And I thought I'd never have a blog

I've moved.

2011-06-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's been about 3 months since I launched my new blog Suite Revival!

For my real life friends, I'm pretty good at linking to Facebook when I have a new post but I was looking at my blogger dashboard and I noticed something that I've never really noticed!

This blog had a few followers...26 to be exact! I know it's nothing to get all crazy about but I appreciate all 26 of you and would love for you to join me at Suite Revival!

Hope to see you there!

New blog.

2011-02-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

It's true...I never thought I'd have a blog. But then I did and I loved it!

As any regular reader of this blog can tell, I've taken a liking to all things decorating, design, and repurposing over the last year. And I've given a lot of thought as to how I can expand on that passion. The idea of starting a business is a little overwhelming right now, so I did the 2nd best thing - I started a new blog. There are a lot of regular 'ole folks who started blogs to share their passion with the world and they are now going to blogger/creative conferences, being featured in magazines, and doing guest segments on the Nate Berkus Show or Martha Stewart! I wouldn't mind heading down that same road some day and I decided to start a new blog that fits that mission! So ladies and gentleman, I would like to introduce you to:

"A Suite Revival"

I hope you take a second to head over there and add it to your favorites or reader! It's still a work in progress but it has a bird on it so it's good for now!

A suite revival.

2011-02-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

I have the most amazing best friend in the whole world! Linda's hilarious, smart, beautiful and so much fun to be around. But nobody's perfect, right? There has to be something wrong with her. Now I hate to be the one to point this out, but she does have a flaw.

She's not much of a decorator. So she was thrilled when I mentioned how badly I wanted to re-decorate her master bedroom and give her a brand new space! And I was thrilled when she and her husband gave me complete freedom with the design! I believe his exact words were "I don't care what you do." It was music to my ears!

So here's the first area I tackled - it's an adorable little nook where they had a simple little IKEA dresser and a full length mirror. Functional but not much of conversation starter.

So anyhow, going into the project I was inspired by this little green number - I loved the shape and lines of the dresser but was leaning toward more of a lime color (which would go well with their current and remaining brown bedding.) But then something happened - we stopped at a Kirkland's Home Store and saw this gorgeous piece in a muted turquoise shade. We both loved everything about it and knew immediately that this was the look to go for! Gorgeous, right? However, the $269 price tag was most definitely not what we were going for! Luckily, I found an diamond in the rough on Craigslist a few weeks back for a mere $20 bucks! I don't have a really good before pic so these two will have to do. We had already taken out all the drawers and it was on it's back so we could paint it. Here's the top and you can see the drawers here, too. It didn't come with any hardware but that was an easy fix! And besides the finished product, the price tag on this bad boy was the best thing about it!!

Are you ready for the after? I'll warn you - it's taken several people's breath away. Including mine!I had high hopes for this dresser but truth be told, it has exceeded all expectations! And it was only $20...take that Kirkland's.

One year.

2011-02-04T14:53:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow marks one year since my grandfather passed away. What can I say except that he was my hero, the epitome of generosity and love, I miss him every single day and the last year has been harder than I could have ever imagined. Words cannot begin to express how grateful I am to have spent the past year (and the 4 prior) living in his home. Those four walls on 53rd Street were one of the few constants I had in my childhood and living there this past year without my grandfather has been difficult. I remember those first few nights so vividly - there was a strange silence and a sense of emptiness and feelings of loss that I had never felt in that house. And I hated it. I knew I had to do something to fill my time since I couldn't bear just to sit and be still. So I started cleaning and Lord knows there was a lot of that needed to be done! From the time I got home from work until the time I went bed, I went through closets and drawers and boxes and rooms. Spending that time going through my grandfather's belongings was most certainly therapeutic and led me to discover just how much I love giving new life to old things. That little hobby of mine has helped me more than I can possibly say. Looking back, I can't believe the sun has risen and set 365 times since that horrible morning but it's a reminder that life goes on and with each passing day it gets a little easier. I thank the Lord for carrying my family and I through this past year when we could barely walk and I trust Him to see us through the next. I recently found this quote from Memoirs of a Geisha that I'd like to end with...

"Grief is the most peculiar thing; we're so helpless in the face of it. It's like a window that will simply open of its own accord. The room grows cold, and we can do nothing but shiver. But it opens a little less each time, and a little less; and one day we wonder what has become of it."

Easiest headboard ever.

2011-02-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

For months, I've been searching DIY blogs on how to make your own headboard. And for months, I've been looking for the right materials. And for months, I came up empty handed. Well yesterday, at my home away from home, I finally found exactly what I've been looking for!!

This may look like a really big frame with really big flowers but to me it was pure gold!! The best part of the project (besides how much it cost!) was it took me less than hour - start to finish! Initially, I was planning on painting the frame and stapling the fabric on the inside so I removed the picture - but once I did that I realize that wasn't going to work so I moved onto Plan B and just wrapped the entire frame with fabric and stapled away. Did I mention how simple this was?? Because it was simple. Like. Really. Simple. And since this was a picture it already had what it needed to hang making it even more so! Picture frame - $19.99

1 yard of fabric - $5.99

Total cost - $25.98

I absolutely adore this and it feels like a whole new bedroom! Love it!!

Yellow chair.

2011-01-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

I follow a lot of decorating/re-purposing/crafty blogs and I've noticed a fun trend lately that's had me contemplating how I could implement it in my design style. I see a ton of gorgeous rooms in greys, whites, and purples (which just so happens to me my living room color palette) that have one bright pop of color. I always love the look but have been a little hesitant to commit to that "pop". But this week, I finally took some action!

Enter this old chair.
It one of many great things that were in my grandpa's garage that I saved knowing that I had to fix up! It was pretty scratched and worn but in over all decent shape and nothing that a light sanding and can of spray paint couldn't fix! Have I mentioned how much I adore spray paint...because I do. It's awesome. Anyway....back to business.

I spent a good 30 minutes standing in front of the spray paint cage at Home Depot going back and forth between colors when I finally decided on this one!

I'm quite pleased with my choice and the final product!!

I love my new yellow chair!

So tell me, what have you spray painted lately?

New spice cupboard.

2011-01-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

Within my grandparent's peach kitchen is a cute little cupboard tucked in the side of the main cabinets right next to the stove. I've always loved that space and remember thinking how cool it was when I was a kid. I figure if I thought it was cool, prospective buyers will too. We'll be putting the house in the market soon so thought I'd spruce it up a bit now and give me the chance to enjoy it as well. Here's the before...a hodge podge of different spices and cupcake liners (I can't remember the last time I made cupcakes...so why they would get to take up 2 shelves of this precious space - I haven't a clue.)

Anyway, I took inventory of the spices...

Transferred them into these cute little jars from IKEA...

Added some free labels that I printed out from Martha Stewart and viola!
This totally makes me what to cook from scratch. I don't think I've ever used that Ginger...but now that's in a pretty little jar, I just might!

Ugly frame.

2011-01-10T15:09:00.001-08:00

Sometimes during my lunch break I'll aimlessly walk the aisles of the Habitat for Humanity store looking for some inspiration. And thankfully, that's exactly what I found last week with this dusty, out of date frame and "art".

For a mere $4.99 I couldn't pass it up! I really liked the outside and inside frame and the pop from the interior artwork. I knew some spray paint would magically transform it so I cleaned it up a bit and then busted out the paint!
I had my standard grey on hand so I just used that.

It was already looking better but I knew it needed a little more pizazz so I took some scrap booking paper and cut it down to fit the inside border. It was harder that it looks and I was annoyed because I couldn't get the little flower things to line up and I ran out of double sided tape but I won't concern you with those details! Here's the final product!

I tried it in a few different places around the house but I think it has found it's home above the mantle!

I love when simple things like an old frame can be turned into something new and pretty to look at!

My next project is the organization my spice cupboard! There's nothing original about it...I'm flat out stealing this idea! Stay tuned...

I got the cry.

2011-01-05T14:55:00.003-08:00

I wanted to give you an update on the clock reaction! If you recall, awhile back I decided to make my mom's Christmas present and made her a clock out of one of my grandfather's old Artie Shaw albums. I think she liked it...

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Holiday silence.

2011-01-05T14:39:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile since I last updated with a project. I don't know if I've just been busy or uninspired or a combination of both - but the lull is about to end! It's a new year and I'm ready to roll again! I paid the Habitat store a visit during my lunch break and picked up a little something something! I hope to work on it tonight and have pictures for you tomorrow!

Stay tuned!

Spray paint is magical.

2010-11-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

Brass Chandelier from Habitat for Humanity ReStore: $1.99

Plus a can of charcoal gray spray paint: $3.79

Equals this:

A beautiful chandelier for under $6!!

Record clock.

2010-11-30T15:24:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to blog about one of my latest creations for some time now but work has been crazy busy (and let's face it...that's where most of my blogging happens!) Things are finally slowing down so here we go!It's no secret that my grandfather loved music - he had a room in his home affectionately refered to as the "Music Room" so we have been left with hundreds upon hundreds of records. So I was estatic when I stumbled upon the idea of turning a record into a clock and decided upon "This is Artie Shaw" for my first go around! After a bit of research, I was off to Michael's in search of a clock kit. They have these cute little things that come with everything you need...the number, the hands, the battery pack, etc. I had my doubts that it would actually work...but it did! So in case any of you want to make your own...let me walk you through how I did it! I first cleaned the record to make sure it was free from dust and then sprayed a light coat of clear satin spray paint to seal it. I read on another site that this step was optional but I recommend it. Here's before the spray paint...

And here's after...

It gives it a nice smooth finish that hides imperfections in the record. The clock kit came in a brass finish so I just spray painted the pieces in heirloom white to get the look I was after. The numbers already have adhesive on the back so I just stuck those on and pushed the battery back through the hole in the center of the record.

Then came the fun part...actually putting the clock together! The directions are on the clock kit so it was super simple!

I put in a battery and had my clock!! It took about 25 minutes from start to finish and let me just say I love it!!

I decided to give this to my mom as a Christmas present and since she doesn't read my blog...I'm in the clear so nobody tell her! The fun part is that you can turn almost anything into a clock with these kits...plates, books, tire wheels! Trust me when I say my mind is spinning with ideas...

My new hutch.

2010-11-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little impulsive. Often times I'll just begin something after I get a sudden bit of inspiration and that's what happened Friday night around 8pm. I have been wanting to do something to this hutch for awhile and had already made sure that my uncle (who bought the hutch for my grandma) didn't want it. It was in great condition which makes painting it way easy! I decided to remove the two upper cabinet doors and I'm undecided about whether I will put them back on or not, but for now they remain off opening up the space and forcing it to remain uncluttered! Here's the unstaged after pic...

I knew that I wanted to buy some new hardware for it so I made a quick run to Home Depot and spotted some great Martha Stewart pulls that I loved and some simple brushed nickel knobs! I thought that all pulls were made the same and that the holes would just line up....well that was not the case so I had to drill new holes. The problem was I didn't have a drill bit so I ventured into the garage and after searching through my grandpa's tools for awhile...I found one! It doesn't take much to make make me happy and this little thing did it...using power tools is so empowering :-)

The new pulls... And knobs...

I added some new contact paper and organized the drawers...
So here's a final look at the before....
And after...

I really love the way it turned out and I think it goes nicely with the look of my living room! I'm still not completely pleased with the accessories I have so that's a work in progress. Hmm..I think a trip to Home Goods might be in order :-)

"Kind of like Scrabble" coasters.

2010-10-29T11:28:00.001-07:00

I recently spotted a bag of (what I thought were) Scrabble tiles at the thrift store. I was so excited to spot such a great find it didn't even click that they weren't actual Scrabble tiles until I got them home! Instead they were general lettered tiles from some other word game....still a great find at just $2.99!

I started googling ideas for what to do them and stumbled upon....wait for it...coasters! I might as well confess now that most of the things I do are not completely original ideas. I google. A lot. "Ways to use...." is becoming my most googled phrase. It's a great way to see what others are doing and why reinvent the wheel, right? So back to this, I sorted the tiles out by letter and realized I had a ton of o's but only like 4 c's so I had to make due with what I had.

I ended up doing a personalized set for someone (who shall remain nameless and will receive something similar at Christmas) and then a more general set like this one...

I already have a great set of coasters that I purchased in New Orleans and since I don't need to start a coaster collection I decided to sell this batch on Etsy.

I've been selling a few things on Etsy since July and while this deviates from my normal product which are little owl skewers and picks like these that I made for Linda's baby shower...

I'm looking forward to expanding what I offer and even hope to put up some suitcase tables soon! So stay tuned.

Suitcase table.

2010-10-22T09:22:00.001-07:00

A few months ago while cleaning out the garage, I found a few vintage suitcases. Like many other things I knew I wanted to do something creative with them but was stumped as to what that would be exactly. Well after some googling and blog browsing I had it! That otherwise useless suitcase would become a great little side table! During what are becoming my bi-weekly visits to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore conveniently located right across from work, I spotted this:

These legs would work perfectly for my suitcase table!! So for about $11 I had 4 legs with the mounting brackets and screws...total deal! So I unscrewed them and took them all outside to spray paint.

