The Holidays are officially here. Halloween was a blast, my birthday was one I will never forget and Thanksgiving at our house was a success! Thanksgiving dinner was delicious and thank you to everyone that spent the day with us. I had the entire week of Thanksgiving off from work and I can't believe I already have to go back tomorrow! The day after Thanksgiving we always spend the day with Brett's parents. Our first stop was Old Town Grill in Placerville for some lunch and then off to the Christmas tree farms to chop down the perfect tree. We ended the night with a few cocktails and chinese food with his parents before heading home. We took both of our dogs with us and besides a few mud puddles and leaving a water dish at one of the tree farms, we all did pretty well. On Saturday Brett and I took out all of our plastic bins of Christmas decorations and lights and spent the day sifting through everything. Every year I forget how much stuff we actually have and how much I love the way my house looks when it is decorated for Christmas! Saturday also brought an inspiration for a new blog post that I really think you will enjoy. It is going to take me some time to gather all of my info and finish it the way it needs to be written so stay tuned for me to send it out it in a few weeks.
My goal this year is to do all of my Christmas shopping online. I'm not sure how attainable this will be but I'm going for it. I hate shopping in general but especially during the holidays. People in malls seem extra obnoxious during the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas and I want to avoid as many crazies as possible. The holidays also bring different emotions for me and although I enjoy the season, it also reminds me of how much my life has changed over the years. Most of the changes have been for the better but others I would give anything to put back the way they used to be. The holidays remind me of my brothers and how I wish they were both here to enjoy them with the rest of the family. It also reminds me of the last Christmas I spent with Greg, it wasn't the best Christmas we spent together but it is one I wish we could have again.
I am back in the office on Monday and travel the rest of the week. Brett and I are taking a vacation (finally!) the following week and we'll be spending a few days in an ocean front hotel in Pacific Beach watching the waves roll in and relaxing! Christmas will be here and gone before we know it and 2011 will be on us. It feels like we just finished the holidays from last year!!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Where's the park?
Simple enough question right? Simple enough if a child asks you, or a family out for a bike ride, or a guy with his dog and a ball. But what if you are asked by a man with torn up jeans, worn out shoes and layers of filthy sweaters on his back? I was out taking my dogs for a walk tonight and as we rounded the corner between country pastures and suburbia I ran into this man.
I generally feel pretty safe while walking my dogs in my neighborhood. I never go after dark, keep my eyes peeled for anything strange, turn my iPod on low enough so that I can still hear what is going on around me. When the weather is nice there are always kids out playing, people washing their cars or mowing their lawns. Houses are kept up and the neighborhood is pleasant. I would also like to think that the almost 200 pounds of dog that I have with me would detour most ill-wishers.
I responded to the man's question with "Which park are you looking for?" "Any park." was his response. Any park. Now why is he looking for just any park? What is he planning to do in that park? Sleep for the night? Smoke whatever he had stuffed inside the crinkled up rolling paper in his left hand? Kidnap a child? Gaze at the sunset? I couldn't be sure what he wanted in the park so I pointed down the street and said "If you keep walking that way, you'll run into a park". He thanked me and as I turned to walk in the opposite direction, he stopped and smiled and said "You have beautiful dogs". I thanked him and kept walking. I didn't point him in the direction of the park. In fact, I sent him in the furthest direction from the park.
What did this man do to me that I was allowed to judge him by his ratty clothes? I'm pretty sure his day was shittier than mine yet I sent him in the wrong direction and watched him shuffle across the street in his already worn out shoes. Maybe he was supposed to meet someone at the park who was going to give him a place to stay for the night. Maybe he was going to meet his grandkids to play in the park before it got dark. Maybe he was just a normal guy whose washing machine broke and whose dog ate his new Air Jordan's. But maybe, just maybe, he was a child molester. Part of me feels really bad for sending that guy on a journey to nowhere but part of me feels like I did the right thing. What would you have done?
