Suddenly I See

Look at Me!

2012-01-22T14:26:00.001-08:00

I never thought I would be this organized.

I put together a small folder of pertinent information for the wedding, more accessible than my big wedding planner, and more slimmed down to what is left to do, etc.

I have a list of things left to do, a calendar of dates, my response cards all logged into a spreadsheet with names, address, response, number of people, name for place card, and table# assigment.

Who is this girl? Am I turning into Vickie?

Now if I had just confirmed my fitting appointment for my dress. Oh well, second times the charm.

My Rodger

2012-01-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

Two days ago Rodger and I celebrated our seventh year of dating.
We went to the place we are having our rehearsal dinner and ate there.
It seemed appropriate.

A little over seven years ago I was scared to love someone when I met Rodger. More accurately I was scared to let someone love me. I spent the first couple of months that I knew him pushing him away. Partly because he was nineteen but mostly because I was scared. He was cute and he brought me snacks to work and did sweet things but I liked to drink then and do stupid things. I was too scared to have something normal.

I often think back to a couple of months before I met Rodger when I told someone that I just wanted to meet a nice nineteen year old that would hold my hand. This was after knowing guys that didn't want to hold my hand. How can you not want to hold hands? I mean the Beatles wrote a whole song about it.

I really wasn't serious about meeting a nineteen year old but it's funny when you put something out in the universe how it can come back to you. It's also funny how when you let go of what your scared of good things can happen. So I let go. And I let him love me and I love him so much in return. He always (and still does) astounds me with what a good man he is. The good things he does and the way he treats people. And mostly the way he loves me, even when I am pretty close to a raging lunatic.

We have built a life together, a life that I love. And I am so thankful that one day I said "I really just want to meet a cute nineteen year old boy."

And I can't wait for that cute boy to be my cute husband and for us to have cute babies together.

"I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that."

-Story People

My Best Phlegm

2012-01-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

I have had a cold or some version of a cold since the night before Christmas Eve. That night as I was baking oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and cleaning I knew a cold was coming on. I kept telling myself it was allergies but I knew better. I awoke Christmas Eve morning with a full blown cold. The thing was, though, that I couldn't be sick. There was no time for it, it was Christmas and I had a half dozen events to go to. So I went to all of them and took my cold along with me. My cold and my Cepacol and my Halls Vitamin C. That was Christmas.

And this is January 17th and my cold and I are still together. A version of it, anyway. I wake up with sore throats in the morning (though it may be allergies) and my phlegm and I are constant companions. It's behind my nose and down my throat. It makes me constantly blow my nose which makes my nose constantly dry.

What's a girl to do? I have heard Mucinex is good but it seems kind of expensive. I bought nose spray but all that is doing is occupying my thoughts of when I get to put that heavenly spray up my nose again. I don't actually think it's eliminating anything. I think it's just giving me a momentary high. Only two to four squirts every 24 hours though.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Until then me and my phlegm will be together. Checking each others color.

These Great Women

2012-01-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

There are these great women in my life.

They have taught me to love and to be loved. They have taught me friendship and sisterhood. They have rallied around me at the low points and celebrated with me at the high points.

They make me know that I am so lucky and so blessed. They are there for me no matter what. If we talk every day or haven't talked in a month. When the cards are down it's these women I need and want.

And when the cards were down it was my great friends who said instantly "What can I do?". They listened to me sob, prayed for my family, and let us fly across the country to stay with them when we needed a pick me up. It's these great friends who know me inside and out and take care of me, who laugh with me and know what I am thinking before I say it. These women strengthen me and love me and my family.

There are these great women in my family. My aunt, who has been there for my family non-stop. She knows the meaning of sisterhood and family. And she can make anyone laugh. My sister, who tells me what I need to hear when I don't want to hear it. Who loves me unconditionally. I love her just the same. We know the unspoken. We are just different versions of each other. My mom, who has the dignity and strength of a thousand great women. Who has taught me so much about respect and acting with dignity. She taught me that yelling doesn't make you strong, that there is such a thing as quiet strength. My mom, my sister and me, forever intertwined. Always on this journey together. I wouldn't want it any other way.

I think a lot about the way women can lift each other up. And although there is so much in society that shows women ripping each other apart and tearing each other down, I don't know anything but women helping one another.

This may all sound smarmy and cheesy, and maybe it is. But I have to express my gratitude some how. And as my wedding approaches I look around and see so much love. And I feel blessed.

Blessed by these great women.

Pawsle Time

2012-01-06T23:16:00.001-08:00

In the News

2012-01-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

My commentary on a few things in the "news" I have read recently.

Maybe I am crazy also but I just don't think this story about Rick Santorum and his wife is that strange. I think it is an okay way to handle a very difficult situation. I certainly don't think it's crazy and I certainly don't think it should be used to attack someone. And it certainly has nothing to do with how someone would perform as a president. All that being said this is the first thing I have read about Santorum. And I really only read it because I saw on the news that my beloved Duggars support him. I more than likely will not be voting for him. I am waiting until there are two candidates (Obama and whoever else) before I even get involved in the presidential race.

I read that Keri Russell had a baby girl who she named Willa Lou. What a great name! Love it.

And then there was this picture I saw yesterday. I know it's not supposed to be funny. But is there no end to what people will tweet.

And the Bachelor is back. And there is nothing attractive about him. And the women are crazier than ever. And so in love after spending thirty minutes with him. It's all so stupid. So needless to say you know where to find me from 8pm-10pm every Monday night until Ben proposes to the "love of his life".

This concludes my commentary on the news for now. And we must really use the term "news' here loosely.

September Solvang Trip

2012-01-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

Rodger found my camera which has been missing since we moved in September. I have been wanting to find it so bad. I wanted my camera back but I also really wanted the pictures on it from a Solvang trip that we took right before I moved. I hadn't downloaded them yet so I had no copies. But, alas, Rodger located it. Very good news!

In September my Mom, Vickie, and I took advantage of the long Labor Day weekend and drove up to Solvang for two nights. We shopped at the outlets on the way up and for some reason what should have been about a two hour drive turned into about a five hour drive. Things got really excited when about 30 minutes from Solvang we realized we were almost out of gas. The "range" said something like 25 miles. Vickie and my Mom were nervous but I thought we would find a gas station. Nope! Not one single gas station. It was a nerve racking situation. We all decided things were bad when even I was getting panicky. I thought best thing would be to pull off on a road and call "AAA" but Vickie and Mom thought it would be best to keep going. When the range hit zero we were all sweating. But we got off the freeway at the off ramp we needed to get to our hotel and coasted into the gas station. It was a real relief and also good to know that when I think my gas tank is empty it's really not.

We ate at A.J. Spurs that night and settle into the hotel. We played games such as "Have you ever?" and watched the "Extreme Couponers" on TLC.

The next morning we went to breakfast at "The Little Mermaid" and did some shopping around town. I love Solvang. It's such a quaint little town with cute stores, yummy food, and even better desserts.

For dinner that night we ate at an Italian place. I don't think you can ever go wrong with Italian. I had a great pizza!

Monday morning we headed home.

The three of us had such a nice time together. We needed to get away together. It was good for the soul. When I think back to the little weekend trip I get such a warm feeling in my heart. I love those two women so much. This trip was a highlight of 2011 for me.

Can't wait for the next getaway!

( I will have eight of everything please!)

M.J.

2012-01-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

Just sitting here watching YouTube videos of Michael Jackson.

I think this one may be my favorite. I love the song but I think I love the slow dance with the crazy girl even more.

When we met with our D.J. a couple of months ago I told him I didn't want him to play any Chris Brown at the wedding and then I said that we would really like him to play a lot of Michael. I told him "so basically we are no on domestic violence but cool with child molesters".*

Really though I don't know that it gets any better than Michael Jackson. I mean he is one of those people that you could listen to sing on repeat and never get tired of him. I mean "Billie Jean", for the rest of my life? With a side of "The Way You Make Feel"? Sounds good.

And I think he is a good man. I don't think you can watch "This is It" and think otherwise. I think he was too young with too much money and the term "tortured artist" has never fit better. He didn't fit but he left behind something amazing.

That's all just wanted to speak of my love for M.J. And also, please no one say that Chris Brown, or Usher, for that matter, are the next M.J. It's not necessary. We don't need another one. After all, we have YouTube.

*I really don't believe that Michael was a child molester, but anything for a joke, right?

Disneyland Christmas Magic

2011-12-31T13:20:00.001-08:00

(the Castle at night!)

Just breathtaking.

It's no secret that Rodger and I love Disneyland. And Christmas. Put those two together and you can imagine how happy it makes us. We went two times before Christmas.If you have ever been to Disneyland when it is decorated for the holiday then you know how magical it is. They really do everything perfect there. From the decorations to the snacks to the dressed up characters to the souvenirs they truly leave nothing out.

The best part of going to Disneyland at Christmas is the firework show. They play Holiday music and have colorful coordinating fireworks. And at the end the make it snow! The push out little bubbles and the street goes quiet and they play this beautiful version of "White Christmas". (You can also see the firework show through this link). We watched the fireworks show both times we went (it only snowed once because of the wind) and it really was magical. We stood there in awe and in Rodger's arms I just felt so safe and happy. That Disney, they do it every time.

Registering (and not just for little plates)

2011-12-30T22:40:00.000-08:00

Tonight Rodger and I registered at Macy's (we are also going to register at Target). I have been waiting to do my wedding registry for basically my whole life. To walk around with a bar code scanner in a store of beautiful things? Sign me up (or register me) for that any day.

I have had a picture in my head of what registering would be like and our experience at Macy's didn't start off as glamorous as I had it pictured. First off, we found the laziest guy ever to help us. He made us follow him to find the bridal consultant but found another lady instead and the conversation went down like this:

Lazy Guy: Is the bridal consultant here?
Lady: No, she went home.
Lazy Guy: Who can help them?
Lady: You can, go to the computer and sign them up.
Lazy Guy: No, I have never done that before.
Lady: Yes, you have.
Lazy Guy: No, I haven't.

Lazy Guy: (talking to me), let me give you the bridal consultant's card and you can come back and register.
Me: No one else can help us?
Lazy Guy: No, only her.
Me: Not a single other person knows how to do the bridal registry?
Lazy Guy: No
Me: So we have to come back to register, no one else can help us?
Lazy Guy: Well let me see if I can find someone else. I think I know the person who can help you.

A few minutes later he is dragging some poor woman over to help us. He even pulls out the desk chair to sit her down. The whole time she is shaking her head and saying that she thinks he knows how to do it. As soon as he had her seated he ran away as fast as possible but not until after he suddenly became Mr. Know-It-All and was telling us we can edit things online.

It became quickly evident as to why he didn't want to help us. Apparently the bridal registration computer had been turned off and it takes an act of God and about twenty minutes to fire it up. The thing was archaic. But the woman helping us possessed just the right amount of sarcasm to get us through the lengthy process of starting up their computer.

Once we got down to business, it was all names, addresses, dates, etc. When she asked if I was keeping my maiden name or "moving on" and I laughed, she told us a story about how her mom got a masters from Berkley in the sixties and later got a letter from them telling her that they were changing all the women's degrees back to their maiden names. I thought that was interesting. Good to know feminism is alive and well at Berkeley. As if we had any doubts. I also loved that when she asked me if I wanted to receive coupons from Macy's through email and I said yes she clicked the box so I can't receive them. She really knew her way around a computer. At least she has her sarcasm to get her through life.

Then it was the moment I had been waiting for, she handed over the scanner. It was glorious. We registered for mostly kitchen things and Rodger and I had a lively chat about why I need so many random colorful plates sitting around. All the while I was scanning more colorful plates.

There are a few things on our registry that are a little expensive. And there will be a few more that are a lot expensive if they don't stay on sale. But please know that we did not register for the $100 bath mat. Who has heard of such a thing?

And please know that it is taking everything in me not to add this beauty to our registry.

What a fun little registering experience.

Next up registering at Target. Another dream come true.

Merry Christmas from our pad to yours!

2011-12-25T07:17:00.000-08:00

Hope you enjoy unwrapping all of your gifts and feel wrapped in love today!

