Kelly and Tadd

Wig Party

2012-01-22T17:37:00.000-08:00

Last night was my boss's birthday and he always picks a new theme just to mix it up and make it interesting. Last year was Executives therefore men and women wore business attire and all gathered at The Almond Tree...this year's theme was wigs and everyone gathered at Phat Chads. There was a photographer and good music, pool and lots of friends.
Tadd wore the "Pauly D" wig from Jersey shore and I wore the Katy Perry wig. We had a fun time mingling with friends and listenting and dancing to good music. My bosses wife made him a face cake for his birthday so I am hoping to get a picture of that so I can post it...but I did get one photo of us in our wigs. Maybe a few more pictures will be posted, but I really loved wearing a wig...it kind of makes it fun and then I didnt have to do my own hair.

2012

2012-01-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

Tadd and I just returned from a lovely 10 day trip to Arizona to spend Christmas with his family. We had such a wonderful time with all his siblings and their kids and his parents. We arrived on the 22nd in the evening and we stayed with Tadd's older brother Nick and his family. The trip is kind of blur because we just relaxed and ate and slept and did all the things that we normally do not get to do when we are home with work and school and everything else...so we did not keep track of time or anything...it was great! Some fun events that we did while we were there included...Phil and Brittny were sealed in the Mesa Arizona temple as was their 2 month old son Benjamin. It was such a sweet ceremony and a very special day for them and the family. We were so glad that we were able to be there for that special event. That same day was Katie's birthday which we brought her a cupcake to enjoy from Icing on the Cupcake.

On Christmas Eve, we all headed to the temple to look at the lights that they do every year. They are so beautiful and the temple grounds are always packed for this fun activity. There is always a nativity scene, the 3 wise men and their camels as well as lights all over the grounds and there are also performances throughout the night. We are so grateful for the temple and what great blessings it brings into our life. The lights are a great symbol of our Savior Jesus Christ and the light that he is to the world. That evening we went to Phil and Britt's house for dinner and some family time. Then Christmas Day! The older kids, Sienna and Zaida, opened most of their gifts in the morning before church at 1pm. After church, we came back and hung out a while and prepared dinner prior to the adult presents. We all exchanged gifts and got wonderful things all around. We then enjoyed dinner together as a family. Other fun activities included ping pong, tennis, movie outings, dinner outings, outdoor shopping, spending time with all the babies and spending time with each other. Tadd got a tennis racquet and ping pong paddle for Christmas, so he was able to break those in. We went to see, "We bought a zoo," "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," and the girls saw "Breaking Dawn." We ate at burger joints, sushi spots, steakhouses, and of course at home! Ironically, we did not buy anything while shopping around. We were able to see so many good friends and lots of new additions to families which was really fun! We had such a wonderful time in Arizona and we are going to miss everyone until we see them hopefully sooner this time!

Pine, Lights and Stockings!

2011-12-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas is so close...less than a week. My family has been preparing for the last few weeks as we put Christmas lights up, decorated inside, baked cookies and toffee and shopped...cut, taped and wrapped all the presents! I have officially finished my first Term in hygiene school which is really awesome. Tadd and I also have booked our flights for a long vacation in Arizona with his family which will be a great time. The weather has been beautiful (despite the need for rain) and I have been able to enjoy some down time previous to our vacation.

I am looking forward to a big break and will post pictures of our fun trip in Arizona as soon as I can. Have a Merry Christmas!!!

Family Photos

2011-12-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

I know we dont technically have any children yet, but we are still considered a family!!! We got photos done so that we could send out our very first Christmas card. Here are a few photos from our very fun session!

Maybe next time we will have a new addition or at least one on the way.

November B-day!

2011-11-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

My mom celebrated her birthday on the 15th of November this year. We all headed out to cheesecake factory to celebrate and enjoy a nice dinner together. We all got something delicious and then of course, cheesecake to share. Vanilla bean, red velvet and the tuxedo were the flavors we enjoyed. Since we did not get my mom an actual gift, we decided to take her to see Breaking Dawn since it came out the same week as her birthday. We saw it on Saturday around 1:00pm and it turned out to be perfect because it was not too packed and there were not a lot of kids screaming every few seconds. I really liked the movie and I think my mom did too. Katie also came and so did our boys, Tadd and Dennis. My dad lucked out and was busy on Saturday so he didn't make it. It was a great day and we love my MOM so much and are so happy and extremely lucky to have her as our mother!!!

Sandpoint Idaho

2011-11-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Tadd and I headed up to Idaho to see his Grandma as well as his aunt and cousins. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and had a lovely dinner with all of them. We watched some magic tricks by the kids and then headed to bed. On Sunday, we woke up and went to church with Cleo and then came home and Lisa and Cole headed out to go hunting while we stayed and played Just Dance with Quinn and some other fun games. Cole shot his first deer and they gutted it and then skinned it and he got to keep the heart and one of the hooves, it was pretty intense. Monday morning, we woke up and we ate some breakfast and then got ready to head around town. We went to their ski resort called Schweitzer and on the way up the mountain it was pretty and sunny and then we were taking pictures and it started to snow...lots. We drove down the hill in a blizzard. It was crazy. We then walked around the town of Sandpoint and shopped around. The snow stopped and we all went to lunch on the beach (with snow on it...) and enjoyed each other's company. We walked around a bit and then the trip was already over! It went fast but we had a great time with them and they were great hosts. We are hoping to make it up there again soon.

Up to Date...

2011-11-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

I never really take pictures anymore it seems...but we have been pretty busy lately. A few weeks ago, we went to Berkeley to hang out with my college roommate and her husband who went to Cal. We had a nice weekend spending time with them and just enjoying each others company and getting away briefly.

After that weekend, we did some housesitting...then we had a fun weekend with some friends to celebrate his birthday! Then of course Halloween. We never have any big plans for Halloween because we don't have any kids. But this year, similar to the past few years we went trick or treating with some friends who have kids. We ate lots of yummy food and played some games. However, since it was a Monday night, we had to get back to the house and get ready for the workday following.
Other things are...still planning Jills wedding...and it is moving right along. Also, Tadd's family has all had kids officially. Two new babies were born in the last two months. We are so excited for Christmas this year as we are visiting Arizona and will get to meet the new additions. We both are currently super busy with school for me and Tadd is teaching institute which keeps him studying as well. Hopefully I will have more pictures to share as we move into the Holidays.

16+ years

2011-10-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a sad day for our family. I know it sounds dramatic, and it pretty much was. We had to put out perfect little cat, Lilly, to sleep after 16+ wonderful years of her in our family! She was seriously the best cat ever. If you are not a cat person, you would have been if you met Lilly. She listened, and she loved and she ate human food. She was so snuggly and so adorable and we are so sad that she will not be meowing in our house anymore. She was getting very old and pretty sick. She had lost a few pounds and was always cold. She had such a great life and we loved her so so much. I don't think that we will ever get another cat because there can never be a cat that can compare to our Lillykins. We got her when we lived in San Diego and we were all in elementary school or younger. She was the best kitty and as she grew up with us, she continued to be the best cat ever!!! She would snuggle on your chest and rub her paw against your face. She would hiss at our dog because she ran the house not the dog. She would lick our creamsicles and eat our salty crackers. She would meow and meow and meow until we gave her deli turkey and then let her out into our garage so she could stay warm on the carpeted stairs. She was seriously the best cat ever, hands down! We will miss her so much. I will post some adorable photos of her as soon as I get a chance. We love our Lillykins and will miss her so much. She is happy now in kitty heaven.

Lately

2011-10-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

It has been a little bit longer than I anticipated since I last posted. I thought I would be getting lots of posts in about my schooling, but I don't have as much time as I thought I might. Also, how boring would my blog be if I kept posting about school...o wait, I have been posting about school for the last 3 years. Sorry!

Instead of a post about school, I will post about all the other things I have been up to. Recently, I made a blanket for my niece for Christmas. The picture below is not the actual blanket but brighter and prettier fabric.

Also, I have been assisting my sister in planning her wedding that is next July. I am making a few things to contribute to her wedding. I am making her garter, her hair decoration, a "here comes the bride" sign and then of course as the Maiden of Honor I am planning and throwing her bridal shower. The shower wont be until May I think but we are doing beach and "gelato" theme. (Her name is Jill Oddo, pronounced the same way). A sample flower...but it will have some organza and toule and bling.
I have also been getting ready and excited and prepared for the fall/winter. I have been looking up adorable fall outfits on pinterest. There are so many...and of course that costs money, but I am going to see if I can work some fun outfits with the clothes I already have. Some samples below...

I see if I can get some good pics of outfits that I get to wear this weekend on a fun trip to Berkeley to meet up with my college roommate and her husband! Until next time...

Month 1

2011-09-24T09:56:00.001-07:00

I have been in Hygiene school for officially 4 weeks. 1 month down. 17 more to go. I have six classes and I go to school Tuesday through Friday from 8-5pm. And then I get home...and study! It is hard. But this is the beginning of the end of school. Finally! After all these years. The classes I am taking are...Intro to Hygiene Clinic...this is the lab! Radiology (x-rays). Morphology (shape of teeth). Anatomy...self explanatory. Biology. Preventive Dentistry (toothbrushes, floss, etc.)

I really like it...I am so excited to get to work with all the instruments and become a Dental Hygienist.

Sunshine Award 2011

2011-09-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks Jen for presenting me with the Sunshine Award 2011. If you don't know Jen, you should, your life will be better by knowing her, even if it is only in the blogging world. Get to know her here...http://jenkatherines.blogspot.com/

In following the Sunshine Award Rules...here are my answers.

1. Favorite color: Depends... Purple usually but coral and gray for clothing
2. Favorite animal: Lion
3. Favorite number: 2
4. Favorite drink {alcohol free}: Orange Dream Machine from Jamba Juice
5. Twitter or Facebook: Neither? I know, way out of the loop!
6. My passion: Life...any other passion would be limiting!
7. Giving or receiving presents: I recently have enjoyed giving handmade gifts, they always mean so much!
8. Favorite pattern: I've been into floral lately
9. Favorite day: Saturday
10. Favorite flower: Hibiscus

I would like to pass along the award to my girlfriend...

1. Devon at http://jessedevonaida.blogspot.com/

The rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Write a post about it, including the award photo.
3. Answer the questions.
4. Pass on the award to 10 {or however many you want} bloggers who you think really deserve it and send them a message to let them know!

San Francisco Surprise

2011-09-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks I have been planning a surprise weekend for Tadd's birthday. I emailed his parents a few months ago because they were trying to figure out a weekend to come hang out with us. I decided to take advantage of their plans to visit us and come up with a surprise plan for Tadd's birthday because we are busy the actual weekend of his birthday. It turns out that the weekend that we planned it for turned out to be Kirk's birthday also. So, I have kept this weekend a secret for a long time now and his parents as well. It went like this...Friday when Tadd got off work, he came home and I had told him that we were babysitting which is actually not happening until next weekend, and I told him that there was a change of plans and so we got in the car and away we went. He had no idea and he didn't even ask questions or make any guesses, he just went with it. We drove down to San Francisco and made really good time, there was hardly any traffic which is what I was counting on. We arrived around 7:00pm to the city and as we exited and he starting seeing signs for AT&T park, he knew that we were heading the the Giants game. We went to will call and I told them that the tickets were dropped off for us. He then began to wonder who had dropped off the tickets for us. We made our way to the seats and as we got closer he said, "There's my parents!" He was totally excited and surprised. After sitting down momentarily we grabbed some hot dogs and garlic fries and enjoyed the game. It was perfect! The Giants played the Diamondbacks and it was a really fun game. The Giants won and we all piled in the car and headed to the hotel on the wharf. Tadd opened his present from his parents which was a nice pair of shorts and shirt for golfing. We then all hit the sack to get some rest for our plans on Saturday.

