8 Bridesmaids Down. 2 to Go.

got the call tonight that my girlfriend is engaged to her long time boyfriend! i love engagement stories especially when they fit my friend's personalities so well. he did it in the most fitting location for her ever - florence - and from what i heard, he was dead on with the ring selection.

i especially love it when the guy picks out the ring by himself - if he gets it right! it's so romantical and just shows how well he knows his future bride.

okay...i'll get off my lovey dovey soap box now before you puke a little in your mouth.

First Holiday Movie of the Season

and the winner is...the santa claus.

not my favorite but it was cute and definitely got us into the christmas spirit!

Crispins

we were planning to head back to la today after a long weekend with the family in dana point but my mom convinced us to stay. she wooed us with promises of a free dinner at a new restaurant in town and of course, we couldn't refuse.

the restaurant wasn't exactly what we expected - and that's putting it lightly. it was really more like a denny's or ihop but without the familiar name. under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be too big a deal but it was saturday night and we were expecting to walk into a dinner club or steakhouse.

accepting our fate, i searched high and low but there was no rooty tooty fresh and fruity or moons over my hammy on the menu. in fact, there were no breakfast items anywhere so actually, it's only similarity to denny's and ihop was in the ambiance.

we laughed our way through dinner and all the way back to the house. oh well...you gotta give it to chocolate for wanting to try something new!

Riding Along in my Automobile

went for a car ride with my pop today. when i was a kid, we used to go to the car wash together every saturday. at least it felt like every saturday. we'd get breakfast next door (was it at mcdonald's?) while we waited for his car to dry. i really enjoyed our weekly outing together.

nowadays, it's rare that we're ever alone. usually, my mom and/or mike are around to keep us company (and reduce the likelihood of an argument ensuing) during our visits. but today, we went for a ride - just the two of us. we weren't gone long - just to starbucks and back - but it was a really nice change of pace.

Thankful Girl

so many reasons to be thankful this year:

lazy mornings
80 degree weather
blue moon
starbucks runs
lola
bella
sis bustling around the kitchen
claim jumper pies
firepits
sunset over the ocean
mom and dad kissing
sitting between my niece and nephew
football on tv
watching my husband woo my grammy
dad doing dishes
background music
sharing secrets with my godson
a beautiful and bountiful table
memories of my grandpa
safe travels
falling asleep sandwiched between my two loves

Ants in my Pants

school at 6p on thanksgiving eve absolutely sucks! only 1/3 of the class was in attendance and our teacher had little sympathy for our plight...he kept us there the full three hours.

still, as i fidgeted in my seat pretending to care about ledgers and journals, i reached around and gave myself an imaginary pat on the back for not ditching.

as far as i'm concerned i've earned an extra helping of stuffing and mashed potatoes tomorrow night.

HFD

at my ripe old age of 30, i've diagnosed myself with hfd (hyper-focused disorder) and before you go google it, i'll warn you...i coined the term myself.

unlike add (which my husband suffers from), those with hfd cannot possibly pull themselves away from a project until it's absolutely complete. whether i'm cleaning the bathroom or going down my to-do list at work, once i've started i'm a lost cause.

you may think this sounds an awful lot like ocd and it is. still, i prefer hfd because it sounds so much more productive and healthy and a lot less neurotic.

man...i knew i should have gone to med school!

Doctor, Doctor

lola had her last vaccination tonight which means no more vet visits until she gets spayed in february. i do love our vet and her entire staff though so while i'm way over the $20 here and $30 there, the thought of not seeing them for a few months is kind of bittersweet.

and not just for me.

lola may be the only animal the world who enjoys going to see the doctor. her cute butt wiggle guarantees her tons of attention - i mean, literally, we had three nurses in the room to administer one rabies shot. she also gets all sorts of treats - i think she'd stand on the metal table and let them poke her in the hiney all day long if they kept feeding her wet food - you know, to distract her from the pain.

not only that, i've carried on my mom's tradition of treating me to a milkshake after every doctor's (and dentist, what?) appointment. lola and i always swing by petco on the way home for a little "perfect patient present."

she's so deserving!

I Heart My Girlfriends

we had a 524 rosecrans reunion this morning complete with mimosas, sunshine and an ocean view!

karen and kimmie were both in town so jen drove up from oc and we all had a nice long leisurely brunch. the only missing component was steph but she was there in spirit.

i've always felt very blessed to have so many great girlfriends and today was one of those days where it was incredibly apparent. we all play a distinct role in the group and the absence of just one of us is so noticeable. we laugh, wax philosophical, tease each other and work through tough decisions together.

best of all, every time our visits come to an end i wish for more time. now that's the sign of real, true, lifelong friendship.

