C-Squared

VACATION!! Day 3

2012-02-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

I know you have all been dying to hear the continuing story of our fabulous vacation, so on to Day 3! The first day in San Francisco!! Whoo-Hoo!

We didn't have to get up too early this day since San Jose isn't terribly far from SF. We checked in to our hotel, armed ourselves with maps, info and plans and took off to see the sights!!

We rode the Cal-train for the first time... we felt like tourists trying to get tickets from the machine! :/ We got into Downtown and then caught a bus to go down toward the pier! (We bought tickets online for Alcatraz, so we wanted to kinda check out where it was so we wouldn't miss it!) Here's when we REALLY felt like tourists since we were asking the bus driver where we get off to get there! They all were really helpful and nice though, and it wasn't all that bad.

We got off at Ghiradelli... MMmmm! We thought about having ice cream, but never got around to it... it was pretty chilly! (52 degrees... which isn't bad normally, but next to the water made it colder and that was at noon!) Anyway, we headed down along the waterfront and, of course, had to stop at Boudin for some AWESOME sourdough bread bowl chili! YUM! I just wasn't used to seeing so many darn birds! And they are brave too! Some dork left his bowl unattended and the birds went for it!! He managed to salvage it, but just barely.

We walked the rest of the way down the pier, past Pier 39 and all the shops (that was for another day!) And then, TA-DA! There was Pier 33! We got here early so we hung out in the souvenir shop for a bit checking out all the stuff. (I'm not gonna lie, I usually get sucked in to buying something!) We started a habit of collecting magnets of places we travel to. It's cheaper than clothing, and lasts longer too! After getting our souvenirs safely ensconced we headed out to board the ship!! I won't really say much more except to label the photos!!!

Soni on our ferry ride over

Leaving SF behind!!

Caught a bird in flight... it was following our boat and yes, it was WINDY!

View from behind

First close up view from the ferry

View of The Golden Gate Bridge from our Ferry over to the Rock!

These are the showers... where a convict was first taken... Wonder what missionaries would have thought if it was like this at the MTC!

Just an empty cell.

You know me... I gotta be different! I would hate to have to really use a toilet in a cell like this!

Soni chilling in a cell... she was reluctant to lay on the bed! HAHA!

A cell someone tried to escape from.

Cell Block D.. I just wanted this picture b/c that's where the hardened criminals stay (& where Sean Connery's character supposedly was when they filmed The Rock). The guards told us they actually filmed it in Cell Block A which was dark, gated and kinda off-limits. Oh well.

Me in solitary... it smelled musty and was DARK! *shiver*

View of the outside tower

The view as we were sailing away... Goodbye Alcatraz!

After Alcatraz (no we weren't scared after seeing it... we don't believe in ghosts!) came the daunting task of getting back to the Cal-train station and making our way back to our hotel! Let's just say, easier said than done! We got miserably lost, saw a rat, walked past a crazy lady having a fight with some girl that wasn't there (she kept saying the B word and making threats), walked past some tough looking guys having a fight, and finally got directions from a drunk, that turned out to be okay, to Cal-train. It was a different station, but it got us where we wanted to go!! HOME!

Slacker! Resolutions update...

2012-02-11T18:44:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't been the best at updating/reporting on how I'm doing with my resolutions, but I'm here to report today!

Things are MOSTLY going pretty well. Here's how I stand as of today:

1. Relationship with HF...
I started out really well with this one. It has tapered off slightly, so I need to get back on it. I still feel good about it since it hasn't gone back to doing nothing, but I'm renewing the scripture reading and praying TODAY!! Soni & I did go through our schedules for the whole year and planned 9 Temple trips! That exceeds the goal! Whoo-Hoo

2. Body
I have been to the store and have stocked my car, purse and work with healthy snacks! Raw Almonds, granola bars w/ little sugar and Trader Joe's Fiberful bars... I LOVE those! Soni and I sit down at the beginning of each 2 weeks and plan out dinners for every night we are home. So no more wondering what's to eat or snacking until bedtime. The only thing that I have not felt any motivation for is the exercise. (For Shame!) I did try a yoga video and felt pretty okay afterwards, but then it took until Friday for me to stop having back, neck and leg muscle pain! So, no more for me. I did mention walking tonight... and WE WENT! 30 minutes, which was twice around our condo complex. Feels pretty good. No ankle pain, so I think I'll try to keep that up at least 4-6 times per week!!

3. Money
I have really stuck to it on this one! I only went on two trips to Target in January and that was it. (I've been 3 times already this month although on one trip I used a gift card and only spent 33 cents so I'm not counting it!) I'm really keeping to the list which is good. I could be better so I'll keep working on it!

4. Doctor
I had some trouble with this one b/c the website was not making it easy. I finally have some numbers for new doctors that I will look into. In the mean time I have made 2, yes, 2 Dr. appointments with my old Dr. in Long Beach. One for a physical and one before to discuss ankle, dermatologist, etc... (sinus! I've been having problems since December!!)

5. Family
I actually made this goal b.c I thought my family was putting the kabosh on monthly birthday dinners and wanted a way to still stay close to everyone, but turns out not EVERYONE thinks the monthly dinners are too much, so they are still on. So, this resolution is moot.

So, to sum up (wow! Sounds like I'm writing a report for school or something!) I'm on the right track! Just need to keep up with number 1 and now that I'm finally motivated to walk, number 2. YAY!

Tagged!!!!

2012-01-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

The Rules:
1.Post these rules
2.You must post 11 random things about yourself
3.Answer the questions set for you in their post
4.Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5.Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them ... You legitimately have to tag 11 people! (I'll tag as many as I can who have not already been tagged!)

11 Random things about myself:

1. I'm allergic to strawberries, but eat them anyway!
2. I was born with & still have 4 kidneys and 4 ureters. (Most people know this about me, I had surgery at 6 to connect a ureter that was MIA... I leaked.) :(
3. I am a complete Original Star Wars NERD... with action figures, trivia books, playing cards, drinking glasses, etc...

4. I try them all the time to see if my tastebuds have changed ... but I hate raw tomatoes.

5. I LOVE READING!!!
6. I think I was born in the wrong era... I love all the things my parents love... old movies, musicals, old singers like Dean Martin, Sinatra, Torme, Andy Williams, Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald etc...
7. (Goes with 6) My dream job would have been to be a lounge singer... like Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas.
8. I have a fetish for scissors, pens and mascara... I'm always on the lookout for the next best thing!
9. I have slept with 2pillows under my head since I was 12... I suffer from vertigo and labrynthitis and can't lay flat ever! (I get dizzy blow drying my hair sometimes!)
10. I am sooooo afraid of spiders that I have taken to spraying my room ALL OVER 1/month. (I'll probably develop some lung disease from the fumes).

11. I will /have eaten green beans & lima beans out of the can... and liked them!

My questions from weighward:

1. If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Probably Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It was a love affair from the start... 3rd grade I discovered it and have not tired of it yet!

2. What is your go-to breakfast meal (the one you have most often)?
I eat once I'm at work so I can sleep in longer... yogurt and Pb crackers.
3. If you could interview one person from history, who would it be?
Joseph Smith Jr. He went through so much and saw God & Jesus Christ... I bet he would be a treasure trove of information and it wouldn't be boring!
4. Who inspires you to workout?
I do. Which has been a big problem lately. It has to come from me, so I know that I'm doing it for me, not someone else ... otherwise I won't stick to it.
5. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Rainbow Sherbet... and YES. It is ice cream! It has milk in it.
6. If the whole world was one big country and everywhere was peaceful and safe, where would you want to live? (you can take your family and friends with you!)
Alaska... I like cold weather... and I want to stay in the Promised Land!
7. What is something that you have always wanted to do but were/are afraid to do it?
Move! I would love to just get up and start over somewhere. Somewhere where money goes a longer way than in CA!
8. If you could choose one food that would never make you fat no matter how much of it you ate, what would it be?
Bread! In all it's glorious forms... pastas, bagels, crackers, chips, tortillas you name it!
9. What is your favorite non-fiction book?
I know it's cheesy but The Book of Mormon. It has so many different stories and so much for you to learn that it never gets old.
10. What is your favorite fiction book?
I don't really have one. I love reading too much to get hung up on one book. There is too much out there... A few of my favorite series are: Harry Potter, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, and the Culinary Mystery series by Josi Kilpack. I also love Georgette Heyer right now and have read 4 or 5 of her books.
11. If someone made a movie about your life, who would you pick to play you? Who would you pick to play your significant other?
I was told once I looked like Mary Stuart Masterson so I guess she gets the gig. I have no significant other, just my sister who would be played by Dana Delaney circa China Beach. :) She got that from all the elders on her misson.

My 11 questions for others...

1. What is your dream job? Why?
2. Favorite TV show ever?
3. Who are your top 3 favorite authors?
4. Describe your dream home location.
5. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
6. Tell me 2 things that fascinate you.
7. What is your biggest fear?
8. Who is your hero and why?
9. Name 5 things you could not live without.
10. What is your favorite color and also most hated color?
11. What super power would you most want to develop if accidentally bitten by a spider/fall in a vat of acid? :)

VACATION!! Day 2

2012-01-20T14:53:00.000-08:00

We stayed the night in San Simeon. Meh... that hotel placed every guest right next to each other & the walls were paper thin so we got to hear everyone most of the night! (That's why I never leave home without earplugs! Greatest invention EVER!!)

Anyway, we had already decided to drive up the 1 to San Jose with a short stop to see Hearst Castle, only once we got there we decided we didn't really want to do it. It was rainy & we had a lot of miles to cover & sometimes you just wanna get there, ya know?! Here's the funny thing... We only had like 2 gallons of gas which I noticed and said aloud, and we were wondering if we should backtrack or just hope we would run into a gas station. Long story short... The gas light came on, we FINALLY found a station, the gas was $5 something/gallon!!! I guess out in the middle of nowhere they can charge whatever they want!!

We finally got to San Jose and headed over to the Winchester Mystery House. I had been here previously in the mid 90's with my BFF Katy & you were allowed to take pictures back then. I guess someone took video and then made a not-so-nice movie with that footage, and now they have a no photos rule. (I still took them with my phone camera when our tour guide wasn't paying attention.- Shameful, I know.)

Here are all the pictures:

Outside views of the house:

This one is my FAVE... It's the bell tower. I took it from inside the house.

Inside the house views:

Soni by the pantry and some statue thingie.

The super cute daisy windows!

Outside/garden tour views:

Sad, I can't remember how this tree was split, but that's how it grows now.

