"If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance." -Bern Williams

Summertime is...

Corn on the cob

Floating in the lake / Sitting by the pool

Strawberries & blueberries

BBQs

Vacations

Iced tea

and most of all....BIRTHDAYS.

I don't know about you and your family/friends, but summer is called "the season of going broke" in our family because of the sheer number of birthdays. It starts in June and doesn't end until September, and until the last few years we used to have a party pretty much every weekend. It's a little exhausting.

But my birthday in particular, is very significant. July 23rd, is home to birthdays for two different great uncles, a step-grandmother, M's new niece and myself. I welcome M's niece w/open arms because this is a pretty special day to be born. :-)

This year the day was pretty packed. I made the executive decision to work that Friday and we had a BBQ at the office. In addition one of my coworkers made me angel food cake with berries & whipped cream because she knew how much I enjoy it. I was able to cut out a little early and head to the hospital with M to see the new addition to his family. She's beautiful and healthy and absolutely perfect.

Of course we needed to cut our visit a little short because we had plans to go to dinner that night at John Howie Steakhouse. If you live in the Seattle-area you've probably heard of the new mall area called the Bravern, it's home to such famous stores as Hermes, Anthropologie, Jimmy Choo as well as many other high end stores. But what's special about chef John Howie is that he already has an awesome restaurant called Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar. I have been to the steakhouse once for happy hour and their happy hour food is tops.

We decided to check out their full menu this time and they definitely did not disappoint. But the best part? M totally surprised me! We had planned to go (just the two of us) and when we checked in they told us some of our party were waiting in the bar. Turns out he invited a bunch of our friends! He can never keep secrets from me so I was so thrilled.

The following weekend was my grandfather's & brother's birthdays, so we celebrated with brunch on Sunday for my grandfather and dinner the next night at this tiny Mexican joint that my little brother loves. Thankfully this weekend will be a little quieter, we have a pass until the next one. Instead we're headed to a Mariner's game on Saturday and out to Seafair on Sunday. Please wish us luck that it doesn't rain like it's supposed to this weekend, Seafair is much more fun when it's not raining.

So tell me...what are your big plans this weekend? And most importantly, what signals to you that it's summer?

They say it's your bday (HIATUS)

Hi everyone! I'm taking a quick hiatus because there's some craziness going on in my neck of the woods. Today is my birthday along with the arrival of M's sister's new baby so there is plenty of celebrating to go around. Tomorrow we're headed up to the lake for a day of relaxation that cannot come fast enough.

Oh! You know the house hunting from the last post?!?! We picked one!!
I am so excited. The inspection is on Monday so if everyone can please cross their fingers that all goes well I would appreciate it. If/when that's finished the closing date is Aug. 25th.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone, I'll be back soon!

Moving up...eventually

I have to say, house hunting is an exhausting process. In my last post I mentioned how we've been looking since October. We were prepared and did a lot of research, even pinpointing the city and neighborhoods we'd love to put down roots. But trying to make this happen is a whole different ballgame. We loved the first house we looked at, but of course didn't want to put an offer on it because it was THE FIRST HOUSE and isn't that a big no-no? But we figured at least we knew what we really wanted and kept looking. Then the "perfect" house came on the market, we fell in love with it and found ourselves dreaming about it...then someone else put down an offer and bam! it was off the market.

Just like a new relationship...you fall head over heels with someone, but then they break your heart and there you are picking up the pieces when it hurts so bad. It makes it hard to love again because your guard is up and it's going to take some serious effort to knock it back down.

There was another house, what we've dubbed the "kitchen house" because this kitchen makes you so giddy and in love and wanting to have it's little kitchen babies. In reality the downstairs is amazing and perfect for entertaining, there's a great backyard and you think that's it. But the upstairs needs serious work, the master bath & closet will need to be completely redone and the owner is asking way too much money for the thing.

So we sat. We did all kinds of research on this house, the owner and why he didn't want to bring his price down. The word divorce was thrown around and after reading Dooce's posts on the crazy lady they bought from it made me almost run away screaming. But the kitchen, the beautiful kitchen with the sub zero fridge, the separate freezer, the double oven, the island that seats six.

...

Then yesterday we saw a different house. I was wary, thought "eh, I see so many things I'd like to change". But it's priced to sell, and those around here go within a week. And after spending almost an hour and a half touring the house I tentatively started warming up to it. The layout is perfect, the high vaulted ceilings, the master bedroom, the laundry chute, even the backyard. I want to get excited, but I'm so timid, worried my heart is going to get ripped out again.

Dream kitchen vs. decent kitchen w/amazing pantry
Landscaped backyard vs. larger slightly noisy backyard
Mirrored closets vs. california closet walk-ins
Xmas tree bay window vs. cascading staircase

Is one better? What can you upgrade for cheap and what's going to cost an arm and a leg to change? My head hurts. People normally get a starter home for their 1st but we're looking for a house we can settle down in. Put down roots, raise children. We're going to discuss this to death. I know that if either one of these houses is not the right one it will present itself to us but I don't know how much more I can handle. Pro-con lists will be my friend tonight, I can feel it. And hopefully we can both land comfortably on one side or the other.

Homeowners, how did you know your place was "the one"? Was there a feeling or did it take you a little time to know it was right?

"I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy. Come on, Squishy. Come on, little Squishy. Ow. Bad Squishy, bad Squishy."

