Happy B-day to K!

So this Saturday we attended a marathon wedding. We were literally gone from our house for 10 hours, with the ceremony beginning at 2:30 and reception ending at 11:00. Thankfully they had a photo booth for entertainment. Not so thankful to have my husband's tongue in my ear on 2 separate occasions.

This Saturday was also K's 30th birthday. Old man!!! Cat is out of the bag that we're going to Vegas to celebrate. I had been planning a surprise trip, but he found out the final destination months ago thanks to my admin, of all people. Regardless, we will still have an amazing trip - Happy B-day to K!!!

I've been tagged

Apparently in the blogging world there is such a thing called "tagging." If you get tagged, it is up to you to list 5 random things about yourself. I do not make up the rules, and normally would not partake in such games, but with my cool friend Em as the tagger I couldn't resist...

1. I have a subwoofer for my computer. I've had it since college. Our dorm neighbors hated it, but Cath and I had some seriously awesome dance parties / karaoke nights back then. I still like to turn it up really loudly and sing to my computer screen sometimes.
2. One time I did a cartwheel in my office. It was back in the old day when we had high walls on our cubes during the holidays and times were slow. A lot of people were out on vacation. I don't think anybody saw me except for Jan and Steph...
3. I like to rent movies from the library. Save yourself from going to Blockbuster, people! Recent rentals include Vantage Point, Juno, with Baby Mama and P.S. I Love You on hold.
4. I know all the words to Estoy Aqui by Shakira in Spanish. Ask Em - we used to jam to this one also in high school while using our thumbs as a microphone. Really - we were cool I promise.
5. I had a mole removed from my chest today. Kind of gross, but a random fact nonetheless.

My All-time Favorite Family Tradition

My all-time favorite family tradition: THE STATE FAIR OF TEXAS!! There is nothing that compares to the annual greatness of Big Tex, corn dogs, and the random yet fabulous exhibits on display throughout Fair Park.

J - we missed you soooooo much this year!! Can't wait to see you in October. :-)

California Lovin'

Sooooooooo K and I just got back from a trip to Cali. It was FABULOUS!! We left last Thursday and flew into Sacramento to meet up with my parents and bro who lives in Stockton. He was an amazing host for the weekend and graciously let us stay at his apartment while in town. Details of the trip along with photos are as follows:

Day 1 - San Francisco and Muir Woods

Got up and made the hour and half trek to the Bay Area. Our first stop was Fisherman's Wharf where we had clam chowder in a bread bowl for lunch. Yum! Afterwards we took a boat tour around the bay that crossed under the Golden Gate Bridge and circled Alcatraz. The views were spectacular.





Left the wharf to see the giant redwoods. These trees are seriously amazing. Hiked through the forest a bit before heading back to town for an Italian dinner with K's cousin Lizzy. She's studying for a semester there with her college - Westmont. It was wonderful to see her!!

Day 2 - Calavares Big Trees State Park and Murphys for wine tasting

Got up and drove an hour and a half east of Stockton to hike through the forest in Calaveras. Grabbed sandwiches for lunch and ate in the middle of the woods. The weather was amazing and scenery equally as wonderful. PLUS - these trees produce some seriously large pinecones. Wow.

After the forest we went to a couple wineries in Murphys - Ironstone and Twisted Oak. Twisted Oak happened to be my favorite. If only they distributed in Texas...




Day 3 - Leave Stockton for Lake Tahoe

After dropping off my parents at the airport, K and I rented a car and made the drive to Tahoe. Once we got in town, K's friend Scott met us at a park down by the lake with burgers and milkshakes for lunch. Scott is moving to China to marry Bing on Oct 6, so it was such a blessing to be able to spend time with him before his departure from the states. After lunch we hiked down to Emerald Bay. Again - amazing weather and beautiful scenery.






Checked in to our hotel that night - Mariott Timber Lodge - and asked the concierge for local restaurant recommendations. She suggested the Naked Fish, a sushi restaurant down the street. Best sushi I have ever had. So good that we went back the following night. We sat at the bar and watched A.G. make our food. Mmmmmmmm.....

Day 4 - Hiking and gambling in Tahoe

Got up and had breakfast at a casino down the street - $3.99 heart attack special - then hiked Eagle Falls. We took sandwiches and intended to eat by Eagle Lake, but were prohibited from doing so by a swarm of bees that happened to be very attracted to our meal.

S: [scream!!] THERE ARE BEES EVERYWHERE!!!
K: They like your sandwich - put it down!
S: But I'm not done with my sandwich - I'm still hungry and want to eat it!!
K: Put it down and they will leave you alone!
S: I don't want to put it in the dirt! [scream again!!] I think one bit me!!!!!!!
K: PUT DOWN YOUR SANDWICH NOW!!!