Saturday we woke up and headed to Buena Vista for a fun experience of duking it out for a table and enjoyed a yummy BV combo breakfast. We all got eggs, bacon, potatoes and a side of french toast. It was worth the wait and the anticipation of finding and snagging a table. After breakfast we headed back to the hotel, packed up our things and put them in the car before we headed down the Pier 33 for our Alcatraz adventure. We meandered down the wharf and manuevered through the crowds. We arrived right on time for our Alcatraz boat to depart. It was a short cruise over to the island. We were able to explore Alcatraz. We saw an intro video, we walked through some museums and then we went up to the cell block and listened to an audio tour which was pretty neat. It was cool because we were basically walked through the penetentiary and we were able to learn about some of the incarcerated criminals as well as some escape attempts and other interesting facts and stories. After we completed that we walked back down and got back onto the ferry to head back to SF. When we got back to the Pier we headed towards Peir 39 to grab some yummy mini donuts that Tadd's parents enjoyed the day before. Tadd got pooped on while waiting in line for these tasty treats. As far as we know, that is good luck, or at least that is what we keep hearing. After that we headed over to Boudin for a late lunch. A few of us got soup in a bread bowl and Tadd got some pizza. After that we headed to Ghiradelli square. It was super busy. We stopped by Kara's cupcakes to enjoy a tasty treat...and then we also enjoyed a banana fudge split from Ghiradelli. After all of these adventures, we headed back to the car and hit the road. We arrive back in Sacramento around 7:00pm. We lounged around a bit, grabbed a small bite for dinner and then went to bed.

Sunday, which was Kirk's actual birthday, we woke up and all got ready for church. We headed to our 11:00 sacrament meeting and Tadd shared his testimony. We then headed home to get everything organized before taking them to the airport to head back to Arizona. We had such a fun time with Tadd's parents. The weekend went so well and we are so glad that they were able to come out and visit us and celebrate Tadd and Kirk's birthdays. We look forward to heading to Arizona for Christmas and seeing the rest of the family. Thanks for such a fun weekend Kirk and Sharon!!! We love you guys!

Dental Hygiene

2011-08-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

I had my orientation for Dental Hygiene School yesterday. I finally made it. At least to the start of it. I am attending Carrington College in Sacramento for my Dental Hygiene school, and then when it is done, I am done with school! Can you believe it? I have been in school since the beginning of time. I am so excited. I have been gathering all my school supplies that I need. We got all of our books yesterday. There are sooooo many! I also got lots of cool colored binders and dividers. I also got a pair of scrubs and I have to get white leather shoes...fancy! haha. Anyway, I hope everyone that reads this, is celebrating for me...for reaching the beginning of the end! I have already started reading all of the assignments for next week...so that I won't be behind before I start! Wish me luck!

Family Lake Tahoe Trip

2011-08-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, our family from San Diego made the long drive up to Sacramento to spend some time with us and also to enjoy some beautiful weather and scenery in Lake Tahoe. Jeff and Karyn and the kids arrived on Wednesday evening, and we all headed out to Macaroni Grill for some grub. We all then headed back to the house and got some sleep. Thursday everyone enjoyed the pool and some pickleball while waiting for me to finish my final for physiology. Thursday around 5pm we headed up the hill to Incline Village. We grabbed some food at Raleys and reached the cabin around 8pm. Friday morning we all arose and hit the trail for some hiking. It was such a beautiful day, the weather was perfect and the air was crisp.

After hiking, we headed down to the Truckee River!!! We all piled into the large river raft and cruised down. It was a fun and interesting experience. The kids were so excited to get into the lake, however, they were having a hard time determining the best timing. Either it was too shallow or too deep, too much moss or too many rocks...but either way, they had a fun time and got to swim around in the Truckee River. A hilarious experience was when we came upon our first "rapid." We were all relaxing, and we all hollered warnings that there was a rock approaching, however, we hit the rock too hard and Karyn went heels over head into the river. It was pretty entertaining. Luckily she did not get hurt and she recovered our food and sunscreen. It is definitely a memory to keep and laugh at each time we get together! After the river, we headed back to the house to freshen up and go grab dinner at Lanza's. It was perfect. We arrived just in time to get seated right away, have our order taken and delivered in flawless fashion. Overall it was a great experience at Lanza's and we will continue to bring family and friends to this restaurant every time we visit Lake Tahoe.

Saturday, we woke up, lounged around a bit, gathered our things and headed to Incline Beach. We spend most of our Saturday at the beach, grabbed some lunch at Austin's and then hit the other side of Incline Beach for their pool and slide. After this fun filled day, we grabbed a couple of movies and went back to the cabin. Sunday morning, we arose, Tadd and I went to the Tahoe ward while the kids got organized to hit the road. When we got back, everything got packed up and we said our goodbyes. We had such a fun time together. I think we are going to make this a yearly trip...yes, we had that much fun! Thanks Jeff and Karyn for making the trip from San Diego. We love you guys!!!

San Diego

2011-08-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a recap of our fun filled weekend in San Diego...in pictures.
Arrive in SD 5am Friday morning.
Friday...Beach Day. Sushi Deli for dinner. Latitude bar. Games and Bed.

Sunday...Church. Brunch. LONG drive
Saturday...Lake Day. 7am-4pm boating. Dinner. Bed.

home. (No sunday photos. We were in the car from about 2pm to 12:30pm)
Arrive home 12:30am Monday morning.

Celebrating Hannah!!!

2011-08-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Tadd and I drove down to Newport Beach to spend some time with Tara and Russ and their baby girl (to be...October 10th) Hannah and to attend her baby shower. We left after work on Friday and arrived in Newport around 2am and awoke Tara (& Hannah) and chatted for a little while before heading to bed. We woke up on Saturday and headed onto the boardwalk for a stroll along the beach. After enjoying the morning, we decided to put together some snacks and headed down to the beach (1 block away). It was kind of windy but very lovely because the breeze helps to cool you off. We ate our sandwiches, enjoyed conversation, people watched and soaked up some rays for a few hours. We then headed back to the house and showered up and lounged around while watching Tangled. Around 6:00pm we decided to head over to the OC Fair. We had wanted to go to the Sacramento Fair but we have been so busy so it was really great to head over there. Tadd and I decided to basically eat the most ridiculous food. We started with fried oreos, a fried twinkie and a donut chicken sandwich. They were all decent, but once you try them, you really don't need to eat them again. After these lovely treats, we grabbed a large turkey leg which was juicy and delicious. As we continued along the "food alley" we continued to be tempted by various foods. The other foods that we ate were chocolate covered bacon, a maple donut with bacon on top, a cinnamon roll with frosting and kettle corn. I know, I know, a healthy evening. We did walk all around the fair, so we did get a little exercise in. We saw lots of cool animals and people and fun rides which we did not go on. It was a really nice evening and we enjoyed each other's company. After the fair, we went back to the house and turned on a movie and I was asleep in a few minutes.

Sunday morning we woke up and prepared for Tara's shower. Russ ended up changing his flight and got back into town on Sunday morning and Tadd picked him up and spent time with him while we were at the shower. The shower was so great. The decorations were really pretty and everyone was there to celebrate Tara and Hannah! Tara got lots of great presents that are really going to help with the preparation for the arrival of their little girl!

We headed home around 4pm and unloaded all the gifts and the four of us hung out a little more and made dinner before Tadd and I headed back to Sacramento. We arrived home 2am Monday morning and are now trying to recover from the sleep that we missed which was well worth it!!

25 years

2011-07-28T09:02:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, on July 27, 2011 I turned 25! This is totally a big birthday or at least it seems like it anyway. I am no longer in my early 20's and when you tell someone, they don't say, "O, you are so young!" Owell, I will have to get over it. Anyway, I had a lovely birthday. It started out bright and early at the gym with my sis. We had a nice workout, to earn all of our calories for the big day! Ha! After the gym, I headed to my 6 hour long physiology class. I know, brutal! I stopped and got Jamba Juice and then arrived to a little picture with a lovely See's candy bordeaux! If you have not had a bordeaux, you need to immediately! Then I sat through a few hours of lecture and then around 12:45 my friend from class surprised me with a cake that she had decorated. It was so sweet! After physiology class, I headed back to the house and relaxed a bit, did some homework and organizing and got ready for our dinner at Ruth Chris. We headed over there around 7:45pm and were all seated ready to enjoy our delicious dinner! We all ordered steak and lots of sides along with salads and dessert. We had such a great dinner and it was so much fun to be together as a family on my birthday! Since we got dessert with dinner, we did not end up eating the beautiful cupcakes that my mom picked up from icing on the cupcake, so we just have to eat them one day later!

At dinner, I opened a gift from the family and they got me a manicure and a pedicure which I absolutely love! You can never go wrong with that wonderful gift. Also, I thought I wanted a white Michael Kors watch for my birthday this year, however, one day my mom and I went to the mall and I found a pair of brown wedge boots that I had been looking for since last year...so I had to have them, and we split them for my birthday present...or so I thought. It turns out, that my boss got me the Michael Kors watch, the exact one I wanted, and my amazing husband bought me a sewing machine and sewing machine table to go with it. He always, always, surprises me on my birthday. I always think that he is not going to and then of course and always goes above and beyond and blows me away with the gifts that he gives me. I had such a wonderful birthday.

P.S. Thank you to all my family and friends that called, texted, emailed and sent cards. It feels so good to know how much I am loved. Thanks again!!! I love you guys!!!
P.S.S. There are more pictures, I just have not gotten them from my family's cameras yet. So, I will post more before the weekend. Pics of my watch, my sewing machine, my boots, and family photos from the restuarant.

2011-07-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Tadd and I headed down to Elk Grove to attend my high school friend's engagement party!!! It is so exciting when my friend's get engaged because then I get to attend all their fun activities and then of course witness their wedding! We got to her in-laws to be house on Saturday night and we met her fiance, Mr. John Foster. He seems like a really great guy and a really good match for her. p.s. her name is Erica!!! Then as the evening continued, we were able to relax, enjoy good food and good friends. We did not get as much time with the bride and groom but they are always required to make their rounds and talk to everyone. The backyard that it was hosted in was beautiful and the weather was great. I got a few pictures, which is better than nothing. Now next weekend, we are heading down to Newport for Tara's baby shower. We should get down there late friday night into saturday morning and we are super excited to spend time with Tara and hopefully Russ for a little and get excited for little Hannah to arrive!

