2010 Recap

I can't believe how fast this year has flown by! In writing this post, I've looked back over my blog, and some of these things seem like they just happened! It's time for another yearly recap:

January

The New Years Pig

• Jan 1: It's not New Years without the annual Blankenheim pig roast! This year was no exception! There was a rousing beer pong tournament, singing, beer, and, of course, oodles of pig. My goal for 2011 is to farm out enough pig that we hit 2012 with an empty freezer!
• Jan 12: A catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake hits Haiti. It struck in part of the most populated area of Haiti, causing the death toll to reach 230,000 people. Living conditions following the quake were horrible, causing disease and more death.

  

  Shadow In His New Pen

• Jan 16: The fence to Shadow's new pen is finished. Shadow did not exactly know what to do, once "released into the wild" and decided to bark at the house. Fortunately, he learned to love the pen and now looks forward to going outside so he can chase critters, bark at squirrels and take long naps in the shade. He's also bulked up his muscle mass while running up and down the hill and around the pen. Now if he doesn't get outside to get in his daily exercise, he's a mess... we've created a monster!

February

Seahorses at Monterey Aquarium

• Feb 20-21: Mike and I decided we needed a little break from the world, so we took our "27 hour vacation" to Monterey. We spent Saturday evening hanging out at Cannery Row. We took most of Sunday to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was absolutely beautiful! I captured some stunning pictures on my camera (see my post from that trip) and loved seeing the seahorse exhibit!

March

• Mar 14: At the beginning of March, Mike and I decided to take the next big step together - moving in! On March 14th Mom, Dad, Kati, Nate, Tim, Nicki and Skyler helped me move all of my stuff from my little house in Mather to Mike's house. It felt so good to finally be sharing a home! If you want a sneak peak of where that led to, skip forward to October!

  

  Bridesmaids @ Brigitte's Shower

• Mar 16: Kati and Nate got engaged! They hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls and he proposed overlooking the valley. I'm so excited for both of them!
• Mar 21: Amber and I hosted Brigitte's bridal shower at her parent's house. We had a wonderful time... including a lovely little story with underwear to match each of the different stages of Brigitte's marriage! We had fantastic little bride and groom dessert shots, a chocolate fountain and lots of fondue. The best part was the main course - we created a "mashed potato bar" where each person got a martini glass of mashed potatoes and we had tons of different toppings for them. Yum!

April

Boom boom pow!

• Apr 2: Adam, Eva and I went to see the Black Eyed Peas and Ludacris in concert. It was a pretty awesome show... we had the best time! I love the old school Ludacris songs (like from high school), so it was cool to hear him do some of those. The Black Eyed Peas put on a pretty spectacular show... very high energy and constantly entertaining. I loved the middle section when Will.i.am did a little DJ thing and mixed up a bunch of old Michael Jackson songs. We had the best time singing and dancing!

  

  Brigitte's Bachelorette Party

• Apr 16-18: Brigitte's Bachelorette Weekend. And what a weekend it was! On Friday night, Amber, Kristine, Brigitte and I went out in downtown Lodi. I had a pretty spectacular deck of cards that featured various dares... ones that we swore we wouldn't do happened as the night went on! On Saturday, we headed out with a ton of lovely ladies to take a limo wine tasting to several different Lodi vineyards. It was a blast! That was promptly followed by a very serious match of "Pin the Macho on the Man". Yup, you read that right! Sunday morning followed with a delicious breakfast. What a way to say goodbye to Brigitte's single days!

May

Brigitte and Dan's Wedding

• May 8: Brigitte and Dan got married! What an awesome party it was! I was honored to sing at their ceremony ("When You Say Nothing At All" by Allison Krauss). The wedding was fantastic and Brigitte was a beautiful bride! The reception was an absolute blast - there was dancing, singing, and the most fantastic blue drinks I've ever had in my life! I believe at one point I even saw someone end up in the pool... 

  

  Top of Yosemite Falls

  
• May 25-27: Mike and I took a little trip to Yosemite. We had planned to hike Half Dome, but thanks to an unusually long winter, there was still way too much snow. We did the Vernal/Nevada Falls hike as well as Yosemite Falls. Mike did a great job putting up with me... the Yosemite Falls hike was hard! I believe at one point I even mentioned that I hoped I was eaten by a grizzly bear. My boots gave me a pretty spectacular blister on my scar from my surgery and every step I took down the mountain made it feel like my foot was bleeding! We had a spectacular view from the top though!

June

My New Toyota Rav4

• Jun 12: The run of "Big Red" came to an end. After twelve long years together, Big Red finally met her end. No, it wasn't a fiery crash - it was just that too many things started going wrong and she was getting a little expensive. I donated her to the Northern California Labrador Retriever Rescue, where she was sold at auction for $750 (higher than blue book!) and the money went to save lab puppies. Obviously, I couldn't cruise around without a car, so I purchased my first very own car (Big Red was a gift from my parents). Oliver is my brand new, black Toyota Rav4. I absolutely love him and all of his cool features (like working sun visors!). It was a sad day to see Big Red go, but I'm so happy with my purchase. It's much roomier, the four wheel drive rocks and I get way better gas mileage!

July

• Jul 4: This year for the 4th of July, we did double BBQs - one in Roseville with my parents and one in Sutter Creek with Mike's family. Nicki and I ended up in the pool at the Blankenheims - fully clothed. Good times.

  

  Cowbell Girls At The Death Ride

• Jul 10: Yet again, crazy Mike and Mark decided to do the 2010 Death Ride. This time, they convinced Sean and Rich to pedal along with them! That's 129 miles, 5 mountain passes and 15,000 feet of climbing. Erin, Clarissa, Mom, Dad, Keegan, Connor, Katie and I were all there as a cheering section - we had an absolute blast screaming for people we didn't know who looked like they were about to die. We had cowbells and everything!

