Miss Photogenic

She certainly didn't inherit it from me... quite the photogenic covergirl.
[caption id="attachment_152" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I\'m so cute and innocent"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_161" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I never leave \"presents\" around the house, always outside"][/caption]

I never leave "presents" around the house, only outside


[caption id="attachment_163" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="\"I certainly didn\'t unroll and tangle up all your yarn Mom\""][/caption]

"I certainly didn't unroll and tangle up all your yarn Mom"

[caption id="attachment_165" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="ok, maybe I did"][/caption]

Welcome Princess Penny

So I actually did it... I came home with another puppy. Third time I have came home with a new little family member without Justin's acknowledgment or consent. Hence, his anger over the whole thing. (Side note: I got the pup the same day I rearranged the closets... bad idea) I had been thinking lately that Trixie needs a little buddy. Of course she loves playing with her brothers, but sometimes a girl just needs a little sister, who will eventually equal her in size. Trix is very spoiled and basically a snobby puppy. I baby her to no end. I felt that she needed a playmate so she wouldn't be so dependent and have to be by my side 100% of the time. So I found a cute little 8 week old yorkie and brought her home, obviously before Justin came home from work, obviously. Justin was furious, Trixie hated her and me... she growled and bullied poor Penny and totally ignored me. Two weeks later and Trix and Penny are two peas in a pod. They wrestle and play and keep each other busy. Its wonderful. Justin has forgiven me but has made it clear no more of these shenanigans.. do you think a bunny or a baby duck would count? I'm thinking he just meant dogs...
[caption id="attachment_147" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hiding from Max"][/caption][caption id="attachment_148" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Baby Baby Princess"][/caption]

The Closet Unveiling

Justin came home last Monday with a few surprises... one being, da dadadaaa! The new closets! I moved everything into the office closet for him! Now he can have his own closet and I can have mine! I'm so thoughtful huh...
Behold, my new closet...
[caption id="attachment_129" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="My New Closet (yes those are bunny ears)"][/caption][caption id="attachment_131" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="My pretty shoes!"][/caption][caption id="attachment_132" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A dream come true"][/caption]
Take a peek at Justin's new digs... so posh...

[caption id="attachment_136" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I may even consider letting him hang some football posters in there"][/caption]

My Campaign for the Whole Closet

Closet space... a girls best friend. A place a girl can go to admire all her pretty soft clothes and shiny heels. A place to hang all your necklaces, scarfs and hats and even a picture of your idol Lady Gaga (maybe thats just me). I'm fortunate enough in this world of micro closets and pipe dreams based off MTV Cribs and the Real Housewives on the Bravo channel, to have a decent sized closet. But... and of course there is a but, my husband shares it with me. After consulting other women on this matter, most tell me they simply put their husbands clothes in another closet. Do I dare? I mean, my poor Juicy Couture track suits are getting squished and I can barely pull a hanger out. I have shirts I haven't seen in months because they are trapped in the back. I can't even fit my dresses or cute jackets and plaid blazer in there at all, they are hidden in the office closet. Should I have to take this closet abuse another day? My beloved shoes, my best friends, are crammed and squeezed in all the nooks and stacked around like a garage sale. I pride myself on having the whole closet (including Justin's side) color coordinated and it gets all ruined by the shoe explosion. My jewelry is tangled and I can't even reach my bedazzled pink cowboy hat or my assortment of tights and leggings. Using the whole closet could really complete me, its the average housewives american dream. Then I could buy a fuzzy leopard chair with pink fuzzy pillows and set it in the center of my haven and spend my time gazing at my treasure. Hey, he gets the garage, the closet would only be fair.

