Sick

I tell ya, being at my parents house is a real treat.  My parents completely spoiled Hunter and I while we were staying with them last week.

Sam and I attended my company holiday brunch on Sunday morning and came home to finish packing and load up the car.  Unfortunately, the 49er game got interesting and we had to postpone our departure until after the loss- ugh! 

After all of Sam's birthday celebrating, he and Hunter passed out on the way up to Northern California and I drove 6 hours straight, making it home in record time.  Yay! 

• It was an amazingly busy week- Monday Sam and I went into San Francisco to do some shopping.  
• Tuesday I worked a bit from home and then did some reconnaissance with Mom and Lisa in Danville.  
• Wednesday I had my busiest day- up to Sacramento to visit with Aunt Kathy, Aunt Annie, Alicia, Justin, Clare and Ryan; off to Jackie and Joe's to try on my bridesmaid dress for their wedding; dinner with Tony and April to meet the adorable Harper; and then back to pick up Hunter from Jackie and Joe before driving back to Mom and Dad's house.
• Thursday I visited Nonna and Papa with Hunter for some pie making activities.
• Friday Mom took the day off and we spent the day running errands and then hosting Sam and his parents for dinner.
• Saturday I caught up with Lindsay over breakfast and a walk before getting my nails done with Mom and then heading over to Sam's parents' house for a Chanukah kick-off party.  
• Sunday we got up and drove home to Southern California.

Unfortunately I managed to come down with a horrendous head cold while I was in NorCal and I am suffering immensely for it now.  I worked from home today to minimize the exposure of my coworkers, but I think I was initially feeling ill on Wednesday night, and I woke up Thursday with a scratchy throat.  Today has been the worst day (I think) but I slept horribly last night.  I am just soooooooo congested that I keep having to blow my nose and drink tea/water/soup.

I'd like to say Hunter enjoyed having me home today, but truth be told, he has been sleeping most of the day.  Hopefully that means he will also sleep tonight!

It's hard to believe that 2 weeks from today we will be celebrating Christmas Eve with my parents and my sister.  I think Carina is going to bring her Terrier/Chiuahuah mix with her from Colorado, and my parents are bringing Max down too.  It will be a full house for sure!

Hopefully by then I will be feeling better!  This Wednesday kicks off the holiday parties and I am terrified that I will be lingering on the brink of health for the holidays this year.  No fun when I have the Rose Bowl to look forward to!

Aging

Happy

Birthday

Sammy!

Happy Birthday to the greatest boyfriend ever, whom I love dearly and am so lucky to be making a life with.  Growing old beside you isn't so bad!  xoxoxo

NorCal Trip

Sunday Sam and I are road tripping to Northern California with Hunter for a week-long vacation.  It will be his second trip to our hometown and our first big trip home of 2012.  We'll be up North for the longest time since residency started.  It will be good to getaway from Orange County and get some perspective on what's important- loved ones!

I am really looking forward to seeing my family, especially my Mom's side.  I haven't seen my Auntie Annie, Aunt Kathy, or cousin Alicia since we had my grandfather's memorial in July 2010.  Wednesday I'm meeting up with the three of them for lunch and I'm looking forward to catching up!  I'm also really looking forward to them meeting Hunter since I named him after my grandparents on that side of the family. 

I'm also looking forward to having some free time to catch up on reading.  I am deep into the Game of Thrones books and I need to get motivated to ready book 4, which I've started twice and keep getting distracted from.  I also have a Facebook marketing book that Raleigh lent me months ago which I need to finish or give back to her, and about 20 marketing podcasts I would like to listen to while I'm driving around visitng friends or walking the dog.  

I will also get to see some girlfriends I haven't seen in ages.  Reunion time!  I haven't seen Lindsay in so long I forget when we were last together- she's never met Hunter so it's been at least a year.  In addition to that I'm going to see the Seto family and Jackie on Wednesday... depending on how the evening goes I may even be crashing at Jackie & Joe's place.  Exciting news: Jackie and Heidi were in San Francisco last weekend and picked out my bridesmaid dress.  I will get to try it on for the first time when I see her on Wednesday afternoon!

I plan on doing some work while we're vacationing- mostly just maintaining our social media sites and drafting future blogs, but I will also be on-call in case something happens.  Thank goodness I am very mobile as long as I have my cell phone, laptop and internet service.

Sunday can't come soon enough...

Black Friday 2012

Last year was my first experience with Black Friday.  My mom took me out to Fashion Island and we had a pretty good time- not a whole lot of clothing purchased, mostly homegoods and eletronics.

This year, Sam and I got up and too Hunter for a walk on Black Friday before heading to South Coast Plaza.  Honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! 

We definitely had to stand in some long lines, but more often than not we just avoiding the places with the crazy lines and chose to shop where there were less crowds.  Here is Sam being a trooper in front of the three story Christmas Tree near Macy's.


When we got home, it was time for another new traditon: changing out the holiday decorations and switching from Fall to Christmas! 

Last year, I did this with my parnets while Sam was at work and he called us "Team Disney" when he came home to the decorated tree, wreaths, candles, etc.  This year, he and Hunter got to be part of the magic...

Or at least keep me entertained while I decorated.

First Sam thought it would be funny to put Hunter into the Santa hat.  Then I got the idea to put the tree skirt around him like a cape.  I was pretty sure Hunter was not going to be a big fan of Christmas by the end of the day.

Luckily he and Sam ended up taking a nap on the couch and he got a little break from our torture.  By Friday night we were sipping Peppermint Hot Cocoa with Peppermint Marshmallows and listening to Christmas Carols amid our decked halls.  Very festive!

Since we'll be gone the first week of December I wanted to make sure our decorating was finished this weekend.  By the time we get back, our first weekend home in December will be the 15 and that's already half-way through the month!  We will be busy with holiday parties and getting together with family and friends. 

Feeling Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving from our little family!

This year I am incredibly thankful for these two boys who complicated and enrich my life in ways I could have never imagined. 

I am also thankful for the friends who have become our Southern California Family.  Nick and Amy stopped by on their way to a family dinner, and Sohrab, Jenners, and Kanwar came for dinner. 

Having so many people to spend the holiday with certainly made it more enjoyable and festive. 

My mom usually helps coordinate the side dishes, but she and my Dad stayed in NorCal for Thanksgiving and this all came down to me.  For the first time, I made the entire Thanksgiving dinner without any assistance.  Would I do it again?  Absolutely!

I will admit the turkey was a little more dry than it has been in years past, and the stuffing could have been drier- but when all was said and done it was a pretty great meal.  And when feeding residents the bar is pretty low thanks to the UCIMC cafeteria, so I think everyone was satisfied! 

Most impressive, was that I had all the dishes in the dishwasher (which was running) or hand-washed and drying on the counter by 9:30 Thanksgiving night.  As Sam pointed out to me the following morning, I really did the whole thing- start to clean up- on my own.  I even found time to take Hunter on an hour walk and make it to the 9:15am Spin Class at the gym on Thanksgiving before I started cooking!

