All by myself...(almost)

As most of you know, Matt is gearing up for JourneyQuest. He leaves on Tuesday for six to eight weeks, leaving me at the helm (aside from my own trip at the end of the month to look at more houses). So with the impending desertion of L.A. for colder and wetter pastures, I've decided to make a list of things I'd like to do before I leave while he's gone. It's been pretty fun, actually, and there's quite a few things I'll miss (like 70 degree days in January).

Something else that he's left me in charge of that I'm looking forward to - a trip in late March/early April when he gets back! I can't wait to have time with hubby, especially when he gets home after being gone for so long. We were trying to figure out how to make wine country work, but it was just too expensive. Then, on Sunday, it hit me.

"Have you ever been to Arizona?"

*he thinks* "No."

*gleam in my eye* "We're about a six to seven hour drive from the Grand Canyon..."

And we knew, right then, that was our destination. And I'm so excited!! Just at the possibility. And I'm determined to have it be more than a possibility. I have always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, and I know I'd be wistful if we moved before I'd had a chance to see it (kinda like when I lived in Philadelphia and never went to New York City). Leave it to me to find rooms for under sixty dollars a night! The room must have a fridge of course, for all the food we'll bring in our cooler, and if breakfast is included, all the better. Of course, we don't know when he'll be back exactly, but having something to look forward to, aside from returning to the Pacific Northwest, is keeping me distracted from being all by myself.

And last, but certainly not least, congratulations to Jenny and Kevin (and Patrick too) on the arrival of little Fiona!

My idea of a good birthday...

Swim in the morning... (maybe)

Massage...

Work, and my yearly review (yay)...

Dinner at the Tam O'Shanter...

Movie - Julie and Julia...

Time with hubby...

It's been a wonderful 30th year, full of growth and realizations. At this moment, I love my life, I love my friends and family. 31 will be a good year. I can tell.

Catching Up

Courtesy of Brie. The happy newlyweds, Emily and Michael!

I went to Seattle healthy but tired, and came back to L.A. tired and with a nasty cold. I spent my first day at work in a fog of day-quil, followed by a few sleepless nights thanks to coughing and hacking. My poor husband. His first few nights back at home and his wife can't seem to stay quiet. :(
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It's been a busy but good week aside from being sick. I've caught up on some posts for my blog and am thoroughly excited about my new part-time job. Working on Sunset & Fairfax is just a hoot. It's such a different community than from where I live, so it's great to go outside and people watch for a few minutes. It's wonderful to be working with and for a friend who is excellent at explaining what I need to do, especially since I've never done bookkeeping before. I feel bad interrupting her all the time!
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The wedding was amazing. Em looked beautiful and Michael looked very handsome. I got to see friends that I almost never get to see during my frequent trips up North. For the first time, I felt a huge pull to move to Tacoma since we moved to L.A. back in 2005. (4 years this year, sheesh!) I know that we might be back eventually, but I'm still determined to make this city work for us and not the other way around!
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All in all, it's been a good, busy, productive week. I send my heart and love out to those who had rough days today - you know who you are - and wish for good news for loved ones.

Going out!

The lovely Jen and Dave at dinner.

Teh-Don and Jen.

My sweetie and me! This is my new favorite picture of us.

Happy Anniversary, Don and Cindy!

Still in awe

I am still pondering what we did.

We elected Barack Obama as our next president.

President-elect Obama? Sounds good. Has a nice ring to it. But I must be dreaming...??

I know he won't be able to accomplish everything he wants to within one term (but hopefully some things will get turned around in a hopefully 2nd term). I have never been more full of hope than these last few days, feeling as though everything (eventually) will be ok. My heart was touched by all of my fellow citizens that were celebrating in the streets and had I not been sick, I might have joined them.

And while the US elected a president that will change our future, it is unfortunate that my state elected to ban gay marriage. I am very disappointed and hope that this will be overturned. Rumors are already being whispered that it's going to be taken to the state supreme court as unconstitutional. Let's hope so.

Pictures from Cambria

For Cindy, a picture of Matt's Sandwich - turkey, pesto, goat cheese, roasted red peppers on fresh ciabatta bread.

We went for a hike at the start of sunset before dinner, and there were these cool driftwood benches. If we ever lived near the water, I'd love to have one in our yard.

Just up the hill outside of town. It's good to be on vacation and celebrating each other!

A panoramic shot of the beach just south of Cambria.

Wine, dessert, and my best friend.

For details on our trip, visit hubby's blog. He put our trip into words that I can't muster at the moment.

Happy Anniversary!