Here's the suitcase...it's kind of a grayish blue color and was really dusty but in otherwise great condition!
After I paint dried (that's one thing I love about spray paint...it dries so quickly!) I mounted them into each corner.

Once they were all secure, I flipped it over and I now have a one-of-a-kind, charming little suitcase side table!

I have another idea to make a little matching chair out of the other suitcase...but we'll have see if that will work. Until then, I am loving this little guy!

Easy chair.

2010-10-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

The other day, still on my chair reupholstering high, I saw this sad thing at Goodwill for $7.99. I knew I had left over paint and fabric so I impulsively hauled it over to the register.

Once it was home, I immediately unscrewed the seat and took the frame outside to dust off and paint....I really don't care for sanding so I skipped that :-)
While that I dried, I measured and cut the fabric to the seat and began stapling (which I love!)

And viola! It's done...it took all of 30 minutes total! For anyone who has old chairs that they no longer care for or ones that need a little sprucing up...this is seriously the easiest thing to do!! If you just don't have time to do it...bring them over and I'll do them for you!

Cane Chair Makeover.

2010-10-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to attempt chair reupholstering for awhile now and it finally happened yesterday! I took the day off because I had a plumber doing some work on the house and figured I'd put my time off to good use! So I ventured into the garage and pulled out this beauty! This chair (it has a twin sister, too!) belonged to my grandmother and from the stories I've heard she loved this thing! Before I began, I had done a ton of research on reupholstering chairs and most of the sites I found had this long list of supplies I would need and detailed step by step instructions...but all I used were scissors - to cut the new fabric, a drill - to remove the monstrously large screws holding the cushion in place, needle nose pliers - to remove the ridiculous amount of staples, and a staple gun - to recover the cushions.

Other than the cushion...it was in great condition! So I unscrewed the bottom cushion and got to work removing the staples. This was the most time consuming part of the process. It took me a good 2 hours to remove all the staples and old upholstery.

Once that was finally done, I layed the old pieces out in order to use them as a template for the new fabric. The old chair had tufting and since this was my first time experimenting with reupholstering I decided to skip the tufting and just filled in the wholes with cotton balls. Normally, you'd want to use some sort of batting but I didn't have any and I wasn't going to make a trip to Joann's just for that so I improvised! Now it was time for the fun stuff! I pulled out the staple gun and attached the new fabric to the cushion! Let me just tell you, I could have stapled all day!! Which now that I think about it, that's probably the reason there were so many staples to begin with - it's easy to get carried away! And this picture gives you a sneak peak at the fabric I chose! Next I took the chair outside and spray painted it granite. It only took 2 coats and this pic was after the first coat. The back cushion was pretty strongly attached...it was probably glued on and still in good condition so I just left it on. After it dried, I brought it back inside and started recovering the back of the chair - it was a little tricky just making sure that everything got tucked in smoothly but even that part wasn't too difficult.

So here are a few shots of the after...

The back... So one more time...here's the before:

And the after!!

I love it, I love it, I love it!! This chair is now one of my favorite things in my living room. Overall, I'm super happy about the way it turned out. I can see a few imperfections but it's nothing that I can't get over and I will not be pointing them out any time soon!

I have another pretty grand idea that I've been bouncing around that involves a little reupholstering and some other stuff so this was project was great practice! Until next time...

Oil can makeover.

2010-10-12T15:34:00.000-07:00

Several months ago while cleaning out my grandfather's shed, I discovered 3 old oil cans. They were pretty cool looking and I knew immediately that I wanted to do something with them! They sat for awhile before I decided to turn them into planters! I was able to tackle this ridiculously simple project a few weekends ago. With a little help from granite spray paint, they went from this.... To this...So pretty and simple...

Initially, I had them in the backyard but since I wanted to see them more often, I moved them into the front garden. And because I love bargains, I scored the 3 plants on clearance from Target for $.25 each! And I already had the spray paint...so really the whole thing cost me only .75 cents!!

A craigslist loser.

2010-10-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Awhile back, I listed four dressers on Craigslist but had no luck in finding them a new home! I've had a few people come out to take a look only to reject them because they needed a little work done. I started to feel bad for these guys so I figured I'd do the work to spruce one up and see if that would work.

Here's the before...

I love the clean and simple lines and thought this would look great in a nice steel grey color with white hardware. So I pulled out some leftover paint and got started. I almost forgot to take a before picture head on...

And about 30 minutes later (if that!) I had this beautiful thing!

I wonder if it can find a home now? I am selling this one and I have another one just like it that I'll be selling so if anyone is interested - let me know! It's not painted yet but I'm leaning towards the same color unless there's a buyer out there who might have a specific request. If I weren't moving in a few months or so, my ideal usage for it would be as an outdoor gardening center. It's the perfect height and has great storage! But since I can't keep it, i'm hoping it can find a good home soon!

And I thought I liked TV before.

2010-09-27T13:12:00.001-07:00

On Saturday afternoon as I was waiting for the paint on another project to dry, I started to think about how I didn't like my living room and how something needed to change, especially the poor wood encased TV. The TV was something my grandfather bought at a yard sale years ago and since a new flat screen to put above the mantle isn't possible, I knew that I needed to channel my inner Tim Gunn and make it work!

And then it hit me! I had two old cabinets that were put into the garage after the big clean up that I thought could have some potential. I couldn't remember if they were the same height so I was pleasantly surprised that they were! My idea was to move the TV to the solid wall and frame it with these two gems. Since I already had the paint and primer out, I figured I might as well get started!

While those dried, I brought all the paint supplies inside to fix the TV. It's a lot of heavier than it looks and I knew I couldn't do this outside so I laid out some plastic and got started.

Here it was before... And here it is after...

It was a dramatic improvement that took less than 30 minutes! So once that dried, I brought in the two side gems and put them in their place. I added a few accessories, moved in my tripod lamp and I was done!

And here's the view from the sofa!

I simply could not love this more! After this pic was taken, I noticed the TV wasn't aligned perfectly with the big frame so I fixed that but forgot to take another picture - so this one will just have to do! I'm also on the look out for another roundish frame to add to the wall to even that out a little...but that'll happen in time. I've already started to think about a project for next weekend and I'm thinking it might involve a little reupholstering to help complete the living room...but we shall see. Until next time...

I think my great grandmother would approve.

2010-09-27T12:59:00.001-07:00

This weekend I decided to tackle a few projects that required being outside in 100+ degree temps. Why you ask?? Because I'm impatient! When I think of an idea, I usually have to act on it pretty quickly other wise it consumes me and it's all I think about and since I have a full time job that also requires my attention, it's best to just crank them out!

With that said, my latest project was revamping a dresser that belonged to my great grandmother. It was passed down to my grandparents and now I have claimed it (partially because any relative that may have wanted it lives at least 1000 miles away...so bonus points for being local!)

Here's the before picture:

This dresser has great character - I love the little legs and the variety and size of the drawers. It was in pretty good shape overall and the only thing I didn't care for was the wood color. So with the help of my amazing neighbors, I hauled the thing outside to prep for beautification.

I removed all the hardware, which I decided to keep because new hardware wasn't in my budget and I kind of liked them. I gave them a quick spray of primer...Followed by my new favorite...Painter's Touch in Granite!

I like to do the drawers first so they each got a coat of primer and paint!

Then it was the dressers turn...

After everything was dry (which didn't take long consider it was 142 degrees) and a call to my neighbor for some help, it came back inside. I decided it was too pretty to keep in an empty bedroom, so I brought into mine!
And here's the official after picture... I decided to turn my formally black lamps into a grey ones with the lovely granite spray paint. Eventually, I'll change the lamp shades, but that's not a priority so it'll have to wait. And here's one last look at the final product! I really, really love the way it turned out! The drawers are so much bigger than my previous dresser and it has the cute little cupboards that I adore! Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Weekend Plans.

2010-09-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Lately I've felt that most of my spare time is filled with scouring interior design and DIY websites. I've always loved design and decorating and lately that love seems to have taken over! I've been thinking about different projects all week and have decided that I want to repurpose an old dresser that originally belonged to my great grandmother. It's kind of a drab wooden dresser but it has lots of potential! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture right now....so that will come later.

The problem is I can't decide between the two ideas, so I thought I'd throw it out there and get some feedback from you!

Idea # 1 from Censtational Girl:

This look is so calming and beautiful! I absolutely love it!

By the way, here's the before! Such a dramatic makeover I can't even believe it's the same piece of furniture. What's nice about this one is my dresser has very similar grooves so I really think I could capture this look. I love the slate blue but was thinking about switching the colors and doing the dresser white and the grooves slate blue - but I'm still up in the air on that one.

Idea #2 is also from Centsational Girl:

You can't really tell how stunning this dresser is until you look closely! She obviously painted the dresser in heirloom white but she used paintable textured wallpaper to give the doors a little something.

Here's a closer look...

And here's the before! Amazing, right? This piece is a better match to the color and size of my dresser.

So what do ya'll think? I seriously need help deciding....idea #1 or #2?

My newest creation!

2010-09-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago while cleaning out a bedroom in my grandpa's house, I found an old tripod. At the time, I put it aside as something I knew I wanted to keep but I wasn't quite sure how I would put it to use. That was until I was at Target and saw this... I immediately knew I wanted to make a lamp!

Since I had the base, I just needed to find the perfect drum shade to match. I decided to give the Habitat for Humanity ReStore a try which is conveniently located on Alondra at Studebaker right across from work. I struck lampshade gold with this Restoration Hardware beauty for just $6.99!! Combine that with some fabric that belonged to my grandmother and I had the perfect addition to the lamp!

I couldn't resist setting it up even though I didn't have the actual light component hooked up yet. For that, I bought a lamp kit from Lowe's and along with a little help from my uncle it was done!! Here's the finished product staged in the office (along with my grandma's sewing machine and a vintage typewriter we found in a closet)...

Words can't even begin to describe how much I love this lamp. I could look at it for hours on end (okay, so maybe I already have!) It just brings me so much joy to have combined my grandparent's two different loves (photography and sewing) into one piece! Anyway, I have two more projects lined up - I'm re-vamping a cedar lined chest into a coffee table and I'll be creating a new bookcase out of old dresser drawers. I'm so excited about the latter project...I'm still toying with the details of that one but I'll be sure to post pictures once it's done.

24 years.

2010-06-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 24th anniversary of my grandmother's passing. It's sad to admit but I really don't remember her very well. I was only 6 years old, so I guess that's understandable. But it doesn't change the fact that I wish I had more memories of her.

However, the biggest thing I remember is how much my grandfather missed her. He missed her every single day for 24 years.

How he would watch hours of home movies and would tear up as soon as she came on screen.

How he strategically positioned a photo of her so he could easily see it from his recliner.

How he loved and missed her lemon meringue pie and how nothing ever came close to it.

But today is different. Today they're together. And knowing that makes this day just a little easier.

Owls are adorable.

2010-05-25T15:09:00.001-07:00

After the wreath, my craft spree continued for Linda's baby shower which was a few weeks ago! It was a wonderful sunny afternoon perfect for an outdoor "Owl" themed shower! I scoured the internet for ideas and eventually found a few cute things that I could easily recreate - the owl fan and skewers added a wonderful touch (if I do say so myself!) I absolutely loved everything about the shower and was honored to be able to celebrate baby boy Isai! Here are a few of my favorite pics... By the way, Linda's amazing and talented sister-in-law made the owl cupcakes! It was actually a really simple theme to carry out - mason jars, flowers and greenery from my yard, and a few owl accessories and we were good to go!

She's crafty.

2010-05-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

I've never really thought of myself as crafty. Sure, I've made a wreath or two but other than that I'm pretty limited in my creations. But I guess that's changing...I've recently been making things right and left and figured I'd share them with you!!

A few weeks ago I was thinking about something to hang above the mantle and found an adorable ruffled felt rosette wreath while browing craft sites. The old me would have tried to buy it, but instead, I set out to make it myself! And believe it or not, it was surprisingly easy!

I began with a trip to Michael's for a foam wreath, about 25 pieces of white felt, and push pins.

Then I used a can of corn to trace circles in the felt and then cut them all out - this was the most time consuming portion of the project!

Then I took a felt circle, folded it half and then in half again to create the rosette.
Then the fun part began - I just started pinning the rosettes into the foam wreath! There was no real pattern to follow - just kept alternating how I stuck them in.

And before I knew it (actually 3 hours later!) I had a lovely, handmade ruffly felt rosette wreath!

This wasn't exactly the finished product...but it was very close. I added some additional rosettes to the interior and refluffed certain parts but you get the idea! I absolutely love it!

And if anyone is interested, I am taking orders!

Two weeks.

2010-02-16T14:54:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow will mark two weeks since my grandfather passed away and it somehow feels like an eternity. A few nights ago, was the first night I spent alone in the house and thankfully, it wasn't as bad I feared it would be. It was difficult but I did it. I figure I need to get use to the fact that this house is empty - after living here for 53 years - my grandfather is gone.

