The Happiest Place on Earth

My cousin Ali's birthday was January 8, and she wanted to celebrate with a day at Disneyland on the Saturday after her birthday. Her brother and his girlfriend were going to fly down from Santa Clara, and Ali asked me if I wanted to join them. Obviously, I said yes, and Sam and offered to let them stay with us for the weekend vacation rather than get a hotel.

I hadn't been to Disneyland in several years - I think my last visit was in December 2011 with my friend Michelle who was here from Texas. Consequently, several rides had undergone renovations since I'd been on them, and I can honestly say they were all better than before.

Big Thunder Mountain railroad is my all-time favorite ride. It's followed very closely by Space Mountain, the Matterhorn, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Within the last year, Big Thunder Mountain has undergone a complete refresh including replaced track, added visual and audio components and overall a higher degree of sensory overload. I don't think there was much of the structure of the ride that was actually changed, but there were significantly (in my opinion) more animatronic decorative aspects to view. In fact, in watching the video below, I realized there were a few things I missed or didn't fully appreciate during the ride.

Space Mountain is always great. The ride broke down briefly just before our Fast Pass time, but we waited for about ten minutes and it opened right up. I would say our total wait time in line was probably less than ten minutes, and most of that was us walking through the ropes to get to the actual line.

The Matterhorn was out of operation this weekend, which was a bit of a bummer. Although, with the wet, drizzly weather, it's unlikely that we'd have enjoyed sitting on damp seats and getting our butts cold and wet.

Pirates of the Caribbean was different from the last time I was on it in that they had toned down much of the movie's influence on the ride. For a while, Davy Jones was projected onto a smoke screen at the very beginning prior to the first drop. I'm very happy to report it's gone and guests are again greeted by the skull and crossbones giving its original message. Bravo to Disney for changing the ride back (mostly) to its original glory.

Ali, Brock and his girlfriend, Gabi, had never seen the Haunted Mansion when it's decorated for The Nightmare Before Christmas. They were really into the attention to detail and the great care taken by the imagineers to completely overhaul the ride. I told them we're lucky they could see it because the decorations go up in September and come down in January, taking the ride offline for several weeks each time.

One ride I was really impressed by was Radiator Springs Racers. Talk about some really talented design and engineering. Apparently the wait time for the ride can exceed four hours, but when we arrived it was just over 60 minutes and we opted to go in the Single Rider line which was less than a ten minute wait. Score! For those of you, like me, who haven't been on it yet, enjoy this awesome video:

The ride I disliked the most was California Screamin' and let me tell you, we rode it enough times for me to be sure. The first time, it was raining and the water was literally pelting me in the face. Ugh. The second time, the forces against my body caused my head to hurt and my stomach to become unsettled. The third time, I opted out and let the kids go instead. I have no interest in riding that again, certainly not when I'm feeling headache coming on from the outset.

We also rode the Tower of Terror, which I enjoyed more than I did the last time I was on it. Now, that's not really saying much because last time I refused to ride it more than once. This time, I was a little more prepared for the general plan, but still, it wasn't my cup of tea. I don't like being so disoriented with the pitch black and the falling, rising and quickly falling again. It really unsettles my stomach.

All in all, it was a great weekend trip to The Happiest Place on Earth, especially given that the weather was a little less than ideal and that kept the lines shorter than they could have been. We definitely enjoyed ourselves and Ali said it was a great way to spend her birthday.

Boys Trip

Sam called me on Monday and told me he was taking off on a six-day trip with friends.  I had known that he had a week off and was planning on trying to coordinate something last minute, but I did expect more notice that I was given.

I also expected that he'd accomplish more than 1.5 of the chores I left for him before heading to work.  C'est la vie.

I don't want anyone to think that I'm a tyrant, I actually really encourage Sam to take trips with his friends and leave me home.  My dad has an annual fishing trip, which has evolved a bit over the years and now is a bit less about roughing it and more about relaxing and being man-pampered.  But still, I remember how much my dad looked forward to those escapes... and how excited he was when he got home.  Absence really does make the heart grow fonder sometimes.

This week I've realized that I am overjoyed to be marrying my best friend in the whole world.  He encourages me to push my limits professionally and personally while supporting me and making sure I know what a great person I am.  He's the first person I want to talk to, and maybe more importantly, he's the person I was to sit quietly with in bed reading books or on the couch watching a movie.

