Shay

Did you see TBL this week? Shay lost 17 lbs, reached 100lb total of weight loss & also got sent home. Everyone was hitting huge weight loss #s on Tues night. She started the show weighing nearly 500 lbs. Now she is almost 400 but that is a huge difference. She could still loose another 200 so she has a long road ahead of her. I can't wait to see her at the finale.

Also, Daniel went home. He started the show last season in the 400's. He is now in the 200's. He is in his early 20's and lost 200lbs in a year. That is amazing.






After(yellow) & Before(blue)

There is now TBL game for Wii. This show is such an insipiration.

Neck & Shoulder

My neck and left shoulder are killing me. I think it is stress/sitting wrong at work combo. I think I have a pinched nerve or something b/c my hand is tingly in one spot. I could probably tell you which nerve is pinched, had I actually rememberd that from class, but I would have to look it up. Working out def helps. Oh wait, that is probably another problem. Since our friends were here, I didnt go to the gym for like 4 days straight.

Bee

Erik calls me at work yesterday & says 'I think Evie got stung by a bee. She ran in the house & under the bed and won't come out' So of course, my crazy mind goes right to - great, she is going into anaphylaxis shock. She'll be dead when I get home.

I got home & she was totally fine. Ran out to greet me. Played, rolled around, etc. So, I am not entirely sure what went on yesterday afternoon. Erik said she peed in a little bush & bees came out. Maybe she was just spooked.

The Gym, Shampoo, and Toilet Paper

Yesterday,I got home & walked Evie. Then, I went to the gym. I came home to quite a mess.
1. She went in my work bag and pulled out my thermos & Nalgene. Couldn't get them open
2. Opened Erik's backpack and pulled out tissues & ripped them up
3. Pulled some items out of the recycle bin & ripped those up

Later in the night, I went into the bathroom and saw a ripped up roll of TP. She pulled it out of the bag of TP and ripped it up. I mean, is she 6 months old? This is ridiculous. Of course, when you see the mess, she knows. She starts her wiggle dance and gets so upset and wants you to hold her and say, it's ok. Unreal!

Now for the shampoo. Yesterday, I picked up a bottle of shampoo at Walgreens. It was in my work bag. After cleaning up the mess, I picked up my bag to find it full of shampoo. All over the bag, inside. Literally, the bottle was 1/2 empty & the cap was off. I do not know what happened - Did Evie rip the cap off? Was it loose & come unscrewed during my ride home? No idea.

What a strange night. On the upside, I missed kickboxing but walked in the gym just in time for spinning.

Michael Buble on DWTS

Did you see Michael Buble on DWTS. I think I have a huge crush on him! hahaha. He is going on tour in March!!



Go to 5:13 to see his performance!

Wishlist

I have a little wishlist going in my head. Of course there are always other things you need to spend $ on before you can buy the fun things.

1. Raincoat

2. New running shoes

3. New lunch bag

4. This sweater

5. Road ID

Two Years

Wow, can you believe it? We've been out in CA for 2 years. It was this week 2 yrs ago that we arrived in SF. Man how things have changed. Here is the 1 year post.

Here is Year 2 in a review:


Dad visited in Dec


Marla visited in Dec

January - Sarah Visits!!


Erik Turns 30!

March - NYC/CT Trip


The big 2-9


The horrible Evie/small claims court incident


July - The Lunas visit!


Seattle for 4th of July!



Walk for MS


Wicked!


LA


Santa Barbara!


San Diego!



Home for Labor Day!! Saw HAIR on B-way


August - TL visited


Erik hearts his hockey team

6 Yr Anniversary



This view never gets old!

School

I had a little realization about school. I really have to sit down & think about how I am going to pay for it and live w/o a job for a year. Sure, Erik can pick up some of the slack but not really. Not our entire rent and groceries and gas and car insurance and everything. We were joking that we could go on food stamps. Then, I was like - wait, can we really?

I know I can delay my student loans & stuff but I'd rather not. Because If I have to take out a loan for school, then that is double the loans when I am done. I definitely want to get into a Loan Forgiveness program. Ideally, I would also get scholarships. We'll see - that is much easier said than done.

Since I may not get into that microbio class (waitlisted), it might be good for me to take the semester to really look into this & volunteer at the hospital. It is also very good motivation for me to really budget and pour in extra money to any debt I have so that it makes things easier for when I go to school.....

Deep thoughts.

Work

Oh man. Work has been bugging me the past two days. Seriously, my boss can be so crazy. I decided she is like a bird - running, flapping her wings, cocking her head. Everything is an emergency. We have to do it right now. Its like, stop, think, relax. It will get done. This is a pic of her on the left. hahaha

Some days, I cannot get going at work. Its like 1030 and I'm like - I guess Ill start doing what needs to get done. Then, at like 4pm, I get this surge of productivity. I think it's b/c in the AM, I think - I have the whole day and at 4pm, I want to get out in an hour.