Mrs. Winchester loved horses so the weather vane had a horse instead of a rooster.

A replica of the Winchester tombstone. Meh.

We also went on the tour of under the house... the basement and such, but the tour guide was Boom! right there wherever we were so I couldn't get any pictures. Oh well... it was dark anyway.

After this we checked into our hotel and then found a Target and a Trader Joe's (Soni said she could live in San Jose b/c it has those 2 stores!)

Then we watched a Christmas movie and drank hot chocolate...

NEXT STOP... SAN FRANCISCO!!

Resolutions Week 1

2012-01-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

This week has gone well. I didn't feel overwhelmed by my resolutions which is usually why people give them up. (Okay. which is why I give them up). I knew that I wanted to make them attainable which is why I wasn't super strict about having to do them EVERY SINGLE DAY! Especially when they haven't been getting done at all.

Church: I've read only twice this week, but I was planning on reading today before bed and tomorrow which will be 5 times this week. Perfecto! Right on goal schedule. Prayers were good too. I haven't missed a day. Eventually, I know I'll be doing AM & PM, but like I said when you haven't been doing anything at all... it's easy to get overwhelmed, get down on yourself, and get negative! So, baby steps for me. I want things to STICK LIKE GLUE! The only thing I've ever decided I really needed to start doing daily and just did it was flossing. Decided I needed to be better and BOOM! Have only missed like 3 days and that was 3 years ago. I wish all things were that easy to stick with!

The bad: I didn't read my Ensign. Not even once. It should have been read at least twice. I will need to be better about that. No temple, but I still have the rest of the month and only 6-8 trips to complete.

Exercise: None. :( What? How is that possible? I did skip (Yes. Literally.) across the parking lot to get a referral from the dentist over there. (twice). Does that count a little? I was hot. I broke a sweat. (A little one). Also, I put away all the office stock the other day which is lifting boxes, unloading, getting into cupboards, etc... I totally was hot after that one. I really just need to DO IT! Right when I get home... Change clothes, grab my ipod, and head out the door. How hard can it be? Apparently, it's REALLY hard!!

Money: I have already used up my 2 trips to Target for the month!! Yes! Seriously! I wasted one. I went really quick for a dollar bin oil pan and they were out!! I only spent $4o so I guess that's not too bad. I went with Soni today. Got yogurt and sour cream. Whoo-Hoo! Also, I spent my last penny today at Bath and Body Works. The Clearance sale is just too good to pass up. Bonus: I think I have enough wallflowers for the next year!! (maybe 2) :)

Work on:

Reading my Ensign when I don't study scriptures
Getting in the 30 minutes of walking or physical activity
Making & sticking to a list for Target
Make an appointment this month to go to the Temple!

VACATION!!

2012-01-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

I know! I should have blogged this vacation as soon as we got home, while it was fresh in my mind, but did I? No. Of course not!! I am now. So, here goes:

We left Saturday and drove to Solvang, CA... Whoo-Hoo! I've never been here before. Seriously? I didn't even know it existed. My family IS Danish (along with a lot of other stuff), so how could I be so in-the-dark? Anyway, it was a totally cute town and I would die to go back and stay longer (any takers? Probably when one of the festivals is going on!)

We parked here... and there was a mural on the wall with lots of Danish people...

This is the bakery our Aunt told us about... She said the pastries are TO DIE FOR! She was right!! They were so unbelievably good! The sunlight hit it just right.. it's like heaven was shining the sun on it.. "ahhhhhhh" (heavenly music)

I just liked the street name...

Cute windmills all over! I especially loved the Days Inn as you drive in.. So adorable. I'll have to get a picture next time.

There was a little shop where you could look up your name... this is The Christensen Coat of Arms. I thought that was pretty freakin' Awesome!

Anyway, after getting some aebleskivers (that were AMAZING!!!!) we hit the road heading for San Jose. (Follow the aeblskivers link to see how these SUPER DELISH BEAUTIES are made!)

This is all along the 1. We stopped along the coast... we only had like 2 gallons of gas and a LOT of highway! We were sooo nervous we would run out. Finally we found a place that had gas for over $5/gallon!!!! Crazy! But, we had to pay! Or else push the car the rest of the way!!

To be continued...

San Jose, Winchester Mystery House! Ooooo!!

100 Book Challenge

2012-01-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

Remember this list?
My Book List

1. The Grimm Legacy -Polly Shulman
2. School of Fear -Gitty Daneshvari
3. The Graceling -Kristin Cashore
4. The Clockwork Angel -Cassandra Clare
5. The Lost Hero -Rick Riordan
6. This Book Is Not Good For You -Pseudonymous Bosch
7. Red Riding Hood -Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
8. Emma -Jane Austen
9. Getting Away is Deadly: A Mom Zone Mystery -Sara Rosetti
10. The List -Melanie Jacobson
11. Mobbed -Carol Higgins Clark
12. I'll Walk Alone -Mary Higgins Clark
13. Lemon Tart: A Culinary Mystery -Josi S. Kilpack
14. English Trifle: A Culinary Mystery -Josi S. Kilpack
15. Devils Food Cake: A Culinary Mystery -Josi S. Kilpack
16. Key Lime Pie: A Culinary Mystery -Josi S. Kilpack
17. Blackberry Crumble: A Culinary Mystery -Josi S. Kilpack
18. Cross My Heart -Julie Wright
19. Why Shoot A Butler -Georgette Heyer
20. The Circular Staircase -Mary Rinehart
21. School of Fear:Class is not Dismissed -Gitty Daneshvari
22. Jane Eyre -Charlotte Bronte
23. Hide In Plain Sight -Marta Perry
24. Sight Unseen -Mary Rinehart
25. Children of The Lamp: The Five Fakirs of Faizabad -Phillip Kerr
26. K -Mary Rinehart
27. The Help -Kathryn Stockett
28. Behold, Here's Poison - Georgette Heyer
29. Pumpkin Roll: A Culinary Mystery -Josi S. Kilpack
30. The Gathering (Darkness Rising) -Kelley Armstrong
31. Footsteps In The Dark -Georgette Heyer
32. The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel -Michael Scott
33. Invisible (Ivy Malone Mystery Series #1) -Lorena McCourtney
34. Sprinkle with murder -Jenn McKinlay
35. Buttercream Bump Off -Jenn McKinlay
36. Death by the Dozen -Jenn McKinlay
37. Envious Casca -Georgette Heyer
38. The Unfinished Clue -Georgette Heyer
39. The Witch of Agnesi -Robert Spiller
40. Mama does time (A Mace Bauer Mystery) -Deborah Sharp
41. Spying in high heels -Gemma Halliday

It was supposed to be a list of 100. I only got to 41 which means I read 3.5 books per month. I don't think that's too shabby.
I was also thinking any more than 3 per month would be ridiculous with trying to live a life also! I think I'm going to stick with the 40 books since that is more reasonable.
You are welcome to join me in a 40 book challenge if you want... Happy reading!

New Year Resolutions!!!!

2012-01-02T21:03:00.001-08:00

I NEED to be MUCH better this New Year in the following areas:

1. I have really neglected my relationship with my Heavenly Father for years and really want to get that back on track! So to fix that I will:
A. Read my scriptures at least 3-5 times per week.
B. Read the Ensign on the days scriptures are not read.
C. Say at least a morning or night prayer or both.
D. Go to the temple more than last year... so 6-8 times this year.

2. In addition to other neglected things? My body. Some idiot 'helped' me sprain my ankle a second time 3 years ago at our annual turkey bowl. It was a BAD one. (Let's just say I fell on my ankle and someone fell on me. So twice the weight on it. It seems like it will never be the same.) But I don't want that to be an excuse anymore. So, I will:
A. Walk at least 3-5 times per week even if it's just leisurely. (Seems to be the only thing that doesn't kill it!)
B. Make a menu for meals for the week to avoid snacking.
C. Carry healthy snacks with me at all times so when a hypoglycemic attack hits I won't be tempted to shove anything and everything in my face!

3. Spend less money!
A. No more quick trips to Target. 1-2 stops per month only!
B. Make a list and stick to it! If it's not on the list it shouldn't be in the cart!
C. Delete all saved credit/debit card info from all accounts.

4. Find a new doctor and GO! ... We moved over a year ago and I should go for multiple things I just don't since old one is in long beach and I tell myself it's too far away. :/
A. Get referral for dermatologist (Chances are pretty much 100% that I'll develop skin cancer.)
B. Get referral for podiatrist...for Ankle obviously & since I'm on my feet all day at work... couldn't hurt.

5. Stay close with family.
A. Schedule visits with each family. At least 2/family/year.

That's all for now. I'll be updating once/week or at least trying which means my blogging habit should be better this year also. I'll try ot to make the updates too boring! :)

Baking update...

2011-11-09T14:30:00.000-08:00

I had every intention of trying out my Lightened-Up Monkey Bread recipe... I just realized I bought regular yeast instead of quick-rise. Ugh! I did whip up 3 batches of cookies last Friday. Frosted Ginger, Ultimates (named by Bro. Regnier), and Chocolate Chocolate chip. The Frosted Ginger are my new ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!!! I think I ate all but 2 out of the 10 or so that we didn't give away. I LOVE THEM!! They have cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and molasses and are topped off with a powdered sugar frosting that has a hint of lemon! SO YUM!

Don't they look delish!!!?

I'm probably rethinking the nutella cookies also. I hate recipes that look simple but require a lot of menial work. I refuse to knead dough after mixing it in the mixer. I might try it over Christmas break when I have more time on my hands or next time I'm super bored and want to spend time kneading dough. :(

Anyhow, back to the market to exchange my yeast. I guess I'll make the bread saturday... I'll let you know if it's super yum!

UPDATE: 11/15/11 Okay, I tried my Monkey Bread recipe! I've actually made it twice so far! 1st time... I don't think I let it rise enough. The completed product was really short out of the pan... It still tasted yummy, just looked funny. 2nd attempt was AWESOME! The bread rose beautifully... I made it my way instead of all the steps they put you through. I mixed the butter & milk w/ the 2 sugars and cinnamon and just used additional cinnamon/sugar mix to roll the bread in. It's much quicker and easier! It's sooo good I can't believe it's light!!!]

YAY! NOVEMBER!!!

2011-11-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this month!! Seriously! I love that the nights start to get oh so cold and I just wanna snuggle deeper into my warm, comfy bed... [only on weekends :( ] I recently had an offer for a free trial of Cooking Light magazine and I have so many NEW recipes that I want to try! Since it's cooler I can bake away to my hearts content since I don't have to worry about the house getting hot or myself getting hot!! (Have I mentioned how much I hate being hot?)