Summer Plans

2011-07-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

As of right now, Tadd and I have lots of weekend plans...and even though there is technically no such thing as "summer" when you live in the real world...summer always ends up busier than the rest of the year. Right now I have 2 weeks left of my anatomy summer course. Then after that I have 6 weeks of physiology. Now to the fun stuff... We may head up to Tahoe in the next few weeks, then my friends engagement party is the following weekend, then at the end of the month we are heading to Newport for Tara's baby shower. My birthday is also at the end of the month!!! Moving into August, we are heading down to San Diego for my friend's bachelorette and to hang out wit friends that live there. Then Tadd's family is coming up and we are going to Tahoe for a long weekend. Lots of fun weekend plans up and coming...I will post pictures as soon as they come and go.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

4th of July weekend we were busy bees. On Friday night Jill's boyfriend came into town and we all hung out, barbequed and then grabbed some yogurt. On Saturday, Mom and Dad and Jill and Wes all took off for the long weekend and Tadd and I decided to hang around and have some fun in the sun here in Granite Bay. Later on Saturday, our friends Brian and Lauren came over and we played pickleball, went swimming, watched Lie to Me (a show that they just got us hooked on) and had a really fun day in the sun. Sunday morning we slept in a little bit and then headed to church. We had good lessons and then headed home for a little more rest. We then decided to go out to donuts at 12:01am with some of the young men and women since we had monday off. Tadd and I then slept over at our friends house, the Sewells...they have a guest house with couches. We then woke up bright and early, 7:30am to go out on Folsom Lake with the Sewells and get some tubing in before the lake got super busy for the 4th. We all had lots of fun and Tadd is amazing at tubing.

We got off the lake around 9:30 and the lake was definitely filling up by then. We then headed back to the house and prepared for our BBQ with friends. Around 1:00pm, about 10 people came over and we played in the pool and hung outside for the rest of the day. We ate hamburgers and hot dogs as well as all the classic barbeque food. Chips, soda, fruit salad, and lots of festive dessert.

We were planning on going to see fireworks but I was way too tired and had to study for my test the next day. Overall it was a great weekend. We got lots of sun, had lots of fun with friends, and of course needed one more day to recover from the long weekend. But it is already Thursday, which means that it is almost the weekend again.

SuRpRiSe PaRtY!!!

2011-06-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

My best friend Lauren, from high school, turned 25 yesterday, and her boyfriend and parents threw her a surprise BBQ party that we were able to attend. We had a lot of fun hanging out, eating yummy food, playing fun games and enjoying the lovely weather that has recently arrived.

Happy 25th Birthday Lauren!!! I cannot believe we are officially in our mid 20's (or at least I will be in a month)

cRaFtS

2011-06-18T14:41:00.001-07:00

Here are some recently completed crafts...
1. I made cork decor for my dad (with my sisters help) to put in his wine cellar. I made an O for Oddo which is of course my maiden name. And then I just made some coasters with the extras. I gave the O to him for fathers day from all of us and then just put the coasters in there also!

2. This is kind of a belated mother's day gift. My mom has been wanting laundry room decorations and so I saw this idea and made it my own. We were going to use our baby clothes but they were packed too deep in the garage, so we went to wal mart and got some cute stuff.

I was so happy with how it all turned out and I think both my mom and dad liked their gifts. More summer crafts to come.

Summer

2011-06-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

I think it is ironic how the word "summer" changes its meaning in various times in one's life. When I was younger, summer was something to look forward to because it meant school was out for 3 months and vacation and free time and laying by the pool. Now that I am in my mid 20's (ironically still in school) summer has a slightly different meaning. It now means that the classes that I am in are much shorter and more intense rather than an entire semester. It now means that the weather is warmer and the days are longer so I can fit in more work, more school, more exercise and more everything to try and get everything done. It now means that although I have work and school and exercise, there is a bigger justification for short weekend getaways, more pieces of watermelon and lists filled with fun activities like BBQ's, pool parties and crafts. Here is a list that I have started...even though the list started after the actual activities.
To Do List for Summer 2011
1. Make summer dresses (fabric below)

2. Make necklace holders

3. Make lots more fabric necklaces...and maybe sell them?!

4. Try this awesome drink idea from pinterest!

5. Visit San Diego a few times
6. Take a weekend trip to Tahoe
7. Maybe take a Mexican Riviera cruise with my honey before I start school for 18months straight!
P.S. I am in anatomy right now monday through thursday 12-4pm. I will try and keep you updated with all my summer goals amidst this sweet summer school schedule!
P.P.S. I have a craft that I am making for my mom and one for my dad that I will post once they are complete. Now I am also trying to come up with something to make for Tadd that he will like! If you have any ideas, feel free :)

San Diego Marathon

2011-06-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

My little Sis is starting her first marathon in 30 minutes. I am so excited for her!!! I am kind of vicariously living through her since I have run a few of her training runs and woke up with her this morning at 4:00am! That also means that right now, I am a die hard fan and I am parked near the end of the race, laying in the back of the car posting this right now!! So proud of my Sis! She is going to 'Rock' and 'Roll' this 26.2 miles! Check back for more updates once she completes it!!! And she officially finished her first marathon! She definitely does not recommend this task however it has now been a few days and I am sure she will do another one so she can beat her time. Maybe next time, I will do it with her.

She did so awesome. She finished in 4 hours and 45 minutes. It was a warm Sunday and she starting running around 7:00am and therefore finished around 12 noon. Now to add the rest of the weekend. When we got in on Friday night, we just lounged around at my friends house who so kindly opened her home. Saturday morning we headed downtown to pick up Katie's marathon number and then we went to lunch at the Counter with my Mom's family, our aunts and uncle and grandma and cousin. It was really fun!

After lunch, Katie and I went out on Whitney and Anthony's boat and had such a fun, relaxing day. Jill was not with us because she was having a super fun day at Sea World.

After the pretty day on the water, we headed back to their house and had a lovely dinner and played mexican train until about 10 and then we went straight to bed.

We then of course got up at 4:00am which I mentioned at the beginning. It was such a fun weekend and I am looking forward to taking Tadd down to San Diego and hanging out with Whitney and Anthony again really soon!!!

Hurricane for Life

2011-05-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

We just returned from Miami Florida and my little sister's graduation from University of Miami! 4 years came and went and she got to walk acorss the stage and get her diploma and experience the great sense of accomplishment from completing her Bachelors of Education in Sports Management. We arrived late Thursday night and headed to our hotel with our family. Tadd and I stayed in room 1514 and Jill stayed in room 1312 and she made the funniest comment. She looked so adorable and she said, "I feel like I am on a vacation on my own." We were dying laughing... we all hit the sack around midnight. Friday morning we woke up bright and early and got a little exercise in before grabbing some breakfast and heading to the graduation ceremony. We got there a little early so Katie could get in line and prepare for her moment of glory! The ceremony lasted about 2 hours and it was nice. After the ceremony, we all headed to California Pizza Kitchen for a late lunch.

After lunch, we headed back to Grandma's house and took a nap, lounged, and just hung out. Saturday morning, we started the same way...exercise and breakfast. We then decided to hit the beach. We only had a few hours but it was such a nice day, that we were able to get onto the sand, soak up some rays and even get in the water. It was 73 degrees and you could walk for a long while and still not get get entirely wet. After the beach, we also jumped in the pool which was also extremely refreshing! We then all got ready for 5:00pm dinner with my Grandma Bella, and aunts and uncles at Macaroni Grill. After our early dinner, we went home and enjoyed a Congratulations cake for Katester.

Sunday came around so quick and Katie, Mom and Dad hit the road early to start their drive back to California. Jill, Tadd and I had lunch with more family and then headed to the airport. And before we knew it, the fun family weekend came to an end!

Arizona in May

2011-05-10T20:49:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a super fun trip to Arizona. We arrived late Thursday night and were picked up by Kirk and Sharon and headed back to the house to get some rest for our full weekend. On Friday, we woke up and got a little bit of exercise in before heading off to LGO. (Le Grande Orange...our favorite breakfast spot). We met up with Nick and Alyssa and little Ava. This was our first time meeting our little niece. She is soooo cute. These pictures do not do her justice.

After our delicious breakfast we decided to head to the mall to hang out in the air conditioning since it was 98 degrees over the weekend! We dawdled around and found some expensive things that we liked but did not buy. After the mall, we all headed back to relax and get ready for the evening. We decided to eat dinner at Charlestons. We all enjoyed each others company and had a yummy dinner. After dinner, we all hung out at the parents house and chatted. On Saturday, we woke up and relaxed. We visited Tadd's condo that is rented out and I got to lay out in the beautiful sun, in my amazing new bathingsuit! After our morning, we went down to Awhatukee to spend some extra time with Nick and Alyssa and Ava. Alyssa and I got a lovely pedicure that was so relaxing and some nice girl time. The 5 of us then went out to sushi before eating some zoyo yogurt with our friends Fred and Chana.

After a late Saturday night, we arose early for Sunday and Mother's Day! Sharon made some delicious apple donuts and Tadd made the big surprise and bacon for our tasty breakfast! We all got ready for church which was at 1:00pm. Nick and Alyssa blessed baby Ava Jo and headed home after sacrament meeting. We spent some extra family time together before enjoying Alyssa's amazing enchiladas that she made for the 8 of us. The enchiladas were complimented with some great side dishes from Sharon. Then we enjoyed a slice of cherry pie! We then flew back home and got in pretty late...but it was a great trip and can't wait to see everyone again.

Up and Coming

2011-04-30T10:51:00.001-07:00

Here a few things that came up and passed and also a few things that are in the works...coming soon! Exam #1 of 6 in the next two weeks...came and passed...hopefully with a B! Last day of Organic Chemistry Lab...came and went! Yes! Friday night my friend that I met in Arizona had a shower here in Loomis because this is where she is originally from (which was great and convenient)...it was great to see her and celebrate their first baby girl on the way!

I recently got my hair cut and colored...you can see it in the previous picture. It is kind of hard to tell but it is darker and layered a little bit. I have made a few blankets. One for my sister since she is graduating from college in two weeks and one for my newest niece Ava. I also made a little block decor for Katie.

More events to come are Tadd and I are heading to Arizona for a long weekend of fun in the sun! Then the following weekend we are off to Miami for graduation. Photos will be posted soon!

2011-04-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have not been as creative as I hope when it comes to blog posts. So this is as good as it gets. At least I am posting something! (this is what I am telling myself right now) My spring break is coming to an end this Easter weekend, sadly! But, we have been pretty busy the last few weeks and I thought I would share what we have been up to! (For some reason, recently I have basically forgotten what a camera is...I will work on that)From the last post, not too much has actually happened. I got a few days off of work which was really nice and much needed. Tadd and I have still been going strong for our no sugar/dessert diet and it ends on the 4th which is coming up! I got my hair cut and colored so I will post pictures soon. Tadd has been working hard and he is giving a talk for Easter Sunday, so he has been working on that for the past 24 hours (they just told him he was speaking on Thursday night). Other than that, nothing too crazy. I am making yummy Easter treats for my young women. I will post the actual results also. Other than that, we are keeping busy and looking forward to spending time with family in Arizona and then more time with family in Miami!!!

April

2011-04-09T18:02:00.000-07:00

Happy April...I am only nine days behind. I can't believe how fast time passes! It is already APril 9, 2011 and I only have 5 weeks of school left...at least of this semester! Happiness list...
1. Spring break is in one week. After next week, I get a whole week of school off.
2. Tadd and I just booked tickets to Phoenix to see our new niece Ava!
3. May 14, 2011 my sister Katie graduates from University of Miami and we will be there to support her!!!
4. The weather has been really nice. Blue skies and lovely sunshine!
5. The no sugar diet is not too bad. Only 4 more weeks to go!
6. BBQ season here we come!

