Fabulous schmabulous...

I think I have a new hobby....

2009-03-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Before my snowboarding lesson

The Finance department rocked our thirtytwo shirts

At the top of the run - about to go down the hill again!

Have I mentioned lately that I love my job? Every year, the Company has a snow day where they take us up to the mountain for a day of fun. Everything is provided - breakfast, chartered bus, booze, lift tickets, rentals, lessons, lunch, and more booze!

I have never been snowboarding before. I have been skiing twice (many many years ago), but I definitely wasn't successful. Today started off similar to that....

I took a lesson. The lesson consisted entirely of my co-workers. I couldn't figure out which I was - goofy or regular. I was so focused on this, that I couldn't have fun or stay up. Finally, the instructor told me to strap both feet in and just go - sure enough I did it! Wow, what a workout! Since I've been surfing and wakeboarding, snowboarding came a lot more naturally than skiing.

After lunch, I decided to go down my first run. I was very nervous about the chairlift - I hear stories how everyone falls down. NOT ME!!! I made it without falling! And then, I managed to go down the entire mountain and I only fell twice! The next run - I didn't fall at all! Granted, my legs were quivering as I was going down the hill (I'll be feeling that tomorrow!!!)

Overall, it was an AWESOME day - beautiful weather, great people, and something new! I think I can see myself going boarding more often. Too bad it's such an expensive hobby!!!

Vegas, Baby!

2009-03-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

Alison and John

Enjoying my drink at Kahunaville

Yummy dinner at St. Mark's Square in the Venetian

Eric and I in front of the Bellagio Lake

What a fun weekend! We drove to Vegas and met my best friend from college, Alison, and her husband, John, who flew down from Kalispell, Montana. It was my first "adult" Vegas experience. Let me define "adult" - didn't go out to a wild and crazy club, enjoyed gambling and eating an expensive dinner. I really enjoyed it (yet somehow we still managed to stay out until 3am Friday and Saturday nights!). We stayed at the Mirage, which has a perfect location and was actually pretty cheap! We went out to a yummy dinner at the Venetian on Saturday night, followed by Kahunaville at T.I. It's a fun "flare" bar where the bartenders juggle and do tricks with the bottles (a la Tom Cruise in "Cocktail"). The weekend went by very fast, and I'm still recovering....but it was worth it!

Old School Photos

2009-03-03T23:12:00.003-08:00

Holly and I on the first day of school. I'm guessing I was in 3rd grade and she was in Kindergarten. You're jealous - you love the dress with white sport socks and tennis shoes.....

So many comments to make about this photo. My mom looked like she was trying to pimp us out at a young age. My sister (who was about 2 in this photo) is wearing a sequin jumper with a DOLLAR $IGN on it!!! Luckily, Holly just wore that around the house.

Me, on the other hand, wore that outfit in the Kindergarten Talent Show. What was my talent, you ask? No, it was not a strip tease. But I did do a fancy little dance where I twirled and the dance definitely incorporated the red feather boa. It's too bad I was so shy as a child.....

So sad, but so funny!

2009-03-03T23:07:00.001-08:00

Bella tends to "dance" in her sleep....but nothing like this dog. This dog is having quite a dream!

You have to watch this video.

Bronn Humor

2009-02-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

For those that have never spent time with my family, this is your stereotypical "Bronn humor." Every family member I've sent this to ended up crying in laughter.

Watch this clip and you'll understand.

"I love Jesus but I drink a little."

My recent obsession....

2009-02-22T22:20:00.000-08:00

Homemade English Breakfast Tea Latte - made with sugar-free vanilla powder from Coffee Bean. Since I have been studying so much lately, and it's been so cold and rainy out, this yummy drink does the trick. Last Christmas I got the Keurig single cup coffee/tea maker. It's perfect for someone like me, who doesn't drink coffee on a regular basis.

I just microwave some milk, brew some tea, mix in some vanilla powder and voila. I almost forgot the most important part - you MUST froth the milk! I have a handy little frother from IKEA that cost me $6. It makes the best foam on top! I feel like I'm drinking a $4 latte - but it's only costing me around $ .50!

Congratulations Adam & Katherine!!!

2009-02-22T21:46:00.001-08:00

My cousin Adam married his beautiful bride, Katherine, this weekend. It was a beautiful event held at Dove Canyon Country Club. The weather was perfect and everybody was just to happy to be celebrating at this joyous event.

Adam and I are the oldest cousins. We had the same due date, but he was 2 weeks early and I was 2 weeks late. Growing up, Adam and I were always very close - in fact, I thought he was my brother. We both had white white blonde hair. He was quite a wild child growing up, and I lived vicariously through him (as I was the cautious one). I have many fond memories of us terrorizing the younger cousins - somehow convincing our younger sisters to lick Sunny Delight off of the dirty kitchen floor. Then there was the time where we convinced the cousins that we were being attacked, as Adam's friends were in the backyard throwing bb pellets at the window. Aaahhhh memories.

And now my handsome cousin is starting a new life with Katherine. I am so very happy for them and wish them all of the joys in the world.

Adam and I

The Vegas cousins: Mike, fiancee Kelly, Lauren, husband Nick

Eric and I

Adam and Katherine

So sad, but so funny!

2009-02-15T23:22:00.000-08:00

This might be my favorite YouTube video yet - poor little guy!

David goes to the Dentist

Palm Springs with the Girls!

2009-02-10T19:18:00.001-08:00

A wonderful tradition started 5 years ago.... Every year a group of my sorority sisters and I rent a house in Palm Springs (La Quinta, actually). We have been so lucky and have had amazing weather 4 of the 5 years. Luckily, this year it was in the mid 80's and the house was beautiful!