Christmastime around these parts II

2011-12-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

It is what it is- and it's great news!

2011-12-20T21:35:00.000-08:00

Check out this link for just about the best news ever!

2012 is going to be such a great year!

Elephantiasis of the Head

2011-12-19T21:04:00.000-08:00

It's my new look. Very fashion forward.

Christmastime around these parts

2011-12-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

WindStorm 2011- Escape to the Mall

2011-12-06T20:39:00.001-08:00

Coming home on Friday from work to a cold dark apartment didn't have us wanting to stay there long so we headed to the mall.

Rodger's sister Anna, Bruce, his friend, Marina and Luis, and their kids met up with us and we had a grand time. We shopped, laughed, talked, and ate at Johnny Rockets. At some point Rodger and I ended up with just the kids, we were pushing a stroller, and doing potty breaks. We grow up so fast.

The mall was decked out in holiday fare.

We even kicked back on Santa's chair.

The evening ended with some of us going to Dave and Busters for games and drinks.

We sucked all the electricity out of the mall that we could but we eventually had to go home. We were hoping for electricity at our place but it was still dark when we got there. It was fun to walk in the door to the smell of a Christmas from all of the holiday candles we were burning.

Some things we learned from the power outage-
-The second night of shadow puppets is not quite as fun as the first.
-It's not fun to listen to your neighbor's generator while you sit in the dark.
-Having one useful flashlight in the house is not enough.
-It sucks having to throw away unused good food. This is where not being well stocked comes in handy though. We didn't have to throw away to many perishables because we didn't really have many and the milk was expired anyway.
We need television. It's good for our relationship.
-We have really sweet neighbors across the hall. We stood in the hall and listened to the neighbors having sex in one of the apartment downstairs. I really like our neighbors across the hall though. They are very nice.
-No electricity is a good excuse not to clean (not that I need anymore good excuses).
-When you have a dishwasher and the power goes out that means you don't have to do dishes.
-My love affair with sleep continues strong. Rodger couldn't believe that I felt back to sleep during the crazy windstorm. And the following two nights I didn't mind the dark at night. Too dark to do anything might as well go to bed at 9pm. However, I do like to fall asleep with the television on.

Power came back at 5am Saturday morning right in time for an episode of Roseanne.

We survived the great WindStorm of 2011. Should we make shirts?

WindStorm 2011

2011-12-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

I am at my Mom's house because she has power. We don't and most of Monrovia doesn't either. Our power went out this morning around 1am during the craziest windstorm I have ever seen. It was so dark in our apartment. I am not used to sleeping in the pitch black, it was just as dark with my eyes open as it was with them closed.

When we woke up there were leaves and debris everywhere but nothing compared to other places. If you drive around there are light poles broken, street lights leaning over, power lines down, and trees literally uprooted. I think the block by my work got some of the worst of the storm. The power lines are all down and they blocked off the entire street. My work doesn't have power and probably won't for about five days. I worked from my Mom's house today, not sure what the plan is for the rest of the time.

Here are some pictures of the windstorm.

Sushi was a little scared.

Walkway by our apartment.

The wind is supposed to kick up again tonight and we still have no power and our food in the refrigerator and freezer has gone bad. So in other words everyone come over, party at our house.

Mom's Vegas Birthday Weekend

2011-11-10T19:00:00.001-08:00

Last weekend my Mom, Vickie, Paul, Rodger, and I trekked out to Las Vegas to celebrate Mom's 60th birthday! What a great time we had. One of my most favorite Vegas trips ever.

Rodger and I drove out with my Mom and we all entertained ourselves with movie trivia games which all ended with Rodger saying "so I won?".

We stayed at the Wynn Encore hotel and let me tell you, what a great hotel. Vickie got us a great deal. The rooms and views were absolutely amazing. There were buttons by the bed to shut the drapes and turn off the lights and a television in the bathroom among many other wonderful amenities.We got to Vegas and checked into the hotel. Rodger and I decided to go and check out "Gold and Silver Pawn" where "Pawn Stars" is filmed. None of the stars were there but we got to see the place and look around.We all met up for dinner at Maggianos across from the hotel. I much enjoyed my chicken Parmesan, Peach Bellini, and the wonderful company. After dinner we walked around a bit and gambled.
View from the room

Saturday Mom, Vickie, Rodger, and I walked down the strip. I got this great coke bottle from "The Coke Store". Pretty great, right? Saturday also included a wonderful nap.
Saturday night was Mom's birthday dinner. We went to "Lakeside" at Wynn. Highlights included Kevin Sorbo from Hercules sitting behind us, a different show that happened every half hour (one with a singing frog), the lobster mac and cheese, and just being together.

Outside of "Lakeside". Everything at the Wynn is visually stunning.
The Birthday Girl!

When we checked in on Friday they gave us free tickets to the Cirque De Soleil show at the Wynn, "La Reve". We only got four tickets, Paul was going to skip it but then Vickie wasn't feeling well so she stayed behind. Paul and Vickie have both seen the show already. I have to say, though, that I think I could watch it over and over. It was so good! It was music and dancing and acrobatics and water. It was just a stunning show and I haven't stopped thinking about it since Saturday. I highly recommend it.
"La Reve"

Sunday morning we all headed home. What a wonderful trip. Such great memories!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!!!

Decisions, Descisions

2011-11-09T22:24:00.001-08:00

A list of things to do before March 3rd has been made. I felt really good about the list when I made it a couple of weeks ago, it was an accomplishment in itself. Exactly three of about 75 things have been crossed off of the list. This list is on the refrigerator and I think about it every day. I have to say it's starting to stress me out a little bit. There is much more excitement than stress but the stress is beginning to build.

There are just so many decisions to be made and for every decision there are a million choices. Tonight I scoured the web for "Eat, Drink, and Be Married" napkins and can't find just the ones I want. There are all of these choices yet I feel like if I just look a little longer I will find just the ones I want.

Then I started looking online for shoes. And if I had a hard time pinning down a napkin you can imagine that choosing shoes is a lot more overwhelming. Normally I can decide on something, no problem. I picked my dress out on the first day of trying any on and I have pretty much gone with the first vendor we have met for everything. But I am starting to think that the amount of things to be done is making it difficult to decide on anything.

I think I will just focus on a few things at a time. We must decide on a D.J. very very soon. And then we will pick invitations. There are a bazillion invitations to choose from online. I am going to find a handful I like and then Rodger and I will decide.

Here's a question, though, veil or no veil? I am leaning towards no veil and if I do wear one I am thinking a birdcage veil. I really don't think the dress needs a veil and the only reason I want to wear one is because this will be the one time I will get to wear one.

I am closing the laptop now, I have stressed myself into heartburn territory now.

Birthday Time

2011-11-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mom! (Shes the one at the head of the table smiling).

I love my Mom so much. If I can be half the person she is I will have made it in life.

A girl couldn't ask for a better mother.

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T21:44:00.000-07:00

My Halloween costume.

The biggest laugh of Halloween was when I spotted this by one of my neighbor's doors. Funny, right?

Even better was that I had to have a picture but had forgotten to take my camera phone off of the timer setting and I had to stand in someone's hall for ten seconds to take the picture. But it was worth it.

Oh and we had ZERO trick or treaters, by the way. That's okay more Kit-Kats for us.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2011-10-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

We work hard. We get so tired.

I had quite the laugh when I discovered these on my phone. Thanks Rodger.

Mary Blair

2011-10-22T11:39:00.001-07:00

If you looked at Google yesterday then you know that yesterday was Mary Blair's 100th Birthday.

I have been meaning to post about Mary Blair for awhile now, so the time of her birthday is perfect. Right now and for the past several months Disneyland has had Mary Blair's art on display and for sale in one of their stores on Main Street. Because we go to Disneyland all of the time I have been able to see her art quite a bit. She worked on many Disney cartoon movies and is responsible for the art in the "It's a Small World" ride.

We were also able to see some of her work when we visited "The Walt Disney Family History Museum" in San Francisco this summer.

I picked-up this postcard there, which I love. I was also able to get two "Little Golden Books" with her art in them.

At the Disneyland exhibit they feature her different paintings from the countries of the world. My favorite is this Sweden one.

A few of my other favorite paintings of hers.

Happy Birthday Mary Blair!

New Kids on the Block

2011-10-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

On September 12th Rodger's cousin Marina had a baby boy, which means Keira is a big sister.

This is Cato Koi. He is quite the little cutie. We got to visit him when he was born and have seen him since. He's already getting bigger. I love Marina's kids, they are just so much fun to be around.

Saturday I was able to meet Eliza's newest baby, Lars. What a sweetheart! And so handsome! My Mom and I got to watch him for a bit and I held a small photo shoot. Look at him, I just wanted to take him home. He is just so adorable.

Look at those elbows!

I just love these two guys!

Can I Just Say?

2011-10-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

Can I just say how wonderful it is to sit in our apartment with central air conditioning and not have to hang out only in the living room because the bedroom is SO hot? I love our new apartment. I barbecued chicken tonight (turned on the propane tank and did the grilling all myself) and now we are just sitting around soaking in the manufactured cool air.

Can I just say how excited I am getting for our wedding? Bridesmaids dresses were chosen and ordered on Saturday. I have the best maid of honor and bridesmaids, such a great and loving group of girls whom I love with all of my heart.

Can I just say how incredibly creepy "American Horror Story" is? Rodger was watching it last night and I had to leave the room. Give me "Law and Order: SVU" any day or night over that show. I am convinced I didn't sleep well because of it. Such a creepy, creepy show. I don't really even know what it is about but it was way too much for me. Also, speaking of "Law and Order: SVU", did you know Elliot Stabler is no longer on the show? I don't care for that decision. But at least we still have Olivia, Munch, Ice-T, and Captain Cragen.

Can I just say how EXCITED I am about my Matt being in town? Dinner tomorrow night, can not wait!!!!! I am so happy for him that he loves New York, I just wish New York didn't have to be on the other side of the country.

Can I just say how EXCITED I am to see Eliza and baby Lars? I am happy that she gets to be with her family and I am happy I get to see her. I am happy she loves Virgina, but again, why does it have to be on the other side of the country?

Can I just say how very, very EXCITED I am for our family trip to Las Vegas for Mom's birthday next month? It will be such a fun celebration.

Can I just say how much I adore my mom's new kitten, Atticus? How could you not?

Disneyland Trip Three

2011-10-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

Our third trip from our Summer passes to Disneyland was on a very hot day. Rodger and I went on a Monday, we were still on vacation and thought it would be less crowded. We were very wrong about that, it was probably more crowded than a weekend day. It was also extremely hot and even though we were at Disneyland I found myself getting a little crabby. Regardless, we did still have a good time.Look I am an action figure.

Love the little girl behind Donald reaching out to him.

Is it was the last trip of our Summer pass we wanted to buy Annual Passes so we put our Summer pass purchase towards that and got Annual Passes, which we are very excited about and have already used many times.

Fantasmic Show is always fantastic.

That concludes this three part Disneyland blog series.
Don't worry though I will post about our other visits we make throughout the rest of our pass.

Barbecue, Balcony, and Bathroom

2011-10-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we got a few new things for the apartment.

One of the main reasons we wanted to move to this apartment building is because there are balconies. We wanted to have a barbecue.We got a great deal on one this weekend. We also got some straw siding to put around the balcony. That's the cool thing to do around here I guess, plus it gives the area a little more privacy. And also, this way, Sushi can wander around the balcony. She stays out there with us for a little while until she starts eying the top of the straw and prepares to jump, then she gets to go back inside. But for the most part she just looks around and smells everything. We really love it out there and can't wait to have everyone over for a barbecue.

We also got a little cupboard/shelf for the master bathroom as neither bathroom has much storage. I love it. I get so excited when I walk into the bathroom because it looks so pretty.

It turns out planning a wedding is work

2011-10-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

Like sometimes on Saturday morning you have to get out of bed at 10am so you can go to rental appointments.

Rodger and I went to two party rental places today to discuss such hot-button issues as tables (how many peeps fit at a 60" table?), chairs (I don't get to have the beautiful $8 per chair ones that I want, but I do like the option we chose), linens, arches, tents (please don't let it rain), heat lamps, and a coffee maker (guess we need one of those?).

