Ohhhh, Nine, where have you gone?

{January:} We traveled to Disneyland for a little weekend getaway. We celebrated Brendan's 23rd birthday! We also put an offer on a townhouse; later we found out that was NOT the place for us to live. I started this crazy, little blog!

{February:}We continued to look for our first house...

{March:} We put an offer on a condo by the lake; we soon found out that there were pending lawsuits and big problems that would cost a lot of $$$! Needless to say we retracted our offer. At the end of the month we spent eight days in Cabo San Lucas; it was the perfect time to think about our next house decision...

{April:} We decided to move out of my parent's house and rent a townhouse. We were frustrated with our housing search and decided we would rent for the next year.

{May:} We finally felt settled in our townhouse, but the thought of buying a house still lingered in our minds.

{June:} We celebrated my 23rd birthday!

{July:} We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary in California. We enjoyed Newport Beach, LA, Disneyland and visited friends too!

{August:} Brendan went to California again to visit friends! We decided that it was a waste of money to rent for the next year and that we would be dumb to not take advantage of the $8000 first time home buyer incentive! We called up our real estate agent (Cousin Tami!) and we started looking again! We found our little abode shortly after looking and felt like we couldn't live without the house! We signed the paperwork and were able to close shortly after...

{September:} We closed on our first house, 30 days after we put our offer in! We felt so blessed to be buying our first home at the age of 23! We closed on the 11th and started renovations on the 12th and I went on a business trip to Las Vegas on the 14th!

{October:} Our lives revolved around the new house. At this point our neighborhood Home Depot employees knew us by name!

{November:} I decide to apply back to school. After receiving my acceptance letter, I decided that I would quit my job of 2.5 years and I would focus on my studies come January. We also bought a new car.

{December:} We celebrate our nephew's first birthday! We celebrate our first Christmas in our first home and continue to feel blessed with our house! December 31st will be my last day of work!

Overall, 2009 was another great year!

Here's to a great 2010 too!

Life realizations at Toys R Us

While leaving Toys R Us last night, with Talan's last Birthday gift in hand, Brendan and I had the following conversation:

Me: Wow, that store is so dirty and icky!

Bren: I know! A toy store should not be that dirty and messy!

Bren: Also, I remember the store being a lot bigger!

Me: I know! Oh, how I wish I was a kid again...

Bren: Me too!

Me: Maybe we should stick to Target.

Bren: Good idea!

This and that and a Little Turkey

Another busy weekend is in store for us! Tonight we will be busy installing crown molding in our kitchen, dining room and hallways. I also need to finish organizing my office and start wrapping presents. Tomorrow morning I have an appointment to get my hair foiled and cut before the holidays (I'm starting to look like I came from a trailer park). Then tomorrow evening we will be hosting a little shindig at our house! Then on Sunday Brendan, Bella and I are going to Seattle to finish up our Christmas shopping. I hope we get everything done!

P.S. I forgot to post this cute picture from Thanksgiving!

Spoiled Sweet

Since Brendan and I don't have our own kids to spoil, we've decided that we would spoil our nephew, Talan. Since the little monkey's birthday is December 22 and Christmas is just a few days later, we started stocking up early! I seriously can't stop myself from going into Nordstrom, Gymboree, Baby Gap, Pumpkin Patch and Janie & Jack! Those stores have a strong magnetic force that always seems to grab me! Our latest purchase is a darling pair of True Religion Jeans! They are so cute, I just couldn't resist! I also couldn't resist the mini Ed Hardy shirt and mini black converse shoes! Talan is going to be the stud of the neighborhood! :)

Dearest Visa Bank Card,

You have been dearly missed! I feel so bad that my irresponsible husband lost you and we had to cancel you! We went a full SEVEN days without the ability to swipe! Man oh man, our bank statement will probably be slimmed down from the usual five pages to three or four! I didn't realize how much I counted on you until you weren't there for me during my daily Starbucks run! I'm sorry that I cheated on you with real money, although, it really wasn't that great! I had to run to the bank every few days to grab my cash for life's necessities (target, coffee, lunch, etc).

Don't worry, this little mishap will not happen again (I threatened the husband)!

