kaitlin on parade

Typical "love song" from guitar playing singer/songwriter.. or NOT?!!

2011-01-29T13:27:00.000-08:00

Alrighty, hit a temporary road block in my ancestry family tree, Tim's watching golf, Elle is passed out, so now blogging about song lyrics to kill time before baby..

The below video is the song The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out of His Mind by Griffin House. I first heard this song on a mix that either Molly or Jonathan gave me. My first take, sweet song, sweet lyrics, sweet guy.. but then I really listened to the lyrics and actual started to despise his lyrics and wonder why so many girls wish they were having this song sung to them.... Anyways the song became a topic of conversation between the three of us for a few weeks. In the end, (and in my unpopular opinion) what seems like a typical love song, actual makes me realize insecurities of the individual singing the song and it frustrates me to think I thought this was a sweet song at first!

Opinions on the song/lyrics from an email chain with Molly and Jonathan:

Molly's take: That they were in a relationship, they broke up, now he realizes he f-ed up and has lost her and now he see’s she was the best girlfriend ever.

My take:

him: too cool for school.. kinda of judgmental.. kind of arrogant because he’s uncomfortable in his own skin …trying hard to be really prolific… trying too hard to be cool

her: a free spirit, beautiful in her own way.. loves people.. loves experiencing life… very happy.. makes everyone around her smile

They were in a quasi relationship…never anything "formal", because that’s not her style.. he gets frustrated because she doesn’t really want to date him in a traditional way. Everyone loves her, she is happy and has fun and enjoys life.. and she makes him feel happy and important and loved… he realizes its probably better that she doesn’t really want to formally date him.. because he (deep down inside doesn’t feel like he deserves her) and he doesn’t want to really be tied down either. He doesn’t want to deal with the REAL parts of being in a relationship and the gritty every day to day stuff.. he doesn’t want to catch her peeing with their bathroom door open, take out the trash, talk about bills or taxes together.. he’s likes the way she makes him feel, and that’s all he really needs.

The songs is about her and is a story about their relationship and how HE feels.. he doesn’t want her to think that he ever really wanted to/or wants to formally date her. But he appreciates her enough to write a song about her.

You don't need to change
A thing about you babe (babe is the word you use when you want to be able to use this song for anther girl.. way to keep it generic, plus the word babe itself… come on)
I'm telling you from where I sit (he wants to sit far away.. not to close.. )
You're one of a kind (one of a kind, not very sweet.. not admitting to everything.. I am sure he had some nicer lyrics but changed them cause hes uncomfortable and arrogant)
Relationships I don’t know why (because you are too scared to ever be in one! They are not perfect 100% of the time)
They never work out and they make you cry
But the guy that says goodbye to you (a common clique used in modern day romantic comedies where the person who says that is usually the one in love with the girl.. but in this case he doesn’t want to actually be the one with her)
is out of his mind

I've been down and I need your help
I've been feelin' sorry for myself (that's obvious)
Don't hesitate to boost my confidence (transparency of his (uncomfortable) arrogance and lack of self confidence)

Well I've been lost and I need direction
I could use a little love protection (pig)
What you say honey come to my defense (he sets this up for him to feel bad for her, then he ropes her into a one night stand..pathetic!)

I stand up for you if it's what you need (since when does a girl need someone to punch someone out for her.. women need emotional support!!)
And I can take a punch, I don't mind to bleed (I don’t care if you bleed either, is that suppose to woo her?!)
As long as afterwards you feel bad for me (transparency of his (uncomfortable) arrogance and lack of self confidence)

You give me all of your attention
I've got deep desire and it needs quenching (again! he sets this up for him to feel bad for her, then he ropes her into a one night stand..pathetic!)
I that's pretty lame for you to see (arrogant)

well enough about me and more about you
Because that'd be the gentlemanly thing to do (only going to talk about you cause it’s the “gentlemanly” thing to do? Action speak louder then words, why doesn’t he get that?)
I hope you like your men sweet and nice (ironic)

I thought I was done with telling you
But I ain't nearly halfway through
I've got a few more things Id like to say to you (you won't tell her one new thing below except that she drove you crazy #1 and that #2 you want to have a one night stand the one night he’s in town.. this song is mean to act all artsy and poetic.)

You dont need to change
A thing about you babe
I'm telling you from where I sit
You're one of a kind

Relationships I dont know why
They never work out and they make you cry
But the guy that says goodbye to you
is out of his mind, his mind

You always did kinda drive me crazy (#1 new fact she pissed him off)
And it pissed me off cuz I let it phase me
But I never wanted my time with you to end

Now I'm back in town for a day or two
Mostly I came back just to see you (#2 new fact, one night stand )
And even now, I dont want to go (you don’t have to that is your choice, again actions speak louder then words)

You dont need to change
A thing about you babe
I'm telling you from where I sit
You're one of a kind

Relationships I dont know why
They never work out and they make you cry
But the guy that says goodbye to you

is out of his mind (fake love song)

ancestry.com addiction while I wait for baby

2011-01-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I am officially on maternity leave from Amgen and have started what feels like a new job.. ancestry.com researcher (Senior Associate). I told Tim that when I go into labor, he is going to literally rip my hands off the keyboard and drag me to the hospital. What started as a simple project to look at family names, possible inspiration for baby names, has turned into a full on research project, going beyond documents found on the websites, to DVRing 3 hour long documentaries on US history in the 30's to fill in blanks in my research.. to say I am obsessed is an understatement! One huge highlight has been getting in touch with one of my mom's long lost cousins in Canada! She has pictures of her mom and my grandfather and their parents! Its really incredible.. and my mom's side has really been quite a mystery and fully of family treasures that are slowing being reveled. As of right now, I know our little girl has lots of Irish blood from both sides of the family, Italian blood, French blood, and close roots to Canada and America's Midwest farm lands in Iowa and Indiana. I am also getting quite the history lesson trying to piece together bits of information I am finding. Who knew maternity leave would fly by so fast by my new obsession.. now I just need to pack my hospital bag (has been on the "baby to do list" for well over a month now) ....I just need to bring myself to part from my ancestry workstation here!

Aside from little kick, jabs and various baby body rolls of sorts, my body is still feeling pretty "normal" (for being pregnant, that is). I was wondering what it was going to feel like days before my due date, but really, not much has changed. In fact, now that I have stopped working (my paid day job that is) the Braxton Hicks "practice" contractions have stopped and I am feeling much more "normal" no real signs or indications that labor is impending anytime soon. Miss Elle is loving having me home and we are both enjoying our daily walks, playing at the park, and many many daytime naps. All in all, I am trying to relax, breathe, contain my overwhelming excitement and enjoy this quiet time before our little girl arrives.

Papier- Mache Hot Air Balloon Project

2011-01-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a charming Martha Stewart craft project baby's nursery is now complete with flying hot air balloons!

31 Weeks UltraSound

2011-01-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

34 week update

2011-01-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

Originally I was thinking it would be fun to blog every few weeks about the pregnancy, but in reality, been fun to just enjoy it, and forgot blogging. I have a few pregnancy journals that I have been keeping up on, and its crazy to read all the changes since the beginning!

I have to say that my employer, Amgen has been amazing during my pregnancy! The fitness director put a prenatal yoga class on the group fitness calender a few weeks after I requested it, and really supported the idea! It feels so great to work for a company that truly cares about the well being of its employees. The class ended few weeks ago, and the yoga teacher was also Tim and my childbirth class instructor (those classes also offered on Amgen's campus).

My tennis league ended a few weeks ago, and (ironically) I had been playing the best tennis the further and further my pregnancy got! I think the extra belly weight got my momentum going fast to get short shots I typically wouldn't have gotten to. Since tennis is done, I am thinking about finding the biggest bathing suit ever and swimming a bit with Tim... hopefully the other "serious" swimmers don't mind the slow moving, kick board using, bright purple swim cap and goggle wearing, prego lady in the lanes next to them.

But, enough about me, here's what we know so far about HER, courteous of our favorite ultrasound tech, Paula (P.S. strike one for mother's intuition on the gender).

26 percentile for size, Dr. is estimating weight at delivery: 6lbs 12 oz (on the petite side, which is A-okay with me)
My nose
Tim's long second toe (passed down from a long line of Malone's with the same)
Tim's long legs (well, this one hasn't actually been confirmed.. or even suggested for that matter, but I'd like to think so)
Large patch of hair at back of head, a.k.a peach fuzz mullet
In the "ready position" (head down, chin down)
Favorite yoga moves: blissful baby and double pigeon

... but enough about HER, back to ME. Fun facts about this stage of the pregnancy:

Swollen feet
Cankles like I have never seen before
Running into things with belly
Washing dishes standing at an angle
Feel like a rotisserie chicken at night, turning from side to side
Pregnancy shirts are starting to look like crop tops
Oompa Loompa, doom-pa-dee-do days, quite frequently
Loving that perfect strangers smile at me constantly and wishing their heartfelt congratulations
She thinks its hilarious to start kicking while I am practically asleep in savasana
She will follow my iphone light with kicks and punches when I move around my belly

Before Tim's work holiday party

Santa came early! Lucky to have my own speedy Elf

2010-12-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

Aloe Blacc

2010-10-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you Tanya for introducing me to Aloe Blacc - I can't get enough!

Jalama Summer Love

2010-10-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

Posting a picture montage of our fun Jalama Beach camping trip this summer!

Setting up tents in high wind makes for crazy set up

Go Cal!

The surfers!

Yahtzee

Shady spot

Team Jalama

Bumbershoot 2010, Seattle, and D&K&E&E

2010-09-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Tim's 11th year in a row to Bumbershoot (and my 5th year or so) has come and gone, and it was another great year! I managed to go (rain and shine) for all 3 days, however midway through the 3rd day, I had to let my poor feet rest and get a ride outta there! There wasn't anyone in particular that I was dying to see this year, aside from Jenny Lewis, but it ended up being one of my favorite years for music. I also got a treat when I noticed Anita Robinson and Kevin Robinson playing in the background with Bobby Bare! Tim and I had just created the ultrasound video with Viva Voce's song Alive with Pleasure, so it was ironic to catch them on stage unexpectedly.. if only it was a Viva Voce performance!!

Playing with the nieces adds a special dimension to the week as well. This year the top games were hula hooping in the backyard, backyard odd ball dance move interpretations soccer practice for Emily's new league, and of course, as I lovingly call it: BASEMENT JAIL games. This year consisted of mostly "farm yard" and "babies." I call it "jail" because once those girls pull you down there, there's no escape. Playing upstairs in the common areas is completely unacceptable to them because their auntie Kaitlin may take the focus of them for a moment to talk to Tim, laugh with Kirsten or, gasp, their mom might need them to brush their teeth.

It is so fun to play with those girls though, they are so creative with their toys and the intricate story lines they think up. I was glad I avoided being the horsie each time we played farm though, because it involved crawling around on all fours, having a fidgety 3 year sit on your back (not to mention the said 3 year old is in control of the beaded "leash" that the horsie wears). I got to be the head farmer, feeding the animals, cleaning the pins, preparing cupcakes and ice cream for horsie's birthday celebration, and occasionally chasing down an escaped horsed or two. I also got to build a new horse pin for when there just wasn't enough space in one pin for both horses (aka saved fun playtime from meltdown central). Undoubtedly playing with those two sweeties, gets me very excited for meeting my little sweetie to be. If she is anything like her sweet, creative, funny cousins, Emily and Elena we will be blessed! Elena even promised when the "baby comes out your belly" that the baby could borrow one of her dress up dresses, but NOT the pink and purple one. Too funny!