Sounds of water running.

Jaws dropping.

Feet hitting carpet...squishing.

Frantic phone calls.

Waiting what seems like hours, days.

Shop-vacs sucking.

Fans whirling.

Silence.

Last week my washer proceeded to flood. Well scratch that, let's start at the beginning. It all starts the same way, I start to remind M that it might be a good idea to wash his towels. He tells me that they are JUST FINE and I disagree saying they smell, which is apparently something only someone FEMALE can smell and ends with him relenting. To be nice I offer to let him use my washer & dryer because you don't actually have to pay for each use in quarters and we're on our merry way.

That is until this time. We put the towels in the washer and proceed to make dinner and once we eat I go to check on the laundry. That's when I hear water still running, see water in the bathroom and feel that squishy yucky (hot!) water under my feet. In that second I'm frozen until the only thing I can do is yell "M!!!!!" He runs for more towels, I call the emergency maintenance line for my apartments and then I wait. And wait. Stupid phone line is actually a pager so someone has to call me back. Luckily I get the call back soon but then proceed to wait until they finally show up.

But they did and were surprisingly helpful. One round of the shop-vac and them telling me how great it was that I caught the flooding early. Two days of fans drying out my carpet, I now have that sound of industrial strength fan buzzing through my ears at a moment's notice.

My poor downstairs neighbor was not nearly as fortunate. She wasn't home for most of it and the maintenance people had to poke holes in her ceiling to get the water to flow...and flow it certainly did. But we're now back to normal with no indication it happened in the first place.

Yikes, I don't know how people deal with this when they own their own home. Still wish we could find the perfect one, we've been on the search since October.

But in much happier news, have you voted for LiLu to be MTV's new Twitter Jockey?!?!


Please please vote for her, she's one of my first commenters on this blog and I love her dearly.

Back to the drawing board

weheartit

Remember my post about going gluten free? I finally made the appointment with my dr. about getting tested. The good news is that I've had that appointment and came back with some news. The bad news is that it turns out I was tested for celiac disease back when (although no one told me) and the test came out negative.

So here I am back at the drawing board. My dr. mentioned talking to a naturopath and a possibility of joining another IBS study but neither one of these options sound all that positive to me. I know nothing about naturopathy (I guess it's time to research) except that I've lumped it together with chiropractic medicine and astrology. Maybe in my research I'll find out it has some merit.

Now the IBS study makes me feel like I'm grasping at straws. I've done one of these studies before and the only benefit I received was a little cash and a boyfriend I realized was horrible for me. I should be more positive about this, I mean my company does clinical trials all the time but the first study left such a bad taste in my mouth that I'm not sure.

The only upside to all this is that I had a beer last night and didn't feel crappy afterward, so maybe it's not necessarily the gluten thing. If and when I get to Oktoberfest in Germany I won't be dying. :-)

Do any of you have experience with seeing a naturopath? Did it work? Was it pointless?

I'd like a little cracker with my cheese & wine

Something I haven't really written about in this blog are my health issues...well, one really. And that is the problem of the all the time stomach ache. I've had this issue since I can remember, starting from having a colic as a baby and here I am, almost 29 years old and still barely have an idea what causes it.

To say it's frustrating would be an understatement. I've gone through countless tests, semi-diagnosis of IBS and even clinical trials in hopes to figure out what causes it all. But it wasn't until I started working at a company that is filled with doctor types that thought maybe...just maybe...I have celiac disease.

I still haven't made an appointment with my dr. because apparently the only time they are closed is when I can call, but I'm going to get there soon. In the meantime though I've been working on going gluten free. You know, to see if it makes a difference.

But you know what the hardest thing is? Finding a decent gluten free cracker. So far I like the Blue Diamond "Nut Thins", but they do not have the consistency of a good cracker. Really, I want a tasty cracker to put stinky cheese on while I have a glass of wine, so anything that resembles a water cracker is tops in my book.

So readers, do you have any suggestions? Have you gone gluten free? And if so, what are your go-to alternatives? Carbs are my downfall, pasta, bread, (beer) you name it. I was shocked to see that even soy sauce has gluten in it so my mind is a little upside down at the moment. Throw in the fact that both mine & M's grandparents come from wheat farms and there you go...brain exploded. ;-)

Administrative Professionals' Day

I started my trek into the working world by working at my grandfather's truck rental business at the age of 14. I didn't want to babysit and at 14 there's only a few options you have to make money, the family business being the top of the heap. So I sat in the office putting together rental contracts (and screwing off, let's be honest) with one of my cousins during the summer for 2 years. This was the best job and the worst all rolled into one, but I learned many lessons there. Like these:

• When you work, you may end up with the worst boss EVER. I love my grandfather, but he is horrible to work for. And the fact he paid me 85% of minimum wage because that's all he was required to still irks me to this day.

• You will have to work with some seriously strange people - and put up with all their quirks. One of his employees was schizophrenic, one was nice w/a cute butt and all couldn't aim when using the bathroom.

Throw in a couple other things like learning how to make a decent cup of drip coffee & how to deal with problematic customers and it started me on my way for real jobs. I later left this business to work as a receptionist in a hair salon (what a fun job despite not paying well at all) and a few other interesting places.