I'm looking forward to picking Sam up from the airport on Saturday.  Especially since he's leaving again next Thursday - Saturday and then again the second week of June for work functions.  Good thing he's marrying an independent woman!  And, once again, I'm thankful for our long-distance days in college.

49er Faithful Headed 'Home'

Tonight, Sam and I are flying up to San Francisco to spend what we hope will be a beautiful fall weekend in Northern California.  It will be our first trip home since we got engaged in August, and the first time I've seen my Dad and sister, Carina.  As you can imagine, I am really looking forward to being back in my hometown.  

While we're home, we're going to be celebrating Carina passing her nursing examination and being able to look for a job.  She is the first nurse in our family, so obviously we're all overjoyed and incredibly proud of her.  In fact, she's been home since last weekend so Sam and I will be a bit late to her party, but it will be really good to spend time as a family all the same.

While Carina's accomplishment deserves a good deal of attention, we originally planned this vacation so that we could make it home for the 49er game on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.  

Since it's the last season at Candlestick, Sam and I are making an effort to make it up for as many games as we can - which is looking like two so far.  Unfortunately, we're pretty limited in nights that the flight schedule and game schedule line up for us.  

Focusing on the positives, though, we're bringing Jackie and Joe to the game.  I am really excited to see them both and get to share something that means so much to me with a couple that Sam and I are looking forward to sharing lots of future milestones with.  Plus, Carina and Jackie will get a chance to meet again and hopefully bond a little bit over my bachelorette party planning.  Dad is awesome and he's going to sit with the McHones so that Mom, Carina, Sam, Jackie, Joe and I can sit in Papa's seats.  

It will also be really fun to see the whole Tailgate Crew.  Sam has been getting ribbed for years about not proposing to me, so I'm excited to show off my beautiful engagement ring and let him get all the credit.  

In addition to the McHones and Tailgate Crew, we'll get to see Matt, Kelly and Mike Ward along with Chris and Whitney (I hope).  That will be really fun because in addition to celebrating our engagement, Whit and Matt announced that they're expecting their first baby in April 2014 - so we have a LOT to be cheerful and excited about.  I am planning on bringing a couple bottles of champagne to pop in the parking lot. 

View from Papa's seats Jan 12, 2013 (San Francisco v. Green Bay)

Goleta Lemon Festival 2013

Tomorrow after work we're heading up to Santa Barbara to see some old friends and finally check out Kevin and Dylan's new house... we're only about a year late to the show on that one.  C'est la vie!

It will be fun to not have to worry about booking a DJ or officiant or ordering invitations for a weekend.  Wow, it's funny how much time and energy wedding planning takes.

While we're in town, Cortney got us passes into the Goleta Lemon Festival.  It should be interesting to check out the madness that I am sure will ensue with lemon-flavored beer and lemon-flavored foods.  I am looking forward to some lemon pie, myself.

We're also going to get to meet Conan, Kevin's puppy.  We're hoping that he and Hunter become BFFs so that all our future camping trips can include some doggy fun.  Conan will be a bigger guy than Hunter so it will be interesting to see how they get along - Hunter mostly gets to interact with dogs who are around the same size as he is.

My grandparents will be in town for Ali's home opener volleyball game this weekend, too.  So Sam and I are going to meet them for breakfast on Sunday morning and then drive back to Orange County in time for Sam's soccer game.  Nonna and Papa haven't gotten to see us since we got engaged, so I'm very excited to show off my beautiful ring (and give Sam lots of credit for designing it) and celebrate with them.

Ahhhhh I wish it were Friday afternoon already!

Margaux's Bachelorette Weekend

I have been getting over a cold for the last two weeks and here I sit on the eve of a major girls weekend extravaganza in Santa Barbara.

Miss Margaux is getting married next month and she invited me to join she and her girlfriends for a bachelorette weekend, which is a real honor.  I have come to think of Margaux as part of my own family and the other longstanding girlfriend in Sam's family to share in the limo between being a part of the family du jure and being part of the family de facto.

Margaux is far more patient that I am, she waited 17 years for Pete to propose to her.

In charge of our weekend festivities is one of Margaux's dearest friends whom I enjoy immensely- Ingrid.  She is a UCSB graduate along with her husband, Sam, so I know we're going to do be in great hands.  It will also be interesting to see a mature bachelorette party, since I think this is more in line with how I'd like to celebrate next year.

It should be a great weekend, especially since it will be a long weekend vacation.  We're all taking tomorrow off to travel up in the morning and hanging out by the pool in the afternoon.  I just hope I can keep up with these ladies and not relapse with my head cold.