Sincerely,

Alison

Holy Moly, life has been busy! We have had one million things going on at once! We are still trying to finish up our remodel! Our goal is to be fully living in the house before school starts. Yes, school! I have officially quit my job and will be attending school full-time to finish up my bachelor's degree! I am so thankful for a supportive husband who is behind me with my goal to be a full-time student and part-time domestic goddess. His only request is that I attempt to cook dinner a few nights a week! :)

On the home front things are coming right along. Last week our new fridge was delivered, which now means we have all necessary appliances to cook a meal! We also had our new hot-water tank installed last week! Brendan also installed new shelving in my office. I've been organizing all of my craft supplies, holiday gift wrap and ribbon and just enjoying organizing another aspect of my life! :)

This week we are installing crown molding in our kitchen, hallways, dining room and possibly one of our home offices. I think this will pull everything together and won't require us to pull out the paint brushes to touch-up the horrible trim work that we did months ago! We also still need to decided on our kitchen shelving! We are having a very hard time determining the right storage solution for our bright Fiesta dinnerware!

Still no pictures...

Friday the 13th!

On the eve of Friday the 13th, one of my co-workers rang my extension, and this is how our conversation went:

CW: Alison! Tomorrow is Fridaaayyy the 13th!

Me: Yup, I know.

CW: Oh my gosh be careful tomorrow!

Me: OK, why are you telling me this.

CW: We all know you are the biggest klutz!

Me: What do you mean?

CW: Come on, you're always tripping on the carpet, up stairs, down the stairs and running into things.

Me: Oh yeah! Thank you for the warning!

It made me laugh that she thought of me when she realized it was going to be Friday the 13th!

Dearest house,

It's been officially two months since we adopted you! Everyone said that our lives wouldn't be the same after you became ours; and everyone was right! We can't walk in a room without planning out our next project. If it's not paint, then it's curtains, or molding or fixtures. The list could go on and on. With all of our great projects you are looking better and better and before you know it we will be introducing you to our family and friends. Hopefully we will be all moved in with a working shower and refrigerator by month three.

Sincerely,

Your loving owners

{From a house to a home}

Well after another busy weekend of home improvement projects, I still don't have pictures! Lame, I know! I definitely need to get a new camera battery or a new camera all together! I am hoping to borrow my mom's camera this weekend to take some shots!

It's so exciting that house is turning into a home! I've noticed that the small details make a huge difference! I have all kinds of crazy ideas in my head; some ideas we have used and some are still lingering. For example, I convinced Brendan to take the door off the entry way closet! He was a little confused, but after I described my brilliant 'mud room' idea, I had him on my side! So we no longer have a door on our closet! I love how it turned out. We patched the holes from the door hinges, added a few coats of glossy paint and viola, a cute little mud room!

I also have convinced Brendan of the idea to paint chalk board paint on the pantry door. I told him that we need something extra in there. He agreed! We haven't purchased the paint or figured out how to paint a straight rectangle, but we're getting there! I am hoping to tackle this project soon!

That's all for now!

It's almost Friday!

I am so thankful that it's almost Friday! This week has been a rough one! I am looking forward to finally starting to move into our new home this weekend! We are down to only a few more projects that need to be completed:

-New hot water tank

-New shower surround

-Installation of interior doors

-New fridge

-Installation of kitchen shelving (see below!)

-Touch-up paint work (OMG blue tape doesn't work!)

Photo from PotteryBarn.

I will hopefully have pictures to post by Monday! :)

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.

Live the life you have imagined.

-Henry David Thoreau

*After having a horrible Monday, I thought I would start Tuesday off with one of my favorite quotes!

My life is complete.

Here is a small excerpt from one of our recent conversations:

Me: My life is complete now that I have a back-up camera in the car.

Hubby: You are too funny!

Me: You think I'm joking, but I'm not!

Hubby: Ok, hun.

Me: Hey, they should think about putting a camera on the front bumper too. Then I don't have to worry about hitting things in the front or the back.

Hubby: I think they call that camera, eyes!

Me: Oh, ok. I guess you're right.

Blah, Blah, Blog...

