The State of Me

It seemed time for a life update. There have been so many changes so far this year, and yet I'm still not achieving all that I hoped I would. (Disclaimer, I may be a bit of an overachiever.)

I can't believe that Top Shelf Digital & Social Media Marketing has become a reality. I've been dreaming of this for nearly two years, and yet it took the perfect storm of circumstances for everything to fall into place.

Sam's getting ready to decide where he'd like to match for his orthopedic hand fellowship, and his final interview (at UC Davis) takes place next week. We'll know where we're heading next at the end of May 2015 and we'll make the transition in July 2016.

There is a lot of travel on the horizon. Much more than in years past. Sam and I are headed to Italy in May to celebrate the wedding of two very dear friends of ours. A few weeks later, I'm visiting France and Spain for the first time with my parents and sister.

We have some BIG weddings to look forward in upcoming months as well. Ryan and Jen will tie the knot in May followed by Kip and Elya (in Italy), then Ryan and Amanda are getting hitched in June, Nathan and Jasmin in August, and finally Lorin and Kathryn in September.

We are salt-n-peppering some family time in between these exciting events - my family will be here at the end of this month and Sam's parents are treating us to a weekend staycation in Laguna Beach next month.

Dr. and Mrs. Wolson

Our last wedding of the 2013 wedding season was this past weekend.  To sum it up, Elton John may have said it best: "Can you feel the love tonight?  It is where we are."  This weekend was so full of love that it was palpable.  

The weekend started off with a little time at the pool with Sam's family.  It was nice because I had the opportunity to tell Lisa and George how much it means to me and how honored I am to wear their mother's diamond in my engagement ring.  

Sam and I were also able to show his parents some of the wedding planning we've been doing over the last several months.  It was neat too because our tastes are similar to Pete and Margaux's and we were able to see some of the same themes from our plans at their wedding on Sunday.  Rich and Sue helped us pick out our Save the Dates too!  I made a bunch of mockups for Sam to check out last week and he picked the two he liked the best for them to decide between.  

We met up with all of the out of town guests and local friends who were staying at the hotel for drinks at the hotel bar on Saturday night.  While everyone was mingling it gave me a chance to talk to Leo about it and thank him for picking out such a beautiful diamond.  I told him that I love him and I will always think of him when I look down, and he told me that he loves me too.  It was a really bittersweet moment because it's so evident how much he's aged in the 10 years Sam and I have been together, and he's really starting to show his mortality.  I guess that it reminds me a lot of Papa Hunter and Papa Santi too, which can be a little hard to think about.

The Celniker/Marcus family kept the party going with dinner at Red O.  Here's my Instagram pic from dinner, we were sitting on the patio watching the sunset and enjoying some yummy food and delicious beverages but most importantly fabulous company.  It was nice finally meeting Pete's relatives (who are also related to Sue, Lisa and George) from the East Coast.  We also had a great time catching up with Sam's cousins.  We don't get to see Dan, Sean and Mikaela often enough and rarely all together.  I get to chat with Mikaela on the phone every so often, and I keep up with Dan a little bit online when he posts interesting articles, but I really only get to catch up with Sean when we're in person and we don't get to see him very often.  

On Sunday, I spent a few hours with Miss Margaux in her suite with the ladies from her bachelorette party and we had a great time watching her get her hair and makeup done.  It was really, really fun to see all the girls again and the vibe in the room was awesome.  Margaux seemed totally calm and relaxed, all the girls were so happy to be there with her and it was just the nicest afternoon.  

Plus, the Niners won!

At about 3pm I headed down to Sue's hotel room where she and Mikaela were getting ready with Lisa. Mikaela did a great job on Sue's hair and makeup and it complimented her dress fabulously.  Lisa wore a gorgeous dress (perhaps from Sean's wedding) and looked really beautiful as well.  The boys all looked very dapper in their tuxes, and for the first time, I really felt like I was part of the family when we grabbed a drink in the hotel bar before we headed down to the wedding. 