It's been so interesting how the dynamics of our group has changed over the years.

Year 1: Everybody got all dolled up on both Friday and Saturday nights and we went to fancy dinners in Palm Desert. We ended up going through the entire inventory of alcohol (for the the entire weekend) on the very first night. We had to run out and get more booze on Saturday to drink as we lounged by the pool reading gossip magazines.

Year 2: Much of the same, but we only went out one night. We had our first engagement, so there was lots of oohing and aahing over the ring.

Year 3: By Year 3 we had collectively decided that it was a lot more fun to stay inside and cook rather than go out to dinner. But, we still got all dolled up and looked cute for photos. There were a couple more engagements this year, so more ring comparisons. And this year, we had our first pregnant friend! Finally, the year we decide to stay inside - we have a designated driver!!! It was so much fun to see them with a pregger belly (but also kind of weird).

Year 4: By year 4, we were no longer drinking the hard liquor - we had graduated to wine and champagne (and still a lot of Coors Light by the pool on Saturday!). A couple more engagement rings, another pregnant friend, and our first mommy! Needless to say, a lot of questions were asked about the birthing process, and I think we were all in awe as our mommy friend pumped in the corner.

Year 5: Wow - how things have changed. This year 1/3 of the attendees were pregnant! It was so cute to see everybody's baby bump! Conversations had switched from celebrities and gossip to baby strollers and baby food. We still bought alcohol as if everyone would be drinking, and we no longer stayed up until 2 or 3 in the morning. No more sleeping in as we were all wide awake by 7:30 am!

Yes, things have changed over the years, but it has been so much fun to watch my group of friends grow up together and go through these life changes.

Dean and I with our "water"

What more could you want - an infinity pool, cold beer, and lots of sun!

Somewhere over the rainbow.....

2009-02-09T19:01:00.000-08:00

Isn't there supposed to be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?!?!?!

(don't give me credit for this photo. It was on the local newpaper's website. Photo was taken on the 241 toll road by my house)

Comedy hour at 24 Hour Fitness!

2009-01-29T22:53:00.000-08:00

In case you weren't at 24 Hour Fitness in Foothill Ranch on Wednesday night, you missed comedy hour - aka Heather trying to take her first TKB (Turbo Kick Box) Class (although if you were to ask my friend Teresa, I was a kickboxer in high school). Everybody there was a regular. The instructor had lerengitis, so she couldn't talk. I was left to kick box with no guidance!!! Everybody would turn left, and I would turn right...They would punch, I would kick...you get the idea. I mean, I knew I wasn't the most coordinated of people, but I thought I could at least keep up! Nope. After a while, I just started doing my own thing - but I was laughing the whole entire time! I'm going to try it again next week - I'll let you know how it goes!

Yummy cupcakes!

2009-01-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before that I'm obsessed with Sprinkles cupcakes. However, 2009 is a new year and the diet has begun! Okay, I don't like to call it a diet. I'll call it a "lifestyle change."

Anyhoo, one of my biggest weaknesses is for fresh baked goods. I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers message boards and decided to give it a try. Surprisingly - it is absolutely delicious, easy, and you can't even tell that THERE'S A CAN OF COKE ZERO IN IT!!!

Diet Coke Cupcakes

2 WW points

Serving Size: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box of Chocolate cake mix (I used Betty Crocker's Devil's Food)

1 12oz. can of Diet Coke (I used Coke Zero)

Directions:

Mix ingredients and bake according to the box (350 degrees for 20 minutes)

Voila! A yummy snack/dessert! Enjoy!

Bella brought me a surprise

2009-01-27T21:06:00.001-08:00

Bella loves to "stalk" the rabbits on our evening walks. At first sight of a rabbit, she'll get really low and move very slowly - similar to a lion stalking its prey. We always joked and said "She wouldn't know what to do with a rabbit if she ever caught one."

Well.......tonight I had just brought in Bella's water dish to refill. Since my hands were full, I left the sliding glass door open. I plated my dinner that was on the stove, went out to the living room to eat my dinner, went to close the door, and Bella had left me a present.

I guess it's no longer a mystery of what she would do if she found a rabbit.....

Bella in "doggy jail" after her kill.

Can we tell I'm procrastinating???

2009-01-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm procrastinating BIG TIME. Why?

1) I have the CPA exam on Saturday and need to study

2) I'm so excited that I'm getting a new car tomorrow! I keep reading great reviews on the internet and looking at photos. It's a brand new 2008 (hey, I'll take the discounted last year's model) Ford EDGE. I got a SCREAMING deal!

Most people get excited about a luxury car. Nope, not me. I want my 100% American Ford. I've always driven a Honda Civic - great car. But I'm ready for my "adult" car. This car is big enough to drive passengers. Big enough to throw my 80 lb. golden retriever in the back and take her to dog beach. I no longer have to worry about a wet nose on my shoulder.

This might not seem like a big deal to most people, but let me share the thoughts that run through the brain of an accountant whilst trying to buy a new car:

I have a perfectly good Honda Civic - why do I need a new car?

You only want to give me WHAT for my wonderful Civic?!?!?!

Do I really NEED to spend the extra money on navigation, vista roof, etc?

I've learned that the answer is YES - YOU NEED A NEW CAR. Okay, maybe not need, but I deserve a new car. It kind of hit me on Friday when I was leaving a store, and there were a bunch of Sheriff's cars in front of mine. Well, my front left headlight is finicky and doesn't work on a regular basis (I've gotten out of 2 tickets the last 3 months). But it does work if I hit it with my fist (yes, you read that correctly). So I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to be pulled over a 3rd time for my headlight, so I exited my vehicle and pounded the front headlight. Voila! It worked. The sheriffs looked at me and said "That's freaking awesome." Yep, that was my wake up call.