New recipes that I want to try this month:

PB and Dark Chocolate fudge
Triple Chocolate Cake (Chocolate cake, chocolate mousse filling and chocolate ganche to top it off... YUM!)
Nutella Sandwich Cookies (I recently discovered Nutella and how yummy it is!!)
Lightened-Up Monkey Bread (This is already a favorite! This is made w/ homemade wheat dough only 2g of fat/serving as opposed to 13! Can't wait!)

5. 14-layer chocolate cake... (Have had this recipe for awhile courtesy of Bakerella.com and she makes it look so easy... you should look at the picture it looks AMAZING!)* I pasted it here for you, so you don't have to do any work except maybe wipe the drool off your face!

That's it for now. I'll let you know when I bake all these... Once I find the time and money!

The Lovely Little Girl & the Bathroom...

2011-10-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

Alrighty. Since Halloween is in 4 days I'm going to tell you a VERY scary story!

About 2 months ago, a lovely little girl was feeling tired, so up to bed she went. She was a very good girl so, of course, she brushed and flossed. It was while she was brushing the girl noticed little spots on her bathroom ceiling... they looked like someone had dirty hands and flicked their hands all over the wall. The lovely girl decided to look closer... AUGH!!!!!!!!!!!! The little dirty spots were actually baby SPIDERS! I know what you're thinking, baby spiders? What's so bad about that? They're BABIES!! Well, this lovely little girl suffers from severe arachnophobia (that means fear of spiders) and it wasn't so much the baby spiders... she was wondering where the mama spider was that just hatched all those baby spiders! So, this lovely little girl (really trying to keep it together) went and grabbed her spider spray, and then turned into John Goodman from Arachnophobia! She sprayed and sprayed and sprayed and sprayed AND SPRAYED! She sprayed so much that her throat was hurting for an hour afterwards! She sprayed until there was nothing left to spray and then sprayed some more! Then the door was shut, a towel was pushed under the door so nothing could get out (everything had to die in there!!) Then the lovely little girl let herself have a moment of pure breakdown! After a quick cry (no really, it was quick) she tore her whole room apart checking for escapees and other creepy visitors before she was finally able to relax a little ( a VERY LITTLE)! The lovely little girl had a terrible time trying to sleep, but finally, she was able to drift into an uncomfortable sleep (she left the light on, of course!)

The next day, the lovely little girl, put on her BIG GIRL panties and OPENED THE BATHROOM DOOR! The spots were still on the wall and ceiling but they were plastered to the wall and ceiling b/c of all the spray (DIE SUCKERS!) Everything was taken out and that bathroom and spider carcasses were vacuumed and scrubbed away! Then, the fan was sealed off b/c that lovely little girl was smart and realized that was where all the babies came from and she never wanted to meet Mommy and Daddy Spider. The lovely little girl now sprays her room and bathroom about every other month to keep anything and everything away... and so far so good.

THE END...

FOR NOW...

Oh October...

2011-10-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

Took my niece to Disneyland Wednesday w/ Soni. Her birthday wasn't until Saturday so she still got in for free. It was SO HOT 102 at least. Ugh! It was still fun! We went on a bunch of kiddie rides, had lunch, saw Dolphin tale (super cute movie), then ended w/ Haunted Mansion. I'm hoping it was a fun day for her, b/c I sure missed all the adult fun rides!!

More later...

Nutshelling August... sheepish grin

2011-09-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

August! August! August! Is it sad that I really do not like the middle 3 months of the year? It's summer, it's hot, the electricity bill goes WAY up! Sigh. Summer gets such a bad rap. I've liked it better this year, since I've been living at the pool, but I JUST. CAN'T. STAND. BEING. HOT!!

The RS lessons have been going way better after that first one where I had an extra 15 minutes that I was struggling to fill! I taught Chastity last month... *giggle* I think some of those RS ladies are wondering where the heck I came from! I used gum as my object lesson... I asked if I offered them gum would they rather have this (wrapped/packaged gum) or this (gum I took from Soni's mouth as she was chewing it)... they all were giggling. But when we are chaste we are still "wrapped" or pure. No one wants to chew used gum unless you are Buddy the Elf! The ladies are still talking about it.

This month our water line to our fridge developed a leak!! There was water on the floor and the line was making a spritzing sound. I pulled out the stove and found where the line had a tiny hole... I tried to kink it like a garden hose, which only accomplished making the tiny leak a geyser!!! I yelled at Soni to turn the water off and then our cousin's plumber, Francisco (ooo! That's fun to say!) came over the next day and fixed everything for us... so all is well at the money pit!!

Soni & I are planning a vacation/35 birthday celebration for me the week of Thanksgiving in San Francisco! Whoo! We already booked our hotel and we want to go to Chinatown, Ghiradelli Square, Alcatraz-at night- *Freaky!*, and loads more places! I'm excited! I've been working LOADS of extra hours to make extra money so we can have a GOOD TIME! You only turn 35 once, right!! :)

I'm already doing better for September! YAY!

July in a nutshell too!!

2011-08-15T19:29:00.001-07:00

I'll try to be better for August, but no promises!!

4th of July, you ask? I think my sister and I went to the movies and shopping. No fireworks. We didn't care this year... I've seen fireworks at Disneyland, the Hollywood Bowl, Lake Arrowhead-my favorite, by FAR!), Big Bear, Vet's Stadium, the Queen Mary, Dodger Stadium... What's left? I mean really?!

This month I went to my nephew's baptism/8th birthday party. That sounds funny. The birthday party was not at the church. 1st the Baptism. Then Birthday party at the house. At the baptism Soni & I sang 'I wonder when He comes again'. Unfortunately, I had just booked it to my car to grab my mini primary songbook and booked back, so I was COMPLETELY out of breath and couldn't control my diaphragm enough to squeeze out those high notes. (And they are REALLY HIGH NOTES!!) Oh well, not like it was for money or a singing contract right?!

Here's the handsome little devil here!!

He's just so adorable! It's hard to believe he's 8!!!

I'm struggling to remember what else I did this month... that's probably why I should blog more consistently, right?! Anyhow, I'll be way better for... September... since August is gone now!!!

June in a nutshell!

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

I have been sorta slacking on the blogging scene so I figured I would give you my month wrapped up in a paragragh or 2... or 3! :)

I know EVERYONE loves summertime! Lazy days where you can lounge by the pool and the weekend is all week long and you have no commitments. But my summer is a little different. When everyone is free is when we get SUPER busy!! I work for an oral surgeon so the wisdom teeth usually come out at this time before school starts up again. This means, in the words of the magician from the Frosty the Snowman cartoon, that we are "Busy! Busy! Busy!" This means that I have to really relish the weekends and take advantage of free time!

This month I went to my youngest nieces 1st birthday party. We celebrated at Long Beach Towne Center. There's a patio area where we had cupcakes and then the little kids played in the little splash fountain while Soni and I snuck away to see X-men: First Class. :) (AWESOME!)

I also had the opportunity to go the Newport Temple with my 2 sisters, Dad, Bro-in-law, niece-Nicole and nephew-Dylan. We did Baptisms for the Dead for our family names that my cousin Gayle put together. It was a great experience to be able to participate in that for my own family.

Finally, I taught my first ever Relief Society lesson this month. I used to teach Gospel Doctrine when I was in the singles ward, so this wasn't too bad. I think I just need to get used to timing again. I ran out of lesson material with 15 minutes still to go and was struggling a little to fill it!! I'll know better for next time though. I think I'm really going to like this calling! It's only once/month... I like that!! :)

Weekend getaway!

2011-05-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh.... We just got back from here! Where we shopped until we dropped here & here & HERE!!!
We ate here both days. YUM! I was HAPPY! Still am happy! I LOVE spending time with this couple!! Happy to be home now... (ask me tomorrow if I'm still happy when I have to head back to work.) :/

YAY... Ooops!

2011-04-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not Catholic, so imagine my surprise when I finished my 40 days of giving stuff up for Lent and then my co-workers tell me that Lent isn't over until Sunday! What?! I counted! I started on Ash Wednesday and counted 40 days... that ending was yesterday... I was feeling quite proud of my accomplishment and Boom! In my face! Oh well, I'm LDS not Catholic... no biggie. I'll take the 40 days I finished already and run with them! :) I'm proud to say, I did pretty well! My prayers have been AWESOME... I remember night, but have forgotten about 3 times in the morning. Scripture reading was ~~forgotten~~ neglected about the same amount of times... 3. Considering I wasn't really putting effort into any of it at all I have vastly improved. Got my Temple Recommend renewed at church Sunday and decided I need to make the effort to go a LOT more!! So, I made a goal of 1/mo. I have next Thursday off so I am making an appointment and GOING! (Anyone is welcome to tag along-Newport @ 10AM). I'm still working on my last Ensign for 2010, but am almost done. I've never felt so accomplished spiritually! (OK, on my mission I was of course... but you have all the time in the world for spiritual matters!)

Anyhow, Now that spiritual aspects are going well, it's time to pick up on the physical... EXERCISE! Ugh! I WILL start sometime in the next 2 weeks! :) I give myself plenty of time to procrastinate and try to get in the mood! Something needs to be done. I'll continue to keep you all updated!

6 DAYS!

2011-04-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

Only 6 more days and I am back on FB!! Whoo-Hoo! I've missed it, but I definitely have realized that I don't need it all that bad! I do have to admit that I was bad once and did get on there last week. I only looked at my profile to see if a friend had written in regards to me submitting one of her cake creations to the blogspot CakeWrecks.com. One of her cakes made it!! I thought that was worthy of breaking it once to tell her about it! Other than that, I have been pretty good!

I'm doing great with the Ensign/scripture reading and thankfulness journal entries. I believe I have only missed 2 days of reading and I am 5 Ensign articles away from being in 2011 Ensigns! YAY! I'm positive that I'll keep up all my good habits after Lent is over... They say, 21 days of doing something and it becomes a habit... I think 40 would cement it!

On another note I am totally enjoying my freshly installed ceiling fan! It got up there just in time for the warmer weather!

Anyway, I will give a final report next Monday when Lent is officially over! :)

WOW!! Look what I did!!

2011-03-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

OK, Seriously! I am beyond thrilled! For real! Whenever I think about coming home and seeing my handiwork, I get a big smile to my face!! Can't believe I was able to do this all on my own! (Well, I had to wait for Soni to come home so she could hold it up while I connected the wires and then connected it to the base.) Following are the 'before', 'during', & 'after'. YAY! ( I said at least 5 prayers to Heavenly Father while I was doing this!!)