  

  Shadow Running at Folsom

• Jul 18: Mom, Dad and I took the boat out to Lake Folsom. It's been forever since Shadow has been out, so the invited him as well. The lake level was a little low in spots, creating new islands. Shadow had the best day of his life... since we could beach it and there was no one else there, he got to run around the lake off leash for the first time!
• Jul 31: Nicki, Skyler and I went to the Amador County Fair. It was my first time, and I honestly thought it was better than the State Fair was this year! We had a blast getting Sky's face painted, seeing all of the animals and eating funnel cakes!

August

• Aug 14: We went to Matt and Megan Blankenheim's wedding. The wedding was held in Sonoma and was beautiful!

  

  Mom With A Fish

  • Aug 21-27: Mike and I joined my parents for the annual trip to Lake Almanor. We had a fantastic week of fishing... Mike caught both the largest and smallest fishes of the week! In total, we caught right around 40 fish! Mike and I also climbed Mount Harkness, which had a Cal Fire lookout station on top and a spectacular 360 degree view of the area! We went water skiing, jet skiing and saw some pretty crazy stuff including two falcons colliding over a fish and an otter! 
  
• Aug 28: Mike and I went with Sean and Erin to the Dave Matthews Band concert in the Bay Area. We had an absolutely blast tailgating (which is apparently illegal if you have alcohol... good thing Sean and Mike are rebels!) and the show was amazing, as always. Erin and I bought matching shirts while the boys bought matching mixed drinks.

September

• Sept 14: Our two year anniversary! We celebrated by going out to dinner at a little place called Teresa's Place near our house. It was delicious Italian food! It seems like two years just flew by! I'm definitely very glad I chose to crawl into a cave with Mike a couple years ago!
• Sept 17: I accepted a new job at Intel... after 2 1/2 years in the same role, I was ready for a change! The transition was challenging, as the new job is completely different than the old, but I'm absolutely loving the challenge!
• Sept 28: I got my first and only speeding ticket for doing 76mph in a 55mph zone. I did not argue with the officer and he was nice and wrote the ticket for 70mph. I paid my fine, did my traffic school and am seriously much more careful with my speed. Cruise control is my friend!

October

June Beverly Smithson

• Oct 20: Grandma (Dad's mom) passes away. Dad and Aunt Sandi were both able to be with her and to hold her hand to the end. She was a very strong woman, who fought to the very end.
• Oct 23-27: Mike and I take a vacation to Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Canada. We started the trip off with a whale watching tour that was absolutely amazing. After a long time on the water, we finally found the orcas... it was so cool to see them swimming all around us! Over the course of the trip we managed to see Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, my college roommate Jennifer, the Seattle Aquarium, the Vancouver Aquarium and a couple of grizzly bears at a park in Vancouver! It was a spectacular trip! Especially because on...

  

  Moments after I said YES!

• Oct 25: Mike proposed! We had gone to the top of the Space Needle (his original plan) only to meet 30mph wind gusts. He decided that wasn't very romantic, so we went back to our hotel, which boasted a 6th floor rooftop viewing deck. While we were up there admiring the Seattle skyline, he popped the question! Best day of my life!

November

• Nov 6: Mike and I hosted the Fourth Annual Friends Thanksgiving. As always, it was a fun event and this year we ended up with about 30 people (we keep adding each year!). I cooked two turkeys and a ham and we had the most delicious side dishes! We even had an on-duty fire engine that stopped by... the crew was nice enough to take the kids out for a ride and let them play with the hoses... so exciting for the kids!

  

  Ironmen!

• Nov 21: Mike and Sean finish the 2010 Ironman Arizona. I couldn't be more proud of both of them! We had a huge group of cheerleaders with us that spent the day running from spot to spot to try to help the boys. We had fantastic yellow shirts (thank you Totally Trophies!) and had a blast. It was a marathon day for everyone... right around 20 hours from wake up to settling back in bed! As an added bonus, on the way home we stopped to visit my college roommate, Joanna and her beautiful new baby Abigail!

December

49ers/Seahawks Game

• Dec 12: Mike and I made the trip to San Francisco to see my 49ers play his Seahawks. I had never been to a professional football game before this, so everything was new and exciting! We took the BART in from Richmond and saved a lot of time and frustration. The 49ers even won!
• Dec 18: I found and bought my wedding dress! I can't believe it... not only is it amazingly fantastic, but it's all mine! No, don't think for a minute that I'm going to post it on here... Mike hasn't seen it and I want it to stay that way until the day we get married. I can't wait!
• Dec 23: My cousin Emily got engaged! Her fiance, Graham, proposed to her at Union Square in San Francisco while they were ice skating. So romantic!
• Dec 24: Mike and I spent Christmas Eve with the Blankenheims. We went to church, had yummy snacks and opened presents!
• Dec 25: Mike and I spent Christmas Day with the Smithsons. We went to Mom and Dad's house and had prime rib, lots of yummy side dishes and opened presents!

Well, as you can see 2010 has been a pretty good year, full of mostly highs. I can't even fathom what 2011's yearly recap is going to look like... by this time next year, Kati and I will both be married!

Migraines: The Diagnosis

Well faithful blog readers, hopefully you won't have to read about my horrible headaches anymore. For the last long time I've thought they were caused by sinus issues since I have such horrible allergies. I finally convinced my doctor to send me back to the allergist, who asked me several key questions today. Here's what I learned:

1. Apparently, it is not normal to have headaches that make you nauseous.
2. Normal headaches should not make you sensitive to light and sound.
3. Normal headaches don't make you go to bed to sleep it off.

Apparently, one of the "side effects" of a migraine is a stuffy nose and what feels like sinus pressure. Basically, I've been treating the side effects, not the main issue!