I am leaning towards the first place even though we don't have the estimate yet because one they seemed more organized and we could see all of our options, and two, and I think most importantly, they had a store kitty. His name is smokey and he kept shooting out under table cloths, and sticking his arm in the middle of the table cloth half way to the floor, and he made himself comfortable right on Rodger's foot.

The second place was good too, and affordable, and came on a friend's recommendation, but there was no cat in the store.

I am just crossing my fingers that the first place comes in with a reasonable price and we can use them.

I mean Smokey has to eat, right?

Disneyland Trip Two

2011-09-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Our second of three of our Summer pass trips to Disneyland was in mid-July and my Mom, Vickie, and Paul joined us which made the day (and night) so much fun.

We hit up a lot of the rides, spending a lot of time at California Adventures, had some great food, and just spent a great day together.

Rodger finally had someone to go on "Screamin" with, so he was very happy about that. It's not his fault his fiance is such a wuss. However I was dragged on to "The Tower of Terror" and it was just as awful as the first two times. I don't know what is supposed to fun about an elevator falling and feeling weightless, so SCARY to me as seen in the picture below. Don't mind the girls having fun in front of us, they are delirius from fear.
We went on the new Star Tours ride where I immediately broke out into a cold sweat and was bent over with nausea. What I saw of it looked fun though, the motion sickness, however, was not. There were Storm Troopers walking around the lines and this one snuck up on me a couple of times.We finished off the day by watching "World of Color". Only Rodger and I had seen it before so it was fun watching the others' reactions. It certainly is full of Disney Magic.

Nothing like family and Disneyland.

In the Closet (Vickie works her magic)

2011-09-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

We moved on Saturday.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

But our stuff is all here thanks to everyone who helped us haul it around.

Vickie and my Mom came over on Sunday to help unpack.

Vickie organized the closet and did a great job. I love my huge closet!

Last night when I was in there looking around I saw the three pictures on the dresser and had to laugh. It's easy to tell who organized things on the dresser. So sweet!

Pictures of my closet. One of my favorite parts of the apartment. Fits all of my clothes so nicely. I even let Rodger store a few things in it.

More pictures of the rest of the apartment to come. Until then just know that we are here basking in the central air conditioning, at least until the electric bill comes.

Our Most Organized Move Yet

2011-09-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big moving day.

I always start off packing by saying "this will be my most organized move yet" and of course, it never is. But with Rodger spearheading this one I have to say it just might be. Sushi is very confused. I think she feels unsettled, I tried to bubble wrap her to make her feel safer but it didn't have the desired effect.

We will miss this place. Our first apartment together. But we are looking forward to making memories at the new place (memories that will include a lot less cigarette smoke).

Heading to bed now so we can be up early to get things going.

I will post pictures of the new place soon. I am excited for everyone to see it.

Where are we, the Playboy Mansion?

2011-09-14T07:23:00.001-07:00

One night last week it was so hot that we had to move our mattress to the living room where we have air conditioning.

It was a special treat even though the place looked like a brothel.

Who's ready for central air?

"For Me, It's You"

2011-09-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

A year ago today Rodger proposed.

Take my hand in the meantime
And let's walk into the sunshine
Everybody got something they want to sing about, laugh about cry about it's true
For me it's you

Today I have been thinking about how perfect that day was. And how happy.There are less than six months until our wedding and I get more excited everyday about being married to Rodger.

Swishing Apartments

2011-08-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

In a few weeks Rodger and I are moving to a new apartment.

We are very excited. When I say that I mean that we are excited about being in the new place not actually the moving part. I hate moving. And we are moving from a third floor apartment to a second floor apartment. Yikes. And we have a lot of crap. Double yikes! Volunteers are welcome.

We will miss some things about where we live now. Actually there are only two things that we will miss. One being the huge bathtub/shower and two being the location. It's been fun living so close to stores, restaurants, and a movie theater.

There are many things I am looking forward to about the new apartment.

Central air conditioning, let's say it again, central air conditioning. After this past week or so of intense heat that is a very welcome thought. Right now we just have an air conditioner in the living room and on the third floor it can get pretty hot. It will be so nice to sleep in the bedroom with the air conditioning on.
Huge walk-in closet all to myself (Rodger is taking the closet in the second bedroom). I am so excited about this. Every time I miss my glorious bathtub I will think of my big walk-in closet.
A balcony that we can have a barbecue on. It will be nice to sit outside and have some BBQ. Very excited about that. I can already taste the masterpieces that Rodger will BBQ.
Dishwasher! Dishwasher! Dishwasher! Dishwasher! Dishwasher! Dishwasher! Dishwasher! Dishwasher! Can not wait for that. I know everyone says that they don't get dishes clean. I don't care, however they come out looking will be what we eat on. (Who wants to come over for dinner?)
More cupboard space in the kitchen. I have no cupboard space now.
Pool and Jacuzzi. We have a pool now so a Jacuzzi will be a nice addition.

So that's the new from around here. Will post pictures of the place when I can. I think we are going to see it next week so hopefully I can take some pictures.

If you need me I will be knee-deep in Home Depot boxes packing things that I probably should just get rid of. It's always nice to move things to your new place and unpack it there and realize how ridiculous it is that you moved it.

Disneyland Trip One

2011-08-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

This summer (like last summer) Rodger and I bought a three day pass to Disneyland to be used over a month and a half time period. We got this to lead into buying Annual Passes.

We have used all three days so now I am going to post about them.

Trip#1

We were mostly excited about getting on the new "Little Mermaid" ride at California Adventure. It was so cute. It's basically a circular ride through the main scenes of the movie. Disney did not disappoint. The characters look great, the music, was fun, and overall it is a great ride.Don't you just love "The Little Mermaid"? Now if they could just make a "Mulan" ride we would have all the bases covered.

Getting ready for the firework show, which never disappoints.

V.Madore

2011-08-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to go to the Angel game tonight with Vickie. But I am under the weather.

So bummed to miss out. Not to miss out on the baseball game (although that would have been fun) but to miss out on spending time with my sister.

We will make up for it soon.

Love you. Thanks for being my big sister.

P.S. I am so jealous of your beautiful teeth.
P.P.S. Instead of the game I stayed home and watched "Little House on the Prairie". And then I watched Rodger play 2K11. And all through it I sweated. Seriously can't stop sweating. Except when I get big chills up and down my body. It should be illegal to feel sick on a Friday night. Especially when you had plans with your sister.

Smart Phone, Fun Pictures

2011-08-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

I am addicted to my phone. It's so smart that it knows what I am thinking before I even think it.

A sampling of pictures from my phone over the last month or so.Mr. Moe

Ms. Rosie

As seen in the parking lot of a Walmart
The beloved Morro RockSeared Ahi Tuna from Cambria Pines Lodge. Absolutely amazing! We inhaled it.A bench I spotted while wandering around Cambria.

"So tired, can't open eyes."Watermelon Festival last weekend!

The Sun is Out

2011-08-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

"Thirty Three" -Smashing Pumpkins

speak to me in a language i can hear
humor me before i have to go
deep in thought i forgive everyone
as the cluttered streets greet me once again
i know i can't be late, supper's waiting on the table
tomorrow's just an excuse away
so I pull my collar up and face the cold, on my own
the earth laughs beneath my heavy feet
at the blasphemy in my old jangly walk
steeple guide me to my heart and home
the sun is out and up and down again
i know i'll make it, love can last forever
graceful swans of never topple to the earth
and you can make it last, forever you
you can make it last, forever you
and for a moment i lose myself
wrapped up in the pleasures of the world
i've journeyed here and there and back again
but in the same old haunts i still find my friends
mysteries not ready to reveal
sympathies i'm ready to return
i'll make the effort, love can last forever
graceful swans of never topple to the earth
tomorrow's just an excuse
and you can make it last, forever you
you can make it last, forever you

Hannah tweeted a while back that sometimes listening to the Smashing Pumpkins is just what you didn't know you needed. I couldn't agree more.

This is the song of my heart right now. My heart has been feeling good as of late.

I feel as if I have exited a tunnel and have seen a very clear sky. It was time.

And together we can make that last forever.

Palm Springs June 2011

2011-08-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

(image via Google)

The second weekend of June Rodger and I, along with the Madores, my Mom, and my Aunt Peggy all went for a little get-away to Palm Springs.

We suntanned, swam, hot-tubbed, shopped, ate, gambled and chatted.

There was CPK, Shakeys, and a little Mexican restaurant. And there was also the best Coke in Circle K Styrofoam cups (to stay cold from the heat). So sweet and cold!
It was a great time! There's nothing like that nice dry heat of Palm Springs and that beautiful flat rock mountain. I love that mountain.

There is also nothing quite like the Hilton in Palm Springs. Great rooms with the most comfortable mattresses and bedding, great drinks, and big pool and hot tubs.

I am always up for a getaway to Palm Springs!

I can't believe I didn't get a single picture of PaulMadore. He was there though, I remember because he made us all laugh quite often. Especially when he told us that he put Vickie down for a nap because she was getting crabby.

Tugboat

2011-08-12T21:35:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a dream about my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Creed. She was asking me about what I remember from kindergarten. I told her that she was my favorite teacher and that I remember making a big seaport and that I made a wooden tugboat.

The next day my Mom and I were cleaning out my old closet at my Mom's house and guess what I ran across. You guessed it, the tugboat!! How weird is that?

I also ran across this book from my childhood book collection.
It's my autobiography, "Second Best Sister, the Katie Creekmur Story".

Happy 100th Birthday Lucille Ball!

2011-08-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

If you have been on Google's homepage today then you know it is Lucille Ball's 100th birthday (if you haven't been on you should check it out, it's pretty cool.

Anyone who knows me probably knows I am a huge Lucille Ball and "I Love Lucy" fan. I've seen every episode (of course) and have the entire collection on DVD (thanks Mom and Dad).

I have loved that show my whole life. It's funny and heartwarming. I loved the friendship of Lucy and Ethel, Ricky and Fred, and all four of them together. Everyone wants to believe that they can be best friends with their neighbors. Every time I see the episode where Ricky and Lucy move to the country I get a little sad know that they are leaving the Mertzes behind. And then I get happy when the Mertzes join them in the country and they all raise chickens together.

Lucy and Desi were also in "The Long Long Trailer", another favorite, and Lucy was in "Yours, Mine, and Ours" among other movies. Everything she touched was clever and full of heart.

A couple of good books to check out if you are a fan are "Love Lucy" written by Lucille Ball herself. It's the story of her life and is very interesting. Another one is "I Love Lucy" , it is full of information about the show. I have them both if anyone would like to borrow.

One of my favorite quotes is from Lucille Ball, "Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. Your really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world."

And now, because I know everyone was wondering, here is a list of my favorite "I Love Lucy" episodes. I don't love the classic favorites as much as some people (like the "Vitavetavegamen" and the chocolate one) although they are funny. The ones I love most are in red.

Pioneer Women, Season One
Redecorating, Season Two
Lucy Wants New Furniture, Season Two
Ricky and Fred are TV Fans, Season Two
Never Do Business with Friends, Season Two
Redecorating the Mertze's Apartment, Season Three
The Business Manager, Season Four
Ethel's Birthday, Season Four
Ricky's Contract, Season Four
Getting Ready, Season Four
Lucy Learns to Drive, Season Four
California, Here We Come, Season Four
First Stop, Season Four
L.A. at Last, Season Four
The Star Upstairs, Season Four
Lucy Visits Grauman, Season Five
Lucy and John Wayne, Season Five
Ricky Sells the Car, Season Five
The Great Train Robbery, Season Five
Ricky's European Booking, Season Five
The Passports, Season Five
Staten Island Ferry, Season Five
Bon Voyage, Season Five
Second Honeymoon, Season Five
Lucy Gets a Paris Gown, Season Five
Lucy's Bicycle Trip, Season Five
Off to Florida, Season Six
Deep-Sea Fishing, Season Six
Lucy Wants to Move to the Country, Season Six
Lucy Hates to Leave, Season Six
Lucy Misses the Mertzes, Season Six
Lucy Gets Chummy With the Neighbors, Season Six
Lucy Raises Chickens, Season Six
Lucy's Night in Town, Season Six
Housewarming, Season Six
Lucy Raises Tulips, Season Six
*All of the Lucy Dezi Comedy Hours are great as well.