I couldn't find the before picture. It was in my phone, and I never deleted it, but now it's gone!! So click this link and then click on the pic to enlarge it. In the mirror you can see the gold accents! It was UGLY!!

This is the during. Putting on the blades.

This is the after... see how nice and bright white it is!! And nice frosted lights instead of the gold ones with black lining the inside!

Lent update 2...

2011-03-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

It's still going really well. I can't believe I haven't gotten on FB since March 9!! It seriously feels like it's been FOREVER!! I can't wait until I can read people's statuses again! The thinking positively has been going great! I have my 3 thankful things that I do everyday, the Ensign's for 2010 only have 2 left in the pile (started with 6), the prayers have continued daily without fail as have the scripture readings. The only thing that's kinda hard for me is the complaining... You see, I work with only 1 other full-time girl in the back office at my work... and she is not a hard worker. She sometimes hides out in the bathroom, she has told me that she does nothing on Wednesday when she is supposed to be stocking the office... so basically, I get left with picking up her slacking off. I try not to let it get it to me. I just try to do my job, but a lot of times b/c she hasn't done her job, I get stuck with double duty. I've talked to my boss, but he's a wuss and won't really talk to anyone about anything, so I've decided just not to worry about it, since he doesn't seem to care, but I still feel the need to vent every once in awhile, which comes across as complaining. I have to say, though, it's a lot less than it was before! Anyway, 4 1/2 weeks left!!

Lent update & Honesty

2011-03-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

So far so good. My boss is out of town right now, so it's been SUPER easy not to gossip or complain. :) The Facebook give-up, I'm not going to lie, has been HARD!! After the first 2-3 days it felt like it had been weeks already!! I kept wanting to jump on and check on everyone's statuses! Since then it's been getting easier. I've finished a whole Ensign and am more than half way through a second one! YAY!

I'm not sure if this Lent thing has gotten me thinking or if it's been the Judgement, Second Coming & Exaltation Lessons we've been getting in church, but I have been thinking a lot lately at how bad I am at scripture reading and praying.

Not many people know this about me, but several years ago I was going through a health scare. I was having UTI's every other month, lots of back (kidney area) pain & I was tired a lot. For those of you who haven't heard, I was born with 4 kidneys & 4 ureters one of which wasn't connected to my bladder. After YEARS of testing, peeing in cups, IVP dyes, x-rays and exploratory surgery, I finally went in for major surgery at age 6 to 'fix my leak' so to speak. It was pretty traumatizing and now as an adult, I have a slight freak-out now and then if my back aches or I'm getting UTI's constantly.

So, I went in and consulted with my Doctor, who was concerned too, and sent me to a Specialist. During this time, I received multiple blessings, was praying constantly that they would be able to figure out what was wrong.... even if it was cancer I at least wanted an answer and to know I wasn't crazy. The specialist referred me out for a VCUG, which stands for Voiding Cysto urethrogram basically, they catheterize you, fill your bladder, and then stand you up and take x-rays while you void. (Fancy way of saying pee). They wanted to see if I had reflux of my ureters since I have 4 going into my bladder. This test showed nothing. Grrr...

My next test was a Cystoscopy... I'm not even going to explain this one... just look it up. All you need to know, is it hurts and I cried. Again, this test showed nothing. When the Specialist told me this, I was devastated. I had been praying so hard for comfort and when I got home I fell to my knees and .... nothing. I had no words. I felt abandoned by Heavenly Father. All I had wanted was an answer, a name for my pain. Ever since then my praying has gone by the wayside, scripture reading came to a stop. I still had a testimony of a lot of the principles and doctrines of the gospel, but felt like my faith was slightly shaken.

Lately, I've really felt the promptings/desire/need to get it all back. Yesterday, I added some stuff to my Lent give-ups. Not really give-ups, but just things I need to do. So, I pledged to set aside one hour of each day to study my scriptures and write in my 'liken' journal (you know how Nephi said to liken the scriptures to ourselves? That's what my 'liken' journal is for), to write in my thankfulness journal and read my Ensign. I just put in my earplugs so it's quiet and go. I also pledged to say my prayers morning and night without fail!

Last time I went to the dentist for a check-up, they said everything was fine, but then noted some areas they wanted to keep an eye on. I have to admit I'm not the best flosser... even though I work in the dental field... then and there I decided to make sure I brush and floss EVERYDAY. And I haven't missed a day since. Why is it so easy to make that a daily habit but the scriptures and prayers (which I've tried to make a habit before) are so hard? I'm hoping this new plan will make a difference. I have to admit though, it's hard to feel close to my Heavenly Father after being away for so long. Anybody have their own tricks or tips to getting that relationship back? Or making scriptures and prayers daily?

Oh.... Dear!

2011-03-15T22:02:00.001-07:00

Have you ever spilled hot wax all over? And I'm not talking "oopsie...I spilled a little." I'm talking an "OHMIGOSH-MY-SISTER-IS-GOING-TO-KILL-ME" kind of spill!!

Well, I did. And the wax is a brownish-reddish color. Of course the hardest color to get out!!

A candle we have was not burning well, so I thought I would help it and dump out some of the wax. Got it in the trash can on top of something sturdy so it wouldn't leak into all the trash and start a fire. Well, then I looked at the candle and realized I dumped too much. (I just couldn't leave well enough alone!) Pulled the stupid stuff out of the trash and was making my way (a very short distance) to the candle when it started to drip... ALL OVER OUR NOT EVEN A YEAR OLD CARPET!! I panicked and aimed for the sink. (I wish I had gotten a picture, but I was in a total panic at this point and could only think of how I should end it all before Soni came home and ended my life for me!!

Let the clean-up process begin. I brought out all the cleaning products I could find and spent the last hour or so cleaning the wax off the counter, the tile, the sink, the cupboards, the dishwasher and, of course, the carpet. I cleaned to a steady mantra of "I am so dead-I am so dead-I am so dead" going through my head! Finally, hot sweaty and totally sure I haven't missed any, I am pretty stoked about the outcome... call me crazy, but I don't even think you can see where I spilled!! AMAZING!! You be the judge!!

The carpet is still a little wet, but I think it looks great!! And so does the sink! YAY for cleaning products!! Just 1 of the 3 things I'm thankful for today!!

40 days & 40 nights

2011-03-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, Let me just preface this by telling you I love my religion. (I'm LDS) I know deep down of its truthfulness and have a strong testimony of EVERY ONE of its principles and doctrines. That being said, today started the Catholic season of Lent. Being that almost everyone at work is Catholic I hear about Lent frequently. This year, I decided I didn't want to be left out. Just because I'm not Catholic doesn't mean I couldn't benefit from giving something up... only I decided just giving something up wasn't enough. In addition, I would replace the 'given up' with something good. That way, I may even develop a good habit at the end of the 40 days!

I decided to give up 3 things! I recently got a smart phone that is FB enabled which makes it sooo easy to hop on all the time!! (Which is what I find myself doing)! So,

#1. I'm giving up Facebook and going to replace it with reading more often from my Ensign magazines (that I'm behind on... cough-cough!)

Recently at work I've had a rough couple of days... I get frustrated when people do not communicate. It seems we all beat around the bush because no one wants to step on any toes. If you know me, you know I'm a blunt, to the point, speak my mind, spit it out type of person. Even if it hurts feelings sometimes. I get frustrated with no one communicating so I find myself complaining A LOT!! (Also with other co-workers lack of working and feeling like I do it all) So,

#2 is to STOP COMPLAINING!! I am to find 3 thingsI'm thankful for each day.

Actually, this is something I used to do on a regular basis because of an article I read in an Ensign- I filled a whole journal with a years worth of 3 Thankful Things! I've been wanting to start up again and this gives me the perfect excuse/reason!

Finally, and this really goes hand in hand with the complaining, working with all girls there seems to be a great deal of gossip/smack-talk in the office, and I'm sorry to say, I find myself participating more often than not. (What a bad example!!) Anyway,

#3 is NO GOSSIPING!! I have to look for the positive if I catch myself speaking/thinking negatively.

I already had to do that one today... Our schedule at work was a scheduling nightmare and I found myself thinking negatively about the girls who schedule!!! But, I stopped and reminded myself that I was LUCKY to have a job! Day 1 went well... Wish me luck for the 39 remaining!

Here are the 3 things I'm thankful for today:

My Job (got to go Uniform shopping today courtesy of my boss.)
My smart phone... I have that GasBuddy app and since I've started eagle-eyeing gas prices I pay less attention to how people are driving! (I need to give up my road rage next Lent!)
Only having to work half a day!! (YAY!)

Aunt Bonnie's 70th!

2011-02-24T21:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight was Aunt Bonnie's 70th. (She's not on the www, so she'll never know that I told you how old she is!) We all met at Mimi's in Long Beach to surprise her. She was NOT expecting us all to be there... it was like 'party of 20'... seriously! It was a great time had by all and although I had my camera in my purse I forgot to take it out ALL night! Duh! Could have been because there was sooooo much noise I seriously could not hear the person talking to me from 2 seats down!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNT BONNIE!!

I've been 1 sick puppy!

2011-02-05T01:09:00.000-08:00

Ugh! Let me just say I went through a whole box of Kleenex in 1 day! It's been a wonderful & wet week! That is all. I feel much better today!

Christmas Eve Pictures

2011-01-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

It's tradition in our family to hang out with our Aunt Bonnie Christmas Eve. We went to Elephant Bar this year for a fantastic dinner. Some years we go Christmas caroling after, lately it's just dinner & then gift exchange. Here's some pics from my side of the table:

Piper & Sarah

Brett & Jake... who only smiled when I bribed him with an extra Christmas present!

Katie & Piper... Pretty in Pink!

Soni & Me (Catherine)

Debi & Colee

By now you realize that my side of the table consisted of the Danley Family, Soni & myself.

After dinner Soni & I booked it over to Target to see if we could find any DIET Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (It's our new favorite drink!) They only had 1 case... :(

Anyway, then we headed over to Bonnie's to help her install her new DVD player! It was actually a fun night.

Disney w/ Danley's II

2011-01-19T11:24:00.000-08:00

I totally forgot about these pictures! Soni & I met Debi's family at Disneyland again!! What we thought was Dylan turned out to be a neighbour. (He turned out to be hilarious!!)

Piper on the Haunted Mansion.

Jake's friend covered his ears the ENTIRE time! Seriously!!!