So, I've been given a prescription that should help when I get one of the headaches and then enrolled in on of Kaiser's classes. It's a women's migraines class taught by a neurologist where they review the different triggers for migraines and what you can to do prevent them from happening. I am actually really excited... I'd love to find out what's causing these and what I can do to make them stop! I'm cautiously optimistic! I go this Wednesday, so think some happy thoughts for me!

Christmas 2010

Christmas this year was spectacular... we managed to squish in some time with everyone!

Christmas Eve was spent with the Blankenheim clan... I went to church with Nancy, Katie, Grandma Jeanette and Raymond. It was a great mass at St. Bernard's given by Father George (who I hope is the priest to marry us!). After mass, we headed back to Grandma Jeanette's house for hors'dourves and presents for the kids. The food was delicious... we had everything from meatballs to bacon wrapped jalapenos to veggies. Yum! After that, we went over to Ray and Nancy's house to open more presents. It was a really fun night and I got some fantastic presents!

On Christmas morning we got up and made a fantastic french breakfast and opened presents. I think Shadow had the most fun!

Shadow Opening His Presents

Shadow And The Present Aftermath

Mike got me a real barometer... our little inside joke is that my sinus issues make me a human barometer... now I have a real one to tell me when my head is going to start hurting! It's beautiful... we have it hanging in our living room already!

In the afternoon, we headed over to my parent's house to spend the rest of Christmas Day with them. Kati, Nate, Cyndy and Alan joined us there... it was a blast! Here are some pictures of the goodies we ate:

The Fantastic Spread!

Mom had a really cool idea for decorating the table... along with tons of beautiful candles, she used one of her own quilts (hand quilted!) as the table cloth and then covered it with a plastic table cloth. It was absolutely beautiful!

Mom's Beautiful Table!

We had the most fantastic time and played a rousing game of Balderdash. Mike and I were neck in neck but eventually he pulled out all the stops and won the game.

The night ended with one of my famous sinus headaches (boo!) but all in all, Christmas this year was fantastic! I've spent most of today being mellow, relaxing and looking into some stuff for the wedding (like cake toppers!). I'm currently curled up in bed downstairs, watching "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days" with Shadow curled up next to me. Not a bad day!

Movie Review: True Grit

Last night, Mike, Chris, Kassie and I went to see the remake of the old John Wayne classic "True Grit". Now, I've never seen the original (it's currently in our Netflix queue), but I thought this remake was absolutely fantastic!

Here's the synopsis:

Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. Against his wishes, she joins him in his trek into the Indian Nations in search of Chaney. They are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who wants Chaney for his own purposes. The unlikely trio find danger and surprises on the journey, and each has his or her "grit" tested.

First of all, I absolutely love Jeff Bridges. He plays Rooster Cogburn, the surly U.S. Marshall. I think Bridges makes an excellent "cowboy" of sorts and brings a little bit of comedy to the role that Mike tells me was not in the original film.

I was very surprised by Matt Damon's performance. He's not typically someone I would envision in a western film, but he pulls off the role of LaBoeuf with comedy and heart.

This is a fantastic story and a very well put together film. I definitely recommend seeing this one... even going to theater to see it!

Bah Humbug

Last night Mom, Dad, Kati and I went to see the Sacramento Theater Company's production of "A Christmas Carol". I don't know why, but I was not expecting an out of this world production, however, I was very quickly proven wrong! This show was outstanding... from the lighting and smoke effects to the acting by all of the characters.

My favorite actress was a little girl who played the beggar girl. She came out and sang the first refrain of the Advent Carol... that little girl had a voice! She came out several other times during the production and I was absolutely amazed.

I think they also did a very good job with the ghosts... in order to give them an otherworldly feel, they used voice changing microphones to help add echo and depth. The ghost of Christmas present was one of the best ones I've seen... he was a big jolly looking fellow and just fit the role perfectly!

This was a really fun event to go to... it was in a part of downtown that was not overly crowded (read: we were able to park for free on the street) but we could have gone to a yummy restaurant if we wanted to (read: we went to In-N-Out instead). What a fantastic outing!

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repealed

Apparently it's a week for current events...

Today President Obama and company repealed the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. In case you've been living under a rock for the last 20 years or so, here's some background information. The policy went into effect in 1993 and basically states that the military is restricted from efforts to discover or reveal the sexuality of it's members. It also states that if you're openly gay, lesbian or bisexual that you are barred from military service. So, on one hand, while it's great that it prevents the military from digging into anyone's sexuality, it's bad because it doesn't allow you to open about what your sexuality might be. When it was introduced by President Clinton, the alleged idea was to protect LGBT soldiers from harassed.

Retired General Shalikashvili (who was formerly against LGBT soldiers serving) wrote: "Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job."

So, here are my thoughts. People are gay. They're working at the doctor's office, at the DMV, at the grocery store. Many of them are out. Some of them are not. Let's not pretend that LGBT people do not exist. They are people just like you and I who have made a choice in their life (some will even argue that it's not a choice). Why on earth would we stop them from serving in the military?! As the good General above said, we can use every person who is willing to defend this country right now. In fact, I think it says something that a person who's rights are not even supported by the country is willing to fight (and die) for that very country.

I'd also like to remind people that there was once a time that we didn't allow blacks or women to serve in the military... maybe we need to learn from our past.

I think today is a huge victory, not just for the LGBT community but for our country as a whole. I know that I'm incredibly thankful for my freedoms and I don't care if the person who gave their life for that is gay or not! It makes me proud to be an American today!

Link to CNN's coverage.

Choir Gone Wild

Last night, the choir that I sang with until recently planned and event at one of the local malls, the Roseville Galleria. Back in October there was a major incident at the mall... a man walked in with a backpack, held up a store and set fire to the store. The fire raged out of control, amid reports of the backpack holding explosives. Long story short, there's still a significant portion of the mall that is not open due to fire damage. SCSO had planned to show up at the food court to sing the Hallelujah Chorus and then disperse to shop, eat, whatever. The goal was to bring more people to the mall and generate some revenue, while spreading a little Christmas cheer.