Needless to say I love the show.

A couple of other cool finds from today's research around the internet, Lucy Barbies I especially like these
I had heard of the barbies before but never realized there were so many of them. Also, how amazing would it be to visit this museum. I think I will have to make this happen sometime (Mom, Peggy, Vickie you up for a trip??).

I love this quote by Lucille Ball, it's one of my favorites, "Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. Your really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world."
Thanks for all of the laughter Lucy and Happy 100th birthday! Such a beautiful and talented lady.

Road Trip Vacation Days Five, Six, and Seven

2011-08-05T22:24:00.001-07:00

Days five and six of our vacation were spent in San Francisco.

On Thursday we walked from our Motor Lodge to The Disney Family History Museum in Golden Gate Park. They don't let you take pictures for the majority of the tour but take my word, it is worth seeing. They take you on the journey through Walt's life from childhood through his cartoon figures, to his animations and movie, to Disneyland through the end of his life. Along the way they tell you so much about his and his families' lives. What an incredible life Walt had. There is so much to be seen there and it was so impressive. At the end of the tour when they showed the news of his death and details of how he passed I have to say that I shed a tear. The cartoons of Mickey crying that ran in the papers didn't help. The museum had so many details of his life from the story of how he gave a dog to his wife for Christmas to letters he wrote to his sister to the telegrams that were sent to his wife after his death. It's a must visit for all Disney fans. If you are ever up there you should definitely check it out.

After the museum we continued on our very long walk to the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked to the bridge and across the bridge and back. As you can tell from the pictures it was a cold, windy, and foggy day. The bridge was quite crowded and even though I complained the whole time I am glad that we did it. A lot of people either walk or ride their bikes across the bridge. I think we were all moving faster than the cars. When we were off the bridge we had to make our way back to the hotel. That was a long walk and my legs and feet were so tired. But we did it!

That night we met up with my cousin Matt who happened to be in San Francisco also for a wedding. We had dinner with him and his friend Melissa. It was great to have dinner with them and it is always great to see Matt.

Friday we went to Alcatraz. I had been before but Rodger hadn't. I was so excited to see it again. I love to visit that place. Prisons and polygamy are two of my weird quirky obsessions which is fun because sometimes they go hand in hand.

Alcatraz was just as I remembered it. We went on the audio tour which takes you around the whole prison and gives you first hand accounts of what went on there.
We decided to leave San Francisco a day early and go back to Monterrey/Carmel. We stayed at a cute little hotel that brought us breakfast in a basket in the morning. Saturday was spent driving home.It was a great road trip! And it's always good to be home!

Road Trip Vacation Day Four

2011-07-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

Our fourth day started off at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium.

We saw some great sea life.

We were able to watch a feeding. They had tuna, sardines, turtles, and other assorted fish all in one huge tank. The feeding that we saw was specifically for the sardines. They swam in a very large group and move in sync so to ward off the tuna from being able to see them and eat them. It was a very cool thing to see. The tuna would swim in to the group and the sardines would all move quickly around them.
Can't remember the name of this fish (another good reason to blog the same day you do something) but he was a very big guy.

Beautiful jellyfish

Another tank of sardines swimming in unison.

This was a baby otter and his surrogate mother. Someone found the baby on a beach by Morro Bay and it only weight about a pound. The Aquarium was able to take it and has been raising it. He was with one mother otter and then when they moved him out to the exhibit they put him with the surrogate mother below. They were so sweet together. I am not sure if it is too clear in the below picture but the mother otter is laying on her back with the baby on her stomach. It was just too cute, sad though because they will split them up when the baby is sent back east or to San Diego. The Aquarium worker said that they make it a gradual process as to decrease the anxiety for the otters as much as possible. Also sad, I got so excited to follow the otters around the tank that I smacked my head on the glass of the tank. Ouch!

Look at those cute little otter noses.
We did some shopping around Cannery Row (we were able to find the one we were looking for the night before) and had lunch at Bubba Gumps. We were able to take in the bay and see more Sea Lions before we left.
We made our way up to San Francisco. We decided the best idea would be to wait to leave Monterrey so that we would get to San Francisco right at rush hour. The only thing worse than driving there is driving there in rush hour.

We checked into our beautiful Motor Lodge (after one night there with very itchy linens we decided to only make our stay in San Francisco two nights and spend our last night back in the Monterrey/Carmel area). That night we walked to the Wharf and had a dinner by the pier and dessert and Ghiradellis.
It was SO cold and windy there. We definitely weren't prepared for the cold weather, I had one thin jacket and Rodger had a very light pull over. Thankfully I was able to find a cute little kitty hat (which I have wanted for a long time). You can kind of see it in the below picture. Now I look like Sushi. (Rodger hid the hat from me on the last day of vacation, guess he doesn't love it as much as I do).

I don't know why this stupid guy had to get in my Ghiradelli picture. Maybe he wanted to check out my cool hat.
Day five to come where I will post more pictures of our San Francisco adventures which included the longest walk ever!

Road Trip Vacation Day Three

2011-07-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

This morning we made our way up Highway One. Our main planned stop before getting to Monterrey was Big Sur. We ended up making a couple of other stops at a few different Vista Points.

These were some of the sights we saw. The whole drive was just gorgeous.

This cute little squirrel was quite friendly.
We stopped for lunch in Big Sur. Rodger was very excited to show me around Big Sur. He was there about four years ago and I had never been. We had lunch at a local place (pretty much the only place around) and explored the city and State Parks a bit.

My favorite stop of the drive was in Big Sur at Pfieffer's Beach. A great area to wade in the water, climb rocks, and explore. There was definently beautiful scenery to enjoy. In one area the rocks come together to create a hole that the waves and sunlight flash through.Big Sur with my Big Sir
We also made a stop at the Bixby Bridge.

Next was Point Lobo which is pretty close to Carmel and Monterey. There were some areas to hike and rocks to climb but it was a great view of the ocean and we got to see some seals. There were two that were playing and swimming around pretty close to us.

Tonight we went down to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner and to look around. We also attempted to see Cannery Row but couldn't find much (or at least what I remembered from being here before). I thought maybe the economy had shut down a lot of the stores. But when we got back to the room and looked at the map we found that we just hadn't walked far enough. We are going to go back tomorrow after we go to the Monterey Aquarium. A really nice day and evening. It's very cold here and even rained tonight.

Tomorrow through Saturday we will be in San Francisco, hoping I can blog there but we are staying at a MotorLodge so there really is no telling. At least the parking is free.

Road Trip Vacation Day One and Day Two

2011-07-25T22:26:00.001-07:00

Rodger and I are taking a road trip up the California coast. We left yesterday morning. Our first destination was Cambria for two nights (last night and tonight).

On our drive up here we stopped in Solvang to have a snack and in Morro Bay to walk around.

We arrived at the Cambria Pines Lodge in the late afternoon. We rested for a bit and then went for dinner at the restaurant at the hotel. The food was magnificent, such a great meal! I had the fillet Mignon and Rodger had the Surf and Turf. After dinner we went in the pool and jacuzzi and then looked at the stars for a bit.

This morning we were off to Hearst Castle for our tour. I have been there before but it was the first time for Rodger. We went on one of the guided tours through the sitting room, dining room, another sitting room, billiards room, and theater of the castle. After the tour is over they let you walk around the grounds of castle for as long as you want. We checked out the gardens, the outside of the castle, the outside of the guest cottages, the two pools, and the tennis courts.

After Hearst Castle we drove a little further up the coast to check out the Elephant Seals. My family and I had been here before but when we went you could walk on the beach and get really close to them but now they have built a walkway to keep people at a distance. Regardless, it is quite the site to see. They are enormous creatures that are really cool to watch. Mostly it seems they sleep, but we did see a few of them fighting and moving their big bodies up the beach.

We made our way back down the coast for some lunch in Cambria, then some shopping in Morro Bay, then back up the coast to our hotel. We enjoyed another nice evening of dinner at the hotel restaurant (such great food), a nature walk where we saw two deer, and the pool and jacuzzi. Now we are back in the room gearing up for our drive to Big Sir and Monterey tomorrow.

Katie and Pam's Big Trip: Day Four

2011-07-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

Day four had us up early to get in as many of the sites as we could before our flight later that day.

The three of us trekked over to the Washington Monument. It was cool to see it up close. We had only seen it from a distance before.

The Reflection Pool was drained but we were able to see the World War II Memorial. It was a beautiful memorial and laid out nicely. We stopped by the post representing Nebraska, where my Grandpa and Great Grandpa were when they enlisted into the war.

It was moving to get to see this memorial and think of my grandpa fighting that war.

Next we went on a search for a place to eat. There really aren't a whole lot of places to eat around "The Mall" so it took us awhile to find something. Matt's Iphone lead us to "Cedar" for brunch. I had the Banana Nut French Toast which was just delightful. It was a great meal even though I spilled water all over the table.

After brunch we went back to the hotel and it was time to say goodbye to Matt so he could make his bus back to New York. It was so great that he was able to come for the night. We all had such a good time together and made some great memories.

Katie A. and her parents were nice enough to pick my Mom and I up at the hotel and take us to the airport. We had time to stop by the Pentagon Memorial. When I was in DC the first time the memorial wasn't finished yet so I didn't see it. I am glad that we were able to see it this time. There is a "wing" for each victim of the Pentagon attack. The wings facing out represent the victims that died in the Pentagon and the wings facing in represent the people that were on the plane. The had a name on each wing to represent the person that perished that day and below the wing was a reflection pool of water.

After that quick stop it was back to Dulles to catch our flight. Flying out was a much different experience than going through security in Long Beach. We both went through the x-ray machine and my Mom got a pat down. Better than the poor sucker in front of us who was going to be stripped searched. We made our flight and it was much smoother going then our flight to DC.

What an amazing and unforgettable time we had. I was so happy to get to go on such a special trip with my Mom and we were lucky to visit with so many loved ones while there.

Till next time DC!

My Kind of Girl

2011-07-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Keira and Marina came to play on Wednesday night.

We all had a blast.

This little girl loves everything that I love.

Swimming

Bath time

Arts and Crafts

and Rodger

(and Sushi, although Sushi didn't care for having a flashlight shined in her face).

Keira is so funny. I asked her how she got a bruise on her leg and she told me that it was a rash and that she's not supposed to scratch it because it will get infected and she will have to have her leg cut off and she doesn't want her leg cut off because then she won't be able to walk.

An Eye Infection and a Haircut

2011-07-12T20:58:00.001-07:00

Just the other day I asked Rodger when Fluff was going to get his summer haircut. He said he didn't know. I love Fluff's summer haircut. It is so cute! Like I can't stop laughing cute.

Imagine my delight when I log on to Facebook this evening and see this picture.

So handsome!

Imagine my sadness when I saw that he was at the veterinarian's office. Poor guy has another eye infection.

But doesn't he looks so proud sitting there? How can you not just love that?

Stupid eye infection.

My Monday

2011-07-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

There was quite the commotion at work today. After I came back from lunch and was back at my desk there was a huge boom and the building shook followed by the power going out and the computer server alarms going off, followed by another boom and shake. My boss went outside and someone had ran their car into an electrical pole. There were wires down and a fire in the brush next to the fence that the car ran into. The power was out for an hour, thankfully it was only an hour because it probably would have gotten pretty hot. Here are two pictures from the lively afternoon.

Then in celebration of "7-11 Day" my Mom and I went and got sodas. We were told that the Big Gulps were going to be $1 today but apparently we were lied to because when we got there they said that it ended at 4pm. So we got bigger sodas instead. God Bless 7-11 on its special day.

Another notable from today, I was reading online that the Beckhams named their daughter Harper Seven. I have always loved the name Harper. As far as Seven goes I wonder if it had anything to do with every one's favorite Seinfeld character, the beloved George Costanza.

Probably not, it's probably something to do with good luck. Kind of a cute name though, I have heard worse. I also like Willow (Pink's baby), Flynn (Orlando Bloom's baby). I even like Aleph (Natalie Portman's baby). Enough about baby names, I really could go on forever.