Well it has been awhile since I've posted last. (Please excuse me while I dust the cobwebs from my keyboard). OK, I'm ready to roll. It's been busy again at the Gilroy Casa! Unfortunately, we still aren't totally moved in! We still need to finish installing our range & hood. We also need to put a shower in and a hot water tank in!!! Seriously if it's not one thing it's another!

There are also other big changes that are in the works and taking too much time and causing lots of stressful moments for me! (I'm horrible at stress management...just ask the hubby or my mom! :) I will post details as soon as everything is finalized!

We had a fabulous Halloween Hangin with my sis/B-I-L/Baby Talan! We got take-out and purchased a scary movie while tending to the door when little goblins rang for candy!

Also, I can't wait to go shopping after Thanksgiving! It's all I've been thinking about since we rolled over to November!

The cutest little spider!

Falling in Love with Fall

Talan's first visit to the pumpkin patch!

We're getting closer!

Well another weekend has come and gone, at the Gilroy homestead! On Saturday we finished painting the door molding, installed the washer & dryer, touched up the kitchen cabinet doors, installed the new kitchen cabinet hardware and prepped for the living room flooring to be installed on Sunday! We also picked up new window treatments for the master bedroom, guest bedroom and office! Brendan was also thrilled to purchase the TV wall-mount for the living room; he seriously looked like a child on Christmas morning!

On Sunday my lovely dad and brother-in-law helped install our new living room floor while my mom, sister, Talan and I went shopping and to the pumpkin patch! I think it was a great day, I got to shop, spend time with family and I got new living room flooring! :) Anyways, the boys did a fabulous job installing the floor, I really couldn't be any happier! It looks wonderful-just how we envisioned it!

Before:

After:

You probably have this job for a reason...

I just received a very odd phone call:

Me: Hello

Michelle: Is this Alison?

Me: Yes...

Michelle: I'm calling regarding your final move out payment.

Me: Oh great, we've been waiting for our last statement.

Michelle: About that, can you please pay us for that?

Me: I would have to receive the bill to write you a check...

Michelle: Well it looks like we mailed it on the 14th.

Me: Well today is the 16th so it might be in my mailbox today.

Michelle: Please pay that as soon as possible.

Me: Will do as soon as I get the bill... Thanks bye!!!

Michelle: Thank you!


Hello! How could I pay a bill that I haven't even received?!? Duh!

Carpet, paint and molding, oh my!

Well another weekend has come and gone at the Glamorous Gilroy household! We had a very productive and fun weekend completing projects! The bedroom carpet was installed on Friday and then yesterday my brother in law installed the molding! It looks so amazing that I can actually picture living there (it was a little scary for the last month)!

We finally covered the yellow kitchen walls with glossy mocha paint and painted our kitchen cupboards white! Oh my gosh we will no longer have to deal with a sea of 90's oak cabinets! The transformation is amazing, not perfect but 2000% better! On Saturday we ventured to Ikea...to buy new kitchen handles and knobs! They had just what we were looking for, oil rubbed bronze hardware and it was CHEAP! We also found a cute system for holding utensils in little flower-pot looking bins to hang under the kitchen shelving! We purchased all of these fun items for under $75!

The fireplace is finally completed! After scraping UGLY brown tiles off the bench of the fireplace, spray painting the cover black and painting the brick white, the project is DONE!

Hopefully I will post pictures soon! :)

Home Ownership: The Un-Glamorous Edition

*Carpet ended up costing us double the price that we planned on.

*We forgot about needing to Killz the floor until 9:00 pm last night (carpet is going in today, so we had to run to Home Depot late last night!)

*Molding was delivered unpainted...which means MORE painting!

*Painting the kitchen cabinets has been a mess!

*We need a new hot water tank!

*The old dishwasher was hardwired in, which means we need the electrician to come out again to put a plug in!

*We are terrible paint trimmers...there are several spots that need to be touched up!

We still love our home even though she's being a pest! :)

{Love}

Today while grabbing a salad from my local Subway, I had a very interesting conversation with my salad maker...

Him: Someone must love you.

Me: Ummmm..... (I'm thinking he's talking about the new bin of tomatoes he just pulled out).