MNF with Kaepernick

So what can I say?  Today I worked a 9.5 hour day, went shopping for our Thanksgiving dinner (turkey, stuffing, & cranberries down; sweet potatoes and asparagus to go), and got dinner started in time to watch the Niners Monday Night Football Kickoff.  Oh the life of a modern woman! 

We're almost to the 10 minute mark of the 3rd quarter and the Niners lead the Chicago Bears 27-0.  Boo-Yeah Bears! 

Colin Kaepernick is looking really good tonight, and it's his first pro start so I'm proud of him.  In fairness, the Bear's quarterback is out tonight as well so both quarterbacks are backups. 

I should really start folding Sam's laundry, but I just don't feel like doing housework tonight.  I already cleaned up everything from dinner... can't that just be enough tonight?  LOL.  He has a very light workload this week (thank you Thanksgiving!) and he was home by 6:30 tonight.  MNF is so much better when I have Sam to watch with instead of just Hunter.

Hunter, by the way, is doing much better since his run-in with my underwear.  I think he's completely back to good in fact.  We all went to Hunter's obedience lesson last night, followed by Chinese food take-out because we were craving soup.  :-)

I'm so excited to have the long weekend off, even if I have to work a few hours to keep from getting behind, it will be so nice to be able to go to the gym during the middle of the day, take Hunter on some longer walks (the poor guy hasn't had too many since the time change), and get some quality time in with Sammy.

SB Boys Reunion- IE

There are some things that will never change... like the love we have for Sam's college roommates.

Nate, Ryan and Kevin have all recently moved, and we are overdue to visit all three of them.  This weekend we drove out to Upland (the Inland Empire) to visit Ryan.  Through the grapevine, Nate and Kevin found out about our trip, and they decided to make a weekend of it. 

So we ended up having a mini college reunion at Ryan's new apartment.  We also got to spend some more time with Ryan's girlfriend and meet Kevin's new girlfriend- both are really, really sweet.  One of the boys' post-college roommates happened to be town as well, and our favorite of Ry's dental school friends came out as well.  We had 6 adults sleeping in Ryan's living room Saturday night and I really wish I had a photo.  Kevin and Jo were on one air mattress, Sam and I shared another with Hunter, and Nate and Backer each had a sofa. 

I really wish we lived closer to those boys.  They are such great friends, truly they are always there for us.  Hunter got to come with us and it was so cute seeing them all interacting with him and realizing that someday they will be like that with our kids.

Ryan was just saying this weekend how lucky we are to have each other as friends, and I couldn't agree with him more.  These boys are more than friends, they are our family.

Mommy's Little Pervert

Mommy's little pervert ate a pair of panties on Saturday afternoon when he wasn't properly secured in his crate... Mommy's fault.

Things seemed to be passing naturally until this morning when Hunter woke up at 3:30 AM and was projectile vomiting on our bedroom and bathroom floor from 4-5.  I haven't seen him so uncomfortable since he was neutered!  He was sitting beside me cowering, shaking, whimpering.  Luckily, I was working from home today, so I was able to call our amazing veterinarian and they got him into see one of the doctors at 8am.


We have an amazing staff at our vet office and today it was Dr. W. who helped us out.  She told me she wanted to keep him at the office for a set of x-rays (first set above) to determine whether he had an obstruction.  If he did in fact have a blockage, we would pump his stomach with barium to flush out the obstruction.  If that failed, Hunter would go in for emergency surgery.

Initially, I didn't hear back from Dr. W. and I found out later that the barium was sitting in Hunter's stomach without passing the blockage (x-rays above).  She had been debating whether he would have to do surgery when, miraculously, it began trickling through his GI tract! (x-rays below)

Dr. W. called me ecstatic that Hunter would not need surgery after she saw the x-ray above.  She wanted to keep him for a few more x-rays just to be sure that everything came out okay.

 

While I was in my meeting, Dr.  W. called to say that I could come and pick Hunter up after she took the last images at 3pm... nearly 12 hours after we got up to address his upset stomach.  Between the x-rays above and the one below, Hunter passed a 6-inch long thick accumulation of fabric.

Little Hunter came home and has been napping with his head in my lap ever since.  He's on a special diet while his tummy adjusts, and he is to have some R&R.

Dr. W. sweetly offered to send me home with the images for Sam to check out.  She also put in our insurance claim while I was at the office and she told me that if it gets denied (which is very doubtful) she will personally write a letter to justify her medical judgement.  I could not ask for better care providers for Hunter!  We will certainly be sending one of our holiday cards to the office this year.

Veteran's Day

Today, Sam's schedule was really light at the hospital so he asked me to come up and go to lunch with him.  We took a short drive to Downtown Orange and split the shrimp tacos at Gabbi's.  So yummy!  Then we walked around and enjoyed the brisk fall weather.  We ended up in an antique shop looking at beautifully carved china cabinets, wardrobes, and liquor cabinets.  It was all so beautiful.

Then we went back to the hospital and Sam took me up to the Ortho department where I got to meet his day-shift nurses, who were all really sweet, and see his workroom (where we often FaceTime when he's on call).  Finally, we went up to the 7th floor and looked out on the landscape.  It was actually really neat, and a little surreal that I saw where Sam works.  The nurses totally call him Dr. Galle (which is so funny to me because they are so serious about it) and they told me that he's always very nice and does whatever he can to make their jobs easier.  I told them that if he gets out of line they just need to let me know.  :-)  Hopefully they will get to share the pumpkin muffins I brought along and left in the work room. 

 Then, in honor of Veteran's Day, I watched the HBO Documentaries "Alive Day Memories" about the day that 10 soldiers got a second chance at life when they should have died, and "Section 60" about the area in Arlington National Cemetery where they bury the soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Both were incredibly touching and make me so proud of our troops.  Whether I believe in the wars the US has fought or not, I have the highest respect for the men and women who fight for our freedoms so that I can live in the 'land of the free & the home of the brave.'

Here are some quotes I found that resonated with me today:

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die." -G.K. Chesterton

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul." -Michel de Montaigne

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." -Jose Narosky

Hunter the Hoover

Yesterday I left Hunter at home when I went to get my hair done and then celebrate Jen's 29th birthday.  As I was sitting in the chair, I totally had a moment where I wondered if I had locked him in his crate or not.  At that point, though, I wasn't going to do anything about it.

Around 6:30 Sam and I left Jen and Ryan's house and headed home.  You can imagine our surprise when Hunter greeted us, tail wagging & yelping for joy, in the entryway.

I was terrified that I would find he'd had accidents all over the house, or that he would have chewed up our furniture & destroyed the leather couches.  Thankfully, I was wrong.  The only thing he had done was go into the hamper and steal a pair of my underwear and eat half of it.  Wonderful, Hunter. 