Jake telling him it's OK and he can uncover his ears and look around. "This ride is fun!"

It's tradition now to take an upside down picture. Katie: "I'm not scared on this ride anymore!"

Oh yeah... Jake's friend refused to ride with Jake, he insisted on squeezing in w/me & Katie!

Jake proud of the fact that he wasn't scared to go by himself!

Spider alert!

2011-01-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

Got home today and did my usual spider check (it's not REALLY a Full-On check... I just glance around so I'm not surprised by anything... the surprise is what makes it scary to me. I hate when they just pop up unannounced! How dare they!) and...... NOTHING! YAY!

Got down to some business: sorting & doing laundry, making some lunch, the usual.

Long story short... It was dark in the front room, I hadn't turned on the light yet, but you know out of the corner of my eye I totally saw it!! Yup. A spider. I wasn't sure... so I climbed, yes,

Climbed, across the furniture to switch on the light. Moved the coffee table and there he was. He? She? IT!

I thought I acted very calm. Grabbed the dust buster, and IT didn't even stand a chance. Really IT didn't even put up a fight. It went right up that dust buster like it knew its fate beforehand. It wasn't huge, but it was bigger than the other ones I've killed... and it was DARK! *Shudder* Let's get something straight though, I am not racist UNLESS it comes to spiders... the dark ones are always the dangerous ones! i.e. BLACK widow, BROWN recluse... Ok, Those are the only ones I can think of with the DARK color in the name. But, the hobo spider is dark too! (see chart below) I know I'm obsessed! I was watching a show the other day about infestations and these people had a spider infestation and I knew they were hobo spiders before the show announced it! I guess I like being informed about my fear. I then know what to avoid!

Can I ask a question? Why do spiders come indoors in the first place? The food/bugs are OUTSIDE! Maybe if I come to the conclusion that spiders are dumb they won't scare me as much. I wonder what sort of therapy methods they use to get you over a fear of spiders? Do you have to let them crawl on you? That thought keeps me from seeking help for my phobia!

Anyway, now that I have bored you to death, go see if you can find a spider and identify it!

Irrational Fears... tales of Condo spiders Part II

2011-01-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

... Sorry for drawing the spider stories out, but there are just sooo many of them!!

After that spider on my sweatshirt, I was totally on the lookout! So one Sunday night Soni & I were sitting on the couch watching TV. (Aaron & Marly had just left). I'm totally just relaxing and BAM! Spider crawls out between the couch cushions! I jump up, turn on the light, and start complaining that the spiders seem to be 'coming after me'!! Soni kills it and just laughs, as I'm frantically trying to figure out where it could have come from. I know. They come from all over, but I'm male brained. I like to figure out where the problem is coming from and FIX IT!!

Next day in the morning as I'm just sitting down to put on my makeup one drops from the ceiling on a web. (small one, I was totally OK with smashing that one!)

That day when I come from work there is one on the floor next to my laundry basket. (Sucked up in dust buster... ran the dust buster for like 5 minutes to make absolutely sure he was DEAD!)

Next day... I should stop and tell you that at this point, I seriously walk slowly up the stairs and look everywhere! So, I look all over the floor and am relieved to finally find NO spiders. I turn to walk into my bathroom... and, YUP, as I'm sure you've guessed a spider runs right into my path. I guess he was hiding by my dresser.

I should also tell you that I have become quite paranoid. I leave lights on, can't sleep, all I'm doing is thinking about where the next spider will be or when I'll see the next spider! I even told Soni that I was ready to move b/c of the spider problem!! I bought some spider spray and sprayed all around my floorboards, the A/C vent, everywhere I've seen the spiders... and I am very happy to say, I have not seen a spider since!! Whoo-Hoo!

Downside: I have not been as vigilant in watching for them, and I'm worried that one will catch me off-guard! Also, everywhere I've seen a spider I keep thinking I'll see them in that same spot!!

Book Challenge!

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

Saw this on another blog and thought it would be a fun thing to try. I LOVE to read!!

Click on the link and sign up!

My list

Irrational Fears... Tales of Condo spiders Part I

2010-12-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

I have told you I have a total irrational fear of spiders, right? Remember THIS post? One December my family was out caroling. I was riding shotgun in Darrel's car. Me: "Is that on the inside or the outside?" Darrel: "Is what on the inside or outside?" Me: Frantically scooting over to my right just in case it was on the inside... "That spider! Is it inside? Voice getting panicky... "It is on the inside!!" Getting more panicky now... " I need a tissue!!!!!!!!" Soni from back seat hands me a tissue without a word. Me: Try to kill spider and miss... and start screaming, "Where is it? I missed!" Darrel: "It's JUST a spider!" Me: "WELL FEARS ARE IRRATIONAL!!!" I screamed that and threw down my tissue as I started sobbing.

So as you can see, TOTAL fear!! Since moving in over here I feel like the heavens are trying to get me over my little fear. One day, I had just bought a sweatshirt from Disneyland & hung it in my closet close to the door so I could wear it the next day. When I put it on the next day, just as my left arm went into the sleeve and my hand came out a spider came dangling off (I just got chills up my back remembering this!!) and dropped to the ground. I had already let out a high pitched squeal and jumped back, and am now just starring at the spider as he races for cover under my bookcase. Finally, rational thinking starts in my brain and I grab a shoe. I had to just squish him enough to make sure he wouldn't come back to life, send a signal to all his friends to attack me, and jump up in my face and then suck my bodily juices dry... but not too much b/c the carpet is new and I didn't want spider guts permanently stained into my bedroom floor! I then proceed to get the dust buster, suck him up, and flush him! I was still teary eyed when I arrived at work 25 minutes later. (This is really a problem!!)

To Be Continued...

Merry Christmas..

2010-12-24T15:44:00.000-08:00

.. ya filthy animal! ... and a Happy New Year!

Home Alone anyone? Anyone? They didn't have that as an option at Costco.com, but maybe next year! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!! Love to all my friends and family! Let's make 2011 even better!!

I'm thinking about getting...

2010-12-12T00:31:00.000-08:00

...my electrician's license!! :)

You all know the hassle Soni & I have gone through with fixing up our condo! (sigh...glad that's all *mostly* behind us!) We still have some things that need tweaking:

changing out my ceiling fan
the pantry light
the downstairs toilet now leaks slightly-GAH!
hemming our curtains ( we can do it, we just are lazy.)

... Anyway- I was frustrated trying to find something in that dark, disorganized pantry, so I decided I was going to change out that old non-working light for the new one.

Yup. I decided. -And, I was not going to turn off the electricity! (OK, not that I didn't want to, more so b/c I had a cheesecake in the oven, and I was too lazy to try to figure out which 1 switch was for that certain area.)

I grabbed some tools and my work began. Everything was going really well. I had unhooked all the wires but one set, so I grabbed them with the plier I had and *POP! POP! SPARK! SCREAM!* -YES. The scream was from me! :) It took me a couple minutes to get my courage back (and my heart rate to slow down), but I was back at it! Got everything put back together without electrocuting myself, I'm proud to say, pulled the cord and .... NOTHING! DANG! Well, at least I tried, right?

5 minutes later I noticed the refrigerator was not on... I had blown a fuse. So, turned it back on, checked the fridge (light was on so it must be working), looked up and....*

SAW THAT THE LIGHT WAS ON!!!

I totally did a happy dance! Woo-Hoo! I'm seriously thinking about trying to tackle my fan myself just so I could say I tried it... and if I actually do it, that would be even awesome-er!

* I tried to download a video and it wouldn't work. I'll keep trying!

Have I mentioned...?

2010-12-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

...That I LOVE this time of year?! 10 Things I LOVE about the last 2 months of the year!!!

Cooler Weather... you can never take enough off when it's hot! You can always put more on!
The Music... YAY! (I've been listening off & on all year anyway, but now it's acceptable! :)
Decorations/Christmas Lights... LOVE LOVE LOVE... probably b/c my 2 brothers & I would start counting how many homes we saw with Christmas Lights on all our car trips! Good memory!
People are generally in a nicer mood this time of year... exception- Scrooge!
It means Winter is right around the corner... which = even Colder weather!!
Christmas Shopping... I do like it, even though I hate fighting crowds. Secret shopping tip... don't get a cart! You'll be giddy when you zoom in & out of slow shoppers!!
Christmas Baking! I have already made 2 cheesecakes, a double batch of banana bread w/ choc. chips & 2 double batches of chocolate chip cookies. Planning to make at least 1 more cheesecake (maybe 2), lots of brownies, and at least 10 dozen more batches of various cookies! YAY!
Christmas Caroling! I think the Christensen Caroling tradition started when I was 12 or 13 and I have LOVED it ever since... more so since I developed a penchant for baking. Even though we didn't go last year... Soni & I decided to just duet this year simply b/c we LOVE doing it!!
The SMELLS!! The candles, the baking smells, the crispness in the air... I LOVE IT ALL!!
The Feeling... can't quite describe it... maybe just b/c I love this time of year, I'm happier, but it's just that good feeling you have that puts a little spring in your step, and makes you sing/hum the last Christmas song you heard ALL day! (Yesterday I was singing Barry Manilow's- Christmas Is Just Around The Corner)
I know I said 10, but I had to add... The MOVIES!! I love Christmas Movies & TV!!

What's your favorite Time of Year? Or Favorite Things about this time of year?

Is it sad...

2010-11-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

... that I TOTALLY want this!

I am such a Star Wars NERD!!

Disneyland surprise

2010-11-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

Soni & I have NOT been using our Disneyland passes very wisely this past year ( I think I've only been twice! What a waste!) so we decided to go last Wednesday. As we were driving (which is like 5 exits off the fwy from our house now! So much closer!), we were wondering if it was going to be crowded. I thought yes, since Halloween was coming up. Soni thought maybe if kids were out of school. We decided to text Colee (our niece) & see if she was in school or not. Her reply: Yes. I have school, but we are ditching and the whole fam is at Disneyland!

So, we met up with Debi, Brett & their 6 kids. I got some fun pics on the ride and throughout the park. Soni and I ended up staying almost to closing, instead of our usual 3-4 hours! I was exhausted that night!!

Isn't this SO cute?! We were walking over to Big Thunder when Piper & I saw this scarecrow. I set her down and she walked right over. She totally hugged him when I told her to and just stayed there until I got a suitable pic!

Here's Dylan & I on Pirates. He thinks he is so Gangsta! Dork! Stop kissing at the camera! Jake's hand is behind us along with Brett on the right, and that's Sarah on the left... looking stoned! :)

This was Piper on Pirates! She kept telling us she wanted to go on 'mall World, but it was closed, so I asked if she wanted to go on Pirates again. She kept saying yes and yo ho ho even though Debi said she was scared when they had just gone on it! She looks possessed b/c I missed her eyes!