Total Bargain...

2011-03-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after school, since I did not have to go into work...my mom and I decided to run a few fun errands together. We started at crossroads, a place where you can sell your clothes and buy some too if you want. Well, we brought a big bag of things (and normally they only take a few things and you get a little bit of cash...)Yesterday, they took 18 items! That is crazy! And, while waiting for them to go through our things, I found the cutest shirt and the most amazing pants! The shirt only cost $15 and the jeans...the softest, most forgiving, dark jeans for $38.50...I was so excited. This just does not happen. Jeans do not fit me! And yesterday, I stumbled upon them! Also, after purchasing those total steals, I still made $21. It was great! Then we headed to goodwill to donate the remains of things they did not buy. We then made a stop at Trader Joe's for some fruit to fill the fridge. Then we treated ourselves to a lovely pedicure. We headed home and I took a much needed nap after my two tough tests! What a great Monday!

Weekly Update

2011-03-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

I think it has been a little while since I have posted and I going to use the excuse that I have been studying for a chemistry test and a microbiology test that are only a weekend apart! And I needed to do well on Chemistry, which I think I might have done...and as for Microbiology, I am just trying to maintain my A.

Tadd is doing great at work. Still trying to figure out the changes at the company but he is hanging on and still producing.

I am still going to school and working part time and it is getting tough and I am basically begging for Spring Break to arrive...it is still 3 weeks away!

Tadd's brother, Nick and Alyssa, just had their baby! Little Ava! We are so excited for them and are planning on taking a trip out to Arizona to see the happy family!

Also, I know I mentioned that all my sister in laws are pregnant, I forgot to mention that literally, everyone that I have ever known is pregnant right now. My 3 great friends from AZ...pregnant. My social circle here in Granite Bay...prenant. At least it feels like it...since I still have 2 years of school left...I missed the memo apparently!

And right now...on this surprisingly sunny Saturday afternoon, I am relaxing watching the US soccer team play Argentina. It is a very good game! I am going to continue to enjoy it...

Hump Day...

2011-03-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

For the last few days I have been feeling bad for myself...I know, I know...that is the most ridiculous thing every, especially with everything that is going on in Japan. I am trying to get over it and hopefully by attempting to update my blog...I will get out of my funk! So...positive thoughts are trying to flow...
1. Only 8 weeks left of the Spring semester! 2. Friends came to visit us from Arizona (even though I did not take a single picture) 3. We are probably going to Tahoe next weekend. 4. More friends are coming to visit at the end of the month
5. All my sister-in-laws are pregnant!!!
And today...right now...it is not raining!!!

It's Official

2011-03-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

Today, I spoke with the Dental Board of California...and I am officially licensed as an RDA! That means you can look me up online and find my license as a Registered Dental Assistant. I still have to wait 2-4 weeks for the actual paper to come to me in the mail, but other than that, it is official! No more tests on Saturday only week day tests!

Updates

2011-03-02T14:41:00.000-08:00

My previous post about the things I was looking forward have all happened already...where does the time go? The things that I listed are as follows. Tadd and I have continued our biggest loser weigh ins...he has lost 4.5 lbs and I have lost 3 lbs in two weeks. I am still doing my Wednesday morning cycle class and I am doing Thursday night zumba classes. These exerise classes are so fun because they mix it up and still make you sweat. As for my exams...I previously mentioned my law and ethics that I passed...I also got a B on my chemistry exam. And then another week of Bachelor...(post previous to this)

More things to look forward to...

Final RDA exam on Saturday!
A visit from AZ friends.
Tahoe weekend!
A visit from SD friends.
and of course more to come...

In the Jungle...

2011-03-02T14:31:00.000-08:00

The mighty jungle of South Africa. Brad Womack and the three remaining ladies. 2 now of course. Sadly, Ashley had to go home...but I am sure she is going to do great back at home finishing dental school and being the fun bubbly self that she is. Now the final two get to meet his family. I don't remember meeting his family the last season he was on so this should be fun. I absolutely love Emily. She is so adorable. Everything she says, wears, doesn't say and doesn't wear. I mean seriously she is just perfect.

Chantal...she is not too bad either, but I must say that I want Emily to win! What a happy ending that could be! Just a few more weeks left. Next week, Girls Tell All. (I wonder what Michelle is going to say?!)

1 remaining...

2011-02-27T18:13:00.000-08:00

I just got my RDA practical results back and I PASSED!!! Thank goodness because that was the most stressful test that I have ever taken!!! Then just this past Saturday I passed my Law and Ethics exam!!! Woo Hoo, two down and one more to go. I have the RDA written exam to take next Saturday. Wish me luck and I will let you know as soon as I officially become an RDA!!!

Hometown

2011-02-22T21:42:00.000-08:00

And the Bachelor continues...and last night was a very interesting evening. I am sad that Shawntel went home because I think she is adorable. It was kind of creepy that her Dad went all wacko on her and got pissed that she was going to leave Chico and carry on the family business. I think the whole funeral director job really freaked Brad out and that is a bummer.

Chantal and her family were pretty cool and they had a huge house. Ashley is a little ball of energy! Her whole family was gathered around on the floor so they could be close to Brad. That was funny. As for Emily...seriously could she be any more perfect. She never says anything wrong and is just the sweetest thing. The at home date went well and little Ricky was cute as a button and she warmed up to Brad eventually. My favorite part was when Emily said that she was not letting Brad leave her house without him kissing her...and of course she won and it was a wonderful date and perfect home town! More next week...something to look forward to!

Looking Forward to...

2011-02-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

All the things I am looking forward to...or not...
1. Tadd and my "biggest loser" weigh ins that are occurring Tuesday night, simultaneously with The Biggest Loser weigh-ins. 1st one is tonight!
2. Wed morning cycle class every week at 8:30am. Burn those calories!
3. Craft night on Thursday to make graduation gifts for my little sister.
4. Chemistry exam on Friday morning...not truly looking forward to that one.
5. Law and Ethics exam Saturday morning...excited for this one to be over!6. Sunday church...we missed last week. It is always refreshing.
7. Monday night Bachelor drama...
The list will continue next week.

2011-02-22T20:58:00.001-08:00

I don't really know where to start...there is a long list of things that I need to write about. The list begins here...Today was the first day back to work and school after a long and wonderful President's Day weekend! I had Friday off from school and work and we decided to go the golf club for dinner for an easy evening. I think we all went to bed pretty soon after that! Saturday I went shopping with my Mom and we had fun finding nice things for her to fill her closet with. Tadd was able to get to the gym and hang out before we headed out of town for San Jose. We left around 2:30pm so that we would reach our hotel in time to prepare for the Sharks Hockey Game at the "Shark Tank!" We went with our friends Lauren and Brian, who are big Sharks fans. We sat in the upper deck but I still thought they were good seats...I could see every pass, every shot, every check and every fight!!! And of course every GOAL!!! The sharks scored 4 goals and one guy had a hat trick! Since they scored 4 goals, the whole stadium gets free personal pan pizza from round table by taking the ticket in! After the game we headed back to the hotel and crashed. We woke up on Sunday morning and ate breakfast and then decided to visit Santa Cruz and shop around before heading back to Sac.
It was a beautiful day and it was nice to walk around and enjoy the sun! We got back in the car around 2:00 and stopped to pick up our free pizza before hitting the pavement for home. Upon arrival we unpacked and packed again and went over to another friends' house to spend time with them while their parents were out of town. We watched Despicable Me...which I totally liked! We ate a yummy dinner and then enjoyed dessert while watching the movie.

Knowing that Monday was a day off, I stayed up until about 1am and Tadd stayed up until 2:30am! Which meant that we slept in on Monday morning until around 9am...and then made ourselves breakfast and headed over to the park to watch Tadd and Austin play football with lots of missionaries. We watched a few games and then the girls and I decided to go to the store to get the ingredients for cupcakes. We made some really pretty cupcakes, including a painters palate, apples and pies! It was super fun! After that I went to the outlets with my mom to get some additional clothes for her as she donated a lot of clothes and cleaned out her closet. I then headed to work and my indoor soccer game. Tadd and Austin and the girls also came to cheer me on! Wow...that was a lot. It was a very eventful long weekend. Now back to the grind and trying to get back on schedule after all the fun we had!

6 Remaining...

2011-02-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

I have still been watching the Bachelor. I think that is the only evening I am not doing homework simultaneously as watching TV or eating dinner or brushing my teeth. I am still enjoying it...however, I am seriously getting sick of Michelle. She is getting on my nerves. She needs to just relax and stop pulling these creepy stunts with Brad. There has got to be something that turns him on about those freaky one on ones she is pulling. Anyway, I still love Emily, but I am sad because it looks like she might bail on him. Chantal is still cute. I like Shawntel too, I think she is funny and smart. Ashley, I am kind of over her. I have not seen much of her...as well as Britt. I felt bad for Allie and Jackie, but it was their time to go...Just a few more weeks and then I can get over this Bachelor addiction for a short while.

Sunny Cold

2011-02-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

It has been sunny since Tuesday. I have had a cold since Tuesday! I also have been a horrible blogger for the last few weeks. Somehow, life got away from me. I thought things would be fine with school and everything. Obviously, I am still reaching for my life and trying to hang on to my sanity. I have a test tomorrow, I have to teach on Sunday, I have a test on Monday...and then I have not accounted what is after that.

Now, I am going to try and stop complaining for a minute. I think I get two days off in the next few weeks which is amazing and refreshing. Also, we are going to San Jose with some great friends to watch hockey and have fun!

I am going to attempt to improve on my blogging in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

There and Back

2011-02-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we took a quick trip to San Diego. And when I say quick I am simply referring to the amount of days, not the amount of time we spent in the car while driving there. We left on Friday afternoon around 12:30, stocked with all of our road trip goodies and headed out of town. Around 6:30pm, we hit LA traffic. The worst! Somehow, you cannot miss LA traffic, even on a Sunday at 2:30pm. Anyway, we got into San Diego around 8:45pm and met up with my sister and her boyfriend for a late dinner. We enjoyed good food and good company much of the weekend, the previous dinner mentioned being one of the occasions. After dinner, we headed to Jeff and Karyn's house. We got in and chatted a little bit before heading to bed and getting ready for the big and only full day in San Diego. We arose around 6:45am and prepped for our Black Mountain hike/run/walk. We got out the door and headed on our way. The pavement was not too bad until we made the last turn before the mountain...I wish I took a picture of this cement hill that was before us...it was basically a hill from San Francisco and I made it maybe 1/3 of the way up before I started walking. As for Tadd and Jeff they made it up all the way. It was intense. Once I made it up the cement hill, I started jogging...walking...jogging...walking on the mountainous terrain. I think I made it about 1/2 way up when I turned around because I could not find the boys. Either way, I got a good workout and so did they and we all made it back safely to their house before it was time for breakfast. Mission accomplished. We headed out to breakfast with Kirk and Sharon and we all feasted on deliciousness ranging from sweet and savory to salty and cheesy. After breakfast we headed back to house to hang out and prepare for Berlin's baptism which was scheduled for 4:00pm. I got some homework done, Tadd prepared his talk and others accomplished other tasks. At around 3:40pm we all headed to the stake center and took our seats in the baptismal room and greeted people as they came to witness and participate in Berlin's baptism.