I would have liked to have asked Sam's opinion but he was already in bed and asleep getting ready for his Sunday on-call.  So I turned to the internet and read online that pureed pumpkin can help dogs avoid and pass bowel obstructions when they've eaten things they shouldn't have.  Therefore, last night Hunter ate pumpkin puree for dinner.  Luckily, he slept just fine and by midday he had begun passing some of the fabric. 

Hopefully this will continue and he won't have any obstructions!  I am a little anxious and nervous about missing the signs of a bowel obstruction because they are potentially fatal and I don't want anything to happen to Hunter!

Luckily tomorrow is a holiday for UCIMC so Sam should be home by noonish and he can take Hunter out and re-assess the situation before I get home from work. 

Hair Cuts & Birthdays

I am getting my first haircut since June! A friend of mine was sporting a really cute 'do over the summer and she gave me the number of her stylist and I set up an appointment for today. I will report back as to how it all goes...

I'm kind of at a loss what I want to do. Sam doesn't like the dark hair, but it's so much easier to maintain! He prefers the blonde highlights, but I don't want to deal with the up-keep associated with being an 8-week bottle blonde (someone who has to have their roots touched up every 8 weeks to the tune of $90 or so).

Last weekend over dinner Sam seemed okay with the idea of me going red, and I'm thinking that might be my "in" to going brunette.  If I splash some red color in there he might go for it more so than he did last time I went dark.

We'll have to see where this lady takes me!

I get to debut the new 'do at a friend's birthday part right after my appointment... wish me luck!

Holidays

So the holidays are upon us!  I'm not someone who skips over the Pilgrims & Indians, Thanksgiving is still a VERY big holiday in our home.  In fact, I don't decorate so much for Halloween as I do for Fall in general.  We have lots of pumpkins and colorful leaves around the house, and cornucopia candlestick holders.

This year, Sam's on call the day before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  I have my fingers crossed that he's got Thanksgiving-Saturday off completely, but even if he just has to go in for the morning and then gets to come home early that would be okay too.

It's kind of nice that we would be able to spend the holiday together since Sam will probably have to work Christmas Eve/Christmas since the residents try to switch off.

Anyway, here we are gearing up for the holidays and to celebrate, we've invited all of the residents we know in SoCal to Thanksgiving dinner at our home.  We'll see how it turns out... good, I hope!  We went with a Pilgrim & Indian themed evite and I'm going to make some cool hats like in elementary school so we can take a fun photo of the festivities. 

Obviously, even if it's just Sam, Hunter, & I we will have a great time.  :-)

One Year

Today is my one year anniversary with my company.  Woohoo!  I was thinking about it, and I am so much happier in Marketing than I was in Sales. 

Insert big THANK YOU to Sam who pushed me to find something I am passionate about and make a career of it.  I am so thankful, in hindsight, for all his hounding while he was in medical school.

Also, I realized that I am incredibly lucky to have such a flexible boss.  Today I had to pick up some prescriptions and get my blood drawn to test whether I'm on the right dose of thyroid.  It was no big deal, I put it on the calendar that I'd be leaving at 4 and I left at 4.  There are so many companies that would never let their employees do that!

Everything really does happen for a reason, and I am so thankful that this job, this company, these amazing coworkers are a part of my life!

Pumpkin Spice Happiness

Yesterday we had some proof of global warming: November 4th and 92 degrees at the hottest point yesterday.  Good God, Sam and I were running errands and it got REALLY warm.  We ran to Costco & Ralph's and when we made it back to the apartment we hunkered down to cool off for a while.  Just after 3 PM we decided to take a walk with Hunter to get him (and us) some fresh air and exercise. 

It was fun to walk with Sam for a change- usually it's just me and Hunter after work because Sam doesn't get home until after it's dark.  That, and he is so unreliable that it's better for me to take Hunter ASAP when I get home and then it's out of the way and we have the rest of the night to hang out. 

But we took advantage of having Sam home, and after the walk, which only lasted about an hour, the boys did something that Hunter and I rarely do post-walk. 
They passed out on the floor.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging, but boy can those guys sleep!  From about 4:30-6 they were out cold.  I was okay with that though, I got to do some journal writing and got Sam's laundry through the wash-dry cycle so that he just had to fold it all before dinner. 

 

We had friends over for dinner, another couple who went to UCI for both medical school and residency.  I always forget, until the 11th hour, that he keeps Kosher.  Thankfully, a quick call to Sam's mom and she had some great tips- go with a vegetarian and dairy menu.  Luckily we'd been to Costco and I had a bunch of carrots and asparagus which I baked with oil, salt, and pepper.  Then I baked sweet potatoes and yams, and made white rice.  We also had breaded chicken, which wasn't Kosher, so the fourth chicken breast got split in four and stuck into tupperwares with white rice, potatoe, and the baked veggies.   Hello packed lunch!  Anyway, I think maybe next time we'll make homemade veggie pizza or something, Sue said that is a great go-to for Kosher meals that she's used time and time again.

 

Oh, and JACKPOT, I found the Coffeemate Pumpkin Spiced Creamer at Ralph's which means that this morning, when I got up at 4:30 with Sam thanks to "Fall Back", I enjoyed a delicious Pumpkin Spiced Latte that was only 4 points and cents on the dollar which is really great when compared to the Peet's version (medium is 6 points, and it's $4).  YAY!

Fall Back

Sam, Hunter and I have been enjoying the extra hour today.  We all slept in (Sam slept the longest because he is the most sleep deprived) but even Hunter managed not to wake too early.  And because the 49ers have a bye this week, we were able to really take advantage of the extra hour.

To celebrate our first Golden Weekend (where Sam has both days off) in town since September, I made bacon and toast for breakfast and cleaned the kitchen while Sam was sleeping. 

After breakfast, we headed to Costco where we stocked up on the essentials (TP, paper towels, dishwasher soap, etc.) and then stopped at Ralph's on our way home for the non-bulk grocery items.  It's funny how much more I enjoy running errands when Sam's with me. 

When we came home, we and made BLTs and strawberries for lunch and started a massive laundry project.  Good God, it is unbelievable how much laundry Sam amasses between Golden Weekends.  He has dress clothes, gym clothes, scrubs, you name it!  I have some laundry to do myself, including our bath towels.

We're having friends over for dinner tonight.  So now we're going to take Hunter out for a walk and then finish up our cleaning/laundry so that we can start prepping our dinner.  I'm excited!!!

Hi Mama

I have a extraordinary Mom.  She is a great role model as a wife & mother.  I only hope that someday I can be as great a person as she is.

Happy

Birthday

Mom!

Howl-o-ween

Hunter is both fortunate and unfortunate to have become a member of our family.

One the one hand, he is incredibly spoiled: lots of toys, plenty of food and water, always the center of attention, sleeps in bed, gets to cuddle whenever he wants, etc.

On the other hand, I love accessorizing him for the holidays.

Spoiler alert: I totally want to find him a mini Santa costume for Christmas!

Anyway, I certainly wasn't going to be dressing up to hand out candy tonight because my only G-rated costume is a pirate number that's several years old and has seen better days.  And Sam's working tonight, so I knew he wouldn't be around to dress up either.

