Real "Housewife" of Orange County

This morning, I finished the last of the things on my To-Do-Before-Work-Starts-Again list.  (Passport renewal, returning the keys to our old apartment, and buying new running shoes.) Now I'm sitting here contemplating a (potential) future career in marketing and trying to figure out how I can make my job more than a daily to-do list of items needing crossed off.  

I think today is the first time since I resigned in April that I feel weird about not having a job.  Maybe that was because I was at the mall in the middle of the day on Thursday, or because I finally had a few minutes to myself where I wasn't running around trying to do errands.  Until now it felt like Sam and I were on our final summer break, but last night he told me he saved a patient's life and that got me thinking.  

What did I do yesterday?  I picked up the photos from our vacation that I ordered, took them to Aaron Brothers, had them matted and framed, came home, and hung them all.  I bought Sam insoles and cut them to fit his work shoes.  I did laundry and washed the dishes.  I worked on some hotels for my trip out to Chicago next week.  Yes, these are important things, they certainly were time consuming, and I definitely felt accomplished when I crossed them off my to-do list... but I think I am ready to tackle a new challenge in life.  

If nothing else, in the last 10 days I learned that if I am going to run around all day I want to get a paycheck for it!

Internet & Cable TV

So we're finally up and running... the cable guy came today and set up the cable TV and the internet.  So here are some photos of the last couple of days since our move in:

Sam's last margarita as a freeman, the day before he started orientation for residency.

Dr. Galle all dressed up and ready for orientation, day one.

Nap time after orientation, day two.  Matt, Emily, and Ethan were coming over for dinner so he needed a little extra rest. 

Gianna and Ethan cuddling in the arm chair.

Sam's last day of orientation is tomorrow, and his first day of work will be Saturday.  I can't believe we're already here!  I've got almost almost all the unpacking done, I just need to finish hanging some photos and our beautiful wood carving from bali before I call it quits.  We are changing out several photos in existing frames as well as fixing a few photos that lacked brackets.  I really want to hang this beautiful plate from Italy that Sue gave me, but I need to locate the display hardware before I can do so.

I think Sam and I are really excited about the way the place is coming together.  There are two boxes of miscellaneous stuff that I need to go through as well.  And there is ONE last trip to me made back to PV to finish cleaning out our old apartment.  I will be so happy when we're completely out of there and I can relax and focus on getting back to work!

Packing

I hate packing.  I hate unpacking.  I hate moving.  I would love to throw mostly everything away and buy new stuff so that I don't have to deal with the whole mess.  Sam and I get the keys to our new apartment tomorrow at noon and my parents are on their way down with my mom's antique china cabinet and her dining room table that I am inheriting.  Thank goodness!  It's been a challenging finding ways to have 12+ people for dinner when our table accommodates 6 at best and we mostly have people eat on our couches and the floor.  Something tells me Sam's co-residents won't be thrilled if I invite them over to eat dinner on the floor.  

We've mostly got the bathroom and our bedroom under control, except for a few miscellaneous items- by the way it's the miscellaneous stuff I hate the most.  There is no good place for it to be packed!  The living room is looking good except for our fragile decorative items and our electronics.  Right now, Sam is going through his desk and all the medical school paperwork he's saved over the last four years.  Then he'll have to do the guest room closet which has a lot of his things he's had since high school (a stereo, his rollerblades, etc.).  When he's finally done with that room I will get to go through my desk and pack away our printer into it's original box so that it can be moved Monday. 

We haven't touched the kitchen yet.  I still have the original boxes for our coffee machine and our crockpot, but I am dreading going through all the pots and pans, wrapping the dishes and glasses, and packing everything neatly so that it doesn't get destroyed.  

Ugh!  I am overwhelmed by the enormity of the project!  The lesson learned here is clearly that while I thought we got rid of a lot of extra stuff last year when we downsized from our beautiful Baypointe apartment into graduate housing, we still have a lot of fat to trim.  I'm actually going through the things in my desk drawers and my bedside table this time around.  If I haven't used it, it's going.  If I don't have an immediate use for it, it's out.  