When I got home I received a call from a friend with some surprising news. She found out from an old co-worker that someone we used to spend a lot of time with (back in my other life but I'll save that for a different post) had passed away. He didn't just pass, in fact this coming January will be 2 years. We hadn't seen him in quite a few years but we have talked about him in a general "Have you heard from him" or "What's he up to these days" kind of way. We never found the answers to those questions but never in a million years did it cross our minds that he was dead. We don't know much about what happened but it sounds like he made some bad choices and his life took a turn for the worst. How does that happen? I guess I know how it happens, I've seen it happen first hand with people that I love. But, why does it have to happen? What happened to him that changed the fun, happy guy we once knew into a guy that has now been dead for almost 2 years? What happened to the guy I saw wandering the streets of my neighborhood tonight? What happened to that guy to make him wear clothes that looked like he hadn't washed them in weeks? Did his dog really eat his Air Jordan's? I'm guessing not. In another life I bet he had clean clothes, a house to live in, and maybe a couple of dogs of his own. I know our friend had a better life. So why does this happen?
I generally feel pretty safe while walking my dogs in my neighborhood. I never go after dark, keep my eyes peeled for anything strange, turn my iPod on low enough so that I can still hear what is going on around me. When the weather is nice there are always kids out playing, people washing their cars or mowing their lawns. Houses are kept up and the neighborhood is pleasant. I would also like to think that the almost 200 pounds of dog that I have with me would detour most ill-wishers.
I responded to the man's question with "Which park are you looking for?" "Any park." was his response. Any park. Now why is he looking for just any park? What is he planning to do in that park? Sleep for the night? Smoke whatever he had stuffed inside the crinkled up rolling paper in his left hand? Kidnap a child? Gaze at the sunset? I couldn't be sure what he wanted in the park so I pointed down the street and said "If you keep walking that way, you'll run into a park". He thanked me and as I turned to walk in the opposite direction, he stopped and smiled and said "You have beautiful dogs". I thanked him and kept walking. I didn't point him in the direction of the park. In fact, I sent him in the furthest direction from the park.
What did this man do to me that I was allowed to judge him by his ratty clothes? I'm pretty sure his day was shittier than mine yet I sent him in the wrong direction and watched him shuffle across the street in his already worn out shoes. Maybe he was supposed to meet someone at the park who was going to give him a place to stay for the night. Maybe he was going to meet his grandkids to play in the park before it got dark. Maybe he was just a normal guy whose washing machine broke and whose dog ate his new Air Jordan's. But maybe, just maybe, he was a child molester. Part of me feels really bad for sending that guy on a journey to nowhere but part of me feels like I did the right thing. What would you have done?
When I got home I received a call from a friend with some surprising news. She found out from an old co-worker that someone we used to spend a lot of time with (back in my other life but I'll save that for a different post) had passed away. He didn't just pass, in fact this coming January will be 2 years. We hadn't seen him in quite a few years but we have talked about him in a general "Have you heard from him" or "What's he up to these days" kind of way. We never found the answers to those questions but never in a million years did it cross our minds that he was dead. We don't know much about what happened but it sounds like he made some bad choices and his life took a turn for the worst. How does that happen? I guess I know how it happens, I've seen it happen first hand with people that I love. But, why does it have to happen? What happened to him that changed the fun, happy guy we once knew into a guy that has now been dead for almost 2 years? What happened to the guy I saw wandering the streets of my neighborhood tonight? What happened to that guy to make him wear clothes that looked like he hadn't washed them in weeks? Did his dog really eat his Air Jordan's? I'm guessing not. In another life I bet he had clean clothes, a house to live in, and maybe a couple of dogs of his own. I know our friend had a better life. So why does this happen?
Sunday, October 10, 2010
WFD?
Almost everyday Brett or I will ask the other "what's for dinner tonight?". We cook at home almost every night and will often plan a menu for 2-3 days at a time. When we don't have something planned I'm notorious for pulling meat out of the freezer, digging around in the pantry or the fridge and, voila, dinner is made! On days that I can plan ahead I turn to one of my favorite culinary inspirations (other than my mom of course), FoodNetwork.com. I am not good at following recipes which is why I will never claim to be a baker in any of my posts. I usually browse the net for something that sounds good, jot down a few quick notes about the recipe and head to the store. I won't actually use the recipe while I'm cooking but I might reference it if I'm using a new spice that I want to make sure I'm not using to much of. I usually just wing it and everything turns out great. I've decided to start a recurring post called "WFD?" (aka What's for Dinner?) where I post a recipe that I've tried or something that sounds good to me. I can't always promise that it will include detailed instructions like the recipe below but I'll try my best :)
On Friday I was planning for the weekend menu and came across a recipe from Giada that sounded delish! I made this last night and I have to say, it was the best thing I've made in a really long time so I thought I would share it with you for my first WFD? post.
Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce
About 4 servings, Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion (I used red onion)
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (I used 8oz button mushrooms, 8oz baby bellas)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine
Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly. (Make sure the chicken is still raw in the middle). Start boiling water for your pasta.
While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons (I used 3-4 TBS) of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. (Taste it before you start adding seasoning, I didn't have to add anything to mine).
Once water is boiling, add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.
I would love to hear what you think about this recipe so please leave me a comment if you try it!
On Friday I was planning for the weekend menu and came across a recipe from Giada that sounded delish! I made this last night and I have to say, it was the best thing I've made in a really long time so I thought I would share it with you for my first WFD? post.
Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce
About 4 servings, Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion (I used red onion)
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (I used 8oz button mushrooms, 8oz baby bellas)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine
Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly. (Make sure the chicken is still raw in the middle). Start boiling water for your pasta.
While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons (I used 3-4 TBS) of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. (Taste it before you start adding seasoning, I didn't have to add anything to mine).
Once water is boiling, add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.
I would love to hear what you think about this recipe so please leave me a comment if you try it!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Do eyeballs sweat?!?
What about fingernails? Or hair? Up until tonight I didn't think it was possible for those parts of my body to sweat but let meee telllll yooouuu, they did after 90 minutes of Bikram Yoga!! I took my first class tonight and despite the 3 pounds of sweat I lost (literally, I weighed myself) I really enjoyed the class. I have always enjoyed yoga and wanted to try Bikram but never wanted to spend the money on the pricey classes. A few nights ago a friend tipped me off to a Groupon deal that I just couldn't pass up so tonight I found myself in a room heated to 104 degrees, doing yoga poses and sweating more than I have ever done in my entire life! As weird (and gross) as it sounds it was was actually pretty refreshing and I'll be going back again tomorrow. I'm hoping this will help keep me motivated through the next few weeks of our weight loss challenge.
A quick update on the 'Surprises' post:
Part of Brett's 30th's birthday present (last year) I gave him a skydiving session in Santa Cruz. As we crept up on his 31st birthday and he still hadn't used it I decided that I would make the reservation myself and not tell him. I checked the weather every day until I could see the two weekends before his birthday in the 10-day forecast. Both weekends looked great so I made him a reservation for Sunday, 9/12. As we got closer to the date I struggled with whether or not I should tell him what I had done and ultimately decided to tell him the Friday before. I figured that if it were me jumping from a plane, I would need some mental prep time. (By the way, you will never catch me jumping from a perfectly normal plane!) I bought him a belated 30th birthday card and spilled the beans inside the card and he was both surprised and excited. September 12th was supposed to be a clear, sunny, 68 degree day in Santa Cruz. Perfect for jumping from a plane over the ocean and landing barefoot on Capitola beach, right? Wrong. The Skydiving facility called me about an hour after we left our house that morning to tell us that the fog had not yet burned off for the day and that Brett's jump time may be pushed out by a few hours. I told them to keep us posted and we continued on to Santa Cruz. We arrived around 11:30am and the jump was originally scheduled for 12:30pm. I called the facility and they told me they were still delayed and he wouldn't be able to jump until the landing spot had cleared up. We spent the next several hours walking the Boardwalk and the Pier and finally the facility called to tell me that things weren't looking great and that we should probably cancel. I'm not sure which one of us was more bummed. I wasn't thrilled that my husband was going to jump from a perfectly good plane but I knew how much he wanted to do it and what a let down it was for him. Plus, I had finally been able to plan a successful surprise only to be shot down by some darn clouds! Overall we spent a fun day with our good friends in Santa Cruz and now we have another reason to go back again soon! Hopefully the weather cooperates with us this time!