Anyway, Hunter lucked out because I didn't see many masculine costumes and decided to buy him this discounted t-shirt to use as his Halloween costume.  Pretty much the week after I did that, PetSmart moved their costumes and there were some really cute ones (the frog and the ladybug were to die for!) but I couldn't justify spending more money.

Next year though, I might have to try to find that ladybug costume because I totally try to keep with the red theme for this little Ruby Cavalier!

So Happy Howl-o-ween Goblins & Ghouls!

Dan is coming to town!

Sam's cousin, Dan is coming to stay with us for two nights starting Sunday for a job interview here in Orange County.  Dan has been living on the East Coast with his wife, Rachel, who is a fellow blogger.  Hopefully he will get it so he and Rachel will move down here and be close to us.  (I definitely wish Rachel had been able to come along on this trip, it has been too long since we've seen her!)

Sam has been lucky enough to not have call this week, except for tonight and Sunday night, which is the worst possible timing for Dan's visit.  C'est la vie, non?  So with Sam out of the house, I am working on finishing some housework tonight and cleaning our kitchen, living room, and guest room.  Too bad there isn't another Giants game, I suppose I will have to settle on reading some Harry Potter before bed instead.  :-)

Here's hoping the Giants can pull off another shutout tomorrow when their in Detroit!

World Series Kick Off

GIANTS WIN WORLD SERIES GAME 1

Our Panda Owns Your Tigers, Detroit!

#OrangeOctober

Blown Away

Weekend Recap: San Diego was amazingly fun!  We actually kicked off the weekend in Irvine at Bacchus, a wine cellar.  They recently got a chef (well recently since I'd last been there) and the flat breads were awesome.  Emily and I kicked things off with some sparkling wine, and Matt enjoyed a beer.  We watched a big of the Giants game while we ate, and it was a really nice evening.  Sam worked late and then grabbed a bite and a drink with the Ortho department, so he met us later.

Saturday, we drove down to San Diego while listening to the Carrie Underwood album Blown Away.  I have to say, I'm not typically a big country music fan, but she is amazingly good.

We checked into the W Hotel downtown, and grabbed a bite to eat at the new Counter in the Gas Lamp.  How cool is this, they actually have Adult Milkshakes with alcohol in them... Sam tried the coffee one which is made with Kaluha.

We took advantage of the tasty bar in the lobby and pregamed the concert a bit.  Then Matt introduced us to this cool Ubber App where you can hail a town car.  We used it on the way to the concert and were pleasantly surprised to see a LIMO pull up.  What?!?  Matt said that he's never had that happen before, but we enjoyed our good fortune and journeyed to the concert in style.

Emily and I definitely were enjoying ourselves at the concert.

I have to say, Carrie puts on a great show.  Her props are unbelievable, and she had great costumes and her voice is as good live as it is on CD.  This was one of my favorite parts of the show- she and the band got into this floating plexiglass thing and floated over the crowd while they jammed.

And she is very humble and sweet, made sure to tell us how much she likes San Diego several times during the performance and even told us to drive home safely.

After the concert we checked out a neat dueling piano bar.  Definitely another high point!  And we capped off the night with a town car home.

Sunday morning we met Matt & Emily in the lobby and took an impromptu detour to Temecula.  We had missed out on Ponte during our Wine Tasting trip with them in January 2009 so Emily and I did a little tasting while Matt and Sam hung out.

I bought a great bottle of Cream Sherry for the holidays when my family is in town.  It will take a LOT of resolve not to drink it before they get here.

NLCS Game 7

Hunter and I are deeply focused on NLCS Game 7 tonight and as I start this post, we are in the bottom of the 6th with San Francisco leading Arizona 7-0.  In history, the greatest comeback in game 7 is 4 runs, which has only happened twice in history.  Odds are in our favor.  Also, only once has a Game 6 winner failed to win Game 7 at home, the Mets lost game 7 to the Cardinals.

We are also baking... yes, I am sharing some pumpkin muffins with Hunter as I wait for Sam to get home to make our Chicken Taco Salad.

Last night when we got home from San Diego (post to follow with a weekend recap) Sam really wanted me to make him a batch of Nonna's pumpkin bread, which I have turned into a helluva lot of pumpkin muffins and a loaf or two.  The recipe calls for +5 cups flour, and +4 cups sugar... it makes a helluva lot of pumpkin yumminess.  The weather has finally cooled off and I think Sam is starting to feel the holiday spirit creeping into the air.  Granted, I did decorate for Fall just before October, but it was 100 degrees last week!

I will say this, I had intended to start Harry Potter Book 4 tonight (I am rereading the series since I bought myself all the books for my birthday) and this game has me completely enthralled.  GO GIANTS.

My Dad is actually at this game tonight at AT&T Park.  Boy, does that make me miss living in the Bay Area.  My sports teams are all up there, no football or baseball love happens down in Orange County.

It's nice to have Mom on the phone though, we've been calling back and forth throughout this amazing game!  Who could believe the amazing bottom of the 4th inning where the Giants scored and scored and scored?

Baseball isn't my sport, don't get me wrong.  There are too many games to follow and the season seems never-ending.  But, that said, I do love the Giants and I really love #OrangeOctober because baseball playoffs are a thing of beauty.  For all the Torture Baseball Fans out there: Don't stop believing!

Sandy Eggo

Tonight, Sam and I are headed to San Diego with Matt & Emily for the Carrie Underwood concert.  Matt bought tickets several months ago and they are generously taking us along for our first ever overnight trip together.  I am so excited!

Matt booked us rooms in the W hotel, which I have always wanted to stay in, and this is going to be our first vacation not spent sleeping on couches reliving our college glory days since our trip to Tahoe in February.

Let me see:

• Nice, comfy hotel room
• Sleeping in
• Night out with friends

I am so excited!  Pictures to come!

Walking Dead

No, this is not a reference to me being overly exhausted.  Quite the opposite, I have been feeling much more energized since I started taking the hypothyroidism medication.    The title of this post refers to the AMC Zombie series based on the comic books.

I am not much for watching TV shows the night they air because I am generally trying to spend quality time with Sam or Hunter if I'm not working in the evening.

Tonight, however, I decided I was going to give it a rest because I worked two hours extra last night expanding on some web page additions that a co-worker had started.  Sam is working late, so I have no obligation to entertain him.  Thus, with this time to myself, I am catching up on The Walking Dead season 3 premier and playing fetch with Hunter.  Good Lord, this puppy loves to play fetch.

And don't think it's all play for me tonight, I am also in the process of washing our sheets and drafting our holiday letter.  Last year we didn't send our letter out everyone, but complaints were lodged and this year the situation will be remedied.

So now, enough blogging and back to holiday letter drafting and laundry!

