Monday, March 8, 2010

It's a wonderful night for Oscar...or not.

I usually don't really get into the Oscars, but I have to say that last night's Oscar telecast was AWESOME...sort of.

What I loved:

The Hosts. Mr.s Martin and Baldwin did a great job. Not so over the top, yet well thought out and lots of humor.

The fashion. For the most part, I thought the fashions of the evening were FAB with a few exceptions...but loved what most of the ladies were wearing.

The speeches. That is right, the speeches. I thought that the speeches, for the most part, were FAB with few exceptions...

The feel. I read an article this morning talking about how there was a general feel of "family" at the ceremony last night, and I completely concur, and loved it.

Things I didn't love so much include:

The dance routine...I mean seriously, YUCK. Thank lord for modern day telly enabling me to fast-forward over those 45 minutes.

The winners. PA-LEASE.

The In Memorandum. This is usually my favorite part of any awards show (um...am I demented?), but the gross exclusions including Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Bea Arther were poor, and that is putting it mildly. I realize that the Oscars are for film, and these three were primarily involved in television, but as members of the entertainment community, I think they got snubbed.

Did I mention the winners? PA-LEASE.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Happy Birthday, Tabetha!

My sister had a birthday last week. To celebrate we had lunch with our favorite BF, Challise.

And then on her actual birthday, to celebrate she and I went to Disneyland for the day!

Super fun, and a great way to celebrate a birthday!

Here are some photos from our fun day.
Tabetha in front of the castle.
Tabetha and me on Splash Mountain. I was EXTRA terrified because they put me in the very back of the log, and the seat was HUGE. I swore I was going to fall out. Luckily I did not.
Tabetha's Disney dessert!
And her at home dessert, awesome cupcakes!


I hope Tabetha had a great birthday this year! I know I had a ball! Next up for birthdays this year...the one and only: MR. DRU!!!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Friday Fun

Theeeeeey're Baaaaaaack!

These folks put up a live stream of their puppies whenever their dog has a litter. These little guys are especially cute. Last round of puppies I spent a rather embarrassing amount of time watching the puppies...and then on adoption day, I sat in bed and cried - tears of sadness, tears of joy...

Check this out, but I have to warn you that it is a little addicting, and a bit over the top cute.

http://www.ustream.tv/sfshiba

These puppies are Shiba Inu, and just about as cute as it gets. They are tiny right now...but not to worry...they grow REAL fast!

Have a great weekend all!

P.S. We saw Dru's Mom yesterday, and she looked great, and is continuing to make awesome progress! Love it!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

WOW

I am so happy to report that Beth, my Mother-in-Law, made it through her surgery yesterday without a hitch! The surgery lasted TEN hours, but we are through it and on the other side! Dr. R. was really happy with how things went, and was almost giddy when he was sharing the post surgery rundown with the family. He had us all in tears when he told us what a strong woman Beth is, and how proud he was of her. What a wonderful man he is.

After the surgery was finished we had to wait SEVERAL hours to see Beth, but once we saw her the wait was well worth it. She looked really good. Tired, but good.

The road ahead for Beth is long, and will not be without curves, and bumps, but we are over a BIG hurdle, and that is a wonderful thing!

Again, my thanks for all of the support and love.

Maybe I will post about something fun soon! Photos of our new place to come...once we get unpacked!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Today is the day...

Many of you may remember reading this

Due to many roadblocks including, finances, job, medical reasons, and other general logistics, Beth's surgery has been put off and off and off.

I have not been blogging about it only because information has kind of been day-to-day, and there has not been a lot of solid information to report. So in an effort to not confuse all three of my readers, I have not shared all of the information as it has come to me, and at this time I am thankful for that because it has changed so many times I think I would have driven us all crazy.

My latest tag line has been "I am not saying anything until the scalpel touches the skin," well friends, this morning at 7:15 the scalpel touched the skin, and Beth's surgery is underway.

This surgery is very intense (I believe it will be about 8 - 10 hours long today), and Beth will have a long road to recovery ahead of her. I am so happy that this surgery is finally happening, and cannot wait until my Mother-in-Law is able to feel a bit better as she moves on to her next adventure in life. She deserves happiness and comfort.

I will provide many updates on this blog as to how she is doing, and hopefully the information will get to the people who care about her and are interested in her condition.