Tuesday

Man, was I exhausted yesterday! I went home & took Evie out - did not go to the gym. Luckily, we saw her buddy Jasper. Jasper is a white boxer puppy. They roll around and go absolutely crazy. That made her very happy. Then, we had to go to Safeway. I was definitely off my schedule of shopping on Sunday, getting prepared for the week, cleaning, etc.

Had dinner & then did a ton of dishes & two loads of laundry. Did you see Dancing With The Stars? I want Kelly Osborne to win OR Derek & Joanna. Mya is good but I don't think the judges like her for some reason.

Tonight its SCHOOL and tomorrow I cannot work from home. Our director from Dallas is here :-( Oh well. No school on Thursday for some reason so that is a plus!!

Weekend Update

So,as I said, this weekend was very fun. On Friday, it unfortunately rained. We were planning to go to Muir Woods, then Sausalito for lunch. Well, we tried to go to Muir but it was pouring. So, we just went to lunch a little early. It was great. Then, we went home and went up to Haight St. After that, we went to Happy Hour. It was certainly HAPPY. Hahaha. We were all happy we were together and I got drunk. oh yes. 4 beers on an empty stomach. Not good. We went to the Little Chihuahua for burritos. I got up to to go the bathroom & stood at the wrong door for like 5 mins. I was standing at the Employee room not the Bathroom! Duh! thats how drunk i was. haha.

Saturday - we were up and off to Napa. We got lunch at Dean & Deluca and went to Alpha Omega. We sat outside on the couches for like 2hrs just eating & drinking - that is the life. I said, this is where I want to die. Lay me out here, give me one more sip of red wine & I'll go. haha.
After that, we went to Rutherford Grove. I have never been and i LOVED this place. It is all family run and they have a lot of wines where the grapes are grown on the property. That is very rare. So, I joined the club. This one only sends you wine quarterly where as the other one is every other month. After that, we finished the day at Sterling. Love this place! You take a gondola up the hill to get to the winery!

We finished the day at my new fave restaurant up there, Market. I had the fried chicken!! It was delish. We had smores dessert. They bring a little grill to your table & you roast the marshmallows right there! SO MUCH FUN.

Sunday - We took a drive down to Pacifica to see the Ocean & the beautiful views. I also taught gymnastics in the afternoon while Tara & Erik went to Alcatraz. We finished the night by having dinner at our house. What a fun weekend. They are leaving tomorrow :-( We will see them at Christmas.

I don't have any pics to post because surprise! I didnt take any! Erik is a wonderful photographer so he took a ton of photos. I can't wait to see them & post for you!!

Music

I'm not that into music but when I find a song I like, I love it. It goes on the playlist. Here are some right now that I cannot stop playing



Michael Buble - Haven't met you yet



Britney - 3



Miley Cyrus- Party in the USA

OXO deal

Win With Martha & Sur La Table

Happy Birthday Irene!

Big 30th Birthday shout out to Jeanine Irene Lavine. hahaha. Happy Birthday!!

Weekend

What a great weekend. I am exhausted. I am going to bed but to give you the quick rundown - Our friends Tara & Erik were were from CT and we had so much fun. Friday day off. Great lunch. Too many drinks at night. Saturday Napa. Amazing warm sunny day and dinner was delish. Sunday drive to the beach and then I worked @ the gymnastics gym.

I signed upfor school & am wait listed for a microbio class that starts at 640 on M & W. I will cross my fingers to get in. I am also going to try to get into pharmacology that is an online class. UGH. I hate being patient about this school/new career thing.

Ok so tired. Going to bed!

Physiology

Well, that Physio class I wanted doesn't start at 730. It starts at 6. 6-10. That is so long. I cannot get down to school for 6pm. There is a microbio class that starts at 7 that I could take. I can sign up for school on Saturday so I will try to get into that. Arrrghhh.

Thursday

I'm too excited to work today. Tara & Erik just got here!! Sadly, I won't see them tonight due to school. But, tomorrow we are going to have fun! We're going up to Muir Woods & having lunch in Sausalito. On Saturday, we are going to Napa! Woohoooo! So, I am going to get thru this day, the nervous system quiz and look forward to tomorrow!

Thrive, Mint, Quizzle

Do you guys use online programs to manage your finances? I tried Mint & Thrive and it was not working for me. I mean, the accounts are never up to speed. They email you with balances that are wrong or bills that are due that you already paid. It was a waste of time entering all of my info just for them to email me incorrect info! Plus, I don't really need reminders of my balances or when bills are due b/c I just check my account and keep an excel sheet with everything in it. You all know I am paranoid about everything else, so of course I check my accounts like crazy.

