A Weekend of Bliss

Dave is flying out Thursday to see his parents in NorCal (northern Cali). They plan on having a close friends and family get together on Saturday and to be honest I could not justify in my heart and head the need for 2 roundtrip airplane tickets as well as missed days from work just for a random get together. Birthday, yes. Anniversary, yes. Holiday, yes. Backyard bbq and get together, no. Dave isn't quite pleased with my decision but oh well. It is what it is. It's not like he can exactly argue with my rationale nor am I stopping him from seeing his family.

To celebrate my 4 day mini vacation of doing whatever the want, when I want. I will be spending the upcoming few days doing the following:
* Eating sushi until I can no longer look at another Philadelphia roll. Dave doesn't like sushi but he'll often come with me to eat a bento box or teriyaki. While I do appreciate his effort, I'd rather eat sushi by myself in front of the tv with a glass of red wine by my side.
* Read the rest of the Wideacre trilogy. I must admit that Wideacre deeply disturbed me. To be honest I felt rather filthy after reading it but nonetheless it was a page turner. Now that I know what to expect I am looking forward to spending the weekend in bed and alternately swooning and then going ewww.
* Watching all 4 discs of The Last Emperor on DVD. Dave has no interests in movies (especially lengthy historical epics). After watching the Olympics on tv, I am looking forward to immersing myself in Chinese history. I may not agree with it's politics but I can't help but respect a Country with true history.
* Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! I love to get in some raggy clothes, turn the rhapsody or sirius up loud and clean until everything is spick and span.
* Option: Working out at the gym and then ruining it all by going to Sunday brunch immediately after.

And Then I Kicked Him in His Mouth

Overheard: Hubby complaining about today and how it was going to be soooooo hot and why do we live in the desert???

We live 17 miles from the coast.

Today's high is supposed to be 81 degrees.

I think I need to send him to Pheonix or better yet to Atlanta where the high is 87 but it feels like 92 because of the humidity.

Better yet I should just kick him in the mouth.

I Needed a Reason

#2 Reason for Having a Husband: When you have a nightmare at 2am about an out of control dump truck that is careening through your neighborhood, you can awake startled and have someone hold you tight while you calm down and go back to sleep. Best. Feeling. Ever. (#1 reason is sex on demand. Duh!)

And on a totally unrelated topic: everyone seems to be going shoe crazy with NaPoBloMo. My boots today which I bought this weekend at Macy's which was having a rocking shoe sale.

Wedding Countdown: I've Lost Count

I've seriously lost count of how many days/weeks/months left until we get married. I think it's around 20 weeks but ummmm ... I can't be sure. I get married on June 15. There ya go. You do the math.

And in wedding news:

I hate my wedding dress. Which is a pretty strong statement for me to make since I'm usually pretty easy to please and I'm usually confident in my decisions. But I think that I settled for a dress my Grandma liked rather then insisting on searching for the dress of my dreams. In my defense I did go shopping with my elderly grandma and after trying on over 40 dresses I did start to feel like I was wearing her out. Anyways, I think I've fallen in love with this dress and I'm half tempted to buy it.


I've also found bridesmaid dresses that I love. They look great AND incorporate both of my wedding colors (sage & champagne). Now I just need to convince my bms that this dress makes them look 15 pounds slimmer. Pfffttt! As if they trust me. Any good bm knows that the job of the bride is to make them look fat and frumpy. Just kidding. Kinda.
To see dress click here and then select the color "moss"

This Month's To-Do List:
* Find cheap votive candles on-line
* Arrange bm dress shopping trip with bms.
* Buy bm gifts.
* Buy calligraphy book and learn how. (No way in hell am I paying someone else for something that I could do myself.)
* Buy new bridal gown ;-)

PS - Dave is on week 2 of not smoking. Woot! Woot! And better still is that Normal Dave has returned. Depressed Dave made my heart ache and Angry Dave made me want to knock him upside the head. Normal Dave is the man I'm gonna marry. (And the man that I try and fondle every morning in the shower. That might be why I'm no longer allowed in the bathroom at the same time as him but that's beside the point).

PS v2.0 - We've put an offer in on a house. I'll blog more about it later.

PS v2.1 - So the other day I decided to go back in my blog and read what I was up to 2 years ago. Ummmmm ... can someone gag me???? I was obviously hypnotized by penis because there is no other reason to describe why ALL my posts were filled with sonnets of my ooey gooey love for Dave. Didn't I have any hobbies? Friends? Work? I'm hear to say that I'm sorry for subjecting anyone to all those pathetic posts. The sex turned my brain to mush. (Don't go back and read the link. I'm embarrassed by how pathetic I was. Seriously. I would delete those months if I had any self respect)

Week 1 Big Deal Executive Summary

I don’t come from a family of smokers and none of my close friends are smokers either. If I heard that a casual acquaintance was quitting smoking I would often think “Good. They never should have started.” When I began dating Dave I always assumed that he would quit smoking someday and that it wouldn’t be a big deal. He wanted to quit and I wanted him to quit too. I’ve come to say I WAS WRONG. Quitting smoking is a Big Deal. Capitol “B”. Capitol “D”. Big Deal. (You can even add an emphatic “f’ing” between the Big Deal and it would be appropriate).