All the thoughts, prayers, donations, love, support, friendship, help, advice, and so on have been beyond appreciated, and have truly helped my family get to today, and will surely help us get through what is beyond today. For these things, I thank you all.

If any of you know me, you know that I love to laugh and believe humor to be very important and one of my strongest attributes. I will leave you all with this quote from one of the funniest fellas around. It is helping me keep what is important close to me, and it is helping me to chuckle my way through what has been, and will continue to be, and pretty tough situation.

“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.” - Bill Cosby

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Today I DON'T like:

-My outfit.
-The fact that I am moving in one week (I am so tired of moving already!)
-The fact that I haven't blogged in over a month.
-Too much STRESS!!!

I am going to RELAX, I am going to CALM DOWN, and am going to BREATH.

More blogging (with less complaining!) coming soon!

Even though I don't want to go through the actual moving PROCESS, I cannot wait until we are in our new place! I will post photos of it as soon as it is done and perfect! In the meantime I guess you all will have to listen to my gripes! Sorry.

Just so this post is not the absolute worst post EVER, I am including this hilarious photo of my Mom and me at Disneyland (last March on my Birthday). She is not looking at the camera. I am pulling some hilarious face. MAN I miss her! If you ever want to feel the purest kind of joy - go to Disneyland with my Mother...you won't be sorry you did!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Friday I'm in love.

These ten things making my life a little more enjoyable RIGHT now:

1 - Pandora Radio. It is awesome, and it is FREE. Makes the old office gig a nicer place. You can set up your own stations, and rate songs as they come on so it can detect your preferences and play the music you like! Love it! One complaint is that they tend to re-play a lot...but I figure if it is a song I like, I don't mind hearing it often!

2 - Idaho Vandals. Love them all the time, but especially right now. They are playing football this season like they mean it, and it has been a true joy to watch a be a part of. Not to mention that I have two degrees from this fine institution that I could NOT be more proud of or more thankful to have.

3 - endless.com. Free overnight shipping, free returns for a year, more shoes than you could shake a stick at. I don't think I need to say more.

4 - Sons of Anarchy. This is a show on FX. Tuesday nights. It is SO good. There are two more episodes left in the second season. I would highly recommend this to anyone, but rent season one and start from the beginning. It is a hamlet re-do. SO good.

5 - Country music. I cannot get enough lately. I grew up in a super small town in Idaho, and kind of rebelled against the "country" way of life, and truly regret it now. It is so cool! I didn't know what I was being exposed to at the time, and was a little "too good" for it, now I think that I should have had more appreciation for the unique, rare, and special way of life that was all around me! I want Brooks and Dunn Number 1s and Then Some for Christmas. Thank you.

6 - My Toyota Prius. Somehow this car gets 50 MPG when the seat warmers are on. How does it do that? Love this car, except, I think that my specific one is a bit cursed. For some reason we can't seem to take it out without it getting all wrecked up.

7 - Diet Dr. Pepper. Um, yum.

8 - Have a Cute Day. I recently discovered this blog, and LOVE it. She is adorable. Some of her stuff, I am like..."eeeeee, maybe I am not sure about that..." but she is pretty dang cute.

9 - Simplify Supper. Yes, I would like to do that, thanks. I don't follow this day to day, but it has some fun ideas!

10 - WISP. Does this seem gimmicky? It is. But I love them. You can brush your teeth whenever, and wherever you want.

Hope everyone out there has a great weekend! It is almost Thanksgiving (I also love Thanksgiving)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

A moment


"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing."
- Edmund Burke

I want to share my thanks with all of the good men and women who did something. Thank you to all veterans past and present for your selfless commitment to your country and the people who live in it. May you live your lives with pride in your service.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Update

Good morning all. I wanted to share an update about my Mother-in-Law. Beth has a touch of the flu and an infection, and because of those two things, her surgery has been postponed for a week or more depending on how she recovers from these things. The Doctors will not operate if her body is fighting an infection, and we are grateful for that. She is feeling OK, but we are still very much looking forward to her upcoming surgery.

The comments, phone calls, prayers, donations, and love we have ALL received has been overwhelming, and so very appreciated! I thank each and every friend out there who has helped in any way. She will continue to need prayers and positive thoughts, and I will continue to provide updates on this blog.