Now what I've learned is there are some people who have never heard of Administrative Professionals Day. There are some people who have only heard of this day as Secretary's Day (did you see The Office last week?). There are some people who may have heard of this day but don't think it's a real holiday or that there's no need to celebrate. This is not a story of those that don't, this is a story of those that do.

Up until now I have not had a single company celebrate this holiday. I've worked in various positions that somehow fall under the umbrella of admin professionals and quite frankly I've always written it off as yet another day where people undervalue the position. You get to that point where if you don't expect anything, you will not be disappointed when nothing happens.

Then something does...and you're pretty much blown away.

I came into work on Wednesday to see the most beautiful flowers on my desk and a card that simply said "Thanks for all of your help." The woman who started a few weeks earlier had put them there and my eyes almost welled up in tears. Then later a meeting request came through stating "We are toasting Cass w/a wine and cheese party. Attendance mandatory." This meeting request came through as post dated for the previous Monday because most the people in my office have a little problem with Outlook. ;-) And during this meeting there was a card signed by everyone and a $100 gift card to Nordstrom.

Maybe blown away was an understatement. To know I'm valued where I am now finally makes everything click. I stayed at my last job for far too long and w/o getting laid off I know I'd probably still be there, still miserable.

If you've seen Up In the Air w/George Clooney this is his key phrase:

"Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's *because* they sat there that they were able to do it."

Cheesy? Yes. Probably going to get you punched in the face if you say it to someone you let go? Yes. But something about that sat with me when I was watching it. Because for some people it really is true. I was lost when I first got laid off, but a few months later I found a company that I like, that does great work and values me as an employee. How many people can say that?

What happens in Vegas...gets very delayed.

I have been stuck in a writer's block situation for quite a while now.
It all started because I was planning on posting about my Vegas trip
but I didn't want to post w/o including a few pictures. Cut to it
being about a month ago and there you go. Here's what I've learned:

The new City Center area is freaking amazing. We stayed at Aria which
was beautiful and not smokey. The wonder of dating a guy who
specializes in designing HVAC systems means I know all the little
details. His company designed for the hotel & it's supposed to stay
that way.

The food in the City Center was fantastic, I had the best scallops (w/
braised oxtail no less!) & cocktails at a place called Sage. I wish I
could eat there every day for the rest of my life & would consider
going back to Vegas just for it.

I sometimes forget that not everywhere is like Washington with their
antismoking laws. Here you can't smoke indoors and have to be at least
50 feet away from doors. Not so much the case there. Let's just say my
nose was sensitive.

We went to Ghostbar one night which was pretty (view wise) because you
know why? There was a thunder & lightening storm which every bolt lit
up the sky. I wish I caught that on camera.

Oh! We saw O while we were there! Crazy flips in a pool, then the pool
disappeared, and it was back again! Definely something I'd see again.

All in all Vegas was decent but unless there's a set purpose I don't
need to return. And no impromptu weddings to mention on my part. :)

So tell me people, where's your fav place in Vegas?

The voice of color?

I know you are all probably waiting with baited breath for my post about Vegas & San Francisco, but I think that will have to wait until the next one. I'm not posting at home where the pictures are and since some of them are pretty awesome I don't want to deprive anyone. :-)

So with that I give you a little bit of a product review. Before I left for San Francisco I decided to get a mani/pedi from my favorite local spa/salon. They've been remodeling lately so it was nice to see all the differences, one of which being that they switched to the Deborah Lippmann line of nail polish. I've been disappointed since they started switching from OPI (my fav line) but I figured I'd try it out.

Now, the salon mentioned they *just* started using this collection and absolutely everything in it. Seriously, from base coats to hand lotion you name it and they were beyond excited about it. I mean, part of the reason I ended up getting a manicure was because they all but guaranteed it would last longer on my fingers. So I was all gung ho about it along with them while I heard them tell me about all the features of this stuff.

Here's the colors I chose (or so I think...I didn't write down the names):

Beautiful...yes?

Absolutely, the color was gorgeous going on and when everything was done I could have wept because my fingers & toes were so pretty. And then they told me the price tag on a bottle...$16. SIXTEEN DOLLARS for one thing of nail polish? Are there ground up diamonds in the bottle? I guess this line is some sort of "nail polish for the stars" type of thing, and yet here I am actually debating purchasing a bottle.

The good news though is that I passed up on the purchase. 4 days later my fingernails started chipping and by a week out about half of it had come off and I broke down and removed the rest. I have no problem spending a little more $ if it's a quality product and will last longer (shoes, purses, etc. etc.) but unfortunately this didn't hold up it's end of the bargain.

So tell me, what's your favorite brand of nail polish? And more importantly, what is your must have color??

Viva!....Las Vegas!

I keep hearing about people in Vegas, or people in San Francisco and it boggles my mind because I'm going to be in both THIS WEEK/END and how on Earth does that happen? Right now I'm sitting on the bed in a San Francisco hotel cursing this ethernet cable that should be WAY longer than the little cord provided so that you can only use your laptop while sitting at the desk. Tell me, who in this world who owns a laptop actually sits at a desk to use it? Laptops are all about the couch or the bed.

But like I said, I am here in San Francisco for the first time ever for a business function. I've wandered the streets a little and found out that there are some great shops around this area (Anthropologie, French Connection, CB2) that I'll have to hit tomorrow. I have a meeting in the evening to go to and that's about it, so shopping might be on the horizon.

