Where the Beautiful People Live

Pics I took a few weeks ago of the beach near my house. This really is paradise.

My Day

6:00a - Decide to sleep in since I spent the holiday weekend sick from the flu. Fevers, nausea, and achiness are mostly gone but I'm still feeling a bit more tired then normal.

7:30a - Wake up. Pet cat for as long as possible before needing to get up and get dressed.

7:45a - Weigh myself and find that I have lost 2 pounds in week 1 of my diet. Woo!

8:30a - Grab a Luna Bar and run out of the house because I am late.

8:45a - Meet with psychiatrist to talk about possibility of meds to help prevent my anxiety attacks. Doc gives me some great insightful advice and prescribes me ativan to use only if needed. I was reluctant to take anything that would require me to be on it all the time.

10:00a - Drive to work. Begin reading emails and sorting through inbox.

11:00a - Attempt to get work done but am interrupted every 5 minutes by someone who needs something.

Noon - Eat lunch while reading my Bridal Bargains book.

1:00p - Receive call from local magazine. They want to do an interview with me and highlight me and my agency in their next issue. Photo shoot scheduled for Friday. Make quick note to get eyebrows waxed and hair highlighted before Friday.

1:30p - Jump in car and head to downtown San Diego.

2:00p - Arrive at bridal salon and try on "the dress" again before making my final decision. Am a bit wishy-washy. There's nothing wrong with the dress per se but it's such a big decision and I can't help but wondering if this is really "the dress". Take pics of me in dress, ponder decision some more, and then decide to bite the bullet and put deposit down.

3:00p - Drive to work meeting that is only 4 miles down the road from bridal shop.

4:00p - After meeting finishes, drive to look at veil and tiara that are being sold for $75. Get confused while exiting freeway. Do I want MiraMar Rd? MiraMar Way? Or Mira Mesa Blvd? Couldn't they have given the roads more creative names???? Finally get to house and fall in love with tiara and veil. Both are exactly what I wanted and would normally retail for $400!

5:30p - Drive home after finishing a few things up at the office.

6:00p - Grab a cheese sandwich before heading out the door again. A cheese sandwich is not normally something I would eat but I was frantically looking for food to quiet my rumbling tummy when I saw a loaf of bread and a block of cheese. Easy and no cooking required. Desperate times, desperate measures.

6:30p - Meet potential new employee at Starbucks to do an interview. Witty conversation and interrogating questions follow.

8:00p - Drive home. Fight with cat to try and hang up veil. Cat thinks it's personal mission is to climb up veil and attack beading.

8:30p - Collapse on couch.

10:30p - Go to bed.

Semi-Naked Shopping

I spent most of yesterday semi-naked in front of complete strangers. I guess that's bound to happen as I was in constant levels of undress while trying on 40 bridal gowns. The bad news is that I forgot to wear cute undies. The good news is that I got so used to everyone seeing me in my bra and panties that I stopped being embarrased and started being comfortable. And the better news is that we found 8 (yes! eight!) dresses that I liked. Below are most of the 8 dresses and the various reasons why I don't *think* that I'll pick them. I say *think* becasue honestly they're all great dresses and my reasons for not picking them are pretty weak since I loved them all.

This dress made me look REALLY thin (and that's quite a feat!). The side gatherings and the halter were really unique and stylish. Only bad things were that the dress was semi-expensive and I'm kinda worried that the side gathering thing (while very flattering) may look dated in a few years.

This is a figure flattering, classic gown with a beaded tulle overlay and detailed trim. I really liked it but I'm not so sure whether it made me go "wow".

Another figure flattering, classic gown (can you tell that I like the classic look). I think this is the perfect dress for my outdoor Yosemite ceremony. The only thing this dress was missing was beading. It had plenty of lace but not much sparkle.

Isn't this dress the cutest??? I love the corset top, side pleat and little bow around the waist. Only bad thing was that this dress was only available in a size 6 so I wasn't able to really try it on.

The corset top on this dress made my waist look amazing (and my boobs too!). Only bad thing was the dress was missing detail beading on the bottom but other then that it was a fantastic dress.

Stupid blogger. See the post below for the dress we did pick. Blogger wont let me post anymore pics to this post.

Round of Applause

So I think this might be it! The dress!!

The corset top and sweetheart neckline were very flattering. It's got a great classic look and includes lots of beading and lace! Perfection.


And the piece de resistance (or however the french say f'ing fantastic part): the 8 foot long catillion train that is removable! I can't wait to try this dress on again!!!

LA Weight Scam

I've been trying to lose weight these past few weeks but it just hasn't been happening for me. I eat my SlimFasts for lunch and dinner but then I end up gorging myself at dinner. Or I get so busy at work and then by the end of the day I'm way too tired to work out at the gym. Or I go to a work meeting and eye the pastries and other goodies until I just can't control myself and I end up eating one (or two). I know, excuses, excuses.

So this afternoon I got fed up with all my empty promises. I enthusiastically made an appointment to meet a counselor at LA Weight Loss. A friend of mine has been trying LA for the past few months and has already lost 20 pounds. Sounds great? Actually, not so much. The counselors at LA Weight Loss are really salespeople with a need to get you to buy their product. I sat down and the counselor (aka sales lady) told me all about how everything I was doing was wrong before. She also told me about how my fiancée may act supportive of my weight but in actuality all men are visual and he's secretly upset and turned off by my 40 pound weight gain!