Here's Dylan! He and Jake had to try and climb on any & everything! Even though they kept getting told to stay off, they were always there!

Katie wanted her picture with the Kitty. This is her "pose" as she told me! So cute and funny! She had to hold the map in her hand and only relinquished it when I told her I wanted to find the nearest bathroom!

Piper got a Pooh Bear stuffed animal while we were there, but somehow, Jake ended up with the Bear, and the stroller! I'm sure this pic will be great for blackmail when he's older!

Soni & I in the teacup... the stationary one is the only way to go for me!! I cannot do a lot of rides. They make me dizzy! Aaron doesn't remember, but he cut in line with my cousin & I once to go on. I told him he couldn't spin it. What does he do? He spins it like crazy and when I started whining that I was getting dizzy he tells me to lay down. Thanks! Now the world is spinning in two directions instead of just one! I had to go home immediately after that I was so sick! ( I inherited my Dad's crazy inner-ear problem, so dizziness is a big problem for me. I don't need a ride at all to wake up completely dizzy some days.) Just had to add that addendum for those of you that are thinking, Man, what a baby!! It really is a problem. I've been dizzy for 3 weeks at a time before!! Someday, I'd like to have surgery to fix this labrynthitis/vertigo I've dealt with since childhood, but I'm afraid of ending up permanently dizzy. So for now it's just something I deal with.

Here's Colee & Katie on Dumbo. (Of course, I passed on that one!) Katie looks mad, b/c I made her look up for the picture. She lost her penny and was trying to find it before they made them get off the ride!

Jake and Dylan in the back in front of that lady hanging on the fence!

OK, this is a tale for the ages! That would be Debi stealing people's wishes from the fountain by the Dumbo ride! Brett, her husband, not pictured because he was too embarrassed! FYI: If you throw a quarter in the Dumbo fountain, aim for the middle or it will get swiped by this lady!

HA! Jake and Sarah were on Big Thunder in front of Dylan & I... I could hear someone screaming HYSTERICALLY! Seriously, Not like Whoooooooooooo! Like most people do, you know? But, short hysterical screams like he was being attacked and could NOT fend of his attacker! When I realized it was Jake I thought I just might pee my pants!

Dylan... we are laughing because I kept getting thrown into him on all the curves! He also thought at one point that he almost lost his head. "It was SOOO close" he told me. (It wasn't.)

I think we all know who did not want to go on Big Thunder. I think I was 8 before Soni & Debi made me go on... I sat between them and bonked my head on the seat at one point. I think I remember crying a little too hard and it not hurting quite that much, but I wanted to make them think I was suffering for FORCING me to go on!

Just FYI: No adults have to force me onto rides at Disneyland any longer. I now, willingly and cheerfully submit myself to being soaked, thrown around, and sometimes made a little sick without putting up any fight!

PS... The kids wanted to go on Splash Mountain which I usually skip... But for their sake, Soni & I submitted. Jake was with me in row 1, but I guess he knew better than to sit in front, so I had to suck it up! I GOT SOAKED!! My shorts were pretty see-through the rest of the day! Luckily, Colee let me borrow her sweatshirt until we finally went home. Never again! Back row for me next time!

Mid-Singles Activity+Coach Outlet= Arrowhead!!

2010-11-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

So, once again, we headed up to Arrowhead for our twice-a-year getaway!! It was a blast!! Who doesn't love a great location, bargain shopping, views, and good company? Soni, Lani & I usually head up early Friday morning. We love to eat at this place and usually try to eat breakfast there every time we go! I love 'a little breakfast'!!

Who doesn't love these views? The weather was perfect! I found myself just wanting to walk around b/c the weather was AWESOME! Cool and not at all hot!

Here's Soni and I...I think this was when we were getting ready to meet up with everyone for lunch! We talked everyone into eating at this aforementioned spot so Soni, Lani & I got to eat there TWICE this trip! *smacks lips* DELISH!

There weren't too many people out on there boats in October...I guess it's a little cold for water skiers and swimmers!

I think Wade was getting ready to go for a hike. ?? Why hike when you can shop?! I just don't know what some people are thinking?! :)

This year, we started a new tradition... Chuck payed for, everyone who wanted, trips on the go carts! I started out in last place...But since I never took my foot off the gas pedal, I soon lapped everyone! One of the guys in the group called me Danica Patrick. I'll take that! Minus the Go-Daddy crap she promotes! :) Darrel ran into me at one point and had my car slightly sideways. But, I think it's safe to say I WON!

PS... When I was shopping... I found an awesome pair of jeans and some dress pants. They fit like a dream, so I went to see what the damage would be. Guess What?!!!! $7.99!! Holy COW! And I had a coupon for 20% off that! Those pants were under $7! Can't beat that! I LOVE THEM!!

Fun Fact Friday a la Sarah!

2010-10-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Here's one for you guys:

You know how Soni & I have been struggling to get everything done at our place and running out of people we know to Bum favors off of? Well, our new RS pres helped us out by giving us the name of someone who could help with our multiple electricity needs. Manuel came over about 3 weeks ago and:

installed our dimmer on the track lighting
fixed the connected outlet so the switch would turn the track lighting off and on
installed our smoke alarm that had to be wired in
fixed the 2 light switches that control the light above the stairs
AND.... *takes breath* fixed our GFCI outlet in the bathroom

All that for the low LOW price of $80!!!!!! GET OUT! No, I'm SERIOUS!

Here's the fact:

We found out at Enrichment Night that he got deported!

We were soooo gonna have him back to do more stuff too! We need the GFCI plug looked at once more (it controls my bathroom outlet too, but not anymore :( and I still need to switch out my old fan for the new one!

I guess we are, once again, back at square one!!

I'll keep you posted!

Ah Kids!

2010-10-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last night, Soni & I had a sleepover in our new place with this little cutie!

We watched a lot of Nick Jr.!!! (I hope to never see Yo! Gabba Gabba or Fresh Beat Band AGAIN!!) She LOVED walking around in Soni's slippers...they were soooo BIG they totally flopped against the ground hard while she was walking! It was hilarious! She wanted to sit at our table and eat snack like 5 times! (Girl loves to eat!) We read books at bedtime ( I still have some of my fave Care Bear & Strawberry Shortcake books from when I was little), & then we got into bed, sang some songs, said prayers & she was out by 9pm. Soni & I were thinking she would, maybe, sleep a little longer than 6:30AM...we were hoping anyway!

Brighton woke up at the lovely hour of 4AM!! (Jodee told us she's a light sleeper and something fell off the wall in my closet at that time, so that's probably what woke her up!) Needless to say, we got to watch a lot more Nick Jr. :)

All in all it was a fun time -despite the totally early hour of awakening! I turned on my iPod later while I was getting dressed and we danced around and clapped. (OK! She danced around. I clapped.) She was also jumping off a book on the floor. What a little daredevil! She loved looking over the wall to downstairs and yelling, "HI SONI!!" :)

What a character! Too bad I didn't get more pics! Next time!

Fun-Filled Saturday!!

2010-09-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I woke up early! I couldn't contain my excitement...so I tried to distract myself with some TV until I hopped in the shower. At exactly 10 AM Soni & I arrived at The Original Pancake House to meet our Aunt Janice for a FABULOUS BREAKFAST!! They seriously have the BEST bacon EVER!! I ordered the Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Soni had the Pumpkin Pancakes and Aunt Janice had the banana! Here's my picture:

After a delicious breakfast we headed over to the Cinemark 25 theatre in Orange and saw the movie You Again. During the beginning, my Aunt leans over and tells me that Kristen Bell reminds her of me! (She's sooo cute! Thanks!!) It was a really cute movie!

...THEN-(Yup...still more!) I headed over to THEIR HOUSE for an AWESOME dinner!! I also got to see their new house in Corona, their super-cute twins, and play Mexican Train!! If you have never played you are MISSING out!! I love this game! I would play every weekend if I could!

Day started at 7, when I woke up...and ended at 2 AM! (After I had my breakdown at midnight over the Brown Widows! (WARNING!!!!) PICTURE OF SPIDER TO FOLLOW...just warning you, in case that kind of thing freaks you out-like it does me!!!!) *chills*

See the hourglass? That's all I needed to see to FREAk!

There were 5 all along our outside staircase and I was too paralyzed by fear to climb up!! I couldn't really sleep, so Soni and I were up chatting and perusing catalogues for clothes! The spiders still couldn't ruin my perfect day! ( Especially since I didn't cry over them until midnight...that was the NEXT day!) Tee-Hee!

YAY for Curtains!

2010-09-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Curtains serve 3 very important purposes in my mind:

A. They are for beautifying a room and making a window look lovely.

2. They keep the neighbours from getting a peep-show!

And:

D. They keep that stalker "Bob" from seeing in and knowing if I'm really home or hiding out in the bathroom-thus keeping him (hopefully) from 'dropping by' unannounced!

10. That is all!

Some new 'Before & Afters'

2010-09-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

Remember the list? Well, as of last night you can scratch 1, 2, 1/2 of 3, 7 & even a couple that weren't on the list! (I'll tell you those a little bit later).

Last night, these two came over to help us out with getting some of our list taken care of!

So, here's the curtain rod-less window before.

And, here's the after:

well, semi-after... no curtains yet.

And the bathroom shelf before... well, it was a blank white wall...so I'll give you the before of the shelf hanging.

And, mostly decorated... still need a fall candle to fill that empty space. YAY, FALL!!

I don't have any pictures of the towel bar before and after, but do you really need it? C'mon, it's a towel-bar! Picture a big silver bar with a towel hanging over it. There you go!

Here is one of the not-on-the-list-items:

See that super cute dragonfly hook? I installed that one myself. It was a screw into the wall...Go me! :)

For your viewing pleasure and my peace of mind, the bookshelves were bolted to the wall. We do live in California people! It was totally bothering me though, b/c 1 bookshelf leaned away from the wall, and I am a perfectionist...it's the little things that drive me crazy! Before, it looked like this:

I know you can't tell but the bookcase on the right "is leaning" ( Hey Luce!)

But, now they are both as straight as the day is long!*

And the most excellent side view which proves they are in perfect alignment!

* you weren't dreaming, you did see it. Close up of the most AWESOME shelf dedicated to STAR WARS... The original 3 of course! I tried to hide it, but, YES. I do have a bit of a girl-geek in me!