As Eric keeps telling me - a car is a bad investment anyways (way to rub it in Mr. "I have a Company Car") so I might as well get all of the bells and whistles and enjoy it (On that note, a special shout out to my boyfriend - I love you - thanks for putting up with my craziness throughout the car buying process!!!)

Okay, time to go to bed while visions of Edges drive through my head......

It's a family thing....

2009-01-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

Can you see the family resemblance? Six of us here are cousins. See if you can guess who...

Top (L to R): Kelly (Mike's fiancee), Holly, Me, Nick (Lauren's husband), Katherine (Adam's Fiancee), and Lauren.

Bottom (L to R): Mike, Gammy, Adam, Courtney

This photo was taken at Thanksgiving. Everybody lives so far away now (the Bonanni kids in Vegas, Courtney in San Francisco) that it's nice that we were all able to get together. My Gammy is very proud of all of her grandkids.

It's been so much fun to see everyone grow up over the years. There are some more exciting times to come in 2009 with Adam & Katherine's Wedding in February and Mike & Kelly's Wedding in April. Can't wait to post the photos from that!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-30T23:12:00.001-08:00

I know this is a bit late, but I hope you all had a very happy holiday season!

(PS - Bella isn't normally this attentive - I was holding a meatball in my hand!)

Cosby Christmas Sweater Party!

2008-12-30T22:57:00.000-08:00

As you may have noticed, I've been a slacker with my posts, so you will see a "quick recap" of this year's events.

December brought the First Annual Cosby Sweater Christmas Party! A little history - last year, Jeff and I were working at a Client in Carlsbad, and for some reason we got hooked on the idea of getting a "Cosby Sweater" (you know the type - the crazy sweaters that Bill Cosby is famous for!). We searched and searched Ebay for the perfect sweaters.

Earlier in the month we gathered at my house for some cocktails and food - dressed in our best sweaters! It's very funny to see how everyone interpreted it:

Tiffany and Mike got their sweaters from the thrift store and went for the 80's look (although I think Mike looks like Derek Zoolander's twin).

Jeff bought this HILARIOUS sweater off of Ebay - it had jingle bells sewn on and a 12 inch Santa stuffed animal sewn on to the sweater - absolutely hidious!

Kristen found hers in the kids section.

Jennifer is 5 months pregnant and had a fabulous giant santa face on her belly.

Justin found his outfit at Sears (that's scary!)

Eric's sweater is straight from my stepdad's closet.

My sweater is from my Gammy's closet - thanks Gammy! I always loved your sense of fashion!

Jeff and the sewn-on santa sweater

Tiffany, Me, Jennifer, Kristen

Mike, Jeff, Eric, and Justin

Mike and Justin's stellar outfits.

I think Bill Cosby would be proud!!!

Disneyland!

2008-12-04T23:30:00.000-08:00

After SLO, we used our season passes and went to Disneyland for a day with Robin and Greg (Yes, I did get an "It's my birthday" pin. Hey, it's the happiest place on earth and the only place I can truly act like a kid again!).

Every time we go with them, we go on the "Buzz Lightyear Blasters" ride and play boys vs. girls. There are photos that are taken during the ride, but every time we go it malfunctions and we don't get our photos taken. FINALLY, the camera worked! I love looking at the intensity on all of our faces!

Robin and I

Greg and Eric

It was pretty warm, so we decided it would be a good idea to go on Splash Mountain. It had been a while since any of us had gone on it, and apparently we forgot how ABSOLUTELY SOAKED you get when you put 4 grown adults (plus the poor other 2 strangers that were in our log!) on a flume ride. We were pretty much soaked the rest of the day - but had a lot of fun!

Greg, Robin, Me, Eric

Birthday Weekend!

2008-12-04T23:20:00.000-08:00

Mike, Tiffany, Eric, Me, Holly, and Jonathan

Holly and I

For my birthday, Eric took me to San Luis Obispo to go wine tasting! Our friends Tiffany, Mike, my sister Holly, and Jonathan joined us. There are so many beautiful wineries up there. I like wine tasting in SLO and Paso Robles better than Temecula - Temecula feels so commercialized after visiting the "mom and pop" wineries in SLO. It was so fun being the only group tasting!

On Friday night we went to Woodstock's Pizza, which is the same chain that we had in Davis. It is SUCH YUMMY PIZZA! I haven't had their pizza since 2001 when I graduated!

Eric and Mike concentrating on a difficult children's puzzle (it was at the last winery so they were feeling SUPER smart)

New Job!

2008-12-03T21:20:00.001-08:00

The big exciting news is that I have a new job! I am the Group Manager of Accounting at Sole Technology, Inc. What is that, you ask? See all of the brands listed above! It's a great company, close to home, and everybody is so nice.

So that means there will be plenty more time to post on my blog!

Wow, it's been a while

2008-12-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while because when I opened up my blog to post tonight - my whole blog was white! Where did my cute brown/pink/white blog with the cute swirly thingys go??? I just couldn't stand to look at a white page, so there's a new look to the blog. I love fleur de lis, it was the official flower of my sorority. But I think the page might be too busy - what are your thoughts?

I have plenty of posting to catch up on over the next few days....I will post each event separately. Enjoy the postings!

We Remember....

2008-09-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

Lisa, Me, and Jan at Kathryn's wedding in December 2000. This was the last time I saw Lisa.