The baptismal service was really great and so many people showed up to support Berlin. We are so happy that we got to go and share this special experience with her and her family. Tadd gave a great talk on the Holy Ghost and we got Berlin CTR earrings and a ring. After the baptism we headed back to Jeff and Karyn's house for a little party celebrating both Berlin's baptism as well as her birthday which was just a few days earlier. There were loads of people and food and we enjoyed both. After the evening commenced, we hit the sack. Sunday we arose bright and early to the Big Surprise. This is a delicious breakfast that is super easy to make and I will be sampling my own Big Surprise cooking skills very, very soon. After breakfast we headed to church for sacrament meeting. We decided to skip out early because we wanted to visit a bit more before we all had to hit the road again. We got back on the road around 1:30pm and arrived back in Sacramento around 9:00pm. All in all it was a great weekend. Short and very Sweet!!! Now we are hoping that the San Diegans will come and visit our neck of the woods to spend more fun time together!!!

Business or Busyness

2011-01-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

For the next 6 weeks my weekends are booked. It is only January and February, hopefully this is not an indication of what the year is going to be like. Weekend activities include...Review day 8am to 5pm for the Registered Dental Assistant written exam. San Diego trip!!! Review day 8am to 5pm for the RDA practical exam. Practical exam in San Francisco. Jill and Mike come to town!!! San Jose Sharks game with friends!!! RDA Law and Ethics exam. RDA written examination. Yikes...hopefully by the middle of March I will only have to take exams during the week days.

Last Minute Trip

2011-01-20T17:40:00.000-08:00

Next weekend Tadd and I are going to San Diego. Berlin, Tadd's niece is getting baptized and so we are going so that we can participate in this great experience. Pictures and posts to come in about 10 days.

Education

2011-01-20T17:23:00.000-08:00

School has officially begun! It started on Tuesday and I was almost crying by 8:00pm. I have an explanation however. Chemistry is not too bad. Microbiology was not tortuous either. Physiology was horrendous. The teacher began with introductions, and the usual. Then 30 minutes into class he basically has an anatomy review while touching on physiology topics. I could feel my face get bright red. I was so lost, I was freaking out. At 8:00pm we took a break and I headed straight for the teacher. I chatted with him for a few minutes before walking out the door. I dropped the class! However, I am taking anatomy and physiology in the summer so I am still on track to apply to my hygiene program for September. With that being said, I am in two science classes instead of three and I think this semester will go just fine!
Today in Microbiology we did our first lab which was Microscopy. Basically just learning how to work the microscope and view microbes. That is all the fascinating material I can share for now.

Brad and...

2011-01-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

I might as well call my blog the Bachelor since I have totally been slacking on posting neat updates about Tadd and my life and instead have posted only bachelor opinions. With that being said, here is a very brief bachelor post from last Monday and then I will put some other posts up to share what Tadd and I have been up to lately. 1. Ashley and Brad date 1. Loved it. 2. Group dates are annoying but Shawntel did awesome! 3. Emily is adorable. Thank goodness she let go of the pink elephant...now they can carry on. 4. Way to go Madison. Leave if you need to leave. The end. Until next week, again!

Fun posts to come...
Monthly craft.
School update.
Last minute trip.
Business or busyness.

Bachelor Week 2

2011-01-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

Monday night, night two...and Tadd and I missed the first 10 minutes...oops! I forgot to start the recording, but anyway. We saw the end of the first date with Dentist Ashley H. Not bad...she is all hands, but I guess that is fine. Moving on to the group date...claws come out when girls are fighting for one man. Yikes! Michelle got a little cookoo on this show. We all know it is your birthday, but relax! Try not to make a stereotype for people named Michelle!!! I always get uncomfortable for the group dates and especially when they have to act, it is so awkward!

The next single date with Jackie was pretty sweet. I always wonder what the final couple is going to do with their lives after all these amazing dates. They have to go back to real life...anyway! I loved Jackie's dress and the jewelry...she looked really pretty. And it looks like they had a lot of fun. Maybe she should date more, but maybe not. Who knows. Keep her for now, she is super nice!

As for the rose ceremony...I don't think I have ever been this happy with who went home. He actually picked the right girls to leave. Both Melissa and Rachel deserved to go home. If they want they can fight in the limo on the way home. As for the others, it is always sad to see the nice ones go. Keltie's interview was especially sad. Hopefully she will get lots of dates from this show!!!

As for my bachelorettes to remain... I am still sticking with my guns from the beginning. Emily is still the cutest thing. I hope that she is able to talk to him a little more and hopefully he likes her even more after he hears what she has been through. Ashley and Shawntel are still going strong. They both did not get too much time with Brad as far as we could see. But hopefully in the next few weeks they will shine.

Until next week...

Bachelor Season 15

2011-01-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

Brad Womack is officially back on the Bachelor, a changed man!!! I think it is kind of ridiculous that everyone is giving him such a hard time. He did not love those two girls, whether he was ready or not! Sucks for them that they had to get dumped on TV, but they are both engaged to be married now, so it obviously worked out for them. Now, lucky for Brad, he gets a second chance with more lovely women. So, last night, was episode one of this season. A few thoughts...There are some very pretty women on the show. A few that a little over the top in a variety of ways, and some that went home on the fist night for a reason. With that being said, my bachelorettes that I have chosen for the running are as follows...
1. Emily...seriously the cutest thing!! And the most touching story ever! Love her!!!
2. Ashley...She was cute, definitely. I liked her dress a lot too. And she got the first impression rose!

3. Shawntel...I think she seems really nice and interesting, or at least her job is!?

4. Michelle...Let's hope that not all Michelle's are crazy!!!

Time Flies

2011-01-03T10:33:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas, I mean Happy New Year. Yikes, these last few weeks have flown by!!! An update on what we have been up to...Monday the 20th my little sister came into town and that started of the holiday celebrations. We went shopping for last minute presents, went to the gym to earn some extra calories, and went snowboarding on the most beautiful day of the season so far if I may so myself.
Thursday night, my older sister Jill got in!!! And even more festivities occurred. On Friday, we all got up and got our sweat in, lounged around and then went to dinner with some old friends. It was a great time for our Christmas Eve. After dinner, we went and looked at lights, while the six of us were cramped in the car. After lights we went back to the house and opened one gift. (We also decided we are going to attempt the matching pajama tradition next year on Christmas Eve...should be fun!) After gifts, we lounged more and prepared for Christmas the next day, meaning we went to bed.
We arose around 8:30am and waited for everyone to get out of bed, and headed to the tree! We divided up our presents like we do every year and starting opening presents one at a time. Everyone got lots of lovely things. Tadd got lots of church videos, tennis toys and a kindle. Jill got clothes that she wanted as well as a little birthday surprise (Our matching sister rings, which she lost previously). Katie got work clothes as she will be starting an internship this spring. I got lots of fun clothes, workout stuff and craft gift cards. Mom and Dad got a few things that they were excited about too.
After opening presents, we made a yummy breakfast and organized the house. Then we went on a family walk. Once we returned from the walk, we prepped for Christmas dinner and we all pitched in!!! The following day, Tadd and I went to church for the last time in 2010...and the last time at 9:00am for a couple of years. We then headed to another old friend's house up in Auburn for visiting and dinner. We had a fun time catching up with them and eating more good food. Monday December 27, 2010 was Dad's Birthday!!! And December 30th was Jill's Birthday, so in order to celebrate we headed to our favorite spot, Benihana!

We had an awesome chef and as always, delicious food, and stinky clothes. Tuesday was a bummer because Jill had to leave : ( However, Dennis also came in which Katie was really excited about. Since Tuesday, we have been on and off work, exercising and lounging. On Friday, Tadd, Dad and Dennis played golf while the girls headed to get pedicures and do some errands at the mall. We also went to go see a few movies, both The Fighter and Black Swan.

The Fighter was a good movie and Christian Bale looked ridiculously skinny. Black Swan was another story. Natalie Portman played a really good role, however, it was a pretty sketchy movie. Anyway...that brings us to current day! Monday, back to work in the New Year.

My Masterpiece

2010-12-13T14:03:00.001-08:00

I saw this awesome wreath a little while ago when I was getting into crafting and I thought it was the prettiest thing. So, I decided to make it!!! I had no idea how to really do it because there were no directions, but I stocked up on glue and heated up the glue gun and voila....my masterpiece!

School Supplies

2010-12-13T14:01:00.000-08:00

I am all ready for school. Even though it is still a month away, you can never be too prepared. It is crazy around the holidays and therefore January is going to come before I know it. Therefore, my bags all packed and ready to go. Binders are decorated and organized and pencils are sharp...

Science Nerd

2010-12-10T09:54:00.001-08:00

I am excited to say that I just signed up for Microbiology, Organic Chemistry, and Physiology for the Spring 2011 semester. I am so excited that I get to organize my binders and backpack and get ready to go back to school. I know, such a nerd! But I am also a little freaked out...considering I am taking 12+ units and working. I am going to have to study like crazy. I am unsure where I am going to find enough time to accomplish all of this. But I am still excited. I will update you as they get closer. January 18th is the first day! Back to school...Again!

Bountiful Harvest

2010-11-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

Tadd and I just returned from a festival of fun in Arizona for Thanksgiving 2010. Upon our arrival at 5:00pm on Turkey Day we were picked up by Kirk and headed straight for the dinner party! We were the last ones to arrive and everything was pretty much ready to feast upon. We were able to chat a little bit before dinner and then we all sat down after filling out plates full of delicious dishes including turkey, green beans, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry, rolls, corn casserole and sparkling cider.

It was such a delicious meal. And of course pie! The family made like 8 pies. They were all delicious even though I stuck to pumpkin, apple and cherry...I heard from all the others that they were all heavenly. After Turkey dinner, we had a few rounds of ping pong for people to play and a little bit of lounging to let the food settle.

On Friday, we all took our time to get up and then gathered at a park in Mesa. We played 5 on 5 sand volleyball and it was such a blast. The sand was a little rough on the arches but otherwise it was super fun. We also played a little basketball, wiffle ball and football. After our park day, we freshened up and went out to dinner at ZinBurger. It was delicious. Not that we needed more food. But we got delicious hamburgers, truffle fries, zucchini fries and sweet potato fries (there were 8 of us) and then we headed to a late showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I. It was a fun evening overall. Moving onto Saturday. Tadd, Nick, Alyssa and I headed to LGO (la grande orange) which is the best breakfast spot ever! And we enjoyed a lovely breakfast before gathering at the parents house and the boys headed out for a round of golf. The girls hung back and lounged around the house and just chatted away.Tara and Russ took off in order to beat the Sunday rush of traffic. Sunday, we all went to church together and heard Sharon give a great talk, then we played some ping pong and said goodbye to Katie and Tyler and their girls.

On Monday, we hung around until Tadd and I headed to Pita Jungle, (another great restaurant) to meet up with our friends Jex and Aubrey for some lunch. It was so great to see them. We miss them now that we live in Roseville, especially since they are from here ironically.