He passed away at home, in his own bed, just hours before we were going to move him to a hospice facility for 5 days. He needed more care and my mom needed rest. He had fallen the morning before around 4am and my mom and I tried but couldn't lift him up so we had to call 911 for help. Later that day, my mom and uncle spent time talking with his nurse, social worker and hospice team to figure out what our options were. He wasn't able to walk or move himself from his scooter to his bed anymore, and without strength on his part, my mom just couldn't physically take care of him at home. It was a really hard decision, but was one that would give us time to figure out how we could continue to care for him.

Later that evening on February 4th, he seemed to be pretty agitated. We called the nurse around 8pm because the medication they told us would relax him wasn't doing it's job. He was talking about things that didn't make any sense to us and kept wanting to get out of his bed. He kept motioning like he was buttoning his shirt or eating something or taking off a sweater - none of which he was actually doing. The nurse ended up staying until about 11:30pm. She had given him some more medication and he was finally starting to relax - still talking and motioning but with not as much energy. The blessing is that I was able to sit at his bedside that evening, hold his hand and tell him how much I love him and how much he means to me. I would ask him questions to try to pull him out of the agitation - about his work in Oregon or the time he met boxer Joe Lewis and he would answer me! I asked him what his all time highest bowling score was and he answered with a clear "279 in a practice game!" There were a lot of tears that evening and I remember thinking that watching someone die has to be the worst thing in the world. It's flat out horrible. But because I trust in the Lord, I can find hope and joy through the heartache. I am so thankful that he wasn't suffering long! It was a short eight months from the time he was first diagnosed with aortic stenosis to the time he passed away. We knew it was going to happen, although it doesn't make it any easier.

When I finally went to sleep around 1am, I prayed the Lord would have mercy and compassion on him, ease his suffering and take him home. And He did. He passed away around 8am on February 5th at home, just like he wanted with his dignity in tact.

For anyone who's interested, you can click here for the link to his obituary.

This probably won't be the last post about my grandfather, so be warned :-) I feel like I have so much to say about him and I think it might help with the grief. But until then, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all of your support and prayers! I love you guys!

The last 3 months...

2010-01-29T19:43:00.001-08:00

I haven't had much motivaton to blog over the last few months because most of my down time has been spent helping my mom take care of my grandfather. I never thought that I'd see my grandfather so sick, but that day has come. He was initially diagnosed with aortic stensis (bad heart valve) in June 2009 and his symptoms have gotten progressively worse - shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, etc. My concern for him and his ability to be at home by himself (while I was at work) had grown so I talked to my mom and she ended up moving down here (from Oregon) in early October to take care of him. In early December he sufferred a mild heart attack and was hospitalized for a four days. His left lung had filled with fluid and he could hardly breathe. They were able to drain the fluid and ended up releasing him that same day - he was pretty anxious to get out of there that he pulled out his own IV!

Looking back, I wasn't sure that he would make it out of the hospital. He was weaker than I had ever seen him, couldn't walk, was disoriented and sleeping constantly. I didn't think he could get worse, but unfortunately he has.

Shortly before Christmas, we began talking about the option of hospice. His doctor had mentioned that it might be time for that and on January 7th, we enrolled him with a hospice provider. It's been a difficult couple of weeks. Especially for my mom. A day without tears is pretty rare around here.

But for now, I am counting my blessings. I have been blessed with a grandfather who has shown me unconditional love and provided for me in ways that my father should have but never did. The Lord knew exactly what I would need and he provided everything and more in my grandfather.

Happy 94th!

2009-11-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

This is a little late, but I figured I might as well post it anyway!

Last month on October 13th, my amazing grandfather turned 94 years old! It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating his 93rd.

We had a little bowling themed birthday party! He had a great day with a ton of phone calls from family and friends. I love that he has lived such a full life and has touched so many people. Unfortunately, his health is slowly declining and has had a recent diagnosis of a faulty heart valve - but his mind is still sharp as is his sense of humor! Out of the blue last night, he asked my mom and I "What's an illegal?" I think what? He knows what an illegal is (please, he lives in Maywood!) - it must be a joke.

"I think I have one in my backyard."

"You have an illegal in your backyard??"

"Yeah, it's a pretty sick bird."

3 hours later...

2009-11-10T13:38:00.001-08:00

My mom has been in town and whenever she's in town - we usually get serious about doing some sort of home improvement. A few weeks ago we decided it was time to get rid of the HIDEOUS carpet in the hallway (to reveal the hardwood floors!) and throw a fresh coat of paint on the walls.

BEFORE: DURING:

The amount of dirt underneath the carpet was unbelievable!

AFTER: It took us 3 hours to make walking through the hallway a joy!! I love it and that little bit of work has inspired us to take on an even bigger project - the living room carpet! We plan on tackling that tomorrow - here's hoping the hardwood is in good condition!!

I'll be sure to post pics of that transformation as soon as we are done!

New Orleans - day three.

2009-08-07T14:44:00.001-07:00

Every morning before the opening session of VBS, the kids would have some free time. Most would play games but every single morning a group would gather around the computer and watch Michael Jackson videos on YouTube. The kids LOVE him! They knew every word to every song and would dance along - MJ had died just a day or so before we arrived but it was so much fun to watch them enjoy his music and talent. The kids wanted to pray for him and his family and one of the boys even dedicated his craft to Micheal Jackson!During the group session, the drama and worship team did a great job at keeping them engaged, leading them in worship and teaching them about Jesus.
Andy and Alicia were in charge of sports and they did a great job! It was super hot outside but I never heard them complain once and the kids had a great time!
After VBS in the morning, the team split into two smaller teams and went off to two different worksites. Team one headed over to Leonce's house to scrap up tile (more on him in the day four post) and team two (me) went to a house in Violet to lay down ceramic tile. There was no one home at the time and we never met the owner, but the owner's brother, Edward (who lives next door) stopped by towards the end of our day to express his appreciation for helping his sister and shared a little about his experience during Katrina. He told us how he and 15 or so co-workers almost lost their lives in the flooding. They were working at the refinery and were trapped in room and barely made it to the roof before the water flooded in. He said that his home and all the homes in his neighborhood were completely underwater. Here are a few work shots of the work...

And here's the team two with Edward just before we left.
We managed to finish about 1/2 of that room in the few hours we had - the next day we sent a small team back to finish it. Kristi and I also did a short prayer walk through the neighborhood - just praying for the people who live there. It was really cool!

This house was across the street and has a red X on it - indicating that it's scheduled to be involuntary demolished by the city on grounds that it is abandoned. Homes all over the city have that posted on them. You couldn't really get too close to any of the homes in this area because they were all infested with wasps - but that seemed to be the norm at all the worksites. The team became pretty use to them after awhile.

This particular block had a lot of vacant land...

This is what appears to be a frog in the back window of a car.

This was just around the corner....and huge pile of trash and a boat.

After leaving Violet, both teams went back to Gentilly to clean up before heading to Uptown for a prayer walk and dinner. This area of New Orleans is beautiful. The homes are old and have so much character and charm. If I ever lived in New Orleans, this is where I'd want to be!

This is where we had dinner! We also came here last time I was in New Orleans - very cute place with lots of charm and amazing food! Their shrimp quesadilla is to die for!

Coming up...day four!

New Orleans - day two.

2009-07-31T13:57:00.001-07:00

Day two was an exciting day because it was really more like day one - our first full day! On tap was VBS at Excite Summer Camp in New Orleans East. We did that everyday (except one from 8am to 11:30am) followed by a tour of the city. Here's the gang getting ready to head out. What you can't see in the picture is how hot it was at 7:30 in the morning and the disgusting smell that emanated from the trash cans just to the right of the door. It was BAD and later when we moved them to the street for trash day - we discovered at least a million maggots - pretty gross. Here's Kristi, Robin and Becky - ready to go!The first time I went to New Orleans, our team worked on renovating the space where the summer camp is held - so it was awesome to see it being used! Here are Aaron, Aaron and Tanya doing some drywalling...
And the finished project...

And here's the multi-purpose room that our team painted and installed insulation and ceiling tiles in 2007...
And the finished project where the kids play and do crafts every day...

Within minutes of arriving, a few of the girls fell in love with Kristi's hair...

After the kids arrived in the morning, we went into a morning session with a little worship and skit time...The kids were broken into crews and split off into different areas - here they are doing crafts (which I was in charge of...)So much happened with these kids - it's hard to wrap it up. Needless to say, they all have a story about Katrina and how it has affected their families. Some kids had to move away because their schools have yet to reopen, or they went to live with another parent, others are dealing with abuse, gangs, drugs, and the fact their entire support system was gone instantly. We were told that a lot of the kids were accustomed to having their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. all within the same block or two - a really solid support system. But then after the storm, that changed and a lot of them were left with just immediate family in an unfamiliar area. These kids have experienced death and destruction in a way that most of us will never experience and it didn't take long for these kids to make a huge impact on our team!

After our first day of VBS came to a close, we had a quick lunch and then headed out to tour the city. We made a stop at a gas station along the way and I discovered this gem - a pickle in a bag.

Have I mentioned it was hot in New Orleans?? Because it was hot!! Suffocating and oppressive are two appropriate adjectives.

Here we are at Lake Pontchartrain - this thing is huge and played a large role in the flooding during Katrina. The storm surge came through the canals and ended up here which had no where to go except back onshore flooding the Lakeside neighborhood.

We continued the tour and I saw this school - which you can't see the other side of the building but it's pretty damaged. The sign reads "Registration 8/17/2005" - the storm made landfall on 8/29/2005 - it was a sad reminder that a lot of progress is still to be made.

Next stop was the Lower Ninth Ward which was completely wiped out.

This is a memorial that shows the different water levels throughout the city...

Most of the homes in this area have not been rebuilt. We saw a lot of empty foundations, driveways, and overgrown lots. The wall in the background of this picture is the levee that broke when a barge came smashing through...

Here's an aerial view of that - you can see the barge on the right hand side just above the levee.
This is another view...crossing over a bridge which shows the levee today.There is some progress in the Lower Ninth thanks to Brad Pitt and his organization "Make it Right". They have been building quite a few homes...

They are all elevated, colorful, and unique...

This was a house near where we were staying. It seemed like they raised it themselves...

I have more pictures from the tour but it started raining pretty hard so they aren't that good. The rain was welcomed through because it was hot - I don't know if I've mentioned that yet.

Before heading out to the French Quarter that night - Leanne, Grace and I ran to the grocery store and I saw this. I thought it was disgusting at the time but I now have a new found love for shrimp. Even WHOLE shrimp that requires breaking off the head and peeling it. Who would have thought I would ever say that...they'll be more on that transformation later.
And of course, a trip to New Orleans is not complete without a stop at Cafe du Monde! They have amazing beignets which are covered with powered sugar and are just delicious!
I think Jessie was raising the roof. I'm not sure.

And finally, wrapping day two - here is the St. Louis Cathedral. It is absolutely beautiful, especially at night! Later in the trip, I was able to go inside - those pictures are to come.

Another morning of VBS and work on 2 different homes awaited us on day three.

New Orleans - day one.

2009-07-24T16:13:00.000-07:00

It's been about 3 weeks since I've returned from New Orleans and I've yet to blog anything about it. I can't stop talking about it with anyone who expresses even a remote interest in what we did there and I've uploaded 200 pictures to Facebook but I find it hard to put the experiences into words - perhaps I think I wouldn't do them justice. So my approach will be a slow one...taking one day at a time.

The trip started at an ungodly hour - 2am on Sunday morning to be exact. In order to get an affordable flight, we needed to leave out of San Diego super, super early and on two separate flights. So that meant that we all met at 2am to caravan down to SD so team one could catch their flight around 6am. Team 2 (which I was on) left a little later - around 8am.

Waving goodbye to team one...

Catching some zzz's at the San Diego airport in some comfy rocking chairs...

After a brief layover in Houston we arrived in New Orleans! Here we are waiting for Christopher, Andy and Charlie to pick us up...we stepped outside and were nearly killed by the heat and humidity so we waited in between the sliding glass doors...

This is where we stayed - good 'ole Gentilly Baptist!

After we dropped off our luggage and got settled, the whole team headed out to dinner with Janet (who's amazing...more on her later!) We went to The Italian Pie which had calzones pretty much the size of Italy! And it was run by a Vietnamese family which was awesome!

While having dinner we noticed a little something going on outside....

It was our "Welcome to New Orleans Thunderstorm" and it was AWESOME!!

People in the restaurant thought we were crazy but we couldn't pass up playing in the rain!! And what rain is was - we were completely soaked after just a few seconds! After dinner we headed back to Gentilly Baptist and talked about what was in store the next day - our first day of VBS and a tour of the city.

We could learn a lot from Oregon.

2009-06-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

As a welcome back to blogging post, I thought I'd post a few pictures from my recent trip to Portland. Last month, I spent 6 days visiting family and enjoyed some gorgeous weather while I was at it!

Although I looked, I didn't spot any members of the Roloff clan. Driving through Hillsboro near the farm - so pretty!My favorite street in Hillsboro - It's beautiful in the summer, but AMAZING in the fall! If you've never been to Oregon, you really should make a trip up there! Besides being incredibly green, there's also no sales tax! A total plus.