I will never forget the morning of 9/11/01. I had recently graduated college, was unemployed, and received a phone call from my parents at 6:30 in the morning. "Turn on the TV". I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It seemed like it was a bad dream. I rubbed my eyes, hoping that the picture would change.

I then heard that the plane that went into the second tower was from Boston to LAX. I remember thinking to myself, "Okay, I only know 2 people in Boston, Lisa and Jan, and they would have graduated and been home by now."

I got the phone call from Teresa at 10:30am. "Lisa was on that plane." My heart dropped. We both started crying. I was in disbelief. I was glued to the television, waiting for confirmation of Lisa's flight number. The news reporter was saying a bunch of different flight numbers, so I thought they were wrong. It wasn't Lisa's plane. "You're not saying her flight number consistently enough for me to believe you," I thought.

Then I started to see the list of names of the passengers on the screen. And there it was.

LISA ANN FROST, 22, Rancho Santa Margarita

This was real. This was really happening. My dear friend lost her life in a horrible act of terrorism. She is a hero.

The days that followed were days of grief, sorrow, and remembrance. There was a makeshift memorial at RSM lake with flowers, candles, etc. I went every night to light a candle for my dear friend. One night, as I pulled over to the side of the road, pushed my hazard button, I recognized the couple at the memorial. It was Tom and Melanie Frost, Lisa's parents. It had been 4 years since I had seen them. But they recognized me. We immediately embraced and started crying.

Tom called me a couple of days later and asked me to visit. I went over to their house, the house that I visited many times in high school. The house where everybody met before carpooling to the beach for a bonfire on a Saturday night. The house that suddenly seemed so empty without Lisa.

Tom gave me a button that he had made with Lisa's photo on it. In Loving Memory of Lisa Frost. Tom's neighbor had a button machine and he was making buttons to hand out. I thought to myself, "what would Lisa do in this situation?" She would be raising money for charity. So I asked Tom to borrow the button machine. I began making buttons, night after night. During the day I would sell them in front of Pavillion's (Lisa's job in high school) for $1 and donated the money to the Red Cross. Although we were only asking $1 per button, there was not a single person that donated less than $5. We raised thousands for the Red Cross. Yes, Lisa would be happy.

Lisa and I went to high school together. We were in all of the same AP and honors classes. We shared the same group of friends. There were about 8 of us that were inseparable. Our weekly routine was to go to the football games and then have a bonfire at Pico Beach in San Clemente. Lisa lived for bonfires. Lisa was the all-around girl-next-door. She was intelligent (was salutorian in high school and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University). She was athletic. She was an amazing artist. She was fun. She was genuine. She was beautiful. She volunteered for every organization that was out there. She was the person you wanted to be. She was the person I wanted to be.

Some of my favorite memories with Lisa were laying out in my backyard, studying for the AP European History Exam. Lisa had the most amazing notes, perfectly outlined and typed. She quizzed both Jan and I, and helped me when I couldn't remember certain facts. We worked at a soup kitchen in Orange and although it was hot and dirty, we managed to have so much fun. We walked a charity walk for the March of Dimes. Lisa was always giving back to the community.

I still keep in touch with Tom and Melanie quite often. We share memories of Lisa. I can't believe it's been 7 years. Seven years without my friend. A lot has changed. Friends have started careers, changed careers, gotten married, had babies, yet we all still remember and miss our "Frosty". It sounds funny, but there will be certain times when I know she's with me, looking down and watching over me (Lisa loved angels - she had angel figurines, drawings, etc.) Lisa, there is no doubt in my mind that you are the most beautiful angel in heaven. I miss you.

FLY HIGH FROSTY!!!

Rush shoes

2008-09-09T22:51:00.001-07:00

I thought this was freaking hilarious - Nicole and I both showed up in our Kappa rush shoes (circa 2000) for the 49er game! These shoes are 7 years old and we both still wear them!

Go Niners!

2008-09-02T23:16:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend, Eric and I took a trip to the bay area because he wanted to turn me into a "Bay Area Sports Fan." Courtesy of his father, we had 2 tickets to the Stanford vs. Oregon State football game on Thursday night. The Cardinal were victorious.

Eric then told me I couldn't be a true fan unless I experienced the cold within Candlestick Park. So again, courtesy of Eric's dad, we went to the 49er football game on Friday night. This was my first NFL football game, so it was pretty exciting. We had extra tickets so the Croghans and the Buells joined us as we all froze in the stands together! Who would have thought that it could be 100 degrees in Redwood City and then in the 50's in Candlestick?!?!?!

Trevor and Nicole

Ted and Michelle

Unfortunately, the 'Niners lost to the Chargers in the last few minutes of the game....but I had a very fun time!

Happy Engagement Robin & Greg!

2008-09-02T23:04:00.000-07:00

Robin and Greg on their engagement night in Aruba

We went up north last weekend for Robin & Greg's engagement party. Robin and Greg joined us on the trip to Aruba and Greg proposed on the trip. The engagement party was at a cute winery called Page Mill Winery. We had so much fun. It was a very eventful night - from Robin getting candle wax spilled all over her beautiful dress....

...to Robin's mom hitting a deer on the way home.....to Greg tripping & falling over the ONLY homeless man in Dublin, CA (Greg ended up in the ER and had his forehead super-glued back together). Congratulations Robin & Greg!

Eric & I at the party

Waterman's Ball

2008-08-21T23:34:00.001-07:00

So excited for Waterman's Ball tomorrow night. It's a huge event in the industry, put on by the Surf Industry Manufacturer's Association (aka SIMA) and it's a giant fundraiser. All of the big names in the industry are there - from founders of Companies to athletes. When I was at Billabong, only the really important people got to go to this (like the President and VP's). It's fun being able to go now!

