Evie's Photoshoot

Remember when Evie modeled for a new collar?? Here are some shots. She looks so intense.











This is the funniest

Thursday

TGIT. Still have a cold. Wake up and have such a sore throat, nasty phlegm, stuffed nose. Used the netti pot today and was gagging when the salt water went down my throat. Gross. Can't breathe right now. SO did not want to go to school last night but honestly, we split the time b/t lecture & lab and the class goes by pretty fast. Plus, my lab partner is cool and we get stuff done right away.

Yesterday before school, I took Evie up to Alamo Sq. We saw the cutest brown & white Boston Terrier. I am a lot more comfortable up there with her around all of the dogs. I let her go up to dogs, sniff, etc. She is really good. One day, maybe she can be off leash. It will be a long way away though. She is so happy up there thought. She likes it up there better than the park closer to us.
There is also this adorable frenchie who has the same coloring as Evie - tan with white paws. I want a frenchie. They are so adorable.Maybe in 10 years.

Tuesday

Yesterday, I worked at home since my boss was at the client all day AND I had/have a sore throat and a cold. Nasty. It came on so suddenly and now blahhhhh.

Of course, Evie thinks I'm home to cuddle and play with her. She wants to sit ON my lap. I can't hold her & a computer.

Erik had a hockey game & they won but I didn't go to watch. Maybe next week. He has another early game.

Movie Review: Best Friends Girl

Watched My Best Friends Girl tonight and it was bad. Like D- bad. Boring. Predictable. I hate Dane Cook. The American Pie dude needs to get a new gig. Do not watch.

The only good thing about this movie was Kate Hudson's hair. I love her hair.

Blessed

I'm adding a new word to my vocabulary - blessed. I am not very religious so the term is not tied to religion or church or anything. I am blessed to have everything & everyone in my life.

Look at all of the people in the world who do not have a job, family, friends, home, shoes, socks, pets, a boyfriend, a car, the opportunity to travel, see new places, try new things & be comfortable. And I am blessed to have all of those things. It seems so simple really but after all of this thinking about being happy where I live, I realized it's important to be thankful for more than that.

I am blessed to have what & who I have.

Seychelles Boots

So, these boots, are ones that I said that I wanted in September. I thought I would find them on sale but I guess its not true boot sale season yet. These particular ones are the Seychelles Orchestra Boots. I need them in Black(with the brown top) in a size 9. If you see these anywhere, will you let me know where? I can only find them for approx $170. They have them for $99 on Piperlime but they are not the color I want.

OK Thanks!

The Bachelor in SF

Did anyone watch The Bachelor last night when they were in SF? It was SO strange to see them roaming around the city & knowing exactly where they were. It also made me think -wow, I live in a beautiful city that other people would love to visit & may never get the chance to. People love CA & vacation here. Some people never get to go to Napa and I can go every weekend, if I wanted to. And I complain & want to leave. This stupid Bachelor episode just reconfirmed for me that I am very lucky to be here.

Noodle Bowls

Found these noodle bowls at Whole Foods. SO yummy and only $2.50 on sale. They don't keep me full that long. I might try adding veggies to it or chicken.

MB on SNL

Michael Buble on SNL looking super cute!!

Crazy Shoe

Saw these shoes & love them. They are like not something I would normally buy but they are cool.

Weekend

This weekend was fun. Amy & I tried this mexican place we wanted to go to. It was exactly what we hoped it would be.

On Saturday, Erik and I went to a late lunch at this little cafe by the beach. It was sunny & 55-60 degrees. The food was delish. It was great. Then, we went down to Target to get cleaning stuff. The monthly trip. Erik never goes with me so that was a nice surprise. We did not make it to the movie but we did go to chicken & waffles at like 9pm. Erik's first time having that dish & he liked it.

Today, I worked at the gymnastics gym. Nothing crazy happened. Cute kids. Went to Whole Foods. I love the frozen salmon. 2 perfect pieces in one pack.

Eriks Hockey Outing

Last week, Erik & his hockey team went down to the San Jose Sharks game. Of course, debauchery ensued. But, they had a great time!