After lunch we headed to Buy Buy Baby to register for Nick and Alyssa's baby girl that is on the way. It was incredibly overwhelming and it is not even my baby. That store is crazy huge and wow there is a lot of stuff to purchase for a new baby. It was a sample round for Tadd and I. Maybe when it is real we will know what we are getting ourselves into. After registering, we went to Olive Garden for dinner for our last evening in Arizona. After dinner, we went bowling and played a few games. It was a lot of fun.

Then bright and early we headed to the airport and arrived in Sacramento at 8:15am. Off to work for Tadd and I get to organize today before heading back to work tomorrow. We had such a great time with all of Tadd's family in Arizona. We are sad to leave but are looking forward to the next time we all get together.

Santa's Little Elf

2010-11-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

I just finished wrapping presents for Christmas for Santa...aka Mom and Dad. For some reason, I really enjoy wrapping presents, and I think that my mom appreciates it. I get it all done way in advance so that we do not have to worry about it last minute. And then if more gifts are purchased, I am all caught up and can just wrap one present at a time as it gets closer to Christmas. This evening, I used Pandora on my phone and selected Christmas tunes and cheerfully cut, taped, folded and labeled all of our lovely gifts for Christmas!!! O What Fun!!! I know, I know, I am getting a little ahead of myself because we are still a few days away from Thanksgiving, but tis the season!

Thanksgiving in Arizona...

2010-11-15T13:49:00.000-08:00

In just about 10 days Tadd and I will be celebrating Thanksgiving in Arizona. We are super excited to be going to Arizona, especially because everyone is going to be there. All his siblings with their spouses or significant other. It is going to be so much fun! I am already planning my packing list and other details that we may need to do when we get there, like family photos!!! I might put up some outfits that I am planning to wear, especially because I just got some new jeans that are so cute. But I need to figure out the weather first, because it will be warmer there than it is here.

Holiday Crafting

2010-11-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

These first two crafts I recently completed for the fall and Christmas season. I love my lovely november blanket. Every time I pass by it or use it, I just love it more. And the countdown blocks are super cute too.

Below are my next two projects in the works. I am going to make this beautiful and festive wreath. I just bought all the ornaments. Then the blocks below are just so cute, I have to figure out how I want them to look. Stay tuned.

Dear Santa

2010-11-12T08:10:00.001-08:00

I know Thanksgiving has not come yet, but right after that is Christmas. So I will give you a head start! There may be a few more additions but here is the top of the list!!!
1. Asics Runners
2. Gray messenger bag
3. Tan Boots
4. Joann's Gift Card

Masquerade Preview

2010-11-04T10:00:00.001-07:00

I feel like I have been really busy. And I have. I think! Here is a mini preview of the masquerade party from last Friday and below that are the crafts that are in the works...

Fall leaf pillows...

Countdown blocks...for Christmas too...

And a super cute blanket, made of a similar fabric as below(but better...)

And there is more too...but it cannot be revealed until after the holidays because they are going to be gifts for my family! I love homemade gifts!

Cowboys and 1 Indian

2010-10-30T11:37:00.001-07:00

Miami Photos

2010-10-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Post about Posts

2010-10-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

I am really slacking on this blogging thing. I promise tomorrow is a catch up day. This is a list of the exciting posts that are in the making!

1. Miami trip last weekend.
2. Halloween Dress Up Day at work
3. Crafts...(completed and in the works)
4. Masquerade Party

Get excited. I am! It should be fun!

Back

2010-10-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

I have returned from the long weekend in Miami. We had a lot of fun spending time with family. We were all spoiled to be able to hang out and watch Katie play soccer among other fun things. It was so great to watch her at the top of her game. They won one game and lost the other, but Katie played great in both games. We also were able to enjoy Benihana, Target shopping, a homemade dinner at the Raben's (Katie's bf's parents house)...and lots and lots of hugs and kisses from family. It was a whirlwind weekend filled with lots of fun plans, but it went perfectly. We even got our family photo for Christmas! Back to the grind. Halloween is just around the corner! Pictures of the trip to come!

Me-ami

2010-10-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

In less than 48 hours I will be on a flight to Miami!!! I get to celebrate Katie and her senior game at University of Miami! She is a senior in college, where did the time go? And she starts and she is amazing!!!! It is going to be such a fun weekend. I arrive at 5pm on Thursday and her game is at 7 I think. Then on Friday, Tadd gets in and we all get to hang out all day. Then the same thing Saturday, more fun family time together! Then the same thing on Sunday. O my goodness, so much fun!

Crafty

2010-10-16T09:01:00.001-07:00

Last week I was able to go to an activity for Church and I made jingle and spooky blocks. They are so super cute. I am going to put them up for the holidays. Separate holidays of course. Spooky is up right now! They are so cute and I love doing crafts. It can be so relaxing. I have some great ideas that I am hoping to do this fall season. Get excited!

Avid Reader

2010-10-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

I have started and finished the Hunger Game series in one week. I began these books on Wednesday I believe and I have finished all three before Monday begins. To say that I am an avid reader is an understatement. I am more of an addict reader. I cannot move on until the series is done. I get so connected to the characters and what is going to happen next, I just read and read and read until I can no longer read further. I wish there was another book in the series of the Hunger Games. It was a decent ending, but overall a very sad sequence of books. It tried to be happy at the end but after everthing that happened it is a miracle that one ounce of goodness came out of it. Now that they are finished I may need a few days or a week to regroup and determine which book or set of books I will move onto next. I have a few recommendations but I will need to move on from the Hunger Games first.

Hot Pink 5K

2010-10-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, Tadd and I and our friends Jesse and Kristina went out to Old Roseville to support the breast cancer cause and run a Hot Pink 5K. It was super last minute registration, but all went well from beginning to end. We arrived in the brisk morning air around 8am and snagged a great parking spot close to the festivities. We wandered around the streets and ventured into a few tents. Around 8:50am we ligned up behind the big pink balloon arch and stretched to get ready for our big race. 20 minutes later for Tadd and 29 minutes later for me, we finished the 3 mile race. Tadd got 2nd place in his age group, received a medal and was on Fox 40 news at 5:00pm. We recorded it! I ran the whole time...ha. After the race, we headed over to a little breakfast spot to get some hot pink pancakes and chat it up with our friends.

Books!!!

2010-10-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

I think this will be the first purchase I make on the Kindle. I have heard good things. I will let you know once they are complete!

Little Black Book

2010-10-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

I got his little number yesterday when my Dad and Mom surprised me with it. It is a kindle, and it is little and compact. Perfect for my bag. I am an avid reader. I am always borrowing my Mom's kindle or my Dad's i pad so that I can read the latest book that my Mom has downloaded before they head off to Miami again. I just finished The Happiness Project yesterday (which I started on Monday) because my parents left this morning for their final trip to Miami. It was such a thoughtful gift. He did not even tell me. He told my Mom that since I am always reading and stealing one of their electronic devices to complete my book, he thought it would be a useful gift! I am so lucky. It is just perfect! Now I have my very own and I can read any where at any time and I have access to so many books! Yay for my new lovely kindle.

2010-10-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Picture Below,
I want to ride my bicycle beneath the trees on that road on a brisk Saturday morning. Maybe I will explore a location like that by me, and take a real picture!

Little Dears

2010-10-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Sun,
You can hide behind the clouds now. Fall is here. The heat can stop now. Thanks though for your determination.

Dear Legs,
Wow you hurt so bad it is crazy. Maybe if I workout consistently you would not be so painful. But I kind of like it so keep up the good work.

Dear School,
I know we have to part for a few months. I will not miss you over the holiday months of October, November and December. We will reunite in the new year if you let me add the classes I need. Fingers crossed.

Dear Leaves,
I am thrilled that you are beginning to change colors. But I wished that you stayed on the branches for the entire fall and winter. But I won't get ahead of myself, I will simply enjoy your beauty while it lasts.

Dear I pod,
This is the first time that I have purchased songs from i tunes and it has changed my workout experience. I hope I do not ruin my budget by purchasing new songs for you.

Dear Bumblebee stamp,
Why are you still on my hand? I know we had a blast at the rollerskating rink, but you can rinse off now. I have pictures to prove you, so maybe once those are posted you can come off.

Dear October 21st,
You can not come soon enough. Miami here I come! Soccer stud #30! Homemade T-Shirt! Get excited!

Dear Ski Resorts,
I wish you were less expensive so that I could go snowboarding every weekend...I may just go to the cabin and go sledding outside to save money.

What's In My Bag...

2010-09-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

Last week of school special...

Colorful folders which contain the remnants of my papers for my last week of school.
My perfect blue planner. Love to organize!
1 blue pen. 2 mechanical pencils (for the two tests I have this week)
Toothbrush, toothpaste and flosh...I think it explains itself.
Chapstick...a must have.
USB stick...contains my final presentation and other neat documents.
Wallet. I just switched it to black for the fall.
Sunglasses. Yes it is still extremely sunny here even though it is fall.
Goggles for dental class.
Keys. With my gym pass on it. I am committing to the gym for the next 25 days!
Next week, I might have a new bag since I won't be needing lots of these things for a few months anyway. Maybe another what's in my bag special!

Scones

2010-09-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

I found a recipe the other day and I decided to try it. I did not have all the healthy ingredients but I had all the ingredients in general, so I made them. They are pretty tasty. Here is a before and after picture of the scones. I think I will have to try them again when I have all the ingredients for the healthy kind. But for now, these will do.

Fabulous Fall Find

2010-09-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend I happened to be very busy and got lots of things done. Saturday morning began with cleaning the church building, then getting my eyebrows waxed, then taking my parents to the airport heading to Miami of course. After dropping them at Sac Airport, I headed back with a few stops to make. I went to Freestyle to sell some clothes, and yes, they totally took 3 items. Then I went to Crossroads to see if they would take any of the things that the previous store did not take. And, then did. They took 4 items and I got 1 super cute scarf for the fall/winter season! And of course, since they bought my stuff, I actually got money back after purchasing this adorable scarf. See below! I have so many ideas as to how this scarf is going to look adorable with various outfits. Maybe I will post a few once this heat goes away. Until then, I will enjoy the planning of the outfits.

Two Birthdays and A Graduation

2010-09-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Tadd was able to walk across the stage celebrating his MBA completion. His parents came out to share that with him and it just happened to land on his 31st birthday as well. On Thursday night, we were able to celebrate our friend's birthday at Mikuni. Then on Saturday we went to Tadd's graduation in the morning. We then headed home for our celebratory bbq. We had friend's over and we had yummy food that everyone participated in making. We then ate delicious desserts and sang happy birthday to Tadd. I went and picked up my parents that evening as they are back for one week before heading back out to Miami. On sunday, Kirk, Sharon, Tadd and I went to church and then came back and ate brunch. We lounged around and then had dinner before headingn to the airport to send his parents back to Arizona. We are so happy that they were able to come to Tadd to celebrate Tadd and his accomplishments.

Weekend Wonders

2010-09-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

A list of the fabulous things that are happening this weekend...
1. In laws are coming to town.
2. Tadd graduates at Arco Arena with his MBA.
3. Tadd's Birthday is on Saturday...31 wonderful years!
4. BBQ for friends and family to celebrate Tadd!
5. Mom and Dad come back from Miami to stop in before heading back!
6. Sunday dinner with both sets of parents!
Get excited for pictures to come!