Only the Good Die Young

"It is not length of life, but depth of life"

Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Today I received bad news from some former teammates: one of the girls I played varsity water polo with in high school passed away yesterday.
From what I understand, she stayed home from work on Monday with a headache.  On Tuesday, at work, she lost her ability to speak and was rushed to a local Emergency Department.  After running some tests, doctors realized that she had experienced a stroke.  I believe at that point, they put her into a medically induced coma and transfered her to a hospital that specializes in treating stroke victims.

Her parents flew from Northern California to Colorado on Wednesday where they received the terrible news that their daughter would not recover.  On the eve of her 30th birthday, Liz Doherty was taken off life support and passed away.
I have lost grandparents, and parents of friends, but Liz is my first friend who has passed away.  I am in a state of shock.

We played together my sophomore year of high school, when our team won the North Coast Section.  It was a tumultuous season for our team: we had younger girls playing more than older girls, our coach was inexperienced, and we didn't stand a chance on paper.  But we became a team despite the barriers to success.

I remember one night, Coach was riding Liz pretty hard.  We were all feeling a bit exhausted and nobody wanted to be there.  Coach said to Liz, "How'd you miss that shot? What are you? Blind?" To which Liz replied, "Yeah, actually, I am blind in my left eye."  Boy.  That was a fast lesson in smart-assing a coach.  One I took to heart and put into practice many years after Liz had graduated.

I remember her giving me advice on not caring too much about the sport- it was character building, but wouldn't mean much out in the real world after college.  Liz lived each day to the fullest.  She lived fast and died young.  But boy, did she have a helluva time doing it.

Tonight, on what would have been Liz's 30th birthday, I am thinking back fondly on that season at Campolindo.  I am remembering her smile, her laugh and the way she could always lighten the mood. Thank you for the memories, I will always think fondly on our time together and wish that it didn't have to end so soon.

"May your glass be ever full.

May the roof over your head be always strong.

And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead."

Irish Proverb

Diagnosis

Earlier this month I finally went in to Kaiser to meet my new doctor and she reviewed some blood work I had done in February with me. 

Long story short, the diagnosis has been confirmed.  I have a form of sublclinical hypothyroidism called Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Hashimoto's disease. 

What does this mean?

• For the rest of my life I will take a daily thyroid horomone supplimen
•  Hopefully the weight gain, hair loss, exhaustion, and lethargy I have been experiencing over the last 9 months will go away with treatment.
• My body breaks down thyroid hormone and my brain has to tell my thryoid to work overtime to create more hormone than I can breakdown to keep my levels normal

I am currently in the normal range, on the low end, but my doctor explained that my thyroid will eventually 'burn out' and stop functioning, at which point I will officially have hypothyroidism.  By prescribing medication now, the hope is that my thyroid will continue working longer.

I can't wait to hopefully feel better in the next couple of weeks and be able to get out of bed when I wake up instead of feeling the need to doze and snooze for half an hour.  That's the biggest difference I have noticed in the last 9 months- all through college and until this year, I have been someone that wakes up and is awake.  Lately, I have started having serious trouble getting up in the morning.  First, I thought it was because Hunter needed a midnight potty break, but then he started sleeping through the night and I was still having trouble getting up.

Fingers crossed that the symptoms start to reside!

Go Gauchos!

This was another very fun weekend.  My grandparents drove down from NorCal to watch my cousin Ali play volleyball for UCSB against UCI on Friday and CSULB on Saturday.  I arrived early to work on Friday morning and skipped my lunch so that I could leave early and spend as much time with my grandparents as possible.

We grabbed sandwiches at Boudin SF on our way to her game at UCI.  Sam timed everything perfectly and met us at will-call where Ali had put us on the Pass List and given us VIP tickets.  Inside the gym, we found Auntie Lori.  She had flown in from Hawaii on short notice when she didn't have to announce the UH college football game.  It was REALLY good having her with us because I have very limited volleyball knowledge.

Saturday, we walked Hunter to Einstein Bros Bagels for breakfast and then went grocery shopping.  The beautiful thing about having my family stay with us is they usually treat us to grocery shopping.  :-)  So off to Whole Foods we went and picked up some lunch items as well as a litany of items for me to make Weight Watchers meals this week.  WOOHOO! 

Saturday afternoon we headed up to Long Beach and met Lori for dinner at the Crooked Duck- which was FAR better than we had imagined.  I brought along a Boudin sando for Ali to munch on after the game when the team drove back up to SB since she wouldn't be stopping for dinner. 

Sadly, the team lost both matches, but it was really good to watch Ali play regardless of the outcome of the games.  I could not be more proud of her! 

Sunday morning, we repeated our breakfast routine before Hunter and I went to his very last Therapy Dog training class.  Do I think he could be a great therapy dog?  Yes, someday.  But he's currently too much of a puppy and has unpredictable ADHD.

We came back to the apartment and watched the end of the 49 defeat in Minnesota before Nona and Papa hit the road and headed home.  Sam got back from being on call and was so exhausted he passed out on the floor from 5-9 PM, only waking up when I told him he should go hop under the covers and call it a night.  The poor guy has to take call again tomorrow night!

27

So, I am 27 years old today.  What does this year have in store for me?  I don't know, but I'm ready to find out! 
After all the partying this weekend, Sam and I ordered sandwiches and ate on the couch with Hunter.  Much better than my last birthday- I was sick and Sam was in Atlanta. 

Birthday Weekend

This weekend has been a great start to my birthday week...

Friday
Sam and I went to dinner and karaoke with the first couple we made friends with here in Orange County.  These two friends have been through the ups and downs of medical school, residency (so far), and our relationship.  I cannot express how thankful I am to have these friends in my life.

While we were together, I was finally able to open up about the health issues I have been dealing with this month.  It was really good to have the support of friends.  And after a few glasses of wine and cocktails, I hopped up on stage and sang some karaoke.

Saturday
Sam and I met up with another couple, definitely keepers, for drinks and dinner and barhopping.  She had secretly baked cupcakes for my birthday and snuck them into the restaurant we were eating at so that it was a big surprise after dinner when the waitress came out.  So amazingly sweet!  Kevin, our friend and Sam's housemate at UCSB, happened to be in town and joined us for the post-dinner drinking portion of the evening.  It was very fun all-around.

Sunday
We hosted a very low-key dinner and watched the 49ers beat the Lions.  Who could ask for a better birthday week kick-off?

Long Day

The work keeps piling up, and there's still only me to get everything done.  I feel like I need to hire an assistant either at work, or at home!

I had the best intentions of making Sam a nice, home-cooked dinner tonight.  Instead, I got stuck late at the office and left close to 5:30... I called to check on him and he was still making his way home.  Ooops.  Needless to say, I stopped and picked up the pre-roasted chicken at Ralph's along with a bagged salad, an avocado, and 3 tomatoes.  Let me tell you, it tasted damn good.

And then I put in close to 3 hours of work while Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix played in the background, Sam dozed on the couch, and Hunter brought me his ball for an intermittent game of fetch.