It's starts with 2 hours of schmoozing at the St. Regis Hotel, drinking cocktails and bidding on silent auction items. Last year I won a gift certificate to Burke Williams - so relaxing! I really look forward to seeing all of my Clients and old peeps from my Billabong days.

After the cocktail hour, there's a yummy dinner, awards, and a live auction - last year Eddie Vedder was an award recipient. This year's big recipient is Occy - what an amazing surfer -and he's a Billabong athlete!!!

It's basically a good excuse for everybody to get together for a good cause and have fun. I look forward to it every year!

Connor

2008-08-18T22:26:00.001-07:00

I mean, isn't Connor just adorable??? He's growing so fast!

Proud Dad and Connor

Bathtime!

Thanks Alison & John for a wonderful visit to Big Sky Country!

Big Sky Country

2008-08-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, but I've been busy cramming for the CPA exam last Friday (and now I'm starting to study the next part tonight....will it ever end?)

Ali and I at the Bulldog Saloon

I had a wonderful visit to Kalispell, Montana. My best friend, Alison, lives there with her husband, John, and their son, Connor. Ali and I met John for lunch on Thursday at Tamarack Brewing Company before our day of whitewater rafting. It was hot, blue skies - perfect rafting weather.

We headed up to Whitefish on Friday for the Huckl eberry Festival. It was a cute, small town festival. I had never had huckleberries before - I loved them!!! The locals describe them as "blueberries with an attitude." After walking around and seeing the local crafts at the festival, Then off to the Lodge where I enjoyed cocktails overlooking the lake. I had a huck-tini - yes, you guessed it! A huckleberry martini! I was officially on vacation.....

Enjoying my hucktini

Saturday was a nice mellow day around the house. Then we went to Ali's friend's wedding. It was so much fun!

Ali, me, and Amy at the Garden for a pre-wedding cocktail

Ali and John

Ali and I before the wedding

We headed back up to the Huckleberry Festival with Connor on Sunday and ate at the Bulldog Saloon. It is known for the ronchy photos in the bathroom - ick! Then we headed back to the house for a relaxing afternoon while Connor (heck, all of us) took naps.

Of course, my favorite part of the whole trip was playing with Connor. He is such a cute kid and very well behaved. The next post will be my brag photos of Connor....

Creepy....

2008-08-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in my hotel room in Seattle and should be studying for my CPA exam. I decided to peruse cnn.com and saw the following creepy headline:

"Anthrax suspect called obsessed with sorority."

I thought - I wonder what sorority? What are the chances that it's my sorority? Unfortunately, it was. Read the story here. What a weirdo....

Congratulations Casey & Bobbie!

2008-08-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to my friend's wedding. Bobbie and I have played soccer for 3 1/2 years . The wedding was at Pacific Edge in Laguna Beach. It was a beautiful wedding. There were dolphins playing in the surf behind the ceremony. I've never seen Bobbie look happier. Congratulations Casey & Bobbie!

Bella and a snack

2008-07-31T22:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight my sister baked a cake and had everything set out to bake brownies after dinner. My sister ran out to get some dinner, and settled down to bake the brownies. I hear her shuffling around and talking to herself. She can't find the package of Crisco that she had set on the counter. She's looking everywhere, even in the trash. Well, now I'm involved in this search. Holly casually says, "What if Bella ate it?" and I told her that Bella would never eat Crisco when there is a perfectly baked cake sitting right next to it on the counter. Holly then reminded me of the pizza incident.....

Sure enough, I walked into the den and noticed a crumbled empty package of Crisco on her bed. Needless to say, I think Bella has a bit of a tummy ache now...

Procrastinating like crazy!

2008-07-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

I am busy studying for another part of the CPA exam using the Becker software. I am taking the practice questions, which are mostly math-based for this section. Well, the software won't show me the answer. It will highlight it if I get it wrong, but for some reason it isn't working and it won't let me see how to get to the right answer. It's very frustrating!!!

So how do I cope? A yummy Golden Spoon frozen yogurt! I am obsessed with Golden Spoon. It's right across the street from my house. At $1.99 for a small and 22 calories per ounce, what's not to love???

(Don't be deceived by the photo - the one I got DEFINITELY has lots of chocolate - no fruit on my yogurt!!!) How come it seems that chocolate makes everything better???

Movin' and a Shakin'

2008-07-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

So it's about 11:45 am, my tummy is growling for lunch, and I'm plugging away at the computer, doing some fun auditing. Next thing I know, the ground is moving. "Okay, it's an earthquake. I'll just sit here 'til it's over"...and I keep sitting....and I keep sitting....and the earth keeps moving...and I hear people yelling "earthquake!"....and I see the wall of glass windows about 2 feet from me....and I decide to move to the door jam.

For those of you who don't live in Southern CA, we had an earthquake this morning - and it was the strongest one I've ever felt. It was a 5.8 magnitude centered in Chino Hills - the closest one ever to my home. Luckily, no damage here in south county, but north county got quite a stir.

Eric and I keep talking that we need to put an "emergency kit" together at each of our houses...maybe this will be the little boost we need to finally do it.

Where were you when the quake hit?

Will Ferrell credits my dad!

2008-07-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Many of you may not know, but my dad was Will Ferrell's 1st and 6th grade teacher. Well, the Orange County Register did had an article today that was an interview with Will Ferrell (because he grew up in Irvine). I was reading along, and then noticed that he mentions my dad! Check out the article here.