Apparently, a lot of people showed up. A lot. Reports range from a few hundred to five thousand. Needless to say, the mall was packed. Probably not what anyone expected. At one point, someone claims to have heard the floor crack and rumble (they were on the second story, near the food court). This was followed by a flurry of calls to 911. The mall was evacuated and shut down so that structural engineers could evaluate the safety of the foundation and flooring.

Now, I am the first person to tell you that I am 100% committed to safety. Do I think that it was right to disperse the crowd last night? Yes. Do I think they needed police helicopters and to shut down the entire mall? No. I also don't like the use of the term "flash mob". By definition, a flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual act for a brief time, then disperse. Examples of this are when 200 people flooded the lobby of a Hyatt hotel in New York, applauded for 15 seconds and then dispersed, all without the hotel's knowledge. SCSO had planned this event out with the Galleria and had advertised it on their web site. To me, that's definitely not the same thing.

Mike and I had a discussion about this last night... If I own a bar and I invite a band to come play, I'm responsible for making sure that I don't have more people than I have capacity for. If I know the fire code says fifty people and two hundred show up, as the owner of that business, I am responsible for making sure that I maintain safety. I honestly don't see how the Galleria Mall situation is any different.

Here's the link to the Sac Bee's story.

In other news, take a look at director Don Kendrick in the pictures and video - he looks like he's in all his glory! What a cool thing, to have that many people come out to sing and listen! I love that people are so willing to share the Christmas spirit, even if it didn't turn out exactly how it was planned!

Update: now it's made it to CNN!

Wedding Dress Shopping

Yesterday was definitely a big day... Mom, Kati and I braved the rain to go wedding dress shopping. Finally it was my turn! :) This was a pretty amazing experience. I honestly never really gave much thought to what my dress would look like before now. I went into the store with some ideas, having looked through a bunch of bridal magazines. They say that when you put "the" dress on, you just know. So the first few dresses that I tried on, I walked out and thought "could this be the one?". On dress number five, I KNEW. It's hard to say what exactly it was, but everything about it was perfect. I felt like a princess. I went to lunch with Mom and Kati and then we went to a different shop to try on some other dresses, but I kept comparing them to my dress (even Mom and Kati were calling it "my dress"... definitely a sign!).

The whole dress shopping experience was a lot of fun for a couple different reasons. First of all, it was just awesome to spend the day with my mom and my sister. Secondly, it was really fun to be treated like a princess. I got to try on some of the most beautiful dresses that I've ever seen in my life. How often does that happen?

Oh, and one other thing. My mom picked the dress. Yup, she picked it and I love it!

In case you're wondering, no, I'm not going to describe the dress or post pictures. I want to make sure that Mike is absolutely stunned the day of our wedding and so I need to make sure that there is no evidence for him to stumble across! I can't wait for him to see it!

Holiday Eating Tips

Sent to me by both Amber and Raymond. :)

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS


1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare... You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think.

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

A Little Christmas Story

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the pre-Christmas pressure. Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more. When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where. Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden the liquor.. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree. The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Things I'm Thankful For

Once again, it's time for another episode of "Things I'm Thankful For". Every  now and then, I like to stop and think about how lucky and truly blessed I am. Without further ado, here are today's things I'm thankful for:

• Shadow curled up next to me. I'm laying on the floor, watching "Criminal Minds" and typing this post on my laptop. Shadow is all snuggled up next to me, fast asleep.
• My job. It may be stressful, I may get tired of it, but I work for a damn good company. Most weeks I get to work from home on Friday, I have excellent benefits and lots of opportunity.
• Christmas. Whether or not you believe in the whole Christ thing, Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. People are a little nicer to each other (well, most people). Everything sparkles with pretty lights. You get to give people presents.
• Cake. I'm about to make one. Chocolate fudge with fudge chip frosting. Because I can.
• My health. I know I don't always seem like the healthiest of people (darned sinus infections), but in the grand scheme of things, I'm pretty lucky. There are definitely worse things than getting a little headache every time a storm rolls in.

That's it for today... stay tuned... in the next week or so, I'll start working on  my 2010 wrap up!

My First NFL Football Game!

Today we went to my very first NFL football game... to watch the San Francisco 49ers (my team since childhood) play the Seattle Seahawks (Mike's team). We parked in Richmond and took BART all the way into San Francisco, which was a fantastic idea. We ended up saving SO much time and frustration, especially after the game! Here we are on the train:

The very first thing I noticed when we got to the field was how HUGE these guys are... I know on TV some of the linebackers look pretty big, but in person, all of them are massive! The other thing that I noticed was how skinny the field goal posts are! On TV, they've always looked so wide... but they're only 18 feet, 6 inches apart! We got there nice and early, so we had the chance to walk down the field and watch some of the warm ups. Here's 49ers coach Mike Singletary:

Here's Mike and I, all excited to be there:

Of course, when at any sort of sporting event, it is entirely necessary to eat and drink all sorts of unhealthy things (like hot dogs, nachos and beer!):

It was a pretty fun game to watch... the final score was 40-21 with the 49ers winning my first NFL game... it's almost like they knew I was there! :)

I think football is definitely one of those sports that is WAY better to watch in person than on TV. Don't get me wrong, I love my Sunday football, but it was really cool to see and hear this live! There were a couple of field goal attempts that the 49ers made and one of the Seahawks got a hand up to try to stop it - you could hear the slap from where we were sitting! It was also amazing to see how really athletic these guys are... TV doesn't do it justice! They typically cut away from the quarterback after the hands off/passes the ball, but if you really watch, he continues moving through the play after he hands it off... to fake pass or fake another hand off. It's all stuff you almost never see on TV!

Fantastic day!!!

Book Review: House Rules

The most recent book I read is called "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult.