All in all, I clocked over 11 hours working today.  When I finished after 9PM, I put Sam to bed, cleaned the kitchen and walked Hunter.  Then I did some organizing of my desk and am heading to bed immanently.

Tomorrow, I am headed up to Sherman Oaks (LA) for an 11-2 meeting.  Thankfully, Pete and Margaux lent me Invictus on tape and I will probably knock out 3.5 of the 9.5 hours while commuting in traffic.  Ah, the life of a young professional.

PS- Too tired to even process this, but I officially got word that I have satisfied the requirements for the UCI Extensions Program Marketing Certificate.  Woohoo!  I set out to accomplish this and start a career in marketing back in January 2011 and 21 months later I have accomplished both things.  More about this later!

RIP Giselle

Throughout our puppy class experiences over the last 7 months we have seen a lot of familiar faces and made a few friends along the way.  We received the sad news that the sweet English Bulldog, Giselle, was the victim of a tragic accident and had passed away.

Giselle and Hunter completed their Intermediate & Advanced Training Classes together and were currently enrolled in a special advanced class with trainer Kate.  In the last few months we had done a lot more puppy-trading in class to familiarize our dogs with strangers and I always loved Giselle.  I am so sad for her mom, Rosalyn, who adopted Giselle from her vet after losing one of her two pugs to old age. Ros had told me how devastated she was at losing her dog last year and what a help it was to have Giselle brightening up the house.  In fact we had spoken last Sunday about getting together for a play-date so that Hunter and Giselle could rough-house and burn off a little energy.

I know Hunter has only been a part of our family for a little more than 7 months but I cannot imagine how I would cope with something happening to him.

REST IN PEACE GISELLE!

Football Season

It's no secret that my family is Forty-Niner Faithful-  we bleed Red & Gold.  It has been a long wait this off-season, but the day is finally here: today, the 9ers faced the Packers at Lambeau Field.  And boy did we deliver.

We looked great- cohesive, together, practiced.  It was such a great way to get things rolling. We have a lot of people talking about how we're Super Bowl bound in 2013, but I think it's too early to make those predictions.  We have a much tougher schedule than we did last season, and the league stats show that it's unlikely that a team comes out of a slump with back-to-back conference championship performances.  We may have to wait until 2014.

I flew back from a wedding and arrived home at 3pm today.  Unfortunately, Sam had to work today so Hunter was the only one waiting for me at home.  We cuddled on the couch, talking to Mom during the last quarter of the game, as we all watched Alex Smith stave off Aaron Rogers to get the victory.

I think it might be time to make good on my threats and order Hunter a 49er jersey to wear on game day...

Blood Test

Last Spring my doctor found evidence that I may be suffering from Hypothyroidism, but, because I had just changed my health insurance, I told her I would follow up with my new primary care provider at Kaiser.

Fast forward to July.  I finally got tired of the fatigue, stress, hair-loss, and lethargy.  Sam and I sat down and reviewed the female Primary Care Physicians in our area and settled on one for me to see.  I couldn't get an appointment until September, but at least we would soon have a second opinion about the Hypothyroidism and find something to alleviate the symptoms I have been suffering from.

Fast forward again to this month, I finally went in to see my new doctor today.  Luckily, I really, really like her and felt totally comfortable with her right away.  She sat down and reviewed the previous two blood tests with me and she decided that I should probably have one more to confirm the diagnosis.

I actually really liked that Kaiser had the pharmacy and the lab right in the same building as my doctor... I just walked down stairs and took care of everything right then and there.  I now will have to wait for the results to see if this is in fact what my issues are from.  The bummer is that the medication for hypothyroidism could increase the anxiety I have been feeling, and, if that's the case, I will possibly have to go onto some kind of low-dose anti-anxiety medication.

Honestly, while I don't like the idea of being medicated, I do like the idea of not feeling so overwhelmed all the time.   Sometimes I am so overwhelmed and stressed out I feel like I could cry.  It can be so much that I want to curl up on the couch rather than do anything... and I really hope that's going to be resolved with these hypothyroid medications!

Rollover

Hunter's currently enrolled in a special Advanced Training class offered by our trainer, Kate, on a invite-only basis.  She is working on relaxation techniques and also therapy dog exam skills.  We have a couple of repeat offenders in class with us, Giselle, the French Bulldog from our Intermediate and Advanced classes, and Belle, the adorable mini-poodle from Intermediate class.  

At the beginning of class, 3 weeks ago, Kate told us all that we needed to teach our dogs a trick on our own.  Something that requires us to work with our dogs and communicate to them what we want them to do, and have them understand and obey.  So I chose to teach Hunter to rollover.  The past 4 weeks, Sam and I have been working with him, luring him to rollover while teaching him the command. 

Finally, this past weekend while Justin was playing with Hunter, he rolled over on command.  It was so rewarding!  Sam and I have been working on it, and sure enough, he kind of gets it after you lure him to do it once.  I am so freakin' proud of him!  We have two more weeks, and we'll have to keep working and working and working.  

Light at the End

The light at the end of the tunnel is shining so brightly tonight- I finished the final exam in my marketing class.  The only thing that stands between me and completing the program is writing some conclusion paragraphs.  Piece. Of. Cake.  I am so anxious to make working out a priority in my life again, and for Hunter to get more undivided attention so we can focus on sharpening his good behaviors.  I'm excited to not have to sacrifice time that I would like to spend with friends on studying.  I can't believe that I'm going to be able to read the stack of books piling up next to my bed- seriously that is a really huge deal to me.

Sam's first vacation week starts Saturday, too.  So I am really excited that I will be working but not dealing with classes.  Justin is coming down to visit us for the first Labor Day in a while (two years, in reality) and he will be in town starting a week from today.  Sam's parents, Pete & Margaux will be arriving in Orange County on Friday.  Not a bad way to spend a 3-day weekend and Sam's first real time off during his 2nd year of residency.

Another light at the end of the tunnel comes from the upcoming trips home I am looking forward to.  On September 8th I fly to NorCal for a whirlwind (approx 24 hour) wedding weekend trip, on October 5th Sam and I fly back up to NorCal for a more respectable length weekend weekend, and he is convincing me to drive up to NorCal for a few days in December when he has a week of vacation.  That would be a good opportunity for us to bring Hunter along with us since he does so well on road trips.  (Side note: I am so incredibly thankful I don't have a dog that gets carsick!)

Quick Work Update: I signed off on our SEO contract at work today, so hopefully that will start generating us some serious revenue before Christmas.  My boss told me today that some attornies want to rent the spare office upstairs, which happens to be between me and my coworker, Mark. Apparently they would prefer the end office (which is the one I am in) and want me to move into the center office.  Quick count of times I have moved:

1. From downstairs to the big upstairs office (March)
2. From the big upstairs office to the small upstairs office (May)
3. From the small upstairs office to my new, bigger upstairs office (August)

I do not want to move again.  Ugh.  HR told me not to worry about it until these guys see the price tag and sign off- apparently we've had people interested in the space but not in paying what the big boss wants to charge.