In the end she wanted my to sign up for 20 weeks of weight loss, a 6 week transition period, and a year maintenance. Total cost was $997! Eeek! Plus I would have had to buy their "weight loss supplements" which she politely refused to tell me the actual cost of. Against her protests I told her I needed to think about it. There was no way that I was going to pay $997 up front (all at once is the only option) without talking to my fiancée since we have a joint account. As soon as I got back to the office I did a bit of internet research and found a few really informative websites like this, and this, and this. I'm really glad that I didn't fold under their high pressure sales tactics and pay the $997. Not only are the contracts virtually non refundable but the supplements can also easily add $1000 on to your weight loss plan. And as part of the contract they make you sign a section stating that you WILL buy the supplements! Sheesh. Scammy!

I think I'm going to try ediets again. I did it for 6 weeks last year and lost 8 pounds. The nutrition plan was very easy to follow as well as flexible. My only problem came to the dinners. The plan I was on was low sodium and the dinners were a bit bland. Hopefully I can try another plan (like the low carb plan) and then the dinners will be more palatable. We'll see ...

Weekend Update

Note: I hate recaps. They bore the hell out of me. I'm not feeling very creative so go ahead and skip this little post if you want.

Friday
Dave was feeling sick (he had a cold) and I was feeling a little funky too so I decided to take the day off from work. While Dave spent 9 hours on the couch asleep, I decided to make a small trip to the local outlets and do some much needed shopping. Four hours and $500 later I came home with many cute outfits. Thank you Banana Republic and NY&Co. I'll post some pics later when I get the chance to take pictures of all my cute new outfits.

Saturday
I spent the morning trying to find cute shoes to go with my new chocolate colored corduroy capris. I came home, went to the gym (need to get in semi-shape for wedding dress shopping on Tuesday). After I got home, Dave and I took showers (separately unfortunately) and got ready to go to the DMB concert in Chula Vista (south SD). Maybe I'm just not a "true Dave fan" anymore but I really didn't enjoy myself at the concert. In fact Dave and I left before the encore. *gasp* I know! For me I think that DMB concerts were all about the people that I met while tailgating and watching the concert. The people who knew DMB better then I did and got me all excited to hear certain songs or hear rare outtros and intros. Even though Dave is great at the concerts and sings along to songs he knows, its just not the same. *sigh* I don't even think that I'll attend a concert next year. It's just not worth it ;-(

Sunday
Dave was still feeling sick and I was feeling funky too so we spent most of the day being lazy.

ABCDE

After I experienced the whole ATV accident debacle (6 months ago) I came home and was naturally afraid of driving at high speeds on the freeway or driving down dirt roads. What did I expect? I flipped my ATV, landed in a ravine, and thought my back was broken. Mild anxiety was sure to be my friend for the next couple of months.

I've never been a dare devil maniac but I am a person who in the past enjoyed snowboarding, water sports, outdoor activities in general, and trying new things. For the last 6 months my anxiety has escalated and I've become a little bit of a nut case. Anything over 65mph on the freeway gives me sweaty palms. The thought of going out in the field paralyzes me with fearful thoughts (which sucks because I am a field employee). I went to Disneyland for a bachlorette party and refused most of the rides. I turned down an offer to ride in a helicopter (a helicopter!). I've made Dave crazy when he has driven because I constantly point at cars that might hit us and nag him to slow down even when he's doing 60 in the slow lane. I freaked out while driving over a bridge while going to Coronado Island for a meeting. And last month in Florida a group of employees were allowed to canoe down a river while on a tour. My response? Thank the heavens that I was not on that tour because I would have been forced to ride the canoes and I would have freaked! Like seriously freaked out from fear.

The clincher was when Dave and I were in Las Vegas. The entire 5 hour drive from SoCal to LV I spent hyperventilating and sweating in the passenger seat. That actually has become the norm for the past 6 months so that wasn't the deal breaker. The deal breaker came when we went to watch a Circus du Soleil show and we sat in the balcony. A few minutes after the show began we were sitting there watching this acrobat do her thing 100 feet in the air without any safety harness (if you've ever watched a Circus du Soleil show then you know that doing something acrobatic 100 feet in the air is kinda the whole point of the shows). While watching the acrobat all these fears started racing through my head. What happened if she fell??? What happened if the balcony collapsed? What happened if we died at the show???? Before I knew it I was sweating and barely able to breath. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could and go sit on the floor in the bathroom where I was safe and didn't have to watch the acrobat anymore.

I knew I needed help. This anxiety thing wasn't getting any better. It was getting worse. Much worse! Like I said before, I'm not a dare devil but living with constant anxiety just isn't my idea of a nice life.

A week ago I made a trip to my health insurance's therapist. She gave me a few exercises to try and help me through my moments of anxiety and referred me to an anxiety group that the hospital sponsors. She also gave me a referral to see a psychiatrist so that I can be prescribed anti-anxiety meds. I'm not so sure how I feel about the meds part. I understand why others may need mood stabilizers but I never have and I've never imagined that I would need them (but then again I never imagined that I would be affected by anxiety attacks. Never).