Gorgeous Man, indeed.

2009-05-14T13:41:00.001-07:00

Thanks for the link Laurie!

I guess we'll never know.

2009-04-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

I love spontaneity! And last weekend was exactly that! I got a call from Jessica on Friday asking if I wanted to drive up just past Santa Barbara to go wine tasting. I would never pass up an offer like that and I happened to be free so before we knew it was Saturday morning and we were heading up the 101!

We decided to make a stop at the Camarillo Outlets to check out one store in particular. I've been wanting to buy a new purse for awhile and decided to splurge on a special one and I absolutely love it! The store itself was a madhouse...I've never seen that many people crammed into such a small space. You literally couldn't turn around without bumping into someone!

After braving the lines and making my first official Coach purchase we grabbed some lunch and kept driving north until we reached gorgeous Santa Ynez and the Gainey Vineyard.

We enjoyed a good wine, great conversation and absolutely beautiful weather!! After we were done at the vineyard, we drove just a few miles down the road to Solvang! I've have been wanting to go to Solvang for awhile now and didn't even realize how close it was. What a cute place!

Having been to Denmark, it was fun to see all the windmills and just how similar Solvang is to the real thing! We ended up grabbing dinner at a little Italian place and then made the drive back to L.A.. Overall, I had a wonderful day hanging out with Jessica, enjoying nature and the reminder that California really is a beautiful place! And no one but Jessica will get the title of this blog...but that's okay. Just know that little phrase somehow managed to produced lots of laughter throughout the day!

I totally recognize that guy.

2009-04-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Mrs. Dr. Jack (who by the way provides amazing Lost reviews) recently told me about a website that is now one of my favorites. So naturally, I wanted to share it with all of you. It's Criggo.com and it's a compilation of odd or funny headlines or newspaper stories, such as...

Enjoy!

I don't think this counts.

2009-04-06T10:01:00.001-07:00

I saw this truck over the weekend and immediately pulled out my phone and snapped this picture. Notice anything off? Anything missing? Anything that might be on the unofficial side? Let me zoom in for you....

Yep...a handmade license plate. How awesome is that!?!?

You have got to be kidding me.

2009-03-31T08:51:00.001-07:00

What better way to start a Tuesday morning than with something that left me completely disgusted and shocked. Ladies and gentleman...what's worse than a bald baby girl?? Well according to these crazies...nothing. Which is why they created Baby Bangs. Please make sure to glance through the FAQ's and how to wear section - because as you'll see it's perfectly acceptable to use hairspray on a baby.

Bummer.

2009-03-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

It’s been quite some time since I’ve truly been disappointed – but that’s where I am right now. I just heard from CSULB and I wasn’t admitted into the Counseling/Student Development Program. I had been thinking about this particular program for almost a year and really had my heart set on going back to school in the fall. I feel like the Lord just slammed this door shut – which ironically is what my friend prayed at our small group last week. Hmm…thanks Jessica :-)

Anyway…I’m totally bummed and I can’t hide that but I have faith that there is another opportunity somewhere out there. It’s only a matter of time before I find that open door.

On a more positive note, I had a very clear answer to prayer yesterday. Christopher had sent out an email letting me (and others) know that if we wanted to go back to New Orleans this summer, we'd have to let him know this week. I had been praying about it on and off and Wednesday after I got the email I was praying again and then on Thursday the coolest thing happened…God answered!

At work, I walked into a conversation some co-workers were having about what? New Orleans.

When I got home, I decided to watch a tivo’d episode of Little People, Big World and where were they? New Orleans.

And after I watched that, I started reading a book for small group tonight which was set where? New Orleans.

So I think I have my answer - New Orleans here I come!

Len-da Isa-ba.

2009-03-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

My best friend has many talents. One of which is her ability to write extremely insightful reviews to Dancing with the Stars. She has been writing these reviews for a few seasons now but only emailing them to a select group of fans. However, I am pleased to announce that she has started a new blog and will be posting her reviews and other DWTS related news for all to read!

You can find the hilarity here.

We were like right here.

2009-03-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we are already 3 1/2 months into 2009. Where does the time go? It's been about a month or so since I last blogged so here are some updates...

I have applied to the higher ed counseling program at Cal State Long Beach and am anxiously awaiting to hear whether or not I'll get accepted. Just being on a university campus to submit my application packet was fun - I've forgotten how much I love education so I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one!

Last week I spent 3 fabulous days up in Lake Arrowhead on a Classified Staff Retreat and it was just gorgeous up there! We stayed at the beautiful UCLA Conference Center and had our own private little (actually not so little) cabins. It was fun getting to know co-workers on a different level and of course, it was great making some new friends. We did a lot of team building activities and had plenty of time after hours to socialize. What I loved the most is I now have enough stories to last a lifetime - like we were like right here...you know like right here. In Arrowhead?? No...like Colorado. Oh, right.

That is an inside joke that only a few people will get but it has to do with Ana and Vero. Of course, I'm happy to tell the story to anyone who will listen :-) Here are a few pics from the trip...

When I was at the retreat I received a phone from my dad saying he was out of the hospital. That is truly a miracle...I can't believe how well he has recovered from the heart attack. Thank you again to all who prayed for his receovery. I feel like the Lord has given me another opportunity to get to know him. It was really difficult visiting him in the hospital the first few days because I couldn't stop thinking about how might not make it through - it's hard to accurately explain how I was feeling so I won't try instead I'll just say that I'm glad that he's better. In fact, he invited me to a get together in the next month or two to meet some of my cousins. That's a weird thing too - I grew up with just 2 cousins who were much older than me - so this should be fun. One of them is having or about to have twins - which is what is prompting the get together. It'll be nice to finally meet them after all these years.

And last but not least, the Mud Run is just 89 days away!! Woo hoo!

Update.

2009-02-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here’s a quick little update on my dad’s condition – I know I didn’t update like I said I would after my visit last Friday, but there really wasn’t much change. He was still completed sedated and although they had been trying to get him off the ventilator, it wasn’t quite working. But yesterday, they were finally successful and he is now off the ventilator! He’s still having some trouble breathing but has taken a dramatic leap forward in his progress. The doctors think he'll likely remain in the hospital for at least another 2 to 3 weeks but I feel so relieved – although I know he will die one day, it no longer seems imminent and that’s a huge relief. Thanks again for keeping him in your prayers!!

I heart Facebook.

2009-02-18T11:39:00.001-08:00

Debbie downer.

2009-02-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

A lot of you might know what’s been going on this weekend through Facebook, but figured I’d give an update here. On Thursday evening I received a voicemail from my new found aunt saying that my dad had suffered a heart attack that morning and was in the hospital. For those of you that don’t know the background with us, you can read all about it here. But long story short, I met him for the first time in November of last year so this phone call definitely caught me off guard.

I called her back and ended up speaking with my uncle who had just got home from the hospital and he gave me some more details. He told me that it was a pretty massive heart attack and that he was in extremely critical condition down in Escondido. I was told that he was heavily sedated, on a ventilator, and had a machine pumping his heart. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I decided to drive down there on Friday. When I arrived, he was unresponsive and was told that they put him in a medically induced paralysis to give his organs and heart a chance to recover from the attack. It was his third and definitely the most damaging. I had a chance to speak with the cardiologist who was very kind. He knew the circumstances of our relationship and was really concerned for me and how I was doing. At this point, I’d say I was surprisingly okay. He was being completely honest with me and said that 80% of patients in his condition don’t make it out of the hospital but based on what he’s seen so far, he thought he had a decent chance of being in that 20% that do.

I ended up staying at the hospital all day and met several of his good friends which were a great source of information. I had a nice conversation with someone who’s known him about 15 years and he was saying that he was tickled pink when he first received my letter. Another friend told me that he had wanted to find me about 6 years ago but didn’t have any of the information he needed like date of birth or my last name. I also learned that he was in the Army and served in Vietnam and that his experiences there affect him to this day. Getting that little piece of information helps me understand what happened – he was traumatized and turned to alcohol as a way to cope. It may not be the only reason, but now it makes a little more sense.

My birthday was Saturday and I didn’t want to spend the day in the hospital so I didn’t visit but decided to make a quick drive down on Sunday between church and my birthday dinner. At church on Sunday morning, the reality of everything finally hit me. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he could die and that I may never have a chance to speak or see him again. I started thinking about the regrets I had - why had I waited to so long to meet him? Why didn’t I call him between Thanksgiving and now? Why I was giving him such a hard time? I could go on but I decided that I can’t focus on the regrets or anything negative – that I could only change what I do in the future.

It only took me about an hour and 15 minutes to get there thanks to absolutely no traffic. A few of the friends I had met on Friday were there again and I ended up seeing my uncle and aunt again too. We had to discuss the fact that I was technically the next of kin, but that I didn’t want to be – it was weird. Anyway, when I walked into his room and started talking to him, he raised his eyebrows a little and it looked like he was trying to open his eyes but he couldn’t. I don’t know if he understood whether it was me or just heard something, but he didn’t do it again the remainder of the time I was there.

I just called the hospital to see how he was doing and the nurse said that he still critical but his vitals are stable and he’s not responding as well as they would have hoped. She said that sometimes it just takes longer to come out of the sedation. He’s no longer on the machine that was pumping his heart but is still on a ventilator. I’m thinking I’ll take Friday off and go visit and I’m hoping and praying that he’s awake and off the ventilator by then – but there is no way of knowing.

Anyway, I want to thank everyone for their prayers and concern – it means so much to me to know that there are so many people that care! Thank you all! I'll be sure to post another update after I visit.

This one?

2009-01-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

A few months ago my office moved to another building on campus. The new digs are a vast improvement over what we had - newer building, better location, new furniture, etc. We are near the front of the campus so we get a lot more walk-ins and they're looking for all sorts of things! It's actually quite comical and it's a good thing that I find humor in silly things otherwise I'm sure I would go crazy. I'm asked daily for campus police, change for the meters, and my favorite - "um...is this the bookstore?" No buddy...it's not. You're not even close.

With all the good things, there is bound to be something bad, right? Well, the one downside to this new building is to open the sliding glass doors you have to push a button. It's a big, yellow button. Did I mention it's big? Because it is. And it says EXIT. And it's yellow. Those three things are important.

The reason the button is there is because anytime anyone walked past the front desk, the sensor would get triggered and the doors would open. This bothered people so they came up with a way to bypass the sensor and use a button instead. I guess they tried to adjust the sensor's span but they couldn't. Personally, I think they should try again because the button nonsense is starting to irk me. But I digress...

The button is located to the left of the door on the wall and unfortunately for the poor folks who are looking for it - it's on a pretty busy wall.

Exhibit A:

We have the grey exit sign - which is completely pointless.
We have the grey reception area sign - also pointless.
We have a fire extinguisher.
We have a red fire alarm.
We have the paper that tells people to push the yellow button to exit.
And finally, we have the yellow exit button.

Whenever someone walks up the door and it doesn't open, people get crazy. They have waved their arms, jumped up and down, and have even pried the door open manually.

All of those things make me laugh but because I'm a nice person, I often help them avoid that embarrassment by telling them "Just push the yellow exit button to your left." They have mutliple responses to this as well. Most often they will either freeze or they will go to the right. Obviously...both wrong.

When they finally see the correct wall, they will run their hand over everything that's on it. People have actually pushed both the grey reception area sign and the grey exit sign - need I even ask if either of those are yellow? Of course they're not...yet they still push them. They've even pushed the paper yellow button and have touched the fire extinguisher - which is baffling.

But my all time favorite is when they put their little fingers on the fire alarm which is neither yellow or a button. They always look over at me and ask, "This one?" Now I'm not sure why they feel the need to confirm what they already know. They know that's not what they push to open the door and yet they still ask.

After a "No...not that!" they eventually figure it out, they push the right button, and are free to go about their day. I, however, am left laughing with my co-workers at how out of control people are. Let me just say the day that someone actually pulls the fire alarm will be a good one! And don't worry, I will update my Facebook status immediately! I've been told it's happened several times but I look forward to witnessing the blessed event personally.

The Office quote of the day.

2009-01-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

Like I mentioned a few posts back, Janice (and Linda) bought me an Office quote calendar and today's quote is one of my favorites so I figured I'd share it with all of you...

"I think it's great that the company is making a commercial. Because not very
many people have heard of us. I mean, when I tell people that I work at Dunder
Mifflin, they think that we sell mufflers, or muffins, or mittens, and
frankly, all of those sound better than paper so, I let it slide." - Jim

Dubai is at it again.

2009-01-06T15:21:00.001-08:00

First it was the crazy man made islands and now it's the world's highest tennis court! I think I should add Dubai to the places I'd like to visit before I die.

See that little green spot - that's the tennis court!

Thanks for the tip, Jennifer!

My own list.

2009-01-05T16:12:00.001-08:00

It seems like several people are posting things they hope to accomplish this year and I have a few of my own that I wanted to share! In no particular order, here are my top five...