Here's the back of the cover synopsis:

Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject--in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's--not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect--can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. One of the best things about the way she writes is that she tells the story from different character's points of view. Each chapter is titled the name of a character and she even changes fonts to show their different personalities. The story unfolds almost painfully slowly. And, of course, she always throws in a twist at the very end. Even though I know the twist is coming, I can never seem to figure it out!

I really liked this book... I think the story line was different than a lot of the ones she normally writes about. I would be curious to see if people who actually have Asperger's exhibit all of the traits she writes into Jacob or if she wrote in a few too many for dramatic effect.

As with any Jodi Picoult book, this is a definite must read... you won't be able to put it down for the last few chapters!

Movie Review: Shutter Island

Last night Mike and I watched the movie "Shutter Island". It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a U.S. Marshal assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a mental hospital. There are several twists in the movie and once you get to the ending, there's one final big twist. Or is there? Once you've seen the movie, Google "Shutter Island Ending" and look at all of the different theories on what the ending might actually mean!

Here's the IMDB synopsis:

It's 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He's been pushing for an assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy's shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals "escape" in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.

My favorite line in the movie is delivered by Leonardo DiCaprio near the end of the movie: "Which would be worse, to live as a monster or die as a good man?" This is a great movie - definitely throw it into your Netflix queue if you haven't already seen it!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

This weekend we worked on getting the lights up on the house. Every year when I lived at home, my dad and I went out and put up more lights than you can imagine. It was a tradition dubbed "Operation Little Elf" and each year we added more and more lights to the stash.

This year, I decided to unleash my Christmas spirit on our house. I had always decorated the old house, but now that Mike and I are living together, I have a much larger canvas to work with! I did end up having to go buy more lights (in fact, I still need to get some more to finish off one of the decks!), but it is really starting to look like Christmas over here! Mike got into it too... which makes me super happy! He was out climbing all over the roof for most of yesterday clipping and wrapping lights to all of our different gutters and eaves. We even had a third elf, Mike's friend Mark, who came over to help out. I couldn't be more pleased with the results!

Now if only I can convince them to climb that giant pine tree at the top of the driveway... it would look so good with giant ornaments and big lights! Maybe next year...

I also started wrapping presents - I've got seven done, four more to wrap and a few more to shop for... not bad considering it's only December 5th! The tree always looks so much better with presents underneath!

Undeniable Adult Truths

Holy cow, it's December! Only 23 more days until Christmas! I can't believe how fast 2010 has flown by... and 2011 is shaping up to be event more fun-filled! Here's a little joke for the day, courtesy of my mom:

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey… but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Movie Review: Tangled

Over the long Thanksgiving break, I was invited by Nicki and Skyler to head out to the movies. It's been forever since I've actually been to the movies and even longer since I've seen an animated film.

I could not have been happier with either. I absolutely loved "Tangled". This is Disney's take on the old fairytale of Rapunzel. Mandy Moore does a fantastic job bringing Rapunzel to life.

Here's the storyline:

After receiving the healing powers from a magical flower, the baby Princess Rapunzel is kidnapped from the palace in the middle of the night by Mother Gothel. Mother Gothel knows that the flower's magical powers are now growing within the golden hair of Rapunzel, and to stay young, she must lock Rapunzel in her hidden tower. Rapunzel is now a teenager and her hair has grown to a length of 70-feet. The beautiful Rapunzel has been in the tower her entire life, and she is curious of the outside world. One day, the bandit Flynn Ryder scales the tower and is taken captive by Rapunzel. Rapunzel strikes a deal with the charming thief to act as her guide to travel to the place where the floating lights come from that she has seen every year on her birthday. Rapunzel is about to have the most exciting and magnificent journey of her life.

I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who has kids and even adults who fondly remember movies like "Beauty and the Beast" and "Snow White".

Click here to watch the trailer!

'Tis the Season!

Hooray, hooray, hooray! It's finally here... Christmas Season! This last weekend I busted out the iPod Christmas mix, the decorations and the two Christmas trees! Oh, the beauty of combining two entire households... now there's a tree for upstairs and a tree for downstairs! The only thing I really have left to decorate is the outside. I'm debating on whether I put lights up or not this year. We'll see if I can convince the Grinch to help me hang them!

There's something so magical about the Christmas Season. For me, it goes beyond presents. There's something about the cold (now snow! I get snow sometimes!), the shopping, the lights and the music. Something about a good Christmas song just puts a smile on my face!

I thought I'd share some of my favorite Christmas albums with you faithful blog readers:

• Boys II Men: Christmas Interpretations. Their a capella version of "Silent Night" will make you weep!
• Straight No Chaser: Christmas Cheers. If you haven't heard me rave about them, you haven't been listening! "The 12 Days of Christmas" is absolutely hilarious!
• Mannheim Steamroller: Fresh Aire. I absolutely love their "Carol of the Bells". You can't go wrong with any of their Christmas albums, but this one is my favorite.
• Singles
  • The Brian Setzer Orchestra: "Gettin' In the Mood (For Christmas). It's a fun twist on a great jazz song!
  • 'N Sync: "O Holy Night". Absolutely stunning.

Dog Rescue

Tell me how cool this is... a 13 year old yellow lab named Homer fell down a hole today that was dug to prep for a sewer line in Sacramento.

Sacramento Metro Fire sent their confined space rescue team out to work on saving the dog - and from the latest news reports, it looks like they got him out safely! In fact, if you look at the link below, you can see where Homer is out and on oxygen. What a cool group of people that were willing to risk their lives for someone's pet!

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2010/11/26/dog-falls-30ft-into-septic-tank-rescue-team-dispatched/

Ironman 2010

I am beyond proud of Mike and Sean. This last weekend we all travelled to Tempe, Arizona for the 2010 Ironman competition. For those of you who don't know what a feat this is, the Ironman consists of three parts: a 2.4 mile open water swim, a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile run. That's a total of 140.6 miles and the contestants are given a cutoff time of 17 hours. The pros that won the race did it in 8 hours and 7 minutes, but for me it was way cooler to watch the "average Joes" finish. There's something about seeing a normal person push themselves to do something so amazing that was just fantastic to watch.