A quick update on the 'Surprises' post:
Part of Brett's 30th's birthday present (last year) I gave him a skydiving session in Santa Cruz. As we crept up on his 31st birthday and he still hadn't used it I decided that I would make the reservation myself and not tell him. I checked the weather every day until I could see the two weekends before his birthday in the 10-day forecast. Both weekends looked great so I made him a reservation for Sunday, 9/12. As we got closer to the date I struggled with whether or not I should tell him what I had done and ultimately decided to tell him the Friday before. I figured that if it were me jumping from a plane, I would need some mental prep time. (By the way, you will never catch me jumping from a perfectly normal plane!) I bought him a belated 30th birthday card and spilled the beans inside the card and he was both surprised and excited. September 12th was supposed to be a clear, sunny, 68 degree day in Santa Cruz. Perfect for jumping from a plane over the ocean and landing barefoot on Capitola beach, right? Wrong. The Skydiving facility called me about an hour after we left our house that morning to tell us that the fog had not yet burned off for the day and that Brett's jump time may be pushed out by a few hours. I told them to keep us posted and we continued on to Santa Cruz. We arrived around 11:30am and the jump was originally scheduled for 12:30pm. I called the facility and they told me they were still delayed and he wouldn't be able to jump until the landing spot had cleared up. We spent the next several hours walking the Boardwalk and the Pier and finally the facility called to tell me that things weren't looking great and that we should probably cancel. I'm not sure which one of us was more bummed. I wasn't thrilled that my husband was going to jump from a perfectly good plane but I knew how much he wanted to do it and what a let down it was for him. Plus, I had finally been able to plan a successful surprise only to be shot down by some darn clouds! Overall we spent a fun day with our good friends in Santa Cruz and now we have another reason to go back again soon! Hopefully the weather cooperates with us this time!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Yours Truly
Dear Headache:
You barged into my life 2 weeks ago, uninvited and unwelcome. You have banged, poked, prodded and squeezed my brain to the point of unbearable. Despite the hoards of Excedrin, Aleve, Advil or Tylenol that I have sent your way, you're still hanging around. You're like the annoying drunk guy at Happy Hour that everyone wants to get away from but can't. You're everywhere. You're obnoxious, inconsiderate and rude. You have overstayed your visit. It's time to move on.
Yours Truly.
You barged into my life 2 weeks ago, uninvited and unwelcome. You have banged, poked, prodded and squeezed my brain to the point of unbearable. Despite the hoards of Excedrin, Aleve, Advil or Tylenol that I have sent your way, you're still hanging around. You're like the annoying drunk guy at Happy Hour that everyone wants to get away from but can't. You're everywhere. You're obnoxious, inconsiderate and rude. You have overstayed your visit. It's time to move on.
Yours Truly.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Surprises
I've never been a good surprise giver. I partly blame my lack of imagination but mostly I just think I suck at it. Brett on the other hand likes to give surprises and he's usually pretty good at it. His biggest downfall is that he gets so excited that he has to tell everyone except the receiver (usually me) before he pulls out the "Surprise". I would like to be better at it and with upcoming birthdays, holidays and 'just because' opportunities I am hoping to pull a few things out of my sleeve by the end of the year :)
I have a quick breather in my travels and will be home this week and possibly next. Brett, however, left for Riverside today and will be working there for the next 4 weeks. He drove for over 7 hours today and then worked another 5 hours (and we thought the commute to Chico every day was bad!). The plan is for him to leave on Monday mornings and come home Friday night until the project is done and yes, he is driving, not flying. All of this travel also overlaps Brett's birthday which means that he will be in Riverside and I'll be in some other state. It might be a good time for me to work on one of those surprises...
I have a quick breather in my travels and will be home this week and possibly next. Brett, however, left for Riverside today and will be working there for the next 4 weeks. He drove for over 7 hours today and then worked another 5 hours (and we thought the commute to Chico every day was bad!). The plan is for him to leave on Monday mornings and come home Friday night until the project is done and yes, he is driving, not flying. All of this travel also overlaps Brett's birthday which means that he will be in Riverside and I'll be in some other state. It might be a good time for me to work on one of those surprises...