GLEE Japanese Style

Amazing

East Coast Dog

This AM, Evie & I were out walking. We walked past this woman with two dogs. They were sniffing and she asked Evie's name. Then she told me she was from New York & they just moved here. I told her we were from CT and she says 'Oh an East Coast dog. I could tell' haha. Not sure how she could tell. Maybe it was her pink & green whale collar and my Marthas Vineyard sweatshirt. haha

Friday

TGIF. For sure.What a busy week. Emotionally & Physically. Work was crazy. I was totally bummed. I didnt work out. Went to school. I am ready for the weekend but I have a busy weekend planned, too.

Unfortunately, I pushed my start date at the hospital out to 2/11. I was at the client yesterday until 530. Not back to the city until 6. Worked until 730 and then went home. I would not have made it to the hospital for 7pm.

Today, I had to go to the Client for like 5 min. Freaking get on BART to go over there for 5 min. I hate that. Then, I worked from home the rest of the day. Tonight, Amy & I are trying this mexican place that we both have seen & want to try. It is not high-end or anything but we want to try. Then, we are going to get a few beers. Ugh right now it is raining, again. Hope it stops.

Anyway this weekend I have some errands like to get a lab coat, go to Target for household supplies, & teach gymnastics on Sunday. We are also planning on getting chicken and waffles and seeing Crazy Heart.

Have a good weekend!!

New York

Ok but this is my absolute fave right now. I laugh when I do the Jay Z rap b/c I sound so ridiculous.

Say Hey!

I like this song. Its happy.

Hair Color

I love this hair color & I think Im giong to get it. I love the red mixed in!

Jay Leno

I saw Jay Leno on Oprah and let me tell you , I cannot stand him. I cannot even stand to look at him. Do you feel that way about certain people? I also feel this way about Nicholas Cage & Nicole Kidman. There is just something about them.

Wednesday

Feel a little better today. I am planning on going to see Kimmy for her bday in Boston. This will help me. Plus, we have a fun February planned. OH and we are planning on going to Palm Springs for a tennis tournament in March. I have been wanting to go to this tournament for years - BNP Paribas Tournament!

Erik & I talked and here are our options----
1. See if work has any jobs open around July 1. We move back, I work for them for ayear while I wait to hear about admission to school.
RIsk: I don't get into school and we are living in CT without the next step of school. OR We have TL move us to NY only to get into CT school in the fall and have to move again.

2. Move to CT or NY or MA (where I get into school) next summer, once I know for sure what I am doing/going.

#2 sounds much more logical but the reason #1 is hanging around is that work would pay to move us as long as I work for them for a year. At this point, I will see what is open in July but am also open to staying another year.

I just bought 3 movies: Step Brothers, I Love You man, and Ratatouille on half.com LOVE love love all three and could watch them on repeat.

Busy at work today. School Tonight. Volunteering tomorrow. Busy weekend planned. Good - keep my mind off things.

Happy 4th Birthday Evie!!

Evie is 4 years old. Can you believe it!!?? We had her little party today. She got a lot of fun gifts.



Waiting for her gifts: 2 pig ears. a bully stick, a big fat porcupine toy that squeaks, a new green ginham collar, and a toy ring.


Eating her bully stick


Family pic


Evie & Auntie


Evie restraining herself from a cuddle pose


Cuddling

I cannot tell you HOW many times we were asked this weekend if we were twins. Sometimes we just say yes b/c we do not want to deal with the questions that come if we say No. You'd think we were famous twins or something. We don't even think we really look alike!

After the party, we went downtown. Went to F21 & Old Navy. Got a cute little owl necklace.


We also made wontons and watched I love you man, again. And Gilmore. Then, we went to the airport. Complete breakdown. Crying. Lonely. Upset.

Saturday

On Saturday, we went up to Sonoma. I've never been up there and it is very different from Napa. Napa is like Vegas for wine. One long strip with wineries on each side of the street. Pull off left or right and you're in a winery. Sonoma is like driving thru neighborhoods, down little streets, and pulling up at a winery at the end of a cul de sac.

We went to Blackstone, Ravenswood, and Anaba. You prob know the first two from wines you buy at the grocery store. Anaba is fairly new. I am not a pinot noir person but I loved one of theirs. Blackstone had a great Rubric wine that I liked. Ravenswood was selling their cab for $18.50 when Hello! They sell it at Safeway for $10 or $7 on sale!