Bella and the Roomba

2008-07-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

Don't think I'm mean. If you look, Bella's tail is wagging the whole time...she just can't figure out what this crazy thing is in her house. I think she was mad that Holly and I were laughing at her, because she pouted the rest of the night.

Does this make me the Queen of Lazy???

2008-07-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

So, I upgraded my place and got this beautiful new floor. Unfortunately, I threw a playful golden retriever into the mix and the next thing I knew I had dog hair all over my floor. It wasn't just a couple here or there. We're talking clumps & layers of hair. I brush out Bella pretty regularly and she is groomed every 6 weeks, but we're still talking a ridiculous amount of hair.

How do I solve this problem? I treated myself to a ROOMBA. Before I went out and spent the money (by the way, thank you to Bed Bath & Beyond for the wonderful 20% off coupons that I get in the mail every week), I asked friends if they had ever heard of a Roomba. Well, apparently everybody has them and I am the last to jump on the band wagon.

I took it home last night, charged it up, and decided to give it a test run tonight in my den. Bella wasn't quite sure what to think about it. I took a video, but am having trouble uploading it. Stay tuned for the video and my review of the ROOMBA (as it is cleaning my great room right now...)

A visit with my nephews!

2008-07-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

Tristan in the spa "modeling" my Kaenon sunglasses.

Nicholas flashing his cute grin.

I had a fun Saturday afternoon - my nephews were in town! It was a fun-filled day of swimming, bbq, and games around the fire pit. My nephews live in Colorado, so I don't get a chance to see them often. Tyler was busy playing football in the pool, so I didn't get a picture of him.

I am in love with Sprinkles Cupcakes!

2008-07-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

I was introduced to Sprinkles Cupcakes this last week. My Client was right across the street in Fashion Island. I wanted to see what all the hype was about (yes, watch the Girls Next Door and hear how obsessed they are with them). I must admit I visited Sprinkles a couple of times during the week. Don't judge me - I had to taste different flavors to decide which one I thought was the best!!! My favorite? The Red Velvet cupcake. This shouldn't be a surprise, as it is the cupcake that has made them famous. It is such a cute little store and I love the packaging for the cupcakes - what an added touch!

I visited my friend, Sandra, after work on Friday. I brought her little girl, Sofia, a cupcake, and boy did she love it! She kept taking the frosting off with her finger and laughing as she showed me the yummy frosting. I think the photos will show how excited she was for the cupcake.

I've never laughed so hard reading

2008-07-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

My friend Elizabeth introduced me to this series of books. I didn't quite know what to expect. I must preface this story with....I am not a big reader. (A big joke between Eric and I is that when we first started dating, he gave me a book to read...it took me 5 months. In my defense - it was about 800 pages. Eric reads about a book a day and constantly has 5 books in progress).

Anywho, I opened the first in the seried, Bitter is the New Black by the fabulous author Jen Lancaster, and finished it in 4 days. I have never laughed so hard reading a book. In case you can't read the rest of the title, "Confessions of a condescending, egotistical, self-centered smartass, or, why you should never carry a Prada bag to the unemployment office." I think the title says it all.

I have now loaned out this book to my friend Robin, and she loves it too! I am almost done with the second book in the series, Bright Lights, Big Ass: A self-indulgent, surly, ex-sorority girl's guide to why it often sucks in the city, or Who are these idiots and why do they all live next door to me? Seriously - this one is even funnier!

I HIGHLY recommend this series of books. You can buy them here and here.

Can I tell you the best part? Since it's a memoir, and the author is a big fan of blogging, I can follow her daily blog and laugh constantly! Okay, don't think I'm a stalker. Just very very entertained.

I love my Gammy

2008-07-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

I love my Gammy. At 81 years young, she is fun and BEAUTIFUL! We all went out for Taco Tuesday last night at Rose Canyon Cantina (which I will always refer to as Senior Lico's since I'm old school like that). Margaritas were flowing and I had to videotape the party howl (sorry for the poor quality of the video, it's from my phone).

My cousins and I taught Gammy the "party howl." It's basically a fist pump into the air and a big "whoop!" Gammy has her own version of the party howl - which I love!!!

The new floor

2008-07-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while, but here is the new floor installed. I've included the "before" pictures - just please note that this is the carpet "pre-Bella" and there are virtually no spots or stains. Things change quickly when you have a 75 lb. beast on your hands! I really think that the new floor warms the place up - and it's virtually indestructible by Bella (why do I have a feeling that I'll take those words back in a few months?.....) Overall, I had such a good experience, from order to installation, thanks to the folks at Lowes.

Time to have a life again!

2008-05-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Another busy season has come and gone - yippee!!! Sorry for the lack of posts, but I don't really have time when I'm working crazy hours. So what has happened the last 4 months....

Eric bought a townhouse in RSM. It's a really nice place. It's been a lot of fun helping him decorate and get organized (that's really sad, huh?)

Our new favorite activity is going to Lowes. It's amazing how much money you can spend there!

I've finally decided to re-do the carpet in my house. The front part of my house is ceramic tile and the back part is carpet. The carpet was already stained when I moved in 4 years ago (wow, 4 years already???), but then you throw a 75 lb. golden retreiver into the mix and the carpet is absolutely shot!

I tried my hardest to find matching tile, but with no success.

So I've decided to go with Pergo (Dolce Mahogany to be exact). I've done my research, and real wood won't hold up to a dog, but the Pergo will. I got a sample and tried to scratch it with a butcher knife - no scratches! Below is a picture of what it looks like (please note this is NOT my house - I took the photo from somebody else's blog)

The nice man from Lowe's came out and measured today. I hope I can get this taken care of in the next week!