Him: That's a big wedding ring on your finger.

Me: Haha, this old thing.

I thought this was really weird! I've never had a man comment on my ring before!

We're no longer renters!

Last night we moved our remaining belongings out of our apartment! Brendan made a comment of saying, "wow, we will never be renters again!" This is so exciting!

Tonight we will direct our attention to our house baby. (We decided the house is like our baby since it takes so much attention, oh ya and we love it!)

These are the tasks we still need to complete:
*Paint door and window trim w/ glossy white paint.
*Install new doorknobs on all interior and exterior doors.
*Install new lighting.
*Re-install kitchen cabinets.
*Paint kitchen cabinets w/ glossy white paint.
*Purchase & install kitchen/bath flooring.
*Purchase & install bedroom carpet.
*Install hardwood floors in main living area.
*Create custom shelving in kitchen to hold Fiesta Ware (I'm so excited about this!)
*Finish little 'mud room'.
*Install new shower surround.
*Buy & install new bathroom vanity.
*Weed the yard!

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure several other tasks will be added to this list!

Image found here

This is the type of shelving we're going to install above our kitchen sink! I'm so excited!

Un-Glamorous Gilroy Happenings

We're going crazy over here! I think the blog should temporarily be re-named the 'Un-Glamorous Gilroy Happenings'! Oh my goodness! We've been working hard to move everything from our apartment into either our new garage or my parent's house or my in law's house in the rain! Our apartment has two flights of stairs, which makes for very sore legs! So tonight I have to rush to the apartment after work to pack up the rest of our 'stuff', I will then clean the entire place and hand over keys. Oh and how could I have forgotten, I also have to write a ridiculously large check to break our lease! Ahh...I'm seeing the money go down the toilet as I type!

Also, on top of moving, rain and sore legs, there is always something new happening with the new house! Last night we realized we have two leaky windows in our house. We also found out that we have to replace the bathroom vanity because at one point there was a leak that caused the bottom of the vanity to rot. Hmm...I guess we'll be heading to Home Depot again!

Hopefully my next post is more positive! :)

Where do I start?!

-We closed on our house on 09/11/09.

-We started ripping everything out of the house on 09/12/09.

-We are updating almost everything about the interior of the house.

So far we have:

-Removed all of the flooring in the house.
-Painted every single wall in the house.
-Painted all of the doors white.
-Ripped out a half wall in the living room.
-Tore down faux wood finish on the ceiling beam in the living room.
-Fixed multiple dry wall cracks.
-Removed wall texture from a large living room wall.
-Hung new dry wall in the shower.
-Removed all kitchen cupboards.
-Bought all new appliances.
-Created a small 'mud room' out of a closet.
-Been to Home Depot every day since we became homeowners.
-Filled 25 black garbage bags with yard debris.
-Tore down all of the bamboo from the front yard.

Now for the nasty before pictures!

(This is NOT our stuff!)

*I will post 'after' pictures once we are actually done and living in the house.

**We still haven't completely moved out of our townhouse.

***We are living at my parent's house again! :)

****Our belongings are currently in the garage at our new house, at my parent's house, at my in law's house and still at the apartment!

Tuesday-4pm

Tuesday at 3:00pm the escrow company called to see if we could be at their office by four! Wow, thanks for the notice! Anyways, we are so excited that we've made it this far, that we both figure out how to leave work early and make it to the escrow company by four. Well our excitement slowly faded as we waited and waited in the lobby. When we finally met with the escrow manager, our visions of a HGTV style closing, vanished from our minds. This lady was awful! She was rude, and didn't feel the need to explain any of the documents to us. She then asked us for our down payment, and said she didn't show a deposit of $5,000 that we had given as earnest money! I was really upset because the money had already cleared our bank, and she was saying that there was no record of it. Well, one quick phone call later, that was all straightened out, but she never apologized for assuming that we were lying about the money. She also said that it might not be possible to receive possession of the keys until the following week! I was really upset because I was leaving on a business trip to Las Vegas, the day we would be receiving the keys! Anyways, one hour later we were on our way out of there, annoyed with our experience, but eager to get our keys... I frantically called our real estate agent, Tami, and she helped calm Brendan and I down. She was also annoyed that we had a bad experience with the closing company. Oh well, everything worked out, and now we're on our way to becoming home owners!