We got to experience the night before school starting again, and go to see Emily off for her first day of 1st grade! Its fun to watch the girls grow up and to watch "seasoned" parents raise such beautiful girls!

17 week update

2010-09-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

forgot to "publish" this at 17 weeks...

I entered my second trimester a few weeks ago and as of today, I started my 17th week. The baby is now 5 in. from head to toe and weighs 5 oz. Time has flown by and I still hardly believe I'm pregnant...I think mostly because I've been pretty lucky as far as symptoms go. With only a few weeks of real fatigue and occasional headaches, I've been able to keep up with my regular tennis league, yoga, hiking and my daily walks with Tim and Elle. My doubles partner last week said I was carrying my baby and her on the court, so I had to laugh about that. I'm trying to get Amgen to offer a prenatal yoga class and the fitness director said she would try to get it on the schedule. Despite all the exercise I'm gradually gaining weight and my little baby bump is growing - my wardrobe has had to be very "creative" lately. Tim has been taking great care of me, dealing with the occasional (well, occasional in my mind) mood swings, doing extra chores and whipping up some delicious smoothies!

As of today the baby can hear, so I told Tim we have to be extra careful with what we say and I really hope it doesn't mind my singing in the car. Despite the recommendation to expose the baby to "relaxing and calming" tunes, I couldn’t help but to blast Daft Punk in the car to work this morning.. nothing like getting this tiny dancer moving in the AM and exposing it to electronica early on. This new milestone is also just in time for our annual trip to Seattle for Bumbershoot, where the baby will be hearing lots of great music.

As far as cravings, the baby cannot get enough smoothies...I wish there was a Jamba Juice attached to our house!! Baby has no food aversions...so I'm taking this as a sign that they will be a good eater (fingers crossed). Things are going to get really exciting in the week or so because we'll be finding out the gender - and hopefully the little one will be making enough movements for flutters in my belly (if Daft Punk doesn’t do it, I’m not sure what will). Tim and I both think it's a boy...well, Tim is praying it's a boy and I just have a “feeling.”

We decided that the nursery will be in the "fish tank" room and we've started to slowly envision it transformed. I'm hoping the fish tank will be a nice white noise maker and nice visual with the "nemos" swimming around. Elle is looking forward to having a little one around....more toys, more crumbs, more cuddles.

Alive With Pleasure!

2010-09-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Cancun, Mexico

2010-08-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

Oh Mexico, I am glad I gave you a second shot.

(First shot: college girls road trip to Rosartio, Papas & Beers mechanical bull riding type of trip, gross hotel, gross nightlife style of trip that led us to leave on day 2 days into our prepaid 5 day trip.)

This trip was so much different, thank goodness. The hotel was all ocean view rooms, and the view from our patio was breathtaking! The food was great and they even had amazing vegetarian options! Tim and I tried to work off all the food by playing tennis ever day at the resorts rooftop grass court, swimming in the Caribbean Sea, and a Spanish led yoga class at the resort Spa (Tim's first introduction to yoga),.... a tough daily regiment.

The highlights of the trip were two snorkeling day trips we took, first to Cozumel Island and the next day to Isla Mujeres. In Cozumel I am glad it wasn't my first time snorkeling because our small boat consisted of a local Spanish speaking family on vacation and our guide was only speaking Spanish for them. It was Tim's first time snorkeling and since he is really into tropical fish, so I was glad he could understand (some of) what our guide was talking about. We went to about five varied snorkeling spots off Cozumel and it was incredibly beautiful!

The second day trip to Isla Mujeres (Spanish for Island of the Women) was also a trip that I will never forget (and this is where I want to stay on our next trip to Mexico). This little white sand island in the Caribbean has very shallow waters surrounding it, therefore no tourist cruise ships can dock here, which makes it uncrowded, sleepy, naturally beautiful and very authentic. Its was refreshing to to visit a place where the guacamole, pico de glallo, and margaritas are made using fresh local ingredients from passed down family recipes.

We travel around the entire island via rented golf cart and we stopped to visit the Mayan ruins on the south end of the island. The remaining ruins are of a temple dedicated to Ixchel, who is the Mayan goddess of fertility (which is very ironic knowing now what my status was at the time of visiting) in the middle of a beautiful garden with walking paths right along the water. There is also a beautiful sculpture garden along the walk with brightly colored steel structures commissioned by artists all over the world, the bight colors against the green of the plants and blue of the ocean was just spectacular.

The snorkeling was a bit more "thrilling" then Cozumel.. mostly because of the number of barracudas that we ran into. Tim and I ended up taking a private snorkeling tour on Isla Mujeres, and our guide would drop us off and have us make our way to his boat down the coast.. so Tim and me were pretty much alone following the underground coral reefs and fish (and a few times I may or may not have have jumped on Tim's back when I could see a barracuda's sharp fang teeth).

My 30th Birthday!!!

2010-08-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

My 30th birthday celebration lasted about a month this year.. and I absolutely had the time of my life! On my actual birthday my friend Leonie and her very charming boyfriend, Jason, took Tim and I to Vegas to celebrate the big day. Our mode of transportation was Jason and Leonie's plane in which Jason was the pilot!!! I was pretty nervous to be up in the air in a private plane, but of course, could not turn down such an amazing invitation as this! Getting to Vegas was like something out of a going to Vegas, Hollywood montage style - we drove up to Van Nuys airport, parked, the plane was valet up to us, we threw our bags in the plane, put our seat belts on, Jason got clearance for take off, and away we went! The ride was actually really smooth, in fact the smoothest flight I have ever been on, and it was an incredible flight and experience! When we we showed up in Vegas, we were greeted by a limo to take us to the strip. This, undoubtedly is the way to travel! The rest of the trip was spent in typical Vegas style, poolin, drinkin, eatin, etc... plus I swear the best Napoleon Dynamite impersonator in front of the Bellagio and crazy crowd at the flair Carnaval Bar could have kept us entertained for hours!!

The second half of my birthday adventures was spend on the Russian River in Healsburg, CA (the cutest little town I have ever seen). Jill, Carly, Shanna, Michelle, and Heather had such a fun weekend planned for me, I didn't really know what to expect besides that Jill was going to let me borrow her aqua socks! We stayed in the cutest place right downtown called the Healdsburg Modern Cottages, an estate like grounds with a pool and separate cottages with sunny breakfast porches... it would fun to rent out the whole grounds for a family reunion or a wedding! Friday night was spend having a fiesta at the cottages, and no detail was spared, including sombreros and maracas!! After dinner we shared yummy cupcakes, then went to bed to get ready to river raft the next morning..

I still am laughing thinking about us girls getting ready to head down the river for the rafting.. Jill provided hot pink trucker hats (with embarrassing picture of me of course), Michelle is asking if she can wear real socks instead of aqua socks and getting a color subordinated beer koozie necklace, Carly is buying out the little river stand convenience store of everything cheesy she can get her hands on (including some amazing 80's sunglasses), Shanna is trying to squeeze as many bud lights in the cooler as possible... and I am making everyone put on glitter sunscreen.. and all the cars around us with "serious" river rafters are rolling their eyes at this scene of girls and continue packing their first aid kits. After spending way too much time at the river convenience store we walked up to the "training" seminar late and the head guy had to repeat everything to a bunch of girls in hot pink trucker hats. It was pretty hilarious.

The actual rafting (more like floating downstream) was a lot of fun and we had lots of laughs. The entire trip was about 6 hours, so it was nice to get back to the cottage, take a quick swim, shower and go out to a nice dinner! I am lucky to have such amazing friends who planned such a fun trip and I definitely want to plan a trip to go back to Healdsburg!

Crazy friday nights

2010-06-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like spending a Friday night in.. canning with a friend! Last fall Molly and I started with Strawberry Jam (total hit) then we ordered a pound of pickling spice, a million cloves of garlic, 5 carrots and 3 red bell peppers and set to work picking garlic! To be honest there are lots of mathematical equations needed at the start of canning (sea level knowledge, oz to lbs conversions, vintage ball jar sizes, just to name a few) so I am still not sure if it quite turned out.. but my co-worker, Laura Southwick did eat a whole jar in one day.

photo contest - winner takes bragging rights

2010-05-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

3 photographers, same tree, same camera. Which is your favorite photo?

Giada De Laurentiis book signing

2010-05-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

I used to never trust her.

I couldn't bare to watch her melt all that Italian cheese over crostini after crostini after crostini and still be a size 0 (at most). Then..things changed. I gave in to her 2 cups of finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano, her 1 lb of penne pasta, half cup of olive oil and handful of fresh chopped basil - and it was incredible.

I think her new(er) show "Giada At Home" got me hooked because I wasn't that interested in her previous show, Everyday Italian. At "home" she makes easier, lighter recipes that are inspired by fresh seasonal food she picks up. I got a chance to meet her last weekend and have her sign her new book for me, and she couldn't be a sweeter person. Since I had 4 books for her to sign, I got a little more face time with her and got to tell her how much I love it when her aunt, Raffy, comes on the show to cook with her. Giada said she was happy to hear that because those are her favorite shows too, and she mentioned that one must have just aired because she got tons of fan mail loving it. She also wanted to know who all my books were for, so I got to tell her about some wonderful people in my life that are fans of her too. I took Tim's advise and didn't get too stalker-ish he suggested that I avoid talking about her house in Malibu, her daughter Jade, her husband (Todd) and his job at Anthroplogie, our common love of yoga, that I only wear her color nail polish, and I didn't even comment on her pepper mill that I am dying to have. Oh, and I didn't ask if she wanted to be my BFF, although I was thinking about it.

homemade barley dog treats

2010-05-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

A great new byproduct of Tim's home brewed beer is homemade dog treats! Elle is a lucky girl!

The last time I lost my voice was a NKOTB concert

2010-04-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went to see my favorite band Metric in LA, and I am still paying for it. Metric is one of those amazing bands that has the most incredible energy during shows, songs that have been written by a real poet, and a beat that keeps you wanting to sing and dance for hours. The issue is when you are up late on a Friday night singing and dancing for those amazing few hours, you might just lose your voice and have to stay home all week due to the worst sore throat EVER... (on top of that, you might even get a conjunctivitis infection the 7th day after the show randomly). The moment that really put me over the top on my health landslide came during the encore, when Emily and Jimmy returned to the stage and invited the audience for an acoustic sing along to Combat Baby, well, SURE, thank you, I will turn it up a notch (didn't even realize that was possible) and join in!!

For a big acoustic sing along, if 1.) don't have the mic in your hand (which I can't stand not having - especially for a big moment like this), 2.) you need to be heard over a sea of equally excited Metric fans (why I felt the need for the band to actually hear me, I cannot say), 3.) its your favorite band so you want your concert neighbors to know that you, truly, know every single lyric, you really have to belt it out, right? At least when I went to see NKOTB (a.k.a "New Kids" back then) Jill and I were trying to lose our voice so when we showed up for Alexis Machado's sleep over everyone would be jealous (well, actually they would also hopefully be jealous of our crimped hair and concert buttons - the problem was that we couldn't tell all the girls that Joey waved at me until a few days later, oh the agony!).