Even better, I head out Saturday...early AM to fly to Vegas. I've never tried Virgin Air before but it's a hop skip & a jump over to Vegas. The BF has been holed up in a hotel there since Monday so I'm trying to visit him (which btw is another first..Vegas that is) but in the meantime I feel a little Up in the Air with him in one hotel and me in the other. We have oodles of plans while we're there, most importantly seeing O on Sunday. I hear so many great things about that show.

But the surprise tonight is First Crush. If you're in the SF area we had some seriously amazing food there tonight. They were able to accomodate our large party and some of this food was the best I've ever tasted.

Happy Friday (tomorrow) to everyone, I hope your weekend is as fantastic as I hope mine will be.

Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings & what sound bees make

With all the controversy surrounding Google Buzz I haven't really known what to think about the system. It really seems like a mix of Twitter, Facebook & Google Reader but there certainly are parts of it I do like. I do like the fact that if you put your blog in your profile you can find blogs you didn't know existed. I have some IRL friends who I didn't know they blogged at all. I guess that could be a double edged sword for some, but don't put the information if you don't want it out there.

What I love the most is the "people you follow" section in Google Reader. I never utilized this before and by "following" people in Buzz it's opened a whole new world to me. Jamie Lovely shares some of the awesomest (is that a word?) posts and I've found some new blogs because of her. I also like how all the shared items show up in the Buzz timeline as well.

Here is my list of new blogs or things I've discovered in the last few weeks that make me extremely happy.

Green Wedding Shoes - No, I'm not getting married but I love everything about this blog. The photos, the ideas that can be used for ANYTHING and yes...when the marriage thing happens I'll be prepared.

Eat Drink Chic - Everything about this blog is awesome. I came for the DIY origami heart love note and stayed for so much more.

Aria - I'll be going to Vegas soon for the first time and staying in this hotel. The BF's company did work on the City Center and since I've heard all about it for so long I want to see it in person.

Seattle sunshine - We all know the reputation Seattle has and it's not for the great music. It's all about the rain and although most of the country is covered in snow we've had one of the most beautiful winters ever.

The Millionaire Matchmaker - Ok, I watched this show off & on last season but I finally set up a season pass on the DVR and surprise! The BF is addicted too. We spent last Sunday watching a marathon when I felt crappy.

What have you discovered lately or made you happy?

Valentine's Day, lingerie & what makes you feel sexy

I love what Valentine's Day is supposed to be. You know, the spending time with your significant other or alternatively w/people you love if you're not coupled up. I love the little presents involved and the ooey, gooey nature of it all. Yes, I'm that person who likes Valentine's Day even if I'm single.

But this is a year of being coupled up. It is also the start of the gift giving season because there's 2/14, then 3/19 (our anniversary) and 3/22 (his birthday). This is the time of year I go crazy trying to figure out what on Earth to buy the guy. What do you get a 27 year old man, a label loving, engineer type who travels, rocks out to Guitar Hero on the Wii and is technology challenged?

//

At the very least I bought some new lingerie for the evening. I had been looking at the Victoria's Secret site for a while trying to decide on one thing and I picked out a little pink number. Think of this in bright pink w/lime green & purple accents. It was gorgeous, you know until I got the thing in the mail. That Bombshell bra? It's like a B cup in the bra, let's just say that when I put it on I felt like I got a very severe boob job. Yeah, not really my thing...I had to return the thing. But I ended up finding a bra that was the same color and a lot less help in that department. On top of that, I found a cute little cherry number that is great for a fun everyday wear.

//

Remember that post on New Year's Eve? We went to this restaurant that was pretty much food porn and had an amazing time. Our plan this year for Valentine's Day was super simple, all I wanted was to go to Chipolte and maybe have a little picnic in front of the fireplace. Well, that was until I got an email from that restaurant telling me they had a Valentine's Day special. Pair in the 3 day weekend and it was too great to pass up. We're now heading down there on Saturday morning to have a few food orgasms.

//

And back to the lingerie thing...what makes *you* feel sexy? For me sometimes it is lingerie that fits just right and gives me a bit of confidence. Sometimes though it's being in my favorite pajamas (pants & a tee) that makes me feel sexier than no other. And of course having the right bra & panties under an outfit (work, play, whatever) that gives me the confidence to take on the day. Hell, sometimes it could even be a glass or two of wine to do the trick, but we all know that one.

//

Finally, thanks to everyone who commented on the last post. Those girls are stll "super slutty" but I've also found out the boys that live above the BF are just as slutty too. When I look out the peephole and see the guys walking up the stairs there is always a different girl w/them. I don't know what kind of place he lives in but I'm just happy that he's not one of them. I kind of miss living around old people.

Girls Next Door

There are these two girls that recently moved into the apartment next door to my boyfriend. This would be all fine & dandy (we don't really socialize w/any of the neighbors) but these girls make me want to punch them in the face. They're probably about 20 years old and have so much to learn, so if I could - I would say the following to them...you know, if they wouldn't look at me like the crazy woman next door.

Dear girls next door,

I don't know what the situation was the other night, but I wish you and your friends would realize that the walls around here are kind of thin. When your boyfriends start arguing out on the stairs, we can hear everything. And when they migrate to on our doorstep? I can see everything from that little peep hole and will stare with intense scrutiny. I want you to take some life lessons to heart. Trust me on this stuff, I'm a lot older (even though I don't look it) and like to think I'm a little wiser over making it almost through my 20s w/o too much heartache & pain.