The best part was that Sam made it to the wedding!!!  He was waiting for us when we arrived at Cafe la Boheme and looked so handsome in his black tux with his red tie and red pocket square.  We were all looking so good the photographers took a bunch of photos of the whole family while we were standing in the courtyard.  In fact, we were the subject of a BUNCH of photos in the courtyard.  :-)  Then it was time to head on in and take our seats.  It was really interesting, we all were seated at our tables and then Margaux came in from outside, walked across the dance floor and up to the beautiful giant fireplace to meet Pete.  They were married right there, with all of us sitting at our tables, and it totally worked.  Margaux had been saying she wanted a non-wedding feel and without an aisle and the rows of seats it definitely seemed a little more intimate and personal and fitting for their personalities.  The vows were just amazing!  They memorized their own vows and they weren't short little things!  They were just so heartfelt! 

After dinner, Sam and I did a little bit of dancing, but the DJ portion of the night seemed SO short!  It was fun though, and Sam and I got to dance a bit.  It's funny to think the next time we're all together at a wedding it will (probably) be ours unless one of the other cousins has a REALLY short engagement.  

Sam and I had to drive in tandem home after the wedding was over since he had to come up after being on call.  Because it was late and  we talked on the phone the whole way back and then fell into bed and passed out!

All in all, this was a WONDERFUL wedding weekend and I am so happy for Dr. and Mrs. Wolson!

Zombie Apocalypse on I-5

So this Sunday we drove back from NorCal where we had been for Dan & Tina's wedding.  Sam, Steve, Hunter and I made the road trip together, and boy was it a shitty drive back to Orange County.

Somewhere just after Buttonwillow, we got stuck in heinous traffic.  It was so bad we ended up pulling off the freeway and to the Chevron station.  I had to use the rest room so badly, and you would not believe it, but the stupid girls working shut the bathrooms down.  WTF!? Who does that?!  To say I was unhappy would be a serious understatement!

It was like a zombie apocalypse trying to get out of there.  The cars were coming over the curbs to get into the gas station.  People were streaming into the mini mart as if they were fleeing a herd of starving, blood thirsty undead.

I was dying.  We hopped in the car and drove to the opposite side of the freeway.  There we encountered a line 25 ladies long.  It was completely ridiculous.  We did use the time to stock up on snack supplies like corn nuts, starburst, some cool soda candy Steve found and other junk.

We left I-5 and headed for highway 99 to continue on our way over the grapevine.  On the way, we passed a Sonic and stopped to use the bathrooms.  Oh sweet baby Jesus, what a relief!!!

So we continued our journey South and once we got up into the grapevine we were surprised to find a huge patch of scorched land with patches of flames still burning.  Well, okay then, good reason for the backup.

By the time Sam and I dropped Steve off, and finally made it home it was 8 hours since we left my parents' house.  Oy.  Needless to say, it was good to have friends making the trip with us.

Respect for Military Families

Mom and Dad arrive tomorrow for the next wedding (Wedding Season 2013 may be our busiest yet) of the year.  Their Goddaughter is getting married in San Juan Capistrano kind of at the last minute because her fiancee has been deployed to the coast of North Korea (I think) and he will be shipping out prior to their original wedding date.

This is actually the second couple I have personally known who've had to change their wedding plans based on a change in deployment plans.  It's just really tough to think that you'd plan so much for this day and spend all this money and then something so huge comes up that is completely out of your control and you just have to go with it.  No questions asked.  No temper tantrums.  You give everything up and just make it work.

Military families, especially wives and husbands, are so fascinating to me.  I mean seriously, we talk about how strong and resilient the men and women in the armed forces are but the real strength is the people who are left here.  The people who keep the homes and families running all on their own.  Man, I am so impressed.  

I complain about medical school and residency but I am so thankful Sam won't ever have to ship out at the last minute and be away for months at a time.  Yes, our long distance relationship in college was hard, but by the time we were 21 we agreed we didn't want to do anything like that again.  And Sam may go off for a month and do away rotations abroad at some point, but it will be planned and very premeditated- and I can always go visit him!

Airoso Wedding Weekend

Wedding Weekend Recaps are so challenging- there is so much time to condense into one post!  And on top of that, I have so many photos to share!  So without further adieu, here we go!  

Couldn't miss an opporunity to snap a photo of my alma mater as I passed through Davis on my way to the hotel in Old Sacramento.  So many wonderful memories on that campus... so many wonderful friendships forged... so many wonderful people I was able to collaborate with.  I wish everyone well!