Here's a clip of Combat Baby from the show I found, since I was right up front by the stage and under where the person was filming, I am surprised I can't hear myself! ; )

Also, for anyone who doesn't know Metric, here's the same song, better quality filming from one of their other shows

color theory lesson

2010-03-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

When I have free time after watching Project Runway I love looking into the newest fashions from the guest judges.. mostly to find their most ridiculous new looks... stuff that I am sure Micheal Kors would make fun of if it came down the runway. Last show Tory Burch was the guest judge and she criticized Amy's "child and grown-up" look saying "I’m not sure that blue and orange are complementary." This was funny to me for two reasons, I remember learning in art class that blue and orange are, in fact, complementary colors.. and because of Tory Burch's new Spring 2010 tulip print matching separates outfit (which I am sure is undoubtedly high fashion) ... just seems ridiculous. I would actually prefer to wear Amy's "clown" pants if given the choice. In the meantime I will brush up on color theory and continue checking out the latest looks coming down the runway.

Ventura Pier at sunset

2010-02-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

Does the above movie shot look familiar? It doesn't really do the pier justice, but I love watching that movie just to see Hollywood turn Ventura into Redondo Beach.

Due to little storms coming and going, the Ventura sky has been particularity stunning, and Saturday evening Tim and I got a great a beautiful sunset behind the Ventura Pier during our beach walk at C Street.

a few more off Elle at Campus Point

2010-01-31T15:52:00.000-08:00

finally our new camera!

2010-01-31T14:41:00.001-08:00

We finally got the camera we have been talking about buying forever! We were so excited to use it this morning with the most beautiful backdrop... UCSB! We took a little walk down Isla Vista memory lane, visiting the on-campus dorms, drove by KKG, checked out the new engineering buildings, Tim's old pad on Sabado, ate breakfast burritos from Cantina, saw numerous friends former homes that we vaguely remembered from late nights, and took a beautiful sunrise walk down to campus point. We didn't see any Snowy Plovers so we let Elle off leash so she could romp in the ocean. These two pictures of Elle shaking her head after some wave jumping are exactly why I love this new camera!

Martha's pole dancing

2010-01-19T21:33:00.001-08:00

When I watched Martha Stewart today, I could not believe she was going to actually pole dance.. and the weirdest part is that it actually looked like a lot of fun! I have seen the all the housewives do it.. but ....Martha... come on, it was a bit of a surprise. My friend Sherri actually owns a pole, so now I just need to sneak in her house and try it when no one is looking!

Whole Body Action Plan

2010-01-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

Feed a flu and starve a cold right? Well my cold is very timely since I am starting Martha Stewart's 4 week Body + Soul Whole Body Action Plan today.. and it starts with a 4 day "detox" via almost all liquid diet! Eak! Luckily being sick does not make me have a huge appetite. So I will rely on being sick more then discipline for the moment.

The Schedule is:

Week 1 Purify and Assess - Detox soups and smoothies
Week 2 Dive In
Week 3 Amp It Up (this one scares me already)
Week 4 Make Lasting Changes - Reflect and Improve

Week 2 sounds the best, as you try to eat at least 7 servings of veggies and fruit daily and they "challenge" you to go vegetarian for main dishes (pretty sure I can do at least that), and do yoga! I think I can do that.. the problem is week 3. Week 3 you have to "chew slowly" making each meal last 30 minutes, pump iron, and build up a sweat.. I need to take on day at a time thought, and will have to face week 3 at week 3.

In addition to Martha's plan I am going to try to avoid cheese, soda, and milk for the next four weeks, try to keep up with the 4 week journal, play tennis and hula hoop more! Lets see if I can stick with it! Anyone care to sign up for the challenge, its not too late!

Healthy(ish) Cinnamon Buns

2009-12-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

Today is a cold and rainy day in Ventura, so its a great excuse to put on some Christmas music and make Moosewood Restaurant's classic cinnamon buns.. I like to think these are healthy because 1) it's Moosewood's recipe 2) it's not Cinnabon's Carmel Pecanbon from the mall

Sweetest thing ..

2009-12-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was going through the Thanksgiving pictures on the camera, to upload to our computer, and landed upon this sweet surprise... just another reason I love my husband... he is traveling in Pennsylvania this week and I miss him already.

FAQ with Giada de Laurentiis

2009-11-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

The other day I sent out the following question into the google universe: "Does anyone know where Giada's wood pepper mill is from" - I absolutely love her solid dark wood mill, that she uses on Everyday Italian.. apparently I am not alone (although I already knew others would have posed this question into cyberspace too). It is beginning to look like there are tons of disappointed pepper mill fans, because the mill was made by Le Sancuaire, who has discontinued making it... however in my searches I found an amazing FAQ on her website that answered just about every question that I have had about her at one point or another (i.e.: where did you go to culinary school, where is the necklace you always wear with the 4 strands from, what type of nail polish do you wear, I see what you make on the show, so then why are you so damn skinny).

Here's the link to her answers. PS Bubble Bath nail polish from OPI has been life changing, highly recommend it ladies.

Sushi at home

2009-11-08T12:33:00.000-08:00

Tim made some yummy vegetarian sushi and veggie tempura on friday night. $100 at Bristol Farms, left over vegetable oil in the wok, rice everywhere and about 10 dirty dishes later, it leaves me wondering if sushi is best left to the experts to do in their kitchen..

San Franciso treat.. or trick

2009-11-07T19:12:00.000-08:00

I think that I have lucked out having one of my best friends have their birthdays on Halloween.. it has led to many memorable birthday parties celebrating in SF, and of course... in full blown costume inspired by ipod ads. Its even more of a reason to go big with the costume.. and this year was no exception. Since Halloween was on a Saturday this year, Tim and I took off the Friday before to make the trek to the Bay to celebrate Shanna's birthday. A few minutes into the road trip, we had to make a U-turn back home because Tim was feeling pretty sick.

The show had to go on, so I kissed Tim and Elle goodbye and hit the road again, with two amazing homemade costumes in tow. (Luckily Carly didn't have a costume - and actually admitted this news to me - so she had to choice but to take Tim's place). I have to say that although I was really nervous about wearing black face paint (and Carly was not even committing to the costume until 30 minutes before go time), the costumes turned out really fun and we were super excited about them in the end. We even ended up winning a few of the costume contest categories!

The funniest part of the night was trying to hail a cab in the city in ALL black, no one could see us, and trying to find a black wig last* minute. (*5 minutes before the last open Halloween shop in the city [we had to go to a couple] was closing).

Best tastes of the night - This was my first taste of Golden Boy Pizza - basically fresh pizza made on top of the most amazing foccacia bread. ( Joel's 3am vegetarian nachos with homemade guacamole was also a huge winner... and I know I should mention the cupcakes (I won't mention their special name on the G-rated blog) however I can't bring myself to even talk about those things yet). PS recipe needed.

Most athletic part of the weekend: walking to touch Hoppers hands under the GG Bridge and getting a mini hula hopping lesson in a park Sunday morning with Shey.

black face paint = fully committed

Jeremy (Big), Jill (Carrie), me, Carly, Shanna, Joel (Noting Jeremy and Jill's costume because you can't see Carries shoes and facial mole)

summer is not dead

2009-10-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

Although I am really excited for Halloween that just around the corner (... and especially this year when I will be in San Fransisco celebrating Shanna's birthday) I still can't help but be a little sad summer is coming to an end. Well, officially, it has already come to an end, but in so cal, we like to push the summer envelope.. and this is just what Jill, Shanna, and Carly and I did a few weekends ago!

There is nothing like spending time with some of your best friends for a weekend of sunning at the beach with bud light 40s (who knew?!), shameless I-don't-care-what-anyone-watching-thinks beach hula hoping, indulging in beer battered fried avocados and award winning guacamole at the Carpenteria Avocado Festival to hold onto summer!

Carly re-packing the cooler after we had a tip over cooler incident on the PCH

stopping traffic to take make sure our 40s are okay and cool

perfect day at the beach

Shanna was so happy with that corn!

beer battered fried avocado with sweet and spicy corn relish

Wagamama's yasai chilli men (stir fried chilli vegetables with tofu and soba noodles)

2009-10-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

Wagamama's got me through (I should say around) British cuisine when Tim and I were living in the UK.. and recently I found this gem again (a going away gift from my friends at Waterstone's bookstore where I worked). A few weeks ago, I bought a package of Soba noodles after Martha did a show about this healthy noodle made from buckwheat. With my Soba noodles and a little encouragement, Tim played Japanese chef making one of the most flavorful and delicious Asian meals I have ever had.. now I just need a Wagamama fresh raw juice to go with it (or a trip to Boston or DC to visit their new US locations)!!

sweet red sauce spiked with chilli and ginger

tomatoes from our "garden"

stir fried vegetables (and tofu)

California Beer Festival

2009-09-27T11:58:00.001-07:00

This weekend was the California Beer Festival.. in Ventura!! Tim, Kathy, Susan and I had such a fun time tasting all the local brews.. and some "secret" brews of some of the larger breweries. In all there were over 60 brews to try!. I got inspired again, to get Tim set up to brew for the annual Amgen Brew-B-Q where Amgen holds its own beer tasting festival for its employee's home brews! Just need a secret ingredient, winning composition... and this brew kit.

first rock band I have seen with a harp!

passed out at noon

brew brain

how did all our festival mugs end up at my house this morning?

30 hand wrapped Thai Spring Rolls, no problem

2009-09-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get this crazy idea to cook (usually when Tim is "unavailable" and what I like to call "unwilling"), so when I do, why am I never inspired for a simple pasta dish or a creative salad.. why do I choose complicated recipes and complex foreign cuisine... for example my latest attempt to, oh you know, make 30 fresh Thai spring rolls for a cocktail party later that night. Of course, not realizing that half the battle would be to find rice paper.. I was pretty confident that other crazies as myself (and/or local Thailander's) demand for rice paper would be enough to at least supply one pack in normal big box grocery stores. Nope and unfortunately I wasted quite a bit of time walking around the grocery store(s) isles with unhelpful sales people trying to locate (non existent) rice paper. After hitting up TWO Asian market stores, that were sold out of rice paper (???), my iphone gave me the bad news that there was one more local Asian specialty shop in the heart of the Oxnard ghetto. Was it worth my life and my new passenger side window to venture to this random hole in the wall market for rice paper? It's hard to know if you are just being dramatic (usually the case with me) or if really, it is unsafe.. I ended up taking the risk (and living to type about it). I got the goods and ended up buying a lifetime supply of rice paper (preventative measures). In the end the rolls didn't take to long to make, tasted so good (!!!), and got snatched up quick at the party ... now I just need a good peanut sauce recipe to accompany.