Our First Family Camping Trip

Two weekends ago we went camping. Isn't camping fun? The s'mores, campfire, cute red tent and smell of nature. Well.... we had all of that more. Let me start by saying that we went camping at Folsom lake, Beals Point to be exact. We didn't trek up in to the mountains to explore the great outdoors, we drove 15 minutes up the road for our great expedition. That may have been our first mistake. We arrived early Friday evening truck packed, Hartwin in the back and big grins on our face. We wanted our campsite to be out in the boonies, maybe the furthest one away. We wanted to feel alone in the wilderness where bears could attack our food and we slept with our pocket knifes. Maybe we would even get lost and have to kill a mountain lion for food to survive. Well, our spot ended up being one of the first ones on the camping loop, right next to the road. But that wasn't the bad part. Right across from us was a Citrus Heights (ghetto town of Sacramento area) family reunion. Are you kidding me? Instead of listening to the birds, crickets and sounds of the forest, we got to thug out to all the dirty rap music we wanted. With their lowered trucks and loud sound systems blasting at all hours at night, it wasn't quite what we expected. Then are neighbors arrived at about 10pm. Oh boy. Not sure what they were on or experimenting with but they stayed up all night jabbing away only to go to bed around 8am the next day. If we had been comfy cozy in our cute red tent, we may have been able to block it out... well, being that I haven't been camping since high school, I forgot that no padding under your sleeping bag is pure hell. Hip bones, back bones, elbows and other bones we didn't even know existed dug into the hard ground. My sweet husband went to Costco the net day and bought us an air mattress. I suppose camping in town has its advantages.
Day two... we are hiking and walking around the lake, eating foil meals and enough s'mores for a family of 8. Then comes the other neighbor. I would take the Eminem, 50 cent and Snoop Dogg any day over this fruit loop. For one, he was obsessed with Hartwin and kept joking that he was going to take him. Two, he told the most horrific jokes... blonde jokes, sex jokes, political jokes, and racist. He would not leave us alone. He hung at our campsite for hours. Everytime he would finally walk away to go back to his site, 5 minutes later he returned with more jokes about the "ragheads" walking by. His vodka hidden in his lipton raspberry tea bottle raised his voice 5 octaves which resulted in him shouting "Wheres the snipers" and "go back to your country" in regards to the poor Muslim and Israeli people walking by to their campsite. Luckily I was reading a book so I buried myself in that and let Justin suffer. Sorry honey. All in all, we had a great time, learned how to pitch a tent, start a fire and fully enjoyed roughing it. Next time I think we will actually go out of our area to camp, somewhere that's too far for Citrus Heights people to go to.

Facebook Pandemic

Sorry for slacking on the blog guys, facebook has taken presidence lately. That darn facebook, sucks you right in. I think I am also addicted to the quizs they have on there.. like 'how blonde are you?', 'what animal are you', 'what color is your aura?' and 'how redneck are you?'... by the way I scored 'total redneck, don't ask me how but I guess it's growing up in Loomis. Today I took 'What dog are you?' and found out I'm most like a beagle. Geez.... why couldn't I be like a wolf? A measly little pestering beagle is hardly something I was going for. There are some good things about facebook though, I have reunited with old friends and have been meeting up with a few. It's always fun to reminisce back to elementary school or high school. Plus I am not a phone person.. I actually hate talking on the phone, so facebook works perfectly. A quick hi, how are ya, no 30 minute phone call necessary. So, on to another subject... gosh there is so much going on, where to begin (actually I have nothing)... Tonight my friend Lisa is coming over for a sewing party. haha, I guess that sounds pretty lame but I assure it will be most entertaining. I will be sewing hair clips onto her hair extension while watching Twilight and eating huge amounts of candy. I know I know, you all are wishing I had invited you but I really need peace and quiet when I watch Twilight and lust over Robert Pattinson. So one other person is all I can do. Gosh that man is amazing... Rob, Robby, Robert... my heart be still....

Congrats!

I just wanted to say a big congrats to my brother-in-law Jason and his soon to be wifey Melissa! They are getting married in August! Woo Hoo! I'll have another sister, you can never have too many!!

We're Back!

OK, SO I HAVE TO WRITE THIS WHOLE POST IN CAPS CUZ MY FAKE NAILS ARE SOOOO LONG THAT I CAN BARELY TYPE. I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR THE TYPOS. I LITERALLY CANNOT DO ANYTHING WITH THESE DANG THINGS, INCLUDING ZIPPING MY PANTS AND OPENING A CAN OF SODA. BEAUTY IS PAIN PEOPLE. WE GOT BACK ON WEDNESDAY FROM THE AMAZING KAUAI! IT WAS SO MUCH FUN AND GORGEOUS WEATHER THE WHOLE TIME. I THINK I DESERVE LIKE THREE MONTHS OF SUNSHINE AFTER IT RAINED THE ENTIRE DAY OF MY WEDDING. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT. THE WEATHER REPORT TOTALLY LIED. MAYBE I SHOULD WRITE A COMPLAINT LETTER TO WEATHER.COM. OH WELL, THE PICS TURNED OUT GREAT, I SUPPOSE THE RAIN HELPED WITH THAT. A BIG THANKS TO MY DAD FOR ALL THE LANDSCAPING AND FLOWERS EVERYWHERE, HE DID AN AWESOME JOB! IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL, I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT AND STAYED SOMEWHAT DRY. WE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU THAT CAME HELP US CELEBRATE OUR SPECIAL DAY! NOW BACK TO THE HONEYMOON... DETAILS... THE PG RATED VERSION OF COURSE. WE DID SO MANY ACTIVITIES, WE BARELY SAT AROUND! WE WENT ON A HELICOPTER RIDE AROUND THE WHOLE ISLAND, WENT ON A SUNSET DINNER CRUISE, ATTENDED A LUAU, AND WENT ON A 4 HOUR HORSEBACK RIDING TRIP TO WATERFALLS! WE ALSO HIKED TO THE TOP OF THE SLEEPING GIANT MOUNTAIN.. IN 90 DEGREE WEATHER... I WAS DYING. MY FAVORITE HIKE WAS THROUGH THE HIGHEST SWAMP IN THE WORLD... 8 MILES LONG. I ALMOST HAD TO CARRY JUSTIN ON MY BACK, HE WAS LAGGING BEHIND ME. FOR SOME REASON I AM A POWER HIKER.. I JUST KEEP ON CHARGING THROUGH. OOO, AND ANOTHER TOTALLY COOL THING WE DID WAS HIKE OVER ALL THESE HUGE LAVA ROCKS TO THE SECRET LAVA POOLS. THE GREATEST PART WAS THAT WHATEVER WE DID THEY WASN'T VERY MANY PEOPLE. WE HAD A PRIVATE BEACH AT OUR RESORT WITH LIKE 5 PEOPLE AT A TIME ON IT. JUSTIN ALSO TALKED ME INTO SNORKELING WHICH ENDED UP BEING SOOOO COOL AND NOT SCARY AT ALL. I WAS SCARED OF THE BIG WAVES AND MAYBE TAD SCARED OF A SHARK, BUT IT WAS SO NEAT AND WE SAW ALL THESE CLOWN FISH AND NEON FISH... AWESOME EXPERIENCE. I RECOMMEND IF YOU GO TO KAUAI, STAY IN KAPAA IN THE EAST, IT IS SUNNY ALL THE TIME AND THE CHEAPEST AREA ON THE ISLAND. SO NOW WE ARE BACK, ALOT TANNER, AND ALOT POORER, HAA.