Dave officially quit smoking last Monday. During most of the week he was Depressed Dave. He was ending a way of life and it made him sad to think that never again in his life would he be able to embrace his usual cigarette tendencies. I even got a little sad when I realized that quitting smoking involved limiting his exposure to “triggers”. All those times we made a late night run to Starbucks and sipped coffee while basking in the California night, talking about random topics, became a trigger. Those evening walks through our neighborhood where we both decompressed and talked about our work days while Dave smoked, once again a trigger. Getting drunk together off of good beer and afterwards sharing a kiss, me tasting the sweet mix of beer and cigarettes on his breath, trigger. (Secretly I loved that mix of beer and cigarettes on his breath). I’m still sad when I think that so many components of our relationship revolved around Dave’s smoking habit and that (for now) they are gone.

This week Dave’s mood has changed from sad to angry. Despite taking Wellbutrin he becomes easily frustrated and is quite often moody. Angry Dave is much harder for me to deal with then Depressed Dave. With Depressed Dave I could easily tell him a few encouraging words and commiserate with him on the loss of trigger activities. Now that Angry Dave has come to town, there is not much that I can do besides replenish his supplies of hard candy and sunflower seeds. I’ve often thought about secretly putting multiple nicotine patches on his body in the middle of the night but I realize that with time Angry Dave will pass. (hopefully soon)

One things for certain, from now on if I hear that someone has quit smoking I will look at that person with a huge amount of respect. Quitting is a one of the hardest things that a person can do. It’s a Big Deal.

I Dream of Houses In My Sleep

Dave and I found a house that we love and I didn't want to blog about it in fear of jinxing ourselves. I figured that either we would get the house or we wouldn't and then I would blog about it then. Well 2 weeks later and we still haven't done our 2nd walk through of the house and as a result haven't even put in an offer for the house. The seller's agent has been a dick and has given us every excuse in the book as to why he can't let us see the house again. Excuses have ranged from "I went to Europe for a quick vacation", "I live 30 miles away and don't feel like driving to meet you at the house", and my fav "I'm in a funeral procession right now, can I call you back?" and yet no call back (surprise, surprise).

At this point we don't want to seem desperate so we're stuck in a high school lover's dance of trying to act nonchalant and not call him more then he calls us. Needless to say Dave and our broker are doing a better job of acting cool. During the 1st week I was practically a mini tyrant bouncing off the walls. Poor Dave got a dozen emails, texts, and phone calls a day from me asking "has our broker heard from the seller's agent yet?" This week I've been a bit better. I've even agreed to look at new houses that have just been listed. Already we've found one that seems awesome. C'est la vie.

I think the part that upsets me the most is the potential reasons why the seller's agent is giving us the cold shoulder. Our broker thinks that either he has an interest in the property (which by law he should have disclosed) or the agent doesn't think his commission is worthy enough to demand more then the slightest of attention. Here in California, the typical agent receives 3.5% of the sales price. For our $400,000 home that means that after a sale the agent walks away with $14,000. Back in the day when houses flew off the shelf faster then they could be listed, agents had one open house and then (typically) the house would receive multiple offers and sell within the same week. These days most houses in our price range have been on the market for 3-6 months before being sold. (Which I should add for clarification that $400k is the BOTTOM price range of houses on the market in this area) Agents would rather focus their time and efforts on houses in the $750k-1 million price range because their potential commission is much higher.

In other news, we were pre-approved for our loan last week. Our new mortgage payments for our 30 year fixed loan will amount to $3k per month. For the first time ever in our relationship, Dave and I worked on a household budget. For the past 2.5 years Dave and I have had more money then we knew what to do with.
Play Station 3? Okay.
56" plasma tv? Why not!
All inclusive trip to Cabo? We deserve it.
We'll be going from a lifestyle where we spend money willy-nilly (and still save $1000 per month) to a lifestyle where we'll have to actually restrain ourselves from time to time. We'll still be saving some money per month ($500) and we'll still have money to go out to eat once a week so it's not like we're going to be poor but it is a big change. Honestly, it's a good change. I had started to feel like a spoiled glutton with our impulsive spending habits.

And in a last bit of news, Dave quits smoking today at 8pm. Updates to follow.

1 is the Loneliest Number

Dave begins his stop smoking workshop tonight. That means that after I return home from my belly dancing class I'll be alone for most of the evening. For some reason the idea of being without Dave for one evening is making me feel extremely lonely. I really shouldn't feel this way since he will be back later tonight and it's not like I wont be able to sleep in the same bed as him. We've been together non-stop for most of the holiday season since both of us have temporarily stopped traveling for work. I guess I've just gotten used to always being around him. Heck, most days of the week he's even been traveling 20 miles to the town I work in just so we can have lunch together. (Does that make you want to gag?) I'm going to have a huge shock when we both begin traveling again. Luckily, it looks like that wont happen until late February (Dave goes to St Louis).