1. Apply and get accepted to graduate school.

2. Participate in the Mud Run for the third time - but surpass my previous times.

3. Pay off at least 40-50% of my debt and accumulate no more!

4. Visit Solvang for the first time.

5. Increase my support to causes close to my heart like Blood:Water Mission.

I know I'm a few days late, but I wish everyone a very happy new year!!

Christmas with the Orloff's.

2008-12-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

A few months ago as I was cleaning out an extra bedroom in my grandfather's house I discovered a box of old greeting cards that my grandmother had saved throughout the years. There were all sorts of cool vintage cards but since Christmas is right around the corner, I figured I'd highlight a few of the Christmas photo cards my grandfather made back in the day. He has always loved photography - and was ahead of his time with the whole Christmas card photo thing! They didn't have Costco back then so he made each and everyone with his own equipment and darkroom.

The first card is from 1947 and featured my aunt Susan and my mom when she was just two months old. My grandfather still has that end table and lamp (minus the lampshade) in his living room today.

This one is from 1957 and features my Aunt Susan (13), Uncle Mike (4) and my mom (10) - this was the first Christmas they spent in California after moving back from Oregon. Isn't my uncle just the cutest thing ever??

And this last one isn't a Christmas picture but it's just adorable and I had to share it! It's my mom when she was about 4 months old in February 1948. Her little dress and booties are too cute! I also like the doilie.

For Christmas, I am giving these pictures to my mom all wrapped up in a cute vintage photo box. I'm also giving her old birthday cards from her parents and grandparents. I even found her birthday card from her 1st birthday. I can't wait to see her reaction - she's going to love it!

So who's the real boss, the dog or the fish?

2008-12-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked the second annual Foundation Christmas lunch! The three of us headed over to McKenna's on the Bay in Long Beach and enjoyed a beautiful day and a delicious lunch! We also did our gift exchange and I received several wonderful things including my new favorite desk accessory - "The Office Daily Quote Calendar!" I'm certain it will bring me lots of joy in 2009.

Thanks Janice!

I would love to see this happen here.

2008-12-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

These are pictures from an article I read this afternoon. Apparently, this is how they do politics in South Korea! One side barracaded themselves in a room and wouldn't let the other side in. "Opponents later used a sledgehammer and other construction tools to tear open the room's wooden doors, only to find barricades of furniture set up inside as a second line of defense." Can't you just imagine Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi using a fire extinguisher to gain entrance into a meeting? If I had any photoshop skills, I totally would have doctored this purely for my own amusement!

Countdown.

2008-12-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

In just 5 short days, I will be boarding a Jet Blue flight out of Long Beach up to Portland! I'm excited to see my family, the beauty of Oregon and experience true winter weather. Plus a two week vacation is always a nice thing!! It's been snowing the past few days there and I had hopes of a white Christmas, but at this point it looks like it'll just be a wet Christmas. But that's okay - it's Portland - what do I expect?

Quick update on the recall: it didn't pass. There was a really low voter turnout - surprise, surprise. But an ethics measure did pass which calls for increased qualifications for police chief and discourages nepotism in city hiring practices. We'll see if they can find someone who's not a criminal to run the police department.

And finally, I hope everyone is enjoying the rain and cold as much as I am. The fact that I actually need a warm jacket, scarf and gloves makes me happy!

A little bit of this. A little bit of that.

2008-12-09T14:01:00.000-08:00

It's been a fairly quiet few weeks since my last post. Nothing much out of the ordinary has happened but it's been a good few weeks. Here's a little recap of the latest happenings:

I am so ready for Christmas and am terribly excited to fly up to Portland in 2 weeks! I have decided to buy most of my Christmas presents in Oregon and stick it to L.A. county and their crazy tax hikes.

I did a little decorating around the house and made a Christmas wreath for a whopping $7 bucks! I'm not quite pleased with the symmetry of the thing so I'll probably make some adjustments when I get home!

I also went to a Christmas Tea this weekend and had a lot of fun. Christmas tea has always been one of my favorite holiday traditions - it definitely rings in the holiday season for me. Janice went all out and her table was absolutely beautiful!

Recently, I've scored some incredible deals while I've been out shopping and I must share my latest one! I went to Mervyns at lunch to see what home stuff they may have on clearance since they are going out of business and all. Unfortunately, I didn't find much on that front BUT I got 13 Hallmark greeting cards for $3.31. They were 80% off so I stocked up on birthday, thank you, get well, congratulations, new baby, and new home cards. I think I'm good for awhile!

And finally, I hope today is the day that the man who called me a liar will be recalled from office. For those of you who don't know the story, I spoke at public hearing sometime last year in favor of a power plant that the city of Vernon wanted to build. I identfied myself as a resident of Maywood and the crowd (including one particular member of the city council) started calling me a liar and demanded to see my driver's license. I totally thought I blogged the incident but for some reason I can't seem it find it. Regardless, it was an interesting night and it ended with me getting a police escort out of the building.

If the recall is successful (and I hope it is), I can't imagine the replacements being much better at running the city but it would make me happy to know the people responsible for hiring an ex-con as interim police chief aren't running it any longer.

Here you go - part five.

2008-12-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

This entry was written on Friday night, I’m just now getting around to posting it…

I can’t believe that today actually happened. I’ve been home for a few hours now and I’m still kind of in awe. I’ve had so many thoughts running through my head in the last 24 hours that it’s safe to say this has been my most emotional day ever! It started last night after I left Christopher and Leanne’s Thanksgiving get together. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and more laughter than anyone deserves! It took my mind off what I was doing the next day and definitely helped keep my nerves in check.

Unfortunately, things changed the minute I left their house and got in my car - I started to feel jittery and nervous facing the realization that in about 12 hours I would be meeting my father. When I got home I did the only thing I thought would make me feel better and that was crawling into bed and reading my bible. I read through some Proverbs and a few of my favorite passages in Matthew including 11:28 “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” That has been a favorite almost all my life and if I had ever felt weary and burdened it was last night.

After a very poor night’s sleep, I woke up, prayed, got ready, and began the hour drive down to my father’s sister’s house where we were going to meet. I was actually doing fairly well until I hit Irvine and then I started freaking out. It was around that time that I received an amazing text from a dear friend that was so encouraging and sweet - it made me feel better but left me even more emotional!

As I was getting closer and closer to my exit, I knew that I needed to talk to Linda and like clockwork, she called me. The minute she asked me how I was doing, I completely lost it. I wasn’t doing good at all but knew that I had to keep going - I hadn’t come this far to turn around now. She reminded me that there were a lot of people praying for me, that I was strong, that I can do this and that everything would be okay.

I was calm for a little while after our conversation, but as soon as I saw the exit the fear crept back in and the tears just wouldn’t stop. I pulled into a Von’s parking lot and tried with little success to pull myself together. I must have sat in that parking lot for at least 15 minutes before I decided to start driving again. I would get a little further and then pull over. Drive a little further and then pull over. I did that 3 or 4 times before I approached the residential street I was suppose to turn on that would take me to the house. I actually passed that street deliberately and ended up turning onto Golden Lantern which gave me a wonderful view of the ocean. After sitting there a few minutes, I turned the car around and drove back to where I was supposed to go. Of course my pattern of pulling over to take some deep breaths continued down that street and after a few more turns I found myself parked right in front of the house.

What happened next seemed to have happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to really think about it. While still in the car, trying to gather my thoughts and prepare for what was to come, I saw someone out of the corner of my eye. It was him - I knew instantly. The next few minutes are hard to describe and honestly, I don’t even remember exactly what was said. I know he said he was happy to see me and that he couldn’t believe this was actually happening. I’m sure I said something similar and after a minute or so we made our way inside. I was warmly welcomed into the house and instantly met four new relatives - an aunt and uncle and their spouses. Everyone was so friendly and so kind - they almost instantly felt like family. We all gathered in the kitchen and had coffee and tea and talked for about 5 hours. We talked about so many different things, I couldn’t possibly nor would I want to bore you with all the details, but the main thing is that it was a wonderful experience! I learned so much about my dad tonight and his side of the family and they learned all about me.

I did speak with my dad alone for a few minutes at the end of the evening and I told him that I’ve been imagining this day all my life and it easily lived up to and exceeded my expectations. We eventually all said our goodbyes and even made tentative plans to go golfing - of all things!

As soon as I got in my car and drove away, I started crying again. It was as though this huge burden had been lifted. As I was driving home, I began replaying the whole day in my head and I just can’t believe how well everything turned out. I started thinking about the progression of this situation - of mailing the first letter when everything was still so unknown to the moments before we met where I was filled with anxiety to driving home tonight with this strange sense of completion. It is truly remarkable.

Without a doubt, this journey had been the most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt with and I am so thankful for the friends and family who have supported me throughout it. This whole experience has completely renewed my hope and strength in the Lord. It reminds me that no challenge is too big and no obstacle is too wide for those that trust in Him.

I felt invincible, like I could do anything I set my mind to. I’ve always been independent, focused, with a belief that I can achieve anything but after tonight I see myself in a whole new way - I feel empowered!

Since that evening, I’ve had the pleasure of telling this story to lots of friends and that feeling of triumph is still here. I don’t know what will happen with my father and whether or not we’ll eventually become close but I see the possibility and I look forward with a sense that things are going to work out just fine.

I’ve been watching a show on WeTV called “The Locator” and it’s all about the reuniting of family members. During the opening sequence of the show the host says that you can’t find peace until you’ve found all the pieces - I couldn’t agree with that statement more! I finally have answers to questions I’ve had all my life and I know that regardless of what happens in the future, I’ve found that piece/peace that I’ve so desperately been seeking.

Again, thank you to everyone who has supported me through all of this – you are all truly amazing people and I love you all very much!!

If you are reading this and need to catch up with the rest of the story, you can check it out here: Part one, part two, part three, and part four.

T-minus 2 days!

2008-11-26T14:04:00.000-08:00

I can’t believe that the big day is almost here! On Friday, I am driving down to Dana Point to meet my father for the very first time. I find all of this still very bizarre but I also feel a sense that the timing with all of it is just right. Of course I’m nervous but I’ve been praying that everything will go smoothly and that I’m able to enjoy the time we spend together. I feel like it’s one of those things that someone can never fully prepare for and although I came to that realization fairly recently, I came to it nonetheless.

So if you happen to think of it, any prayers you care to pray around 1pm on Friday would be greatly appreciated!

Spokesperson Fail.

2008-11-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

Call me crazy - but I just don't see the connection!

OMG.

2008-11-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

If I hear about how the pregnant man is pregnant again one more time - I think I'm going to lose my mind.

He's NOT a man!!

Velvet picture of Elvis.

2008-11-05T14:48:00.001-08:00

I feel like it's been an eternity since I've last blogged, but it's only been a few weeks! I don't feel like I've had much going on to blog about - but I thought I'd share a little snippet of what it was like voting in Maywood. I arrived at city hall around 7:20am and see a small line that curved around and midway down a staircase. I'm stopped in line on the staircase and unable to see where people are actually voting, when I hear a man shouting "Naranja"!Growing up in Los Angeles and having successfully passed Spanish I and II in high school, I know that he is shouting "Orange". However, I did not know why he was shouting it. One of my favorite co-workers and bunco player, Mrs. Dr. Jack suggested that perhaps they were selling them. Although I think that would have been absolutely fantastic, that was not the case. I happened to glance down at my sample ballot and saw it said polling location - city hall, orange table. So I quickly learned that he is shouting "Naranja, Naranja" because there is no line at that table and he's making sure everyone in line is waiting at the right table - it was very nice of him.

I'm not liking this.

2008-10-23T15:19:00.001-07:00

I just saw this on my igoogle homepage...

Current: 102°F

Seriously??

Here you go - part four.

2008-10-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

So here I am again with some more info to share. Before I get into the latest details, I want to thank everyone who has supported me with prayer, encouragement and love. It has meant so much to me - knowing that there are so many people who care and are interested in learning about this part of my life. So with that said, I ended up sending my dad a letter a few weeks ago. My original goal was to call and talk about meeting but I talked myself out of that and ended up sending a letter. I think it was fine in the long run and like everything with this process, I know it's all happening for a reason and laying the foundation for what's ahead. So in the letter I talked about my willingness to meet soon and suggested Thanksgiving weekend - it's far enough in the future to allow me to "prepare" for it and it has some meaning to him since it's his favorite holiday.

After I mailed the letter I was content to patiently wait for a response. I was telling Linda that usually the waiting in between letters is pretty easy for me. I don't get too impatient or rush to conclusions about why I haven't heard back yet - it just comes kind of natural. I was thinking about that today and I've come to the conclusion that being in that limbo state of not knowing is what I'm accustomed to. This part of my life has always been unsettled and I feel comfortable with it because it's what I know. If I'm being completely honest, changing that and finally settling is more fear inducing than leaving it they way it is. But I know that I can't leave it the way is, so I'm moving forward. That leads me to Saturday afternoon when I checked the mail and beneath all the political ads, I found a letter from him.