Yesterday, six of us from my office went out to a Indian tribe who needed technical assistance on their property located deep in the mountains. While we were 4x4'ing 7 miles up a steep sandy dirt road we encountered a monsoon (summer rains in Cali are rare!). The dirt roads instantly became slippery, the pounding rain made it hard to see, and there was thunder and lightning all over. We were all scared especially since we had to drive 7 miles DOWN the dirt road to get back to the main road. But you know what? I was a little bit scared but I wasn't paralyzed with fear or freaking out or even sweating. I just kept doing my anxiety exercises and I was ok. Maybe I will get better.

Passing Ships

I left on Sunday for a business trip to Sacramento. I came home Monday from the airport to be greeted by my fiancee who was leaving for a business meeting of his own in LA. He came home yesterday and I was kinda looking forward to some hot action last night. You know, because of all the not seeing each other and missing each other. So imagine my glee last night when Dave called out to me while he was in the shower. I ran to his call and barely held myself back from stripping along the way. I get to the shower door and ask what he needs (all the while in my head I'm thinking 'I know what he needs! Mwahahahaha!'). His need? To not forget to pay the car insurance.

Gee honey. Thanks.

ABC's

Stolen from Renae

A is for age: 26
B is for booze of choice: I don't really have just one. Red Syrah Wine when I want to wind down. Corona Light when I want to socialize. Long Beach Ice Tea when I want to get crazy. Caiparhinas when I want to act frou-frou. Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke with Bacardi Coconut Rum Light when I want to be on a diet.
C is for career: Big Boss
D is for your dog's name: No dog for now. Maybe someday when we have a yard.
E is for essential items you use/love everyday: Face moisturizer, Sirius radio, & my cell phone.
F is for favorite song(s) at the moment: "Earthquakes & Sharks" by Brandston & anything by Death Cab for Cutie
G is for favorite games: I'm not a big game player. Maybe tetris?
H is for hometown: SoCal
I is for instruments you play: None
J is for jam or jelly you like:Strawberry all the way.
K is for kids: No thanks.
L is for last kiss: When Dave got home at midnight last night, he gave me the most intense welcome home kiss. *sigh*
M is for most admired trait: I'm organized. Like really, really organized. Always have been.
N is for name of your crush: My fiancée of course! Dave
O is for overnight hospital stays: When I was 11 I had my appendix removed old style (back when they cut you all the way open and left you with a huge scar)
P is for phobias: Snakes & Car Crashes (especially dying in a crash)
Q is for quotes you like: Seen on the side of a Nike shoebox: "You run like a girl. Good for you"
R is for biggest regret: I had this relationship back during my senior year of college that was toxic yet thrilling. I f'ed up several times and did things I shouldn't have done and he f'ed up several times and did things to hurt me in return. The relationship would never have worked out but I often look back and wonder what would have happened had I not f'ed up.
S is for sweets of your choice: Chocolate in any form (but without nuts!)
T is for time you wake up: I'm supposed to wake up at 6am but that doesn't always happen.
U is for underwear: Haha! It used to be cute little Victoria Secret undies in all styles. But now I lean toward the comfy cotton things that are faded and worn.
V is for vegetables you love: I'm a veggie whore. Give it all to me! Spinach, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, salad! Mmmm ;-9
W is for worst habit: I can be a bitch sometimes. Don't get on my bad side!
X is for x-rays you've had: Too many to list.
Y is for yummy food you make: I love cooking. My best is probably crock pot spicy chicken. Everyone always loves it and it's super easy to make.
Z is for zodiac sign: Taurus

Ok. Now it's Tammy's turn!

Picture Post

The town I live in:

The boy I love:

The furry belly that makes me melt:

10 Months

Dave is in Missouri for a business trip until late Thursday evening. He's only been gone since Monday and I already miss that boy something fierce ;-( Distance really does make the heart grow fonder. Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad that he got such an awesome job for such a fantastic corporation AND he works from home. But (and we all knew there was a but) I really hate that he's going to be traveling just as much as I travel. For most of the next few months I'm gone one week and he's gone the next week or we're both gone at the same time and Fluff is left home alone.

Anyways, on to happier news: In exactly 10 months, Dave and I will be getting married amidst the beauty of Yosemite. Only 10 more months! EEEeee!!! I'm starting to get excited and in the 'we're getting married' mode which is great because maybe it will motivate me to lose some weight! I've been horrible lately. Really horrible. I've always been NOT naturally thin and had to work hard to maintain my weight. But for the past 6 months I just haven't cared whether I gained weight. Donut? Yes please. Coke or diet coke? Mmmmm ... coke! Go to the gym tonight? Nahhhh! Go to the gym anytime this week? Maybe next week! Beer? Give me 5. I love empty calories!

I really need to get back in the habit of watching what and how much I eat plus exercising daily. I keep thinking that I can do this by myself but I've been trying to lose weight for the past 2 years and have been unable to (in fact I've gained 40 pounds). I think it's time I try LA Weight Loss, Weight Watchers, or some other structured weight loss program even though it makes me feel like a failure. I've lost 40+ pounds twice before in my life (I told you I'm not naturally thin) and I just can't understand why I'm lacking the will power this time around to lose the weight for a 3rd time. I'm getting married in 10 months and will be wearing a big white dress! Wouldn't you think that I'd be able to think of that and stay away from the brownies in the office kitchen. Sadly no. LA Weight Loss here I come ...