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Howdy
My trip through Texas this week has certainly been interesting. I flew into Austin on Tuesday afternoon and drove 30 minutes south to TX State University where we had a few meetings and got stuck in the middle of a severe weather warning. Overall it didn't seem to be that 'severe' but for the middle of August while it was 103 degrees outside it was definitely bizarre (at least to us Californians). Around 5:15pm the sky went completely black, rain started coming down in sideways sheets, winds were expected to reach up to 55mph and the thunder and lightning was incredible. The storm only lasted for about 15 minutes but we (me and my other CA co-worker) were really caught off guard. More so because we were trying to leave the school and drive over 2 hours north to Texas A&M where we were to stay the night and have meetings the next morning. After the storm and before heading to A&M, we swung through Austin and picked up an Austin co-worker who was going to attend the meetings with us the following day. For the duration of the drive he educated us on the traditions and culture of A&M (he used to work with them for several years). He told us that everyone would say "Howdy" and call us Ma'am and being from California, we thought he was trying to pull one over on us and we laughed. As promised, the school reps greeted us with a warm and friendly "Howdy" and called us Ma'am throughout our meeting. As part of our meetings with new schools we ask for a tour of some of the facilities on campus. My favorite part of the tour was when we entered the elevator, went to the second floor and as the elevator doors dinged opened the elevator said "Howdy... second floor".
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Time flies
My brother and his family have been here for almost 3 weeks already which means they only have one more short week left :( I knew their time here was going to fly by but geez, it REALLY flew by. I have tried to spend as much time with them as possible which is great but more is always better and I know with one week just won't be enough. I got back from a work trip yesterday and I leave again on Tuesday for 3 more days. I am taking Friday off from work and I hope to spend their last full day in CA with them. I babysat the kids for them overnight last weekend and had them all day on Monday. I realized that as good as they were, they are exhausting! Having two kids in diapers is not only a mess but a ton work. Up the stairs, down the stairs, up the stairs, down the stairs.... in the DVD's, throw the DVD's.... in the bookshelf, throw the books.... up the stairs, down the stairs... feed them, change the diaper...cry instead of napping... My brother and Jill have their hands full!
My travel will continue at least through the beginning of October before there is much of a break but the good news is I'm racking up the frequent flyer miles and have already earned a few free flights. Hopefully Brett and I can plan somewhere good to go :) We didn't take a 'real' vacation this year so we are both looking forward to heading off to a tropical place as soon as possible. The bad news with all of this travel is that I'm exhausted when I get home. I don't want to clean the house, cook dinner, go out, talk on the phone, check personal emails or do anything that requires much thought. Last year during my travel 'season' we hired a housekeeper to help out and I'm thinking it's time to hire another one. I've had a few referrals, which I prefer, but they tend to not want to venture into my neck of the woods and charge more if they do. If anyone has GOOD house cleaners in my area please let me know :)
In other news, I won't be getting my car repaired on Monday as originally planned. For those of you that don't know, I was rear ended almost 3 weeks ago by a young kid who wasn't paying attention as we came to a red light. He slowed down but failed to stop. The damage isn't bad and no one was hurt but I would like my car fixed as soon as possible. The kid's parents had AAA and apparently they haven't confirmed their side of the story with their insurance yet which means at this point my deductible would have to be paid by us and not them. Brett talked to our insurance yesterday and we have to give them one more week before pursuing 'other' action, whatever that means. As much as I hate looking at my rear bumper all banged up, I don't want to pay the $500 deductible and then mess with getting the money back after everything is settled. We have pushed out the repair until after Labor Day but with my travel schedule the way it is it's going to be a pain in the ass to schedule the repair.
My travel will continue at least through the beginning of October before there is much of a break but the good news is I'm racking up the frequent flyer miles and have already earned a few free flights. Hopefully Brett and I can plan somewhere good to go :) We didn't take a 'real' vacation this year so we are both looking forward to heading off to a tropical place as soon as possible. The bad news with all of this travel is that I'm exhausted when I get home. I don't want to clean the house, cook dinner, go out, talk on the phone, check personal emails or do anything that requires much thought. Last year during my travel 'season' we hired a housekeeper to help out and I'm thinking it's time to hire another one. I've had a few referrals, which I prefer, but they tend to not want to venture into my neck of the woods and charge more if they do. If anyone has GOOD house cleaners in my area please let me know :)
In other news, I won't be getting my car repaired on Monday as originally planned. For those of you that don't know, I was rear ended almost 3 weeks ago by a young kid who wasn't paying attention as we came to a red light. He slowed down but failed to stop. The damage isn't bad and no one was hurt but I would like my car fixed as soon as possible. The kid's parents had AAA and apparently they haven't confirmed their side of the story with their insurance yet which means at this point my deductible would have to be paid by us and not them. Brett talked to our insurance yesterday and we have to give them one more week before pursuing 'other' action, whatever that means. As much as I hate looking at my rear bumper all banged up, I don't want to pay the $500 deductible and then mess with getting the money back after everything is settled. We have pushed out the repair until after Labor Day but with my travel schedule the way it is it's going to be a pain in the ass to schedule the repair.