I opened it right away and read it over quickly and then reread it more slowly. He said that Thanksgiving weekend would be a perfect time to meet and that he prays we actually do meet. Awhile back we mentioned that when the time comes, Dana Point Harbor (kind a half way point) might be a good place to meet and he suggested that again in this letter

I spent most of Saturday thinking about meeting him and what it'll be like - fighting the doubts and concerns that are keeping me from taking that step. A quick side note - I recently started studying the life of Moses through BSF and I have been pleasantly surprised at how intrigued I am with his life and the lessons that surround it. Other than the book of Genesis (also through BSF), I'd never studied the old testament so a lot of it is new to me. One of the lessons that really struck me was the fact that Moses obeyed God despite the outcome. Despite the fact that he felt incompetent and thought that someone else could do a better job, Moses continued to listen to God and the outcome and results are up to Him. No matter how much I might want to be in control of what happens when I finally do meet my father, I'm not.

Then Sunday rolled around and I went to church and then to Supermex for lunch with some friends. After lunch I wasn’t ready to go home yet so I decided to head out to South Coast Plaza and IKEA. Being in Costa Mesa made me think of my dad’s brother who he said lives there – as I was people watching I starting thinking that I should give him a call just to say hello and see how he was doing. In the letter he sent, he mentioned that he had some skin cancer removed but that he was okay and would be going back to work on Monday. I was just imagining him all alone, recovering and thought that a call might be nice for him. I started driving home and in my head I was rehearsing a mock conversation about what I would say, what he say, what I would say if I got his voicemail, etc.

The end result, after a lot of self talk, was that I called him. I’m not sure why I have such a hard time hitting that call button, but I do. I’m hoping that it’ll get easier as time goes on. The conversation was a little awkward at first and I could feel that I was nervous but one of the first things he said was that he was so glad I called. It was just small talk at first about work and church and then we talked about meeting and the time and place – so that’s kind set. We’ll be meeting Thanksgiving weekend! I’m not sure on the exact details yet, but that’ll come later. He mentioned that he talked to his sister (who lives in Dana Point) and she told him that she would love to meet me too and that perhaps we can drive up a few blocks to visit her the same day. As of now, I think that would be fun. From what he’s told me about her, she seems like a nice woman. She’s married with two sons – a pathologist and an oceanographer! I’m don’t know their names but they each have kids and one even has twin girls!

We didn’t talk for very long but one thing that stands out is what he said about my sister. I mentioned that I’m not sure where she stands right now with all of this – last time we talked about it she wasn’t interested in connecting with him but did want to hear what was going on through me. All he said is that she knows how to contact him if she chooses, but that he wouldn’t dream of barging into her life unwelcomed after all these years. He sounded so sad when he said that – I honestly can’t imagine what it must be like for him. I know he’s had a hard life full of regrets and I’m beginning to see how finally meeting would benefit him just as much as it would me! He was so messed up back then that I believe that even if he wanted to get in touch with us, he probably wouldn’t have known how.

So that’s where we stand – Thanksgiving weekend is the big day! I’m not nervous right now, but I’m certain I will be as we get closer to the day. And as much I may want to back out, I won’t. This is going to be it and I know that the Lord will be with me as I do it. Until next time…

93 years ago today...

2008-10-13T15:14:00.001-07:00

...my grandfather was born! Here are a few pictures from our mini celebration yesterday. I baked him a cake and decorated it with a nine and a three...

He thought he was clever and turned the cake around to show that he was just 39 years old. I know it doesn't quite work, but it was funny and got a laugh out of everyone.And here's my uncle Mike and aunt Bev with the birthday boy.

It was a really fun day and I know that he enjoyed it. Until next year...

The Weekend.

2008-10-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend flew by yet again - but it was filled with good times so I can't complain. Here are some highlights:

1. The weather!! It was beautiful!! I loved the clear skies, cool temps, and nice breeze. I know it won't last forever so I am enjoying it while it's here!

2. I participated in the Long Beach Run Forrest Run 5K with Linda and Lori. It seemed really unorganized in the beginning - turns out you had to pick up your t-shirt and race bib the day before but we were totally unaware of that! So there was no checking in or official time but we enjoyed it none the less. We also decided to sign up for the 2009 Mud Run 10K! We've done it twice before and it is quite challenging but it gives us something to work toward. If anyone else is interested, you should sign up!! It's unlike any 10K out there and so much fun!

3. My uncle and aunt came over to celebrate my grandfather's 93rd birthday. It was nice catching up, discussing politics, and sharing our favorite DWTS dancers. My grandfather took a little fall recently which left him with a sore shoulder and back, but he seems to be recovering nicely. I look forward to be celebrating his 94th birthday next year!! I'll try to post a few pictures tomorrow!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

Poor Dwight.

2008-10-10T14:12:00.001-07:00

I loved last night's episode of The Office! My favorite scene is when Jim was talking about Battlestar Galactica while Dwight was remaining silent. For anyone who doesn't watch The Office (and will watch the clip) - Dwight had said that he never wastes company time and Jim decided to put that statement to the test. So he begins using a stopwatch to keep track of the "time theft" committed by Dwight. This is the only clip I found and it seems to be only audio for the first few seconds but then it starts playing. I could watch hours of interaction between Jim and Dwight and never grow bored!! Enjoy!

Maybe this should be a "junior" college - part two.

2008-10-09T16:10:00.001-07:00

We all know how much I love my job and how much I enjoy working on a college campus. One of the highlights are Wednesday mornings when the campus newspaper is published and delivered. Let's see, how do I put this? The editing and proofreading department needs some serious help. And yes, I am more than willing to offer my services.

Exhibit A:

We've had a few "radical" preachers set up shop in the quad lately, so the question itself is somewhat relevant (I'll give them that) but the last option is ridiculous! Is that a bad joke gone wrong? Because I don't even get it - but whatever. Let's move on and analyze the statistics, shall we? We have 71%, 14% and 14% but when it comes to converting that data into a pie chart, the whole thing goes to hell. We all of sudden are left with 54%, 23%, and 23% - at least they both add up to 100%. Oh wait. What's that you say? They don't? Of course not.

Pumpkin Roll.

2008-10-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

I made a delicious pumpkin roll for Bunco last week and I had a few folks ask for the recipe so I thought I'd just post it here! It takes some time but is totally worth it!!

Estimated Times:

Preparation - 45 min

Cooking - 13 min

Cooling Time - 1 hrs refrigerating

Yields - 10

Ingredients:
CAKE
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

FILLING
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Directions:

FOR CAKE:PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar. COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts. BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

COOKING TIP:Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Enjoy!!

Here you go - part three.

2008-09-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

When I opened that email, this is what I read:

Hello Rachel, I received your letter. I too have thought about you and your mother and sister everyday. I am having a really hard time thinking of what to say. I hope to hear from you again. I will sit down and write you a letter soon. Please feel free to contact me anyway you chose. I would love to hear from you again.

Waiting to hear from you!
Paul

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I read that email. Over and over again - I analyzed every sentence at least a hundred times. I really couldn't believe what I was reading and that I actually found him! It took me several days to get over the initial shock of it. He said he would write me so the week after that email I was beyond anxious. I just wanted to get home everyday and check the mailbox - hoping that there was a letter from him. The day that first letter actually arrived was surreal to say the least. I wanted to rip open the letter but at the same time I couldn’t. I remember praying that I’d be able to deal with whatever was inside. The email was positive but would the letter be? I recall going into my room, sitting on my bed and just staring at it. There was so much going through my mind that I even put it aside for awhile and then finally, after about an hour, I opened it.

It was about a page and half long and I must have read it over and over again for the next hour or two. He said he was incredibly shocked to have received my first letter, but filled with joy knowing that I was safe. He mentioned his sister, his work, his health, and that he hopes we can become close. Of course, I wrote back almost immediately and told him a little more about me, asked some questions and shared some concerns. To this day, I’ve received eight letters from him but have spoken over the phone just twice. I’ve learned a lot about what happened back then that led to him not being in my life, although I'm certain there is a lot more to learn. He admitted that he was a drunk and a danger to us and believes that my mom made the right choice. He admitted that his life was a mess back then (alcohol, drugs, jail) and didn’t remember much about me or my sister. He wasn't there when I was born. He didn’t know my birthday or even the year. He has expressed his shame and guilt over what he did and told me how he struggled for a long time over the grief he caused me. From his letters, he seems like a decent man. Someone who has made a lot of mistakes but is grateful for all that he has and seems to have things together now. He has told me he loves me, has called me sweetheart, and begged my forgiveness.

I’ve also learned that I have 2 uncles, one in Pennsylvania and one in Costa Mesa, and an aunt in Dana Point. I have lots of cousins who are all around my age. Both of his parents passed away years ago, but his father was a Marine for 30 years and he said his favorite childhood memories were when his father returned from overseas. He grew up in San Clemente and went to San Clemente High - class of ‘66. It was kind of strange learning all of this so suddenly but I was excited about it!

For my birthday in February, he sent me a card and inside was a $100 bill. The money itself was a nice touch but I would have been completely content with just a card - because it was the first birthday card I ever received from him and in that way, it was special all on its own. But the gesture was extremely meaningful and for the first time ever, I actually felt like I had a dad. I don’t know how to describe it other than I felt like I was being cared for and taken care of.

Everything sounds great so far, right? Well the next part of the story is what I need help with. It’s been almost 20 months since we first began communicating and almost 8 since I’ve last heard from him. The time has gone by so quickly, it surprises me. It was so nice receiving the birthday card but almost immediately afterward, I began resenting the fact that I had spent 28 years without that feeling and relationship with him. I was also upset with the fact that he still drinks and I was honest with him about that. It upsets me that he chose alcohol over his family and that I was left to deal the consequences.

I had sent a thank you note to him in February for the gift, but haven’t heard from him since. I have his phone number, I could easily call to see how things are and I know that’s what I should do - I just need to muster up the courage to actually do it.

I think what it comes down to is that I’m afraid that calling him will lead to actually meeting him - and that’s what I’m truly terrified of. I know it’s silly but I have this massive fear in beginning that chapter of my life - of being disappointed, of him being disappointed in me, of the awkwardness, have I built it up too much. You name it and I’m probably afraid of it. I have spent my entire life as the girl who doesn’t know her father and I thought that I was prepared for that to change. During the last 8 months I’ve realized that I wasn’t prepared for it. I’ve been praying about the situation and have sought advice from trusted friends and I’ve come to the conclusion (through a variety of routes) that I’m never going to be “ready” to meet him. I thought that I would have this peace about it and that’s what I’ve been waiting for and that’s what I’ve been praying for! But over the past few months, I’ve been hearing a very quiet God telling me that it’s time. I’ve heard it in several ways, but I’ve ignored it. I figured that if I didn’t have the peace about it, then it must mean I should just wait longer. But that’s not what God’s been showing me - and I think I’ve finally come to the realization that I need to obey Him first and then the peace will follow. It’s been a long, long road - but one that's been necessary.

I was hoping that by writing the story out and sharing it with others that it would help prepare me for the next part and that’s actually meeting him. So in the near future, I plan on calling my dad to talk about meeting. I know it’s time and I trust that the Lord will help me through this because I know that I can’t do it on my own.

Thanks to everyone (especially Linda, Lori, and Jennifer!) for listening to me, praying for me and for being so supportive throughout all of this. It means so much to me - I can’t even put it into words! The past 20 months have been the most difficult 20 months of my life and I know that a girl is lucky if she has just one friend to truly confide in, but the Lord gave me three!!

If you can continue to pray for me that I’ll have the faith to trust God with the next steps, I’d appreciate it. And of course I will continue to blog about this part of my life and share what I’m learning, fearing, and doing! Until next time...

Here you go - part two.

2008-09-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

Several years went by without giving much thought to my father. It’s not that I didn’t care or think of him every now and then, the situation just didn’t consume my thoughts. I wasn’t actively searching for him. Part of me wanted to be the one that was found, not the one doing the finding. Of course, there were big moments in my life that I would have loved to have shared with my father, like my high school graduation, when I went to Sweden to study, graduated college or moved to Oregon. There are also the smaller things that I think of like having someone to call if I get a flat tire or to help negotiate buying a car. I see friends that have or had that and I admit, I was envious. But knowing that I didn’t have that has caused me to be incredibly independent. I’ve paid for college, purchased two homes, negotiated loan terms, moved out of state, bought cars, connected TV’s, DVR’s, and DVD players - all on my own. I like that I’m not afraid to try things and I’m not afraid to fail. But honestly, I would have liked to have access to that help if I needed it. Knowing that I didn’t have it, knowing that it wasn’t an option, is what I resented.

So anyway, almost two years ago, thoughts of my father started resurfacing. It started slowly and then became more and more prevalent until one day I was online and decided to do another search just for the heck of it. It was one through a people finders site where you pay $20 or 30 and they search all the records. A big difference between the first search I did in high school and the one I did two years ago was that I now had his date of birth. I had found it in an old bible a few years back. After I submitted the search, I immediately got one result with an address in Escondido. I had a gut feeling that I had found him. I sat on the information for a little while, letting it sink in before I wrote a letter. After I wrote it, I held onto it for quite some time. It was ready to mail but was I ready to mail it? I’ll never forget the night I put in the mailbox - it was a Sunday and I had gone to the evening service at Revolution. During the service, I felt God telling me that it was time to mail it and as I drove home that night, I did.