I also can't wait to get back home on Sunday and see Sam!  He gets back from Thailand on Saturday night and will get a warm welcome from Hunter before being on call on Sunday.  Hopefully it will be a quiet night and he'll be able to spend some time at home after I get here.

10-Year High School Reunion

Tomorrow Sam and I on our way to the airport and flying up to NorCal for our 10-year high school reunion.  We're making a vacation weekend out of the whole trip and will be staying at my grandparents' time share in San Francisco for the weekend.  

I was supposed to be "helping out" with the planning after one of the two girls who planned our 5-year couldn't reprise her role.  The remaining girl said she couldn't do this alone and so I offered to assist her.  

Then said girl got pregnant- congrats to she and her hubby and their young son on the new addition!  So she asked me if I would please step up and be the lead planner in case, like with her first pregnancy, she delivered a few weeks earlier than her due date.  

Anyway, it turns out that planning a reunion is not so hard in that Facebook is amazing and the other two girls had already created a group for our classmates.  On the other hand, prepping for a huge event like this does take time and energy.  I definitely am going to have a sign-up sheet at the registration table for people to volunteer to help out with our next one.

What did I do?  I filed for an EIN number so that, at some point, I could easily pass the accounting on to another group of people.  I still need to file a "Fictitious Business Name" with my home county and then run it in a newspaper for a couple of weeks.  But I will worry about that after this weekend is over.

Right now I am focused on throwing a fun party for about 90 people at a Mexican place in San Francisco where we're hosting a taco bar with the funds we raised through ticket sales and also making a cash bar available to patrons.  It will (hopefully) be really, really fun.  

I can't wait to catch up with some of the classmates I haven't seen since I moved down to SoCal after college.  I am even more excited to see the friends I haven't seen in the last 18 months.  I just hope I'm not so exhausted (mental and emotionally) from the stress of planning that I crash and burn with a cold when it's all over. 

And while I am potentially excited to do this again, I am not sure if we really need 5-year intervals for our reunions... I am going to poll the class next week and see if people a) liked the reunion and b) how often they would like to do them again.  Truthfully, this was actually Liz's idea.  She is going to help me planning the next one, so it's a bit of a passing of the torch situation.  

Father's Day Plans

Sam and I are headed up to Northern California this weekend.  We were originally going to attend our 10-year high school reunion, which I am co-planning with another of my classmates, but Sam got tickets to see Dispatch with his parents and Sam's cousin planned herself a graduation party.

Now I'll be attending our reunion solo- oh goody.  I am so thankful that I have a couple of good friends who will be there because I am a little bit intimidated at the idea of going alone!

I probably shouldn't complain though, because Hunter will be here with our dog sitter, Linzy.  And I know that he'd prefer to be with us.

Along with our reunion, I am really excited to see my parents and spend some family time with them.  On Father's Day my parents and grandparents are coming into the city, Sam and I are staying in San Francisco at my grandparent's timeshare at the Donatello.  We're going to brunch to celebrate Father's Day.  I love my Daddy, he's definitely been very influential in making me the woman I am today and I am incredibly thankful.

So Much for Rest

Of course, my wonderful & amazing boyfriend has this week off and it's going to be absolutely hell for me...

Why does it have to work out that way???  I had wanted to take a day or two off and spend some quality time with him but that's not going to happen!

My boss's brother arrives today from NYC and he'll be videoing some client testimonials and videos for around our office over the next four days.  

OMG shoot me.  I still haven't even recovered from Jackie's wedding!  I would have loved to relax with Sam and Hunter, spend some quality time as a family and catch up on my reading that has completely gotten out of control.  Sam only gets 4 weeks off as a second year resident and I am going to be irritated for a while that one of his  rare weeks off was spent home with no plans and it fell on a week that was hellacious at work.

Calendaring

It's amazing how quickly my calendar fills up... It's not even May yet and my weekends are already booked through June.  I do not say that to brag, believe me.  I would welcome a weekend of NOTHING.  No traveling.  No socializing.  No hosting.

Sam loves to go big on his Golden Weekends despite my desire to veg on the couch and recoup from the craziness.  Oh well!  Until the time when Sam has more free time I will be living and dying by my calendar.  

Ski Trip Recap

Sam, Hunter and I are back from our week long ski vacation.  Man, what did we come back for?