Mikuni and Seven

2010-09-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight for a friend's birthday, we went to Mikuni Sushi. Amazing! It was super good, like always. Now that it is a new week for school, I only have 7 days of evening school left. Can you believe it!!! Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur, Mon, Tue, Wed!!! That is it. Of course it is in two different weeks...Yay for seven and Mikuni!

Fourteen

2010-09-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

Ya thats right...fourteen days until I am done with my dental assisting night classes. I will still have to do my extern but that is just working...and it is during the day! I started January 25th and it is already September...I will let you know when I am done done. Or you can keep track of my 14 remaining days!

I don't think I get a neat badge like this, but maybe I will make one or something!!!

Athletics

2010-09-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

On saturday, we headed over to our friend's house, Lacey and Ryan and we all went down to the Oakland A's game. They were playing the Los Angeles Angels and the game was at 1:00pm. We got to the Colliseum around 11am, which was perfect because it gave us time to hang outside and tailgate and eat some yummy food before heading into the suite that our friends had. Tadd played football with the kids that were there and I sat around and chatted. After tailgaiting, we headed into the stadium. When we got to our suite, we kicked back and watched warm ups.

The A's won the game. There were a few great catches, a home run, a few pickles and lots of fun. We had a lot of fun going to the game, especially because it was a first for both of us to go to an A's game since we have lived here. Thanks Lacey and Ryan for inviting us to come!!!

Cookie Wars

2010-09-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Tadd and I baked three different kinds of cookies on Friday night for an outing that we went to on Saturday. Tadd baked Peanut Butter Kisses, and chocolate chip, while I baked Ginger Snaps. We were not actually participating in a war at all but we had a fun time baking lots and lots of cookies on a Friday night. The best part of course, enjoying the dough, and then the cookies on Saturday.

Pearl

2010-09-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

My pearly white 4 runner and I have reached a big milestone toay! We have reached 100,000 miles. I know this sounds silly, but I love my car...like I would rather have my 4-runner over any other car. I am scared that I am going to have to find a new car to love, but not until this beauty of a 4 runner takes its last breath of gas. Until then, happy 100,000 mile birthday to my car and I.

"You did that on purpose"

2010-08-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

This morning Tadd was ironing his shirt for work and I was running around getting things organized before I headed off to the gym. I went into the laundry room to ask him a few things and then of course to kiss him before we went our separate ways for the day. I kiss him a few times as he runs the iron over his shirt. He then rotates the shirt, takes a step back and purposefully directs the iron so that the water sprays me in the face and on my shirt. Then he continues to spray the shirt like it was part of his process and I just happened to be in the way. Then I said, "You totally did that on purpose." He totally started laughing, as did I. It was totally funny and so random. Like who sprays you in the face with ironing water. Anyway, it was pretty funny and totally random and I still laugh when I think of it because he just simply enjoyed himself and thought himself hilarious!!!

Seattle and Back

2010-08-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Tadd and I headed up to Seattle Washington for my college roommates wedding!!! We got in on Thursday around 4:30pm and we headed over to Andiamo for the rehearsal dinner. It was so great to see Shannon. It had been since our wedding that we had seen each other. We also got to see her family and friends, and of course meet her Mr. We were only able to talk to Eric for a few minutes, but he seemed like the perfect match for her. After the dinner, we headed over to Aaron's house in Marysville, about 40 minutes north. When we got there, it was pretty late, and we stayed up into the night, catching up with Tadd's longtime friend.

On Friday, we hung around the house and relaxed before heading to a mall to stroll around and then to lunch. We left for the wedding and arrived just in the nick of time. Shannon looked so beatiful in her wedding dress and her bridesmaids were adorable. It was a nice ceremony on a golf course and the reception area was really pretty with coppers and reds and a lovely tier of decorated donuts!!!

After an evening of dancing, eating and photos, we headed back to Marysville. On Saturday morning, we woke up and had to drive to the airport to get rid of our rental car. After that, we headed to the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry. There were lots of first on this trip for Tadd and I. We have never been to Seattle together and Tadd had never been there at all. The ferry ride to Bainbridge was a first and a visit to Port Townsend with my aunt and uncle was a first as well. Once we arrived in Bainbridge, we were greeted by my Uncle Steve and Aunt Debra (although we are not related). We made the drive to Port Townsend and straight to town parade, farmers market and craft fair. It was a very interesting town, but we had a lot of fun. We ate delicious treats, salmon sandwiches, blueberries, and lots of other goodies. After the downtown meandering, we headed to their house. It is an adorable two story house, that has blue/slate siding and wood shingles. It was such a great house, very comfy and inviting.

We took a little power nap before getting ready for our evening out in downtown Port Townsend and dinner. We went to a place called Sirens. YUM. It was so good. I got this gorgonzola chicken pasta. Whoa. It was delicious. I would fly to port townsend just to eat this again. Anyway, we got to see Debra's gallery that she works at and has her hand painted scarves and artwork in. I got a lovely pink scarf from her. It is so pretty. After dinner, we headed back to the house and prepared to eat some incredibly delicious cream filled almond croissants. Yes, we love food. And yes, we ate some seriously good food in Port Townsend. After our dessert, we headed of to sleep. Sunday morning, we arose with a beautiful site out of our window of trees and the sun peeking through. For breakfast we headed to The Blue Moose. It was such a cute, local restaurant. I got the french toast and Tadd got biscuits and gravy and we shared. Delicious. After breakfast we walked around downtown a bit more as well as a boat building place that is relatively new and really neat. There is a big warehouse where boats are made and they are so sleek looking. After a nice walk around this warehouse, we had to head to the ferry to get to Seattle. We made it to the ferry and across the puget sound and took some cool pictures of Seattle. When we got off the boat we headed to the Seattle Temple to take some pictures. Then to the airport. But before we were unloaded, we ate one last time. This time at CPK and Steve and Deb had not eaten there, and they enjoyed it very much. Then to the airport and our lovely 3.5 day weekend came to an end.

Flying

2010-08-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that it is August 15th...time is seriously flying. I thought that 2010 just began and we are already into month 8...wow! A few things that we finished and that are coming. I have finished my chemistry class. Actually I finished it at the end of July and I got an A...a 91%...pretty exciting! We are going to Seattle next weekend for my college roommates wedding! Then, I start the fall semester of school. I only have 1 class left in my dental assisting program which means that I will be onto my extern October 4th. Tadd is still doing really great at his job and enjoying his success. Tadd's graduation for his MBA is on his birthday in September!

Laguna

2010-08-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

Tadd and I just returned home from Laguna Niguel for Brittny's wedding. We had a really great weekend with the family. We got into the airport at separate times on Thursday. But once we both were in, we were able to head to the rehearsal dinner at a little restarant that was cute and cozy. It was called Ti Amo and all the family gathered and ate good food and got excited for Brittny and Phil's wedding.

After dinner, we were able to head to Newport and spend more time with Tara and Russ. Friday morning came and Nick, Alyssa, Tadd and I went out to breakfast and then headed to a few beaches. We stopped at Table Rock beach, then 1000 steps beach (yes there are that many steps and we actually went there to workout) I did the stairs once...Tadd did them 3 times! After that we headed to another beach with Kirk and Tyler and the kids. I definitely got some sun and enjoyed laying out chatting with Alyssa.

After those three beaches, we ate some lunch and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding which was to start at 6pm. It is always hectic getting ready for weddings for me because my hair takes a long time, but anyway, we all got ready. A few people left before and then Alyssa and I got there around 5:45pm and hung around until the ceremony started.

Then the ceremony started and Brittny looked beautiful and Phil was so happy to see her and how beautiful she looked. The ceremony was short and sweet and then we had a cocktail hour where we visited with everyone before the reception. Once the reception started, there were introductions, the toasts, the dances and all the fun formalities of a wedding. It was such a pretty site and lots of fun people to spend time with. After the wedding, we just headed back to the hotel to get some sleep. Saturday, we went to Sea World, which was fun to spend time with family. Saturday night we went over to Jeff and Karen's house which was a lot of fun. We ate good food and spent time with family. Then we played ping pong and ate lots of dessert. Jill even stopped by with her lemon bars for my birthday. It was so great! Then Sunday morning we had to take off for our flight to head back to Sacramento.

24 years

2010-07-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful life...All 24 years of it. I had a wonderful pre-birthday celebration on Friday with my mom, we went shopping! We went to Target and Macy's and Life Uniform, and Nordstrom Rack and Banana Republic Outlet. I know it sounds like a lot of places, and it took some time, but it was fun. I got a new black skirt, a couple of scrub tops, some white t-shirts (because you can never have enough of those) and then some daily needs like mascara and face wash! Friday night, we went to a baptism and then Nuyo. On Saturday, my parents, Tadd and I headed to the city for the broadway show WICKED! There was some intense traffic on the way, however, I was able to sleep through most of it (I am a closet car sleeper, unless you know me, and then you would know that I fall asleep on the drop of a hat in the car). Anyway, we arrive like 4 hours later...and we parked and began running to the Orpheum theater so that we would make it on time. The run was so worth it. We made it to our seats in time and the show was dazzling. The stage setup was great, the singing was amazing...costumes were wonderful...what a great show! Tadd did so good for my birthday. He always thinks of the best gifts to give. After the show we headed to a lovely restaurant that my dad knew about. It was called the BIG 4, after the 4 people that started the Pacific Union railroad. YUM...it was such good food. I had a great Saturday for my birthday celebration in advance.

Then, if all of this birthday celebrating is not enough, I got to celebrate on my actual birth day too! I had school...all day...but that is okay. I got well wishes all day from friends and family. When I got home from school at 10:00pm my mom got some o so delicious cupcakes from a place called frosting on the cupcake. They look magnificent and taste just the same. We shared all the cupcakes in the box and then I got more gifts. I got my yellow wedges, a few more white t-shirts (different style from the previous) and some face lotion that I have been needing. Perfect, perfect birthday.

Lake Tahoe

2010-07-19T22:23:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, Tadd and I headed up to Tahoe to spend time with our friends from Arizona and their three kids. When we got there on Friday, we headed out to dinner and enjoyed a yummy italian dinner at Lanza's. I took some fun pictures of their kids and the but did not happen to get one of Tadd and I.

Saturday morning, we woke up and ate a yummy breakfast...then we all got in our bathingsuits and headed down to Incline Beach. Jill and I headed to the gym to earn our food for the weekend...we then headed down to the beach with the boys and by then the kids were ready to grab a snack and head to our next site which was the pool with a cool slide for the kids. Then out to dinner. And back home for some kettle korn and the Hangover. Sunday morning we got up and prepared for our trip down the Truckee River. The kids were a little frightened at first but then they got the hang of it and we made it all the way down. We got lots of sun and snacks and then headed back to the house the wrap up our weekend. We were so happy to see the Behrend family and look forward to more Tahoe trips in the future.

Lots of Color

2010-07-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

I was searching through my friend's blogs and came upon this other blog...http://colormekatie.blogspot.com/...and she is so creative and is always making life colorful. She adds color to everything. She was my inspiration for these tasty little treats that I made the other evening. I took vanilla cake mix and used food coloring to make beautiful colors for my cupcakes. It was purple, yellow, green and sunburst orange. I combined them all together in the cups and baked them. I colored the white frosting blue to top it off. They were delicious and exciting!!! Try it yourself!