Kitchen Inspiration!

I love everything about this kitchen!

Found here!

New House!

If everything continues to move along as planned, we will be homeowners next week! We are so excited for this new adventure! We've already picked out paint colors, new flooring, new appliances, outdoor furniture, new counter tops, etc! The only thing we're not looking forward to is packing up and moving again! Since we've been married we've lived in six different places! Yikes! I definitely hate packing, moving, unpacking, etc! Oh well, this time we will be staying put for a few years!

(Picture taken from online listing.)

* We're going to remove the bamboo from the front yard to open up the space. There is a lot of potential with landscaping since it's a corner lot on almost 1/4 of an acre!

Did you just put lip gloss on?

On our way to the grocery store earlier this week, hubby and I had the following conversation.

First: My phone rings and I turn down the radio volume to answer the call. This conversation happened after I hung up the phone and hubby went to turn up the volume.

Hubby: Did you just put lip gloss on?

Me: No, why are you asking?

Hubby: There is something slimy on the volume knob.

Me: That's odd.

Hubby: Did you have a booger on your finger?

Me: No, gross!

Hubby: Haha!

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!

Enjoy your special day!

Love notes!

I saw this quiz today and thought it would be fun to do! Enjoy!

♥ What are your middle names? James & Marie

♥ How long have you been together? Eight years; we dated for five years and have been married for three years.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? Ten years! We've known each other since kindergarten!

♥ Who asked whom out? Brendan did!

♥ How old are each of you? 23

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most? Mine (we can't resist the baby!)

♥ Do you have any children together? Nope!

♥ What about pets? Bella Jayne!

♥ Did you go to the same school? Yes, kindergarten through high school!

♥ Who is the smartest? Book smarts = me; common sense = Brendan

♥ Who is more sensitive? Definitely me!

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Mexican food!

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Hmm... Maui or Cabo or New York.

♥ Who has the craziest exes? Neither.

♥ Who has the worst temper? Haha depends, we're both pretty stubborn!

♥ Who does the cooking? Brendan does all of the cooking! He even makes my lunch every morning before he leaves for work!

♥ Who is more social? Brendan! I'm known for not answering the phone, cancelling on people, etc! Brendan loves going out and meeting people! He always makes friends wherever we go!

♥ Who is the neat-freak? We are both neat-freaks! Although, I was diagnosed with OCD as a child!

♥ Who is more stubborn? Hmm... we are both pretty stubborn!

♥ Who hogs the bed? Me! I like to sleep at an angle!

♥ Who wakes up earlier? Brendan gets up at 4:45 and I get up at 6:00.

♥ Where was your first date? We went to a movie! We were only 15 at the time, so our parents had to drive us!

♥ Who has the bigger family? We both have small families.

♥ Do you get flowers often? Yes, Brendan is great about bringing flowers home for no reason! He also has been known to send flowers to my work when I'm having a bad day!

♥ How do you spend the holidays? Sometimes we travel and sometimes we stay home and visit both sides.

♥ Who is more jealous? Neither.

♥ How long did it take to get serious? Shortly after we started dating! Very crazy considering we were in high school!

♥ Who eats more? Brendan, but I have a very manly appetite too!

♥ Who does/did the laundry? Me!

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Brendan.

♥ Who drives when you are together? Brendan always drives because he thinks I'm a scary driver!

This evening before heading to the grocery store with my mom, the following conversation took place:

Mom: We're headed to the grocery store, do you need anything?

Dad: Well if you're going to the kind of store that has paper towels, we need them.

Me: Mom, what kind of grocery stores don't carry paper towels?

Mom: I just ignore him sometimes!

Haha! I guess that's what you learn to do after being married 30+ years!

Dear my lovely husband,

Please bring home these gorgeous Kate Spade pumps from California.

You've caused me much grief by leaving me at home while you're enjoying the California sunshine! I think I've truly earned these shoes!

Please do the right thing and stow these beauties in your carry-on bag!