Hope everyone had a nice Monday.

Katie and Pam's Big Trip: Day Three

2011-07-09T21:49:00.001-07:00

Our third day (Saturday) in Virgina started out by Eliza and family taking us to the Eastern Market on Capitol Hill (or "The Hill" as the cool kids call it). The Eastern Market is a fun street fair and flea market. While up there we were also able to check out Hannah's cute house. After that it was time to say goodbye to the Selanders and Hannah as they dropped us off at our hotel by the Capitol Building. We had such a great time with them and they were great hosts. It was a great couple of days that we got to spend with them. It really is special to have friends that feel like family. Eliza and her whole family have always been so kind and thoughtful of me and my family. I am lucky to count them all as friends. And it's also fun that Eliza lives in such a great place to visit.

The beautiful trees by the Selander's house.

Eastern Market

Eliza, Baby Lars, me, and Hannah

Theo and Ida

After we got to the hotel (which was quite nice) we freshened up and went to meet Matt at the bus stop. It was so great to see him. We were so glad that he made the four hour (each way) bus trip to see us for a couple of days. After a quick Subway lunch we started out to the Newseum. It was also around this time that I realized that I hadn't taken a shower since Wednesday morning. I am not sure what happened there. I guess I was just having so much fun with everyone that I didn't want to miss out while in the shower.

The Newseum was great (and the only museum that we had to pay for on our whole trip). I highly reccomend seeing this. They had so many amazing exhibits. Here are just a few pictures of some of the neat things that we saw. (I am going to do a separate post of just the Newseum because there are so many great things to post about it).

Antenna from one of the Twin Towers

Doors and signs from Hurricane Katrina

The suit OJ Simpson wore when acquitted.

Truck of the car that the DC sniper shot out of.

A piece of the Berlin Wall that we got to touch

After the Newseum we walked over to The White House. It was a little different than the experience I had the first time that I saw it. This time they made you stay behind barricades that were blocking off the whole street in front of The White House. This was probably because there were people on the balcony. I zoomed in as best I could but we couldn't see who was on the balcony. We decided that it was an Obama family BBQ. I was really hoping to see Bo but no such luck. I am still curious as to who was on that balcony.

That night we went to The Capitol Grill and had one of the best meals of my life. I had the steak with aged balsamic. We got creamed corn and scalloped potatoes for our side dishes. And the appetizer was grilled proscuitto. Just simply amazing!! We hope to go back there again.

Our view of the Capitol on the walk back to the hotel.

It was another great day in D.C. I will finish up with Day Four soon.

Purpose

2011-07-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

"To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget."
— Arundhati Roy

"Love" Sugarland

Is it the face of a child
Is it the thrill of danger
Is it the kindness we see in the eyes of a stranger
Is it more than faith
Is it more than hope
Is it waiting for us at the end of our rope
I say, it's love
I say, it's love
Is it the one you call home
Is it the Holy Land
Is it standing right here holding your hand
Is it just like the movies
Is it rice and white lace
Is it the feeling I get when I wake to your face
Is it the first summer storm
Is it the colors of fall
Is it having so little
And yet having it all
Is it one in a million
Is it a chance to belong
Is it standing right here singing this song
Is it a veil or a cross
Is it the poet's gift
Is it the face that has launched over thousands of ships
Is it making you laugh
is it letting you cry
Is it where we believe that we go when we die
Is it how you were made
Is it the wish that I'm wishing for you life, for you life, for your life the most

Flowers, Mason Jars, and Colors

2011-07-02T13:49:00.001-07:00

I have been getting some decoration ideas together for the wedding. I even emailed a florist today for ideas and prices. For colors I think we are pretty set on grey, light pink, and cream/ivory. Obviously (from the below pictures) mason jars are going to be in the mix and I love the idea of loose looking flowers, kind of a natural garden look.

Not all of these pictures are of the colors we want but it's more just to give an idea of the style we are looking for. I am waiting to hear back from the florist to see what flowers are in season that would work well with what we want.

There are some trees at the ceremony/reception site so it could work to hang these candle mason jars on the trees.

Definitely want to have a candy table with different candies in our wedding colors.

I really like the idea of having mason jars hang on the chairs facing the aisle.

These are the type of table centerpieces I want to do, have several different vases in the middle of the table.

Like these but without the glass rocks at the bottom.

So does anyone know where I can get cheap mason jars or any other type of glass jars? We also want to offer pink lemonade and lemon water in jars during cocktail hour so we will need quite a few jars.

Oink Oink

2011-06-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

The below is an email I got back from someone that we had contacted about their rental.

Katie, we do not allow dogs or cats or pigs. birds and fish are okay. if you are interested in seeing the place, call me. thanks

joe

Poor Joe, he must have had a bad experience with a previous renter. But I really don't think that a cat should be grouped together with a pig. Sushi is sweet and polite, clean and not pig like at all.

Katie and Pam's Big Trip: Day Two

2011-06-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

We were mostly over our jet-lag (mostly) by our second day.

The day started early with Eliza, the kids, Mom, and I making the trek to Arlington National Cemetery. This was a must see on my Mom's to-do list while we were there. (It was my favorite thing I saw the first time I went to D.C.)

Eliza was such a trooper to walk around in the heat with her two little ones while being nine months pregnant.

Arlington did not disappoint my mom. It really is very impressive. It was much more crowded then the first time I went but we hit all the key points- the Eternal Flame, the Kennedy graves, Robert Lee's house, and the changing of the guards. All of them so neat to look at.

View from Arlington National Cemetery

Changing of the Guard at the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier"

This is Teddy Kennedy's grave. (not far from Bobby's and the Eternal Flame)

After our Arlington visit Eliza dropped us off at "the mall" for our day of exploring. I must say that this was one of my most favorite days ever (along with this day of course). It was great to get to wander around D.C. with my mom and a map. We just went where the map lead us and saw some great things. We really did want to see The Ford Theater, but we found out when we got over there that it was closed for the weekend. Next time. But they did have a great gift shop where we picked-up some fun things including copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and Declaration of Independence and some "Penny" earrings.

The map took us to the "Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery". I am so glad we checked this place out. Such a great museum. We spent a good chunk of our afternoon here and saw so many great things. Definitely would love to come back.

An Andy Warhol

Katharine Hepburn's Academy Awards.

Sculpture of Gertrude Stein

After the museum we made our way back to "the mall" and looked around. We saw the outside of the National Archives. We didn't go in but should have since Hannah was working.

We also went to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and some great stuff. They also have a great gift shop, my favorite one of all the museums (that I have been to).

We tried to go the "Newseum" but they were closing so we went back the next day. We wandered around a bit more and decided to head back to Eliza's house. We found the Metro and made it back.

Eliza made us a great dinner and Hannah came over and we had a wonderful night of chatting and catching up. I love those Terrill girls!

Day 3 coming soon!

A Toy Chest Full of Fun

2011-06-21T21:02:00.001-07:00

I went through my old toy chest (as opposed to my new one) and found some real treasures.

My fifth grade notebook with all my school work in it. And below is when my parents started to realize that I might have OCD. I had to write my name, date, and that little weird looking guy on all of my school papers.

Some of my good high school literature. Breath in, breath out.

My slimmed down collection of Soap Opera Digests.

A fun birthday present from Eliza.

Can you tell I liked soap operas?

Always a good time looking through old things. I even threw some of my old things away or put them in the garage sale pile. Pretty big accomplishment for me, I am the girl with OCD who likes to hold on to everything. (Not quite hoarder status though).

Warm Hands

2011-06-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

The following is an AIM exchange between my mom and I today.

CHEZNECK: did you hear gene simmons and the girlfriend may be breaking up
CHEZNECK: bad time for the playboy men
kmcree23: there not married?
CHEZNECK: no, but have been together forever and have two kids
kmcree23: oh i thought they were married
kmcree23: shocking he isnt loyal
CHEZNECK: i didn't tell you about my wierd experience at McDonalds today. I was sitting and this guy (maybe in his 30s) came up to me and asked how I was doing and shook my hand. I thought maybe he was handicapped so didn't think much about it, but then he bent down and touched my toes. Creeped me out
kmcree23: OMG
kmcree23: how could you not tell me this
kmcree23: what did you do
kmcree23: i am laughing so hard
CHEZNECK: maybe a foot fetish but not sure. who is the celeb with the foot fetish
kmcree23: rachael rays hubby
CHEZNECK: i left as soon as i was sure he was out of the parking lot. definitely not rachael rays husband
kmcree23: ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
CHEZNECK: now i have the convicts and the pervs after me
kmcree23: wth
CHEZNECK: i kind of feel like i was assaulted
kmcree23: thats so gross
kmcree23: yeah!!
kmcree23: did anyone see
CHEZNECK: i should have told the manger i think. I don't think anyone saw
kmcree23: eww
kmcree23: did he drive away or was he on "foot"
CHEZNECK: lol. i think he was driving
kmcree23: this is not good
CHEZNECK: kind of makes me want to not go back to Mcdonalds
kmcree23: did he walk away after he touched your foot
kmcree23: i wouldnt
CHEZNECK: yeah he just turned around, but kind of kept looking back at me.
kmcree23: oh god!!!
kmcree23: this is awful
CHEZNECK: seriously
kmcree23: kinda funny though right??
CHEZNECK: yeah
kmcree23: what did he look like
CHEZNECK: kind of average, dark haired with a cap and warm hands
kmcree23: if you had a blog this would be a great thing to post
kmcree23: with warm hands- hahahahahahahaha

Katie and Pam's Big Trip: Day One

2011-06-14T21:07:00.001-07:00

Let's start by saying we took the "red eye" Wednesday night (the 1st) from the Long Beach airport. It was Mom's first time flying. It was a bit of a bumpy ride. I felt so bad because it really isn't normally that bad. I got a little concerned when about 45 minutes in she leaned over and said "I want to get off". There was very little sleep on that flight but we made it to Dulles in one piece.

Eliza's husband, Matt, met us at the airport. As it was so early we settled in for a small slumber. Eliza provided us with wonderful accommodations. (She has the cutest house).

After our rest we chatted and came up with some plans. We decided to drive into Georgetown. Very cute little town. We had Johnny Rockets for lunch and walked around the town.

There was a great view of the Kennedy Center (which I hadn't seen before) from the river.

My buddy Theo. He is the sweetest little boy.

Before driving back to Eliza's house she drove us around the Capitol and we got to see some of the big sites (Capitol Building, White House, Washington Monument, etc.) Mom said that she shed a tear when seeing the Washington Monument because she didn't expect to ever get to see it. In fact she said that a lot during this trip. I am so proud of her for getting on a plane. Now that she has done it a whole world has literally been opened to her.

View of the Capitol Building from the car.

Back at Eliza's house she made us her great wheat waffles for dinner and we chatted for awhile. Then Eliza and I watched Matt water his newly planted grass in the backyard. I am sure he loved us just standing there staring at him, lol.

Thursday was a long day and we were tired but we were so excited to be there and looking forward to the fun days ahead.

To be continued....

Easy Silence

2011-06-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

I have listened and loved this song for quite some time. But as I was listening to it on my way home this evening I thought of Rodger. His goodness never ceases to amaze me. He gives me refuge and he calms my mind.

If only I had a fiddle (and knew how to play it) I would sing it to him everyday.

"Easy Silence" by The Dixie Chicks

When the calls and conversations
Accidents and accusations
Messages and misperceptions
Paralyze my mind

Busses, cars, and airplanes leaving
Burning fumes of gasoline
And everyone is running
And I come to find a refuge in the

Easy silence that you make for me
It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me
And the peaceful quiet you create for me
And the way you keep the world at bay for me
The way you keep the world at bay

Monkeys on the barricades
Are warning us to back away
They form commissions trying to find
The next one they can crucify

And anger plays on every station
Answers only make more questions
I need something to believe in
Breathe in sanctuary in the

Easy silence that you make for me
It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me
And the peaceful quiet you create for me
And the way you keep the world at bay for me
The way you keep the world at bay

Children lose their youth too soon
Watching war made us immune
And I've got all the world to lose
But I just want to hold on to the

Easy silence that you make for me
It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me
And the peaceful quiet you create for me
And the way you keep the world at bay for me

The easy silence that you make for me
It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me
And the peaceful quiet you create for me
And the way you keep the world at bay for me
The way you keep the world at bay for me
The way you keep the world at bay

Jet-Lagged

2011-06-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

Mom and I are tired but boy was it worth it.

