Time flies when you are having fun!!

6 years ago today I closed escrow on my first piece of real estate and was handed the keys to my very own front door!!  It seems just like yesterday that my Mom, Dad and good friends Danny (the best realtor) & Allison Lloyd met at 47_______Lane to view what has become my home and enjoy a nice evening out talking about all the possibilities and strategies that were needed to secure the condo over dinner.

So today, as I reflect on the last 6 years of home ownership and all of the trials and tribulations of life that I have encountered and trudged through, not to mention all of the blood, sweat and tears (most of the blood and sweat was from good old DAD and the tears were all mine) that were put into making my first home perfect, I know I would of never been able to do it without my parents love and support!  Words cannot express how thankful I am to have such a nice place to live and to call my very own! 

Now it only seems fitting to celebrate this anniversary with some kind of home improvement project.  As I mentioned a few days ago that I am on vacation this week and I have put this time away from work to good use on the house.  Yesterday, I spent the afternoon caulking crown moulding, painting crown moulding and moving all of my bedroom furniture back to its correct location!  Today the laundry room received a makeover of paint on the storage cabinet, crown moulding and ceiling.  Tomorrow more touch up painting is to be expected, now which walls will get it will be a surprise to everyone including myself!  I really do not have a plan for tomorrow, so I am going to see where my mind takes me and I will go from there!!!  Pictures will be posted soon!! 

Shooby Dooby Down to Ruby's!

Surf City Here We Come!!!

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get to babysit my two favorite kiddo's Cole and Mari while their parents were off doing something (I actually have no idea what they were doing) and Grammy & Grampy were out taking my brother and sister in law out to dinner (I have no idea why they were going out to dinner, I guess I should start paying attention, either that or they are slowly weeding me out and all I care about is my Cole and Mari time). Anyway, I loaded the kiddo's and the required gear to take them out into the car and head down to downtown Huntington Beach, the weather was perfect and so were the kids (Auntie Erin runs a tight ship!)!!! We parked the car and headed out for our evening adventure of surfer watching,

dinner eating at Ruby's,

ice cream dropping eating at Coldstones, I am so bummed I did not get a picture of the dropped ice cream, I was doing damage control at that point and with a guy staring at me with the look on his face that said, "come on lady your kid just dropped her ice cream, why were you not paying attention?", trying to avoid my ice cream being dropped on the ground getting a glass of water and paying all at the same time, I just could not be Super Aunt and get all the necessary documentation of the incident! But I do have this....

and this after the sugar has hit the bloodstream....

Here are some additional pictures of the kiddo's, they were so much fun to hangout with and I hope that their parents and Grammy and Grampy are busy more often so we can have outings like this!!

    

Can it get any better than this?

Hooray it is FRIDAY!!

Tonight at 8:00pm sharp my vacation started, I do not have to be back to work until July 6th!!Yay, for me!! It should actually be called a staycation or homecation because I am not going anywhere, but instead staying home with the furball and tackling the remaining home improvement projects that I have yet to complete!  So, the plan is to finish caulking all of the crown moulding, painting baseboard, patching holes, touching up paint on the walls (thank you Gracie), cleaning out closets, moving my bed back to the correct location, selling things on craigslist and most importantly spending some good quality time at the beach (pool is still closed)! 

Tonight, I kicked off the weekend with a trip to the movies with a friend to see Toy Story 3, tomorrow I will spend the afternoon and evening with my two favorite kiddo's Cole and Mari and Sunday is looking like it is going to be a lazy day!  I will keep you posted with pictures and updates of all my activities!  Hope I have as much fun as these guys did in their final adventure!!

A dog, her ball and a couch!

Does anyone know what a dog, a tennis ball, a couch and a swiffer have in common?  Anyone? 

Well if you have a dog he or she most likely has a tennis ball.  If you have a residence of any sort you most likely have a couch and if you have a dog who loves her tennis ball so so so much that when it gets stuck under the couch you will most likely need your trusty swiffer to get the ball out.  So there you have it my friend, the reason why a dog, tennis ball, couch and swiffer have something in common!  On a side note, my swiffer is put to good use every night at least three times a night.  Now, you are thinking really only three times a night not four or five or six?  Nope, usually after the third time of fishing the ball out from under the couch it goes here....

Yep, that's right in the fruit basket, who knew that so many items around your house can be used for so many different things??  I just hope the folks who engineered the swiffer do not steal my idea and try to market it as a tennis ball fisher outer!!!  So moral of this story be sure to take a ridiculous tennis ball with you when purchasing a couch in order to make sure that it will never get stuck under the couch or be sure to purchase a swiffer on your way home from purchasing the couch that the ball can get stuck under because you are going to need it!

Dude!

My Dad is the BEST!!!

Happy Father's Day!

A Splashing Good Time!

This weekend the weather was perfect in Huntington Beach!! On Saturday, Gracie and I spent the morning at Dog Beach chasing tennis balls and furry friends! And on Sunday Gracie spent the afternoon practicing her jumping and swimming skills at my parents house!