We drove up Sunday, spent a few hours with Sam's parents for dinner, and then headed to bed early.  I went home to my parents' house with Hunter and he was SO much better than he was when we went home in December.  He slept through the night, didn't scratch at the door every 15 minutes, and didn't keep me up.  THANK YOU, HUNTER!

Monday we all enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and then we headed up to Northstar.  Man was it cold!  But there was NO snow.  

Thankfully, we took it easy on Tuesday and enjoyed several flurries of snow throughout the day and night.  Wednesday we had a pretty substantial dusting of powder for our skiing pleasure.  To our surprise, it snowed again on Wednesday night and the skiing was even better Thursday that it was the day before!

We ate at Tavern 6330 (not impressed) and Manzanita up at the Ritz Carlton (okay, Sam's dish was world's better than mine) but our best meal was probably the ravioli and salad we made on Monday upon our arrival.  

Friday we drove home and stopped in to visit my grandparents.  Papa, the daredevil, fell off a ladder on our anniversary and has been recovering from a fractured skull and some compression fractures on his spine.  How the man is up and walking around escapes me!  Sam came over for dinner that night and Mom made her signature pizzas.  Mmmmm.

Saturday I got to visit the O'Briens and hear all about their wedding planning and advice.  Then I ran some errands for our class reunion ad went shopping with Mom.  Dad hasn't been feeling so great so she and I went to dinner by ourselves that evening which was actually really nice.  Hunter spent most of the day with Dad and Max.  After dinner, we all settled in to watch the finale of Downton Abbey which Mom and Dad missed the weekend before.  Such a fun and relaxing way to cap off the week.

Sunday we drove back to SoCal and restocked the fridge, unpacked and generally got our lives in order.  Tonight Sam is on call and I am trying to prepare for my business trip on Wednesday (overnight to Vegas).  I have an early morning meeting at work, so I prepped our favorite chili and have everything set to go in the crockpot stoneware in the fridge so all I have to do tomorrow morning is pop it into the crockpot base and turn it all on.  Yippee for amazing and delicious meals made easy!

I managed to get the car washed tonight after work in addition to washing a load of laundry and running a load of dishes.  Tomorrow I need to get gas for my car, pick up more coffee beans (whole) from Peet's Coffee and buy some more kitchen trash bags.  My work is never done!

Washing Machine

The washing machine got fixed today!  Or at least I hope it did, I am running it right now as a test with the heavy blanket that I only halfway washed on Sunday night.  Of course, little Hunter had to go to the vet today so that our maintenance crew could come in and take care of it.  Even if management DID know about Hunter I wouldn't put him through the experience of being stuck in his crate while a stranger ran around the house.  He would probably still go to spend the day in a daycare situation.  :-)

And we're another day closer to our vacation in Northern California!  I can't wait to be home to see family and friends!

Here we go...

So I'm sitting at the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, waiting for my flight to Oakland to board.  It would seem my Super Bowl 47 NOLA weekend is underway!  I am here over an hour early, per usual, because that's how I roll.  Gotta love flight-induced anxiety... I am always worried I will miss my plane!

I worked from home this afternoon so I could soak up every last minute with Hunter Puppy before I left tonight.  We cuddled, he napped, we took a couple walks.  He was so bummed when my suitcase came out last night, and today he tried to lay in it while I was packing.  It was like he wanted to come too.

I said goodbye to Hunter about 45 minutes ago, and left him in his crate, which is when the guilt set in.  Our new pet sitter (recommended by dear friends who love their pets as much as we love Hunter) should be arriving in about an hour give or take to spend the night with him.

I am so worried he will be restless and up all night because everything is so unfamiliar.  I am worried he will bark or scratch at the door and keep her up.  I am probably over-thinking everything because she as assured me several times after meeting Hunter that while I may be convinced I own a little terror, he is really a sweetheart.  And she's really good about texting and checking in and letting me know how he is doing so that I don't have to suffer through 'not knowing'.

But it's Sam's Golden Weekend.  I feel like I should be spending my time with the boys and not going off on this amazing trip.  It feels horrible to leave them behind!

Hopefully once I land in Oakland and get some food I will feel better.  Good God I am so hungry!  I told Dad I would like to grab dinner with he and Mom since I am flying during the dinner hour, but that might have been a mistake.  Or I should have at least had some kind of snack before I left.  But again, I was maximizing my time with my puppy.

Mom and Dad are really jazzed, and I am sure I will feed off their energy.  Dad keeps telling us that this is "going to be an adventure" and we're going to have to roll with the punches because it's unlikely we'll have an uneventful experience.  But that is exactly what this will be, an experience.