Mike and Sean both finished before the midnight cutoff and I honestly couldn't be prouder of both of them!

Here's Erin, Sarah and I saying goodbye (and good luck) to the boys just before the race:

The swim start... that's seriously a lot of people:

Our cheering squad - we had some bright shirts made so that the boys could see us when they passed on the course:

Here's Mike on the bike:

And on the run:

And, finally, at the finish - I was incredibly happy he was still alive and judging by the look on his face in the picture, he was happy to have pizza:

Like I said (and can't say enough!) I'm so proud of both Mike and Sean... what they did this weekend was such a huge accomplishment and is utterly amazing to me. Here are both of the boys at the finish line with their medals:

This was a fantastic trip and it was so much fun for the cheering crew to run around for 17 hours screaming at the top of our lungs! Our families and friends back home got to track Mike and Sean on the internet (Ironman has a great website) and were following along the whole way!

The Grace Foundation

One of my favorite things about working at Intel is that they really try to do good in the community. This week, my team is doing a volunteer work team builder. This means instead of spending money to go out and have drinks or a lunch or mini-golf, we go as a team and volunteer our time. I've been planning the one that we're doing this quarter and am so amazed by the organization that we're going to help.

I was told by one of my coworkers that there was a place near Folsom called The Grace Foundation. They rescue horses in the Northern California area that have been neglected or abused. The stories on their website are heartbreaking... I can't even imagine how people manage to be so horrible to animals.

But they don't stop there. The Grace Foundation realized that children and at-risk teens are often subjected to the same abuse and neglect that these beautiful animals are. So they've created programs to get children involved in the care and rehabilitation of the horses. They have all sorts of programs that teach children to ride, care for the horses, and about what it takes to be a veterinarian. They also offer equine therapy programs for people with special needs.

I am so incredibly excited to head over there on Thursday... I can't wait to do my little part in helping these horses out!

It's Almost Here!

Wow, I can't believe it... what started out as a crazy idea between two friends is now upon us! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it's almost Ironman time! No, I'm not doing one... Mike and Sean are! We're headed to Arizona this weekend for festivities and I can't wait! I swear, I think I get more nervous than the two of them do! Once he gets going, Mike is totally fine... I, on the other hand, am nervous and fidgety the entire time... only this time, it's a roughly 14 hour race!!!

We're going to hang out for an extra day in AZ and then head back home. I'm so super excited because on the way home, we're stopping to see my college (and after college) roommate Joanna and her husband Chris. They just had a sweet little baby girl that I absolutely can't wait to meet!

Let The Planning Begin!

I started looking at a lot of the bridal magazines that Kati gave me (thanks Kate!) as well as the Knot. There are just so many decisions to make... it's starting to feel a little overwhelming! There's venues and dresses and food and colors and favors and all sorts of other things. I started to look at all of the different checklists out there and there's tons of stuff that we should already be doing! We're thinking about a Fall 2011 wedding, which means that we're already under a year! I had wanted a few weeks to bask in the glow of being engaged... I guess it's time to kick it into gear!

We've been talking through venues and reception sites... we know a ton of people, so we're going to need to make sure we find one that has plenty of room! I feel like once we get those two big things nailed down (and actually have a date) things might become a little less overwhelming. I think we're getting close!

In other news, our neighbor sent a picture to us yesterday that says "Meet our new neighbor":

Yup, it's a bear. Our neighbor has a game camera mounted on one of the trees near where our properties meet... this little fella was caught on film around 5pm on Wednesday. I'm definitely not living in the city anymore! I'm less worried about the bear than I am the mountain lions, but I'm definitely going to be on my toes! My main worry is that we take Shadow out at night to do his business and accidentally surprise one of these big old critters!

Engaged!

The long awaited post... in case you didn't see Facebook... I'M ENGAGED!!!!

Mike and I took a trip up to Seattle and Vancouver last week. We spent the first day on a whale watching tour that was absolutely amazing. We were out for 6 hours before they found whales, but we finally got to see a whole pod of killer whales:

They were absolutely spectacular! We were totally frozen and exhausted by the time we got back, but it was well worth it!

On the second day, we did just about every touristy thing we could possibly do in Seattle. We bought these city passes that let us get into all sorts of places. We started with the Space Needle, which had a wonderful view of most of downtown Seattle. Then we went to the Science Fiction Museum and the Experience the Music Project. They had a whole section of Jimi Hendrix guitars, costumes and other stuff (he's from Seattle) which was really awesome to see. After that, we headed over to Pike Market to see the original Starbucks, the fish throwers and, of course, the legendary golden pig! Then we went to the Seattle Aquarium (I told you we did a lot that day!).

After the aquarium, we headed out to have a yummy steak dinner. I took some chocolate cake back to the hotel for dessert later. We decided to go back up to the top of the Space Needle that night (our city passes let us do one trip during the day and one at night). When we got up to the top, there was a crazy storm and they had 30 mile an hour winds. I guess Mike had planned on proposing up there, but made the last minute decision that 30 mile an hour winds were not entirely romantic:

We headed back to our hotel (the Mediterranean Inn) where Mike suggested that we check out the rooftop viewing deck. We wandered up there and I started taking pictures of the Key Arena and Space Needle. That's when Mike told me that he had something for me. In typical Anna style, I asked if it was better than chocolate cake. He said yes and asked me to pick a hand and then held out the little box that every girl loves to see. That's right, he proposed! :) I am beyond excited and so incredibly happy. Here's our official engagement picture, taking right after:

It was definitely still a little windy, but it was absolutely perfect!