4 More Days!

I can't believe in less than a week I will be married! So crazy! The funny thing is I'm not nervous at all. Ok, maybe I am a little worried about crying way to much and not even being able to see, but besides that, I'm good. For some reason I decided to work the first three days of this week. Why oh why did I think I would want to do that. Instead of helping pass the time it is making time move in slow motion! I have so much to do, how will I accomplish it in only two day! There's my hair appt, my nails appt, my eyebrow wax, and of course packing for the honeymoon will take like 4 hours! I mean, we are going to Kauai for 11 days, I need lots of choices and every one of my 25 bathing suits. Plus the rehearsal. Weddings are exhausting! Justin has nothing to do except pack... guys get it so easy. It will take him like 20 minutes to get ready for the biggest day of our lives and I don't even want to think about how long it take me! Take note people, eloping is a totally acceptable way to go! Anyways, all our guests, please map quest the addy of the wedding, it can get confusing. Oh, and as a special treat, one of our dog children will be in the wedding... don't you love people that treat their dogs like humans? I do.

Update on last post

So, I ended the last post stating that I was ok with waiting to get another dog.... well, I suppose I should admit to something. Yesterday I was talking to my sister's boss and she said she had seen the German Shepherd at the SPCA the day before. She said it was very well behaved and beautiful! oh crap. So, I started feeling bad again and couldn't stand the thought of that poor puppy not having a family. So, not surprisingly I drove to the SPCA and waited 20 minutes outside until they opened. I was ready to take the dog home with me that second. I knew Justin would be kinda mad, but I just couldn't justify not letting the dog join our family. Unfortunately they said the dog was pending adoption. I was crushed. Honestly I was almost in tears. What if his new family isn't a good one? What if they leave him in the backyard all day and don't have dog dance parties like my dogs and I do? What if they don't sneak him jelly beans, get him a Coach collar and let him be in their family Christmas photo like I do? I called Justin on my way back home and he was overjoyed that he was pending adoption but not too thrilled that I planned on having a new dog at our house when he got home from work. Boo. So, I sent an email to the SPCA letting them know that if the adoption didn't go through I absolutely wanted him. I hope the other people change their mind. I'm crazy I know....don't worry, I made sure to disclose this to Justin before we get married.

Justin's Anxiety Attack

Justin likes to tell me that I'm losing my mind. This post is just another example of this... sometimes I think he's right. Last Saturday a lady came to our door with a name tag on that read "SPCA Volunteer". Oh boy, anything with the SPCA and me is trouble. She proceeded to tell me that she lives down the street and has seen us with our German Shepherds many times and thinks that we take great care of them. Ok, where is she going with this I start thinking. Well, a new little 5 month old purebred German Shepherd has turned up at the SPCA she then informed me. She was wondering if we were interested in another dog!? Oh boy, oh geezo. I quickly calculate in my head that would mean I would be responsible for 4 dogs... all 3 and under. Then, the volunteer tried to lure me in more with photos of the puppy on her camera. Oh my gosh, cutest little guy ever. I glance around the corner at Justin who is desperately trying to hold the other dogs back from mauling the lady. I put that pleading look in my eye and look at him, silently begging. have to have this puppy. I let her know we will think about it and discuss it. I immediately decide that I have to go and get this poor dog right that instant. That volunteer came to our house, to us, for a reason. It is meant to be Justin, I keep telling him. He starts to sweat and starts mumbling incoherently. It's ok honey, we can handle it, I will take care of it I plead, 3 is totally the same as 4! He tries to tell me that he can't possibly walk 3 dogs at once while riding his bike, plus all the training he does with our other dogs. This is just nonsense I think. I inform him that I will be going to the SCPA and getting the dog even if he won't come with me. I even try to talk him into going and atleast looking at it... he doesn't fall for this trick. He knows if I we go see it, we will be bringing it home. At this point, I don't think Justin knows what to say, he knows I have my mind set. "I think I'm having an anxiety attack" stumbles out of his mouth. He is dead serious at this point. It sounds funny now but at the time he didn't think it was too humurous. Unfortunately the SPCA closed at 4 that day, and the lady didn't come over until about 3:55. I have since decided to wait to get another dog, atleast until after the wedding. That was a close one, Justin says... if that volunteer would of come any earlier that day, and I had time to go over there, right now we would have a cute new puppy at home, probably eating our couch. So if any volunteers are reading this for animal shelters or rescues, please come to my house or call before you close for the day! I don't like to sleep on things...