Monday, August 9, 2010
And so it begins...
For those of you that don't know I spent the first half of 2010 on a plane. Although the majority of my travel was to a few select states it was pretty extensive for a while. It was not unheard of to go to 2 states one week, fly home for the weekend and leave again on Monday morning. I was recently promoted to a different role within my team and although I'll be working on a lot of the same things it has changed the timeframe of my travel in addition to adding more locations to the list. I will be boarding my first plane for the 'season' tomorrow and will be traveling 2-3 days per week for the next 4 or five weeks. I'm pretty sure there will be travel beyond that but my brain won't let me think that far ahead yet :) The travel is exhausting but I can't complain. I truly enjoy my job and I work with a group of amazing people that have become really great friends. For a few months I ate more meals with them than I did my husband! I am really lucky to have a job AND one that I enjoy so much!
My travel plans in August overlap the time my brother is spending here in California with his family. I am trying to work out days off between my travel in order to spend more time with them. I'm pretty sure Christmas will be here before I know it! This past weekend we spent Saturday at my moms house playing with the kids and hanging out with family. I can't believe how big my nieces and nephew are! I haven't seen Matt or Ana since they came out for our wedding last year and they have grown so much! Kaylynn is so big compared to the little munchkins. Even though she lives here in CA I feel like I overlook how adult she is until she is next to the little kids. She has grown into such a beautiful young girl, I wish her dad was here to see her. And to make her daddy proud, she surprised me with a birds and bees question out of the blue! I was caught completely off guard and the only thing I could think to say was "You need to ask your mom that question". (Sorry Nicole!)
My travel plans in August overlap the time my brother is spending here in California with his family. I am trying to work out days off between my travel in order to spend more time with them. I'm pretty sure Christmas will be here before I know it! This past weekend we spent Saturday at my moms house playing with the kids and hanging out with family. I can't believe how big my nieces and nephew are! I haven't seen Matt or Ana since they came out for our wedding last year and they have grown so much! Kaylynn is so big compared to the little munchkins. Even though she lives here in CA I feel like I overlook how adult she is until she is next to the little kids. She has grown into such a beautiful young girl, I wish her dad was here to see her. And to make her daddy proud, she surprised me with a birds and bees question out of the blue! I was caught completely off guard and the only thing I could think to say was "You need to ask your mom that question". (Sorry Nicole!)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Summer Time!
Summer has been good. It has been full of family, friends, landscaping, anniversaries, birthdays, trips to the lake, camping, job promotions, remodeling (sort of), dieting, wine tasting, barbecues and the list continues to grow.
Last weekend we went on our first 'real' camping trip for the year. Although it wasn't the first time we had slept in our tent, it was the first time we had camped without the use of a nice RV parked next to us so that we could cook, wash dishes, use the bathroom and run my heating blanket extension cord from. We spent the weekend in Tahoe with some friends and a clan of our five dogs and had a great time. The weather turned on Saturday and the guys had to MacGyver some tarps up to the pine trees in order to give us some cover from the rain but the storm was short lived and the thunder and lightning show was worth it. Sunday we went to the lake and despite the warm weather we had another lightning show and a little rain. Sitting on the beach watching the lightning in the mountains was pretty incredible.