Emily's first day of kindergarten

2009-09-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend in Seattle, Tim and I got to watch the behind the scenes action of getting Emily ready for her first day of kindergarten.. and more importantly, #1 mom in full force. As if dealing with house guests from California for a week isn't stressful enough, #1 mom (aka Kirsten Malone) made my jaw drop, in her amazing efforts to get her little Emily ready for her first day of kindergarten! The night before consisted of mix and matching colors of melon and cream, to match with new hip corduroy pants, and of course pulling out the new uber cool slip on converse shoes, for the perfect back to school look (at the same time trying to talk Emily OUT of wearing a dress from last year.. can you EVEN fathom wearing a last year-style dress...honestly, the nerve).

While I gave Emily a manicure with her new green nail polish, Kirsten was a busy bee of activity, preparing a lunch box, checking off the last of the needed school supplies, sending Dan to Walgreens to pick up hand sanitizer, gathering milk money, getting out her new heart shaped sandwich press, writing E.Malone on everything in sight, hand stitching Emily's initials on her new back back (glass of wine in hand at this point), blow drying and styling Emily's hair, all while making homemade pesto with fresh basil from their garden.

My favorite part of the night was when #1 mom mysteriously snuck out of Club Lovelace (the nightly crew was in the club up to usual shenanigans) to make a batch of homemade cookies at MIDNIGHT, she had evidently promised Emily she could have a cookie in her lunch box for school (and of course, #1 mom knows that homemade would be the only option for a first day of kindergarten). #1 mom luckily brought down freshly baked cookies for the Club Lovelace crew when the cookies were done, then proceeded to take a shot of whiskey as if she had not just been the most hardworking, sweet, tired mom of a little 5 year old preparing for her first day of school!

Eating spiders while asleep.. a myth?

2009-08-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

You know the myth/non myth about eating like 4 spiders in your lifetime while you are sleeping.. well just in case, I decided to take a POW last night (its not a spider, but falls into the "other" bug category). Its the WORST while Tim is out of town and I see a bug, since generally speaking, he "deals with" any bug issues (I have my own independent non bug roles). Anyhoo last night Elle woke up at 3am to throw up some remote control pieces she ate this week (this is the 4th remote control we've had to replace). While cleaning up dog throw up, I noticed a bug right by the bed, who, undoubtedly, was was going to head up the bed skirt, onto the comforter, onto the pillow and then right into my mouth. Now, the myth/non myth I have heard is only for spiders, so I am not even sure (in addition to spiders) how many "other" bugs crawl down your throat as you sleep too. The POW is still upstairs waiting for Tim to get back to "deal with" it - and in the meantime, I have a feeling that my little (not so innocent) BFF Elle, has been having thoughts of double crossing me.. even knowing that I cleaned up her dog puke last night!! I can't believe her! If only she understood English, I would explain how these myths go, and hope she understands that I am just trying to protect my myself, but now she just thinks its a game. She has been staring at this little black bug for hours with the most intensity and interest, and quite frankly, I think she's going to double cross me to let the bug out. In fact, when I asked her why she kept staring at the bug, she rolled over and started doing her gitty dog roll on her back, flailing her legs and tail all over the place.. now I have to keep an eye on both of them.

August Sunset from our porch

2009-08-22T14:38:00.001-07:00

There are many thing I love about our new place.. I love the walking trails, I love how it seems to fit us and all our things comfortably, I love the open living room and kitchen, I love our "tree-house" master bedroom, I love walking into the house and smelling laundry detergent, I love the new soft carpets, I love to hate the workout up and down the 2 flights of stairs, I love that we will be able to walk to Whole Foods, the Yardhouse, and Ann Taylor (oooh dangerous), but most of all I love the sunsets off our porch every night (even when I have to take a shot with my iphone because the camera is MIA).

Welcome to Glitterville!

2009-08-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Glitterville,

If, heaven forbid, something happens to my job, I am going to apply to work here asap (I don't even need benefits). I love your motto that every day is a holiday, and that all your days sparkle and shine, and I can already see myself working with glitter all day ever day (PS Love every thing except the bathroom buddies, that's even a bit too much don't you think?!)

Glitterville has a few gorgeous glittered stacking boxes and over the top glittered birthday crowns in the Amgen gift shop, and now that I have had time to explore their over-the top candy land / sugarplum fairy infused website, I am sold.. land of polka dot socks, Glitterville birthday vintage inspired cupcake holders, hanging treats, halloween glittered treasures, oh my ... of course the man behind it, is a bit over the top, but I guess you have to be to produce larger then life glittered lollipops for a living.

Love, K-Sparkle

Elle's 3rd birthday

2009-08-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd birthday Elle, hoped you like your filet mignon dinner!

Niagara Falls

2009-08-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

After our Toronto trip, Tim and I headed to Niagara, New York. Tim had business meetings all week, so I worked in the hotel room during the day and we explored at night. The actual falls exceeded my expectations, and they honestly took my breath away. We stayed on the US side of the falls, however walked across the border to the Canada side everyday for the spectacular views and beautiful lush parks on that side of the falls. One day, while Tim was in meetings I walked all around the US side, and got some great pics with my phone.. the US side had some amazing view points where you were literally at the falls edge! Scary, but beautiful! During the night they shine lights over the falls, and it’s the most gorgeous spectacle! It looks like rainbow sherbet ice cream is rushing down! We got to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary on the Canada side enjoying a concert at the falls, and fireworks! It was the perfect way to celebrate!

Toronto, Canada

2009-08-03T18:54:00.001-07:00

I finally got to pull out my passport again (first time since coming home from London, 2 years ago) this past weekend, as Tim and I crossed the boarder from New York into Canada. Tim was on business in Niagara, New York, and I finally got to tag along on one of his trips again! After a long red eye from LAX, to Chicago, to Buffalo, New York, we rented a car and headed North on our way to Toronto. Along the way, we saw dozens of wineries and beautiful views of Lake Ontario. We arrived at our hotel in Toronto’s entertainment district downtown, parked the car and explored the city for two days entirely on foot. The entire weekend we lucked out with absolutely perfect sunny weather. Ironically we found out it was Toronto’s only 3rd consecutive day of sun all summer! The first day we explored the city streets and headed to Eaton Shopping Center. We had drinks and lunch at a trendy restaurant (well at least I thought it was trendy because of the men were wearing short shorts!!) above the city’s famous center, and watched an international festival of Turkey going on below us. The city was packed, and there was so much going on that weekend! The Turkey Festival and an other famous festival called Caribana were just two of many events going on, plus it was Canada’s “Long Weekend” so all the bars and restaurants were all full of people celebrating the long weekend… and great weather! A pretty wild time to be there! That night we headed to a restaurant called The 5th Grill and Terrance, which was voted Toronto’s best rooftop restaurant. It was a perfectly balmy night to be sitting atop the city, with the CN Tower glowing in the distance with the city views all around us. The restaurant also had an interesting elevator to get up to the rooftop, think Disney’s Tower of Terror, without the fall at the end. It was a “room” you enter, full with a with a carpet, table with a candle, old creepy pictures hanging up and a sly elevator operator, honestly I was expecting a jolting drop at any second! The night ended at the Horseshoe Tavern over Canadian beers, watching the A’s lose to the Toronto Jays, and waaay too loud music.

The second day after breakfast at the hotel (there was a waffle breakfast bar!!) we walked over to Lake Ontario, and walked along the newly revived harbor front named Queen’s Quay Harbor. We watched a bride and groom taking their wedding pictures by the water, and the many sailboats in the lake as we sat at a cute mini beach along the water front. Then we headed to Toronto’s own CN Tower, one of the “Wonders of the World” it’s an observation tower that looks a bit like Seattle’s space needle, but is 3 times taller! I believe it’s held the record for the tallest structure in the world for over three decades. Again, expecting a drop zone type drop, we headed up to the top in a glass elevator which only takes 58 seconds. Atop the CN tower we had spectacular views of Lake Ontario, and the entire city, dotted with parks all around the city, and even dared to stand on the famous and freaky glass floor. Of course the tower is a clear a tourist trap, having to wait in a painful line to get up AND back down in the massive crowd of people, and I love how they shoot you out in the cheesy gift center, while you desperately try to find any sort of exit sign…but nonetheless, it’s just one of those things you do, just to do… (hopefully just once in your life) and it’s a nice way to get a big picture view of the cityscape. Lunch was spent over cold beers in a quant garden patio off Queen’s Street, in an eclectic café that was recommended by on of Tim’s coworkers. I did a little antique shopping that afternoon as we headed into Old Town’s St Lawrence Market in the Distillery District, which had the most beautiful little gardens, full of secret pathways, public herb gardens, and beautiful flowers and fountains. Since the city was full of ethnic food, we decided on Indian for dinner, and after dinner headed to a bar called Sneaky Dee’s near the University of Toronto for some more live music. We watched three bands, and I felt it was a good warm up for Bumbershoot coming up. We ended up running out of time for the Ontario Art Museum (in our 1,001 Things to See Before you Die book) but we were having too much fun soaking in the amazing weather, beautiful neighborhoods, good food and drinks, and the fun nightlife… plus it leaves a reason to return!

St Lawrence Market

CN Tower at Night

Eating Lunch above the Eaton Center

Garden in Old Town

Tim checking out the live music for the weekend

View from the CN Tower

Parade downtown celebrating Turkey

Beautiful song... twist onTaylor Swift and Coldplay

2009-05-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

little story here

Punch Bowl Hike, Santa Paula

2009-05-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day, Tim, Elle and I, took advantage of the perfect weather hike the Punch Bowl Hike in Santa Paula with our friends Dan, Kelly, their sweet pup, Buttercup, and some other friends of friends hikers. Its great how many hiking places are around us, and each hike presents a new adventure, and this hike really was .. unforgettable. We got Elle a backpack, so she could finally start pulling her own weight (and she also carried our snacks)! It was SO cute to see her on her backpacking mission. The hike began right past this beautiful Catholic college (Thomas Aquinas College) nestled on the edge of the Los Padres National Forest. The hike was pretty much all uphill from there until the final destination “the falls” of Punch Bowls at 580 feet above Santa Paula Canyon. The views were spectacular and the hike was very challenge navigating uphill through unstable rocks on the dried creek bed. There were also some massive rocks to climb over and around nearly hugging sheer faces of slipper rock! My hands are sweating just thinking about it again!

When we arrived at the falls, we ate our lunch and Elle and Buttercup dove into the water to play fetch with a huge stick (and their favorite red football). Kelly jumped in too, but it was way too cold for me. While we were relaxing and re-fueling for the hike back, we saw two guys at the top of the waterfall. Anyone that cliff jumps in secluded places like that I consider a total nut, but I wasn’t too worried about it because the water below seemed pretty deep, and as long as they jumped AWAY from the cliff (tons of rocks right below the falls) I assumed they would be okay. Unfortunately, they were complete idiots and after their HEAD FIRST DIVE (!!!!) – at the SAME TIME – STRAIGHT DOWN – one of them was not so lucky. I saw him come up for air after his dive and he cracked his head open and there was blood.. everywhere… the last time I could stand to look at him, he was coughing up the sickest, thickest blood I have ever seen, and it was coming out of his head, ears, nose, mouth, etc… it was horrible. He went into total shock and thank the lord (and what must have been the heavenly spirit of Thomas Aquinas College) there was a doctor hanging out with his family at the falls. The doctor wrapped his bloody head up with Dan’s shirt, and then the second blessing came, when I found out that one of OUR hiking crew was with the Ventura County Sherriff department, and was able to call a city rescue helicopter from his radio. Talk about this idiot cliff diver’s lucky day. In about 7 minutes a huge helicopter found us in the forest to get this guy to the hospital. The actual rescue was pretty incredible to watch… I felt angry at that guy that cliff dove, but so thankful to that doctor and to the search and rescue team for helping him. It is one of those humbling moments when you remember how precious and delicate life is.