Those boys? Not even close to worth it. The fact that they almost got in a full on physical fight on the doorstep is not a manly show of affection, it's something that assholes do. I know it feels empowering on your end and almost warm & fuzzy to see two guys fighting over you, but you'll realize later that those are the guys you need to stay far away from. And coming out to say "we don't want any drama" is such a cop out. We both know that you thrive on the drama, it's part of your nature.

Bad boys have such an appeal at your age (yes, I know I just said "your age" w/a straight face) and I know it's part of growing up, but if you can get out of that stage quickly you will feel way less heartbreak. The good guys are out there and although you find them boring right now you'll find one later that will light up your life and make you want to spend the rest of your life with them.

But for now, please remember that even though you don't have a job to go to (just school that starts around 10am) some of us do. We don't need to hear you running up and down the stairs at 2am because you've been hanging out with the older dudes upstairs. And I know you're not exclusive w/any of them (why should you be?) but that many guys coming through the revolving door to your apartment makes you seem like a slut. Just FYI. ;-)

Love,
Your neighbor's girlfriend

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone and welcome to 2010. Instead of burdening you with resolutions that I think I might keep (which won't really happen) or go on about how 2009 needed to end ASAP (because frankly it was pretty awesome - new kickass job!) I think I want to know how all of your New Year's Eve's went. Tell me in the comments, I love great stories, stories of how you stayed in this year or if you were off in a druken stupor. I love them all.

My NYE went surprisingly great. I'm one of those people who gets so excited about something that I work myself into a frenzy, get anxious and feel sick...usually resulting in not being able to do the one thing I'm so excited about. So the fact that NYE went off pretty much w/o a hitch was a freakin' miracle. I found a restaurant I wanted to go to in Seaside (Yummy Wine Bar & Bistro) and at first we got put on the waiting list for the 9pm 7 course dinner. I was so disappointed (and I think a little hormonal) because that was the one place in Seaside I wanted to go this trip. But luckily enough someone canceled and we were ready to go.

I got all dolled up in the new dress the BF bought me (seen here) and we went to an AMAZING dinner. Everything on the menu was fantastic.

First there was a crab cocktail...
Seasoned Dungeness Crab Cocktail
rosé marinated carrot strings, tarragon crème fraiche, wasabi caviar

Followed by a cheese plate
and a great soup...
Carrot, Honey and Ginger
topped with roasted pumpkin seed oil and barrel aged balsamic redux
(I got all excited and didn't take a pic, just believe me there was a smiley face in the balsamic)

And a salad...
Wild Mushrooms
organic spinach, slow roasted marinated tomatoes, fresh thyme, white truffle and black fig emulsion

Then we got to the seafood..

Halibut Cheeks
warm fingerling potatoes, sweet peas and pearl onion salad, pancetta vinaigrette, avocado beurre blanc sauce
Probably the best fish I've had in years, so buttery smooth.

And while you're stuffed already there's more.

Meatloaf, but not your mom's.
Buffalo Meatloaf
rosemary lentils, butternut squash ragout, vegetable thyme gravy, current balsamic reduction

Somehow I managed a small bite of each of these, I didn't actually eat them until the next day.
Shaved Cocoa Truffles
vanilla, cinnamon, chipotle

I nearly died by the end of it, especially since there was a bunch of wine and complimentary champagne & party favors at midnight. We tore up the makeshift dance floor along with a few other couples before heading home. Chef & owner Corey Albert did an awesome job, even came out to say hello to us (after our emailing/calling back & forth w/him) as well as his staff. If you ever get a chance to head to Seaside, OR make sure you look them up...you won't regret it.**

Other than that, the weather in Seaside was just short of monsoon season. At one point we attempted a walk and had to turn back 3 blocks into it because we were soaked. Yes, even though we were wearing hoods & had umbrellas. But the good news was that since it was the off season there were sales everywhere (I picked up a new North Face jacket & oodles of Xmas ornaments for cheap).

Here's to a just as fantastic (or even better) 2010!!

**FTC - all opinions here are my own, this dinner was not paid for by anyone other than my BF & I.

Happy Christmas...and extended weekend.

The trees at my stepgrandparent's place.

I know I'm behind but I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend. Some of you live in places that saw an insane amount of snow in the last week which made it hard to get places and some of you (like myself) didn't see a single snowflake. Seriously, we've had a great sunny weekend here even though it's been cold...and the fact that Seattle wasn't all drizzly was a feat in itself.

I worked up until Christmas Eve at about 11am which was hard enough, as this year my cousin and I decided we were going to host dinner that night. My grandparents were out of town and everything is usually at their house, so we stepped up to the plate. Well, my cousin suggested it and I went along for the ride because I'd be damned if eventually Christmas Eve ended up at her house once we were old. It's my right, I'm the first child of my mom's (the first of my grandparent's). Anyway...

Pies were made (4 in total, pumpkin & apple) on my part. I forgot how much effort goes in to one apple pie, let alone two of them. Cranberries were made (and then forgotten in my fridge) and turkey with all the other fixings.