All in a Day's Work

we had the most productive saturday!

woke up at 630a which is unheard of for me.
worked out
showered
went to lunch
picked up supplies at home depot
cleaned the house
repainted the fireplace screen
hung draperies
walked the dogs
bought a baby shower gift
met with a consultant about new windows
arranged fresh flowers in a vase
did laundry
wrapped a birthday present

and, by 945 pm we were pulling into the airport - huge hot pink sign billowing out of the sunroof - to welcome kimmie home.

what a saturday!

Nighty Night

i was so pooped after an incredibly long short week that i fell asleep on the couch tonight. falling asleep mid-movie on a friday night is kinda par for the course in our household but this week was different.

i was sleeping so soundly that mike actually had to wake me up three times before he finally half-carried me downstairs to bed. funniest part is, we were watching borat.

who falls asleep during borat??

Birthday Months

what a week it's been for birthdays. first mike's. then ellen's. and now my mamacita's. clearly, i get along well with scorpios, wouldn't you say?

my mom has a birthday thing. ever since i was a kid she made a really, really big deal out of birthdays. all of ours but especially her own! in fact, in our family, we celebrate the entire birthday month!

don't believe me?

well, since the first of november, my dad has made her breakfast in bed, showered her with gifts, and taken her to vegas. those are just the things i remember...i'm sure there's been more. she's certainly spoiled but she's as good a giver as she is a receiver and she's always the first to make our birthdays extra special too.

just one of the many traditions passed down to me from my beautiful mama.

happy birthday!

So Many Puppies

woke up to two puppies in my bed today! as they showered me with kissies, i wondered if there's any better way to start a day.

then, i looked over at mike.

by the time i opened my eyes, he'd already walked bella, picked up lola's poop and made coffee for me.

poor guy, i don't think i've ever seen him so happy to go to work!

Aunties

i'm blessed to have some incredible women in my life. my mama has surrounded herself with these beautiful, wise and absolutely hilarious ladies - my aunties.

weeks before my wedding, they took it upon themselves to throw me a second bachelorette party - done their way. they fed me tons of food, took me to see mamma mia, made me wear an afro, passed me a flask in the theater, poured white russians down my throat and plugged in the karaoke machine.

without any big celebrations on the horizon, we get together for dinner at least once a quarter. every time we're sitting around the kitchen counter sharing stories, i wonder why we don't do it more often.

i suspect it's due to my crazy schedule.

looks like i have my first new year's resolution - make more time for the people who matter most - family!

Happy Birthday

30 years ago my honey was born and i consider his birthday as much a celebration for me as it is for him.

i just count my lucky stars that greg and ellen decided to get frisky way back when and then did such an incredible job of raising their son. by the time he got to me he was nearly perfect and he just gets better every year!

happy birthday, mike!

The Counter

a restaurant that encourages it's patrons to build their own burgers.

enough said.

HGTV

my parents and i worked for nine hours straight today. we were remodeling mike's office as his birthday gift - a brain child of mine that i forced upon my incredibly supportive parents.

they showed up bright and early, unloaded the air conductor, set up the saw horses, plugged in the nail gun and table saw and we got to work. we repainted, hung new baseboards and a chair rail, built a valence and hung draperies. this was all before the new furniture arrived at 430p. after that, we finished off the details, accessorized, vacuumed, hung pictures and waited patiently for him to get home. seems like a simple job but let me tell you...there's so much more to it.

it was a labor of love and the only thing that came close to seeing the surprised look on mike's face as he walked through the door was my grateful heart for having two of the most incredible parents in the world.

Kazu Sushi

mike's birthday weekend officially began tonight with one of the best dinner's of our lives. i took him to kazu sushi up in studio city. it's known for being one of the most legitimate sushi restaurants outside of tokyo. just down the street from the popular katsu-ya, it's small, unassuming and absolutely amazing!

we ordered the okasame or chef's choice and were served course upon course of the freshest, most buttery goodness imaginable. everything from toro to hamachi belly to oysters and uni. the best part is, we had the whole restaurant to ourselves so it was like a private sushi tasting with kazu himself!

mike was very happy!

Fat Bottomed Girls

heard a great song on the radio this morning...one i haven't heard in forever and it successfully got my energy up for a big day ahead!

"Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin' world go round"

gotta love a little queen first thing in the morning!

For Just a Moment

i made a friend on the first day of my class back in august named lori. accounting doesn't really lend itself to "group projects" so i haven't talked to many other people since.

lori was out tonight so i sat down next to a nice girl in the front row - about 10 years younger than me. her name is catherine.

making new friends is fun even when you know that once the one reason that brought you together ends, you'll likely never talk to each other again. catherine was sweet and interesting and interested and she made an otherwise, very dry class enjoyable.