The Month Of July

2010-07-15T13:07:00.001-07:00

I have been completely consumed by my Chemistry course this July. It started in June and things were busy, but for some reason, the month of July has seem to come without me really realizing it because I am in Chemistry class from 11am to 5pm and then I head to dental assisting. The only thing that reminds me that it is the middle of summer is the dreadful walk from the blacktop parking lot to class in 95 degree weather at 10:30 in the morning. However, there is some seriously good news going on and upcoming. First of all, I am doing great in my chemistry class. So even though it is brutal and requires all of my time, I am passing with flying colors as of right now. I only have 2 WEEKS left...can you believe it...I can't! I am pretty excited about that. Secondly, my birthdday, the BIG 2-4 is on July 27th...that is only 12 days away. Amazing. Present tips below... Also, the same weekend of my birthday, my sister in law, Brittny, is getting married in Laguna. It will be a totally fun and celebratory weekend. For her marriage of course, and I will quietly be celebrating my success (yes that is the plan) in completing Chemistry and my 24th birthday! Yay for the month of July...p.s. birthday ideas below...

Lovely yellow wedges from Nordstrom...

A pretty purple shirt to match my skirt...

Delightfully delicate dresses...
But I will pretty much accept anything...text messages and hugs included!

Behind on Nothing

2010-07-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am behind on my blog. But I don't really have anything that great to blog about. I could tell you about my insane summer chemistry class that is kicking my butt right now. I could tell you about my dental assisting courses that are not that hard, so they are kind of boring right now. I could tell you about the fun weekend I had that I did not take any pictures of. I could tell you that my sister is coming into town tomorrow evening. I could tell you that this weekend is really busy and so is next week, and probably the next week too. Hopefully, I can think of something good to post about next time so that I am not "behind" on my blog and there is something fun to read about. Until next time...

Eclipse

2010-07-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

I just saw Eclipse last night with Tadd and Nick and Alyssa. I really liked the movie. We did have some annoying people sitting around us, but the movie was great. Team Edward all the way...but Jacob did a good job in this movie fighting for her. Loved the bed that Edward got for Bella...loved the ring that Bella gets. I want the next movie to come out now! I might just have to go see it again...so I can enjoy it a little bit more without all the screams and claps and other irritating sounds people were making.

Bachelorette....

2010-06-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

I have not posted anything about Ali and her bachelors for a few weeks now. I am going to use the excuse that I am in school for 11 hours a day right now...so by the time I am done watching the Bachelorette, I am really tired. This evening, however, I happen to have off...so I will post a little something!
Thank goodness Justin/Rated R is gone! I don't really care how he left, except for the fact that it made him that much more lame that he had a few girlfriends on the side that he was leaving love messages for. What a fool! Goodbye finally!
I feel really bad for Craig...he worked so hard for his 1 on 1 date and then once they had one, she sent him home. And he was sad. He will find a winner. I did not really like him before, but after last night I think he is a really nice guy and hope that he finds a babe.
Roberto & Chris...going strong. Big fan of both!
Frank, Kirk & Ty...I am still a little unsure of all of you. Frank, I really liked you at the beginning but now you are getting super self conscious and making it really hard to see you with Ali...get it together (and it looks like next week, you ruin it). Kirk...you are cute still...I just don't know if you are her husband...we will see. Ty...I just don't like the accent I think. I know, weird, but it kind of seems fake when you talk, I can't put my finger on it. But I think Ali likes you...so just do what you do.

Heart Stopper

2010-06-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

This morning, when USA was playing Algeria in the World Cup...I was sitting on my couch getting ready to go to the gym. However, my friend, Jen...when she decided to watch the USA game, she was in South Africa, probably in box suites with complimentary everything, with some of her close friends wearing lots and lots of USA gear and probably screaming at the top of her lungs! Especially when her boss scored the game winner in the 4 minutes of stoppage time!!! I know...insane. Definitely jealous! But that is okay, because Jen totally deserves to be there, and the USA deserved to win that game! It was amazing! Could they have stressed us out anymore by waiting until the final four minutes of stoppage time, really!!! Either way it was amazing! And, Jen, when you read this, I miss you and wish that we were with you at the Lion Den and of course the USA game (in matching jackets maybe)!! xoxo

A little Late

2010-06-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

I started Chemistry on Monday this week so I am super busy all day...so, with that said, I am posting last weekends events now. We headed down to San Diego on Thursday night at 10:30pm and arrived around 5:30am to Jill's apartment. At that point, we all slept through the morning until about noon. We all got a little exercise in before we got back into the car and headed to Katie's boyfriend, Dennis's baseball game in San Bernadino. They played the 66ers and beat them 5-2. He did really good, got a few hits and had a few catches out in left field.

Into Saturday morning, we headed to breakfast and then back to the house to hang out and get ready before heading over to the Lichtl's house for a BBQ. Our friend Jen was able to stop by for a brief time since she was in the neighborhood before she takes off to South Africa for the World Cup...lucky!

Over to Whitney and Anthony's house to spend some time with friends and enjoy the company and food, of course.

After our fun Saturday, it was game time. Lauren and I stayed downtown at our friend Taylors place so that we could get up bright and early for our half marathon. We got up around 4:30am...headed over to the race and got ready for our 6:15am start. We finished our 13.1 miles in 2 hrs 3 mins...just as the sun was coming out...After running we were able to meet up with everyone for breakfast before getting back in the car for 8 hours to drive home.

Rock N' Roll

2010-06-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a whirlwind weekend in San Diego. Lots of fun and exciting posts and pictures to come within the next few days...

Dangerous...

2010-06-01T15:46:00.001-07:00

Wow...Bachelorette was pretty entertaining last night. Let me tell you, there are some seriously dangerous men on that show. Let's start with Mr. Danger himself.
How seriously awkward was there 2 minute conversation outside. He was weird! As for the weatherman...pansy! "Thanks for having my back this week" stated by Ali. p.s. Johnathan, that is the sole reason you are still on the show! I kind of feel bad...but not that bad. Weatherman has got to go!

Now to a few good things...Franky. I did like him and his quirkiness..."There is nothing normal about you, in a good way." I really do think he is cool though. I think they totally get along and could have a really good time together. Cute date. He was nice and funny and easy going. Still in my top 5! The group date was kind of embarrassing. You could tell that some of those men were a little nervous and uncomfortable. Which, I cannot blame them. But Ty stepped up and totally got a moment with her on the beach and then he got to tell his divorce story. Good for him!
Jesse...does not seem like he has much to say, kind of seemed like a forced date. Keep trying though. Chris L...he seemed a little awkward and nervous also, for the few minutes that he spoke with her. Maybe next time. Now if Rated-R and the other Craig don't knock it off. They are both pretty annoying.
Top 5 remain...Roberto, Frank, Chris L., Jesse & Kirk. (Chris H. went home last night):( (I kind of liked Steve too...one to keep your eye on... he was nice)

Friday Night...

2010-05-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, the four of us headed to Wheatland for the Tim McGraw concert along with Lady Antebellum and Love and Theft. It was PACKED!!! The lawn was full of people and there was not a single piece of grass left to be taken. It was nice weather, thankfully, and we were able to get into the concert just in time to get our spot and relax before Love and Theft got on stage. They sang a few of their hits as well as a song that Martina McBride sings that they wrote. They were great! Lady Antebellum was also amazing. I predicted their first song and from there, they just continued to play all my favorites. I hope that they have a concert on their own that I can go to next.

Of course, the main event was Tim McGraw. I must admit he was good. He is darn good looking, and he wore some seriously tight jeans and a nice vneck shirt. He did a great job...he sang so many great songs. I forgot how many good ones he has. Overall, it was such a fun evening. We left a few songs early so that we could try and leave before we hit serious traffic and thank goodness we did. We made it home around midnight and hit the sack so that I could go on my long run Saturday morning, in preparation for my half marathon that is this coming weekend!!!

Live

2010-05-28T08:08:00.001-07:00

Tonight. Me. Tadd. Katie. Mom. Tim McGraw. Lady Antebellum. Excited.

We will be singing along & will take lots of picture! I am stoked!

Roses and Horses

2010-05-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

The Bachelorette has begun...and here goes the first post of my tops horses for this season. A few comments before the top 5 are posted. Ali is super cute and I like that she laughs a lot. I would have liked to have seen her in a yellow or blue or red dress, but she chose black instead. No big deal. A lot of the guys are pretty dorky, however, I do enjoy dorky and they are cute too so it is a workable combination. She was smitten for Roberto immediately. "Shooter" is an idiot...that story he told, was horrible. Get rid of the nickname and never tell that story again! Rated-R and Craig with the hair, already not big fans of you two. Moving on...Top 5 are...actually right now I am going to say 6 because a few are tied. Next week I will probably narrow it down to four.
Roberto. He got the first impression rose and you can tell that she likes him.

Chris H...I just like him.

Chris L...Seems like he is close to his family.

Frank...I loved how he jumped out of the limo. Totally cute and a little dorky.

Kirk...Did he make the scrapbook. Cheesy but I liked it.

Jesse...He made her that cute heart.

That is all for now. Until next week, on the Bachelorette. (did that sound like the host...nice)

The Weekend

2010-05-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Going into the weekend, we did not have any plans...and then...we made lots of plans. Friday night we headed out to Raley Field to watch a Rivercats game in Tadd's office suite with his coworkers from University of Phoenix. They definitely did not win however we did enjoy the company and maybe some ballpark food.

Saturday came around...and Lauren and I ran 12 miles!!! I know. Crazy. It is officially a countdown to our half marathon race on June 6, 2010 in San Diego. We did pretty good on our 12 miler...no pictures included of our salty selves after completing that run. After that...I took a nap. Then, Lauren and Brian, Tadd and I headed to Mikuni for dinner. YUM. We got like 5 rolls and they were all delicious! Plus some flamin' shrooms for an appetizer and of course mochi ice cream balls at the end.

Tadd and I finished out our Saturday night with Iron Man 2 which was really good and entertaining. We headed home and hit the sack to get ready for the Sabbath. We went to church at 9am and had really good meetings...then we headed over to Beach Hut Deli to hang out with Lauren and Brian again and support Brian and his Sharks for the 4th game of the playoff series versus the Chicago Blackhawks.
Sadly, they lost and the series is over. After that, we got ready to head back over to Lauren's parents' house for Lauren's brother's birthday BBQ. Lots of good friends and food, of course. We got to hang out with everyone and chat. We got home around 11 and once again, straight to bed. It turned out to be a super busy and fun filled weekend despite the planless Friday we started with.

Up & Coming

2010-05-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Some exciting events that are occurring in the next few weeks and months...that I am looking forward to. Just to fill you in...

May 27, 2010- My little sister, Katie, returns from school to hang out in Cali for a few weeks before she goes back for summer school and her last year at college

June 6, 2010- San Diego Rock N' Roll Half Marathon. I get to hang out with my two sisters and my hubby and all my high school friends. It will be grand!

July 10- Tahoe trip with friends from Arizona. Pretty weather and fun activities here we come!

July 27- My 24th Birthday!!!

July 29-31- Laguna Niguel for Brittny's wedding!!!

This is only through July...There are even more things to look forward to after this. There will be another up and coming post in the future! Get excited!!!