Yummy HEALTHY soup

2008-01-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

One of my new year's resolutions is to lose weight (I think it's everybody's resolution). Another resolution is to eat out less. So, in the spirit of keeping traditions on the 6th day of 2008, Eric and I went to the gym this morning and then went grocery shopping. I went prepared, list in hand. I had already looked up recipes of what I wanted to cook.

This recipe is a weight watchers recipe.

Zero Point Slow-Cooker Soup

Serves 8, 1 cup servings

2 pieces bay leaf

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 medium stalks celery, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

10 oz. baby spinach leaves

28 oz. canned diced tomatoes

1 tbsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

4 cups vegetable broth

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high power for 5 hours.

I must say, it is quite a yummy, filling recipe. You can throw all the veggies you want into it. I also added 2 chopped zucchinis to the recipe. This recipe also freezes well (hint: freezing flat in a freezer-proof ziploc bag defrosts faster and takes up less space).

Enjoy!

I'm going to Disneyland!

2008-01-02T21:41:00.000-08:00

On a recent trip to Disneyland with Eric, Robin, and Greg, I convinced Eric to get a season pass. It's the So Cal pass, which means we can't go on Saturdays or during the month of July (not that I would want to go at that crowded time of year anyway!!!)

The park was beautifully decorated for Christmas - the lights on the castle were breathtaking and the photos don't do it justice.

I hadn't been to Disneyland in 4 years, and it was amazing how much it had changed. I felt like a rookie b/c I was new to the "Fast Pass" concept and there were so many new rides and attractions!

MIA

2007-11-19T01:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been MIA lately, I have been busy studying for the BEC section of the CPA exam. I know, I know, sounds like tons of fun. I have many posts to catch up on - supporting the 3 day breast cancer walkers, Eric's birthday, Thanksgiving with my mom's family, etc. Hopefully, over the 4 day weekend next week I will be able to catch up!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T17:10:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween! So I never thought I would become one of those dog owners that dresses up their dog....who knew?!?! (Actually, Holly came home with this costume for Bella). This is a picture of Bella last Halloween, when she was 4 months old. I wish she was that size again! Unfortunately, they do not make dog costumes for 73 lb. dogs, so she has no costume to greet the tricker treaters this year.

Crazies out last night!

2007-10-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

There were some crazies out in RSM on Saturday night! My friend, Christi, and I went out for cocktails, and look who we found....Chris Farley...or at least a Chris Farley wannabe. I couldn't believe this guy's costume - so I had to take a picture (with my camera phone - sorry for the poor quality). Unfortunately, he was not allowed in the bar.

Fire update - Wednesday night

2007-10-28T15:35:00.001-07:00

Eric and I drove to the top of the hill by my house on Wednesday night to see how the fire was looking. It was the same exact spot as I was standing the night before, but it is amazing how far the fire had traveled in just a day. The picture on the left is how the fire looked at 10pm. An hour later I was leaving Eric's house and noticed that the glow in the sky looked a lot brighter. I drove up to the same spot, and the fire had expanded to the picture on the right. Crazy!

All is okay now, the fire is 50% contained and there were no more structures burned. It is in Cleveland National Forest. It's supposed to be completely out by Tuesday. My thanks go out to all of the firefighters that protected the community!

Smoky Air

2007-10-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to this view of the sunrise. Kind of a cool panoramic photo - the sky was very colorful due to the smoke. Except this smoke is from a new fire...the Camp Pendleton fire. Apparently for a while, the I-5 was shut in both directions. I think it's contained now.

As I was watching the news this morning, one of the reporters for KTLA was reporting on the Santiago Fire. She showed footage of an area of homes yesterday, still safe and being protected, and the same area of homes today, with no homes in sight as they burned to the ground overnight. So surreal.

Even though I've kept every window closed, my house still smells of smoke. Bella is inside all day today. During my commute to work this morning along the toll road, I saw just acres and acres of charred black ground.

More photos to come after work today......but for the time being, here is the view from my balcony of the Camp Pendleton Smoke and the sun.......

More fire photos

2007-10-24T01:28:00.001-07:00

Fire, Fire Everywhere

2007-10-24T00:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday night I was informed there was a fire nearby. I didn't see much news coverage (everything was focused on the Malibu fires). I watched the news Monday morning before leaving for work....again, no news about the so called fire nearby...all coverage on Malibu again.

So, yesterday morning when I left for work, I thought I would be fine. Wrong! The normal route that I take to work was closed due to the fire. It took me 45 minutes to get to the freeway (it usually takes 10). There was a ton of traffic.

Yesterday in the office, we lost power for about a half hour. I then headed up to LA for a conference. I knew there were fires happening, but since I was in downtown LA, all I saw were blue skies.

As I watched the news last night in my hotel room, I saw them reporting from the local shopping center, showing flames across the street. WOW, this is really happening. I mean, in high school there were a lot of fires, one getting really close, but it's just weird to see places you know on tv. They reported that as of last night, the fire is 1/2 mile from the historic local biker bar, Cook's Corner and this beautiful mansion, Rancho Las Lomas, where I had my senior prom and have attended numerous weddings. I am coming back to town tonight, not knowing if those places still exist.

I got a text from Eric tonight, "You can see the flames clearly from your balcony now." Uh oh. He assured me I wasn't in danger and I feel better because there are a lot of structures between me and the fire.

But when I drove home tonight from LA, it was like driving into the lion's den because I was driving directly towards orange skies and heavy smoke. The toll road was open again, and as I drove along it, you could just see "hot spots" along both sides of the toll road with areas of flames still burning. As I drove to my house, I looked to my left and just saw hills on fire. Wow, this is really happening.