Promotion

4 weeks to go! Glory Glory Hallelujah! I can't wait to be promoted to wife and no longer just a girlfriend. Girlfriends are like managers and wives are like the boss or CEO. Maybe I will call myself the CEHO, "Chief Executive Household Officer". I may just get some business cards made up for that. I plan on being a stay-at-home mom with the bus load of children I want. Do not expect me to be driving a minivan though. Heck to the no. I'm a SUV kinda mom. I'm not super picky on which one, as long as it has navigation. Although my current car, a BMW, has a navigation system that likes to mess with me. My sister and I took a road trip to San Diego last year and listened to good ol' Bonnet (yes we named her.. it started as Bonnie, then went to Bonnet head, now shortened to Bonnet). After the whole way down to SD we were pretty sick of listening to her tell us directions every 5 seconds. Even when you turn her voice volume to the lowest setting she still is practically screaming at you. On the way home we decided to turn the voice commands off. So, being the blonde that I am I accidently got on the wrong highway and somehow ended up heading towards San Francisco, almost two hours going the wrong way. It was funny for about 30 minutes... but became very not funny after 11 hours of driving. Jess and I swear Bonnet was mad we turned her voice off so she let us go the wrong way. Pretty rude huh. Sometimes she directs me to drive in circles too. A couple of weeks ago I was looking for an Edward Jones office I was supposed to be oncalling at and Bonnet told me to get off the freeway in Sacramento, make a few loops through some neighborhoods and then get back on the freeway in the opposite direction. She can be quite horrible. And I am one of those people that need directions to everywhere. When I first got my license I would get lost in my own town. And don't bother with the north and south stuff... that is like Japanese to me. The location of our wedding is kinda confusing if you are not from our town so I will be sure to write directions on a post for those of you without navigation and for those of you with navi's like Bonnet.

Joyous Springtime

Today is a beautiful day!!! The sun is shining and it's about 70 degrees... I love it. I am not a winter person in the least. Cold weather and rain are not my friends. I wish it was spring and summer all year long. I just started feeling better finally so I have been taking Trixie on walks the past couple days. It's so funny, as soon as I say the word 'walk' she has a spaz attack and does 360's in the air. She is only 5 1/2 lbs but she sure can drag me along when we walk. After being couped up inside for so long I made sure to pay attention to all the beautiful sites and sounds around me. With the sun blaring down on my back and warming my face Trix and I set out to walk to the park next to our house. The park is huge with many baseball fields, a playground and endless green grass. The grass had just been cut and I absolutely adore the smell of fresh cut grass.. ahhh.. reminds me of high school track meets. The trees and flowers are radiant yellows, reds and greens and the ground was littered with pink blossoms. It is quite windy today so Trixie enjoyed chasing after the leaves skidding across the path. The park is right next to an elementary school so I could see hear the cries of children at recess and the clanging of the chains on the metal tetherball poles. I listened to the birds chirping, the leaf blowers and lawn sprinklers. Sometimes I think we forget to pay attention to the beauty around us. Warm spring days are truly amazing and I'm so thankful I got the chance to enjoy it today. Challenge yourself to really pay attention to everything around you. It puts things in perspective. Ok ok, I'll cut out the serious crap now. Time to go chase my dogs around. We like to have dance parties. I turn on a dancy CD and dance around. The dogs dance too... or rather they run around in circles and bark. I think they think they are singing and dancing. They love it. We could probably do like a circus act or something. I could even make them costumes. I love costumes. They're not just for halloween you know. I tend to make themes for everything... and themes need costumes. Like when I watch House Bunny, I wear bunny ears... or once I went to the Indian casino... and I wore a t-shirt with an Indian feather design on it. When I watch high school musical, I like to wear my I Heart HSM tee. Hence, even my wedding has a theme.. a tea party. I love when Justin tells people our wedding is going to be a tea party... haaaa .... it takes a real man to be ok with telling his friends that. I think secretly he is starting to like themes too.