Now, I found Quizzle. Quizzle is...

You probably know “roughly” what you spend every month. You can “ballpark” your credit score. And you have a “pretty good idea” of how much your home would sell for in today’s market. Sound familiar?

If it does, you’re like millions of Americans who spend every month taking a pretty good guess at the issues surrounding their personal finances without exactly knowing where they stand.

Enter, Quizzle: the tool that replaces all that guesswork with the information you really need to manage your home, money and credit.

The best part? You’ll not only walk away with some real facts and figures, but we’ll also give you a graded assessment of your situation and offer tips and tricks on how to improve.

Love

Love this sweater.

Jcrew. Dream Tori ruffle cardigan.

More Wednesday

Ugh tomorrow I have a quiz on the nervous system. SO HARD. Tomorrow is my last day of work for the week. I am off on Friday because Tara & Erik are coming to visit from CT!!!

The Yankees are about to win the World Series!! It's been awhile since they've been in this position and it's good to be back!! The Phillies are obviously a good team but seriously, Werth & Lidge need to get it together. Werth clearly likes the sound of whhhhfffff since he strikes out all the time. I also heard a joke about Lidge. What is the diff between a bong & lidge? Nothing - you can take as many hits as you want off them. hardy har. I'm sure TL is reading this right now and gritting her teeth :-)

Anyway, off to study!

Happy Birthday Sarah

Happy 30th Birthday Sarah!! 09-10 is the year for everyone to move into the 30 club! Remember when we were just 22 going out on the weekends getting crazy!

Frugality Fatigue

Well,it's been a year since the economy started crumbling. I'm sure it started earlier than then but last October is when I really started to see the effects. The layoffs, the fear, the belt tightening...Now, economists are saying things are getting better & sales are looking up. But, are people just returning to their old ways? This past year has scared me into not shopping and really watching what we buy. Use up old things. Try to fix it before buying a new one, etc. The mentality that our Grandparents & Parents have & that our generation probably just learned last year.

Here is an article about how everyone is tired of being frugal & are they are falling back into old habits? Or have we really learned our lesson & will the fear of last year stick with us now?

Turkey Day is coming...

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Biggest Loser Salad

Did you guys watch TBL last night? You can really start to see the weight change in the contestants now. They can now run a mile whereas on the premier, they were dying. They were in DC last night and visited the White House garden. That salad they made looked awesome! Here is the recipe:

White House Salad

(From The Biggest Loser)

• 1 head of fresh lettuce, wash, dry and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cucumber peeled, and cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 fresh in season tomatoes, wash and cut into bite size pieces
• 1/4 red onion, peel and cut as thinly as possible
• 1 bunch fresh basil, wash and chop into big pieces
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions in large mixing bowl. In sealable container, combine oil, lemon juice, honey and salt and pepper. Cover container and shake vigorously. Add dressing to salad and serve immediately.

Cable

Erik wants to cancel our cable. So much TV is online for free now, so why have cable. I am like - yeah whatever, but I know I will sit on the computer looking for shows. I guess I might just stop watching TV. Imagine that. No more reality shows! I might be more productive at night, that is for sure.

Fire Alarm

Last night at 1am, the fire alarm went off in our building. I jumped out of bed and ran to the door. No one was rushing out of the building. I was like, Erik, the fire alarm is going off. He looks at me & says, are you awake or are you sleepwalking? I was like, I am awake!! I'm calling the fire dept. I pick up the phone to call & the alarm went off. I think someone in our building manages things like that. I couldn't believe no one woke up to check on this.

This is a post 9/11 world people. I am ready to run at any second. I calmed down & went back to bed but it was quite the shock at 1am.

Crazy of the Day

From the police blotter: "At 8:02 a.m. Tuesday, a man called 911 to report that he had been cheated on prices at Wendy’s fast-food restaurant on Gateway Boulevard. He said the prices on the menu do not match what he paid, and that the employee then gave him an incorrect phone number to call to file a complaint with the corporate office.

5K

Erik & I signed up for a 5K in two weeks. I haven't run a race since about June 08. That was the Half in May, then we did a 5 mile two weeks after that and then a 5K in June, I think. Oh well, we'll be fine. It will be fun.


We are planning on running a turkey trot on Thanksgiving. I thought it was 5K but it is 5 MILES. Ugh. Oh well, I'll make it.

Intuition

Intuition is something we all have - you know when you feel it when to do something or not to do something. In the past few weeks, I've experienced it & want to remind you to listen to it.

#1 - The Napa dog camp. As soon as I told that woman we wouldn't be coming up, I felt 100 times better.