Many Moons Ago ...

August 2004
We won last night. Twice. Yep. Wooooo. OK I'm too tired to 'woo'. AndI'm too sore to 'woo'.After work, I drove to the sports park for my 1st softball game. The team was super nice and young (and a few of the boys were super cute) but I don't know. Maybe it's cuz I'm hormonal this time of the monthor something like that but I just didn't gel with the team. They were nice and everything but I couldn't help feeling shy and a bit outsiderish. So the other team didn't show up and we won by default. Immediately after the game, I ran home and made myself a turkey burgerbefore heading to the gym for my 7pm 30 min abs class. Then I had a yoga class that began at 7:30. Cool. I like yoga. It helps me stay flexible and get better balance. SO after my yoga class I went home and checked my email real quick before I had planned to jump in the shower. One of the email messages was from a guy I met who also plays on a softball team and who needed an extra girl to play that night in15 minutes (9pm). So I quickly ran down there and played yet another game of softball. We own. And I loved the team!!! So I think that I'm gonna stay with that team (but now I have to break it to my other team which sucks). But I really fit well with this team and we played well together and they seem like awesome people. YAY.
And it doesn't help that the team manager (Dave) is a super cutie and super nice. He's a Sigma Chi alumni from Long Beach State, blond & tall. Yum. We're supposed to meet this weekend and do some practicing as well as go get some beers. YAY. And I'm gonna make him cookies ;-) Anyone got a good peanut butter cookie recipe? I gotta show the boy that I'm not only a super cool chick who can bat with the best of them but I'm also a domestic goddess. Gosh I forget how much I rock sometimes ;-p After the game I came home and Scott wanted to spend some time together so we watched SBF Stunning SF. SBF is a local stunt bike riding crew that lives (literally) right down the street. Most of the stunts they perform are down right on the main street that we live offof. It's pretty cool to watch their videos and recognize all the local landmarks. Not to mention that they do some pretty sic stunts.

August 2005
I'm in Wichita, Kansas this week for a work conference. I'm scheduled to give an hour 15 minute presentation tomorrow to the entire group (about 100 people). Holy cow is all I can say about that.I leave here on Friday, fly into Oakland, then take BART directly to San Francisco where I'll be meeting Dave at a hotel. We plan on celebrating our anniversary with a nice dinner on Friday then DMB on Saturday. Dave was joking around and made it clear that I wont be getting a ring as my anniversary present. ;-( Of course his comment hurt my feelings but it lead to a nice discussion on us and marriage. Surprisingly, the discussion was mostly lead by me OPENLY, honestly and effortlessly telling Dave how I felt on the whole subject (such a huge step for me since I suck at the whole communication thing). Dave and I agreed that we want to get married because the time is right for us and NOT because all of our friends are doing it. We both want to talk about marriage and wedding plans extensively before becoming engaged which we'll be a bit difficult for Dave since he is able to show how he feels easily but forgets that he needs to say how he feels too. We both agreed that we're at a good time in our lives to get married (financial stability, established careers, educated, mature, etc). And we both agreed that we want to keep each other and that we both hope marriage is in our future together. Ahhhh! I love that boy!

A Love Story

Last Christmas I got Dave a Sirius player and subscription because I had no idea what else to get him. The boy already has everything he could ever want or need. So after 3 hours of walking up and down the Best Buy aisles I threw my hands up in despair, grabbed the closest box, and walked out. The closest box happened to be a Sirius Radio Sportster which he opened on xmas eve to mild delight. (I told you he had everything he wanted or needed and satellite radio did not happen to be one of his wants or needs). To be honest I had no interest in satellite radio either but I figured what they hey. It was something under the tree.

A few weeks later, Dave and I were road tripping to SoCal (this was back when we lived in the Bay Area) and we decided to give Sirius a try. Within 1 hour I was hooked. Who knew this satellite radio would be this fantastic! And clear! And chock full of music choices! And each station was packed with quality music! And no commercials!

I immediately did what any caring girlfriend would do. I removed the Sirius from his car and had it installed in my car. I also bought this super cute boom box so that I could listen to it at work. For the next 4 months, Sirius and I were inseparable. We were together at work, in the car, and even at home thanks to streaming audio over the internet. Imagine my dismay when we moved down to San Diego and I discovered that I no longer received satellite reception in my sub-basement office. Then my sticky suction cup holder fell off in the car. Sirius and I decided to break up.

OK. So this is turning into a long story and it really shouldn't be. Flash forward to today when I forgot to bring my
CDs so I decided to try the ye olde Sirius. It works! And I'm in love again.

Sirius + Cori = 4ever

We're Parents ... To a Cat

Doesn't he look cute while he sleeps??

The rule in our house is that if Fluff jumps up on the kitchen counter then he is immediately given a stern 'no' and then spritzed with a water bottle. Repeated use of this method has worked really well for us. Often all he have to do is say the stern 'no' and Fluff immediately stops doing whatever it is he was doing. Fluff rarely gets up on the counter anymore unless it is because he detects something was left on the counter that he is be able to bat with his little paws. Such as a derelict pen or bottle cap or wineglass. Needless to say the wineglass batting didn't go over well with all parties involved.