Deathbed Journal Entry

Day 4 of being deathly ill... ok, not deathly but probably close. I have some type of rare extraordinary flu I think. I hope some African spider or the brown recluse didn't bite me or that I don't have the bird flu. Hmmm.. there have been a lot of birds hanging around our backyard lately.. must of been setting their sites on me. They were just waiting for me to come out back to drag Max away from the fence where he tries to break a hole into the neighbors backyard to eat their dog. And now I'm hacking away doped up on DayQuil. Or maybe its bronchitis and my lungs are about to burst with so much flem that I might need an IV or some other medical device to save me (as long as it's not a catheder). Since Tuesday I have laid on the family room couch watching movies and countless hours of tv. I may actually be getting tired of tv, which is really quite wierd. I wore the same clothes for three days migrating between my bed and the couch. My body is forever going to be imprinted in the cushions. Being sick has some advantages though... Justin took me to frozen yogurt two days in a row, he brought me chicken noodle soup and organic pomagranite juice, and gave me a get well card. I might consider being sick more often. So today I had to go to work. I am in a dark dark place. Work+sick=horrible horridness. My head is pounding, I feel like I am swallowing razor blades, I'm about to cough up a lung and my glands are so swollen they are stretching out my turtleneck. I may even be hallucinating.. is that a soft bed of goose down feathers I see out my window? No, its just a jumble of weeds and ivy. Is that a giant cup of warm herbal tea and a piece of buttered toast? Nope... Just a garbage can and a broken down cardboard box. I suppose I can suffer through 8 hours of work today. Staring a the computer through my blurred vision and answering the phone with my scratchy stuffed-up sick voice. I'm absolutely brave I know. Please feel free to feel sorry for me. I welcome gifts, cards and prescription meds ( just kidding).

Wedding Planning Update

This was originally supposed to be a wedding blog, but wedding stuff just isn't as exciting as our fabulous lives.. lol. I figure I should give some wedding planning updates though. I have been working away with the help of my wonderful mother and fiance on the invites. Yes they are homemade, very Martha I know. I am just finishing up the last few and they will be on their way to all of you! (did you see that rhyming? I didn't even try!) Please feel free to frame the picture of us and put it on the center of your mantle, we don't mind. Also, I need to give the credit to my dad for taking amazing engagement photos out at Griffith Quarry. Besides the prom style and school photo pics he made us pose for, he did take excellent pictures (It may also have been the professional camera he borrowed, but hey, maybe not). I would also like to point out that I hiked miles around the quarry in 5 inch heels, that is talent people. I'm thinking of doing one of those marathons in heels that they have. I could so kill it. Ok, back to the wedding... my kitchen table is currently wedding station covered in invites, paper and a surplus of flowers. We haven't been able to eat at it for about a month. Justin suggested I set it up in the office at my desk. Hello! There is no TV in there, how can I watch the home and garden channel while I pretend to be Martha? Why would I want to sit in a boring old office. I pretty much am so ready for this wedding to happen. I have come to the conclusion that I will never be a wedding planner, I don't particularly enjoy it. I keep telling Justin that we still have time to elope but he still won't give in. Oh well... we got a month and a half left of this joyous (it's opposite day) planning...

Birthday News

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRIXIE! Our little princess turned 1 yesterday! Yay! We sung to her and she got some dog cookies complete with sprinkles. She is growing up so quickly! She got spayed this last week and is already running around like nothing happened. For some reason as she gets older, her potty training goes backwards.. haaa. Yesterday she left a little present for dad on the nice living room couch. Thats a first. Next weekend we want to have a joint birthday party for her and Hartwin, he turns 3 on Monday. Love you Trixie!

Me + Jazz Music = Please No

How does everyone feel about jazz music? I pretty much cannot stand it. I try to have an open mind and appreciate all types of music but jazz just isn't doing it for me. Many of the offices I work in play jazz all day.. like the office I happen to be in at the moment. It's giving me an anxiety attack. Maybe it's the fact that they play this stuff at the dentist that's freakin' me out. I keep imagining being at the dentist and hearing that terrifying whirl of the drill. And with my candy dependency, I visit the dentist quite often. My teeth must be like 75% made up of fillings or some ridiculous percentage. Anyways, back to jazz. Why do they call it jazz anyhow, I took many years of jazz dance classes, and we never listened to this rubbish. Or jazz hands and jazz squares, those are fun. So why did they name this horrid music such a fun dancy name. I actually just heard a song that I preformed a cha cha dance to back in the day. Yes, I did the cha cha... it was for the Church Dance Festival. A swing dance performance followed by a little cha cha number. Ha ha, I know this is funny to all of you, but I'm actually more mortified about my talent show dance performance of Britney Spears Stronger... or my rendition of a dance number from Dirty Dancing complete with the running leap into the air at the end. Now those are memories to be embarrassed about! Humiliating memories that my dad happens to have all on video. Thanks dad.