#2 - We were going to rent a house in Napa for New Years. It was pretty expensive. I started to think about the holidays, the car repairs, signing up for school, etc. Suddenly, I wasn't feeling so jolly about Napa for the holiday. I talked to Marla about it and she was feeling the same way. As soon as we decided not to rent the house, I felt 100 times better.

#3 - I was watching Oprah the other day. The show was about Moms/Drunk Driving. One story was about a Mom who drove 7 10 year olds while drunk and one died. A Mom of a surviving girl came on the show. She said, My gut said do not let her go. I let her go late because of how I was feeling. Then, I got the call about the car crash and knew I should've listened to myself.

So, when you get that feeling like things are not right. Listen to it!! What is really going on & what is it trying to tell you??

Monday Morning

Well the time change was awesome this morning. It was sunny when I woke up and Evie wanted to get up early. She hates getting up in the AM. SO much that I have to sometimes literally drag her out of bed at 730. Last week, I picked her up like a baby to get her out of bed. Unreal. We were up at 630, went out for a good walk to Buena Vista so she could run a little. Its warm & sunny here. How great would it be to get up early each day & get her outside for a short hike!

Then, I got on the bus.

Bus was stopped. People got off. I picked up my bag to move further back and the bus lurched. You know what happens next...I reach up to hold onto the bar, don't grab it. Start to fall backwards. People put their hands up to catch me. I yell out, 'Oh geez'! as I am falling. Pure comedy. I'm sure people wanted to laugh. Ive seen this happen plenty of times and usually don't pay attention. So, hopefully no one paid attention to me. Furthermore, my bag tipped over and my apple rolled out. This nice guy picked it up for me. What a start to the week!! oh well, it was pretty funny.

Sunday

Today was a nice Sunday. First of all, we got an extra hour of sleep! I went to kickboxing at 10am and wow, that class was intense. I haven't been on a Sunday yet and this instructor was awesome. She did not stop for like 45 min straight. I was drenched. Also, when I work out hard, my face gets so red. The instructor probably thought I was going to pass out. haha.

Erik & I went to lunch today. We sat outside because it was sunny and in the high 70's. It was 1:30 and we saw some people still in their costumes. Uhh Halloween walk of shame?!

I cleaned up all of the Halloween stuff. Once a holiday is over, I want the stuff down immediately. I left the stuff up that can be a Thanksgiving decoration. We cleaned, did all of the laundry & i went food shopping. Tonight, I made Chicken & Biscuits. We'll see how it turns out. I used this recipe.


Hope you have a good week!

Halloween!!

Well, let me tell you - driving home from Napa, going to a party, then having Halloween dinner was exhausting. When I came home from Napa, I took a nap so we got to the party verrrry late. Our costumes were pretty much non-existent. Erik put some makeup on his face. I put on a striped shirt, white pants & a sailor hat to be a sailor. The party was lame-o. It was ending, everyone was drunk, and we didn't know anyone. We know Bailey and a few other girls but that is about it. We were there for maybe an hour. Oh well, we were happy to go home for HALLOWEEN DINNER!

I had so much fun making this. I hope to make this a yearly tradition. I can just imagine when we have a house and a big dining room table, I will really go all out!! Here it is -

First up, monster guts and black chips





Bat Wings (Chicken wings in a ginger/soy sauce)

Alien guts (Green garlic mashed potatoes)


Alien fingers (Asparagus)



We also had cut up alien intestines (scallops)


Spoooooky Dinner

After dinner, we watched Paranormal Activity. Someone gave it to Erik on DVD. It had potential to be scary however,I've watched enough Paranormal State & learned so much from Chip Coffey that I wasn't scared(can you believe it)?

Of course, we ended the night with one last viewing of Hocus Pocus & promptly fell asleep! What a great month.

Treats

This weekend was so fun! On Friday, we drove up to Lake Berryessa (Napa) for the night. Betsy's family rented the house right on the lake so we went up for the night. We hit up two wineries and had lunch before Jun & I drove home on Sat afternoon.

View from the deck of the house

Lake Berryessa with the fog sitting low

Driving up to Sterling Vineyard


Taking the gondola up to the winery

Gorgeous view

Barrel room


After lunch, we had to leave but it was a fun time!!

Tricks

So, we live across the street from Bank of America. Last night around 7pm, the cops pulled up and put police tape around the bank. We could see the glass door was shattered on the outside. Someone also put up a sign on the side windows that said 'Foreclosure'. Surely someone was pissed their house was foreclosed!! They used a hammer to try to break all of the windows. We did not see a thing b/c we weren't home but there was a couple out there with the cops so I think they may have seen something. How crazy is that!! Too much activity in our hood the past few months!!