Buttercup and Rocket in the shade

Elle ready with her very own backpack

Hiking inside the Santa Paula Canyon

Playing fetch in the Punch Bowl falls

If you look close you can see those two guys approaching the waterfall (and Elle fetching her red football, and Kelly swimming around)

Rescue helicopter approaching - short video from our camera below

love hate relationship (mostly love)

2009-05-18T20:56:00.001-07:00

This is incredible!

2009-05-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

I'm can't get enough of these short films by Keith Loutit, filming real people!!

30th birthdays are great..

2009-04-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

...when you are not the one turning 30, and you are surrounded by: hilarious friends; the most beautiful resort grounds; people who respect the triangle and harmonica as important musical instruments; mustaches on a stick; hula hooping; the sweet smell of lemon flowers; the sweet sounds of Ashton Roth ("G" rated video), amazing homemade beach cocktails .. oh yea.. and continual yummy waffles. While Tim was in Florida for a work conference, Molly, JSM, and I headed to the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad for Molly's birthday and for the filming of our music video (in the process of being edited by Sir Tim Mix-A-Lot), based roughly off this music classic: Life Is A Highway . I laughed the whole trip and it was the perfect birthday celebration, we had a cute little cottage room with french doors leading out to a quiet patio (quiet until we got there at least) and a private little garden with a huge hot tub and a hammock! It was heaven. By night, we ate smores (with all the kids staying at the La Costa) and by day we were either at the beach filming scenes for the music video or getting facials at the spa, we even got to meet up with Ben and Annett for some yummy Mexican food and margaritas! I really hope my 30th birthday is as perfect as Molly's!

The interworkings of a female mind

2009-04-24T09:11:00.001-07:00

Today, I drew a little sketch of a pair of shoes I was looking for online. In about two seconds, Molly knew they were from Nordstrom and we found them. This is crazy on a few levels (including the fact that I tried to save paper by drawing the birdseye view and side view over each other??). That's amazing.

It's your turn now

2009-04-14T18:47:00.001-07:00

When I was looking for pictures of Joel and Shanna for their slide show http://kaitlinmalone.blogspot.com/2009/04/will-you-marry-me.html I came across this gem from my happiest day. It reminds me how good it feels to be around those you love the most and how special my wedding day was!

A few moments before this picture, Shanna washed my grandma's hair.. my grandma had thought that the makeup/hair styling people were going to be washing her hair before her "styling." Shanna could see that my grandma was really disappointed that she was not going to be getting her hair washed before the style... a few seconds later Shanna went right up to my grandma, took her hand and said, "Ok, grandma, come with me, I am going to wash your hair." I was already an emotional wreck that day, but I still get choked up about that moment.

My mom's birthday and her birthday Kahlua Crunch Cake

2009-04-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

My mom and dad came to visit over my mom's spring break and we got to celebrate my mom's (day after) birthday with her! She emailed over the recipe for the birthday cake she wanted.. and I have to say it was one of the best cakes I have ever had.. and I am not really a cake (or pecan) person. Each cake layer had a yummy crunchy layer that was delicious!

Check out the pics, you may need a glass of cold milk!

Kahlua Crunch Cake

Crunch layer:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup firmly packed sugar (light)
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 finely chopped pecans

Cake:
1 pkg Duncan Hines white cake mix
1/2 cup water
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/5 cup flavored liqueur (Kahlua or Rum, or Amaretto)

Frosting:
1 can Pillsbury ready to spread vanilla frosting 8 oz container ready whip topping
2 tablespoon liqueur pecan halves
(A home-made cream cheese frosting would be good too!)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flower 3-9 inch round cake pans. In a small mixing bowl combine all crunch layer until crumbly. Press 1/3 of crunch mixture into bottom of each prepared pan.

In a large mixing bowl blend all cake ingredients at low speed until moistened, beat 2 minutes at high speed. Pour batter over crunch layers. Bake 25-30 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely.

In large bowl combine all frosting ingredients, except pecan halves, blend until smooth and creamy. To assemble place 1 layer crunch side up on a serving plate. Spread with frosting. Place 2nd layer, frost, place 3rd layer, frost sides and top. Arrange pecan halves around the edge of cake. Store in refrigerator.

Will you marry me...

2009-04-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, I got a great call from Shanna, letting me know that she and Joel are engaged! She was on speaker phone so Tim and I could hear all the details of Joel’s well thought out and romantic plan together! Tim snapped some pics of me while I was crying and laughing listening to the story, he thought I was an emotional mess (admittedly, I was)!!!

Joel is such a sweetheart and one of the most down to earth people I know... and Shanna...what can I say, but I love that girl. Shanna is one of my closest and dearest friends and we have been friends ever since the first day we meet at UCSB! I think Shanna and Joel are really lucky to have found each other and their relationship has been growing ever since they started dating. During the "best summer ever" Shanna and I lived together on DP with an amazing ocean view at our backdoor… and that summer things really started blossoming between the two love bugs... I remember helping Shanna pump up an "ocean" raft that she and Joel were going to take a cruising that day! She came back from that date all smiles and couldn't stop talking about him. That night Shanna and I would eat our refried beans, drink our ghost pina coladas, jump on our "beds" (in high heels), then fell asleep to John Mayer's "Your Body Is My Wonderland".. I knew Joel was in her dreams that night... and has been ever since!

I think as we all left college, there has been a huge/hard transition into the "real" world.. and finding ourselves has not always been easy, I give Shanna and Joel a lot of credit to be able to transition with all their "real" life changes together, and ride out those relationship bumps that are inevitable. I know that Shanna and Joel will bring a life time of joy to each other, and to everyone that knows that beautiful, sweet, down to earth, kind, and fun couple! I love you both and wish you all the best in the most amazing time that is a head of you!

Yoga retreat in Ojai, CA

2009-03-26T20:24:00.001-07:00

Cheryl and Deanna in tree pose in between classes

Me meditating for the yoga photo shoot in an outdoor tea room

Cheryl in the tea room

Kathy and me- overlooking the resort's herb garden

Me and Cheryl with our coffees for an AM walk before class

Kathy's moment of meditation.

At the end of last month, I went on my first yoga retreat in at the Ojai Valley Resort in Spa in Ojai, CA (http://www.ojairesort.com/).. this place is amazing!! I had been to this resort once before when Tim took me to get a massage here for a birthday present. The resort is amazing, and I was so excited when the gym at work had flyer's up about this trip retreat. I was wondering what a yoga retreat was going to be about, I imagined lots of yoga, but wasn't sure what else. Well, it ended up being just that. It was a fantastic mini vacation and such a relaxing time! I went with a few of my yoga buddies from my 6:15am morning wake up yoga class (Kathy and Cheryl) and one avid spinner, Deanna. The trip was over a Saturday and Sunday and there was 4 yoga classes on the first day and 3 on the second. We did all the classes in the resort's amazing fitness center, which had huge floor to ceiling windows of which you could see all the surrounding oak trees and rolling hills. One of the classes was a candle lit night class, where we did our yoga in the dark, except for a surrounding circles of glowing candles! Another great class was by one of my regular yoga instructors, Guy, at Amgen. His class ending with him playing guitar and singing as we melted into our shavasana.

Right after our first yoga class, we walked over the the Spa area that was in the same courtyard and the lady at the front gave us spa passes for the day, so we spend the time between classes relaxing in the sauna, steam room and outdoor jacuzzi. The weather was perfect, so we got to take full advantage of the entire private pool the resort had to. The best was the resort extended golf cart/shuttle that picked you us up everywhere we went.. talk about relaxing, we literally didn't even have to walk anywhere! Sunday after the last yoga class, I got a "Moroccan Mint Sugar Scrub" which was pretty "invigorating" (and I took a secret lick off my arm and it tasted better then it felt). I don't know if I would do a scrub again, prob just stick to the massage! I was really sad to leave after the weekend was over, it was a really nice way to spend some quiet time relaxing and doing yoga. Namaste.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

2009-03-14T21:19:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

2009-03-14T21:10:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2009-03-14T20:49:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2009-03-14T20:32:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Family history - Geneology software

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2009-03-14T20:22:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2009-03-14T20:18:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2009-03-14T20:05:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Family history - Pedigree

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2009-03-14T19:49:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Ancestry search - Family tree outline

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2009-03-14T19:15:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Family name history - Roots

Lizard Rock Hike

2009-03-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been trying to do a lot of hikes with the Amgen non official hiking club. Its been really fun and every hike has been very different. The last hike was called Lizard Rock in Thousand Oaks. There were some beautiful vistas, streams, waterfalls, and amazing plants! It was a great hike and our little Elle is quite the hiker! Here are some pics of the day:

Surprise waterfall! We stumbled upon it!

Moving on upstream (Kathy, Kaitlin and Leonie)

Doesn't this plant look like it has black hearts?! I love it!

There's Elle playing fetch near the waterfall!

Surprise teepee?! Why does it look like Elle is cracking up at us? Ha!

There were many beautiful cactus

My little loves, Elle and Tim

Cheryl and Leonie working their way up the hill

Mammoth (Part 2 Storm Troopers)

2009-03-12T20:45:00.001-07:00

The girls into the wee hours of the morning (after a long hard day of snowboarding).

Up the lift

Perfect powder conditions

Brian and Gloria, our new boarding buddies

The guys - Tim, Rick, and Brian

A view from our room of one of the hot tubs! We actually went in while it was snowing!!

Mammoth was fun for (for Tim) and everyone else, but me. Actually, I did have fun the first day snowboarding and once I was medicated it was pretty tolerable.
I haven't had the flu since I was 5, so to get it during a trip to California's best ski resort (fully equipped with a new snowboard and helmet) was pretty sad. Luckily we were staying in an amazing resort called the Village so the beds were comfy and I got a complementary ride to the Emergency Room to see a doctor! I am lucky Leonie took a break from her jammed packed snowboarding trip to escort me to the ER and then to Vons to pick up all my meds.. Unfortunately we had to walk from the ER to Vons -- it wasn't far but I felt like crap, and it was the worst walk in the snow ever. I will def keep this story for my future kids if they have to walk to school in the cold. There were some glimpse of fun for me too:

1. Snowboarding the first day (although I cried 5 times on the mountain cause I felt horrible)
2. Going in the hot tub while it was snowing
3. The humidifier in the room
4. Cholraseptic spray
5. Meeting new friends, Brian, Gloria and Molly's lil sister Carla
6. Finding out the dog sister was getting drunk and having a G-Rated playing card brothel at our house Sat nite
7. Watching Tim so happy to be having the snowboarding trip of his life!
8. Watching the "boarding footage" from Rick's hemi cam
9. Checking out THE man with the mustache pics - why are mustaches so hot right now?