Seriously, though, every time I walk in my room now, I see that the bookcase are lined up nicely and it brings a smile to my face! Then I walk into the bathroom and see my beautiful freshly hung shelf & my smile gets bigger!

THANKS AARON & MARLY!!

They came today!

2010-09-11T20:49:00.001-07:00

Soni & I have been waiting for some smaller things to get done to have the house feeling like home. Here' the list:

Hang curtain rods & curtains (tired of giving the neighbours a show!)
Hang towel rod in bathroom
Wire & hang 1 smoke alarm, Hang 1 other smoke alarm
Change out bedroom ceiling fan
Fix pantry light (so we can see our food!)
Wire 1, possibly 2 GFCI plugs
Hang bathroom shelf (upstairs bathroom)
We also need help with wiring a light switch... I tried to install a dimmer for the track lighting and now the switch doesn't control the outlet anymore!! So frustrating! I don't know what I did! :(

If you know someone who can help us, or if you can help us yourself... COME ON OVER!! We welcome any & all help! Our other sources of help are not quite so reliable which isn't very ... well, helpful!! Thanks!

But, what's really been missing is a couch!! I'm tired of sitting on a beach chair!! My hips have been hurting! It's making me feel really old!! Also, it's not really that comfortable!! (You try sitting in one for 2 1/2 weeks) . My back has been aching, my neck has been kinked...it's no bueno! But today, this came ...

Our NEW COUCH!! It's SUPER comfortable! And I LOVE IT!!

Soni & I waited until we were both ready & then we counted 1...2...3! And we both sat down simultaneously. (I know we're weird!) We just looked at each other & smiled. (The ottoman was a freebie with the couch purchase...it's already full of games & comfy blankets! :)

On another note, we also got this delivered:

OUR NEW TABLE! (It's called Boise)

It has a butterfly leaf which means the leaf folds into the table. Perfect for us! We don't have to find room to store it!

Seriously, we are soooooo happy to have REAL furniture & feel like adults again!! Whoo-Hoo!!

Dear Lowe's

2010-09-01T15:24:00.001-07:00

How come you wouldn't install our washer/dryer we purchased from you 3 months ago? Why would you tell us that we need to buy a compact washer and dryer so it would fit in our laundry closet? Why would you deliver it twice and get our hopes up, only to then have your delivery company tell us we need more space and leave with our washer/dryer in tow? We were convinced that we needed to get the compact washer/dryer even though it would mean having to do twice as much laundry per week and having an ugly teeny-tiny washer & dryer!! Well, to the folks at Lowe's we would like to say...

THAT'S NOT WHAT THEY TOLD US AT HOME DEPOT!!

These are our newly installed washer/dryer that the friendly people at Home Depot installed for us last Saturday. They are not compact! Soni & I were holding our breath & PRAYING HARD when they were installed! Bing-Bang-BAM! They were done in an hour and I was doing my laundry in no time!!

More condo pics!!

2010-09-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here's our new stove. Haven't really used the oven portion since it's been warm...but we can't wait to start baking!

Our new refrigerator... Oooh-La-La! French Doors!

*NOTE* Soni told me I forgot to mention this fridge was $1000 and we scored it for $745!! Go Lowe's price match!

And... with the doors open. Oui! Oui!

Remember this wall??? I was trying to get the difference in color..it is a lovely green now.

Here's a close-up... Love the switch plates too! :) I picked those out!

I know you remember the lovely red window alcove!

It is now the same color as the green wall. Much more relaxing and not so in-your-face.

And now, the bedrooms...

First... Soni's

Soni's room. I was trying to get a good pic of the Lilac color, but it still looks blue. Remember it was beige? See her cute nighstand (Home Goods) & lovely lamp?... ( I picked out her lamp at Target! Love Target!!)

Another view of the paint color...

And... Second... My Room!! (They'll be more pics obviously!) My super cute duvet cover I scored at Ikea! And I love my trunk for storing sheets & blankets!

I adore my new nightstand, (Home Goods) & super cute lamp..mix & match at Target!

My bathroom organizer... I have an obsession with white furniture and bead board!

My sink vanity and don't you adore the mirror! Clearance $25 at Wal*Mart.com

My Closet: It's not all of my closet... I just love being organized and love seeing everything have a place! Shoe organizers courtesy of Closet Maid (Target!!)

All my clothes hang above... & then everything is nicely organized down below

The After pics!

2010-08-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

OK, I finally got the up-loader thingie unpacked so I could let you all feast your eyes!

Remember this?

Before.

And now...

I know you still have this burned onto your retinas:

And after:

The upstairs bedroom:

And after...a much nicer, calmer, lighter shade of blue!

That's all for now. I don't have any good pics of the downstairs bedroom or the living room (I'll get those up later... and I know you didn't see our shower before, but I'll leave you with one more after...

Collections...?

2010-08-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

I don't think people believe me when I tell them I have a tendency to get addicted to having certain items and start collecting...

Since we moved, I have been able to get a good idea of just how much stuff I actually have!

I certainly don't need anymore of these following items:

In case you can't tell...this is a bin full of all my purses! Although, personally, I don't think a girl can ever have too many purses!

Uh... batteries. Batteries! (My family will get that one!)

I don't even use these that often... so when I was unpacking I was SURPRISED that I had soooo many!

Anyone need a pen or marker? This isn't even all of them!

Who doesn't need a million and one stickers?

Needless to say, Soni and I now have items on a "no-buy" list.

Just for fun...2- "It's the Singles Life"

2010-08-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

To the tune of It's a Hard-Knocked Life -you know? From Annie.

It's the singles life for us!

'Stead of minivans & kids, we get roommates & an empty fridge!

It's the singles life!

Got no spouse to speak of so...

it's the singles life we know.

Lots of 1st dates, but no more! All this dating is a chore!

It's the singles life!

Don't it feel like you'll never find a husband?

Don't it seem like you'll never find a wife?

Once a day don't you wanna throw the towel in?

It's easier than living singles life!!

No one's here from the Stake if we should need them.

They are busy visiting all the family wards.

If we're lucky, someday we can join them.

When we're married that will be our big reward!!

Ohhhhhh-Ohhhh-Ohhhh!

Mingle munchies life!

Only 1st dates life!

Empty fridges life!

Only roommates life!

Stake Leaders we never see.

Stake Leaders? There's no such thing!!

When you're here you are ignored,

'Cause you're in a singles ward!

It's the singles life!

It's the singles life for us!

It's the single life for us!

When you're here you are ignored,

'Cause you're in a singles ward!

It's the singles life!

It's-the-singles-life!!!

I thought that one was just OK when I wrote it. The only thing I left out is the part where Molly is pretending to be Miss Hannigan...I'll work on it from a Bishop's perspective! I'll also work on finding my "Supermodest" lyrics. That one I LOVE!!

Just for fun...

2010-08-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know me that well, or my family, I/we like to put our own lyrics to songs. (Especially Debi and I...ask her about her Footloose lyrics. Or "Open Arms" by Journey).
Anyway, when I was in the Singles Ward my friend, George, sent me a link to this song some guy had made up about Testimony meeting...to the tune of "My Favorite Things." Well, of course, I immediately set about making up one for a singles ward F&T meeting. I think it's quite good, of course!

"The Singles' Ward Testimony Meeting Song"

by Catherine Christensen 11-11-06

To the tune of "My Favorite Things"

Verse 1: It's the first Sunday & my "favorite" meeting. We get to listen to hearts that are bleeding. Bishop just sat down kids rush for the floor-soon to be followed by about 50 more.

"Without a doubt" & "I HAD to get up here" just some of the quotes that you're most likely to hear. New roommates fighting, then sharing some hugs. Is it just me or are they all on drugs? First they bore us. Then implore us. What more will they say? These are just a few of my favorite things about Testimony Sunday!

Verse 2: Now a girl gives a "shout-out" to her roommate. Another complains about how she's had NO dates! Bishop is sleeping with an hour to go! What will be said next? We never can know! There're always stories about work and school. Some-guy just testified his boss is a fool! The ward mission leader loves pass-along cards. Just 2 more years then I'm leaving these 'tards! Cell phones ringing! When's the singing? Are you bored my friend? Just 40 more minutes 'til hymn and a prayer and then all of this will end!

Verse 3: A guy tells us he saw a rated R movie. Some-guy that's too old tells us his life is 'groovy.' Engaged couples tell us they're leaving the ward. Can't someone testify they love the Lord? The First Counselor tells us his wife had a baby. Another guy wants to serve a mission...maybe? Finally! The announcement: 5 minutes to go. Why does the time seem to go by so slow? "Bingo!" yells George. Brother Rex snores. Is the spirit near? We've reached the ending, let's sing our last song and get the heck out of here!!

Don't get me wrong people...it's not always like this, but seriously? Everything in this song has happened in 1 or more Testimony meetings. It's just a song with all the weirdness wrapped up together. Some of our Testimony Meetings were wonderful and filled with the spirit! And I did love my time in the singles ward...I just love a silly song!

Coming Soon-"It's a Singles Life"...to the tune of "Hard-Knock life" from Annie

& "Super Modest"...to the tune of "Supermodel" by Jill Sobule (?) written for Girls Camp girls in '08.

I officially have...

2010-08-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

...a working bathroom! Woo-Hoo! John was over Saturday and we finally got everything squared away with my bathroom sink! (YAY!!!) Of course, we did have to go get new valves since the old ones leaked as soon as we turned on the water! What the heck! How is everything falling apart on us & worked fine for the old owners?? I just don't get it?! But, you live & learn, right?
We also discovered...(& Soni & I both SWEAR that when we saw the shower rod the packaging said it was TENSION-MOUNTED) that our brand new double rod shower rod that we bought is not...I repeat, IS NOT tension-mounted! (D'OH!) But, we have decided to keep it anyway and will just mount it above the tile into the wall. (We just spent $300 on that tile, no way is it getting holes drilled into it!)
Needless to say, we did not move in on Sunday. Now before you get upset for us...it was our choice. We are spoiled and would really like to be able to shower with a shower curtain up before we move in for good. Also, we get TV installed on Wednesday, which would also be nice to have before we commit to our new location. My cousin should be coming over again Weds. to install the shower curtain, hang curtain rods, hang mirrors etc...
I took a bunch of pictures Saturday but my connector to get them to the computer is at the condo...so look for those later!

Almost there!

2010-07-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

(PLEASE!!! FINGERS CROSSED PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!)

