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!

The Bad & The Good

The Bad – My E-Ring
Thursday night we went to the jewelers to pick up my ring. I’ll be honest and admit that when I 1st saw the ring I was really disappointed. It’s just that I’ve built “The Ring” up in my head so much and then here it was in front of my face. The ring that I was going to wear for the REST of my life. I think that I expected harped angels to sing or something! KWIM? Luckily, Dave asked if I wanted to look at the other rings to see if there was anything better and so I looked and quickly realized that the ring Dave had picked out was definitely my favorite ;-D So we selected a stone and now the ring is off getting the stone set and the band re-sized. The really BAD news is that it wont be ready for another 2 weeks!!!! So we wont be getting the ring back in time for Cabo ;-( ;-( I didn’t expect them to need so much time setting and resizing ;-(

The Bad – My New Job
I’ve been so stressed out over this new job. It’s such a huge increase in responsibility. Am I ready for that yet? Will Dave find a job right away? Will we like our new area? Etc. I’m finally starting to calm down now that everything is falling into place. I’m relaxing and looking forward to living in such a beautiful area. Our plan for now is to have me go down there April 2nd. Start my new job and live in corporate housing for two months (until June). Then Dave will come down in June and we’ll rent a cute little 2 or 3 bedroom house near the beach. I’m really excited about that since I’ve never gotten to live within 5 miles of the beach and it’s always been a dream of mine ;-D The bad news is that we’re going to be apart for 2 months. I’m gonna miss that boy so much that it’s gonna hurt ;-(

The Good – Pretty Purses
I’ve wanted to get myself something to congratulate myself on this huge new promo. I finally decided on this super cute Coach tote. The best part is that it’s only $218!!! What a deal. It’ll make the perfect spring/summer purse ;-D


The Good – My New Kitty Cat
I have wanted to get a cat for the past 2 years. Unfortunately, Dave hasn’t been too keen on the idea. He’s just not a cat person. But I finally found a breed of cat that he likes and that I LOVE!!! Ragdolls are a rare breed that can grow to be 3x the size of a normal cat. They are very trusting, relaxed, loving cats. Go here to read more. We wont be getting the kitten until we're settled but at least we finally found our perfect cat. Aren’t they the cutest!!!!

Mindless

I'm stressed. No I take that back. I'm beyond stressed. I'm about to go crazy over here. There's just so much going through my head and I don't know how to handle it all. I'm trying my hardest to just sit back and relax cuz at this point there is nothing I can do. I can't even look for a new apartment cuz at this point I'm not even sure when my official start date for San Diego will occur. I'm really worried about Dave finding a new job even though I know he's got great qualifications. I just feel like this move is so selfish. I hate feeling selfish.

PS - I love Coldplay and I love their song 'talk' but what is up with the music video??? It's like a bad SciFi movie from the 60's.

PPS - We're picking up the ring tonight!! YAYY!!!!!! I still don't know which band he selected so I'm excited to see what it looks like ;-D

PPPS - I wish that boy could keep a secret. He has diarrhea of the mouth when it comes to the whole engagement issue. Ughhhhh ...

Whale Penis

Holy cow. Holy cow. Holy cow.

We're moving to San Diego. I just found out that I got a huge promotion and now I'll be in charge of all of San Diego County as well as supervising 11 other people. Holy cow.

16 Days Until I Become Giddy

Work has been super hectic lately. I feel like once I get one project completed, I immediately have 3 NEW projects on my desk. The only thing pulling me through each day is knowing that in 16 days I'll be sipping a margarita in Cabo San Lucas!!!! Pics of our hotel (El Presidente Intercontinental) from tripadvisor.com

Happy Valentine's Day

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

- ee cummings

Dave's E-Ring Cont'd

Before


After - Our new 56" HDTV ;-D Dave is in love with the TV. I'm in love with the TV stand ;-p

Dave's Engagement Ring

FMIL

You are the mother I received
The day I wed your son.
And I just want to thank you
For all the things you've done.
You've given me a gracious man
With whom I share my life.
You are his loving mother and
I his lucky wife.
You used to pat his little head,
And now I hold his hand.
You raised in love a little boy
And gave to me a man.

Death Cab For Cutie

When you need directions,
I'll be the guide.
For All Time

4 Things

4 Jobs I've had in my life:
1. Environmental Planner
2. Biologist
3. Entomology Research Assistant (I did a project on ants)
4. Viticulture Research Assistant (viticulture = grapes & wine)
PS Those are the only 4 jobs I've had for my entire life!

4 movies I could watch over & over again:
1. The Notebook
2. Blue Crush
3. Legally Blonde
4. The Secretary

4 places I have lived:
1. Southern California (Riverside)
2. Central California (Fresno)
3. Salinas Valley (Gilroy - Garlic capitol of the world)
4. Bay Area (near San Francisco)

4 TV shows I love to watch:
1. CSI Las Vegas
2. How I Met Your Mother
3. My Name is Earl
4. Beyond the Bull

4 places I have been on vacation:
1. Hawaii (Oahu)
2. South Lake Tahoe
3. Point Arena (a cute beach town on the NorCal coast)
4. The Gorge in Washington

4 websites I visit daily:
1. perezhilton.com
2. dooce.com
3. verymom.com
4. lots of blogs!

4 of my favorite foods:
1. sushi
2. chocolate
3. anything sweet that doesn't have nuts
4. pizza

4 places I'd rather be right now:
1. In my bf's arms
2. In Cabo (26 more days!)
3. On my couch watching TLC
4. In a mountain lodge while it's snowing

4 musicians/bands I can't live without:
1. Dave Matthews Band
2. Death Cab for Cutie
3. Modest Mouse
4. Bob Marley

Forever & For Always

In your arms I can still feel the way you
want me when you hold me
I can still hear the words you whispered
when you told me
I can stay right here forever in your arms

And there ain't no way--
I'm lettin' you go now
And there ain't no way--
and there ain't not how
I'll never see that day....

'Cause I'm keeping you
forever and for always
We will be together all of our day
Wanna wake up every
morning to your sweet face--always

Mmmm, baby
In your heart--I can still hear
a beat for every time you kiss me
And when we're apart,
I know how much you miss me
I can feel your love for me in your heart

And there ain't no way--
I'm lettin' you go now
And there ain't now way--
and there ain't no how
I'll never see that day....

(I wanna wake up every morning)

In your eyes--(I can still see
the look of the one) I can still see
the look of the one who really loves me
(I can still feel the way that you want)
The one who wouldn't put anything
else in the world above me
(I can still see love for me) I can
still see love for me in your eyes
(I still see the love)

And there ain't no way--
I'm lettin' you go now
And there ain't no way--
and there ain't no how
I'll never see that day....

'Cause I'm keeping you
forever and for always
We will be together all of our day
Wanna wake up every
morning to your sweet face--always

I'm keeping you forever and for always
I'm in your arms