Can you believe it, babe? Seven years tomorrow and we're still here. It's been an amazing, sometimes difficult (and yet interesting) journey, but I wouldn't be here with out you and I'm so blessed to have you in my life. Here's to another 7 years filled with you, me, and whatever (and whoever) awaits us! Love you always!!

xoxoxo

Wedding Weekend

Most of you know that my dear friend Kari M. got married last weekend and that I was in the wedding. It was great to see so many of my college girlfriends. Some I hadn't seen or spoken to since graduation while others I only see very intermittantly. Most of them had lived in the famed Wheeler house and one point or another. Then at the wedding, I got to see some more college friends and it just turned into a huge reunion.

The Bridesmaids: (l-r) Lewissa, myself, and Amanda.

Kari looked absolutely stunning and Paul looked good too. They had a very classy wedding day, full of smiles and positive energy, and I couldn't be happier for them! (More pictures to follow later on.)

The lovely bride and one of the mimes at the reception.

Wedding time!

No no, I'm not getting married. Been there, done that, and still going at it. :)

My dear friend Kari is getting married next month and today is her bridal shower. I am up at this awful hour on a Saturday to go get munchies from the bakery in West Hollywood and then drive to Pasadena to help with favors. I am the hostess with the mostess, though Kari and her Mom have done much of the planning and have simply asked me to help with little details.

All of this has brought back memories of our wedding, especially with our anniversary coming up. We had so much fun, and I think if we could do it all over again, we would, but on a much smaller scale!

P.S. Don, those vodka drinks you made last night tasted like liquid candy. You are not only the grillmaster but a mixmaster too!

GenCon Recovery

Tip: When your husband's movie premieres, you know, the one he's been working on for 5 years, try to not scream at the top of your lungs all the time because it will turn into slight laryngitis and then a cold by the time you get home.

GenCon was AMAZING!! I had so much fun. It was like I was back in college again with my friends and the whole weekend was essentially one big party. We stayed up till 4am, went to Karaoke, ate great food, and I even smoked my first cigar (well, little bits, it's not my cup of tea really). I also got to know some amazing people, like Jamie and Renee Chambers from Margaret Weiss, and Sean Reynolds from Paizo. We shared a hotel room with Brian Lewis, and his wife Tiffany, which was great because we don't get to spend much time with them. All in all, I can't wait to go again next year.

For more details on GenCon, check out hubby's blog. And to view pictures, check out Photobucket. Here's a few to give you an idea of how much fun we had!

top to bottom: Chris and Tree, Nathan and Sean, and what can happen at Karaoke night if you're not careful.

Almost done...

My last day is tomorrow. I can't believe it. This job has caused sleepless nights, many tears, fits, and temper tantrums. On the upside, it has brought me to a place that I would not have found otherwise. A place within myself. I am stronger, more independent, not afriad to say what I think, and by leaving this place behind, I can take these qualities and make them part of the person that I did leave behind about 6 months ago - happy, thoughtful, excited, and positive.

This holiday weekend is a definite cause for celebration! I hope you all have a safe and fun holiday!

It's May?? Already??

Seems like just yesterday I posted this!

On Friday Don turned 30. And surprise! Nathan and Jessica, 2 very dear friends from Washington, showed up at lunch. Sneaky Cindy had arranged the the whole thing and watching Don's expression of "holy crap!" was really fun. We celebrated the whole weekend with lots of beer, barbecuing, gaming, guitar hero, and ended with seeing "Ironman" at Sherman Oaks ArcLight. Added bonus: Paige moved down! She got a roomshare in Valley Village just 1 block away from the community garden that Katy belongs to. It's a great place for Paige, and I'm just really excited that she's here.

Weekend plans include ripping up the carpet in the bathroom. There's enough cat pee to smell up the whole place and I'm just sick of it. So, I'm calling my landlord this week and letting him know that this is what we're doing, whether he likes it or not. I just can't take it anymore. First thing Saturday morning, I'm off to Home Depot to get a decent knife and suggestions on what to do. I also need to figure out if the floorboards are saturated, which they probably are, and how to get the smell out of them. And is it worth it to replace the carpet or just cover it with area rugs until we move? Ideas? Suggestions?

P.S. Lena, thank you for your email, you are so sweet. Sorry I haven't responded yet, but I will! xo

Whoa!

As of April 23, I've been blogging for 3 years. I wonder how long I can keep this up? :)

It's difficult to go back to those early posts, mostly because there's stories in there about Mom, and what a hard time I was having when we first got here. But I love that our journey has been documented so thoroughly and it will be such an interesting story to share with family down the road.

Thanks for reading!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Constance!

She is turning the big 95 today!