I don't really have time to worry about moving again, because I am leading a 2 hour LinkedIn Workshop on August 30th and I started making the PowerPoint Presentation today.  Oh my God, the time just completely ran away from me!  I looked at the clock and it was 3, and then suddenly it was 5:30.  I had to get the heck out of there so I could get home to Hunter and my exam, but tomorrow I am going to get right back after it.  If I can have the slides done by this weekend I can start practicing the presentation aspect of it and checking my run-time. 

Hunter & Me

Hunter & I started his Therapy Dog/Advanced 2 training class at Petsmart this morning.  There is another Cavalier in his class, Toby, who is a 3 year old Tri-Color with predominantly  black and white coloring.  I realize I am biased, but he's not nearly as cute as Hunter!

After class, we came home and were lounging on the couch and trying to keep cool despite soaring temperatures.  Here's Hunter's new favorite place to cuddle with me when I'm using the couch for a backrest and the ottoman for a desk. 

Around noon, Sam called and invited us to bring him lunch and hang out at the hospital for a little bit.  He was on call today and last Friday, so we were really excited to spend a little extra time together.  It was cool to get a mini (outdoor only) tour of the hospital and see where the Ortho Clinic is and where Sam does the majority of his work.  After we hung out for a while, Hunter and I headed back home.  

After dropping Hunter off, I ran to Target to pick up a few things- I was completely out of deodorant for one thing- and I found a coverlet for our bed.  Sam and I have trouble sleeping when it's really hot out because we both like to snuggle under the covers but get too overheated.  He had us switch out my down duvet for his cotton comforter but I haven't really noticed that I've been cooler.  My Social Media Strategist said she and her hubby had the same problem until they got one of these thick blanket coverlets from Target.  I am really excited to try it out tonight- I put the duvet back on and per Raleigh's suggestion will probably toss that to the bottom of the bed to sleep.  

I spent the afternoon prepping for the Final Project in my Marketing Class.  I did the majority of the spreadsheets and left only a few equations for my partner to tackle this week.  I will have to focus on writing up some concluding paragraphs later this week, but that shouldn't be too difficult.  Tomorrow I am going to conquer the only other thing standing between me and earning the marketing certificate: the Final Exam.  I am so anxious for this to be over so that I can focus more of my attention on my fitness/health and Hunter/our family when I'm not working.  With as little time as Sam has off, it kills me to have to work on homework while he's home.  And Hunter's training has fallen by the wayside so much these last 6 weeks because I am so focused on schoolwork that I haven't been working on reinforcing his skills.  I am really looking forward to having free weekends and nothing hanging over my head- I'll have a lot more time to get back into reading the King of Thrones series on my nook too!  

Last thought before bed: I watched Married to Jonas tonight and really enjoyed it.  Sure, they are definitely not the sharpest tools in the shed, but they actually seem pretty authentic and sincere and they may quickly usurp the #1 Hollywood Couple spot on my list.  Good luck to them, and may their relationship end better than most of famous couples who do reality TV.  

Birthday Ideas

So today is exactly 1 month before my 27th birthday.  Wow.  I can't believe I am turning 27; mentally, I am still getting used to being 26!

Last year was not exactly the birthday I hoped for- Sam's plane got delayed in Atlanta, and he arrived close to 9:00, so we missed out having dinner together.  The night before my birthday, Carrie came down and we went bowling with friends and then had dinner.  It was very fun, but I was a little disappointed that Sam couldn't celebrate with me.

So this year, I am hoping to have a different birthday experience!

This brings me to this: Random Acts of Birthday Kindness!

A friend from college recently posted about doing things like this for her birthday... thanks Lea!  It looks really cool, and while I am planning to work on my birthday (I actually may be starting a 2-day product training session in Long Beach on my birthday) it would be cool to do something like this on one weekend day during my birth month.

Top of the World & Fresh Fish

Last weekend Sam had a Golden Weekend- Saturday & Sunday off.  Our water heater went out and while the handy man was fixing it, we decided to take Hunter on his first hike.  Obviously we all know how that turned out.

After the hike, we ran some errands and checked out this AWESOME family owned and operated fresh fish market.  We can't wait to go back!

Family Hike

Top of the World Hike in Laguna...

Hunter getting heat exhaustion

Pearson's Port: Our new favorite Fresh Fish Market

Ready for purchase!

Opo

On the grill with some corn on the cob

She threw in two shrimp for us to taste- best fish dinner I've ever cooked!

Hunter Update

It's been a rough couple of days...

On the Upside: my instructor reopened the quiz and I was able to score an A on Monday during my lunch break.

On the Downside: Sam's car is not fixed.  In fact, it wouldn't start Monday morning and I had to get up and drive him to work.  Then I left work a little early to pick him up and get his car jumped and dropped at Acura for service.  Of course, they had no loaner vehicles, which meant that I had to pick him up and drop him off on Tuesday as well.  Awesome.

Tuesday morning, I started working from home when I got back from the hospital instead of going back to bed.  That meant I was off earlier in the afternoon and got to come home.  It also meant that I was with Hunter when he started projectile vomiting.  We took a quick trip to the vet where Hunter got intravenous fluids and injected anti-nausea medication.

I am very happy to report that he's doing MUCH better now.  We went to pick up Sam Tuesday, got his car from Acura (supposedly there was a short circuit), and exchanged the battery at Costco that we had just purchased last week.

I'm tired.  I missed out on the Kiss/Motley Crue concert dealing with the car.  I have had meetings every day this week and am feeling pressed for time on some of my ongoing projects.  All I want to do is finish my freaking class and focus 100% on work & Hunter (who has been a little neglected with his training and reinforcement lately.)

Almost there!

Hunter Hiking

More like Hunter whining the whole time and begging to be carried while Sam rued the day he let me get a puppy.

Sam and I have been suffering from a run of bad luck.  On Saturday afternoon the pilot light on our water heater went out.  I am a pretty savvy lady, but couldn't get it to light.  We called the maintenance guy, and had to get out of the house with the puppy (since our leasing company doesn't know we have a dog).

Sam wanted to take the Top of the World hike in Laguna Beach, which was beautiful, but we hadn't packed any water, went at noon, and we are in the middle of a serious heat-wave.  As a type this at nearly 11 PM I am sitting here baking alive.  Needless to say it was a little painful.

Hunter was acting strangely all afternoon, and after a cold shower- the pilot light was evidently NOT fixed, he had diarrhea all over the carpet.  Wonderful, puppy.  I felt badly for him, he was obviously unable to get comfortable, wasn't eating, and seemed pretty miserable.

He and I went and laid down in the bedroom while Sam supervised the replacement of a part on the water heater at 9 PM last night.  Woohoo!  Back to having hot water showers!

Then, this morning, Sam's car wouldn't start.  This has been an on-going issue in the evenings over the course of the last 8 days but now it is affecting my sleeping in!  Hunter and I went to drop off our surgeon at the hospital and then finished getting ready for the day.