We had a great time though, presents were exchanged and then I headed up to my family's place to stay the night in anticipation for Christmas morning. It being an economic turmoil type Christmas there were not a lot of gifts, but still a great time was had. My family picked up a few books for me (in particular Augsten Burrough's latest...a Xmas novel), a Philosophy set (Pomegranate Berry), some dessert wine, pot holders (that match my holiday apron), slippers and a few little things. Later in the day we went up to the step grandparent's house where I managed to get an awesome coat seen below in "jazzberry" (ie: purply magenta).


Despite the drama...you know no family gathering is w/o unless you're cyborgs...or my boyfriend's family (they're so perfect, it's not normal) I had a good night. My stepaunt & uncle got me Criminal Minds Season 4 (top of my list) and Wii Super Mario Bros (hopelessly addicting) which has kept me busy all day. Now I just need to finish cleaning my place since the holiday prep has left it in shambles.

I hope you all had a great holiday & have a great week, I am lucky enough to work for a company that shuts down between Christmas & New Years so I'll go back to work on the 4th. Feel free to hate me, I would if I wasn't me. My little brother will be spending at least one day of the break with me to get away from our parents. The rest of the time will be me trying to figure out my Flip video camera & software and resting up for the New Year.

I can't remember the last time I rallied like this...

I've been planning this Party Lite show for about two weeks. My mom sells the stuff and I love it dearly, best quality candle I've ever come across...but on Friday I woke up feeling like absolute crap. I mean, the only reason I made it into work was because we were having our holiday party at a restaurant and I was the holder of all the gift cards. So I sucked it up, I felt miserable but made it through the day...and even most of the night. But by 7pm I thought I was gonna die.

What makes this so hard is that I'm a total hypochondriac. If I have a cold I'll convince myself that death is imminant. And that's for an ailment that I've had before, add in something I've never felt and Dr. Google is my new BFF. That is, a new BFF who is an asshole who loves to freak me out and tell me I have some serious cancer going on. I was also reminded of this fact when I started having a constant pain in my right ovary area. I went through all kinds of diagonosis...appendicitis, ovarian cancer, lupus, death, bowel obstruction...the list went on. And you know what? Dr. Google stepped up and cheered saying "oh yeah? I can find something worse that you'll die of!" What a butthead.
But the simplest idea here is to call my doctor, and that's what I'm going to do on Monday. I can deal with the head cold, the fever and even the stomach ache. These are all well known symptoms to me over the years. Add in the ovary of doom and my life will implode on itself.

The real point of this story though is how I rallied. After waking up this morning and still feeling like crap I wanted to cancel my Party Lite show. Ok, I didn't *want* to, but I had completely hit the level of if this was a work day I would have called out in a heartbeat. But being something I enjoy...and having people over to my house I had to make it work. And you know what? I think that made the difference because after enjoying the company of others I felt a little better. Or it could have been the Benadryl I took.

The moral of this story is this:

Dr. Google is mean.
&
My heart belongs in socializing, makes me feel better even when my insides are running a muck.
or
If you need some candles hit me up, they ship all over.

Thanksgiving meme, or one to do while passing the time.

I stole this while surfing around blogs tonight, was taking a break from trying to come up with something for my Christmas list....I hope you enjoy.

1. Name someone with the same birthday as you.
The real question is who DOESN'T have the same birthday as me. Whenever I meet new people they all tell me someone who was born on July 23. I can tell you there are 4 others in my family (extended) and Harry Potter (the actor, not the character) off the top of my head. Oh yeah, Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia on "Buffy") and Monica Lewinski.

2. Where was your first kiss?
Eighth grade in a standard spin the bottle endevor during my bday party. Nothing good.

3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else’s property?
That's one of those things I don't think I could do w/o feeling extremely guilty afterward. Not my thing.

4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
There's the occasional accidental kick in the nads to boys in school (soccer people, I'm not that evil!) and the random smack in jest to the boyfriend but that's about it.

5. Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people?
I did choir until 6th grade but after that it's really only kareoke for bachelorette parties or Christmas songs in front of my family. What? I have a huge family.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about your preferred sex?
Arms & eyes.

7. What really turns you off?
Can't get over the corner mouth crusty stuff, lying and jealousy.

8. What do you order at Starbucks?
When I actually do it's a decaf peppermint mocha w/half the chocolate. What is with Starbucks and the insane amount of chocolate that goes into a mocha? Look at the iced one, it's basically black.

9. What is your biggest mistake?
I have regrets but I don't think they're mistakes.

10. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
Like I said, the guilt afterward isn't worth it.

11. Say something totally random about yourself.
I'm making an INSANE amount of cranberries and some pizza right now.

12. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
I don't think so but apparently that myheritage thing tells me I look like Laura Bush. Thanks for that vote of confidence.

13. Do you still watch kiddie movies or TV shows?
I love a good Pixar movie and I'll watch the random SpongeBob if the boyfriend makes me but that's about it. Oh wait, I have a 9 year old brother, I watch his stuff too.

14. Did you have braces?
Never, although my dentist was great to tell me that two of my teeth overlap and I could consider them "if I want". Thanks for the complex man.

15. Are you comfortable with your height?
It's not too bad, I'm 5'5" which isn't bad. Was an inch shorter for a long time but I'm still way taller than my mom so I'm the person who gets stuff off of shelves for her.

16. What is the most romantic thing someone of the preferred sex has done for you?
I really like the fact that my boyfriend sends me flowers for the big things (anniversaries) when I've pretty much forgot about them.