Funny Note of the Day

Yesterday Justin was wearing a pink Barbie bandaid on his finger.... we do have regular bandaids too... hmmm...wonder if it was the pink or the Barbie..

Managing Addiction

What is my addiction you ask? Not cigarettes, I'm not a raging alcoholic and definitely not addicted to shopping (ok, maybe shopping but I'm not ready to confront that yet). Candy is the real issue here people. I'm not joking either. This is serious stuff. I sadly have to admit I even have a designated "candy drawer" in my kitchen.. and it is never empty. Some folks crave cakes and cookies and chocolate cream pies, but no, I crave any and all candy that is sweet, sour, chewy or hard. I pretty much cannot take a trip to the grocery store, gas station or craft store (yes they have candy there) without buying atleast a pack of starburst or a bag of jelly belly's. Yesterday I was working in Auburn and on my lunch break I stopped at the Savemart to grab a healthy snack. I ventured down the card aisle, planning on getting Justin a nice "thinking of you" or "love you honey" card. My eyes scanned the left side of the aisle at all the cards and then I happened to glance to the right side. Big mistake. It was the EASTER CANDY row. For some reason, Easter has exceptionally good candy. It seems all holidays are based on various sweet delicious treats and candies but Easter in particular has quite the variety. Maybe it's because most of it is pastel pink and baby yellow and my biological clock is ticking so anything that reminds me of babies makes me want it. So instead of getting a card for Justin, I just got candy... 4 large bags. I mean, I had to get the chicks and bunnies that are like circus peanuts, the sweettart ducks and bunnies and the sweettart gummy sugared bunnies, and of course the pastel candy corn. I got home last night and poured two bags into bowls and placed them on the counter so atleast I wouldn't be tempted to hide the bags in my nightstand and hog them all for myself (I do this sometimes). Justin just laughs but I swear I saw him searching "candy rehab centers" online. It's not like I have a problem, I just can't stop eating it and I don't want to. Besides God, family and friends its totally brings true happiness (and cavities, darn) to life. Have you ever seen someone eating candy frowning? I think not.

Big News!

Ok, everyone calm down. It's not that big of news. I didn't win the lottery, didn't get a new puppy and I certainly didn't get chosen to star in a new sitcom, "The Real Housewives of Rocklin" (I'm really crossing my fingers on that one). No, I'd like to announce that I joined Facebook! Hooray! This is a big step for me. I swore I would never get pulled into the obsession with online networking sites like myspace. I don't understand why anyone would want the whole world to know every mundane detail about your life. Facebook however, is fabulous. You can regulate who can view your profile and personal information, therefore, "saving the drama for your mama"... and the select few friends you want to glimpse into your life. It's only been 3 days and I'm already hooked. I even have like 30 friends... I might mention that 28 of them are family, but hey, it's my third day. So, last Thursday night I signed up for it, and Friday morning I went to login. You know what happened? Our internet connection had turned off. We are in the process of changing providers so now I would be without my precious internet and new network of Facebook friends for probably a week. I think I had a mild panic attack. No, no, this can't be right! I need my internet! So I did what any loyal facebooker would do in a crisis.... I found the nearest library, got a new library card and got an hour of internet time on the community computer. It was a little wierd to have all these people around me able to view my screen, I mean, a little privacy people. That's why they have security settings on Facebook to begin with, so you creepies can't peer over my shoulder and see my address. Ugg.. Anyways, I think Justin laughed for a full five minutes when I told him I was so desperate for internet that I went to the local library. He was kind enough to borrow a laptop from his parents house for my use. Oh, and as far as how I am writing this post on the internet right now, I am currently "borrowing" a wireless connection from Wade. Whoever you are Wade, thanks. You saved my life, or atleast the next week until my new wireless router shows up. I would send him a thank you card but I'm not sure which neighbor he is...