With love,

Your darling wife

Hubby and I...

Hubby is leaving for California this afternoon.

I am working all afternoon.

Hubby is going to be in California until Sunday.

I will be sleepless in Seattle until Sunday.

Hubby is going to San Diego to walk the board walk.

I'm going to the gym to run the treadmill.

He is excited.

I am not.

***Don't feel too bad for me because I'm going to Las Vegas in a couple of weeks!

Where oh where does the time go?

We've been:

-Working long days (10-14 hours)

-Waiting to close on a house (cross your fingers)

-Visiting my Grandma (she's recovering from surgery)

-Camping

-Boating

-Shopping (haha when do we not?!)

-Dreaming of our future home improvement projects!

-Enjoying the sunshine

-Wishing to see our nephew more (that's a hint Shawna!)

Until next time I'll leave you with a picture of our doghter, Bella!

Follow these easy steps to make a bad day at work a good day at work:

1. Ask co-workers if they want popsicles.
2.Convince a co-worker to go pick up popsicles.
3. Make sure you try one of each flavor! (There may or may not have been three flavors!)

Record breaking temps!

*I like how the prediction for yesterday's weather was 98 degrees, but at our house it was probably 107 degrees at the hottest point during the day!

Are skirts now for males and females?

This morning I decided to wear a white linen skirt to work. Shortly after arriving at work one of my male co-workers came in wearing shorts. I said, "wow, you're wearing shorts today" and he replied with,"Yup. Wow, you're wearing a skirt today. I was also thinking about wearing a skirt today". Hmm...the scary thing is that he was dead serious when he said he was thinking about wearing a skirt! Yikes this place gets crazier by the day!!

Global Climate Change?!?

Seattle Weather Forecast from accuweather.com:

Tuesday, Jul 28
High: 96 °F RealFeel®: 98 °F

Wednesday, Jul 29
High: 99 °F RealFeel®: 100 °F

Crazy!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

With our Seattle heat wave scheduled to commence tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to post our Cabo pictures (from April!!). While in Cabo we enjoyed a blissful ocean view, 90 degree temperatures and many margaritas! We're already planning our return, but hope next time there isn't a Flu outbreak while we're there!

The Fourth of July 2009!

Well we're back to the daily grind and have many memories to share! This trip was definitely an interesting one!

Here is a recap of our trip:

Thursday: We arrived at the Long Beach Airport at 9:30. We found our limo driver and hopped in the car. He asks as how to get to where we're going. The hubby and I instantly look at each other with puzzled expressions. Hubby replies by telling him we're from out of state and when he booked the limo, the receptionist said she would give the driver directions. Well, the driver had no idea where we were headed, but he proceeded towards the freeway anyway. 1.5 hours later we're in the middle of a nowhere. The limo driver continually made references to God and how you don't need to go to the doctor because God will let you know if you're supposed to be alive or dead... Well needless to say, we were freaked out! Our cell phones were dying, we were in the middle of nowhere, we couldn't find the auction where we were picking up 'our' ride and were scared to death! We ended up having the driver take us to our hotel in Newport Beach. We arrived at our hotel with sour moods and empty pockets! The entire ride cost $260! So we checked into our hotel and dreamt up plans for retrieving 'our' car!

Friday: We woke up bright and early with smiles on our faces (we were smiling because we weren't dead in the middle of nowhere)! We decided that we would take the hotel shuttle to the John Wayne Airport and we would rent a car to get to Fontana, CA to pick up the company car! I ended up having to rent the car because, AVIS requires drivers who are under 25 to pay with a credit card. Well, hubby left his credit card at home because "we don't use credit cards". So I happily drove 85 miles per hour down four different highways to Fontana. We found the Escalade and proceeded back to Newport. We parked the rental car at our hotel and drove to the nearest In-N-Out burger for a little snack! We then ventured towards Beverly Hills and West Hollywood for some afternoon shopping! Once the sun started to set we headed back to Newport Beach for a fabulous Mexican dinner on the beach. We topped off the night with shopping and PinkBerry at Fashion Island!