Flickr

2009-03-12T20:42:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Resisting break room cookies

2009-02-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

Reasons why I should/could eat one of these Girl Scout Samoas aka Carmel deLites sitting in the "please help your self" spot in our break room :

1. Taste of childhood nostalgia

2. I burned off calories already this morning doing yoga

3. If it was a Thin Mint I would have to have at least 5

4. It doesn't have peanut butter, and isn't part of the current pb warnings

5. Coconut has important nutritional value

6. It might leave my sweet tooth satisfied all day

7. Eating one will get one step closer to getting this box out of the break room

8. Make Jill and Mrs. Hunt proud

Reasons why I shouldn't eat one:

1. I don't like coconut or Samoas

Therefore, I believe (as the box is clearly reminding me), it will take me courage, confidence, and character NOT to eat one. Wonder if those reminders would hold up if on a Thin Mint box?

Mammoth (Part 1: Robot Love)

2009-02-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

Since I am still sick (last week I had a head cold and this week I have the flu [as confirmed by Mammoth Mountain urgent care]) I barely have enough energy or enthusiasm to write about our recent trip snowboarding to Mammoth Mountain [as Tim deems one of his "favorite new places in California"]. I plan to, but just not yet. Instead I would like pose a question. Before our trip Tim convinced me that we both needed snowboarding helmets. Of course I laughed at the thought, but then when he brought HIS helmet home, fully equipped with an ipod hookup with internal speakers inside (!!!!) I OBVIOUSLY needed one too.. I told Tim I was going to look like a robot, and he assured me I would look cool in my new helmet...

Do you think I had a point?

Don't you think my picture would work perfectly here http://totallyrobot.tumblr.com/?

Happy Monday from Crazyville

2009-02-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

Clare's and Craig's wedding in Indiana

2009-02-06T21:39:00.000-08:00

At the end of January Tim and I headed to Indiana for my cousins Clare's wedding to her new husband Craig. The wedding was at a beautiful venue called Riverwalk Lodge. I presume usually during the summer the lodge is over a stunning river, but since her wedding was on January 31, this beautiful river was frozen over, with fresh snow covering it! It was completely stunning and a big change from the 80 degree weather we were leaving in Ventura. Clare was a beautiful bride and the wedding was really touching. I loved the music that she selected for the ceremony.. in particular the music that kicked off the ceremony.. I believe it was Ben Harper.. VERY fitting! It was great to catch up with the family and see everyone. Cassie and Carrie are both pregnant and I am so excited for both of them! One of my favorite moments of the wedding is when I found out that Chris Krack had Scissor Sister "Don't Feel Like Dancing" on his ipod and that just made the night! The wedding DJ borrowed the song, and we ended the wedding with a all out dance party to this song, which everyone left at the wedding joined in (including my aunt Ruth and Mama)! It was so fun!

We also got to catch up with Tim and Jenn Fickle, who we hadn't seen since their wedding back in Indiana! We stayed with them in their cute house and met their sweet cats and we got to play a lot of Wii! They introduced us to Wii fit, where we did yoga (I got so sweaty I had to change). Also for the record my Wii age is 27 (one year less then my real age). I also really enjoyed the hula hooping and Tim was really good at the boxing. We also got to play Wii at my uncle Stan and Aunt Fran's house when they had us over for dinner the first night we were there. We did lots of bowling and boxing. I have to mention that when my grandma was given the opportunity to bowl a frame, she took it.. AND she bowled a STRIKE the very first shot! It was so great to see my grandma bowl on Wii!! Incredible! It was also great to see Arin Graves and her son who I (finally) got to meet and she (finally) got to meet Tim! What a sweetie!!! We had a great short little trip for Clare's wedding and we always have a fun time when we visit Indiana!

Before the wedding on the riverwalk

Gorgeous setting!

Chuck walking Clare down the isle

Father daughter dance

Jenn and Tim

Mama and me

Uncle Stan, Mama, Me and Aunt Ruth

Superbowl? What Superbowl?

2009-02-05T13:02:00.001-08:00

Honestly, this past Superbowl was the best Superbowl Sunday all season (and probably the best Superbowl day EVER)! Annett and I were cheering so loud, I think I lost my voice. Actually we weren't cheering for the football game (or even watching for that matter) we were ohh and awwing over our supercute, creative, valentine's day crowns we made for our nieces Emily and Elena! Shhhh its a surprise! Thanks for taking this on with me Annett! Can't wait to do our next project!

Time flies when your backs to the game.

Nothing like a little wine and some pink felt and buttons to make us happy!

Rulers are not just for Tim anymore!

Our finished crowns -- even with velcro closure!

Volia! Valentines Day Crowns for the girls! They turned out so cute!

My Husband the Wiz

2009-01-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

While I was busy watching The Real Housewives.. Tim was busy building a computer. This is not something that would have been personally be enjoyable to me (not to mention that there is no way I would have ever figured how HOW to do it..).... I am still so in shock that he made a computer. I keep laughing out loud, and honestly, when he told me he wanted a "motherboard" for Christmas I just smiled and nodded because I had no idea what a motherboard was.. who knows, it could have been a fancy new surfboard.. but I have to say I am very impressed with his dedication to this project and with how amazing our new "custom" computer is! Sometimes I wish I could take a sneak peek into the workings of his mathematical mind!

Oh, also, I do have to say, Elle was there barking instructions to him.. I am sure that helped too!

I believe this is the motherboard

Elle, the mastermind behind it all

At Last

2009-01-24T11:00:00.001-08:00

Congratulations Barack Obama! I just love this picture of the family! I was all smiles when I heard that Michelle was wearing J. Crew throughout Inauguration Day.. hopefully she's a fan of Ann Taylor too!!

January hike in Santa Barbara

2009-01-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

View from the top and Bud Light break (and hummus and peanut butter sandwich break)

View on the way up

Elle and me

View from the top - you could see the islands!

Last weekend I went on an amazing hike in SB with Kathy, Monika, Molly, Leonie, Susan, Bert, and Elle called Inspiration Point and Seven Falls. Although the Seven Falls were mostly dried up Inspiration Point was amazing! We beat the 2.5 hour expected time for the 4.7 mile hike (not counting the Bud Light break at the top). Elle was helping to pull me, so I credit her for getting me up so quick! If I only had her energy! After the hike, we were all looking our sweaty best (did I mention it was 77 degrees and a very steep hike) and showed up at Long Boards at the end of the SB pier, where we proceeded to finish our very yummy (22 oz) Bud Lights. Some of us ..uh humm.. had more then one. It was an amazing day and great way to get some fresh air and exercise outside. It is one of my favorite hikes, but Kathy has promised to introduce me to more in this area. Can't wait for the next one!!

Where has Guitar Hero been my whole life?

2009-01-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

(Rockstar hair is a must ...and yes .... primary color plastic wigs scream rockstar)

So thanks to Jonathan, Jason, and Molly I finally “get” the rave about guitar hero (probably the last person on the planet to play it, if anyone hasn’t IT’S NOT TOO LATE). But anyways I had been stressing for weeks when Jonathan invited me over for his Wii party. I honestly thought I was going to have to sing and know how to actually read music. Anyone who knows me, knows I get sweaty hot when I get nervous, and so I have had my fan on all week. I was hoping that J & J were going to “ease” me into this guitar hero/karaoke nightmare that I was certain was in front of me. When I got there Jonathan promptly handed me a lemon twist with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a salt/sugar twist on things (that even Debbie would be proud of) that I proceeded to down that in a mere seconds. THEN a moment later the infamous guitar hero was popped in (not even a second to ease into this Wii party with a more familiar game like bowling or tennis). It was to my amazement that there was so singing, and no C minor anywhere! I watched as you didn’t need vocal cords or musical talent whatso ever! As soon as I “completed” Steve Millers “Joker” I was hooked. Despite Jonathan clapping notes and stomped his feet (envision: a crazy intense stage mom) behind me and Molly complaining behind me “My brain doesn’t work like that!” I wanted to rock on, I was a superstar!! Now when I hear songs on the radio I can see them in three beautiful colors (I’m still on easy) green, red, yellow, with the notes and the frets flying at me. Oh how I wish I had that whammy right then and there. My world has changed and I am happy to embrace guitar hero into it. Wonder what Ben and Annett are doing this weekend?

Although the above is a view into my personal epiphany about guitar hero, I have to mention what wonderful hosts Jonathan and Jason are, and how I gain at least 5 pounds every time I go there (so much weight in fact, that my feet have been under extreme pressure lately and have grown half a size in the past 6 months). I also have to mention what a wonderful husband I have. Tim was supposed to come over too, but stayed at home to wait for Stanley Steamer to clean our carpets and couch (envision: a dog chewing on a pen, the pen exploding into blue ink puddle [on white carpet], and then dog tracks that blue ink all over the house [including all over the white] couch]). While I was participating in an impromptu dance party to Scissor Sisters [a few lemon twists down at this point] and posing for [over a hundred] photo booth pics , my amazing hubby was at home, caring after the [devil] doggie and ensuring our white [need to rethink our white choices] house got cleaned… not to mention knocking off at least half of the household “to do” list! You really couldn’t ask for a better other half, and I am so lucky! So of course I dedicate all my guitar hero “rocking on” to him… he is forever my muse.

Scissor Sisters show down

Negative Nancy

Boxing show down

Jason in all his glory

Do rockstars really sit up that straight (PS notice "Stage Mom" to my right)

Blue Ribbon Tallboy

2009-01-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

This pic was inspired by Ben's recent blog post: http://hameen.blogspot.com/2009/01/clearing-out-my-cell-phone-camera.html (This pic was taken in New York, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw someone else with the tallboy, had to have one... or two.. or three).

Hot vacation needed

2009-01-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

Does anyone agree it is painful to get a live text picture like this to your email, while you are stuck at work with no upcoming vacation in sight:

... not to mention getting an email from Debbie this morning with her beautiful Shutterfly collection of her recent Mexico trip. I swear if Ben and Annett sent me anything from their gorgeous honeymoon today, I might snap! When is it going to be summer again??! (BTW, the picture is of my aunt Barbara who is living it up in Hawaii as we speak).

New Years in the Big Apple

2009-01-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

This year for my first winter "shutdown" at work Tim and I decided to head to New York to experience the city during the holidays and to be there for New Years! We had a nice long trip and got a lot in during our trip. We stayed with Mandy at her cute Astoria apartment for part of the trip, and then we spent the last part of the trip at the Sheraton in Times Square. Anne and Mike Malone met up with us our third day into the trip, and it was nice to spend time with them and Mandy in NY and we got to share in on Mike's birthday too! It was a wonderful experience to visit Rockefeller Center and see the huge sparkling Christmas Tree (it really does sparkle)! Some other highlights were seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway and the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular Show! The solider dance they did was incredible!

We also ate like crazy, thanks mostly in part to Michelle and Wolf's amazing recommendations and to the W's restaurant, Blue Fin, with the best waffles and pancakes in town! Blue Fin is a must do breakfast place in Times Square! Ben Bensons, Macao Trading Co., and Corner Bistro are also highly recommended! Thanks Michelle and Wolf (we also hit up most of the bars you recommended on our all day pub crawl the first day we were there)!