The next day we drove up to Canada, after stopping to visit with my college roommate, Jennifer. I haven't seen her since we graduated, so it was so great to spend a few minutes catching up! We drove into Vancouver where we spent a couple days hanging out at the Vancouver Aquarium, Stanley Park and Grouse Mountain. They had a spectacular grizzly bear habitat at the top of the mountain that was absolutely amazing to see:

This was the most amazing vacation... I'm beyond excited and completely happy! Now we've got a wedding to plan!

I've got the rest of the pictures on Facebook... if you haven't already, check them out!

The Grace Foundation

One of my favorite things about working at Intel is that they really try to do good in the community. This week, my team is doing a volunteer work team builder. This means instead of spending money to go out and have drinks or a lunch or mini-golf, we go as a team and volunteer our time. I've been planning the one that we're doing this quarter and am so amazed by the organization that we're going to help.

I was told by one of my coworkers that there was a place near Folsom called The Grace Foundation. They rescue horses in the Northern California area that have been neglected or abused. The stories on their website are heartbreaking... I can't even imagine how people manage to be so horrible to animals.

But they don't stop there. The Grace Foundation realized that children and at-risk teens are often subjected to the same abuse and neglect that these beautiful animals are. So they've created programs to get children involved in the care and rehabilitation of the horses. They have all sorts of programs that teach children to ride, care for the horses, and about what it takes to be a veterinarian. They also offer equine therapy programs for people with special needs.

I am so incredibly excited to head over there on Thursday... I can't wait to do my little part in helping these horses out!

Mellow Weekend

I decided to take this weekend easy since I'm only about halfway through my antibiotics and gearing up for vacation. I would hate to be sick!

We're headed to Seattle next week... I'm super excited! I haven't been there since I was in high school. We know that for sure we're going to do some whale watching and some hiking. I spent the morning going through websites that discuss all of the coolest things to do there. If you have any suggestions, email them to me!

In other news, I successfully finished traffic school yesterday. I did one of the online courses and was prepared to be working on it for the next week. To my surprise, it only took me a couple hours and I passed the final test with 100%! Glad that I'm past that little experience and will definitely be using my cruise control from now on!

It was super nice to have a weekend to be mellow... I plan to continue that trend for the rest of today and hopefully every night after work this week! T-minus 5 days until vacation!!!

Rejoining the Living

Well, I lost the battle to yet another sinus infection. What started as a little sinus pressure after scuba diving class turned into full on sinus headache and later, infection. Definitely no fun. First round of antibiotics didn't work and the second round, while scary, does seem to be doing the trick. I wish there was some magical way to keep these things at bay! I've tried everything - my allergy meds, allergy shots, steam, neti pots, decongestants... the list goes on and on. If anyone has some suggestion that I haven't already tried, let me know!

In other absolutely amazing news, the Chilean miners were finally rescued the other day! For those of you not up to speed, on August 5th, a gold mine in Chile collapsed, trapping 33 miners underground. They survived and amazing 69 days underground! The rescuers were able to drill a small hole down to them (7 football fields down!) and passed things like food, water, cameras, etc down. They spent the rest of the time working on creating a larger hole that they could send a rescue capsule down to bring them up. This just completely blows me away. Seeing that first miner come out of the ground was amazing... if you think even 10 years back, they probably all would have been dead. Technology is absolutely amazing!

The Thunder Rolls

Ladies and gentlemen, it's officially fall. Thank goodness. I am normally very much a spring/summer kind of girl, but since last year winter was so spectacular, I was sort of left wanting more.

I went to bed early last night (way too much fun and relaxation was had this weekend!) and woke up at about 2am (way too much water before bed!). I looked out our bedroom slider and saw one of the better California thunderstorms that I've ever seen... I laid in bed for about 20 minutes watching and listening to it. About that time, I began to wonder what Shadow was up to... he sleeps downstairs in his crate and hadn't made a peep. In case you didn't know it, the one thing that Shadow most fears on this planet is a good thunderstorm, specifically the lightning. I know, that seems odd, but he really seems to be bothered more by the flashing lights than by the noise (although I'm sure he doesn't love that either, judging by his hatred of motorcycles).

I had closed all of the blinds in his room before he went to bed (good thinking, right?) on the assumption that it would keep most of the flashing out. Apparently it would have been fine except for that one pesky extra loud thunder clap.

Then the real show began.

He barked and barked and barked. I had the fantastic idea that I would go turn on the lights and music in his room, to drown out the noise and lights from the storm... that worked as long as I was curled up in the bed with him. I honestly gave it some thought (this had been going on for about an hour and I was pretty tired), but I realized that while he was falling asleep with the lights and music on, I could not. So, I did what every good dog mom does... tough love. I  put him back in the crate with the music and lights on, covered him up and closed the door.

Then Mike and I laid in bed for the next 1/2 hour listening to Shadow bark. The good news is that the storm passed and eventually everyone fell asleep.

The bad news is that another storm is predicted for tonight... and tomorrow night... and probably a good portion of the winter.

Does anyone have any good suggestions?

Scuba

Today Kati, Mike and I took a drive down to Dolphin Swim School to take the intro to scuba class. It was $10 and I assumed that it was going to be pretty cheesy. We got there and watched the obligatory cheesy video and then it was time to get in the water. To my surprise, we spent the next 2 hours or so in the water, learning how to use the equipment and to dive. My main worry was that I was not going to be able to equalize my ears (you know me and all of my sinus/allergy issues), but I was pleasantly surprised... I had no issues at all! Keep in mind, we were only in 9 feet of water, but still, it was much better than I thought.

That first breath under water was pretty interesting... it goes against everything that your body wants to do... breathing while you have your head completely under. I did have a minute or two of "nervousness", but I kept my breathing calm and felt fine.

While I don't know that I would be the kind of person to go out to the ocean every weekend, I definitely think it might be worth getting certified so that I can do some open water dives... I think being able to see all of the ocean life would be pretty amazing!