Pre-Wedding Food Consumption

I was going to title this post "Pre-Wedding Diet" but I thought that didn't really sound right since I am not actually "dieting". People that know me and my eating habits know I couldn't possibly have the self-control to diet. Food is my weakness. My absolute favorite activity is to go out to eat... breakfast, lunch or dinner, I like them all! So, about a month ago I went and had my dress altered to fit a little snugger. This last Wednesday I got to go pick it up, after I tried it on, to make sure it fit correctly. I was so excited to get to take the dress home, I may have even had a little sparkle in my eye.....and then, my mother and the alterations gal spent 5 minutes trying to zip it up. Wow, not how I wanted this to go! As soon as it was zipped and hooked, I began gasping for air. I couldn't breathe. I was going to suffocate and die before I even got to get married. This was a nightmare. I tried to tell myself that it would be ok, I will just back off the heavy snacking for the next two months till the big day. After 30 more seconds I realized I would have to live like an ethiopian in order for this dress to fit! Luckily, I realized I was wearing a very thick undergarment so I could remove that and finally breathe again... barely. Now happy with the fit I left the bridal store reminding myself that I would still need to "watch" what I eat. For those of you that have seen the movie Bride Wars, "you don't alter a Vera Wang to fit you, you alter you for Vera". In my case I suppose it's "you don't alter a Davids Bridal gown, you alter you for your gown". It is now Sunday, it has been 4 days since I vowed to only munch on healthy food and snacks like veggies, fruit and maybe some candy.. just a little (hey I can't give up everything cold turkey). Thursday night I went to a sushi and chinese food all-you-can-eat buffet; but I had to it was their grand opening... Friday, I had a Carl's Jr. bacon cheeseburger and fries for lunch; once again I felt this was justified because if I didn't give in to my initial craving I would leave work and head straight for Carl's Jr. for maybe two double-bacon western cheeseburgers which would be quite worse. After work it was nachos and loaded potato skins from Fridays. Saturday I was good..until I had 4 large slices of Roundtable pepperoni pizza and a chocolate cupcake. Oops. Today is Sunday, I woke up planning on having nutritious meals and maybe hitting the gym. So far I have laid on the couch all day, alternating between HGTV, the Lifetime Network, and Desperate Housewives. Oh, and after eating scrambled eggs with sausage, I ate a bunch of candy, thick slice of banana bread and... 4 more pieces of pepperoni pizza. What is wrong with me? I had consumed all of that by 2pm today. I have a serious portion control problem. Immediately after I scarfed the pizza down, I confessed to Justin what I had just done and told him this is why I do not like having this kind of food in my home, I can't stop myself. It's almost as if I have to keep eating it in case I never get to experience its amazing delicious taste again though I will probably get the chance to eat pizza next week! My mind must not be working properly with my stomach, this can't be normal. Surely I will be able to maintain control for two more months... surely....

TV Night

I think I write these posts for my own entertainment, I may be the only one laughing so bear with me...
Tuesday night is currently my TV night. Justin is well aware of this. I let him know Monday as well as Tuesday afternoon that I need him to "babysit" the kids (or dogs as most people call them). I can't have any interruptions or I get cranky. I can't tell you the elation I feel every Tuesday morning when I realize that I have 3 hours of enjoyable TV to watch that night. Now, understand, enjoyable does not mean educational or totally wholesome. While Justin enjoys the history channel and any engineering, technical program... my Tuesday night line up consists of Nip/Tuck, the "new" 90210, and a new favorite, The Real Housewives of Orange County. I know I know, Justin has already pointed out how I am frying my brain with this nonsense. He refuses to even sit in the same room with me Tuesday nights. I think I get a kick out of the drama and non-realistic lifestyles of these people. I am 100% fine and happy with my life but it is still amusing to observe these crazy characters and their troubled lives. Tuesday beginning at 7pm, I reserve the family room for me and myself only.. maybe Trixie too. I need complete silence to enjoy my shows.. and a bowl of popcorn. Anyone that knows me and has witnessed me watching TV can attest to the level at which I put the volume. I have been tested and have perfect hearing by the way, I just like to make sure I hear every word spoken on the 60 inch television. I have yet to meet someone who doesn't tell me to "turn it down a little". So, every glorious Tuesday (atleast for this TV season) Justin locks himself in the office with the dogs and I blast the TV, reminding him to "talk to me" on the commercials. I really don't think it's too much to ask, it's one day a week for heavens sake. Being that it's Tuesday and T minus 1.5 hours... TGIT.. Thank Goodness It's Tuesday!

Surviving in an Igloo

54.2 degrees.... you may be thinking that's the temperature outside. Well, let me tell you, it's the temperature in our home. No joke. I can barely type this entry right now, my poor fingers are turning purple. I don't think it's considerably normal to wear beanies and scarves and snow socks... inside your house. So, you may be wondering why it's like the artic circle in here. Our heater decided to quit pumping out warm air a couple days ago. It's quite terrible actually. Painful would be another word to describe it. My three dog children and I are huddled next to our small space heater, trying to survive. I think I know what it feels like to trek through the Catskill Mountains or the Appalachians hoping to persevere through the bitter cold. I think I need some wolf or beaver skins, or whatever those Alaskans wear in their igloos. I am typing this in 2 minute increments... I have to pump out a few sentences and then stumble to the space heater to defrost a little. The blessed heater repair man is due around 12pm. I can only hope my family will endure this harrowing experience. Maybe I should write a book about it... "Mother survives aching cold with three dog children"... sounds like a best seller to me...