17. When do you know its love?
When you can't imagine spending extended amounts of time with anyone else. When you're comfortable enough to fart in front of each other. When you'll watch all kinds of tv that you're not even interested in because they love it.

18. Do you speak any other languages?
I can do a little French & Spanish. Wait, I know more French, the extent of my Spanish is "un cerveza por favor".

19. Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
I have, but oddly only for the "sunlight" principle. I like being pale mostly.

20. What magazines do you read?
At one point I had like 10 subscriptions but now it's the random People, some Cosmo if I'm feeling stupid about men & Business Weekly.

21. Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Never. Could you please arrange that for me? Actually for prom I worked out all the details and then my friends (who's family's were WAY better off than mine) said it was too pricey. Sorry, I saved properly.

22. Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
Oh yes, I was super close to my g. gma (think 20+ years and lived with her for most of it). I miss her so much.

23. Do you watch MTV?
Every time I do I feel like my brain cells have died. At least I don't still have a Season Pass to The Hills.

24. What’s something that really annoys you?
The fact I have to clean my house tonight before Thanksgiving because my mom's oven is broken and she's coming over to cook her sweet potatoes before heading to the grandparent's house. Seriously, I haven't been here for like a week and it's a mess.

25. What’s something you really like?
Wine. Just kidding (sort of), how about TV? That's better. :-)

26. Do you like Michael Jackson?
I like a few older songs.

27. Can you dance?
Of course, and sometimes very well.

28. What’s the latest you have ever stayed up?
A little over 48 hours, thanks in part to a high school senior year project. I told myself never again and I've stuck to it.

29. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
No, but I did drive myself to the ER with an ulcer in my eye. NOT FUN.

30. Do you actually read these when other people fill them out?
I love them

31. Tag 5 people!
Screw this, I don't want people to feel left out. If it sounds like fun, feel free!

Pass the stuffing

Everyone is blogging about what they're thankful for this week & yes I'll hit on that quickly. I'm thankful for my family, for being as healthy as I possibly can, for an amazing boyfriend, great friends and the fact I have a job I actually enjoy going to every day. But more than anything?

I'm thankful for the FOOD. Especially the food at my grandparent's house because that's the way it always should be.

I know we all have our own traditions, but there's nothing like not being able to partake in your traditions to realize how engrained they are into your brain. Case in point, when I was about 15 my mom remarried. Nothing wrong with that, he's a good man...but he comes with alllll kinds of family. Not a super big family, but his parents had divorced & both remarried so there was quite the scene to sort out when it came to holidays. We've finally settled on whomever gets Thanksgiving does not get Christmas Eve and it alternates every year. Someone else gets Christmas Day and the rest of it is up to where we feel like spending time.

So...the first year? I went to my stepdad's father's house. I didn't really know them and I don't remember all that much about it but what I do remember? Is my introduction to what is known as canned cranberries.

???

To this day I still don't get it but "eh". I think making real cranberries is one of the easiest things to make so I don't know why you need to make it any easier. But everyone has their own way of doing things and that's just fine & dandy.

That is, until you go out to eat on Thanksgiving. Yes, I've had to do that too and when that happened (multiple times) that I refused to eat anything turkey related because it wasn't made at home. What? I never said I was mature (at least at that age).

Now my mom & stepdad usually have Thanksgiving dinner at their house on these off years and I'm perfectly ok with that. I make pie the way my grandma taught me, my mom makes the turkey and my stepdad makes the perfect stuffing to go with it.

Tomorrow night I head to my grandparent's house for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, the only difference is we do it a little more potluck style. I'll be bringing the cranberries and I'm excited to see all of my extended family.

And of course all the wine. ;-)

What is your favorite part about Thanksgiving? And your favorite food?

If I stitch fast enough, does it count as aerobic exercise?

Do you ever get to the point where you say "oh crap! I haven't posted since *insertnumberofdayshere*!"?? Since so many people have signed up for NaBloPoMo this year my Google Reader has been PACKED with posts to read. I do read all of them and even comment on some (come on, I'm not a machine!) but my writing has suffered because of it. I just realized yesterday that it had been over a month since I updated LJ, so let's rectify all of this.

Thanks to all of you who are following Stepping Diagonally, I checked my dashboard today and all of a sudden it's a whole different dashboard. :-) Now the pressure's on to say something witty, or entertaining at least. Can I handle the pressure?? Let's kick this blog post off with stuff I'm thinking about right now:

Waiter Rant (by Steve Dublanica) - I picked this up the other day at B&N because I've been meaning to for a while. From the same named blog Steve writes about his experiences as a waiter with all kinds of truth and humor that I'm sailing through this book quickly. I also picked up Kristen Chenoweth's "A Little Bit Wicked" as well but I'm of the school of thought that I can only read one book at a time. Are you?

Thanksgiving/Christmas - I know there's a few other holidays in there but I don't celebrate any of them...sorry. But if you work in an office you've probably been getting catalogs for holidays cards for the last I don't know...month or two? I finally asked about what we're doing in our office the other day since I wasn't here at this time last year. Who knew that it would be so complicated? But with the invitation from my grandparents for Thanksgiving arriving in my e-mail yesterday it dawned on me how close it all is.

But why does it come so fast? And why is it that the day after Halloween all the stores are decked out in Santa gear? Even more important...why don't I remember to start knitting earlier in the year so I won't have to do it 24/7 until Christmas Eve because I've been procrastinating??