To recap: Fluff on Kitchen Counter = Stern 'No' + Spritz from Spray Bottle

Last night as I'm trying to fall asleep I feel Dave get out of bed. I open my eyes to see what he is up to (we can see the kitchen from our bedroom). Fluff is on the kitchen counter and Dave is bending over so he is eye to eye with the cat. In the calmest voice Dave is having a chat with Fluff. "Hey buddy, you know your mom and I don't like it when you're on the counter. Your paws are dirty and then you walk on the counter and it is unsanitary. So let's stay off the counter. Okay bud? ok." With that Dave gently lifts Fluff off the counter and places him on the floor.

What a push over.

I Suck at Recaps

I woke up at 1:30am last night (this morning?) to the sound of coyotes howling under our bedroom window. Directly under our window. Like less then 100 feet from my body. The 1st thing I frantically did was look for my kitten. Maybe they were howling because my kitten had gotten outside and they were now feasting upon his body! Ok. So they probably weren't but I had to make sure. Luckily I didn't need to search very hard for my kitten since he was curled up in a ball in the crook of my armpit.

The 2nd thing I did was get mad. Vile coyotes were howling under my bedroom window in the middle of the night and keeping me awake. But then I realized that I live next door to a nature preserve and I should expect coyotes and other wild creatures. (Especially since $1.5 million needs to be raised to keep the preserve from being developed but thats a whole different story).

In other news, we're back from Vegas. It was very nice but I suck at reviews and recaps so I'll spare you. During the day we slept, read, and layed by the 5 pools and lazy river of MGM Grand. During the night we ate gourmet meals, gambled, and drank. One night we watched a Cirque du Soleil show that involved alot of nekidness. I think I saw a penis.

Viva Las Vegas

Dave & I are off to the City of Sin.

During the day you can find me here:

At night we'll be here:

Be back Saturday!

I'd Rather be Blogging ...

Nope, I haven't taken another break from blogging. I've just been super busy with life and work. Here's a quick run down of my past 2 weeks:
* Future MIL & FIL came to visit for 4 days along with their grandson (Dave's nephew)
* Took MIL and Nephew to SeaWorld in San Diego. Got Burnt. Turned Brown. Dark Brown.
* Tried to survive 4 days with Nephew. Barely did so. That boy is a handful and almost convinced me that I am not cut out for reproduction.
* Celebrated Dave's 31st bday. Made him a chocolate peanut butter cake that ended up being an inch high (with both layers stacked on top of each other). Not sure what went wrong????
* Kitten got sick. (I think bcs of the nephew but I can't be sure of that). Nursed kitten back to health.
* Flew to Orlando, FL for a 5 day work conference.
* Spent LOTS of time with Tammers. I miss that girl so darn much ;-(
* Met the wonderful Renae. I wanted to pack Tammy and Renae in my suitcase and bring them back to to Cali.
* Got incredibly drunk at work conference 4 of 5 nights. Didn't make too much a fool of myself. Luckily.
* Flew home. Slept 16 hours.
* Realized that in my drunken stupor I forgot to take several days worth of birth control pills. Tried to catch up. Spent Sunday feeling nauseous and crummy. Damn pills.
* Bought portable air conditioner unit bcs Dave and I can't stand the 85 degree heat anymore. It wouldn't be so bad but the condo maintains a humid 83 all day long. When it's 83 I don't feel like cuddling (or anything else).
* Got laid. Thank the heavens for AC.
* Planned a VERY last minute 4 day trip to Las Vegas. We leave Wednesday morning.
* Returned to work to find a huge mountain worth of work on my desk. Hyperventilated then attempted to reduce pile. Still attempting.

15 Million Reasons

Just when I think that we've reached the stage where the romanticism has died in our relationship, my fiancee finds a new and creative way to let me know that I am wrong.



I found this waiting for me at my office. Dave found out today that he got a job as an account executive at a big corporation. He let me know by sending a dozen red roses with a note telling me the good news. ;-D

PS - Best of all is that the bastard is going to be working from home. ERRRR!!! I want to sit on the patio all day and work from my laptop!

He Who Grows Like a Weed

He's only 16 weeks old. He doesn't even look like a kitten anymore. What happened to my little baby????

Cori Needs ... (Friday Fun)

Google your "name needs" (ie "Cori needs") and list your top 10 needs!

Here are mine:
1. Cori needs to eat 1 banana for each mile she travels. (that's a whole lot of bananas)
2. Cori needs a forever home wth a loving and caring individual who will give her plenty of attention and an occasional treat. (I tell that to Dave everyday!)
3. CORI needs major reform (We all knew that!)
4. Cori Needs Help! (no comment)
5. CORI needs to strategize how to take advantage of recruiting and connecting members. (ummm ... ok)
6. Cori needs her babies . (I do need Fluff)
7. cori needs a vacation! (Yep)
8. Cori needs a mixture of talent, drive and more than a little luck.
9. CORI needs to improve adherence to legislation (I'm already a stickler for policy and rules)
10. Cori needs 2 majors to finish her title and there has been almost no majors in Florida since the SFLRC's specialty in May. (I wonder what my title will be?)

Today is PT Day!!!!!!!! YAY!!!