Saturday: We woke up early to return the rental car. We then checked out of our hotel and did some early morning shopping at South Coast Plaza. After a few purchases we hopped back in the car and headed to our friend's house in Murrieta. Along the way we saw a huge Pottery Barn Outlet store! We stopped at the outlet mall and left with a few treasures! I also left wondering why WA doesn't have cool outlets like Cali! The temperature was nice and hot! 104 degrees! Once we got to our destination, we decided on Mexican for lunch! We enjoyed spending time with our friends and relaxed by the pool for the afternoon.

Sunday: We woke up early and headed to the airport. While sitting on the plane, there was an announcement that the flight was delayed. Ugh we were definitely annoyed! So we sat for another 30 minutes until there was another announcement; one of the flight attendants on the flight down became injured from intense turbulence and would not be able to work the flight back to Seattle. So they had to call a replacement and it could take three to four hours! We decided to get off the plane and see if we could fly out Monday morning instead. The ticketing counter was very helpful; they booked us on the 6:55 flight on Monday morning! Hooray! But now what? Hmm... well we went and rented a car and were on our way...but to where! Well we brainstormed at a nearby Starbucks and quickly decided to spend the day at Disneyland! Hubby booked a hotel room via his IPhone while I cruised down the freeway! We checked into our hotel and quickly walked over to Disneyland! We spent seven straight hours enjoying the happiest place on earth!

Monday: We woke up at 4:00 am to catch our early flight back to reality!

The End!

Food Frenzy!

Before we leave for vacation Brendan and I always make our lists of places we want to see while we're gone. This time we came up with a lot of food places! haha! We instantly thought hmm... should we bring our running shoes to burn off all the calories?! We definitely decided to leave our Nike's in the closet, after all it is a vacation!

Here is our food list:

-In-N-Out Burger

-Sonic Burger

-Sprinkles Cupcakes

-Pinkberry

I must stop typing...my mouth has definitely started watering!

Three years already?!?

Oh my goodness it's been a crazy week! Yesterday we celebrated three years of marital bliss by eating take-out and packing for our little getaway! Haha how's that for romantic?!

Tonight our flight to Long Beach leaves at 6:55. We will arrive in Cali at 9:30. We will then take a towne car to pick up a company car that my husband purchased for their dealership. We will then drive to our hotel in Newport Beach. I'm hoping to be tucked into bed by midnight! It's definitely going to be a long day! Oh well, it's totally worth the drive to the middle of nowhere to pick up 'our' escalade, because we all know how dorky tourists look driving the token Impala rental cars around town!

For the rest of the weekend we're planning on shopping, laying on the beach and dining out! It should be a very enjoyable weekend!

On Tuesday we're going to preview the goodies that will be on sale at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! I am so excited!

I love her bangs! I'm wondering if I should bring this picture to my hairstylist on Thursday?!

Dear Alaska Airlines,

I'm very disappointed that you decided to start charging for checked luggage on July 7th 2009. We will be flying with you on July 9th 2009. This means we will have to stuff our clothes into our carry on bags because we refuse to pay $15 per checked bag for a four day trip.

I'm just appalled that you decided to turn your back on me after all the great times we've had together...New York, Cabo, California, Florida, etc.

Anyways if you would like to make it up to me, you can give me thousands of airline miles and then I will continue to travel with you!

Until next time,

Loyal Customer

07-08-09

On 07-08-09 the hubby and I will celebrate three years of marital bliss! I think we need to find a special way to celebrate on a special kind of date!

One Kings Lane

Thanks to gracious invite from Blue Eyed Bride, I can now enjoy shopping at One Kings Lane! One Kings Lane is a fabulous website offering amazing discounts on top home decor brands! Please let me know if anyone would like to be invited!

Random Thoughts & Happenings...

*My creative side hates being trapped in from 7:30-4:00 Monday-Friday!

*My husband works more than anyone I know; and he enjoys being there!

*I'm dying to help my mom re-decorate her house.

*We're settling well at our new abode.

*We've been discussing the purchase of a vacation condo.

*We might go to Los Angeles for our anniversary.

*We've almost been married THREE years!

*Our little doghter-Bella has turned anorexic because she misses her Grandma!

*I'm so happy tomorrow is Friday!