We had an awesome dinner at Boon Fly Cafe. I've been wanting to go to this cute place for awhile now. It is on the property of Carneros Inn. We got there at 5pm and got a bottle of wine at the bar: Twenty Rows. So good! Then, we had dinner and both got Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and collard greens. Oh yeah!

Afterwards, we picked up Evie at camp and went home. Fun day exlploring a new area!

Friday

Friday - We had so much fun. We went to down to my school to buy my lab book. Lunch at Little Chihuahua. Mani/Pedi. Cupcakes at Kara's. (My Vanilla cupcake proceeds went to Red Cross for Haiti) Happy Hour at Blur. Ordered Chinese. Watched Post Grad. Super fun day that makes me sad we can't do it every weekend which makes me wonder why I live in CA and want to move, again. This happens EVERY time.

Movie Reviews

1. Post Grad - Give this a C
Pretty much like watching Rory Gilmore in a movie. Great student. Graduates. Doesn't get her perfect job. Best friend likes her. Blah Blah. Predictable. Don't recommend.






2. I Love You, Man - A
So Funny. I stayed awake through the whole thing. Watched it again. Recommend.

Together Again

Kimmy's Here!! Let the good times roll. I'll post pics after the weekend. Have a good weekend!!

Another new fave snack

I love Clif Bars and this new flavor is awesome!! This is my new favorite flavor: White chocolate macadamia nut. 1/2 of this bar is a great snack with some milk.

Tuesday

How lovely that today is Tuesday and this week is super short. The week is almost over! Well, today I got up at 6am and went to the gym. With school starting, I have to start going in the AM or else I will just not go at all. It was pouring rain out and I thought about not going but I went.

Today was super busy at work but I had a fun meeting today with that movie ticket company, Fandango. I got 2 free movie tix!

I also had a new snack today - a Larabar. I had the banana nut flavor & it was so good. I'm trying not to eat crap like cheezits so instead I had a pear, larabar, and snap peas for snacks. I wasn't hungry all day.


For dinner, I had the Whole Foods salmon. I marinated it in ginger/soy sauce. Delish. I also love frozen butternut squash. I mix it with a little brown sugar. So good!!

The weather still sucks here but thank goodness, I can work from home tomorrow. Also, school starts!

Monday

Today, it poured and poured buckets of rain. Then around noon, it stopped. Evie did NOT want to go out in the rain. I've been thinking about getting her the potty patch but I doubt she'd use it. I could put it on the back porch.

I went to the gym this AM then to the hospital to do my little tour. I will start volunteering there next Thursday. I cannot believe school starts this week. Back to the grind. This is a short week for me. I'm off on Friday! Kimmy is coming for a long weekend!! So excited.

The rain is not letting up this week. Blah. Let's hope it stops for the weekend, at least.

Golden Globes

Did you watch the Golden Globes? I am so happy Sandra Bullock won for Blind Side. She gave a great speech, too. I didn't see Avatar but I am surprised it won Best Picture. Also, I thought George Clooney would win something. Cheers to Monique for Precious. That movie was hard to watch but great acting. Ugh and the Hangover for best comedy. I thought that movie sucked. I love Sandra Bullock, Robert Downey Jr, Drew Barrymore & Meryl Streep. Can't wait for the Oscar nominations!

Stormy Week

It is the rainy season but man this week is going to be rough. The news is having stories about 'being prepared' and talking about high winds. The last time this happened, trees were uprooted & streets were flooded!

Weekend

This weekend was rainy & we were lazy. Yesterday, we went to the sports store & I got new sneakers. I got last years model which were on sale. I had asked the guy the difference between this year & last and he said nothing! So, I saved $30 on a pair of shoes! We also made some more wontons for dinner. I stuffed mine with garlic chicken & asparagus. So good!! We also watched 'Good Night & Good Luck'. It was so boring plus, it was in black & white. Do not recommend!!

Today, I tried out Whole Foods. I wasn't impressed. Produce looked great but was expensive and for the other groceries I needed, they were out of a lot of stuff. I got a few things but went to Safeway for my majority of groceries. I will say that I love the vacuum packed 2 piece of salmon packs. The portion is perfect for me and the price is amazing. I saved $30 on my bill with my Safeway card and coupons. Soooooo...Safeway is it. I am going to try to buy stuff on sale and stock up. (Kristine - I stocked up on ground turkey this week - they were 2/$5 so I got 4!)