Brush With The Law

A couple days ago, I had my first run-in with the law. That's right, I got my very first speeding ticket. For those of you keeping count, yes, I said my first speeding ticket in the 12 years that I've been driving. You would have thought that if I was ever going to get pulled over, it would have been in my hot little red sporty car, not the black SUV. You would have thought wrong.

I was coming up highway 49, which, I might note, I thought had a 65 MPH speed limit. I was the last car in a line of cars that were just coming over a little crest. Bam! Cop car. The speed limit was actually 55 MPH (oops) and I was allegedly doing 76 MPH. Thankfully, the nice office wrote me a ticket for 70 MPH to keep the fine down.

The first question lots of people asked me was did I fight it and did I cry. My answer is a resounding no. That's part of what's wrong with our society today... we are unwilling to accept the consequences for our actions. I was caught doing something wrong... why would I argue with the guy doing his job?! And I certainly had no reason to cry... I'm healthy, have a great life and was just driving a little too fast.

The one good thing that has come out of this is that I have discovered my cruise control. I've also realized just how fast I tend to go... which probably isn't a good thing. So I'm working on slowing down, using cruise control and being a little more alert. I know it sounds cheesy... but it's true!

Feel Your Boobies

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (holy cow, it's October already?!), I've decided to turn my blog pink. Thanks for the idea Renee! There are some startling facts out there... but the one that really shocked me is that every 69 seconds a woman on this planet dies of breast cancer. What a horrifying statistic. Self checks and regular testing to ensure early detection are the best ways for women to get a head start on this disease. I challenge every one of you to do something this month to raise awareness about breast cancer - whether it's signing up for a walk or donating to one of the organizations that promotes breast cancer awareness!

And ladies, feel your boobies! :)

Concert Review: Dave Matthews Band

Better late than never! A couple Saturdays ago, Mike, Sean, Erin and I went to Shoreline Amphitheater to see The Dave Matthews Band. I haven't seen them since high school and trust me, it was everything that I remembered it to be!

We had a bit of a run-in with the police before the show... we got there with plenty of time to tailgate, however, they came by and told us that we needed to pour our alcohol out! We were told that you're allowed to tailgate, but you are not allowed to tailgate with alcohol. Now, I suppose this makes sense in my head (you know, the whole drunk in public thing) but I have never been somewhere that they've actually enforced it! Here we are before the show:

Before the show, Erin and I bought tshirts (come on, what kind of summer concert is it if you don't buy a tshirt?!) while the boys bought beers. I was super excited... Dave even played my most favorite song, "Crush"! The show was wonderful... they played for hours and hours! The opening act had a fantastic brass section who came back out mid-concert to do a little jam session. If you have ever heard DMB live, you'll know that these little jam sessions are just about the best thing about their shows!

For All The Ladies

When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place.

Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.

You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants!

The dispenser for the modern "seat covers" (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty.

You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume " The Stance."

In this position your aging, toneless (God I should have gone to the gym!!!) thigh muscles begin to shake.

You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance".

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, "Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!" Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That will have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work.

The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet.

"Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT.

It is wet of course.

You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try.

You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get".

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes.

The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat.

You're e-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d.

You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, .....so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.

You are no longer able to smile politely to them.

A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need this".

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom.

Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?" .................

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with a public restrooms (rest??? you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse, and hand you Kleenex under the door!

Book Review: Mothers & Other Liars

As promised, here's book review number two. "Mothers & Other Liars" by Amy Bourret is a pretty good read. I was a little disappointed in the plot development... I felt it was a little unrealistic as to what would happen in the real world. However, the concepts that Bourret explores are quite difficult - would you sacrifice one child to save another? Here's the back cover synopsis:

Ten years ago, Ruby Leander was a drifting nineteen-year-old who made a split-second decision at an Oklahoma rest stop. Fast forward nine years: Ruby and her daughter Lark live in New Mexico. Lark is a precocious, animal loving imp, and Ruby has built a family for them with a wonderful community of friends and her boyfriend of three years. Life is good. Until the day Ruby reads a magazine article about parents searching for an infant kidnapped by car-jackers. Then Ruby faces a choice no mother should have to make. A choice that will change both her and Lark's lives forever.

It may be a while before I do another review... I'm taking on "Crime and Punishment" out of spite. Both Sean and Mike have said they couldn't get through it, so I'm going to do it if it kills me!

Book Review: Who Loves You Best

While on vacation, I read a couple of really good books. The first is called "Who Loves You Best" by Tess Stimson. Here's the back cover synopsis:

An unforgettable story about the complex choices women make for love, motherhood, and family—and the unexpected events that open our hearts to what really matters in life.


Clare Elias feels more than ready to conquer being a parent. She’s already mastered the business world, running a flourishing chain of boutique flower shops. Her husband, Marc, is handsome, successful, supportive—and nearly a decade her junior. Clare is at the top of her game, so how hard can motherhood be?

Then the babies come—both of them. And Clare finds herself in the midst of the crisis faced by every woman who’s ever tried to Have It All. She’s sworn she won’t have her children raised by nannies the way her inattentive mother did, but when help arrives in the form of pretty, young, hyper efficient Jenna, Clare has no idea that bringing this stranger into her family will change everything. As Marc becomes distant and secretive and, worst of all, one of her babies gets sick, Clare—and Jenna—must make the kinds of heart wrenching decisions that no woman wants to face.

Wise, witty, and powerfully emotional, Who Loves You Best captures the working mother’s joys and frustrations—as well as the guilty secrets of nannies—in a tale that is surprising to the very end.

The beauty of this book is that it leaves you wanting more. When I finished, I wanted to know what happened next for each of the characters, especially Claire's brother Xan. I think Stimson does a wonderful job portraying the fear in new motherhood that Claire goes through. She juggles wanting to have a career, take care of her own children and the fear of leaving her kids with another woman. This is definitely a must read!