On that note, I should probably get back to it.  

Moraga

WE GOT THE APARTMENT TODAY!  Not the one that was out of our budget, a different floor plan in the same complex.  It's a third floor, 2 bed/2 bath unit with a balcony- book your vacations and come see us folks!  My parents are driving down on Saturday with the china cabinet and dining table my mom is giving me, and they will hopefully help us pack up and at least get the kitchen moved in when we get the keys on Sunday.  The movers come on Monday, June 20th, which will be a big help since we're going back to a third floor location.  I am so happy!

I should back up and mention that Sam and I are home in NorCal visiting our parents this week and my folks don't have wifi so I'm not blogging very much.  So far, it's been a whirlwind trip, and I have been panicking about whether we'd get the apartment or not (my unemployment made things interesting and far more complicated than I expected) and also whether we could get settled in before Sam's first day of orientation on the 22nd.

We came up late on Wednesday and went wake boarding on Thursday- I finally got the hang of it enough to stand up!  I had dinner with my dear friend Jackie on Thursday night up in Sacramento at her boyfriend's condo- Thanks Joe!  It was so nice to hang out with Jackie in a non-picnic day atmosphere where we were both relaxed and calm and able to enjoy eachother's company.  I wish Heidi and Marlena had been there, but I'm looking forward to seeing them (hopefully) soon.  Jackie and I booked flights to Chicago to see Marlena in July since her skit will be performed by Second City, the comidy writing group she's been working with.  I'd love to go up to Ferndale and see where Heidi's been living this summer, but we'll see how that works out.  Maybe I can tag along on one of Jackie's trips once Sam's schedule gets figured out.

Friday I I cleaned out my room for my mom. It was a real walk down memory lane to clean out my desk from high school and go through the poems and short stories I have written over the last 10 years. Thankfully my writing has improved, I may have to go back and rewrite a few of them and see if they are good enough to be published... we'll see. I also celebrated Lindsay's 25th birthday with her brother, sister-in-law, and cousin.  It was very fun to meet the family memebers I have been hearing so much about, and I feel as if I have known them for years.  After dinner, I headed over to Lorin's house to see he, Troy, Jimmy, Dan, and Mike.  It was GREAT to catch up with the old crew since I haven't seen them since Christmas '10 when I was last home for the holidays.

Saturday, my mom took me shopping (Thanks Mom!) for some new clothes.  I guess she was pretty impressed by the work I did cleaning out my room.  We found some very cute new stuff, and then I headed out to the Dispatch concert with Sam and his family and some of our friends from med school.  They were awesome!  I recorded a great version of The General when they played it, and I sent it to everyone who was there with us.  Hopefully we'll all think back to that night when we listen to it down the road.

Sunday was Dan and Tina's engagement party which also turned into a huge farewell party for Sam's classmates.  Kirellos leaves for Rhode Island tonight, Dan and Tina move into their house in Sacramento tomorrow, and Thuy and Jackie are already living in San Francisco.  It's really the end of an era here.  Sam and I went into the city to have dinner with my family (my cousin Brock was here from Hawaii) and Papa ordered something other than gnocchi for the second time in my life. 

This morning, I went down to the Soda Center, our community pool at my former high school, with my fellow Campolindo Water Polo Alum, Lorin.  He and I swam for a bit and then I saw Lindsay's mom doing some conditioning with the Mom's Polo team.  They were kind enough to let us crash in their pool space so Lorin and I got to work on our passing and a little 2m positioning.  It was really neat to be back in my 'home' pool with him since I have SO many memories of being there in high school.  The mom's invited me back to join them on Wednesday morning so I'm looking forward to checking that out.

This afternoon my Aunt Anne came down from Calaveras County to visit with me.  We had a great chat and were able to catch up.  I don't think I'd seen her since the memorial for Papa Hunter back in August of 2010 when the whole family got together in Tahoe.  I have a lot of personality similarities with her- we can both talk for HOURS. 