The summer is flying by and it won't be slowing down anytime soon. We made our annual trek to the State Fair last night and enjoyed an evening of people watching. There is nothing like gathering all of the crazies in one spot for two weeks out of the year, feeding them a bunch of fried food and alcohol and letting them participate in the hypnotist show. Great idea Sacramento! Most of August will be spent with my brother Steven and his family who will be arriving in California next week and staying through the end of August. I can't wait! I'm trying to hold off on packing each day with things to do but I know this is a great time for them to come home, relax and enjoy the family time that they haven't had in over a year. We will however be planning another camping trip at some point while they are home and since Brett, the dogs and I can fully load an entire F250 with camping gear just for us, it is going to be interesting to add 4 more people to the trip! Move over Jed Clampett, the Bittle's are rolling in!
Last weekend we went on our first 'real' camping trip for the year. Although it wasn't the first time we had slept in our tent, it was the first time we had camped without the use of a nice RV parked next to us so that we could cook, wash dishes, use the bathroom and run my heating blanket extension cord from. We spent the weekend in Tahoe with some friends and a clan of our five dogs and had a great time. The weather turned on Saturday and the guys had to MacGyver some tarps up to the pine trees in order to give us some cover from the rain but the storm was short lived and the thunder and lightning show was worth it. Sunday we went to the lake and despite the warm weather we had another lightning show and a little rain. Sitting on the beach watching the lightning in the mountains was pretty incredible.
The summer is flying by and it won't be slowing down anytime soon. We made our annual trek to the State Fair last night and enjoyed an evening of people watching. There is nothing like gathering all of the crazies in one spot for two weeks out of the year, feeding them a bunch of fried food and alcohol and letting them participate in the hypnotist show. Great idea Sacramento! Most of August will be spent with my brother Steven and his family who will be arriving in California next week and staying through the end of August. I can't wait! I'm trying to hold off on packing each day with things to do but I know this is a great time for them to come home, relax and enjoy the family time that they haven't had in over a year. We will however be planning another camping trip at some point while they are home and since Brett, the dogs and I can fully load an entire F250 with camping gear just for us, it is going to be interesting to add 4 more people to the trip! Move over Jed Clampett, the Bittle's are rolling in!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Cheap Shot
It's official. I'm dieting. I found my motivation by challenging friends and family for money. Deep down I think there may be something wrong with that but for now I'm going to call it motivation. You can read about our journey at 30 Before 30. I won't torture you with how miserably hungry I will be in this blog. The tone of this blog may however be directly affected by actions taken in the other. You have been warned.
July 4th was our very first anniversary as a married couple. I can't believe it's been a year already. Brett and I had a 4 day weekend and as the date approached I realized we were not going to be making any plans. Partly because we were trying to save some money and partly because it was 4th of July. Neither one of us enjoy being around large crowds or sitting in traffic and a hotel room anywhere on the 4th doubles in cost. It took a few weeks for me to settle into the idea that we would be spending our first anniversary at home doing absolutely nothing. Now I'm not saying that I settled into this idea willingly however. Every chance possible I made it known that I was not happy about our lack of arrangements. When friends asked about our plans my response was "Absolutely nothing" in a matter-of-fact tone and when they would ask "Really? Are you at least going out to dinner?" I would say "Nope, just staying home" and give some sort of audible harumph. Most of my close friends could pick up on my tone right away and a few even called me out on my 'Debbie Downer' attitude. Brett would usually roll his eyes and change the subject or sometimes leave the room. I made my jabs as often as I could. I was not happy about not doing anything for our anniversary. I didn't blame Brett, I knew it was a decision we had both made but by the time I realized I didn't like our decision I figured it was to late to change our minds. I was pouting.
On the 4th we slept in like any normal lazy day off. At that point we were two days into our long weekend and we were pro's at being lazy. Brett rolled over and pulled my anniversary card out of his night stand and handed it to me. I was extremely surprised that the envelope had my name written across the front. Usually the cards he gives are addressed to some funny nickname he's just made up. Inside the card it said "Ask me what your gift is". He surprised me with a hotel room and dinner reservation in Half Moon Bay. Apparently he had it planned for weeks. I was stoked. We packed our bags, left a note for the dog sitter (thanks Josh!) and we were out of the house around Noon. We stayed at the Oceana and had a fantastic dinner . Due to budget issues, Half Moon Bay canceled their fireworks show so we didn't watch fireworks this year but I can't imagine anything would compare to the show we watched during our wedding last year.
Thanks for a fantastic anniversary Brett! (I promise to cut back on the jabs for next year!)