I had mentioned upon our return from Cabo that I had been in an ATV accident. I was a bad blogger and never shared pics of our time in Mexico nor did I explain how I ended up in the bottom of a rocked out flood control ravine. The pics of our vacation in Mexico will have to wait to another day when I'm bored but for now in honor of the fact that today I have a physical therapy session, I will post pics of the accident.

Here we are before riding the vehicles of death (aka ATVs). Dave really wanted to ride the ATVs while we were in Cabo and I was trying to be a good fiancee and go along with his idea.

This is what being a good fiancee got me. A 15,000 peso ride in an ambulance on a stretcher.

We were about 45 minutes into the ride when we began going down a medium size mountain/hill. The soil was a bit sandy and my bike was starting to loose traction and get squirrly but I was still managing fairly well. Our guide stopped in the middle of the hill. I was having a hard time stopping (I couldn't get good traction) and was about to hit the lady on the atv in front of me. Instead I decided to try and stop along side her so it would give me more time to slow down. My bike still wasn't stopping and I hit a rock that sent me sailing into the ravine on the side of the mountain. Down I tumbled with the bike tumbling right after me. As you can see I was lucky that the bike got wedged behind a rock and didn't tumble over me. The guide thought my back was broken (and I thought my back was broken too since I landed hard on several jagged rocks. They called an ambulance which came 30 long minutes later. They put me on a stretcher then carried me all the way up the mountain you see in the pic. Not an easy feet since I'm no light feather!

Once I got to the Cabo ER they did tons of xrays to make sure my back wasn't broken. No broken bits but lots of bruising and swelling all over my body.

This is my back 24 hours after the accident. As you'll notice I have a gorgeous eggplant color on my entire lower back. You'll also notice the lovely stretch marks. Those are from my back swelling up so much so quickly after the accident. I looked like a hump back. Seriously, the swelling easily added 8-10 inches around my waist. I couldn't believe that it was possible for a body part to swell and bruise as much as my back did. It took 2 months for most of the swelling and bruising to go away. 4 months later I still have some swelling but not to the extent that you see in the pic.

Which leads to today's physical therapy session. To treat the swelling that still exists and to get rid of the blood clots that feel like gumballs in my back (due to the intense brusing) they have been giving me 30 minute messages during eash PT session. After that they rub gooey stuff all over my back and run the wand of an ultrasound machine over my back repeatedly to break up the clots. *sigh* I never knew physical therapy could feel SO good!

More Pictures

Our 56" plasma TV.

The Kitchen. Lots of counter space and cabinets!

The best part is that I can watch TV while I cook!!!

The balcony. Small but relaxing.

The master bedroom. The last room that needs to be decorated. I plan on registering for new bedding when we get married. I want to an asian zen type theme. Think simple design and nature colors. Like you walked into an asian designed day spa.

Pretty Picture Post

I love our new apartment. If I could I would buy this place.







The view from our living room windows. The canyon/nature preserve/lagoon.














As you can imagine, I love sitting on the couch and looking at the window. Very relaxing after a hard days work.












The 2nd bedroom & office. Very spacious. Except do you notice that the bedskirt is missing off the bed? It was the only thing lost in the move. The only thing! How did the movers lose a bedskirt (and only a bedskirt)???












A bad shot of the 2nd bath
















A better shot of the living room

Grunions Galore

I'm going grunion hunting tonight. Only in Southern California ...

Can fish run? The famous grunions do on San Diego Beaches.
A summer evening is a perfect time to have a SoCal experience. If there is anything that is uniquely Southern Californian, then this phenomenon just might personify it. Picture yourself on one of San Diego's beaches - at night - with a few dozen other people. The tide is high and the waves are rolling pretty far up the sand line. Suddenlly, as a wave recedes, you spot hundreds of silvery things, wiggling on the sand. Then, just as quickly, the next wave rolls in, then out, and with it the silvery spectres. Yep, you are witnessing a famous California grunion run.
Grunion? you say? What are grunions? Well, California grunion (Leuresthes tenuis) are small silvery fish about 5 to 6 inches long found only along the coast of southern California and northern Baja California. Most of us would be unaware of their existence were it not for the unique spawning behavior of these fish.

Unlike other fish, grunion come out of the water completely to lay their eggs in the wet sand of the beach. And that, my friends, makes us privy to the California grunion run, or more sprecifically, the grunion's sex life.

Along San Diego's sandy beaches, from March through September, one of the most remarkable life cycles in the sea is completed when the California grunion comes ashore to spawn.

According to the California Department of Fish and Game, as if this behavior were not strange enough, grunion make these excursions only on particular nights, and with such regularity that the time of their arrival on the beach can be predicted a year in advance. This phenomenon can be seen on many beaches in southern California. Shortly after high tide, on certain nights, sections of these beaches sometimes are covered with thousands of grunion depositing their eggs in the sand. Hence, the popularity of both grunion watching and grunion hunting.

Yep, you read it right: grunion hunting. Because, even though they are fish, you don't exactly catch them with a pole and line. Nope. Since the grunion basically wash up to your feet, you have to chase them down and grab them barehanded if you want to catch them. That's what makes grunion hunting so uniquely SoCal!