Many thanks and good wishes to all.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Beth

Dru's mom, Beth, is having major surgery on Monday. She has lived a life full of problems with her spine, and has had several surgeries, and is now gearing up to have yet another one. We love Beth so much. She is a wonderful mother to Dru, and in inspiration in kindness. We are nervous for her surgery, and nervous for her recovery, and hopeful that when this is all over she will be a happier and healthier woman.

Because Beth will need A LOT of blood during her surgery. If you live in the San Diego area, and are able, please go to the San Diego Blood Bank and donate blood for Beth. It doesn't matter what your blood type is, if you give in her name, she will get a credit for a unit of blood in her type. You could be helping Beth AND another person in need!

I will be going today to give my blood. Here is the information for the San Diego Blood Bank, and what you need to provide to them to ensure that Beth can get her credit for your donation:

San Diego Blood Bank

When you go to give, please tell them that the donation is for Beth Levendoski, her blood bank ID is "BL05" (that is BL "zero" 5).

I know not all can give blood, but all of your prayers, thoughts, and warm wishes are very much felt and appreciated. We have a lot of very wonderful people in our lives, and feel so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. Our love to all, and much love to Beth at this moment in her life. It is a big one.

For more information about Beth and her surgery, her sister and niece set up this website.

We love you, Beth.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Have Joy Give Away!

So I am semi-obsessed with this blog: Have Joy
This lady, whose name is Nikki (although for the first several weeks that I read this blog I called her "Joy," has such a great blog. Nikki and I are two VERY different women, however, I always enjoy the things that she has to share, and her view of the world. I also suspect that she helps a lot of people who are struggling in life and relationships. She is really smart, you can tell by her writing, and she is really fun, you can tell that too. Even though we have never met, and probably never will, I feel like she is my friend, and I can't wait to see what zany experience she is going to post about next. She also posts every day, which is super fun, and a current goal of mine. I want to try to start posting every day, even if it is something small...I am going to get there soon!

This week she is conducting a giveaway from the California Caramel Company, and I would LOVE to win it! I love reading this awesome blog, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE caramel apples!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

I've been in a funk.

But I think I am coming out of it now!

It doesn't hurt that the Dodgers are in the playoffs, the Vandals are in first place in the WAC, and my fantasy football team finally decided to win a few games! I think my funk is mainly seasonally driven. I miss fall so bad, and I am currently so homesick I could CRY! But I have so very much to be thankful for, I have a job, a wonderful husband, and my health. I am starting to climb my way out of my funk, which will hopefully result in some more blogging! I have a few things to put up on here! Dru is doing so great in school. He has one more mid-term and then hopefully things will slow down a bit for him. He is still liking his new job, and continuing to do well at it!
I probably won't end up dressing up for Halloween this year...so here is a photo of me in a hot dog costume. Why didn't I purchase this??

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Go Mighty Vandals

I got in really late last night after going to a wedding in Long Beach. Dru rolled in a little after me after working all day and then spending the evening with the guys. We would never be able to stay up and watch the Vandal game that we taped...or would we??? That is right, we STARTED the game at midnight and watched the WHOLE DAMN THING! Long story short - VANDALS 4-1! I cannot believe it. I was so excited I could barely get to sleep last night. Now hear me when I say, my love of and support for the Vandals has NEVER wavered. I have faithfully watched and cheered, and gotten excited over small victories (like "losing by less than 30"). I have watched every game that I could on TV (which have been few in San Diego), I have even flown to Moscow for a few games (even though I knew we weren't going to win). I have done it all, and have done it all happily because I am a Vandal. I understand that we haven't had a great football program, but I don't think anyone else can understand how happy I am this season for this team I love so much. The University of Idaho deserves a team they can be proud of, they do. As I was watching the end of the game last night (mind you this is creeping into the early hours of the morning), all of a sudden it seamed as though my TV went fuzzy, after a moment, I realized that I had tears in my eyes. Dramatic? Maybe, but I don't care. I had tears in my eyes. I want to be clear, I NEVER find it hard to be a Vandal (even when they are ranked last in the nation), but I have to say, it feels pretty darn nice to be a Vandal this season! GOOOOOOOOO VANDALS!!!!!!!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Will I ever be this cool?

No.

I want to start using this blog for a little more than "Dru and I did this," and "Dru and I did that..." I want to start using this blog to share with people some of my thoughts, and some of the things that I would bring up in a regular conversation if I were to have a regular conversation with a close friend. I also want to start sharing some other blogs that I find interesting, entertaining and inspiring.