We had the best time in D.C. All day today I thought about how much fun we had on our trip.

More blogposts (with lots of pictures) to come about our trip. Right now I am just too tired.

Sleepy but with a happy heart full of memories of a great long weekend.

Soapboxes, Dogs, and a Horse, OH MY!

2011-05-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, the 21st was a full one for Rodger and me.

We started off the morning going to the Soap Box Races in Downtown Los Angeles. I was expecting a little kid competition but it's actually adults dressed in thematic costumes who race the cars.

We took the Gold line to Union Station and then made the long walk to Grand and Fifth.

Here are some of the costumes that we liked best.

Jurassic Park

Angry Birds

Justin "Beaver"

Kobe (Pau was around also)

Rodger said that they only have these every few years in L.A. You should try to check it out next time it is here. (Jenn- I was thinking Ryan would like it a lot.) While there we also got a bacon-wrapped hot dog from a food truck. Let me tell you that was quite the treat.

Our day moved on from there to Keira's 4th birthday party. I think we had more fun than should be allowed at a little girl's party. Rodger's cousins and sisters are so funny. We ate, talked, played with dogs. There was arts and crafts, babies, pinatas, and even a horse.

Plus get a load of this little guy. I spent a great deal of the party devising a plan to take him home with me.

His name is Alex. So cute, right?

My crown (which I lost at the party)

Rodger's cousin, Reno (with his face painted)

Rodger and Pebbles

The Birthday Girl

I told you there was a horse!

A very nice and busy day! ( I didn't even have time for a nap.)

Cute Little Girl

2011-05-27T12:16:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day at Huntington Library

2011-05-17T21:20:00.001-07:00

For Mother's Day Vickie and I took Mom to the Huntington Library.

It was a great time and fun to start a new tradition for Mother's Day.

Here are some of the pictures from the day.

We really loved looking at all of the flowers and greenery as well as the museums. Everything was beautiful there. If you haven't been you should really go.

Stained glass window in the Huntington Villa.

I loved this little blue door. It was in the Children's Garden.

Other Mother's Day activities included a nice lunch and working on a puzzle together. We also watched the Lakers loose their chance at another championship. (Rodger was so pleased we were here to watch with him.)

Such a nice day spent with Vickie and my Mom.

I love you Mom! Thank you for being there for me and for just being you!

This might be a red flag

2011-05-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Two things I say too often (as my mom, Vickie, and Jenn will agree):

"Oprah says...."
"My therapist says...."

And then there was yesterday when I told my therapist "Oprah says you teach people how to treat you."

Even I had to laugh.

But in my defense Oprah and my therapist say amazing things.

And since we are on the topic, here are a few gems from Oprah for this beautiful Friday.

"'Forgiveness' is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different."
"We teach what we most need to learn."

And then a couple of things she has shared, that I love, that others have said.

"Anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." (A Buddhist saying) Jenn and I decided this was a game changer.
"When you know better, you do better." -Maya Angelou

And then Oprah shared this recently about herself and her work, "I'm about evolving people to the point where they can share more love."

I love Oprah and my therapist.

I think I may love my therapist a bit too much. She practically has to throw me out the door when my hour is up. And yesterday when she said she would call to confirm my next appointment I may have told her that she better or I will hunt her down.

It's a delicate time, what with Oprah's show ending this month.

After re-reading this, maybe the blog post title should have just been "Hot Mess".

Chilaxin with my Ladies

2011-05-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hanging out at Vickie's apartment with her and my mom and Moe (he is not a lady, or a gentleman for that matter).

Vickie made us a wonderful dinner of risotto and asparagus and shrimp. I had never had risotto before and it was quite the treat.

We are having great conversation. The wedding, Vickie's upcoming trip to London, my Mom and my trip to D.C., and just life in general. And now we are watching Vickie put her clothes away. It's much more organized than when I put my clothes away.

What a great evening.

I love these women so much.

Next Month

2011-05-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

That's right my Mom is getting on a plane.

So excited. Thanks in advance Eliza! We can't wait to see you and your family.

P.S. Vickie said she is worried about my Mom and I getting lost in the big city.

A Day to Remember- Sunday May 1st 2011

2011-05-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

The day Osama Bin Laden was brought to justice.

Hopefully a day of peace for all those who lost loved ones at his hands.

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.

And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.

On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.

We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda -- an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.

Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counter terrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.

Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.

And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.

Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.

Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.

For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.

Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must –- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad.

As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam. I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.

Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we’ve done. But it’s important to note that our counter terrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.

Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.

So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.

Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counter terrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.

We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.

Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.

And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.

The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

An evening to remember- Rodger, my Mom, and I gathered around the television listening to the President speak. It made me think that it must have been similar to what families did during wars sitting around a radio or a black and white television taking in the news. (Or was that a Walton's episode?)

It was amazing to see the images of the (mostly) young people gathered around the White House and NYC celebrating and remembering. It's good to see that people still care and are proud of their country as am I.

"A Beautiful Song to be Sung"

2011-04-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

Our engagement pictures. Kaelene Peterson did them. They were shot at ULV.

Love them! Thanks so much Kaelene!

Shaved Ice and Sand

2011-04-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

I got a Hawaiian Airlines miles credit card offer in the mail today. They want to give me a lot of points for my upcoming wedding and honeymoon. Something about being engaged makes companies send you all sorts of offers and random people call you. (Just ask Rodger, Men's Wearhouse calls him everyday.)

Hawaiian Airlines struck a cord with me though because I really miss Hawaii. We are not going back this year. We have to save for the wedding and honeymoon. Plus if you go all the time then the fun wears off or some such nonsense.

If you get the chance to go to Oahu then you must visit the North Shore and have Matsumoto's Shaved Ice. Pants are optional. I kept telling Rodger that it was fine to walk around in bikini bottoms but after a while I was looking around and I didn't see anyone else doing it. Oh well, it can't be as embarrassing as last Saturday night when I walked around Michael's, Albertsons, and Target with my zipper down. (Jenn- ask your friend that works at Target about it, I had a whole conversation with him that night). So embarrassing!

Also, if you ever go to Kihei in Maui take a look around for that brown hat. Our favorite hat was lost in the wind on the beach. We miss it.

I also miss my tan. There is nothing like a nice gradual bronzing of the skin. Good thing for our first wedding anniversary Hawaiian Airlines will give us 20,000 points.

Do threaten me with a good time.

Team Lotso

2011-04-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago while driving I saw this. I had to park and get out of my car to take a picture. It pretty much made my entire day.

I have a minor obsession with Lotso.

Rodger and I like to say "Hey there Big Baby" and "Why, thank you Big Baby". And whenever I see an older man with a cane I always call him Lotso. He may not have been a "good guy" in the movie but I find him to be very lovable.

If you haven't seen Toy Story 3 then this post won't make any sense to you. If you haven't seen Toy Story 3 then you are really missing out!

Little Adventure # 1- San Diego Wild Animal Park

2011-04-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

I have completed my first of "29 little adventures" (I will not be completing them in the order that they were listed when I blogged the list).

A couple of weekends ago Rodger and I went to San Diego for a little get-away. (I will blog about that later).

We had a great time, so great we even became annual pass holders (it wasn't much more that buying a day pass and you get to go to the San Diego Zoo also and it came with free guest passes and discount tickets, alright, I am done justifying it). First, we went on the "Africa Tram" and I was more than a little disappointed that there were no lions in the whole park, especially given that there is a lion on the cover of the park map. Apparently they are remodeling and this summer the lions will be back with a new exhibit and there will be a new "Cheetah Run". Good thing we have passes so we can come back and check it out. After I got done whining and pouting about the lack of lions I realized there was a lot more to see, including two tiger cubs and their mama. Every time the mama tiger moved she would yell out so that her cubs could follow her.

And then there were the elephants and as most of you know I love these creatures. There was one particular elephant that caught our attention. Let's just say he had a bit of a "fifth leg". Poor guy, everyone was laughing and gawking at him (including me). It was pretty unbelievable. Needless to say he had an exhibit all to himself. He was the father to three babies with three different elephant mothers since November. I think this is pretty much the last I can speak of this beast before my family makes me get professional help. I may or may not have brought this subject up to anyone who will listen (maybe even my grandparents). I don't think anyone wants to hear about it anymore, but if you do let me know and we can talk. It really was something.

Next to this one male elephant was a whole separate exhibit for the rest of the elephants. There were about fifteen of them including the three babies. Just the cutest!! The babies were running around, ears flapping in the wind. I think we stood there for an hour watching. I just couldn't get enough of them. They are such beautiful animals.

Aside from the animals the landscape there is spectacular. One really could spend hours walking around looking at the greenery and animals.

I loved this Okapi. He came right up to the fence to see us.

Excited for our next visit.

One of twenty-nine complete.

"Little Bee"

2011-03-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

Author: Chris Cleave

I finished "Little Bee" a couple of weeks ago. I have been wanting to read it for awhile since I have heard so many great things about it. I got it for Christmas and just got around to reading it. I was not disappointed. It was heart wrenching, moving, sad, hopeful, and at times even funny. I am not always a huge fan of using a great deal of metaphors in novels but I loved the usage of them in this book. They were timely, illustrative, and (maybe why I liked them most) very understandable.

Here are a few of the excerpts that I enjoyed most.

"On the girl's brown legs there were many small white scars. I was thinking, Do these scars cover the whole of you, like the stars and the moons on your dress? I thought that would be pretty too, and I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived. In a few breaths' time I will speak some sad words to you. But you must hear them the same way we have agreed to see scars now. Sad words are just another beauty. A sad story means, this storyteller is alive. The next thing you know, something fine will happen to her, something marvelous, and then se will turn around and smile."

"On our honeymoon we talked and talked. We stayed in a beachfront villa, and we drank rum and lemonade and talked so much that I never even noticed what the color of the sea was. Whenever I need to stop and remind myself about how much I once loved Andrew, I only need to think about this. That the ocean covers seven tenths of the earth's surface, and yet my husband could make me not notice it. That is how big he was to me. "

"Everyone in my village liked U2, I said. Everyone in my country maybe. Wouldn't that be funny, if the oil rebels were playing U2 in their jungle camps, and the government soldiers were playing U2 in their trucks. I think everyone was killing everyone else and listening to the same music. Do you know what? The first week I was in the detention center, U2 were number one here too. That is a good trick about this world, Sarah. No one likes each other, but everyone likes U2."

"Isn't it sad, growing up? You start off like my Charlies. You start off thinking you can kill all the baddies and save the world. Then you get a little older, maybe Little Bee's age, and you realize that some of the world's badness is inside of you, that maybe you are a part of it. And then you get a little bit older still, and a bit more comfortable, and you start wondering whether that badness you've seen in yourself is really all that bad at all."

"I smiled down at Charlie, and I understood that he would be free now even if I would not. In this way the life that was in me would find its home in him now. It was not a sad feeling. I felt my heart take off lightly like a butterfly and I thought, yes, this is it, something has survived in me, something that does not need to run anymore, because it is worth more than all the money in the world and its currency, its true home, is the living. And not just the living in this particular country or in that particular country, but the secret, irresistible heart of the living. I smiled back at Charlie and I knew that the hopes of this whole human world could fit inside one soul. This is a good trick. This is called globalization. "

One thing I really like about this book was the way that the author gave each character a "costume" and how they slowly took it off throughout the story. I thought that it showed the characters growth in a clear way and helped to shape the ending of the story. I also loved how each character had their own "voice". While it did make it a bit difficult to read at times it really framed the characters. It made them authentic. I particularly loved Charlie's little boy way of speaking. It gave a lot to the story that a four year old spoke as one really would and Nigerian women spoke English in their true accents. I suggest you read this book. It's haunting but worth it.