The art we saw in NY was also a huge highlight to me. The MoMa had a special exhibition called Starry Night, with famous works by Van Gogh, and some of the same exact paintings that we saw in Amsterdam's Van Gogh museum! Tim and I felt well "cultured" (that doesn't happen too often) seeing some of his paintings twice! But, then again, we soaked up a lot of "culture" in Amsterdam! At the Met I took a small tour group on American artists and learned about Whistler, John Singer Sargent, Thomas Eakins, and Mary Cassatt. We also took a tip from my fav book, 1000 Places to See Before You Die, and hit up the Frick Museum across from Central Park. This was an incredible private collection, buzzing with art buffs, and socialites. I love seeing private collections and learning about why the collector has chosen certain pieces, and how they came to acquire the works!

New Years night we went to a intimate concert with Blonde Redhead (which Tim knows from Bumbershoot) at the Terminal 5 venue. Mike and Anne got VIP seating, while Tim, Mandy, and I stood at danced the night away. At midnight the opening act, Elvis Perkins sang Auld Lang Syne and they shot out paper white doves from the stage. Tim got a sweet new years kiss because I bought some fruit punch lip gloss especially for him and that kiss! Meanwhile, back at our empty hotel room at Times Square we had a full view of the Ball drop, and all the crazies standing outside in -20 degree windy weather. The good news is they were practicing the ball drop all week, so we saw the practice run the night before! We learned they are leaving the Ball up year round, so anyone visiting NYC will be able to see it! It was a memorable New Years, and such a fun trip!

2009-01-06T08:23:00.000-08:00

Of course I can't forget this classic pic of Annett and me (and rapper picture faces on) with our new bff.

Highlights from 2008

2008-12-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

So, since I haven't blogged since the middle of my England Adventure about 2 years ago, I thought I should do a little recap of some of the highlights from 2008. Am I missing anything? If so let me know and I will accept, based on how big of a highlight I believe it to be ; )

Leave my job in commercial escrow at First American.
Meet Warren G on New Years in Orange County, Annett asks him if he wants to "do something"
Move from Orange County to Ventura and buy a new home in River Park.
Find my new job at Amgen as a Paralegal for the Legal Group in Clinical Contracting.
Paint our living room a baby blue that does not work, paint the guest rooms silver sage that we love.
Go snowboarding at Big Bear!
Find my new Morning Wake Up Yoga class with Katherine, Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6:15am, and make new Yoga friends.
Meet Jill and Jeremy in Vegas for their annual birthday trip! Palms hotel is amazing.
Mandy comes to visit before leaving for Florida and moving to New York.

Meeting up with Michelle for lunches on her trips up and down the 101
Suffered terrible pain from gallstones found by ultrasound, and schedule a surgery date to have my gallbladder removed (realization that my body thinks I am old due to my favorite drink being a seven and seven).
Go down to San Diego for Kevin's SDSU college graduation!
Take amazing pain killer pills.
Have surgery (by a surgeon that "walks on water" in my mind) and remove gallbladders - pain free now!
My parents come to help take care of me and Tim.
Amgen's "summer shutdown" - are you serious? This company rocks!
I celebrate my 28th birthday and Tim treats me to a day spa and massage at the Ojai Resort and Spa
Annett's bachelorette party in Palm Springs! What happens in Palm Springs stays in Palm Springs.
Tim and I celebrate our 2 year anniversary of our 8/5/06 wedding with a romantic dinner with views of the ocean!
My friend Andrew comes to visit from the bookstore I worked at while we were living in Windsor, England.
Annual trip to Seattle for bumbershoot! (Tim and Dan's 9th year, my 5th year). Hang out with D&K&E&E - my favorite performances: Band of Horses, Black Keyes and Joe Bonamassa
We meet and adopt our sweetie dog, Elle.
Hiking trips in Santa Barbara!
Ben and Annett get married September 13, 2008 by far one of the most beautiful weddings ever!
We sit VIP at the MGMT, Spoon, & Beck concert at Hollywood bowl!
My first camping trip at Jalama Beach in SB!
Jill comes for a baby shower in Camarillo and to see our place and meet Elle, we try out the high security Watermark in Ventura.
Meet up with our friends, the Nacelli's in Orange County.
Meet up with the Malones in San Diego for the American Cancer Society Walk at Balboa Park.
Plan to be one of "those girls" on Halloween with my friend Molly in downtown Ventura - success.
Participate in Amgen's 2008 Tennis Open tournament. Come in 3rd place for Women's Doubles!

Barack Obama defeated John McCain and became the first African American to be elected President of the United States, I will always remember watching his victory speech up in my bed --- "change has come to America"
Start tutoring for a sweet 5 year old Daisy every Wednesday night - she is so smart!
Spend Christmas in Lafayette with all our family.

Sign up to take a winter quarter legal studies class for Contract Law at UCSB extension.
Trip to New York with the Malones to see Mandy and celebrate New Years in the big apple.

Purchase my first pair of Wellies (I think that's a highlight!)

Jet Setters Michelle & Wolf in Town for Thanksgiving

2007-01-20T02:55:00.000-08:00

Michelle and Wolf had their flight booked to London before we even booked ours, so we had been looking forward to their visit since our arrival in England. Michelle picked the dates based on a prosegious Design Workshop Class she signed up for at the Design Center in London which happened to coincide with Thanksgiving. As all our friends and family stories begin, we pulled into Heathrow early Thanksgiving mornings and waited anxiously for them to pop out of the arrivals gate. The flight from New York is not nearly as bad as the flight from California, so we came home dropped their bags and jetted off to London (minus Chef Tim). As all tourists must do, we hitched the nearest Red Double Decker and scoped out the city! It was a beautiful day and the clear skies allowed us great views of the city sites! We stayed until the sun was setting and the Christmas lights over Regents Street were starting to be hung! Meanwhile, Chef Tim stayed home slaving over the Turkey and making further preparations for Thanksgiving dinner. Once Michelle, Wolf, and I got home the house was filled with the smell of an American Thanksgiving feast. We relaxed with wine, turkey (well the vegetarian skipped the turkey – but appreciated the tradition), stuffing, green bean casserole, mashpotoes, cranberry and orange relish….for dessert Tim made a pumpkin cheese cake that was out of this world! (More to follow on the yummy pumpkin cheesecake).

The next morning Michelle headed into London for her fashion class where she was able to network with some influential Londoners at the Champagne Reception afterwards. Sorted! Meanwhile Tim and Wolf met up in London to wander the city, see the Tower of London and then hitch a boat ride along the Thames. I had to work, but met up with the three of them later that night. We went to an area called Brink Lane a.k.a. Curry Mile – a long stretch of street with all Indian food restaurants and similar variations. After dinner we went to a bar called Lounge Lover (where Madonna recently had her birthday party). Needless to say we loved the lounge and continued our late night fun. Cheesecake was waiting for us when we got home that night (morning) and so began the tradition of late nights and having cheesecake upon arrival home.

The next morning we headed to London, caught the tube and got off in the very fashionable Notting Hill neighborhood. After strolling the streets (getting slightly lost) we headed to Portobello Market, a cool street market that has anything and everything you could imagine. We wandered for several hours browsing the street vendors and shops. Lots of neat stuff, but we came home empty handed. Later we “tubed it” to Oxford and Regents streets to see the beautiful Christmas decorations, shop a little and go to a great restaurant called Rocket. Searching for the restaurant was like finding a needle in a haystack…it was tucked away in a tiny side alley. The food was great (and not too expensive) which is tough to find in London. After dinner we went to a members only club (the girls talked our way in) and had a little dancing fun with the locals. Pumpkin cheesecake was there to greet us when we got home.

Michelle and Wolf were dropped off at the good 'ol Slough train and headed on their way!

Paris, France

2006-12-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

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We first found out we were going to Paris the night of our rehearsal dinner, thanks to a surprise gift from Jill, Shanna, Julie, Carly and Michelle. After missing our train from Windsor to London Waterloo by mere seconds, we called a taxi to rush us into London. There we caught the high-speed Eurostar Train that took us under the English Channel and into Paris. Two hours later we arrived in Paris and attempted to walk to the hotel, but we quickly learned that the trek was far greater than we (Tim) had estimated. We finally caught a taxi after striking out several times at the supposed taxi pick-up points, and arrived at the Hotel Le A. The very chic hotel had a large and modern library and a cozy lobby, equipped with a lovely fireplace and all white furniture...not to mention an elevator that changed colors on every floor. The hotel staff was very helpful in finding us romantic places to eat and the location was perfect, just one block from the Champs Elysees.

Our first adventure was the Arch de Triumph (center of Paris) where we hiked to the top and saw breathtaking views of the city, thanks to a break in the clouds. Views included the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Seine River, the Champs Elysees, and all the roads leading up to the Arch. Since the sun was out we decided to hop onto the double-decker tour bus to get a feel for the city from above. We scoped out places we wanted to see and got some random tid-bits of information from the “not so helpful” electronic tour guide. Later that night we had an amazing dinner thanks to a recommendation from the hotel.

The next morning we headed to the Louvre by way of taxi since we were afraid to try out the local subway. After a quick bite to eat and much needed coffee we signed up for a “highlights” tour (in English of course) and then spent 2 hours on our own exploring mostly the Egyptian section of the museum and some of the Greek sculpture. The amount of art at the Louvre was unbelievable and the building itself was very impressive. The highlights tour proved to be a great decision since our tour guide was very knowledgeable and offered great insight as we admired the many works. The tour included the Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, Winked Victory of Samothrace and many more. After our time at the museum we took a stroll along the Seine River making our way towards Notre Dame. The scene along the river reminded us of being in a Hollywood romance movie. We crossed at Pont Neuf to the Isle de la Cite and were soon at Notre Dame. Notre Dame stood majestically on the Isle of Cite and was glowing orange with light from the setting sun. We took several pictures and then headed in for a view from the inside. After, we walked across the street for our first taste of authentic crepes at a café conveniently called the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Yum, butter and sugar crepes.

Later that night, we went to the Eiffel Tower which glows at night and sparkles every 10 minutes to the hour. Our trip to the top was well worth it thanks to the amazing views and city lights. The sky was clear and the city was glowing beneath us. After our romantic night at the Eiffel Tower, we decided to take the untraditional route and had a late night sushi dinner on the Champs Elysees. After dinner, we had a lovely stroll back to our hotel, window shopping along Champs Elysees. Kaitlin took particular interest in the Louis Vutton lights display.

The next morning we had omelets, cappuccinos and crepes at a nearby café and rushed back to the hotel to catch a taxi to the train station. We made the train with only minutes to spare…another close call. It was sad to say “au revoir” to Paris.