Eventually a few days went by, then a week, then a month, then three months and I hadn’t heard anything. I thought that perhaps it wasn’t him or maybe he didn’t want anything to do with me. Not much different from the status quo - so I wasn’t all that surprised. Then I received the letter I wrote back in my mailbox marked undeliverable as addressed. I don’t know why it took so long to get back to me if the address was bad, but it did. I ended up doing another search and got a new address also in Escondido. I decided to rewrite the letter and send it off. It took me another 2 weeks or so to garner up the strength to mail it but I did and then the waiting game continued. It was Sunday, February 4th, 2007 when I mailed the letter. I remember thinking and journaling that there is no going back - I could very well meet my father soon. How would I handle that? What would it be like? Would I be disappointed? Rejected? I tried to imagine every scenario possible almost always focusing on the negative. I wanted to make sure that I could handle the outcome – if he never responded, would I be okay? I never really thought of a positive outcome and I'm not sure why but six days after I mailed my letter, I got an email that I had been waiting for 28 years to receive.

Part three coming soon...

(If you're reading this directly from my blog and not a reader, you'll have to scroll down a bit to see the part one.)

Someone replaced all my pens and pencils with crayons. I suspect Jim Halpert.

2008-09-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the big night - the premiere of season five of The Office!! I know I'm not the only one who's been looking forward to this night - but let's just say that 9pm can't come soon enough! So until that glorious hour appears, here's a link to the webisodes they did over the summer. They feature Kevin, Oscar and Daryll and are pretty darn funny. Hopefully this link will take you to one video that streams all the episodes together - enjoy!!

'Tis the season.

2008-09-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

Happy first day of Fall everyone! I love this time of year for several reasons - among them are the weather, the holidays, and the decorations! This weekend I was in a complete fall mindset which started with some fall cleaning and ended with some decorating and baking! I don't have much fall decor so it was pretty simple - I added some fall touches to the mantle...And then I decided to make my very own wreath for fall. I went to Michael's with the idea that I would just buy one that was pre-made but when I saw that I could make my own for less than $20 ($17.90 to be exact) - I decided to take on the challenge. So here's what I bought...

And this is what I created...

I am quite pleased with the end result and feel such a sense of accomplishment whenever I look at it! You know, I never realized how incredibly easy they are to make - if I had, I would have done this a long time ago. Let's just hope my hoodlum neighbors leave it alone.

Dukakis '88.

2008-09-22T12:04:00.001-07:00

I was cleaning out a spare bedroom in my grandfather's house this weekend and discovered this:

I'm not sure if it belonged to my mom or my grandfather but regardless of that, I was too young at the time (8 years old) and was unable to convince them otherwise - luckily it didn't matter in the long run.

Just pull over.

2008-09-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

The other day I was going to lunch with Linda and somehow we started talking about things that make us laugh - which if you know either of us - can be almost anything!! So I mentioned how awhile back I was on the freeway and saw (through my side mirror) a lovely black Mercedes in the lane next to me. The second I saw it I started laughing out loud, uncontrollably (I laugh now even thinking about it!) Why was I laughing you ask? Because the poor guy had a plastic grocery bag stuck to the Mercedes hood ornament. The guy seemed a-okay with the fact that a plastic bag was attacking his car. It was flying around so violently I thought for sure that it would fly off any second - but nope. How he could nonchalantly continue on to his destination with such a distraction is beyond me. But it provided me with much entertainment - I must have watched that thing in my mirror for a good 3 to 4 minutes. I even tried slowing down so I could get a picture but had no luck. However, after a search of Google images for "plastic bag stuck on car" came up with nothing, I see there is a high demand for such a picture. Otherwise you get results like this...

Thanks Google - your accuracy never fails to amaze me.

Here you go - part one.

2008-09-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank everyone who expressed concern over a recent post - things are kind of back to the way they were and most of the drama has subsided - so thank you to everyone for their prayers and encouragement!

In that previous post I talked about wanting to share a little about my dad and some of the struggles I have with him. It's an ongoing situation and I would love to hear from people who are in a similar situation or have dealt with this before. So here goes - I guess I’ll just start from the beginning...

My parents met around 1975 (give or take) while they were living down in San Clemente. I don’t know a lot of details about my father except that my mom had always described him as a charming, sweet guy who she loved very much – unfortunately, he didn’t remain that way. He was an alcoholic and that disease had such a tight grasp on him that it's the reason why I don't know him today. In 1977, my mom had my sister and I followed in 1980. A part of the story that I never enjoy telling so I rarely mention it, is that they never married. My sister was given my dad’s last name which was Clark, but by the time I came around, I guess my mom knew that whatever they had wasn’t going to last so she gave me her last name. But really it wasn’t her name either, it was her ex-husband’s as she never returned to her maiden name. Eventually my mom legally changed my sister’s name to match the rest of ours but I've always wondered what it would have been like if my last name had been Clark. I would have sat in different spots in all of my classes throughout school, made different friends, have a different identity - I know it's not that significant in the long run but just something I wonder about.

So about a year after I was born, my mom ended the relationship with my father. My mom recently told me the story of the last time she saw him. They weren't living together at the time and he showed up to the house one day after drinking and they got into an argument. I think my mom tried to shield me from the all the details but what I do know is that he told her that if it wasn't for me and my sister, he would have kill her. During the course of the argument, he had thrown a glass bottle or something made of glass against the wall and it landed right near the playpen I was in. I wasn't hurt by any of the glass and I don't know if my dad was even concerned about it, but it was that moment in which my mom decided to end that relationship for good. She knew that our lives would be infinitely better without him and there is no doubt in my mind that she was right.

I can't imagine what it must have been like for her to make that decision but what I do know is that she is one of the strongest women I know. She has sacrificed so much in life and continues to do so in order to give us all she can. We never had much - growing up in a single parent home, you rarely do. But what we did have you can't put a pricetag on - we had safe home. I had my mom, my sister and my grandparents and that was all I needed.

I didn't have that many questions about my father growing up - it was one of those issues that was never really discussed. I knew the basics of the situation and why he wasn't around and just came to accept it since I knew that it couldn't be changed. It wasn't like I had a relationship with him and then lost it - I never had one from the beginning. I don't quite know how to explain what it's like to have no memory of your father. I wish I could be more profound but honestly it was just this void in my life. It's strange because I knew that he was out there somewhere - but just not with me. It was normal to celebrate my grandfather on Father's Day and give him the little presents I would make in school. I don't know what I would have done without him - even to this day he plays a huge role in my life and I am beyond grateful that the Lord blessed me with such a generous, loving, and supportive role model.

As I got older (high school age) I started thinking about my father more and all sorts of thoughts ran through my mind - Did he have another family? Did he live nearby? Did he think of me on my birthday? Did he even remember my birthday? Would I discover old letters or cards from him that were sent but never reached me? Did he ever try to find us? At one point in high school when I was about 16, I did an online search for him which gave me a few dozen results. Having just a name to go on (and a pretty common one at that) made it that much harder. I remember typing up a letter explaining who I was and why I was writing and then mailing them out to the list. I had high hopes that someone would respond but the only thing I got back was one letter saying he wasn't the person I was looking for and wishing me good luck on the journey. After that attempt, I was content with the effort I put out and stopped looking. I figured I could always say that I tried to find him once but was unsuccessful. After all, I had no idea where he lived or if he was even still living.

Part two coming soon...

I'm not sure what to title this post.

2008-09-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had weeks that you wish you could just erase and pretend never happened? I've had more than my share in life, but this last week was a doozy. I know that I don't normally share really personal things on my blog, so when I do, you can know that it's real and has been heavy on my heart. This past week has been a difficult one for my family - and because it's such a private matter and involves people other than myself, I don't want to discuss the particulars. I've shared what's been going on with just a few close friends and I greatly appreciate their prayers and support - you know who you are! If anyone else is inclined to pray for my family, I would greatly appreciate it! And if anyone wants to know the specifics, just ask. I'm open to sharing it with people, just not on the Internet.

I've known this for quite some time - but I'm the type of person who typically puts on a happy face and pretends like everything is okay when in reality, it's anything but. I've been praying about it and I feel God urging me to be more real and more authentic in my relationships. I'm blessed beyond words to have an amazing best friend who I can talk to about anything and another close circle who I can openly share things with, but anyone outside of that typically just gets the happy face. Although I have theories, I'm not exactly certain why I tend to keep the messy part of my life hidden from those around me. However, I know that I'm not alone in this and I know that God is working on it and that He's showing me the importance of being authentic and vulnerable.

So in a future post (perhaps multiple posts - because there's a lot to discuss) I want to share the story of my father and our relationship or lack thereof. This is something that I never thought I would do - much like starting a blog. But I feel the Lord telling me that sharing my experiences with others can be life changing and I need to listen to Him.

I guess I'll stop here for now (and post this before I chicken out!)

Who would've thought?

2008-08-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a shocking headline from the Associated Press: Obama to stress hope and change in speech.

Imagine that.

The wait is over.

2008-08-25T13:40:00.001-07:00

The cast for Dancing with the Stars has been announced! I am a huge fan of this show and am quite pleased with this year's cast. Here's who we have...

Ted McGinley - Jeff D'Arcy from Married with Children
Kim Kardashian - Socialite/reality show star
Cloris Leachman - actress
Maurice Greene - olympic sprinter
Lance Bass - N'Sync/Astronaut
Rocco DiSpirito - the adorable chef from The Restuarant
Warren Sapp - NFL Star
Misty May-Treanor - the queen of beach volleyball
Toni Braxton - singer
Cody Linley - some kid from Hannah Montana
Brooke Burke - model/stripper? (Umm...if you're at work do not Google images of her!)
Jeffrey Ross - comedian
Susan Lucci - soap legend

My early picks are Rocco DiSpirito and Misty May-Treanor and that's just because I like them - who knows if they can even dance. The show premiers September 22nd so we have a few weeks until the fun begins!

And if you're a true fan of the show, you'll also care who the professional partners are and you can read all about that here. In case you don't have the time to read all of that - just know that Maksim is back (dancing with Misty May) and Lacey Schwimmer from So You Think You Can Dance fame is a new professional dancer.

Zuma. Nesta. Rock.

2008-08-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

You may be asking what the title of this post means and I wish I could lie and say it's just nonsense. But I'm afraid I have to tell you the truth. And the truth is that's what Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale named their newborn son. Seriously. You can see if for yourself here. I think Kingston (their 2 year old) is an adorable name and totally fits their rock and roll lifestyle - but Zuma Nesta Rock?? Wow.

Maybe this should be a "junior" college.

2008-08-21T14:34:00.001-07:00

Today my co-worker pointed this out to me. It was made a long, long time ago so we don't know who the culprit is - but it made us laugh none the less.

I am seriously disturbed.

2008-08-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

By this.

I could totally be a professional organizer.

2008-08-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after work I headed over to the Hub to help Jenny - the fabulous Children's Ministry Director at Revolution - tidy up her office. With the summer winding down, VBS behind her, and the fall fast approaching, I figured it was the perfect time to start fresh! Like any cleaning project I take on, I took some before and after pictures!

This is clearly before: This is a during shot. This disgusting creature was in a box and thankfully Jenny saw it first and amidst my screams of disgust and fear, she was able to kill it. It took about 5 attempts because the thing was so fast!! It practically covered the four corners of her office before its gross little life came to an end.

And here is the after! Nice and clean with everything put away! Believe it or not it, this transformation only took a few hours. I had fun spending some time with Jenny and Darren talking politics and reality shows. Thanks for all you do Jenny!! And if the office ever need a touch up, just let me know!

Olympic Spoiler.

2008-08-14T21:51:00.001-07:00

I know some of you guys are recording the Olympics and watching as you have time so if you haven't watched tonight's coverage - stop reading now because it will be spoiled for you.

Still reading? That means you don't mind me blogging about how AMAZING the U.S. women's beach volleyball team is! I mean, seriously, those girls are unbelievable. I just finished watching the match between the U.S. and Belgium. Belgium was leading in the first match and had 5 set points before the U.S. took the lead and ended up winning 24 to 22. I was surprised that it was so close because the U.S. has easily won every game they have played in Beijing. Thankfully, they were back to their normal selves in the 2nd match when the U.S. blew Belgium out of the water, winning 21 to 10. This win makes the 105th straight win for Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh and they move on to the quarterfinals. I have no doubt that they will win the gold and yet it's still exciting to watch them play.

I've been thinking about what my all time favorite summer Olympic event is - and I've decided. It's definitely women's beach volleyball.

With rhythmic gymnastics a close second. Just kidding.

No, I'm not.

If you haven't watched Big Brother yet, don't read this.

2008-08-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

She's finally gone.

Woo hoo!

I have disliked Libra since the minute she stepped inside the Big Brother house. She's been argumentative, conniving and a total trouble maker. How she could have been in an alliance with anyone is beyond me. It's no surprise they turned against her and unanimously voted her out. I'm just surprised it took the house five weeks to do it. Ususally at this point in the game, I have a favorite who I'd like to win but I'm still undecided, although I do like Dan, Memphis and Renny. Who would be my next target? Jerry.