Golden Globes are on tonight. I love Drew Barrymore. Like, i want to be her friend. She seems so fun. I also LOVE Jennifer Aniston's hair. I hate how they cut everyone off like 5 seconds into their acceptance speech.

Anyway - No work tomorrow - we are off for MLK Day. I am finally going to the hospital to finish my orientation(aka a self guided tour) so I can start volunteering every other week. I'm excited to start!!

Whales!

LL Bean has new super cute whale sheets. I will have to get these. They are too perfect to pass up!

Rollerblading

Erik got his rollerblades sent to CA from home. Now, he can rollerblade with Evie just like Cesar! We tried it today in the parking lot. You can see them skating in the video. She really got into pulling him around. This will be a good workout for her!










Also, check out Erik testing out his skates to old school rap

New Blanket

As I mentioned, we got a new blanket last week. I cannot begin to express the softness of this blanket. It is also really big so you can get wrapped up in it. Evie thinks its hers....








This is how we use the heater. Prop it up, put it on full blast & fall asleep. Even Evie knows whats up & how to lay in front of it.

Movie Night: Up In The Air

Last night was monthly movie night & was saw Up In The Air. We all really liked it! This month it was just three of us: Lisa, her co-worker Maralisa and myself. First up, we had a great dinner at this chines place, DragonWell.

The movie is about a guy who travels for a living to fire people from different companies. How topical & relevant as we get out of 2009! He is soon partnered with a recent college grad who thinks she can save the company money by changing his job drastically. So, he takes her on the road to show her the ropes. Along the way, meets a fellow traveler lady friend and really thinks about what he is doing with this life, his family, & how happy he is. It's funny at parts and overall, I really liked it.

This movie is up for a ton of Golden Globe awards, too. I recommend!

Cals

I am sad to learn today that my fave lunch at Boudin is almost 1,000 calories. UNREAL. 1/2 of a turkey avocado sandwich and tomato soup. Sad. I'm sure my fave lunch at SF Soup Co is the same: Corn Chowder and 1/2 a turkey sandwich.

No wonder that I eat and workout and things seem to stay the same. These calories have got to go!

Book Review: Cleaving

Just finished Cleaving by Julie Powell. This is the author's second book after writing "Julie & Julia". J&J was cute, fun, and light hearted. Cleaving is not. Now J&J was written back in 2005 so Cleaving takes place after that. In Cleaving, Julie wants to learn how to be a butcher. She becomes a butcher apprentice for six months. This book is also about her strange marriage and how she cheats on her husband for almost 2 years. So she cheats on him, becomes a butcher, tries to go back to him and ends up traveling alone for another six months.

The Butchery description of this book is DISGUSTING. I skipped over so much of it. I do not eat cows, pigs, or lambs so of course I am not reading that. I also do not want to read about someone cheating on their husband. The only part I liked of this book was reading about her travels. It made me want to go to Africa.

If you want to learn about butchery, I recommend this book. If you don't care to learn about chopping up animals, or reading about cheating on your husband, stay away. Overall, I do not recommend this book. Read J&J and see the movie instead.

Project

I have this little project I want to do. I want to get a chair and reupholster it. I know our place is super tiny but I need a little corner to myself. I want to get this chair and put it in the corner of our bedroom. I would have to get fabric & tools and do it. I found instructions online.I have to do some measuring & think about how to do it.

Anyone ever done this before???

It's Back: Dream Home

Wednesday

Last night, we got some shipments from CT. These were gifts that we could not carry back. It was like Christmas all over again. We got this awesome set of KitchenAid Stainless Steel pots & pans. We promptly threw out our nasty non-stick pans that were chipping. We got this supersoft blanket that I love(and promptly fell asleep at 9pm on the couch with it). Plus, Erik got his rollerblades(so he can rollerblade around with Evie like Cesar) and he got a new guitar!

I rented the movie Frost/Nixon which won some Oscars last year or the year before. I couldn't stay up! I will try again this weekend.

Tonight, I am going to a work dinner at the Fifth Floor. Everyone is saying how fancy & wonderful the food is. We'll see! I am already looking at the menu and thinking about having the heirloom tomato salad or crab cappuccino or the big eye tuna to start. Then, the black cod or the seared scallops for my meal. There are about 15 of us going to dinner to celebrate the launch of a new project. If you haven't yet, don't forget to sign up to win a free washer & dryer every day for 90 days at WhitenYourWhites.com!