Aunt Constance is forever labeled in our family as "The Pink Lady". Every year, at any event, she'd be dressed in a pink suit, or a lavender suit (with a pink scarf, or have a pink purse)...even at our annual apple cider pressings she'd be there in all her glory - makeup, scarf, pants suit, heels - washing apples with those attractive bright yellow dish gloves on. They almost seemed to appropriately accesorize her outfit.

She is my Mom's aunt, sister to my Grandpa Wesley (who died when I was in high school). I don't know her well, but every time we talk she's so honest and chatty. I adore her.

Unfortunately this year, she'll be spending her birthday in a skilled nursing facility recovering from a fall and knee surgery. She's due to be out of the hospital next month, so here's hoping she'll be able to celebrate in style, pink ribbons and all! :)

Working Man

Matt got a temp job! :) I'm so happy and so r.e.l.e.i.v.e.d. This means we will have extra money coming in during February and be able to send a sizable check to pay off more of that blasted credit card company that keeps sending me bills. He's working at another assignment today, moving boxes, and I couldn't be happier.

I love my sweet, awesome hubby and true, he does write/work from home. He works very hard, and I have come to realize that it's not his fault that he's not making money at writing - it's the industry. The nature of the entertainment industry is to make you send random scripts all over town, and then wait for someone to call you back. Well, he doesn't work that way and so is actively seeking projects with those that are familiar with his work and are willing to compensate him for his time and talent. It's awesome how we celebrate when he gets a temp job/paycheck from a producer...I am so proud of him!

Matt's New Year's Kiss

My husband the hussy. He'll make out with anyone! Many girls can complain that they have no one to kiss at midnight on new years, and I had no idea Cordy felt so strongly about my husband. Look at her go!'

A minorly disturbing point is that Matt doesn't push her away...

Back to work

Luckily it's only a half day which means I have about 4 hours to get caught up on all my paperwork and then Wedensday (day off tomorrow, yes!) I can focus on purging all of our old files. I guess it's good to be back, though this morning I could have slept in a little bit more.

Katie has been in town for the past few days and it's been fun to have her here. Yesterday we went shopping for the after- christmas sales and had fun, though after about 3 hours we'd had enough. We watched Hairspray and ordered in Thai food from my favorite place, Pink Pepper. Today we'll have lunch when I get home and then she leaves tonight at 6 for a new year's party in Seattle. Such the jet-setter! Tonight Matt and I will head over to Don and Cindy's for an evening of food, fun, and games. I'm looking forward to it!

Have a happy and safe New Years celebration!

Merry Christmas!

I can't believe it. It's SNOWING. What a special gift! Had we stayed in California we wouldn't get to experience this wonderful moment with Matt's family.

Happy Christmas to all and to all a Merry night!

Much Better

This year's holiday is much better. Less stress (aside from the flat tire on our rental car...sigh...) and more fun. The only thing I have noticed is that it has been raining ever since I arrived aside from some brief sunshine on Saturday in Tacoma. I don't miss the wind and the rain together...that damp cold that takes forever to warm up from. But I do miss the green, our friends and family. It's been a wonderful vacation. And an extra bonus is that I got all my Christmas shopping done earlier than expected so I don't have to go to the mall today. Phew!

Today we are at Matt's parents house and I will spend most of the afternoon with Nancy, making cookies and the breakfast brunch casserole for tomorrow morning. The kid in me always comes out on Christmas morning. I can't wait to see what "Santa" has left under the tree, though I already know what a few of the pretty packages hold.

I hope your holidays are as smooth as possible and you're having fun with your family and friends!

Northwest Bound and the big 18

Well I'm here and believe it or not, the rain decided to take a break. Not that it's sunny, mind you! It's completely overcast and chilly, but I love it. It feels completely normal. Now ask me tonight when we go out to dinner at Todai, ask me how I'm feeling when I go to bed in the basement, shivering under the covers and asking Dad if we can turn on the heat. I shiver just thinking about it!

The flight went really smoothly after we found out it was delayed for 50 minutes (apparently due to the Seattle weather, hah!) As most of you know, last year we did not have a Christmas tree at the house which I found rather upsetting. So this year, on the way home from the airport, we stopped by a place near Greelake and picked one out! It's outside now, drying off and we'll decorate it tomorrow with a friend of Katie's who's never decorated a tree before.

Today is Katie's 18th birthday, which is just amazing to me. I remember when she was just a baby, holding her for the first time at the hospital. I remember her having 2 boyfriends in pre-school, and her love for math at the very start. She is a great person and I love how spirited and independent she is. Happy Birthday, lil' sis! :)