my perfect world, I end up doing it on the side, appearing in magazines but still managing to have a normal life raising my children.
A girl can dream, right?
(And now I'm supposed to tag other people right? I don't know very many people on the internet, so let's just say if you're reading this you've been tagged. And let me know too, cause I'd love to read them!)
Though these might not be any more interesting than that.
1. I can ride a unicycle. I learned in high school while on the dance team, we'd ride in the parade our city puts on every 24th of July (the day the pioneers made it to the Utah valley). We spent four hours every day in the summer riding those things, until we were so saddle sore we actually had SORES. Open wounds. In fact, some of the girls had GENIUS ideas to put maxi pads on the seats for some extra cushion. That first year we had a "retreat", basically hell practices for three days. We danced in the hot sun and rode our unicycles up insanely steep hills. I can still ride. I still think about it every once in a while, and have made a mental note to get it from my parents garage the next time I'm home. It's the only interesting talent I have.
2. As I've mentioned before, I danced in the closing ceremony for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. I rubbed shoulders with some celebrities, enjoyed the wonderful spirit of camaraderie, all while wearing a lovely black one piece suit and ski mask.
3. I hate beans. Black, pinto, refried, garbanzo, string, white, blue, purple. You name it. Just thinking about them gives me the heevies. My friends all know this and continually tease me for the one time I "flipped out" when I found a refried bean in my tostada salad. I didn't flip out, I just dry-heaved a little. Refried are the worst of the little devils. Oh, but I do enjoy edamame. I enjoy that very much.
4. When I was in sixth grade the local 4-H Guide Dog chapter came to my school and put on a presentation. It ignited a little fire inside of me that worked it's way in and through every little cell of my body until one day it randomly decided to make it's way out. I began my quest to become a guide dog handler, (puppy walker? Since when did they start calling it that?) despite the fact that my parents had made it very clear to me that we wouldn't be getting a dog. I begged. I pleaded. I wrote letters. I begged some more. I went to guide dog meetings every Monday night for a year, trying to prove my responsibility. One glorious day my dad sat me down and told me that I could either get a small dog to keep, or become a guide dog handler, which of course, meant I'd have to give up the dog after a year and half to continue on to the program. Of course you know what I chose. It was the best year of my life, followed by the hardest good bye in all of my 15 years. Bellam, my dog, made it all the way to the end of the program before he was dropped because of his chronic ear infections. They always offer the dropped dogs back to their puppy handlers, but because of my new baby sister my parents wouldn't let me keep him. He now lives somewhere in Oregon with a lovely man who takes him on mile long walks in the mountains or on the beach every day. I still miss him.
5. I seem to have an affinity for passing out. The first time I did it was in front of a few hundred people while giving a talk in church. Once on purpose at a party in junior high because it was the new "it" thing to do. I passed out in a P.F. Changs at rush hour, once while giving blood at my university, once while getting four stitches on my finger, once in the bathroom of our little apartment in Albany in front of my new husband who had never before seen someone do so. Just to name a few.
6. I've mentioned this before as well, but it's still new to me. I'm more aware of it now and so is Caleb. "What were you just thinking? You were tapping your feet.....were you counting again? What were you counting? Come on! Tell me!"
7. I think. A lot. I imagine scenarios in my head while I'm getting dressed in the morning, happy ones, sad ones, crazy ones. I imagine what my life would perhaps be like if I had made one minor little change here or there. I imagine what it would be like to get in a car wreck, spend a week in the hospital. I imagine what it will be like to have baby, how long it will take before the newness wears off and I'm fondly thinking back to the "easy days" before him / her. I imagine what those first moments will be like when I see him / her, after nine months of wondering. I imagine what it would be like to save someone, to have to use my CPR skills. I try to imagine how frightening it would be to choke on something. I imagine what I would be doing right now if I weren't married. If I'd be living on my own or with my parents. If I would be a nurse by now. If I would still be working as a receptionist at my dad's office. If I would be wishing to be married. If I would still be starving myself. I imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one, my parents, even Caleb. Sometimes I wonder those things at night, imagine what I would do, if I would melt into a puddle and not get out of bed for days. I imagine people trying to comfort me, how terrible it would be. Those nights I usually end up bawling and waking up Caleb and telling him that I'm going to die first.
Twisted, I know. I can't help it, my mind runs a million miles an hour. It's bound to land on the horrible stuff every once in a while.
8. I have always wanted to be an actress, a model, a singer, something, though I have zero skills in those areas. I secretly hope that one day a talent scout will tap my shoulder as I'm fingering through the clothes in a department store and ask me if I have an agent. I'll say no, and tell me that he'd love to be mine, as he thinks I have potential. And since this is my perfect world, I end up doing it on the side, appearing in magazines but still managing to have a normal life raising my children.
A girl can dream, right?
(And now I'm supposed to tag other people right? I don't know very many people on the internet, so let's just say if you're reading this you've been tagged. And let me know too, cause I'd love to read them!)
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