Birthday Happenings!

(Zebra shower Curtain for guest bathroom)

+

(Le Creuset tea infuser)

+

(New Tiffany's necklace)

+

(My very own mixer)

+

(Pier 1 gift card for new bedroom curtains)

+

(New book)

+

Camera



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Amazing Birthday!

Watch out Talan, I wouldn't be surprised if Ralph Lauren knocked on your nursery door and wanted you to do some modeling!

Picture taken from here!

Busy Bee Weekend:

Friday:
*Unpack boxes full of china hutch contents.
*Go through 'stuff' for tomorrow's garage sale.
*Price items for garage sale.

Saturday:
*Take stuff to sister's garage sale; enjoy time with mom, sister, BIL and nephew.
*Hubby works 7-4.
*Move bedroom set from the parental's house.
*Attempt to move shoes, clothes and purses...this will take a looong time!
*Have early Birthday dinner with the in-laws.

Sunday:
*Organize master bedroom.
*Drop off duvet and down comforter at the dry cleaner.
*Shop for a zebra picture for the den.
*Early Birthday dinner with my family.
*Grocery shop/Costco run (we have no food!).

Monday:
*My Birthday! (try to work a half day, depends on how much I get done today).
*Manicure & Pedicure (Pure Bliss!)!
*Dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurant in Kirkland!
*Surprise luxury car for the night from the hubby's work!
*Hopefully more Birthday surprises from the hubby!
*Renew driver's license!

Can I see your ID?

One week from my 23rd birthday, I was carded for buying a R-Rated movie (I didn't realize we were buying a movie, but the hubster pulled a fast one on me). Anyways, after the clerk checked my ID, he was completely shocked that I was almost 23! HAHA I guess this is a compliment? Hopefully when I'm 40 I'll look 25 (ha one can dream)!!

We're Outta Here!

We're moving this weekend and are happy the sun will be out!

I'll be back with pictures as soon as the internet is hooked up!

Ta-Ta for now!

Stay Classy Seattle...

Here's an example of why I go running out my office door at 4:00 pm on the DOT:

***Conversation with young, female co-worker (WT = White Trash):

Me: Who is getting married? (I saw wedding written on her calendar).

WT: Umm I don't know them but this guy I know, knows them and I'm going with him to the wedding.

Me: Hmm...interesting.

WT: I got a new dress to wear!

Me: Really, what does it look like (I'm picturing a Kmart special)?

WT: OMG it's really cute, it's black and pink and I'm going to get pink patent leather pumps, and paint my finger nails black with pink tips!

Me: Wow! Do you think that's appropriate?

WT: Yes, it will be so cute.

Me: OK.

I must add this beauty to my Birthday list!

Found at this lovely store...

Kate Plus Eight?

I'll be the first to admit, that I love watching John and Kate Plus Eight! So it comes as no surprise that I'm very curious if John has been cheating on Kate! Kate can be pushy and controlling, but she has EIGHT kids! If she wasn't that way, their lives would be hectic, crazy and out of control! I'm really curious to see if the show will go on!

**Original story found here

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Mom! You're the most amazing mom ever! I would never ask for anyone else to be my mom! You're the most caring, compassionate and selfless person that I've ever known! I hope you enjoyed your day!

S.A.H.W.

Am I the only one that dreams about being a stay at home wife? Seriously I'm always trying to come up with a way NOT to work...too bad the hubby doesn't agree with my plans! Maybe we'll win the lottery...

March for Babies 2009!

On Sunday morning I awoke at the crack of dawn (6:15) to participate in the 2009 March of Dimes! This event was so special to our family this year, since our darling nephew-Talan was born 10 weeks prematurely, and had to spend several long weeks in the NICU. My sister and her husband are very blessed to have so many caring and thoughtful friends. Several friends walked with us on Sunday to support 'Team Talan'. It was amazing to see that 'Team Talan' raised over $2,000!! Overall, it was a very good day; the weather was on our side, and the 3.5 mile walk was just what I needed after all those calorie filled Margaritas that I enjoyed in Mexico!

Me, Shawna, Talan, Mom!

The team of walkers!

Me, Shawna and Talan!