One review puts it best "A powerful piece of art... Shocking, exciting and deeply affecting... superb. (The Independent UK)

Sushi's Son

2011-03-23T18:24:00.001-07:00

Word came down that Sushi's son (Big Moe) wanted a shout out on the blog.

Here is a picture of Moe.

And so that one of her other son's doesn't feel left out here is Stanford (the originator of adding "ford" to everyone's names).

Sushi has quite the family tree.

I think these types of post might mean that it's time for me to have a kid (after I'm married, of course). But I mean everyone loves cat's as much as me, right? Right?

That's what I thought.

Sushi's Little Brother

2011-03-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is Sebastian. He came to live with us on Saturday. He is a little baby blue lobster. Sushi loves being a big sister. Can't you tell?

A day full of sugar makes your teeth fall apart

2011-03-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

in the most delightful way....

As previously noted I had a tooth pulled on the bottom right of my mouth. Last week I had a root canal on the other side of my mouth. This lead to quite a few days of not being able to eat much. Even now it's still a bit difficult. I have a temporary on the left side where a bridge will go and then tomorrow I am supposed to get a temporary on the other side. Next week I get the permanent bridge on my left side and then I imagine a couple of weeks later I will get the permanent bridge on the right side. Eating has not been the most pleasurable experience but as of last Saturday I haven't had any teeth pain. So A plus for that.

My point here is that I haven't been eating too much. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I definitely could stand to reduce my caloric intake. I have noticed my pants are a wee bit looser, which is great!!!! I hate buying work pants so I am all about my old ones fitting more comfortably.

Today I ate like crap. I didn't go to lunch because I had to leave work early to go see a root canal specialist to make sure she thought it would be okay to put a bridge on the right side of my mouth (she said that it's fine). In place of lunch all I have eaten today is half a banana, a cupcake, and a snack size McFlurry. (right now Vickie is rolling her eyes). I feel so tired and weak right now that Rodger is going to have to drag me to dinner. I am excited to have my teeth situation taken care of so I can add fruit and veggies to the diet. And just some protein in general. I want to be in better shape and eat healthier and having my teeth in working order will do a lot to accomplish that.

And no need for anyone to point out that I probably have so many dental issues due to the fact that I make a meal out of cupcakes and ice cream. I know. But it's difficult, my whole mouth is full of sweet tooth's. And a lot of them really like Coke and Dr. Pepper. We are working on it.

Have you tried the Sweet Potato Bisque from Trader Joe's? So yummy! It's been very good to me these last couple of weeks. You should really try it, especially with a dash of pepper!

It really is the little things!

2011-03-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I am driving up my street and look up at my apartment windows my little Sushi will be sitting in one of the windows. I squeal with delight and sometimes clap my hands together. It just makes me so happy to see her in the window. I don't know why, maybe because so many people drive up that street and I can look up and see my cute little kitty just sitting in the window. It makes me laugh because it seems out of place but she just looks so cute.

One time Rodger knew I was on my way home and stood at the window so I could see him. That was funny too!

29 Little Adventures

2011-03-11T20:47:00.001-08:00

In celebration of my 29th birthday I am going to do 29 special things (or 29 little adventures).

1. Buy a bike.
2. Do a triathlon
3. Play craps in Vegas
4. Go golfing
5. Get a pet turtle
6. Reread "The Great Gatsby"
7. Become a season pass holder at Disneyland
8. Go to Hearst Castle
9. Visit the Getty Center
10. Go whale watching
11. Read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"
12. Re watch "Gone with the Wind"
13. Go to San Francisco
14. Blog about the books I read
15. Sew a patchwork quilt
16. Try out 29 new recipes
17. Reread "To Kill a Mockingbird"
18. Do yoga in the park with Jenn
19. Volunteer
20. Hike Runyon Canyon
21. Wine tasting
22. Learn how to crochet
23. Go to San Diego Wild Animal Park
24. Learn how to make spaghetti sauce from scratch
25. Eat Korean BBQ
26. Visit Marina Del Ray
27. Reread "Little Women"
28. Do the 7 mile "Fountain to Falls" hike
29. Go sledding

I will blog about all of these adventures.

I am excited! Feel free to join me in the fun!

It's all settled

2011-03-07T19:55:00.001-08:00

The date has been set for our wedding and the deposit has been made. We will be married on Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 at the Monrovia Historical Museum.

We have ten hours at the site for both the ceremony and the reception, but we haven't decided on the exact time yet. I am up for suggestions on that. I kind of want evening but I think it would also be nice to have daylight for the ceremony especially when you consider having to take pictures afterwards. That ten hours does include set up time but we can start setting up the night before and purchase more hours if necessary.

The biggest detail has been taken care, now it's time for all of the fun small details.

Also, cutest thing, my brother-in-law texted me the other day that said "tomorrow starts the countdown." At first I didn't know what he was talking about but then I realized he meant Rodger's and my wedding day. Paul is such a sweetheart!

And as my mom said "one year from now you will be married".

Katherine Marie Long. I will need a year to get used to it. I love my last name. But I have an idea how to keep it always and that will make it okay for to change my last name.

So excited for the next year of planning.

Please let me know any suggestions you have for planning a wedding.

What I would do for $500

2011-02-28T21:37:00.000-08:00

Last week (on my birthday) a crown on the lower right side of my mouth fell out. (With the screw) (not a good sign).

The next day found me at the dentist and what I was hoping wasn't the problem was the problem. The tooth had to be pulled out. The hard decision was whether to be put under or not. I have had one tooth pulled while I was awake and it was terrible. After some tense talks and deliberations I decided that I would stay awake. The only reason being that I would save $500.00. That was what pushed me over the edge. A couple hundred I could have done but $500 was too much. Hello, we are saving for a wedding here!

I was nervous but it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I kept thinking of good thoughts and kept waiting for it to hurt. But it never did. The dentist told me when I would hear some unpleasant noises and I would cover my ears. The only thing that made me uneasy was when I opened my eyes at one point and saw a pair of pliers coming my way.

It may not have been painful coming out but that night and the next two days made up for it. The Tylenol with Codeine helps but it comes with a dose of "I really have no idea what's going on around me", which, don't get me wrong, can be fun but not for long and not when it is making you nauseous.

Also, I have the tooth which broke into two pieces if anyone is interested. I can email or text a picture. Just let me know.

P.S. One fun thing about going to the same dentist since you were fourteen (other than financing every one's BMWs) is that they get excited to see you and hear the news that you are engaged. The fun little financial lady who drives me nuts said "oh you can bring your kids here someday" and then yelled throughout the building "oh you will be thirty when you get married!".

All Star Weekend

2011-02-21T21:43:00.000-08:00

It was a three day weekend. It was glorious. Well except for the part where I was washing my hair and got a long stream of shampoo in both my eyes. Ouchhhhhhh!!!!!! My eyes burned so bad. But onward and upward.

Saturday was a low key day. Went for a run/walk,took a nap (fell asleep while listening to the rain), went to the mall, had dinner.

Sunday Rodger and I went to the zoo. It was a really pretty day and great weather to be outside in. We saw the new elephant exhibit, it's really cool, even if there are only three elephants. I also took a nap that day. Mmm, I love naps.

Today we went on a hike to the waterfall. It went pretty well, kind of sucked that after the hike was over we still had to walk up a steep hill to get back to our car but don't worry folks I made it. No nap today.

Throughout the weekend we watched the NBA all star games as well as other great TV (how funny was the Michael Scarn movie on "The Office"?). Another theme this weekend was "what do you want to eat?". Once one meal was over, it was on to figuring out the next.

Back to work tomorrow. I told Rodger that he should come to work with me tomorrow because I will miss him during the day. I told him we could call it "bring your fiance to work day." I don't think its going to happen though.

Man Room

2011-02-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

I have never blogged about the new apartment. Been here since August and no pictures about it. I mean it is in pictures but I have never dedicated a blog to showing the apartment. Maybe that has something to do with not being completely unpacked, close to 95% unpacked just some stuff in boxes. You know how that goes? Oh you're not lazy and don't know how that goes?

I walked around the apartment looking for the cleanest room so I could post pictures of it. I came upon Rodger's room.

Rodger keeps all of his fun stuff here, you know, surfboard, bike, laptop, Buzz Lightyear, blu-rays.

We like to hang out in here. I watch television (surprise, surprise) and Rodger uses his laptop. I call it family time because as soon as we go in there Sushi saunters in and lays down on the top of the couch.

I will clean up the rest of the apartment, take pictures, and continue on with my virtual tour soon.

P.S. Please look for a few of my favorite things about this room- painted Michael Scott picture, framed puppy picture (we don't actually know that puppy, he's from a picture in Real Simple. We would like to know him, though), my Vinylmation collection, and all of the painted by pictures by local artist R.Long.

"You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you"*

2011-02-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

What's this? Another post about my wedding? Oh goodie! Hope you like them, there are probably about four hundred more coming in the next year. Most girls I know like talking about weddings so I think it's probably safe to assume that you all like to discuss weddings as well. The only guy that reads this (as far as I know) is Rodger and he just loves talking about weddings :). When I ask him about the wedding he gives an idea but it's always followed by "well whatever you want". Perfect, some of my favorite words.

Big news!

I got my dress!

I love it!

It's Vera! Wang that is!

I can't post a picture of it for obvious reasons but if you want to see it I can email you a picture (if I haven't already).

I have that taken care of and we have the location.
So now on to the other fifteen thousand details.

I will take any ideas for anything.
Centerpieces
Flowers
Food
Music
Yada
Yada
Yada

I must say that trying on dresses was fun but kind of overwhelming. They were all so pretty and I would forget which ones I liked more than the others. But the one I got was the first one I tried on and the ones after that just couldn't compare to my love for that first one. I obsessed for a couple of days about whether I made the right choice but I feel really good about it now. It was a big decision. I used to sketch my dream wedding dress on note paper in school and then finally I got to pick out one and I think it's perfect. And I have asked everyone I have shown if they think it is too fancy and formal and no one thinks it is so I feel good about that. I can't wait to wear it for the big day.

*From "Marry Me" by Train.

Rhona is a MOM!!!

2011-02-12T18:30:00.000-08:00

I got to meet baby Jake this week. Jenn and I went to Chris and Rhona's house to see the little guy.

He is such a happy little baby and Rhona is a pro, (not that I had any doubts).

This little guy looks just like Rhona and has such a cute little smile.

It was so good to see Rhona so happy. Jenn pointed out that she had such a glow about her and she really did. The last time I saw Rhona broke my heart so seeing her so happy and holding her healthy baby was wonderful.

It's a his birthday!

2011-02-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Rodger turned 26 on the 28th of last month (only 2 more years till the "golden" birthday or is it the "star" birthday.

We went out to dinner with his family on his birthday and then the next night we went out to dinner with my parents. There were cakes and presents.

Pictures from the festivities.

The picture of the girl stretching was not a gift or anything. Just a something that I ripped out of a magazine and forgot to put away (because I am so busy stretching).

The cake I made Rodger. In my head it was supposed to look like a Nestle Sundae cone but it went wrong in a few ways. First the whole cake wouldn't come out of the pan so I couldn't cut it into a triangle cone shape, then the frosting was a lot darker than I thought it was going to be, etc, etc. Good news though, it tasted really good. Like I always say, it's the thought that counts.

I guess there weren't that many pictures.

But fun times were had. And now it has been documented.

And now Rodger is 26.
Just a baby still.

Christmas 2010

2011-02-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

Here is my Christmas post (over a month late). I have been meaning to write about Christmas because I want to post the great pictures and talk about what a wonderful time was had but I am lazy and haven't gotten around to it. Today is the day though.

Christmas Eve morning started at my parents house watching my Mom and Vickie bake. They made zucchini bread (my favorite) and raisin bars.

This year for the first time we had Christmas Eve at my aunt Peggy's instead of my grandparents. It was fun to switch it up a little. We had great food. My mom made chili (not Hormel), and my aunt and cousin Matt made potatoes and beef stew (not Dinty More).

Also included in the nights fun activities were some Bacardi shots. You know, for the good times.

Before

After

Before

After

(As Matt says "You have to push though it!")

We had a nice time chatting, laughing, catching up, opening presents, and listening to my grandparents tell stories.