 Here we are in Sam and my hotel room, but Sam didn't come into town until Friday night.  So on Thursday, Marlena and I split the room.  We got ready for the rehearsal dinner, relaxed a little after our long travel days, and caught up on how life has been going for each of us lately.  It made me really wish that we live closer... Orange County to Chicago is just such a long way and long time to travel.  After the rehearsal, we went down to the hotel bar and had a drink while we watched the end of the Golden State Warriors victory- go Bay Area!  It was really fun spending some time with Lena.

Sam missed his flight to Sacramento and flew into San Francisco at 11:15pm instead.  Papa offered to pick him up for me and meet me in Vacaville... what a life savor!  So we didn't get back to the hotel until about 1:40 AM the morning of Jackie and Joe's wedding.  I think I was running mostly on adrenaline that day because I know I didn't get as much sleep as I needed!

Joe's sister, Emily

Luckily the wedding was great- we were running a little behind with hair and makeup, but I think the wedding was only about 15 minutes later than it should have been.  Jackie looked absolutely gorgeous (as always) and it was really fun to hang out with her mom and her sister and all of the ladies who are most important to her and Joe.  After the ceremony we took what felt like a million photos and it was a little chaotic because we all wanted to get to the wedding PARTY as fast as we could... but I think that we got some great shots, especially with such amazingly photogenic bridesmaids and groomsmen!  

I was totally blown away by the centerpieces on the tables at dinner.  They were really pretty and so simple and kind of perfect for a backyard wedding reception.  Joe's parents did an amazing job on their yard and it was really impressive to see the transformation from Thursday's rehearsal to the real deal on Saturday night.  It was a lot of work, but everything paid off and everyone survived!

I really loved getting to know Joe's sister, Emily, and his brother's fiancee, Shannon.  (Emily is in purple in the photo below)  They are both pretty loud but in a great way and they treated all of us like we were family all weekend long.  Shannon was especially helpful on the day of the wedding when we were sequestered in Joe's grandma's trailer and it was swelteringly hot outside.  She ran and got us drinks, food, etc. Pretty much anything we needed!  I am really happy that Jackie is marrying into such a wonderful family that will have her back and Joe's throughout their lives. 

 Our table was bridesmaids and dates, and the hair and makeup team.  We had a great time!  It was especially nice to see Katy and Emily Nester who I haven't seen in ages.  I guess that's the most fun part of a wedding weekend; catching up with all the people you are connected with throughout the bride and groom's lives.  It is really something magical and the wedding itself was not enough time to see all of those wonderful people I am connected to through Jackie.  I hope that soon we'll be able to catch up without the wedding madness, but I doubt that.  We have spread so far across the country.

 And here is the beautiful bride, Jackie.  One of my dearest friends.  One of my college roommates.  One of the girls I know will always be there for me no matter what I need.  I am blessed to have friends who are as supportive as Jackie and it was an extreme honor to stand up with she and Joe on their day.

And then there is my date... my wonderful, handsome boyfriend who took a late night fight to be able to be there with everyone on Saturday night.  Who caught a ride to the wedding with Megan whom he'd never met because he know I was committed to bridal party stuff the day of the wedding.  

Spending time with Sam was great.  We don't have as much time to spend together as we would like now that he's deep into his second year of residency.  Luckily we have 3rd year on the horizon and hopefully that will be significantly better in terms of hours spent at the hospital, time spent sleeping and ability to enjoy his free time.  I know I am personally hopeful for a little more responsibility shouldered at home but that's a topic for another blog post... so let me refocus on the wedding weekend.

Boy, don't I look great with that cigar?

It was also really nice for Lena and Sam to get to spend some quality time together - I don't think they have really gotten to know each other over the years because Sam was out of town when Jackie and Marlena came down to visit Southern California and he hasn't been able to go up to NorCal with me when I've traveled to visit the girls at Jackie's house.  Obviously, he wasn't invited on our girls trip to Chicago two summers ago when Jackie and I flew out to visit Marlena and see her skit at Second City.

And seeing Heidi and Jared is always a good time.  I can't wait for Heidi to start her wedding planning and hear about all their details.  I mean let's face it, I love this stuff!  Putting on big events is stressful but it requires organization, logistical strategy and lots of planning which are three of my strengths.  