Not watching Big Brother? You can catch in on CBS on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at either 8pm or 9pm. It's definitely one of my favorite summer shows!

Olympic Observation.

2008-08-11T08:50:00.001-07:00

I love the Olympics! Beach volleyball, swimming, diving, track and field - I love it all! So last night I was watching women's gymnastics and I became intrigued with something. I've noticed it before (honestly, how can you not??) but would someone please tell me, why oh why do most of the girls insist on wearing Scrunchies? I can't even begin to comment on those other clips so I'll stick to scrunchies.

One American girl was using a nice inconspicuous elastic hair tie which works just as well as a scrunchie and doesn't scream 1992. Come on girls, don't just do it for me, or for your country - do it yourselves!

Go Team USA!!

I love Bellflower.

2008-07-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered failblog.org and most of the time the mistakes and fails they find crack me up. For example...

Well today I found my very own fail and I was super excited so I pulled out my camera (which I'll say again - you should ALWAYS have with you!)

This beauty is located at Bellflower and Ramona in the magnificat city of Bellflower. As we were laughing at this one, my co-worker tells me that there's another doozy down the street, so we drove by and saw this...

If anyone needs some desinger fabrics, you can check out this place at the corner of Cedar and Clark.

Cruel.

2008-07-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today has been a pretty slow day at the office and it doesn't help that our clock is currently running an hour and half FAST!! It's only 3:35pm but according to the clock, it's...
And it's been getting progressively further and further ahead all day. Of course, we can't control it but I think whoever does, probably does it on purpose. I just hope it's fixed by tomorrow.

Sunday.

2008-07-21T11:10:00.001-07:00

On Saturday afternoon, I received a call from Tanya with an invite to see Feist at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday. I didn't really know who Feist was but thought it was be fun adventure despite that - little did I know exactly how much fun it would be!! Tanya, Leanne and I decided to do the Park and Ride thing which makes it so much easier. You pay $5, hop on a bus and off you go to the Bowl. Everything was going great...Until this happened...The tire fell off the bus!! We pulled off the freeway somewhere in East L.A. only to learn that the rear interior tire was flat and the outer one somehow managed to fall off.People were just milling around outside waiting for the replacement bus and taking in the sites of Cesar Chavez Blvd...
The replacement bus arrived fairly quickly and once again, we were off. The name listed on the replacement bus was "Special" and I tried to get a picture of it but it's not very clear so I won't post it. But the interior of that bus was very special - as were the people inside.

The party people in the back were the Red Cup Crew (or RCC for short) and they were out of control! They were having a great time despite the special bus. And no Leanne, I will not post the picture with my crazy eye! We eventually made it there and found our way to our seats. We had a prime spot with great views of other special people dancing and singing and shouting all types of nonsensical things. Check out those gladiator sandals - I'm not so sure about that fashion trend but clearly that girl is cool.
The show had a really high energy opening act which was fun and then Feist came out. The people around us seemed to enjoy it but the 3 of us has a really, really hard time making out anything she was singing. Tanya - any luck on figuring out the She-ra, Zebra, Zira thing? I vote She-ra! The show eventually ended and we made our way back to the bus where more laughter ensued and a man wearing a cat around his neck sat next to Tanya.
Obviously, we had a wonderful time!! Thank you so much Tanya for the tickets and the company! Perhaps Leanne will blog more about the RCC and the return bus ride home. Let's just say there was a whole of drinking and karaoke going on! Let's do it again...and of course the bus ride is a MUST!!

Saturday.

2008-07-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some picks from Revolution's annual picnic "Spork". I was in charge of planning some games for the kids and we did pretty much the same stuff we did last year - sack relays, egg on a spoon relay, tug of war and the water balloon toss. The whole afternoon was a lot of fun, as always.There was also a pretty gross pie eating contest...I'm not sure who won but congrats to whoever it was. Or it is whomever? The ever informative debate on The Office still hasn't cleared that one up for me.
The adults also got in on some of the fun!

Thanks to everyone who helped organize the kids for the games - I appreciate it!! And of course thank you Christopher for being our human mic. Hopefully, you had a voice on Sunday.

Friday.

2008-07-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

This was a busy, busy weekend but I had so much fun! Let's begin with Friday...

Around eleven, I drove out to the OC and visited with my dear friend Jennifer. Jennifer and I worked at Hope as admission counselors and had so much fun together - it was ridiculous! I hadn't seen her since her baby shower last September but thanks to emails, blogs, and phone calls we've managed to keep in touch! It was really nice hanging out with her and finally meeting little Emily for the first time! She such a sweet baby, loves people and it's so evident how much joy she brings to Jennifer! After lunch, golden spoon (our tradition when we worked at Hope), and some chit chat I left her place around 4pm (maybe a little later) and that was a BIG MISTAKE!! She's down in Ladera Ranch/Mission Viejo area and as I got to Irvine the 5 pretty much came to a stop. As I approached every exit I had the same debate - do I get off or stay on? Get off or stay on? Get off or stay on? I managed to make it to State College before I just couldn't take it anymore. I hopped off the freeway and almost immediately regretted my decision because the side streets were just as bad! I had to make some stops to pick up some things for the church picnic (post to follow) on Saturday and decided that Fullerton was the perfect place to do that. Hoping that by the time I was done, the freeway would be decent again. Thankfully it was but I didn't get home until about 7:30pm. Experiences like that make me so thankful that I don't have to fight traffic on my commute! Those that do...you are all amazing!!

Which one is real?

2008-07-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

I just saw this on abcnews.com and I had to immediately share it with everyone. It's kind of creepy, but for some reason it's really popular in the UK. What is it??? Dolls that look JUST LIKE real babies. Can you tell the difference?? You should probably take a guess first and then read the article....you might be surprised.

Finally.

2008-07-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

My post on the crazy toilets has been up long enough so I figured I'd post something new. I don't really have much to report other than I've changed my mind (yet again!) on what graduate program I want to attend. But this time I think it's final...here's a little recap of grad schools I've considered:

I applied and was accepted to APU's College Student Affairs program - I never attended because the timing wasn't right, it's kind of far and at the time I wasn't working in higher ed.

I applied and was accepted to Biola's Organizational Leadership program - after the whole process, I realized that I would only be doing that program for convenience sake and not because I really, really wanted to.

I also went through a short, yet intense desire to go to NYU's Steinhardt School for a Higher Education Administration program - but I returned to earth and realized that it would just not be feasible. I also looked at Vanderbilt (Nashville) and Lesley University (Cambridge, MA) but ruled it out for the reason above. USC's Post Secondary Administration and Student Affairs was also high on my list but it's super expensive, I can't afford it and don't want to have a ton of loans upon graduation.

So after all of that, my research has led me to where I am now - I think I have finally decided on a school. I had been focused on a student affairs type program but have switched gears a little and am leaning toward counseling. I love, love, love working with college students and the position I have now has reinforced that. So drum roll please....

I plan on applying to Cal State Long Beach!! They have a Masters in Counseling with a concentration in higher education/student affairs. It's local, it's afforable, and I can stay at Cerritos while I attend. I just need to take the GRE, apply and get in! Once that happens, I'm looking at a Fall 2009 start.

I think I know most of the people who read my blog, but if anyone has any experience with that program I'd love to hear from you! And did other people have this hard of a time deciding where to go?

Strange.

2008-07-08T11:42:00.001-07:00

Let me begin by saying that I never thought I would post a picture of a public bathroom but after seeing this one, I was compelled to take a picture for all of you to see. This morning I attended a morning mixer at the Nordic Fox. For all you Downey folks, you read that correctly, the Nordic Fox. Well after the mixer I thought I'd stop by the ladies room and I was confused by what I saw. I know that women go to the restroom together, but I don't think this is what we have in mind.

New blogger on the block.

2008-07-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce the newest addition to the blogging world - my friend Jenny Howell. I first met Jenny a little over a year ago when she started coming to Revolution Downey. It's been a fun year too - we began meeting in a weekly accountibility group, went to New Orleans and have had lots of laughs - she's the one who head butted a piñata (better Linda?)

Well since she moved up to Stockton last week and left Revolution, she has now heeded some advice and started a blog so we can all keep up with her. Feel free to check it out here.

Chocolate covered bacon day.

2008-07-03T14:00:00.001-07:00

Yes - you read that correctly. Today my office enjoyed some scrumptious chocolate covered bacon. Don't believe me? Here's a picture to prove it.And here's a close up...

Mrs. Dr. Jack (my co-worker) had blogged about it a few weeks ago and I'm horrified to say that it actually sounded good. So today was the day we were all able to experience it for ourselves. And trust me, it is definitely an experience! The result? It was actually pretty good and I would recommend, that if given the opportunity, you try some. And by opportunity, I mean make some at home. Along with the bacon, we enjoyed a wonderful game of Taboo and Last Word. It was reminiscent of our last game day but this one was even better because little CJ joined us. Happy (early) Birthday America! I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

Cutie.

2008-07-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

I went to the Hub the other day to help clean and organize but by the time I got there most of the cleaning and organizing was done. So while they finished up the last few things, I watched one of my favorite babies and took a few pictures to test out my camera. Christopher asked if she is really as cute as he thinks she or if he's just biased - our answer was that she really is cute. You can be the judge...

The Summer Office.

2008-06-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the Pop Candy Blog this afternoon and found this...

"The Office may not return until fall, but a few cast members will participate in a new batch of summer webisodes.

Check out a behind-the-scenes look at the webisodes, along with these select scenes that give us a peek at the storyline. It appears Kevin (Brian Baumgartner), Darryl (Craig Robinson), and Oscar (Oscar Martinez) are central characters in a plot that involves a silly ice-cream scam."

They begin July 10th on nbc.com - can't wait!!

Nothing.

2008-06-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

That's what I did this weekend and believe it or not, it was actually kind of nice. I had Friday off and tried to sleep in as much as possible but woke up at 8am (I remember when sleeping in meant at least 11am!) I guess those days are over. I ran some errands and stopped by Best Buy and ended up buying a new camera! It's a Canon PowerShot and it has a color accentuation feature that I noticed on some pictures posted over on Liana Dickson's blog - and I love it! Big improvement over my last camera.

I watched a little John and Kate plus 8 and rearranged my room. I love doing that....it's like a brand new space now! I also started gathering up things for a yard sale - I hate doing yard sales but I like the results - so I suffer through it. I think the lucky days will be August 4th and 5th unless it's super hot, then I'll postpone it another month.

I also managed a trip to Ikea and bought a few things for the house - I love that store. Whenever I'm there, I feel like I'm in Sweden all over again! I even bought some Lingonberry Preserves...yummy!

Jazz hands.

2008-06-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

Last night a group of us from Revolution met up at Disneyland and made Christopher Lytle's life long dream come true! Okay, maybe it wasn't a life long dream, but he's been talking about it for at least a year. He wanted to get an elevator full of Revolution folks on Tower of Terror and of course get the picture. We faced a road block at first when some Disney worker said that he could lose his job (since we didn't have the full 21 people needed to fill the thing.) But we were persistent and somehow he was convinced otherwise. It was so much fun! I've never seen or been a part of a group that was as excited to ride that thing as we were! It's so out of control and regardless of how many times you ride it, it's always just as scary as the first!

And thanks to Chris Koble for treating us to the pictures. Now we each have a souvenir from the evening - thanks Chris. The only downside from a very fun night is there were some Downey peeps who should have been in the picture but weren't, but there's always next time! And yes, I did just used the word peeps.

Troy Aikman is not black.

2008-06-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

This video is for everyone who was at Jenny's going away/birthday fiesta on Saturday night. I must say that it was a wonderful evening with friends, margaritas, and lots of laughter. One of the highlights was what occurred in this video. Two wonderful things came together - Jenny doesn't like riding bikes and doesn't really know how to ride one AND Jessica bought a pinada for Jenny since it was a Mexican themed party. Well somehow it was suggested that Jenny ride a bike into the pinada. There was several attempts and this is the one that still has me laughing. She basically dove into it - with her head. I love the reaction of the people in the background...unfortunately, there is no audio but just imagine lots of laughing...

Here's another one showing just how difficult it was for her to ride a bike...

On top of that, we played a few great rounds of Mafia (I was killed right off the bat TWICE!!) and we played a rousing game of Celebrity. Now whenever I think of Cedric the Entertainer - I think of this night!

Jenny - you're definitely going to be missed but I'm certain you're going to have a great time living up north, enjoying your new house, and your great new job!! And course whenever I say "I will" or in our case "I won't" - I'll think of you!

Who says housing is unaffordable?

2008-06-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

There was an article in the OC Register last week highlighting some of the properties that were recently sold at auction. Here's one located in beautiful Santa Ana that caught my eye.

What a bargain!!

How embarrassing.

2008-06-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Last night was sad. Pathetically, horribly, atrociously sad. I'm still a fan, but it's going to take awhile for me to forget that 39 point loss. But now that my flag is off and my recliner is in the garage, maybe Angelo and Lori can be my friends again.