Since these fish leave the water to deposit their eggs, they may be picked up while they are briefly stranded. Often there are more people than fish, but at other times everyone catches fish. So, no expensive fishing gear is needed (just your bare hands and a bucket or sack to hold your prizes. Oh yeah, and a valid State fishing license and a willingness to get a little wet.

More Information About Grunions

Tale of 2 Cities

I was just reading Rosalie's blog post about moving to Providence from Florida. She talked about how her move has felt like she moved to another country. Her post made me start thinking about my recent 435 mile move from the Bay Area to San Diego. I know that Rosalie moved several states away while my move was only from NorCal to SoCal but I've been quite surprised to find how similiar the 2 cities are.
* Both have the same stores with the minor exception Safeway is called VONS here (but both look exactly alike on the inside).
* Everyone has the same accents and similiar vocabularies (dude, hella, etc).
* There isn't a major change in the weather. SD is usually a more constant 80 year round while the Bay Area gets more rain in Jan/Feb and a little hotter in July/August. Other then that it's the same seasons (summer, summer, spring & spring).
* Bay Area people are a little more laid back and liberal but SD people aren't too far off that mark either.
* The buildings and the landmarks are very similiar too. My apartment building looks just like something that I would find in the Bay Area.

So what are the differences????
* It seems like 75% of the people here surf or do some other ocean centered activity. I guess thats bound to happen with 117 miles of coast in the county.
* There are tons of military bases in the county. TV and newspapers tend to focus WAY more on the military life and american pride then I ever expected.
* There's tons of hills in SD (and I thought the Bay Area was hilly). The bad part is that some of the roads get pretty windy. The good part is that finding a house with a view is fairly damn easy. I've fallen in love with looking out my huge windows at the canyon below my apartment.

A Few of My Random Thoughts:

My Kitten
When did my tiny little kitten get so big??? Fluff has put on 2 pounds in the past 2 weeks and now resembles a small full grown cat. ;-( I loved my tiny little baby. He's only 16 weeks old and I really didn't expect him to grow up so quickly. Lucky for my heart, he still acts like the cutest, most playful little furball. This morning I held Fluff and we ran after Dave while he swatted and tried to catch Dave.

Wedding Plans
Dave and I along with his parents made a 2nd trip to Tenaya Lodge a few weeks ago. The lodge has been booked, wedding website created, photographer and baker selected, and dj and floral are coming from close friends. I can't believe all that's been done! All that remains is invitations (3 months before), wedding registry (Septemberish), save the date cards (Octoberish), and some other little details. Oh yeah and I still need to go wedding dress shopping. Ughhhh ... I really wanted to lose a few pounds before that happened. I suck and so does wedding dress shopping when you feel like a whale.

4th of July
It was nice having a 4 day weekend even though I felt like we were constantly on the go and didn't have much time to stop and relax. On Saturday we flew to Sacramento to spend the weekend with Dave's parents and extended family. Monday we flew back. On Tuesday we decided to do some chores around the apartment and relax at home with a caprihina (me) and beer (Dave). Nothing wild but I've kinda grown out of my wild days. A relaxing evening at home with my kitten and my fiancée seem to be what I enjoy most these days. The only disappointment to the weekend was that I had thought we'd be able to see the fireworks from our balcony (we have an amazing view of a wildlife preserve). Unfortunately, we could see the fireworks but the marine layer made it a bit hazy and a hill blocked a portion of the fireworks.

Vacation Part Deux
Dave and I got it into our wild little heads that we're going to do a last minute summer vacation in 3-4 weeks. I love that boy and how spontaneous he can be! So we're still doing frantic research but I think we'll shoot for 4 nights at an all inclusive in Mexico again. WOOO!!! So far we've found decent resorts with air fare for $800 per person. Not bad!

I Feel Old (and Boring)
I've stayed away from blogging for the past few months and I really want to get back into the habit. I love exercising the creative part of my brain (I'm much too analytical) and I love having a journal of my thoughts. My only problem is that sometimes blogging makes me feel SO old. Gone are the days when I talked about school or my sorority. Gone are the days when my crushes on boys changed from day to day. No more exciting tales of dates and sex. My neurotic thoughts towards getting engaged are now settled and passed. Oye Vey. Do I have anything interesting to say??? I have no kids to talk about, no pre-marital problems to stress over, no big life changing decisions to loom over. Even wedding planning is nothing to get all tizzied about unless people enjoy my writing about the various shades of sage I saw at the linen store yesterday?

Fluff

Cutest kitten ever! He really is.

Earthquakes & Sharks

I think this might be my favorite ode to California ever written. This is SO getting played at our wedding!

Drove up to San Diego
I saw a sign for Mission Beach
And so, went out deep into the ocean,
Saw a shark and had a stroke.
Back in the ambulance I go,
I had a dream about a girl I used to know,
She said "I got to warn ya 'bout Mexico and California."

Earthquakes and sharks to start us off,
If Chupacabras ain't enough,
Black widow spiders and killer bees,
There ain't no shade, there ain't no trees.
Hot desert heat, polluted air,
And traffic jams beyond compare.
That's all I got to warn ya 'bout Mexico and California

- Brandston

No Going Back

I just really can't believe that the movers are coming tomorrow. I can't believe that today was the last day at work. I can't believe that tonight is the last night for us to sleep in our apartment. I can't believe that on Friday, Dave and I will be driving to San Diego. I can't believe that on Sunday night I will watch Dave board a plane back to SF. I can't believe that for the next 2 months, I'll be sleeping by myself in a hotel room. I can't believe that I'm going to be starting a new life in a new town.