If I hear...

If I hear the word 'Soy Joy' ONE MORE TIME, I'm going to lose it. The other agency in the building has Soy Joy bars as an account and they must say it like 1,000 times per day!!!!!!

Bachelor

Is anyone watching the Bachelor? I can't stand this show yet can't stop watching. I do NOT like this Bachelor. He is so dorky! I mean, they all are but he puts me over the top. Did he really CRY last night?

In other news, Biggest Loser is on tonight and I can't wait. Love that show. This group is seriously, the heaviest they've ever had. One guy was over 500lbs.

Last night I made turkey meatballs with whole wheat pasta. I've been thinking about trying one new recipe per month & posting it on here. We'll see. School is starting soon and I will be going crazy.

New Breakfast

This is my new breakfast that tastes so good & keeps me FULL until noon. Try it!

1 packet of oatmeal made with milk
1 scoop of almond butter
1 chopped banana

Mix together. Delish!!

Groceries!

I spend So much money on groceries and I cannot figure out how to get the bill down. I spend $60-$80 a week for MYSELF on groceries. Don't you think that is a little high? I don't eat a lot of frozen or processed food so I don't find a lot of coupons out there. The Safeway card saves me a lot but is there anything else I can do? Here is what I got for $80 today. Do you guys think that this is a lot of money for what I got or that I am spending a ton? Or do you think this is reasonable for what I got?

1 package of chicken breasts
2 packs of ground turkey
2 bags of lettuce(Buy one get one free!)
5 boxes of oatmeal (Buy 2, get 3 free - I saved $15!)
5 fresh pears
1 box of pasta
1 can of tomato sauce
1 bag of croutons
1 cucumber
1 container of little tomatos
1 half-gallon of milk
1 box of brown rice
2 bags of frozen veggies
1 frozen pizza
1 toothpaste
1 cleaning spray
1 bunch of bananas
1 can of black beans
1 jar of strawberry jam

Weekend

On Friday - I did exactly what I wanted to do which was eat pizza, drink wine, and watch a movie.

On Saturday - We did all of the laundry and cleaning. Erik did a lot of cooking. He made us breakfast, lunch, and himself dinner. WE had eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast. Then, we made veggie filled wontons! He had his in soup but I put mine over rice. SO good & easy to make.










Today we slept in late. I never sleep til 930! Even Evie slept in! Lazy Sunday - grocery shopping, made some phone calls to people back East, and did some research on a Tahoe house. We are looking to rent a house in Tahoe for a weekend in February!

Evie catching pasta

When Marla was here, she played catch the pasta with Evie.

New Rug

Last week, we got a new rug. It is perfect. The couch is brown with tan & blue pillows. The rug is blue with a tan and brown stripe. I kept saying that I think this just 'ties the whole room together' and lights up the room. Here it is!

Congratulations!!

I want to give a shout out to Sarah to say Congratulations on your engagement!!! Sarah & John are planning their wedding for later this year after he proposed last month!!

Julie & Julia Movie

I watched Julie & Julia and thought it was really cute. I actually liked the book better than the movie. It is usually the other way around for me. I love Meryl Streep though & she really made the movie. She did a great job as Julia Child. I don't think I realized that Julia Child was so funny! So, I recommend this movie!

FRIDAY

TGIF. The first week of 2010 is over! This week was busy at work, as usual. I also did not return to the gym until TODAY. Yes, I went today at lunch and now I am ready for a nap at 2pm. My legs are going to be aching but I had to go back. So, the worst is over.

Last night & this AM, Evie and walked thru Alamo Sq. There were a ton of trucks & trailers pulled up so I knew something was filming. Of course, I have to find out. I asked a Security guy last night & he said 'a movie'. This AM, i asked the park ranger and she said ' A movie for TV' and showed me the homes they were filming in. Then I asked another security guy & he said, its the TV show Trauma. Ugh. Just that show. I wanted some big movie blockbuster based on all of the trailers they had lining the park! Oh well.

I am so excited to go home today, walk Evie, eat pizza with some red wine and watch Julie & Julia! I read the book last year and want to see how the movie stacks up. As for the weekend, we are laying low & doing laundry and stuff. Erik is cooking some new recipe he found for wonton soup.

Have a good weekend!