Julie makes her way across the pond

2006-12-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like an email titled: URGENT I’M COMING from one of your best friends – 48 hours before they fly across the Atlantic. I was more then thrilled to get the news from Julie that she was going to forgo her San Diego trip to come visit! I basically went to bed, woke up, and there she was at Heathro Airport. We had a great time during her visit! Full of energy and life as always we spend the whole time laughing and catching up on our new life changes. Doing surprisingly well at resisting jet lag we met for lunch by the bookstore where I work. When I got home that night the jet lag (and Tim feeding her a few beers) got the better of her and she was sleeping. The next day Tim and I headed off for Paris and had Julie babysitting the house with her really nice English friends. Once we got back into London we went to meet her and company along the Thames in Southwark neighborhood in London. After a few beers and many laughs we went out for Turkish dinner and Julie kept the restaurant staff fully entertained. Later that night we took a hilarious train ride home (one of many to follow). Tim was then off on a week a week long work trip to Plymouth, England and Julie too-in typical flight scare fashion - took a trip to Amsterdam to explore the city. She ended up knowing someone from San Francisco on her flight there and of course she made friends once she arrived. Another highlight was going to see Willy Russel’s musical Blood Brothers on Charing Cross Road in London. The story is of two twins who are separated at birth and grow up on opposite sides of towns with very different up brings. There paths continue to cross later in life until a final clash leas to tragic circumstances. Although Julie got a cavity mid-show and I felt sick after finishing up her Amsterdam chocolates, the show was great and we were singing along and both jumped in our seats during the last scene. Once Tim was back we went out for a really yummy Thai food in the city and they didn’t even care when we decorated their paper table cloth with lovely drawings. After dessert we headed home the next day she was off back to LA. So sad to have her leave, but it makes us excited to get back to sunny so cal to see her in her new home!

Turkish Coffee Anyone?

2006-11-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

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Blog was deleted in an unfortunate incident....R.I.P.

Edinburgh, Scotland

2006-10-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

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We had an amazing time in Edinburgh and can't wait to plan another trip there! We purchased a cheap flight on easyjet.com, booked a hotel and were on our way. We left early from Luton Airport, one of London's smaller airports and only 45 minutes from Windsor. After the flight and a short shuttle to Edinburgh, we met up with Barb...Jake was attending an open house at his almamator, George Watson's school. We got tickets to bus tour around Edinburgh, in typical tourist fashion, and hitched a ride to the Royal Mile, a famous street stretching from the Edinburgh Castle to Hollyrood Palace (a royal residence). After a little shopping, we met up with Jake and his youngest brother Sandy (by this point we had already met the rest of the MacKenzie clan in Windsor). After one of our many Starbucks breaks we finished off the bus tour and hiked back to our hotel for check-in. That night, while Barb and Jake were at the school reunion, we headed out for a night on the town with Kaitlin's cousin Joe Howe, who just got his masters at University of Kent in England and was ironically in Edinburgh at the same time. We started at Hard Rock Cafe for dinner, and then went to several bars to hear live music and drink with the locals...vodka bar, jazz club, and local pub. A great night thanks to our tour guide Joe. The next day we spent all day at the castle, which has amazing views of the city as it sits on atop an extinct volcanoe. There were many great sites to see at the castle, our favorite the Honours of Scotland - Scottish Crown Jewels, Sceptor and Sword of State. We learned about the amazing stories of it being lost, buried, hidden and recovered many times. Kaitlin thought the dog cemetary was particularly touching. We finished the day with a tour of the University Club at Edinburgh University, a place Jake remembered well from his school days. Our trip concluded with a wonderful dinner and a quick goodbye to our first visitors.

No rain coat, no problem

2006-10-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

Those are not normally dark jeans, and if you look close you can see the drips of water coming off Tim's hair.

Notice the one with the huge scary horns.. this pic was not taken on zoom.
We had to finish the Long Walk.. rain or shine or both
Of all days to take Barb and Jake on the Long Walk (which you will come to know if you come visit us - please bring running shoes) it was sunny at first then all of a sudden we were caught in a sudden rain and wind storm of sorts AND in the path of hundreds of wild deer. Of course when we got to the end of the Long Walk ready to head back the sky opened and we were looking for our sunglasses. I guess in the end Tim did prove us wrong by not bringing a rain coast after all. . oh that day on the Long Walk.

Bath, England

2006-10-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Barb and Jake were our first visitors and I picked them up with ease at Heathrow airport (if you really want the skinny of what its like to stay with us in our cozy house- contact them). We had a great time while they were here visiting and will have great memories of their trip out here. We jammed packed 2 weeks with nonstop tourist and "locals" adventures. One of the best trips we took was to Bath, England most famously know for the remains of the Roman Baths and where Jane Austin lived (and wrote about) in many of her books. Barb, Jake, Jake's longtime friend, Hugh Summerville, and I packed up the trusty -wrong side of the road- Ford Mondeo and hit the M4. About and hour and a half later I found myself in one of the cutest little towns I have seen so far. It was like something out of a fairy tale.. We had high tea and biscuits atop of the Jane Austin museum, then took a walk to the Roman Baths. An incredible day! The story of the Roman baths is so interesting, and the story is still unveiling. In fact parts of the Bath are still being "dug" up today. We could have stayed there all day, and in fact I can't wait to go back!

Surfing at Croyde

2006-10-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

The drive to North Devon - first sight of water Tim walking back after a 2 hour surf session

Beautiful sky over Croyde

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By our third weekend in England, Tim was getting a bit homesick, missng the ocean. We decided to make a trek to North Devon in search of waves. Our drive from Windsor accross the English countryside was so beautiful often passing by sheep in the middle of the road. Thanks to a great book from Ben and Annett about surfing in the UK we knew exactly where we were headed. We first stopped at a small town called Lynmouth which was at the mouth of the Lyn River. The town was a quite but beautiful place where the forest stretched all the way to the sea. Although the surf was not up, we had a great lunch and spent time sitting by the river.

Destined to find surf we headed to the west coast of North Devon which is more consistent for surf due to its westerly exposure. Two hours later we landed in Croyde, the surf capital of Devon where the surf was fantastic and the beach was packed with vacationers and locals taking advantage of the waves. We stayed the night in nearby Barnstaple so Tim could go surfing early in the morning. We tried the local Mexican restaurant in Barnstaple which used chili powder sauce instead of salsa and accidentally put sugar on the rim of our margaritas...looks like we're going to miss that for another few months.

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Drinking coffee our first day in Windsor to overcome jet lag...a bit disoriented.

A veiw of our flat from the park outside. The park is regularly visited by locals with their dogs...Kaitlin falls in love each time a cute dog passes by.

Waterfront Windsor from a bridge crossing the Thames. In the background, a sneak peak at the Windsor Castle.

Arriving in England...

2006-09-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

After a long plane flight from Seattle to Heathrow, we wandered out through a rather uncrowded customs, gathered our two cartloads of luggage and looked for the FM Global sign amongst millions of others. Our ride from Heathrow to our apartment was our first taste of driving on the "right" (correct) side of the road as the driver put it. He explained how it evolved from jousting and since most people are right handed the jousters approached on the left side, holding the joust with their right hand...no debate there. Our apartment is on the second floor of a two story apartment complex with approximately 30 units. It has two bedrooms and two baths, mini-fridge (compared to what we're used to), combined washer and dryer unit, and even a dishwasher. The electrical, appliances, toilets and all are taking some getting used to. After much frustration of plugs, converters, voltage tranformers, we decided what needed to be bought new and what we would just say bye to for 6 months (don't worry Kaitlin did get a new hairstraightener). So far we have adjusted really well to the 8 hour with much coffee and Tylenol PM. We are testing out all the local pubs (there is about one on every corner) and restaurants and have mixed reviews. We have learned to avoid many items such as mushy peas, warm beer (its seriusly served warm at some places) and packets of "brown sauce" and "Mint" ewwwww. We have yet to find half and half, and are still wondering what bio and non bio detergent is. Aside from the above we have found some great neighboor hood pubs with great live music and bubbling with good times and lots of laughter. We have a little journal of great restuarnts to take our visitors so far and its growing by the day! Windor castle is a short 5 minute walk from our place, the Thames River about 3 minutes, and most importantly the Windsor Royal Mall is about 3 minutes too. Tim and I got a tour of his office (2 minute walk from our apartment) and its a really impressive building, full of really nice FM Global employees. We welcome anyone who wants to come visit! So far we are looking forward to our parents, SB and Jake, Michelle and Wolf, Ben and Annett, and have heard interest from others as well. We can't wait to see all of you!!

~T&K

Bumbershoot 2006

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Jake, Barb, Dan, Tim and Kaitlin in front of the infamous Bumbrella Stage getting ready for some reggae beats

Emmy turned dancing queen to her first taste of live Steve Miller Band!

Kirsten and Emmy share a cute moment!

Patial list of some of the groovy bands we saw.

Mom Malone, Kaitlin and I traveled to Seattle for another Bumbershoot festival and of course to spend precious time with Malones...Dan, Kirsten and Emily. K & I barely made it on the plane with our loads of luggage that we were dragging to the UK...but $150 in overweight baggage fees later we were on our way. Our first day in Issaquah was spent enjoying beautiful weather, playing with Emily and enjoying a barbecue with Barbara and Jake MacKenzie...who made the trip again to Seattle for Jake's Bday. The rest of the weekend (at least for Dan and myself) was spent listening to more music than most could handle with acts ranging from folk to metal to rock and everything in between....OK there was a tad bit of beer drinking as well, unfortunately in the overpriced beer gardens. Kaitlin spent a memorable Saturday on Capital Hill visiting Heather's soon to be work place Coco La Ta...and setting her up with her first blind date. Kirsten, Emily and Mom Malone also made it out for one afternoon of festivities... pictures soon to follow. Overall a spectacular Bumbershoot weekend and you can guaruntee we'll be back next year!

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Morning after the wedding at the St. Regis. You can see the balcony over looking the park, overlooking the pool, over looking the golf course, over looking the ocean!

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Soarding up over 2,000 feet above the vineyards! Beautiful!

Here's a pic of us as we are getting ready to set sail and just before sunrise!

First Blog

2006-09-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

We are so excited to start our first blog! Brilliant! So much going on, and we have so much to say. We thank everyone for coming to the wedding and for being a part of our day! It was such a magical day and we still can't stop talking about it! We appreciate all the love and support everyone has given us, and we can't wait to see everyone again!!

After the wedding, we had a lovely "mini-moon" in beautiful Temecula. We took the Ortega Hwy and had an amazingly beautiful drive "over the hills." We stayed in a charming room that over looked the golf course at the Temecula Creek Inn. The first day we played a round of golf (and Kaitlin's first experience on a golf cart), the second day and night we spent at the Pechanga Casino and Resort eating yummy food, and Tim trying his luck at Craps (not so lucky). The next day we made best friends with three other couples on the Grape Escape wine tasting tour. We went to about 5 vineyards, and had a romantic picnic lunch with cheeses and wine. Our newlywed status on the wine tour got us a lot of special treatment from everyone, and we managed more drinks then we (Kaitlin) could handle! The next morning we woke up at 4:30am, got coffees from Starbucks and drove out to the sight where our sunrise hot air balloon ride was. This is something everyone must experience! It was so beautiful, and an unforgettable morning! We rose up over 2,000 feet at one point, and dropped down inches above a vineyard! The sun rose over the hills, and it was so amazing!

Right now we are setting up in England in our new home for the next 6 months, and are loving every second of our new adventure (even the "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride"... we got our car today and Tim tried his hand at driving on the OTHER side of the road YIKES - stories to follow).

Over and out for now, stay tuned. Cheers from Windsor!