This afternoon, Sam decided to get off early to try to take the car to be fixed at the dealership.  Lucky me, that meant that after running late to work, I had to leave at 4:30 to fight commute traffic and pick Sam up from the hospital.  We got the car to the dealership to find out they currently have no loaner vehicles.  What?!?  That sucks!  So now, I am getting up at 4:30 to take Sam to work and will be missing out on a KISS concert tomorrow night to pick him up.  Bummer.

To top it off, this evening I went to log in and take the quiz for my online class and it was closed.  So much for believing my classmate who told me that the deadlines didn't actually mean anything.  I put a call into my instructor and left her a voicemail explaining that I would like to take it online, or via email, if possible rather than take a zero score.  Even if I do take a zero I will end up with an 87% going into the final project.  Not a huge concern, but annoying all the same because I've only missed 20 points so far in the course.

C'est la vie.  I'm trying to roll with the punches and not get too bent out of shape!

Wedding Season 2012

I have T-minus 3 weeks until I am done with my marketing class... which is great because I have taken on more and more responsibilities at work.  I am so thankful to have amazing opportunities to grow professionally and be a part of the success at my company.  On top of work, I have a lot of fun weekends coming up.

In a few hours I will be hopping on a flight to SFO where I will join Carina and we'll meet our grandparents.  Nonna & Papa are taking us to dinner in the city before we head home for the big unveiling of the Santi "Kitchen" Remodel of 2012.  What started as a kitchen addition, turned into quite the home project- affecting our living room, dining room, guest bathroom, and hallway in addition to the kitchen addition. 

Tomorrow morning, Carina and I will head up to Lake Tahoe for a wedding.  Mom and Dad are arriving at the Hunter Lake House sometime early this afternoon with the Wards (who have kids my and Carina's age) to relax before college friend Dominic's daughter, Katie's, wedding tomorrow.  I haven't met her soon-to-be-husband yet, but I am really excited to do so.  Katie and Rick have been together since college, and I was not surprised when he proposed.

The Wards' son will be getting married next month, and I'll be heading home the second weekend in September to attend that.  Their son, Matt, is marrying a really wonderful girl, Whitney, who I was able to meet at the 49er games this fall.  Matt and I have kept in touch since high school through tailgating during football games.  I am really happy for he and Whitney, and really excited to celebrate their nuptials.

Bring up the end of the 2012 wedding season, Allison is getting married the first weekend in October.  I am so, so happy for her.  Allison was a huge role model for me in junior high school and high school when she paved the road for me into water polo.  She and her mom convinced my mom and I that I should get involved in the sport, she had me join her summer club team for the Junior Olympics, and she drove me to practice when I was a sophomore on the our High School Varsity Team. 

The only bummer about all these great trips is having to leave little Hunter Puppy at home.  Sam's got call tomorrow and won't be home until Sunday afternoon some time.  So I am leaving here shortly to drop Hunter off at our vet's office where he will be boarded until Sam comes home on Sunday.  This is Hunter's LONGEST stretch at the vet's office- we have boarded him overnight before, but never two nights in a row.  I am honestly a little nervous for him!  At least I can be an overbearing mom and call the vet to check in on him.  LOL.

Procrastination

I really didn't want to work this weekend.  I mean, I did mentally, but emotionally I was just not having any of it.  The whole marketing strategy I wanted to write up for work hardly even entered my mind.  Then there was my homework 3 chapters to re-read for a quiz, 2 assignments to write and submit, and a forum posting.  Oh joy.

Friday night, Sam was on-call overnight.  One would think that would have been a good time for me to buckle down and get after my school work.  Yes, yes it would have been.  Instead, Hunter and I watched Gladiator while I finished (finally) scrap-booking the second half of our epic Southeast Asia Vacation from May 2011.  It only took me a year to complete, but hey, at least it's done!  I didn't get to start on Sam's graduation photos because I ran out of rubber cement and I don't have any cute grad stickers to decorate the pages yet.

Saturday morning I meant to get up and hit the gym, then slept in until 10 AM istead.  Boy did that feel great.  I tried to talk myself into studying, but since Kevin was coming and possibly spending the night, I ended up cleaning the guest room so that it was ready for company after Ryan's stint as a 2 night a week roommate over the last month and a half.  Oops.  Then Hunter and I went to Puppy Class and rushed home to meet the Cable Guy... who was an hour late.  Luckily we did get to see Sam and Kevin while we waited for him to come and install our new cable.  And after that, we met up with some of Sam's fellow residents at a small BBQ- first time meeting them!  We came a little late to eat, and headed out to dinner after about an hour of socializing.  It was fun!

Today, I woke up at 8 and thought I should get a jump start on the homework I had put off.  Jackie was supposed to FaceTime me and catch me up on her wedding dress shopping adventures of Saturday.  Unfortunately, some mishaps occurred and she couldn't.  Really unfortunately, I got sucked into A Game of Thrones Season 2... there went 2 hours of my morning.  Then it was time to get to Hunter's private lesson with Kate, and when we were done I desperately needed to get my car washed- last weekend's crazy weather had made me postpone the chore, but it was LONG overdue and the rain only made things worse.  On our way home we had to stop at CVS and pick up a prescription, so what should have been an hour event (training) turned into a 3 hour journey.  Oops.  I was so happy to have TV that I turned on Harry Potter 7 as background entertainment while I read... except that I love that movie so much I kept getting distracted.  And then Kevin stopped by on his way out of town, and I ended up starting HP 8 to finish out the series.  By that point I had re-read the first two chapters and done one assignment and posted to the forum- yay!  I turned the channel to Ice Road Truckers, and managed to read the final chapter.  Woohoo!  Unfortunately the quiz was malfunctioning so I did my last assignment and decided to call it a night.   Please remind me not to procrastinate in the future- it really sucks.

Or so I thought.  I had been drinking iced tea (black chai) all afternoon to stay alert during my reading and now I am totally amped up.  Oops major.  I have done all of our laundry, reorganized Sam's t-shirt drawer which was overflowing until I hung up some of the shirts.  I decided to shower tonight rather than tomorrow morning, and I have now spent 25 minutes catching up on blogs I follow and writing this post.  Hunter has been dozing off and on since 8PM... he clearly wants to know what the heck we're doing up past 10 on a Sunday night.  Believe me, puppy, I am not happy about it either.

To make matters worse, it was REALLY hot in our bedroom and so I had to open the windows 100% and point the fan outside instead of letting it oscillate pointing inside.  The latter provides more white noise and (I am convinced) blocks out the sounds of the road and other dogs better, which helps Hunter sleep through the night.  Anyway, I better get off this thing and get to bed.

Last but not least: HAPPY 79th BIRTHDAY to PAPA SANTI!  I am incredibly blessed to have had two wonderful grandfathers, one of whom is still able to spoil me rotten.  Papa Santi is a wonderful man who would do anything to make his grandkids happy- Hunter and I made sure to give him a call and let him know we love him today.