My Baby Princess

I just wanted to introduce you to my sweet little baby princess Trixie. She is my everything! She turns one next month and yes, I plan on throwing her a birthday party. Edible dog cake and all. At 5 1/2 pounds she can take down Hartwin, steal his rawhide bones, and eats out of his bowl with him at every meal. If anyone comes near her bowl or her bones, she can produce the most vicious growl, you would think she might eat your hand off. I swear she learned that from Max. Max can bare his huge teeth like none other before him. Max is our problem child, he sets a bad example for his little sister. Trixie is daddy's little girl. She has dad wrapped around her finger. It's quite cute actually. I am trying to convince him that Trixie gets to be in the wedding. How adorable would it be for my niece, the flower girl, to walk with Trix down the aisle in a pink fluffy doggy dress. Justin isn't too fond of the idea. He thinks its ridiculous. But then again, he always thinks I am ridiculous when it comes to Trix... she has a car seat, she has a Dooney & Burke bag, and she has more clothes than him including a cheerleading outfit, pink bunny suit, Juicy Couture hoodie, a princess dress and a leg warmers and scarf set. Doesn't he understand that all that is necessary? I need to make sure she has an ensemble for any and every occasion. She also has quite the collection of hair bows and clips. I told Justin yesterday that I wanted to get another yorkie so Trixie could have a playmate... Justin said I am losing my mind.

Max vs. The Wall

So most of you know that Justin and I have two German Shepherds and a yorkie. We are like those crazy cat people but with dogs. Not too mention I want 5 kids, but we will save that for another day. Our younger German Shepherd Max is really crazy and hyper all the time. It's possible he should be medicated for ADD. The other morning I grabbed the two big boys bowls to go fill them up in the garage with their food. They usually get all excited and run around the couches in anticipation. I still can't figure out why dogs get so excited for the same dry bland food for every meal. I wish this worked for boyfriends as well.. Anyways, Max was especially excited this one morning and as he sprinted around the couch, our oldest dog Hartwin sprinted the opposite direction around the couch and it resulted in a head-on collision. The corner of the wall seemed to jump in at the last moment.. in other words, Max's face plowed into our wall, breaking it. The sound of my two 80 lb beasts charging the wall was practically ear deafening. A few moments later I noticed that Max hadn't come out without any injuries either. His whole area around his eye was scraped of all the fur. Obviously as a worrying mother I was scared he was hurt or in pain. About 30 seconds later he was back in action, prancing around with his favorite pink rubber football. Dogs must have skulls as hard as rocks.

Wedding Planning

Ok, since Justin, my wonderful husband-to-be is taking so long to write a post, I guess I will take on the responsibility of keeping it updated. Geezo, I have to plan a wedding and blog regularly? Oh the expectations! So, wedding planning, even for a very small wedding, is pretty crazy and stressful. I thought by having a small intimate wedding I would bypass all the stress and bridezillaness (is that a word?). Mind you, I am not even close to becoming bridezilla.... I assure you I now understand why all those girls turn into one!! The food, the flowers, the invitations... not to mention the dresses. Miraculously I found my dress in one day after only looking at two stores! I managed the impossible! Talented, I know. But the bridesmaid dresses are another story. Apparently they stopped making dresses in pink and yellow. Guess I missed that memo. I told my mom I was ok with pink Hanes XL beefy t-shirts with a yellow ribbon tied around my dear sisters waists. Mom said if I wanted my sisters to actually come to the wedding, I would have to think of something else. Darn, and here I was thinking I was being creative. Oh, and don't even get me started on trying to convince Justin to wear a pastel pink vest and tie with his ivory tux. I guess he has to draw the line somewhere. Of course I threw in the line "if you loved me you would wear the pink vest" but I don't think that got me anywhere. Maybe I should try the "marriage is about compromise" line and see if that nets me anything...

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time there was this very fun and sweet princess named Rachel. She knew she had finally found her prince but she was having a hard time getting him to finally tie the knot. This princess was very patient and gave the prince almost four years! What a nice girlfriend she was. So finally, one beautiful afternoon up in Kings Beach Lake Tahoe, the prince proposed to the princess. He took the princess on a hike in the snow up to the top of a hill overlooking Lake Tahoe and the white covered forest below. After reading a heartfelt letter the prince had written the princess, he got down on one knee and asked princess Rachel to be his wife. Well, you can imagine how excited the princess was! After a few "Oh my gosh's" the princess accepted. The prince and the princess cried many happy tears of joy... the prince may have shed a few more than her, but we can keep that to ourselves. The prince put the sparkling diamond ring on her finger as the princess stared in awe. This is some serious bling! she thought. It was extremely cold and windy at the top of this mountain but the princess refused to put her snow glove back on her hand. She wanted to admire her ring some more. Soon, the princess's hand became very purple and lost some of its feeling. Oops. After enjoying the most wonderful moment thus far in their lives, the prince and princess hiked down the hill. The princess only slipped and fell one time, and for those of you who know the princess, that's quite good for her. Immediately following the exciting event, the princess insisted they go to Safeway to purchase the Martha Stewart Wedding magazine. Martha is the princess's hero and she had been eyeing that wedding magazine for a very long time... patiently of course. And so begins their journey of life.. which of course will end Happily Ever After. The End.

First Post Coming Soon

Thank you for coming to visit our site. Rachel and I will use this site as a medium for all of our family members to come together and join us in our journey.

In the meantime, watch this video to see why engineer's need to be smart...