My cousins Matt and Cory came in from out of town and it was so fun for the whole family to be together for Christmas.

Early Christmas morning Rodger and I opened presents at the apartment. It was fun. Even little Sushi got presents after she tied herself up it a bow.

After that we went to my parent's house for breakfast to open presents with them and Vickie and Paul, always a good time.

The cats had a nice time also.

Next we went to my Grandma Creekmur's for lunch. Apparently I didn't take any pictures, so you will have to trust that it was a good time also.

This concludes my "wrap-up of Christmas".

I'm in love!

2011-01-29T17:49:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before that I have not seen a wedding dress that I have absolutely loved. That changed this morning when I opened my email from David's Bridal about the new Vera Wang collection they are getting next month. Check it out here . I want all of them. Would it be ridiculous for me to change my dress eight times during the ceremony? It's my big day right? I mean our big day.

P.S. Rodger said that Vera Wang is a distant relative of his. Do you think I could get a discount if I mention that? Kind of like the time I was telling Matt (while at Ikea) that we have a lot of Swedish ancestors and he mentioned we should ask for a discount.

Now I am going back to salivating over those dresses.

LOVE!!!!!!!!!!

Sick Pants

2011-01-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

Rodger and I have colds. He has a bad cough and I have chills all over my body and am all stuffed up and last week I had canker sores and yesterday a cut tongue. Rodger hardly ever gets sick and I get a cold a few times a year.

I didn't go to work yesterday. I spent my day in a "Ny-Quil" induced haze meaning I pretty much slept all day and what I did do I can only vaguely remember. I woke up twice last night drenched in my sweat. This happens to me a lot, not just when I am sick, but this was a lot of sweat. Plus there was a high speed chase on t.v. last night and I slept right through it. I hate that, it went right though Monrovia and everything. I went to work today but couldn't get warm and then when I did get warm I was very hot.

I think we are both getting better but colds do take awhile to go away. Poor Rodger has to sleep elevated because of his cough. He has to get all better by Friday because it's his birthday and you just can't be sick on your birthday.

So that's our status update. It was too long to put on Facebook.

Also, we went to Sonics tonight because we bought malts there earlier this month and if you take your receipt back before the end of the month then you get your whole order again for FREE! Two chocolate malts- just what the doctor ordered.

Also, I did a complete yoga back bend tonight. I was so proud. The past few weeks I haven't been able to get the top of my head off of the ground but all of sudden tonight I just did it. I went so high up that the bottom my pony tail was touching the ground. I was like a little kid, "look Rodger I'm doing it!". Yoga is amazing. I need to do it more often.

Time to go blow my nose again. Goodnight.

"Sushi Cat"

2011-01-23T17:32:00.001-08:00

"I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul."

- Jean Cocteau

6 years

2011-01-19T20:14:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Rodger and I celebrated our six year anniversary. To celebrate I present you with a little pictorial trip down memory lane.

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Picture from last night when we celebrated with dinner and a cheese plate at the french restaurant down the street. It was just the two of us there for most of the dinner. Did I mention there was a cheese plate?

Happy Anniversary Nutty! I love you!

Golden Globe Faves

2011-01-17T20:08:00.000-08:00

Since I rarely see many of the movies nominated for awards
(this year I have seen "Toy Story 3" and "True Grit")I tend to focus on the fashion.
Here are my favorite dresses of the night.

Love the sleeves.

Love all of it.

So sleek and simple. Love her hair.

Love everything about this dress.

Love the sleeves and back (or lack of it).

Love all of the ruffles and one shoulder.

Can't wait to see the fashion at the Oscars, Helena Bonham Carter is coming right?

Just my thoughts

2011-01-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

I always love when the President speaks in a National address. No matter whether or not I like the President there is something about him addressing the nation (especially after a crisis or tragedy) that has a calming effect. Watching President Obama speak last night in Arizona was no different. Like him or not (and I do, very much) when he delivers a speech he can give you the warm fuzzies until the cows come home.

And when he speaks he unifies. Unity is something our country needs, not just because of what happened in Arizona but even before that. Everything that happens in our society now is cause in the media for debate, finger pointing, hate, and ugliness. The one positive is that I would say that the media does not fairly represent our society. I don't think that people agree with what is said in the news. Some of it maybe, but most people wouldn't come up with or care for the hate that is spewed on a daily basis.

When it comes to the shootings in Tucson I think the main emotion to be had would be sadness. Sadness and shock. The thing is though that I don't think, as a society, we get shocked anymore. Will anything ever hit us the way Columbine and September 11th did? Is it because these hateful acts are any less sad or shocking? No, I think it is because we have numbed ourselves to it. It's a defense mechanism. Can we hold all the sadness in our heart that the world offers up everyday? Can one watch the news everyday and let it effect them and still go on normally? I think we block ourselves off so that we can function? I think it's that and the fact that we, as a society, know that what the media presents to us everyday is such a small percentage of what is going on. Maybe events like this force us to look for the good, the beautiful, in life so that society can continue.

And then there is the other element to all of this. The blame. We all take an event that happened and immediately decide who is to blame. The parents, the media, Marilyn Manson, Sarah Palin. Why do we do this? Is it that we don't want to believe that a person can simply be evil? If evil is really the case then there is nothing we can do to change evil acts. Taking Gothic music off the radio won't do it, canceling Fox News programming won't do it. It just is. And can any of us live with that? Can we make that okay? If we can't blame it on a particular thing or person then we as a society might have to look at the real problems. The problems that don't have easy solutions, the ones where people are unbalanced, where kids grow up in unhealthy environments, where people are afraid to get mental health assistance, or where neighbors are too afraid to report red flags.

I do agree with many that the negative rhetoric should stop. There is no reason that Sarah Palin should make a "target" list. She should know that due to the image she has created for herself that people are going to equate that with guns. While she, and others who do the same thing, are not responsible for other's actions you have to wonder why she would want to put that out there. Why not do something that is positive? For some reason the media feeds on negativity and ugliness and Obama is right to call on them to change. While I feel that the Arizona shooting and this are separate issues I also feel that it's a good time for the media and politicians to look at what they create and the negativity they produce on a daily basis and why we as a society consume this.

It was a very thought provoking speech. Here are parts that I really liked and they gave me the "warm fuzzies".

You see, when a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature to demand explanations –- to try and pose some order on the chaos and make sense out of that which seems senseless. Already we’ve seen a national conversation commence, not only about the motivations behind these killings, but about everything from the merits of gun safety laws to the adequacy of our mental health system. And much of this process, of debating what might be done to prevent such tragedies in the future, is an essential ingredient in our exercise of self-government.

But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized -– at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do -– it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.

As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together.

If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate -- as it should -- let’s make sure it’s worthy of those we have lost. Let’s make sure it’s not on the usual plane of politics and point-scoring and pettiness that drifts away in the next news cycle.

They believed -- they believed, and I believe that we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved life here –- they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another, that’s entirely up to us.

And I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.

Girl Talk

2011-01-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

Such a nice time hanging out with Beth and Vickie last night.

Love you girls so much! I really could chat with you non stop forever.

This morning I had breakfast with my Mom and Vickie. We did a little eating, then a little shopping, and then a nice morning walk.

What a great way to start out the weekend.

Also, for your viewing pleasure here's a pretty picture I ran across yesterday. It was a tree outside our hotel room in Maui.

Cool, right?

"The Knot"

2011-01-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

The "wedding page" I created for Rodger and me can be found here. If you search around long enough it will bring you back here.

Thanks Vickie and Katie A for the idea.

P.S. I finally figured out how to link a website. Woohoo!

Late to "the show" (as usual)

2011-01-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

When it comes to the music scene I am definitely a "Johnny Come Lately". I never really know about a song or new artist until it is on the radio. Lately, I have been listening to Pandora at work and because of this I have been introduced to some "new" artists. By "new" I mean new to me, probably old news to everyone else.

One artist I have come to enjoy is Lenka. I especially love this song.

She's so cute and she has a quirky, fun, sounding voice.

Another recent discovery for me is Ingrid Michaelson. I had heard of her and I knew a lot of people liked her but I had never given her a real listen. She's great. I really like her songs but I think my favorite is "You and I". And I also love "Turn to Stone" (and after being on YouTube for a couple of minutes I realize this was the song playing when Izzy and Alex got married on "Grey's Anatomy" so apparently I was listening to Ingrid but didn't even know it).

What are some other ones that I should listen to by her? I love her voice.

I won't go into the fact that I have just recently started listening to Regina Spektor. I wouldn't want anyone to think I have been living under a rock.

Rodger and I are also loving this song right now.

I had heard of "The Plain White T's" before. This just happens to be the first of their songs that I have really liked.

Holiday Vegas Trip

2010-12-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Christmas Rodger, my parents, the Madores, and I all went to Vegas. In part to see my Grandpa and Chrissie and in part for a little fun getaway. Vegas at Christmas is one of my favorite things. The weather is a little cooler and the hotels are decorated beautifully.

We ate at buffets, shopped, checked out hotels, walked around in the rain, and visited with my Grandpa. It was a great time.

Bellagio

Monte Carlo

City Center

Cosmopolitan

One of the highlights was checking out the new "Cosmopolitan" hotel at the City Center. We all had lunch at "Shakes and Buns". Two words, chocolate malt! So good!

Cosmopolitan

Monte Carlo

There is nothing like Vegas at Christmas time.

Comfy cozy are we

2010-12-23T17:22:00.000-08:00

The apartment is decorated, has been for awhile. I love coming home to our own little festive wonderland.

We got our tree on a chilly Monday night. We came home to decorate it with lights and ornaments. Afterwards we snuggled up on the couch, ate "Porto's" Cheese Rolls and watched Christmas episodes of "According to Jim" and "Everybody Loves Raymond". It was cozy little night.

"There's a happy feeling
nothing in the world can buy"

Funnies

2010-12-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

Three pictures I saw today that made me laugh.

3rd Annual Post Thanksgiving Pre Christmas Formal Dinner

2010-12-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

A couple of Saturdays ago Rodger and I hosted our annual holiday dinner. It was a formal occasion the first year, last year it was a scaled back less formal dinner, as it was last minute and I was sicky.

This year we went all out again. My parents and Vickie and Paul came. Rodger did most of the cooking and did a great job at it.

Appetizers

Zucchini Fritters (a new recipe I tried out, they were pretty good. I will post the recipe late)
Spinach Artichoke dip and tortilla chips

Dinner

Salmon

Chicken Breasts

Scallops

Broccoli and Cauliflower

Rolls

Dessert (So yummy)

Vickie's Apple Pie

Mom's Pumpkin Pie

(Rodger's dessert plate)

After dinner entertainment

Disney's "Christmas Carol"

Vickie washing dishes and cleaning my bedroom

Thanks for coming all! We look forward to next year!

Off Balance

2010-11-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

I have been dizzy lately. A little off balance. I finally went to the doctor today to see what the problem is. The doctor told me that it is most likely an inner ear viral infection. I am not 100% convinced it is not a brain tumor, but I am feeling better about the situation than before I went to the doctor. The doctor prescribed me medication.

Two notes regarding this medication; and let me preface this by saying I have pretty much no knowledge when it comes to the medical community and absolutely zero knowlege when it comes to the health insurance industry.

1) It's over the counter so not covered by my insurance. It was only like $1.50 more so I didn't flip out too much but this is so stupid, the doctor wrote the prescription out and signed it, that should not be over the counter. Over the counter should be only for things I don't need to consult a doctor about. If I spent two and a half hours at the doctor today I want medicine that is covered by my insurance not medicine that I could have picked up in ten minutes at CVS. I hear more and more about occurances like this. I don't understand it but I mean I have insurance so let's keeping making medicines that are covered. If Paxil or my thyroid medication ever move to "over the counter" I'm screwed.

2) On one side of my prescription bottle it says "Take 1 tablet by mouth 3 times a day as needed for dizziness". On the other side under side effects it says "may cause dizziness." Okay then.

P.S. Please for the love of God if anyone has a story about dizziness related to a brain tumor or any other horrible condition please do not put it in the comments. Unless it is something to the affect of dizziness has absolutely nothing to do with brain tumors.