Tuesday, September 30, 2008

bridal shower photo op.

on saturday my brother's fiance had a bridal shower and we were able to take a few pictures together. here's one with me, my sister valerie, brother james, and future sister-in-law brandi. (look for wedding photos in november!!!)

Monday, September 29, 2008

fall meme!

thanks to lauren for doing her fall meme, fall is my favorite season!

When does fall begin for you?
when the stores start to carry their fall decorations, (even though this actually starts mid-august it still makes me happy, because then i'm reminded of how soon it's coming!) i usually buy a few pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon candles about this time so that the house seems more cozy.

What is your favorite aspect of fall?
the changing color of the leaves, the cool evenings, sweaters, the anticipation of the holidays.

What is your favorite fall memory?
when i was living on my own on the oregon coast. every morning the fog would hug the mountains and the trees would slowly turn color. i got a lot of use out of my peacoat that year. :)

What do you like to drink in the fall?
hot apple cider with caramel! hot cocoa with peppermint! chai tea!

What’s your favorite fall food?
turkey on thanksgiving and mashed potatoes.

What is fall weather like where you live?
it's very mild and dry. early in the season it's usually warm until the nights slowly get cooler and darker.

What color is fall?
orange and/or brown.

What does fall smell like?
pumpkin pie, turkey cooking in the oven, caramel apples.

Holiday shopping in fall:
it's always been my idea to get my holiday shopping done early, but i usually find better sales in december.

If you could go anywhere in the fall, where would you go?
maine.

What is your favorite fall sport?
football plays regularly in our house. :) i was never a big football fan before, but it's become a tradition with michael and i since we've been married. it now gives me a nice nostalgic feeling.

Do you have a favorite fall chore?
with the possibility of finally having a house this year, i've been mentally planning thanksgiving dinner and centerpieces. it will be nice to have my grandma, mother-in-love and sister to help with everything! (i'm so excited!!!)

What is your least favorite thing about fall?
the persisting heat. >:( grrrrrrrr!


What is your favorite fall holiday?
THANKSGIVING!!!

What’s your favorite kind of pie?
pumpkin pie, but dutch apple pie is a very close second!

Which do you prefer, the Farm or the Fair?
not sure, neither were a big tradition with my family. i do like to drive to tom's farms in corona and to look at all the cute homemade things. i don't buy anything, too expensive, it's great for ideas though!

Do you have a favorite fall book?
hmm, don't think so. i did see a cute children's book in borders a few weeks ago about a pumpkin that didn't get picked from the patch. eventually it was made into a jack-o-lantern and was happy.

How about a favorite fall poem or quote?
i don't have either, but i can think of a song: "autumn in new york" by ella fitzgerald and louis armstrong. check it out!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

civil duty leftovers.

I'M SORRY! whenever i get lazy with posting on my blog, i always feel an apology is required. i myself get a little tiffed when others don't blog as often as I would like. in my early blogging days i decided to blog twice a week (at least!) but now i know life sometimes gets in the way of things, or more in my case, life sometimes isn't very interesting to blog about that often and i should just deal. sigh. anyway there, whew! got that out of the way...

i actually do have something interesting to share, this week i was on a jury for the first time. it was cool to experience court life, see how our city's jurisdiction works and of course, to have an excuse to have lunch downtown is fine too. (there's a nice coffee bean & tealeaf on mission boulevard that overlooks a commons area, it's great for people watching!) the case i was on was about a man convicted of possessing a manufactured weapon while in a state prison. we found him guilty. the case was only two days long, which i prefer because working as a substitute i'm considered temporary and don't get compensated. i'm looking forward to being called again though, it's very worthwhile.

well, my lunch break is over. i'm at the church today so i've been feasting on chips and salsa left from last night's study class. time to print the bulletin for sunday. :)

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

you failed me vitamin C!

i caught michael's devastating cold today. :( he usually catches a bad cold this time of year from one of his students, most of the time i'm able to fight it off. not this year. ugh...

Thursday, September 11, 2008

wonderful.

it is 10:55am, the morning fog has not yet burned off and i am looking out my office window at trees and rosebushes...

what a wonderful morning it is. :)

Monday, September 8, 2008

networking and note taking.


this morning i created a facebook account, much to the delight of my sister. so far i've found it very addicting and have been adding friends and updating like crazy all morning. dang. that's exactly why i didn't want a facebook account in the first place. i try to keep my online network addictions to a minimum, (which is why i've ignored my youtube and goodreads.com accounts) so my total now is three: myspace, facebook and blogger... (unless you count flickr, which i don't because i use it only to store my photos and that totally does not count.) i do admit that i've found facebook to be more mature than myspace and i have not yet been asked if i would like to know what my kissing score is or if i would like to buy rihanna's latest ringtone.

i'm happy to say that i am the new church secretary for our parish! i start wednesday and am only working two days a week but it's a paid position, something i didn't know when i volunteered but am happy about none the less. thanks so much erin, you carry one heckuva recommendation! i was also all set to start substitute work again this morning but did not receive any calls. i'll take it as a sign that i should use my time to clean the house instead, (something that really needs doing) that is if i can ever successfully will myself away from the computer.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

thank you teri,


...for giving away your beautiful center pieces at your reception. the orchid brightens my day and makes me smile every time i walk by.

Monday, September 1, 2008

new month, new season, new beginnings.

happy labor day! :) michael has the day off and we're going to a friends house for a relaxing barbeque tonight. our busy weekend is over and tomorrow i am scheduled for surgery. initially, it is not what i wanted, but i'm eager for it to be over and begin to feel healthy once again.

i've also been doing some serious thinking about taking a college course in library science and getting my associates degree. i felt it was time that i picked a vocation and i've always daydreamed of being a school librarian. i love books, i love kids and i would love to inspire students to read. i still need to find out who is offering classes since the community college here does not, i'm also considering online classes. i'm thinking of hopefully starting school sometime next year when michael has finished his masters degree and we're settled in a new place.

now for the weekend wedding wrap-up! here's a few pictures of my family at waller park in santa maria. it was great to see them and my extended family at my cousin tara's wedding. it was too short a time to spend with them, but i'm happy to have spent it. :)


james and dad sporting the mirror-shades.


valerie and i have the same smile. my sister and mom are too cute!

matt and teri's wedding was beautiful and i'm glad we were able to be there. my feet are still recovering from all the dancing we did! it was good friends and good food!


hannah found the cookies!


ha! matt looking murderous and teri looking beautiful.


michael and i taking a break from dancing. hehe, i love our prom date pose.