Do you think she has got the skills to become the newest member of SoCal Dock Dogs?

Gracie trying to get the water out of her ears!

Go Take a Walk!

The last couple months have been crazy busy at work!  Between budget cuts, a coworkers maternity leave and the joys of figuring out all the details of her job, summer programs starting, planning for fall programs, aquiring a new class registration system, dealing with an extremly poorly designed class registration system that says critical error every 5 seconds, a gazillion facitlity rental phone calls, endless emails from contract instructors, etc., I feel abosolutly cooked by the end of the day.  So in my attempt to relieve some stress, get away from my desk, make the most out of my dinner hour (I work 12pm-9pm) and do something good for my health I grab the workout clothes and tennis shoes and go here....

This is the RSM Lake and it is the best place to get out, go for a walk, clear your head, blow off some steam and enjoy the warm weather.  One lap around the lake is a mile, so I usually go around three times and then head back to work.  Here are a few more views of the lake that I get to enjoy everyday!!

                                    

                                     

Thirsty?

Is it a bad thing to be wishing I was enjoying a cocktail while I am supposed to be working?  Or, is it even worse to be blogging about it while at work?

The Verdict is in!!!

After a weekend of pondering I have come to the conclusion that the Dentist (sorry Kerry Shimizu) was the least favorite of the two appointments I had last week (scroll down and you will see what I am talking about!).  Now, I know all you ladies out there are wondering how I came to that conclusion because we all know the dreaded time of year every year when we have to jump on the scale and then we are so so so fortunate that we get to bare all to the wonderful girly doctor.  So I will explain how each visit went!

Dentist:

• X-Rays
• Plaque removal by the wonderfully sharp tool that they use.
• Dental Hygienist that does not read your chart that says to apply numbing gel and when you realize that she forgot, she has already started torturing you.
• Exposed root that gel forgetting dental hygienist hits with that wonderfully sharp tool.
• Plaque removal complete.
• Polishing begins (feels/sounds like nails on a chalkboard).
• Polishing with bubble gum flavor toothpaste (really bubble gum flavor, come on people we are ADULTS, bring back the mint flavor).
• Dentist examines teeth.
• Dentist tells you that your gums are receding (really? I had no idea when she hit the root! Come on now!)
• Dentist applies some bark tasting fluoride protector gel to exposed roots (all numbing medication has now worn off, ouch!)
• On the way out the receptionist asks if I want to make my next appointment (do I look like I have lost my mind? It is going to take me 6 months to get the courage to pick up the phone and call you to make my next appointment.).

Girly Doctor:

• Show up at 8:10am for 8:20am appointment and check in.
• Sit for 10mins and the receptionist kindly tells me my appointment had been cancelled back in April.
• Hmmm? I think for a minute before I respond.
• I respond "well that is not what they told me when I called on Wednesday to confirm my appointment!"
• Receptionist kindly tells me "well it was cancelled". Hmmm? Me: "WHAT THE HECK"
• I was then given the option to come back at noon! Yay, I get to come here twice in 1 day.
• Come back at noon!
• Doctor is in a huge hurry, some darn pregnant lady was trying to give birth during my appointment and the hospital needed her to go and deliver that darn baby. Me: "She can wait!"
• Doctor was in and out in 10mins!
• And the reason why this appointment won, was all because of that darn lady who was trying to give birth during my appointment and made it so I did not have to get on the scale until after the Doctor was done, therefore she could not lecture me for eating all of those darn ice cream sandwiches from Trader Joe's!  Oh and there where no sharp objects that were attacking me during the visit.
• Yay, to Dr. Sansone!  Who would of thought the Gynecologist would beat out the Dentist?!

The sharp tools, lack of numbing gel, bubble gum flavor toothpaste and bark flavored fluoride clearly was worse than a mysteriously cancelled appointment and a 1 minute pap smear! 

But the best part of the day was I got to spend it with my Mom!! After all of the girly doctor mishaps, we went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and then went and had a pedicure!

Don't they look so pretty?!!!

Fingers Crossed!

Lately I have noticed on other blogs that I follow that on Wednesday's they refer to Wednesday as "Wordless Wednesday" and just post a picture of whatever is going on in their life that day.  Well, I am going to call today "Will I Have a Job Wednesday?".  Tonight, I believe that the Rancho Santa Margarita City Council is scheduled to adopt the 2010-11 budget and with that it is believed that one city employee will be let go. A few weeks ago I knew that my job was on the line when the City Council voted to reduce the number of special events that the city hosts annually and I also knew the dollar amount that needed to be cut from our department and that was the same amount that I am paid.  But as the budget cut meetings went on it appeared that I was safe from elimination, but still have not received that 100% you are safe this year confirmation that I need.  So, today I am hoping for the best and bracing for the worst! Keep your fingers crossed that I will still have a job after tonight!! 

Oh Monday, how I do not like you!