The nice thing is that Starbucks has put out their red cups and brought back all those yummy concoctions for us to partake in. I'll admit, I haven't been to Starbucks in well over 2 months or so, but I'm luckily enough to have one of these big boys in my office (Interactive cup brewer) so I don't have to go out in the rain to get coffee. Be jealous, it's totally ok. :-) The downside is that I'm drinking drip coffee and not a peppermint mocha with peppermint whipped cream and little sprinkles on top, but I will survive.

What is your go-to drink for the holidays?

Last night I had the wonderful idea of heading to the mall since it was payday. I haven't been for a while, especially since I have a serious shoe addiction and the best course of action is to stay far far away. But there were some things I desperately needed and it was the only place to go. I needed new work pants which btw is the most annoying thing to shop for. Do designers think we're all over six feet tall now? Over at Express the pants that used to fit me perfectly (short for flats, regular for heels) are a joke. Even the short length I was swimming in...and I'm 5'5".

Aaaaaanyway...let's stop that tangent right there. I also picked up Bare Escentuals Warmth, because it's the only bronzer that works for me (I'm super pale) and isn't shimmery (and I'm all out) along with Philosophy's Hope in a Jar in the tiny size because I needed moisturizer and I don't know if this will work better than their sensitive skin variety. But the point of all this is I went in search of a new fragrance. I've been using Estee Lauder's Pleasures Exotic for quite a while and I love it. This scent has the right amount of grapefruit in it and has been my staple for quite a while.

Umm...I wanted a change.

Nothing crazy, I didn't want to smell like a baby prostitute. *cough*JuicyCouture*cough* But I figured Nordstrom would be all kinds of helpful in finding me something great. And great they did, something a little similar to what I had before but a little different.

Meet Versace's Bright Crystal

Inspired by a mixture of Donatella Versace's favorite floral fragrances, Bright Crystal is a fresh, sensual blend of refreshing chilled yuzu and pomegranate mingled with soothing blossoms of peony, magnolia, and lotus flower, warmed with notes of musk and amber.

Notes: Iced Accord, Yuzu, Pomegranate, Peony, Magnolia, Lotus Flower, Acajou, Vegetal Amber, Musk.

Style: Sheer. Sensual. Luminous.




I am in love with this perfume. It smells a little different on everyone so you're not going to smell like absolutely everyone else in the room. The mix of the floral notes and fruity kind of give it a grapefruit-like smell and best of all it came with a free gift! Mini sizes of the body wash, lotion and a purse sized fragrance were an absolute bonus. Plus, the bottle design is oh so pretty.

In other news, the dear Wendy at Fashionable Heart gave me my first award!


The guidelines are:
1. Say Thank You and give a link to the presenter of the award
2. Share "10 Honest Things" about myself
3. Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.
4. Tell those 7 people that they have been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines.

So thank you Wendy for bestowing me with such an honor and here are 10 honest things about me.

1. I cannot stand rain in any form. I know it doesn't make sense being from Seattle but I associate it with cold and I feel like I'm melting & in the Wizard of Oz.

2. I sometimes will go a week wearing the same jeans w/o washing them. Sorry, they are more comfy that way and they're not dirty.

3. I remember the most random pieces of information. I can still tell you my high school boyfriend's birthday, all my friends from 8th grade's birthdays and who was my favorite band that performed in The Bronze on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Just don't ask me what the chemistry code is for salt. Or what I had for dinner last night.

4. I have a car alarm remote that most people confuse for the smallest cell phone EVER. Think Zoolander small.

5. Despite the risk of alienating everyone I know online I have a serious soft spot for Nicholas Cage. One of my favorite movies is The Rock and I find him sexy. I will admit though that a lot "" of his movies suck.

6. I am on Twitter way more than I care to admit. I don't always update but since I can check it from my BB I'm hooked. My boyfriend has more than once accused me of loving Twitter more than him.

7. I secretly now want oodles of babies. I think this is the boyfriend's fault because growing up I did NOT WANT children AT ALL. Up until about 3 years ago I disliked most everything about children but now all I want to do is cuddle little babies. I thought that internal clock was all a myth.

8. I'm a pretty awesome knitter & crocheter - when I actually do it. I go through phases where I'll do it all the time and then never again for around 6 months. I better start soon though because my entire extended family is expecting dish cloths come Christmas.

9. I have an unhealthy love & hate of Costco. Love going into the stores and getting killer deals for myself but hate them when I use them at work. I can't count the amount of times I've not received parts of my order because they're out of stock. They don't backorder - bastards.

10. I have a potty mouth that gets me in trouble at my family's house on a regular basis. Mostly it's because I get in trouble for words I don't consider bad. Sucks, pissed off, crap & shut up are the big killers. Supposedly I'm here to set a good example for my little brother (who's 9).

And now the killer people who deserve this award are...

1. LiLu of Live It, Luv It - because it's her birthday and she's kick ass.
2. Melly of Drawing on Dandelions - because I love her and her blog.
3. Catherinette of The Catherinette Chronicles - because she makes me laugh.
4. Cjengo of Jude, the Diary of a Baby & a Stroke - because she's unbelievably strong.
5. New Black of The New Black - because she's a Seattlite like me.
6. Jay at Genius Pending - because his cartoons crack me up.
7. Chelsea at Chelsea Talks Smack - because I love her writing and I'm still sad I missed her shows here.