I feel like my heart is about to break in a million pieces. How am I supposed to sleep without Dave by my side? How am I supposed to eat without Dave there to eat with me each night? I am going to miss that boy so much ;-(

Land of Ron Burgandy

At the last minute I got sent to San Diego for a 3 day meeting. Everyone involved in the meeting has been working non-stop but last night we took the opportunity to eat sushi downtown. I met my new staff (all 12 of them!) at the sushi retaurant. After easting we all went out got drunk and danced until midnight. I feel great! [/end sarcasm]

I have more meetings today beginning at 8am then I fly home to SF at 2pm. I'm exited to get home and snuggle with the boy ;-D

Big Love

Is anyone else watching this show on HBO? It's about a polygamous family in Utah. Hilarious and intriguing. Check it out if you have HBO!!!

Tiny Prayers to Father Time

People always told me that picking the location and date were the hardest part of wedding planning because someone would always have something negative to say about your selection. Well ... That has NOT been my case so far. Instead I've had the opposite problem. People seem to like all of my selections which you would think I should be happy about but I'm not. I have too many options and I need help narrowing down my choices!!! Here's what I'm thinking so far:

Yosemite

Either Tenaya Lodge or the Chalets at Bass Lake. Yosemite is located in the middle of the State so fewer would need to fly. People could make a mini-vacation out of it and go to Yosemite before/after the wedding. The only problems are that it is so far away and it'll make it hard for me to plan. Plus people will need to make reservations for Yosemite campsites ASAP if they want a spot there since campgrounds sell out so quickly.

Riverside

Ever since I was a little girl growing up in Riverside, I always dreamed about getting married at the Mission Inn. I LOVE the hotel and its history and think that it would make a VERY gorgeous and dramatic wedding location. My problems: 1) I don't want guests to have to deal with the traffic of Riverside/LA. 2) Inland SoCal in June would be too hot. 3) Riverside is very urban and quite a few might think it is 'ugly'.

San Diego

There are quite a few hotels along the beach that would make GORGEOUS ceremony/reception sites. I've looked at a few on-line and they are reasonably priced. It would be a far trip for our Fresno & Bay Area guests BUT they could make a mini-vacation out of it and go to Sea World, LegoLand, Zoo, Beach, etc. I'll be living in San Diego so it will be very easy for me to do the planning. My only problem is that I don't know SD yet nor do I have any emotional connection with the area. For some reason a wedding in SD just doesn't feel "right" to me but maybe it will in the future???

Accidente

We're back from Cabo. Everything didn't go exactly as planned. On the 3rd day there I rolled my ATV into a rocked out ravine. They thought that I had broken my back so they took me by ambulance to the ER in Cabo. The good news is that nothing is broken and I'm not paralyzed. The bad news is that I'm all bruised up and in some pain. Needless to say there wasn't any hot vacation sex and there wont be any sex for 2 more weeks ;-( I can live through the pain but I ca't live with NO sex! ;-p

Today I have off. My plans are to go to my health insurance office and try to get the 15,000 pesos reimbursed for the ambulance and ER. Sounds like fun ...

I Will Be Here Tomorrow:

Adios Amigos. I'll be back March 10th ;-D

PS I have lots of wedding stuff to post when I get back!

Will You Marry Me? ;-D

I can't believe the bastard lied to me!!! And I can't believe that he got the jeweler to lie to me!!! It didn't take 2 weeks to resize and set! ;-D

Background: Dave and I live in a SF suburb named Pleasanton. We met in Pleasanton playing softball for the city league and most of our 1st dates happened in Pleasanton. Main Street in downtown Pleasanton is flocked by fancy places to eat, upscale clothing boutiques, wine bars, art galleries, etc. When Dave and I first began dating we spent most of our time on Main St because there was so much to do and see. Lately, we've been eating more at home and not doing much on the weekends so we haven't been to Main St in several months.

On Saturday, Dave and I had planned to eat at Haps, a really expensive and nice steakhouse on Main St. in downtown Pleasanton. We wanted to have a nice dinner to celebrate 9 months of living together, 18 months dating, and a late v-day. Unfortunately, my tummy was killing me all through dinner!! I have ulcers and they act up when I'm under alot of stress (the new job). I didn't even get to finish my glass of wine cuz my tummy hurt so bad ;-( After dinner Dave suggested that we walk down Main St to see if exercise would help my tummy. It was a warm February night and I agreed thinking that walking would help get my mind off the pain in my tummy. As we were walking Dave kept talking about us and how we're ending one chapter of our life and how we're starting another. He was being really romantic and sweet but not overly corny so I thought nothing of it. Then he stopped and said that he had to tie his shoe. While down on one knee, he reached in his pocket, grabbed the little box and asked me to marry him ;-D It was perfect. Main St was all lit up and the entire thing was more romantic then I could have dreamed.

Here's a pic of my pretty e-ring. I can't help but keep looking at it. I LOVE IT!


Here is a pic of it from the top. Sorry for the blurry pic!


And here is Main St in Pleasanton at night. So romantic!