Papa called me a two nights ago to ask if I was excited yet and I told him it still hadn't sunken in.  He promised me that this will be something I remember for the rest of my life- my first Super Bowl.  Just like my Dad and Uncle Mark had their first Super Bowl experience with Papa.

Tomorrow our charted Southwest plane takes off from Oakland at 9 AM and we land in NOLA around noon PST.  I can't even imagine how that is going to be- a 4 hour flight with a bunch of Super Bowl 47 bound 49er faithful on the quest for six and to extend our title as team with the longest winning streak at the Super Bowl.  It could be the beginning of a very alcoholic weekend.  I wish Carina were coming with us, but she flies in from Denver on Saturday because she has class tomorrow she can't skip.

I will leave you with the packing advice Dad gave me last night: #1 Bring every piece of 49er gear you own.  #2 Pack lots of hangover remedies.  Check, and check, Dad.  I am as ready as I will ever be.  And I am vaguely aware that this is going to be something unlike anything I have seen before.  Something I cannot even imagine (which is saying a lot for me).  And like all great adventures seem to start out on page one:

So it begins...

Too Good To Be True

Our tickets arrived yesterday...

...It's almost too good to be true!!!

People keep asking if I'm getting excited yet, and honestly, I have been so busy working on projects that I want to finish before I leave work on Thursday and trying to organize Hunter's schedule while I am gone that I have hardly had time to think about the weekend ahead.  It feels like weeks ago that Mom texted me we were going to the Super Bowl- and that was just a week ago!

We were referred a dog-sitter by the Grant family, who have been our go-to friends for all things puppy since before we even brought Hunter home.  They really recommended Linzy's company Passionate4Pets, and I know she stays over at their home when they're gone.  

Best laid plans went awry when Sam and I realized we are BOTH gone Thursday night.  Luckily Linzy was free and she came to the rescue- we are now the proud (?) employers of a dog-sitter.  I am sure Sam is still wrapping his head around it, but I am sure that Hunter will be better behaved for Sam.  

Say What?

I woke up to this text this morning... which is possibly the best text I have ever woke up to in my life...

Pinch me, I might still be dreaming!

Bachelorette Party 101

Breaking News: I get to plan Jackie's bachelorette party!  I am so excited!

This is my first ever bachelorette party because I missed Molly's when she got married a few years ago. Jackie and I decided the best thing to do is to have the party in Tahoe so we can use the Santi family condo at Northstar to save everyone money.  Unfortunately, we are having it the weekend of April 20-21 and the resort will be shut down that weekend.  It looks like we may need to go all the way to Jason's for dinner Saturday night... but that's ok.  :-)

I've got the invitations ordered and I am waiting for the proof to approve printing.  Heidi is planning the Bridal Shower for 2 weeks ahead of the Bachelorette and I don't really want to step on her toes and send out my invites before she sends out hers... but I am asking for RSVPs back one month ahead of the Bachelorette so we can get the transportation, goodies, and refreshments figured out ahead of time.  That means I should probably send them out the first weekend of March so that people have between 2-3 weeks until the RSVP deadline.

It's going to be fun to be a bridesmaid again, even if I am a little nervous about the logistics being gone for the Shower, Bachelorette, and Wedding (kicking off my 2013 wedding season) every other weekend starting the first weekend in April.  I hope Sam is off at least one of the weekends I have bridesmaid stuff going on because otherwise Hunter is going to have to spend a lot of time with Dr. Kali and his amazing vet staff.  Not that I have a problem with that, but it does get a bit expensive!

SF v GB Jan 12

So we all flew home for what could prove to be the last Playoff Game at Candlestick Park since next season is the last one before the new 49er stadium opens.  

Sam and I came up from Orange County before the game and Papa picked us up on the way to the stadium with Dad, Carina (in from CO), Ali (from SB), Mark and Brock (from HI).  It was our first game all together- Papa, his sons and all four grandkids.  What a time we had!

Matt & his wife, Sam & I... the next generation of the Ward-Santi Family

Brent came in from Arizona for the game, we ran into him at the airport the next day

Santi Family at the Tailgate

At our seats

Happy Belated Birthday to Ali

Belated Christmas Update

7 Rib Prime Rib = 15 pounds
(Twice as much food as 5 people need)

The whole family, Christmas Dinner 2012

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!

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...

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!