One of our next couples tying the knot!  Dan and Tina came and met us for breakfast before we headed back to the airport on Sunday morning.  We had a great time catching up and we hope to get together again soon... though we will probably see them next on their big day in July.  

Wedding Season 2013

Wedding Season 2013 kicks off this weekend with the Kishmirian-Airoso nuptials.  I am flying up to Oakland tomorrow morning and will get to see Nonna and Papa on the way home from the airport to pick up the MDX to take up to Sacramento for the weekend.

Thursday night will be the rehearsal dinner and I'm so excited to see all my college girlfriends and the ladies from the bachelorette party again.  I think after dinner we're going to head into downtown Sac to do a little celebrating.  Lena, Heidi and I are sharing a hotel room that night so it will be quite the college sleepover!

Friday we'll be spending the day decorating Joe's parents' house and making our bouquets.  I think Jackie has appointments set up for us to have our nails done that evening as well.  She wants to do a bit of a girl's night out (GNO) at the hotel on her last night as Ms. Kishmirian so I think we'll all head back to relax after the mani-pedi experience.  Who knows, we might all need to get to bed earlier than expected after all our setting up!

Thanks to 2nd Year of Residency, Sam flies in late Friday night (he arrives in Sacramento at 11:40 PM) and my guess is I may need to skip some of the festivities that evening so I can take a nap before picking him up.  Hopefully he'll nap on the plane so he is a little bit rested before the big day arrives.

Saturday morning will be interesting.  I think we're going to head over to Joe's parents house around 9:30 or 10 so we can finish setting the tables and putting out the center pieces.  I'm a little nervous about getting all of that done the day of the wedding but that's why Jackie's the bride and not me!  She's so cool, calm and collected about the whole thing!

Anyway, the wedding will be Saturday evening after our hair and makeup team concludes the beautification process.  I was able to see Jackie's dress when I was in town for the bachelorette party and it's absolutely stunning.  She is going to be freaking gorgeous- although that would have been true regardless of the dress she had chosen!

In any case, here is the beginning of the 2013 Wedding Season!

Showering Miss Jackie

I have some really amazing girlfriends.  No, really.  I know lots of girls want to believe their girlfriends are the best girlfriends but really, I mean it.

This weekend I flew home to attend my college roommate's bridal shower- woot woot UC Davis!  Jackie is that friend who embodies all the personality traits I wish I had.  She is so mellow, thoughtful, calm and does such a wonderful job of talking me down from my emotional panic states.  I love her.

And let me tell you, all the stress of traveling was 100% worth it.  Heidi, our other college roommate and maid of honor, did a FANTASTIC job.  I mean seriously, Heidi deserves a lot of kudos for this party.  It makes me so thankful for my time at UC Davis and that I got to befriend such wonderful ladies.  

So wbrought the great camera with me and took care of business. So without further adieu here are some of the photos I took at the shower:

TGIF!!!

I could not agree more with this meme.  OMG this has been a crappy week.  Full disclosure, it's *that* time of the month so I have been a bit of a hormonal mess.  Let's just say that I spent Tuesday afternoon bursting into tears several times in my office.  Yes, it was that bad.  Plus, Sam got sick and obviously we're all cranky when we don't feel good.  Last night, we had two comforters on our bed- one on my side and one on his.  Dear Lord, please let him be recover by the time I see him Monday!

Yes, I will be out of town this weekend at Miss Jackie's Bridal Shower.  I have tonight to pack, spend some quality time with Hunter Puppy, write in Jackie's card, fill out the recipe card (we're all donating new recipes to her and Joe's collection) and prep Hunter's dog-sitter with notes for her visits on Sunday.

Sam and I will split up our nights with him so that we don't have to have the dog-sitter stay overnight or leave Hunter at the vet.  I am on duty tonight and Sunday night, Sam will be home mid-afternoon on Saturday and rest at home that night before reporting for call again on Sunday morning. 