I jumped in my car and drove to the top of the hill, where I took the pictures that are shown. This is the Santiago Fire. This is a really good interactive map to show the area of the fire. My house is just to the left of the words "O'Neill Regional Park" and my parents live where it says "Trabuco Canyon." The area between the fire and Trabuco Canyon is all dry brush. If the fire heads that way, my dad's house could be seriously threatened as he is backed directly up to the canyon.

I just checked, and it looks like the fire is 30% contained and the good news is that the winds are calm.

The sad thing is, this is nowhere near the devistation of the San Diego Fires. My friend's brother lost his house in the fire. So sad....

I think Wednesday morning's drive to work is going to be a wake up call to me, as I see everything in the daylight....

I will keep posting updates and photos of the Santiago Fire.....

Goodbye weekend

2007-10-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

This was my first full weekend at home, where I had no commitments or obligations - I had the whole weekend to myself...literally. Eric was hanging out with his fraternity brothers in San Diego, and Holly is in Cancun. So it was just Bella and I. I have to say - I enjoyed the time at my house to organize, clean, weed my yard, and just enjoy being home. I know, does not sound like fun at all to you, but I enjoyed it. I'm not home very much during the week, so it was nice. I put off all of my work until tonight, so I've spent the last 6 hours working - yuck!

We had the Santa Ana winds this weekend - which made my soccer game miserable! There's nothing like running against the wind, having grit and dirt blowing in your face. I had a layer of dirt after the game. Unfortunately, we lost 2-1 (we were robbed - their second goal was scored by a player that was offsides - but I'm not going to complain about that....).

Last weekend was a much better game. We won 6-1. It was Eric's first DSFA experience...and I scored a goal! And this wasn't a pansy goal - it was a legitimate goal. I was left fullback, and it was our corner kick. I played a little bit up. The ball came back to me, and I sent it like a rocket to the upper left corner of the net. I jokingly told Eric that it's okay if he doesn't come to any of my other games because I want him to think that I play like that every game! :) After the game he had his first carne asada burrito from Alerto's - a DSFA favorite!

...and for you DSFA girls reading....the legend of George Glass has finally been proven real!

Finally!

2007-10-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

It seems like it's taken forever to get here! I can't wait for the weekend!!!

A new way of thinking...

2007-10-18T23:41:00.000-07:00

Eric and I just came back from an investment seminar given by Doug Andrew. Check out his website. It was a completely new way of thinking about investing for your future. I am still digesting everything that we learned tonight. Eric read this book, the second in the series, ahead of time.

The concepts are definitely not main stream, but propose a new way of looking at things:

1) It benefits you to have a mortgage. As long as you have a mortgage, you have the interest deduction and a greater tax benefit. It goes against the main stream thought of making extra principal payments to pay off your mortgage faster.

2) Leverage the equity that you have in your home. You cannot earn anything off of equity because it is not liquid - you do not benefit unless you sell your house. Therefore, borrow against your equity in the form of a home equity line of credit. A house is an asset. The cash you get from a line of credit is an asset. Therefore if you have a liquid asset in the form of the home equity loan, you can pay off the mortgage if you really need to. But you also have the option to re-invest the money you get from the home equity loan.

3) IRAs and 401Ks aren't the best retirement approach.

4) The most conservative and safest investment is long-term insurance contracts, that pays out life benefits as well as a death benefit. These are tax free.

So let's say you borrow $100,000 on a home equity loan at a rate of 6%, and re-invest it in long-term insurance contracts that pay interest at 5%. Most people would say that it doesn't make sense. However, since the long term insurance contracts are invested at a compounded 5% rate, and they are tax free, you end up making more than the 6% borrowing fee.

Okay, I know all of that probably sounds really confusing. And I KNOW that I didn't give the 2 hour seminar justice. I haven't signed up for anything yet, but it has definitely intrigued me to read more about the concept. I'll report back my thoughts and clarify the concepts.....

...by the way - I felt so "adult" being at an investment seminar!!!

Yummy!!!

2007-10-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

So I should be working right now....but procrastinating is a great thing! I realized that I don't have stuff for breakfast for the rest of the week (and I don't have time to go grocery shopping), so I baked a loaf of yummy PUMPKIN BREAD. This is a great recipe, super easy (for non-cooks like myself), I always have the ingredients on hand, and it's relatively healthy.

PUMPKIN BREAD

Serves 8 (generously)

Ingredients:

1 box Spice Cake Mix

1 15oz. can pumpkin

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together in big bowl. Spray loaf pan with PAM. Bake for 60 minutes.

...and it makes the house smell so good too!

Let's give this another try

2007-10-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

So I have been inspired by my good friend, Kelly, to blog. For those of you that have never tried it, it's wonderful! Although Kelly and I don't get a chance to chat very often, I feel like we have kept in wonderful touch because I look forward to reading her blog.

I tried this blogging thing once, and it didn't quite work. As you can see, I wanted to use it as a journal for my Europe trip. Well, time has passed, and I have since been to Europe, Australia twice, and most recently Puerto Vallarta (my passport has some nice stamps in it now!)

I don't know who is going to read this, but maybe it will be as cathartic as everybody says it is. I am off now to take Bella to obedience training. This will be her second time in this class (not second class, but she is a repeater of the whole program). She is a well behaved dog....but there's always room for improvement! Seriously, though, how can you get upset with this face?

um.....

2005-09-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, not quite sure what I am doing here. Just wanted to create an area to post my Europe trip to. Question: do I create a new blog for each time I want to post? HMMMMM... might have to ask for help on this.