In other news, Dave and I have found 13 houses that we like. Of those:

1 we've already seen and continue to like

3 we need to drive by to check out the neighborhood (living in a big city means that some neighborhoods are great and some look like they could qualify for ghetto status)

3 are okay but not my favorites (to blend in with the hillsides, most home owner's associations in our area require that your house be painted some shade of brown. Blech! This is why these 3 houses are ok but not my favs)

4 are slightly higher then we'd like to pay but they are worth watching in the future ($420-$440k, our budget is $420k and below)

and 2 we'd like to schedule appointments to come look at (1 of those appointments is scheduled for this afternoon)

A Picture Update

Lately it feels as if the days are going by in one quick blur. I get in bed at night and it feels like just a short while ago I was getting out of bed. I get to work, look at the clock, and then look at the clock again to find 4 hours has already passed. Before I know it the work day is already over and once again I'm fighting traffic to get home. I can hardly believe that there is only 6 months until the wedding since it feels like just yesterday there was a year left. Why does time seem to be moving so quickly lately? I really just want it to stop. *sigh*

Needless to say, I have a list of things to-do that is a mile long. I've barely had enough time to eat, let alone blog. Here is my catch-up picture post:


Dave and I picked up out wedding bands while we were in the Bay Area last weekend. I LOVE both of our rings and was really pleased with the price and quality. I've already told Dave to hide the rings because if he doesn't then I'll just keep putting it on my finger and walking around the house.

We were in the Bay Area for a wedding of Dave's childhood friend. We had a really nice time seeing Dave's family and friends. I miss the Bay Area so much.

This is the bride and groom. They looked wonderful.

We arrived home on Sunday to our normal 80 degree Southern California "winter". I was driving down a street near our house when I took this picture. Note the ocean in the horizon, the palm trees, the wreaths on the palms, and the blue skies. Sad to say the wreaths look out of place and do a poor job of putting me in the holiday spirit.

On Thanksgiving Day weekend we went to the San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders football game. The Raiders lost only because of a bad referee call (boo!). Other then that the game was a lot of fun especially since we had club level seats. It was nice being able to call a waitress over to our seats every time we wanted something to eat or drink. Laziness at its best!

I made a complete Thanksgiving meal for Dave, my Dad, and my brother. The turkey was brined (according to Alton Brown) and turned out delicious. The whole meal was a success (if I say so myself) and I can't wait to cook my next Thanksgiving meal.

To serve Thanksgiving dinner we used our new (to us) china. The china had been given to us by Dave's grandma (now deceased). The complete 12 piece set of china is from the 1920's. I love the pattern so much and could never imagine a more beautiful set of china.

2 weeks ago, Dave bought his very own PS3. Yes the same PS3 that was sought by many and re-sold for several times it's value. So far he has greatly enjoyed the new gaming station and how high quality the screen resolution is. The other day we used the PS3 to watch a Blue-Ray movie. It was very nice looking but I give most of the credit to our plasma screen tv.

Fluff is getting bigger and bigger. The wild man loves getting dressed up. (sarcasm)

Tres Redonk*

Tomorrow's to do list involved waking up at 4am and standing in line at Walmart/Target/Sears/Best Buy for four hours trying to get a new Sony PS3. Unfortunately our plans were thwarted when we learned that Sears didn't receive any PS3s and Target/Walmart/Best Buy already had people camping out in line at 7pm on Wednesday. Yes Wednesday. Which means that people were going to camp in front of the store for 36 hours in hopes of buying a $600 gaming console. I'm not sure whether to be jealous or outraged. Oddly enough I was looking forward to standing in line with Dave amongst the crowds. Now that the lines are already hundred deep and each store was only allocated 10 PS3 units, Dave and I have decided to throw in the towel and leave the line debauchery to the youngsters.

In other news, today was the Great American Smokeout. As I was leaving the house this morning I tossed a roll of commit lozenges and a QuitAssist brochure at Dave's head. Dave is a smoker and has tried (unsuccessfully) quitting several times in the past. When Dave and I first began dating Dave assured me that he only smoked the occasional drunken cigarette. He also told me that he wasn't a Republican so it really came as no surprise when I realized that Dave's occasional cig was really a pack a day habit (and his voting leaned more towards GW versus my Al Gore tendencies). I've never dated a smoker before but surprisingly I'm really not too peeved by Dave's dirty habit. He always smokes outside and for some strange reason never smells of nicotine. He has promised me that he will quite (someday) so I've made an effort not to nag or berate him. Honestly I'm not looking forward to him quitting. Smoking is a very serious addiction and will involve many days of cranky Dave before he's able to break his habit. That will make for some fun blogging!

*Tres Redonk = Very Ridiculous. Get in the Know.