9-0

like most busy people, we're rarely free on the weeknights so we've gotten really good at recording our favorite shows and watching them at odd hours - before bed and on the weekends. it's become such a routine, i don't even know which nights shows actually air anymore.

i was supposed to work late tonight but ended up sneaking out at around 730p which meant i arrived home just in time to watch 90210 (guilty pleasure) at its usual time. even better? mike's the one who flipped to the channel right as the "duh duh duh dunt" intro started. he claimed "there was nothing else on" and he criticized every aspect of the show for a solid hour but i know he was secretly into it too.

Decisions, Decisions

i struggle with too many choices and so it seems, the more important the decision, the more indecisive i am. at times like this, i frequently turn to mike or my mom to help me but usually, they force me to get through it on my own.

frustrated with their "lack of support" at the time, i'm always grateful in the end - especially, when i look back and realize i made the right (responsible, wise, thoughtful) decision.

today was one of those days. phew.

Taco Bell?

mike and i are definitely mexican food snobs. in fact, we abhor americanized mexican food. tacos made with flour tortillas and topped with shredded lettuce actually make us angry. just give us a taco stand - carne asada (yes, mystery meat) tacos with cilantro, onions and lots of hot sauce and we're happy. and don't even get mike started on the time he was served an entire chicken in a bag. the guy was so happy he didn't even mind picking off the few random feathers that made the journey.

i told you...we're snobs.

that's why we laughed hysterically when we asked our taxi driver to direct us to the best taco stand in town. when i clarified that i wanted him to send us to the place he goes for dinner and not where he'd typically send american tourists he said, "taco bell? ah, come on!" with the most genuine spanish accent you've ever heard.

you kinda had to be there but it really did make our day!

Shout

i love weddings. i always have.

i used to sit in the audience and imagine what my wedding would be like someday. now, i sit and remember how special that moment was for mike and me and feel so grateful that i get to witness two people i love experience those same emotions.

rob and denisse had a beautiful ceremony incorporating her mexican heritage and his obsession with the movie, "wedding crashers." the reception was intimate and the tequila flowed freely.

in fact, the tequila may have flowed a little too freely because my night ended when i tripped and fell on a cactus. this was clearly not the sunshine of my day but seeing the joy in the bride and groom's faces when they learned that the their wedding was a hit - complete with hilarity - made the pain so worthwhile. plus, my embarrassment subsided when i found out that the brother of the bride ended up taking his pants off and dancing around the after-party.

what can i say? mexican weddings.

Cabo Wabo

mike and i are on a plane for one reason or another at least every two months however it feels more frequent. my parents often comment on how much traveling we do. while our trips are rarely long enough, they're always well worth it because we're usually heading off to visit out of town family and friends or to attend a destination wedding. every once in a while, we even take a trip that's just for the two of us.

one of my favorite things in life is getting in the car/cab and heading to the airport. just the anticipation of travel, the excitement of arriving at our destination and the eagerness to get out of town for a bit makes even the earliest of mornings bearable.

Staycation

nothing beats a vacation far, far away from reality. you know, somewhere at least two hours away by plane, with sandy beaches, palm trees, fruity drinks and the smell of the ocean and suntan lotion.

still, there is something nice about being in town but not being at work. catching up on errands, cleaning house, doing laundry...just living life without task lists, bosses and email. i can't lie though...i may have plugged in a couple of times throughout the day.

ah, the beauty of having vpn on your home computer!

Ah, Perspective

heard some great advice today:

life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

it couldn't have come at a better time because i was certainly feeling like a victim at work today.

Presies

part of mike's birthday present arrived today. i was so excited that i did a little dance around my office with no one looking.

i love birthdays and i love gifts.

in fact, i even like giving more than receiving. who woulda thought?

Toast

we were a "toaster" family growing up.

in fact, i never really knew the difference between a toaster and a toaster oven until i met my friend, julie, in college. after spending some time at her parents' house, i learned the magical way a toaster oven melts cheese on bread - anyway you cut it, a toaster just can't do that.

so, when it came to registering for wedding gifts, a lovely, stainless steel, cheese-melting beauty made our list. i don't use it regularly but when i do i'm never disappointed!

A Day of Rest

woke up, walked the dog, showered and prepared to spend the day catching up on life - running errands. so many errands.

as i was reaching for my purse i realized that i was still absolutely exhausted from yesterday's memory walk. mike suggested i take the day off and just relax.

so i did.

i curled up in bed with my puppy and my dad's book and edited the day away. i scratched out words, circled others, added sentences, etc. by the end of the afternoon, red ink was everywhere - on my hands, forehead and even the pillowcase.

it was a cozy, relaxing and oddly productive sunday. hallelujah