Tonight, Sam and I are meeting up with Mike and Liz for dinner in Lafayette.  I think the last time I saw them was fall of 2009 when they were on their way to the Stone Brewery in San Diego and we had them crash at my apartment on their way down.  It will be good to see them and hear how things have been.

Dr. Galle

It has been a very busy week!  Sam and I arrived at LAX last Tuesday night after a very long flight home.  Pete and Margaux were there to pick us up as we came through customs, and Margaux had made an amazing meatloaf with sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese- it was unreal!  Meatloaf sandwiches were just the American food to come home to, hands down.  The following morning, Sam and I woke up to find a wonderful spread of baked goods, fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, coffee and fruit juice.  It was like we were still on vacation!

Wednesday and Thursday we pulled together some semblance of normalcy before our parents and Sam's friends and relatives arrived for his graduation on Friday.  The weekend was a blur!  

Sam getting ready to be hooded, our friends Anna and Brian were reading the graduates' names

Pete & Margaux

It's so hard for me to believe that Sam is actually a licensed medical doctor- and that so many of our friends are as well.  The graduation ceremony was really well done, with a great speaker and white doves, and all-in-all it wasn't as long as I was afraid it might be.  The ceremony was followed by champagne and appetizers provided for the graduates and their guests by the school of medicine.  It was a great opportunity for us to see many of our friends whom we hadn't seen since we returned to the states. 

Santis & Galles

Sam and I also got to spend time with our parents who have been both financially and emotionally supportive of us during the last four years.  My parents did a great job holding their own among all of Sam's extended relatives and I was really happy to see them fitting into the greater Celniker clan.  

Tina & I, the significant other's club

After the ceremony, Sam's parents hosted a beautifully catered lunch at The Cannery of the Pacific in Newport Beach.  The food was outstanding, the champagne bubbling, and the company was impecable.  Obviously, we would have liked to have had more of Sam's classmates with us, but many of them were celebrating their own graduations with their families.  

After lunch we relaxed for a few hours before meeting up with the greater medical school class to head out to the Newport Beach Peninsula for one last hurrah.  It was pretty epic!

Sam and I have been hunting for an apartment the last two days, and I hope we've decided to rent one that I really liked in Irvine.  We'll have to see what Sam says.  Tomorrow we are driving up to Northern California to see our families and spend time with friends.  Our dear friend Dr. Zamary (it hasn't gotten old for me yet) is taking us boating on Thursday in the delta and I am meeting my college roommate Jackie for dinner afterwards.  Friday is Lindsay's birthday- the big 2-5 and we're BBQing at her house with her brother, sister-in-law, and cousin.  And then Saturday is the Dispatch concert Sam wanted to go to, and Sunday is Dan and Tina's engagement party.  Its amazing to me how much we have planned for 1 week at home!  I'm hoping to do some cleaning out of my room at my parents house and then once I'm in the spirit I will have to come back to Irvine and seriously purge our crap from our apartment. The joys of moving- I really hope we can stick it out in the next place for more than just 12 months!

In Transit

Dear Mom,

Sam and I have decided not to come back to the US.  We really like living abroad and I have decided to take my entire life savings and live here for as long as possible.  You and Dad should come visit sometime this summer!  

xoxoxo

Gi

Just kidding!  Sam and I will be en route to LAX from Hong Kong when this post publishes to the blog.  

Things I am looking forward to upon our return to the US:

1. Sleeping in my own bed
2. NOT washing our laundry by hand in the sink
3. Cooking for myself rather than eating out for every meal
4. Sam getting a haircut
5. Seeing (and hearing the voices of) all the friends and family I’m missing
6. A manicure/pedicure (my nails are horrendous)
7. A haircut for myself
8. Wearing something other than the 8 shirts, 3 pairs of shorts, and 2 pairs of pants I packed back in April
9. No crazy tropical bugs thus no monster bug bites
10. Sam's graduation from medical school!