After a really nice weekend that darn Monday rolled around and it was back to work AGAIN!  So, the only thing worse than it being Monday and having to go back to work was when I realized that I have to go to the Dentist and the Girly Doctor this week. I know, you are thinking "who in their right mind schedules those two appointments in one week?' I know!! I am still thinking the same thing!!  And here is the topper to the whole thing, I have to be in the dentist chair at 7:00am, who in their right mind schedules a DENTIST appointment at 7:00am?  All I have to say is I am CRAZY, thank goodness the Girly Doctor is not until 10:00am on Friday!!! 

I wish I liked going to these appointments, but I swear the last 3 or 4 dental visits I have left in tears, not because of cavities (only had one), not because I do not floss (Last year's resolution and I know I should) but the good ole dentist gets on my case for grinding my teeth, he blames it on me not having a boyfriend, now where in all of the dental books will anyone find a direct correlation between being single and grinding my teeth, I think he has been talking to my Mom way too much (the whole family is concerned about the lack of boyfriend in my life), I blame him for the teeth grinding, had I not been playing on his soccer team I would of never taken a ball to the jaw and dislocated it.  It will be good to see Kerry Shimizu tomorrow!!

I bet he grinds his teeth!!!

Then there is the Girly Doctor, Dr. Sansone, well lets just say I have another name for her the "weight nazi".  The woman is not afraid to call me out on my weight, you would think I weighed 300lbs. the way she talks!  Well every time she does, I politely tell her I LOVE TO EAT and I am thinking of bringing her a picture of those wonderful Sublime ice cream sandwiches that Trader Joe's makes/sells  and that I blogged about not to long ago. I will tell her there is really no need to worry, cause the moment my jeans get to tight I will stop eating them and do something about it!! Let's just hope she has to go deliver a baby in the middle of my appointment like she had to last time, therefore not having time to lecture me!

And she looks so friendly!!!

Wish me luck this week! 

Got Food?

After two years as the proud owner/mom of Gracie, I have come to the conclusion that my dog has issues, food issues that is!! Today, I think to myself, I should of known the minute I laid eyes on her that she was way into food. At the young age of 7 weeks she was the fattest pup of the litter, I mean the girl had rolls!

Here are the top 10 reasons why I think Gracie has issues!!

Reason #1, I got stuck, I mean adopted a dog with crazy food allergies.

Reason #2, I spent over $2000 having a tennis ball removed from stomach when she was 5 months old.

Reason #3, she cannot walk past a patch of grass with out ripping out a chunk of it, it has almost gotten to the point that City is going to start billing me for landscaping repairs.

Reason #4, she faked that she had to go to the bathroom and I got up to let her out and she jumped up and ate a steak off my plate.

Reason #5, I no longer have worry about mopping up a spill, because she will get it cleaned up before I can grab a paper towel.

Reason #6, I can get her to do anything if food is involved.

Reason #7, she jumps at any chance to lick the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

Reason #8, she has to eat out of a bowl like this...

Reason #9, because she eats like this....

Miss Piggy- Click here!

And the final reason #10, because I found her on the patio yesterday like this....

Yes, that is a bag of dog food on her head!

I really do feed her, and as a matter of fact she gets fed twice a day!

P.S. if you did not watch the entire video it only takes her 1minute and 24 seconds to eat her food, and for comparison it takes my parents dog Lucy almost a day to eat her bowl of food!

Finally Friday!!!

Really?

Memorial Day was a well needed three day weekend for me! I spent the last couple weeks at work just completely and utterly frazzled. I have been doing the job of 2.5 people, been worrying if I am still going to have a job at the month, and just feeling like I am the go to girl for everyone and everything at work and I my head was about to explode. AHHH! So i decided that I was going to treat myself to coffee, ice cream and relaxation the majority of the weekend, well when I arrived to the pool on Monday, there was the most horrible sight EVER (no no no, not some fat dude in a speedo), it was this......

What? Really? Seriously? Come on! You have got to be kidding me! No way! Yes, all of those thoughts went through my head at the same time. Thank goodness I did not let my emotions get the best of me and I was able to continue to read the little note at the bottom of this horrible, indescribable, atrocity that was going on! There in black and white it said that the pool was going to be closed for the ENTIRE month of June due to "necessary" pool repairs. I could not believe it, really they could not of performed these "necessary" pool repairs in oh, I don't know, maybe February?? I mean come on people!! June is the beginning of tanning season for all of us blonde haired, green eyed people who need all the time they can get in the sun to actually not blind the other pool users by August. All I can say is "REALLY? The WHOLE month of June?" So needless to say myself and a lot of other residents in a particular neighborhood in Aliso Viejo are MAD!! Now I am starting to think that the whole dryer vent cleaning rampage they went on last month is nothing compared to this!!!

So, to all of you in blogging land, what do you think, does a daily email describing my dislike to the month they chose to do the "necessary" pool repairs to the folks at Action Property Management seem like stalking? Cause they just might see my name in their inbox every morning!!!