This weekend kicks off the 2013 Wedding Season Madness for me.  And believe me, this homebody is already feeling elevated blood pressure just looking at her calendar.  I underestimated how stressful it would be to concurrently plan a reunion and a bachelorette party long-distance.  Not that I would give either of them up, I am having fun and am really excited about all the festivities, but it's all the little details that creep up on me 

We're going to be up in Tahoe during shoulder season, so the restaurants are not as responsive as I would like them to be, i.e. (I waited 2 weeks to actually get firm plans set up with the limo company and the restaurant).  If you know me, you know that I like to try to be prompt and organized with lots of advance planning. 

Worse than flaky vendors, I have about three people I just want to punch in the face.  I realize that everyone is doing their best to be helpful; however, I wish that people would keep in mind that we're talking about big groups here and what is easiest may not be EXACTLY what you, the individual wants, but for the sake of the group (and my sanity) could you just go with the flow?  I am not going to friend 300 people on Facebook to make sure they get added to our reunion group- those folks who don't want to publicly associate their profiles with our high school can either a) get an emailed registration PDF from the folks they keep in touch with, or b) they can email me directly and I'm happy to hook them up.  And while I'm on the subject, if you join the group, please take the time to explore the information!  I can't tell you how irritating it is for me to explain the same 3 things over and over and over.  The location is listed, the registration fee is listed, and it clearly says MULTIPLE places that you cannot pay at the door.  Don't whine to me about that.  Just freakin' plan accordingly.

Can you tell my patience for morons is wearing thin ?  :-)  I should probably make this gem (at right) my anti-mantra for the next couple of months.  Actually, no joke, I should probably print it out (or order a few plaques somewhere online) and hang this up in my office at work and my office at home.  Sheesh.  I know I like things to be my way, but sometimes I honestly think my way is the best damn way to do it.

But seriously folks, I understand we all have our little preferences.  And I do want to accommodate them, if I didn't care I'd be WAY less stressed out!  Just keep in mind when you make some special request 2 weeks before the event that it may cause me to have a complete emotional breakdown, crying in my office at work. 

Cleanse: Take 2

So I'm doing another cleanse with my former (and still fabulous) personal trainer turned friend Amanda.  This time, however, I know that I am committed to a 7-day cleanse followed by an intense 30-days based on Jillian Michaels' book Making the Cut.

How is it going?  Well, I have to say that egg whites are NOT my favorite thing en mass.  I am supposed to be eating 6 each morning and I'm lucky if I can get 4 down.  It's not that I don't like eggs, but I am too lazy to get up early enough to make them and eat them at home.  Thus, I am bringing them to work and eating them when they are slightly cooled.  Not super appetizing as it turns out.

Other than the eggs though, things are going okay.  There is a LOT of variation with the meals on this plan compared with the one we did last year- but I do miss my heirloom tomato, arugula, hummus and Ezekiel bread sandwiches.  And, super plus, this one uses dandelion root tea to help purge extra water weight and reduce bloating.  Apparently dandelion tea has lots of benefits and is also used for detox purposes and it cleanses blood and improves organ health.  Who knew?!  It does taste a little earthy, but it's like ice cream compared to that horrible hemp protein powder I bought last year.  I had to replace that crap with Bluebonnet brand protein powder which was at least edible.

The only downside is that my energy is completely depleted.  Seriously.  Like I was sitting on the couch last night at 8:20 and was about to pass out so I made Sam put on True Blood so I could make it until at least 9:00.  (Side note: Sam started us on True Blood over the weekend and were on Season 2)

Anyway, not to dwell on the negatives or get off topic: the cleanse ends on Sunday and the real work begins on Monday.  Jillian Michaels has 30 days of food scheduled by meal for each kind of metabolism- fast, average, and slow.  According to the quiz I took, I have average metabolism and am a "B-group" person.

I have tried so many things to lose weight and my most successful thing was religiously following Weight Watchers.  I guess I am just hoping that I can lose the 10-20 pounds Jillian's method promises to shed and then I can get back to wearing my clothes better.  I just really want to get rid of the 20 pounds I've gained since I started working again in November 2011... preferably before Jackie's wedding on May 4 when I need to squeeze myself into a bridesmaid's dress and walk down an aisle.  Hmmmm, now that wedding season is around the corner I am thinking I probably should have been more serious about weight loss starting January 1 like I had hoped to be.  Better late than never I hope!

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!

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...

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. 

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.

A Single Step

It's 5 AM, & Hunter and I are off.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)