I came across this blog that I found in a Yahoo! news headline. This young woman is cooler at thirteen than I can ever dream of becoming. Her insight on fashion coupled with her apparently very high intelligence and a splash of her adorable naivety make this blog my new addiction.

If you are not super or even mildly into fashion, you may not find this blog on your favorites list, but you HAVE to go, at least once, to check this young woman out. She is quite amazing, and a beacon of hope in a world where I am seeing less and less creativity. What an inspiration!!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

One Year


Dru and I were married a year ago (our actual anniversary is tomorrow, the sixth). I cannot believe that it has already been one year! We have done so much! Moved twice, bought a car, new jobs for both of us, Dru started school...we have been super busy, but are loving every minute of married life. I love my Mr. Dru and can't wait to be married to him for like a hundred more years!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Goodbye REI

After more than five years with REI, Dru had his last day there on Friday. We are thrilled that he will now be working for a hospital here in San Diego as a CT Assistant, which will be a really great experience for him to have after he is done with school! I know that Dru has just LOVED working for such a wonderful company, and I also know that REI has been pretty lucky to have an employee like Dru. His co-workers always look to him, and his managers have always complimented his work. He is so awesome. I know that Dru is a bit sad to be leaving REI, which has given him so much, but I think that this is the best way to leave a job, with a little bit of sadness...it means he has had a great experience there. PLUS, we met at REI...which means, no REI, no Erin and Dru. For that reason, Dru and I will always love REI, and it will always be a special place for us! Join me in congratulating Dru on a job well done, and good luck with his new opportunity! Dru had a really fun going away party, and lots of the REI crew showed up to see him off, it was really fun. So many thanks to those who came! We had such a great time!Group ShotThe Party CrewThe "A Team"

Monday, August 24, 2009

HILARIOUS

So I totally ripped this off from someone else's blog. Is that tacky? I don't know, and I kind of don't care, because this list is so funny that I want as many people as possible to read it! I don't know who wrote this list...but I know I would like to hang out with them for a few hours! Believe me, I NEEDED a good laugh today!

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.
-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
- I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?
-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
-That's enough, Nickelback.
-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?
-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.
-There is a great need for sarcasm font.
-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.
-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.
- How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
-I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
- Was learning cursive really necessary?
- Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".
- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
- My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.
- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".
- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"
-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.
- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood..
- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
- Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
- I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."
- I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
- Bad decisions make good stories
- Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!
- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
- If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
- Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....
- You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
- Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.
- There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
- I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.
- I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'
- I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? ), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste..
- When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
- I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
- Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...
- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
- Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
- It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
- I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
- Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it..
- My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the heck do I respond to that?
- It really ticks me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.
- I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
- I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
- I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
- The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel fat before dinner.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Another day at the office...

A couple of weeks ago my work took us to the Padres game for a little staff appreciation. It is always nice to be appreciated, and it is always great to spend a day at the ballpark. especially Petco Park, which is so nice, and tons of fun! We had really great seats. The Padres welcomed the Atlanta Braves. The Padres lost. I love baseball, and I really love living in a city with a team, it is so great to be able to go to the park and enjoy a Major League Baseball game! It is especially great when the Dodgers are in town!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Girls

My sister and her boyfriend have had his two daughters, Taylor and Addison, here for the summer. We didn't get to see them a whole bunch, but were able to squeeze in a few visits, a beach day, a bbq. It was a lot of fun to see them, and I think they had a lot of fun here too. Yesterday we went shopping for some new school clothes and had such a blast! Thanks for having me along ladies! Today they are going back to Utah and will be starting school next week. I am thinking of safe travels for them today, and can't wait to see them again soon!Tabetha, Taylor, Addi, and Trace

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Snowball

Dru and I have officially made our first MAJOR purchase as a married couple...and we are still married! We were able to take part in the government's "Cash for Clunkers" program, and we traded in Dru's Toyota 4Runner for $4500 toward a 2010 Toyota Prius. We just love it so much. We live so far away from San Diego now, and we were finding ourselves spending a lot more time than we wanted to at the gas pump. I mean seriously, we were filling up like every two days. With our Prius we are now only filling up once a week...so AWESOME! Her name is Snowball. Yes I name my cars, and I beleive she is a girl...so sue me. Snowball is so wonderful in every way. She has everything you could ever want in a car and more. We are so excited about our car, and can't wait to drive her for a looong time!
Little side shot there.
Inside.