I finally put my sandwich down and starved the rest of the afternoon. After sushi round #2 that night we went to 3 different casinoes and ended up losing all of our money. It was still a great and wonderful vacation - much needed respite with so much time spent in the great outdoors. We will go back one day for certain...

Sometimes I feel like a bachelor

As I made dinner tonight, I realized that my food selection was quite bachelor-ish. Not being responsible for K this evening, I had free reign of the kitchen. You'd think I might create some type of gourmet salad or fancy sandwich - some type of healthy girlish food that's not manly enough for a guy to eat.

But no - I chose what I like to call an egg burrito. This is typically my default when I'm on my own, with a can of Spaghettio's being a close second. Tonight I scrambled an egg, added cheese and salsa, and wrapped it up in a tortilla. The kicker addition: leftover mashed potatoes. I was thinking of a Whataburger taquito. The end result was quite tasty.

My point is, I think K and I have role reversal when it comes to the kitchen. We had a couple over for dinner on Saturday night, and he practically cooked the entire meal. [Steak, asparagus, and aforementioned mashed potatoes.] My contribution to the meal prep was re-heating the rolls....which were in a foil pie pan covered with foil...in the microwave. Yes - I stopped it when I saw the sparks flying.

I mean he could be a Bobby Flay or even Emeril. Only we don't watch Emeril anymore in our house because one time K yelled BAM really loudly while we were watching it and I got scared. So scared that I hit him really hard multiple times and started crying.

I hate being scared.

Another time I got scared and threw a glass of red wine in my face. We were watching the Incredibles and the robot on the island freaked me out. The sound was turned up VERY loud and I got VERY startled and jumped...throwing my hands up in the air...that happened to be holding a glass of red wine...that went all over my face, in my hair, and on the couch. As I ran into the bathroom screaming, "my eyes are burning!!" all K could do was yell - "THE FURNITURE!!!" The shirt I was wearing was ruined, but thankfully our couch is stain-free today.

Thank you to my dear sweet mother in-law for teaching my husband the domestic skills he knows today. He is amazing and I love him with all of my heart...

My New Favorite Artist

Brooke Fraser.

This is the video to her song Shadowfeet. She is very Sarah McLachlin-ish. Mostly has amazing lyrics...



This is the video to C.S. Lewis Song. Again - amazing lyrics. You be the judge...

Just call me Neil Sperry

With K gone today, I had to come up with something to keep myself occupied. I thought about going to the mall, shopping, renting a movie, exercising, cooking, or reading, but ultimately settled on gardening. I was motivated to plant for the following 2 reasons:

1. The challenge. Every plant I have ever tried to sustain has ultimately died. Now it's like a game - me versus the green. I am GOING to win this time. These plants will grow roots and live.
2. The beauty. I have always longed for a beautifully landscaped yard. While out of town one weekend last year, K borrowed his friend's tiller and surprised me with 3 flower beds in our back yard. We have yet to fill them with flowers. I so appreciate his labor of love, and feel like it's about time to do something about the dirt beds that have become such sore sights to the eye.

So here's what we're dealing with. One pot, and 2 beds. Before we begin though, I would like to personally thank my Dad for spending so much time with me on the phone this morning and fielding numerous questions at multiple intervals throughout the day. Without his guidance and gardening expertise, I could not have done it.

Let's start with the pot. We got this last year as a centerpiece for our outdoor patio furniture, and filled it with petunias that have since died. They were once quite lovely, but due to neglect and lack of watering, they have turned into this:

Solution: Out with the old, in with new dianthus. Much better!! Nothing a little potting soil can't fix...



Problem 2: The dirt beds. Again, these have been empty for about a year. My primary goal was to find a lasting shrub with color that would make it through the winter and bloom again in the spring / summer / fall. I wanted additional color to surround the larger shrubs, knowing that I'd likely have to replace the smaller plants with seasonal bloomers throughout the year.




Solution: Encore Azaleas in Autumn Amethyst bordered by more dianthus. I tried to space them out with the expectation that as the grow, the plants will become more full. Assuming they live, that is....


Dirt bed #2. This one was much more difficult to work with as I ran into many roots underground. Not only did I dig up each bed, but also used soil conditioner, garden soil, and mulch to finish it off. Just call me Neil Sperry.




All in all this was a very difficult but rewarding project. I remembered little tricks I used to see my Dad do growing up, like cutting down the mulch bags as they got empty which made it easier to get the stuff in the bottom out. I don't think I have ever sweated more in my life, but the finished product was definitely worth it...