Friday, July 2, 2010
Cleaning out my closet
Figuratively and literally, that's exactly what I did on Friday. I cleaned out my closet. I went through all the old clothes that no longer fit, are out of style or were wardrobe mishaps to begin with. I got rid of things that have been in there for years, particularly a pink sweatsuit that I know I've had since before Jan. 12th 2005. This is the sweatsuit I was wearing the morning I found out my brother had been killed in a car accident. My mom had a matching navy blue one, we had bought them together. I don't know if she was wearing hers that day and I definitely don't remember what anyone else was wearing but I know without a doubt that I was wearing mine. The sleeve is still stained with mascara despite being washed several times in the last 5 years. I finally decided it was time to move on. Not to move on from the memory of my brother, that will never happen, but the memory of what that sweatsuit represented. There are no words to describe the way I felt that day but whatever those words are THAT is what that sweatsuit represented. I never want to feel THAT ever again. I have lost several important people throughout my life, I loved all of them and all were significant in their own way but none of them compare to the loss of my brother.
After 5 years of seeing that sweatsuit sit in the top of my closet, I decided it was time to let it go. When I was finished cleaning out the closet I took 4 large trash bags full of clothes to Goodwill and it felt good. It felt really good. Not because I had made a significant amount of space available in my closet for new (and hopefully smaller) clothes but because I had gotten rid of that sweatsuit. Over the last 5 years the 'real' memories of my brother have slowly faded. I moved out of the last apartment he had visited me in, I dismantled and moved the bed that he had put together for me, I sold the car that I can still remember seeing his face in the rearview mirror of... I will always have those memories but the 'realness' of them no longer exists. I will never be happy that memories are the only thing I have left of my brother but I think I am finally okay with choosing which memories to leave behind. Plus, my brother left us one of the best gifts possible, my beautiful niece!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Skinny Cow
Have you ever heard the saying "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"? Well I don't know what kind of food those skinny bitches eat but I can tell you that my food is DELICIOUS! Now I would love to be skinny AND eat everything I want but my metabolism just won't allow it, trust me, I've tried. I need some motivation. The typical 'get skinny for summer!', 'Be healthy!', 'Feel your best!' don't work for me. My WEDDING didn't even motivate me! I'll be 30 in November, isn't that the stereotypical cut-off point for when a 'fit' body is achievable? I hope not! I am slowly putting a plan into place for my new goals and they include several things not just weight loss. My first step will be an attitude check and a new best friend, the treadmill. Here's to being the skinniest cow possible!
Monday, June 28, 2010
No Lifeguard on Duty
It was 102 degrees in Sacramento today, the hottest so far this year! On hot days I feel bad leaving the dogs outside all day even though I know that our yard has plenty of shade, they have a licker on the hose spout so they have fresh water and we have a blue plastic kiddie pool filled with water for them to lounge in if needed. Brett constantly reminds me that they are FINE but I still feel bad. Brett called me today and suggested heading to the lake after work and I thought it was a great idea. Lake Camanche is exactly 30 minutes from our door to their North Shore, perfect for an after work jaunt. We were both home by 5:15, loaded the ice chest, dogs, snacks and changed into our swimsuits and were out the door by 5:30. I can't think of a better way to spend a Monday evening than swimming in the lake by 6pm!
Harley swam on his own for the first time tonight! I'm such a proud Momma!!
And Molly peed in the Lake! Brett was so proud!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Número uno
Is there really a good starting point for your first blog??
I've been going back and forth on the idea for some time now and I finally came to the conclusion that I'm not going to be writing for anyone but myself anyway so is there really a point to stress on what to write about in a first post? I want to use it as a creative release for me. I'm not really concerned if anyone else reads it, although I'll be thrilled if people do, but that's not the point. Over the past few months I've started following blogs of friends, people I knew in high school or college, co-workers and sometimes complete strangers. In most cases I find them completely fascinating, like I'm reading a series of short stories all compiled into an online book. I don't know if anyone will find my own stories that fascinating but like I said, it's a way for me to write about things I love, things I hate and life in general. I can't promise that my life is all that interesting or that I won't get bored of this new hobby over the next few weeks but why not give it a shot??
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