Babi Guling

Tonight, on our last night of vacation, Sam and I wrote this post together over our last bottle of Leo beer after listening to some live music.

When Sam and I were getting ready to leave on our epic vacation our good friend and food enthusiast wrote us out a list of foods to try in Thailand and Indonesia.  Each list was tucked into its respective Lonely Planet guidebook and came along with us everywhere we traveled. 

On the Indonesia list was ‘babi guling’, roasted pig, and our friend explained that he had always wanted to try this dish but hadn’t been able to yet. Sam had been marinating the idea of throwing one last giant beach BBQ the Thursday before graduation (June 2^nd) and suddenly babi guling sounded like a gift from God himself.  The plan was to find a place that would teach us how to cook it, but babi guling is a process that requires more time than any of the cooking classes allot for.  A whole pig is stuffed with chili, turmeric, ginger, galangal, shallots, garlic, coriander seeds, bay leaves, etc., is basted with turmeric an and coconut oil, and then skewered over an open fire where it is roasted. So we opted to just find a place to sit down and enjoy the dish.

Our guidebook mentioned a place in Ubud, Ibu Oka Warung, as THE place to order babi guling if you are anywhere in the area.  So I checked out the map and noticed it’s right around the corner from where we’re staying.  Awesome, right?  I consult Lonely Planet, and follow the map of Ubud but there’s nobody there. As we walk away, I notice the sign says Oka Warung which I feel confidently is the new and possibly improved listed place in Lonely Planet, Ibu Oka Warung. Perhaps it had sold out and was closed?  We decided to come back again another day and express our interest, as usually you need to order a day ahead.

Yesterday Sam and I took a long hike and hit up the best fried duck in Ubud, and on our way back to our hotel we stopped by this babi guling place again.  On our way up the hill Sam asks me if I’m sure this is the right restaurant, and I tell him if he doesn’t trust me, he is more than welcome to look at the map.  Ever the glorious boyfriend, he trusts me and when we arrive at the restaurant, the owner tells us they don’t cook babi guling at the restaurant but her brother cooks it and brings it in when people order it.  Of course, she would be happy to cook for us and serve lunch the following day at 1pm so long as we put down a deposit.  As we walk away I tell Sam that I have a bit of a funny feeling about the whole situation which I neglected mention before, but we’ve already paid so we figure we’ll roll the dice and see what happens.

So Sam and I were anxiously awaiting lunch today as we did some last minute shopping and bought our long-coveted large salad bowl.  We walked up to the restaurant and Sam was killing time looking in the guide book while they prepared our dishes.  He suddenly looks up, grinning and puts the book away.  What?  I ask him.  Nothing, nothing, I’ll tell you later.  Fear grips me, there must be something wrong with our food.  Sam noticed some horrible thing and he won’t tell me otherwise I won’t eat.  I am petrified and tell him so.  He immediately promises me there is NOTHING wrong with the food, and I ask him to type out the situation on the ipod and pass it to me.  He takes a moment and hands me his ipod.  “The restaurant in the book is one street over. And we came in here demanded a dish that may or may not even be on the menu.” This suddenly made sense as to why the owner mentioned that her brother makes the dish and she would bring it in. No wonder the name was slightly different in the book and on the sign.  It turns out I misread the map and turned up one street too soon.  No wonder this place is empty all the time.  I did make sure that babi guling was on the menu so we were not some horrible American tourists demanding food that was not really served there.

We giggle. Then eat some amazing roasted pork and have a fabulous meal of it.

If you are wondering about the greatest babi guling restaurant in Ubud, we walked down the street, hung a left, and then another left.  There was a HUGE sign with a roasting pig on it and people lined up in droves out into the street waiting for tables.  They were carving slabs of pig and serving it with rice.  Epic Fail Gianna! And so we are heading there for lunch tomorrow before we get on the plane. Winning?