Ramon (seriously...if he was single!) has finished the tile in the bathroom, patched the kitchen ceiling, and put in the carpet. He should be finishing up today. (YAY!)
My cousin, John, has promised that tomorrow we are finishing up the rest! Setting the kitchen sink, finishing the plumbing of my bathroom sink, putting on the shower fixtures, and fixing the water line and the valves. It's a small chore list. We should be able to knock it out!
Whoo-Hoo! Although I'm not officially planning that we'll be moving in too soon. (I don't want to get my hopes up, only to be disappointed, again!!) So, I'll let you know when the move actually is happening!

Girl's Camp... Take 3!

2010-07-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

May I just say that it is so hard to be focused on Camp when you have bought a house and are working on it?!

Day 1: Drove myself up this year and YUP! You guessed it. Even though I swear I followed the directions to a T, I still got lost! ( I found Target easily!) I had to call my brother for the address to the camp so I could use my phones navi app (Only 2.99) Le sigh! I was only 15 minutes late. Tonight we had a Burden Trail activity... 3 stops where we told the girls they had committed a sin and had them place a rock in their bag. I think they saw an R rated movie on stop 1 Of course my stop had to be the sexual sin! I had to tell them that they went too far with a guy on a date! I think I scared some of the 12 yr olds! I could see them in their cabins later that night asking their cabin Mom's what 'going too far' with a boy meant?! So, for the younger girls, I started telling them they dated before they were 16! Less weird for me!! The girls ended the trail at a big pic of Jesus where they got to "place their burdens" on the Lord. Then Sis. Hale gave a talk. It was a fun night.

Day 2: Ugh! I have to get up at 7?! (Bishop's Night) Today the girls had Archery,water balloon volleyball, and an iron rod activity. Susanne Thompson and I were in charge of the Iron Rod Activity. There was a rope "trail" through the woods & the girls were blindfolded. Susanne would place the blindfold, place them on the right track, tell them not to leave the rope, and then let them go. My job was to have the YCL's try to get them to let go. At first I thought it was going to be a boring time for me, b/c the girls would know what the rope represented and not leave it. SURPRISE! Some of the YCL's were sneaky and would lure them away with the promise of a shortcut, or tell them they were going the wrong way, and to come toward the sound of their voice and they would 'help' them. We got a LOT of girls to leave the rope! I got to play the spirit and when they left the rope I would place them back on and tell them not to listen to the YCL's and to stay on the rope! Amazingly, some of them left the rope a 2nd time!! One girl left the rope 5 times!!!! It ended with a talk by Bishop Smith. It ended up being a lot of fun! PS: A girl fainted in the dinner line tonight. Dun... dun... DUN!

Day 3: The dreaded hike to the Lake day!! It's a 30 minute hike and a lot of it is uphill!! I know I am out of shape and I was not having fun!! It's a long hike, and once you get to the lake you can't even swim!! Only kayaks and canoes. I took a book and just sat in the shade and read while they had fun. Then we had to hike back... and my group got lost... of course! My girls had KP all day today-Woo-Hoo!! I was washing the dinner dishes with Alysha and one of my YCL's came to get me asking me if I could help with another of my YCL's. Well, she was lying flat on the floor, barely breathing, and unresponsive. I thought I was going to have to do CPR!!!! I was scared out of my mind! It was more unnerving b/c I was the first person to get there! SCARY! We ended up calling the paramedics b/c she wasn't responding. They told us it was a bronchospasm. (minor breathing difficulty problem.) We went to testimony meeting once she was responding and said she felt better, but kept an eye on her. They waited to start testimony for us which made the night go WAY LONG!! After testimony we had dessert, and then still had star gazing... by the time the girls went to bed it was probably after 1! I know it was when I went to bed! Anyhow, the day was basically emotionally and physically exhausting! PS... after testimony we got to see 2 American Flags retired

Day 4: YAY! We get to go home! The girls got up, had breakfast, cleaned, packed a lunch, got on the bus, and were on their way! We leaders were about 20 minutes behind them, but we still made it to the Ximeno building before the bus. Here's the final kicker: I locked my keys in my car promptly upon arriving at the church. Yee-Haw! That's what sleep-deprivation will do to ya!

4 loads of laundry, 12 hours of sleep & 1 shower later...I am fully recovered!!

Just an update:

2010-07-14T09:36:00.001-07:00

The place is still being worked on. The bathroom is almost user-ready! YAY! As soon as that is ready, we can move in. The carpet is still not in, 1 ceiling fan still needs to be put up, the kitchen sink needs to be set, the upstairs bathroom still needs the pipes set... but that about covers it. WE are sooooo close, but still no cigar people! I'll keep you posted!

Movin' on up!

2010-06-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

...to the East side? OK, no. But things have been moving right along! Last Saturday an electrician came out & put in the recessed lighting in the kitchen. It looks really good, except that he left a hole in the ceiling... so, 1 problem fixed 1 problem added? Oh well, at least that orange big box is gone!

Today, my cousin was in TOP FORM!! He brought a veritable army of workers with him today!! His son Jake, and 2 friends Dave (who is going to help us with our shower for CHEAP-YAY!) & Jim (who is funny, helpful, and a VERY hard-worker... & was the poor sap who had the task of being in our 100 degree + attic cutting a hole.) Besides being hysterically funny (& a bunch of guys) they put up Soni's fan- (after having to climb over the AC unit in the attic, and cut a hole in the ceiling... AND go to Lowe's TWICE). They got the garbage disposal and kitchen sink put in- (after having to make 2 more trips to Lowe's, cut the piping (twice), replace the Garbage Disposal plug, and try to figure out where oh where they placed our main water shut-off! FYI: Still have NO CLUE... what we think should be it DOES NOT, I repeat, DOES NOT turn our water off all the way... it flows slower but keeps on running!) And finally, my sink upstairs put in- (after having to drill new holes so it would fit &...) OK, so that was probably the easiest although the piping underneath is too small and so we called it quits, but our final trip of the night... TO LOWE'S!! We wanted to have everything on hand for next time! I feel like the list is FINALLY getting smaller & smaller! I'm thinking we'll actually move in BEFORE 2011!! YAY!!!

Plumbing, Painting & Doorknobs!

2010-06-06T19:32:00.001-07:00

So.....Turns out that Soni's and my home teacher is... (drum roll, please) a PLUMBER!! Which for Soni and I is like manna from heaven!! Since our cousin (after numerous-and I mean NUMEROUS- texts and phone calls) is still a NO-SHOW!! WTH?!?!?! Not sure if we offended him or what?! At this point, I think I'm more offended! :(

Saturday, after a mid-singles breakfast at Gourmet Pie (YUM!), Soni and I head over to work some more on the place. (UGH!) We were meeting our HT/Plumber so we felt like at least something would be getting done!

Wade... our HT, got the downstairs toilet installed (YAY!) and the bathroom faucet in.

*Note... this is not our plumber... I just thought the pics were hilarious!*

Soni... finished all of the grout sealing and has been unloading boxes.

I... painted my bathroom door, painted my balcony railing, put a doorknob on my bathroom door, fixed the upside down light switch in my bathroom (I was in a hurry last week OK?), switched out the deadbolt and doorknob on the front door, sanded and then painted the laundry closet doorway.

Soni and I both... went to Lowes (TWICE!), finished putting the hardware on the kitchen cabinets...can you believe we had to buy nuts to put on the backside of the screws b/c 1 1/4" screws were too short and 1 1/2" screws were too long and they don't make in-between!! C'mon! What else could go wrong?!

What else? I'm glad you asked! We went to open the vanity to put in the upstairs bathroom and guess what? Yup, it was broken! :) You just have to laugh!! Luckily, Lowes delivered it, so I'm sure they'll take it back. Soni and I were joking about all the set backs that we've had, and I had to ask, "If the Lord didn't want us to live here, shouldn't He have clued us in BEFORE we bought it?" :) We are trying to stay positive... we have a plumber-BONUS! And we have some numbers for electricians for our kitchen lighting-just have to get some estimates and pick one! And finally, the carpet is in and ready to be installed as soon as we are ready for it! (Fingers Crossed, Prayers, Luck, send ALL good vibes our way!!)

Clown car?

2010-06-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

So, Soni and I are pretty much tired of relying on other people to help us with our condo. I can't even begin to tell you how many times we've been flaked on! We are the types who like to do everything ourselves and have learned over the years to rely on ourselves only. Don't know if that stems from having a non-handy Dad or what? Anyhow, we both have Civics...smaller cars that DO NOT carry big stuff! (I seriously wish I had taken my camera when we tried to STUFF my toilet into the trunk...and then tried to SHOVE it into the backseat! It was more funny looking back on it than when we were actually doing it!) I actually went to Lowe's myself to pick up 105 square feet of tile, grout and 7 backer boards...which are 5'x3'. I left those behind just in case you were wondering! What was I thinking?!

Yesterday, Soni & I had some site to store pickups at Wal*Mart that we needed to pick up. We didn't want to call my cousin with a Pilot b/c he has flaked on us soooo many times already! We just decided to get it done ourselves! It was a TV, a TV stand and 2 LARGE bookcases! Imagine that piled into the back of a Civic!! Just in case you can't, I had Soni take some pictures! Keep in mind that Soni already has a truck-load of stuff that she keeps in her trunk!!

Me in the front seat with the seat all the way forward and the seat in the FULLY upright position. I would have died from the airbag if we got in a wreck!

When Soni pulled up he gave me a look like we were the craziest 2 girls on the planet!!

I got some seriously FUNKY looks from everyone we drove past! I'm sure they were wondering what my damage was?! You have to laugh, right!

Another Saturday...gone.

2010-05-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

Was at the condo with Soni today (sigh) feels like it will NEVER be done!!

On the bright side I changed out ALL the downstairs outlets and light switches and put on the plates...I only got electrocuted 3 times! :)

I also put the new doorknob on the bathroom door. Works great!

Now if we can just fast-forward to when everything is done and we are sitting on our new couch watching a movie and sipping ice-cold Coke-Zero's!!! THAT would be AWESOME!

Update on all things condo

2010-05-23T20:36:00.001-07:00

I wish I would remember to take my camera every time we go over there, but alas, I forget b/c truthfully, buying/fixing up a condo is STRESSFUL!

So here's the update:

Painting: finished.
Tile: kitchen & upstairs bathroom are finished...still need to do bathroom 2, laundry, and front door area. Should be finished this week.
Upstairs bathroom toilet: installed.
Dining Room ceiling fan: installed.

What's coming up:

Change out all outlets and light switches...attempted on Saturday...mission not accomplished! It was different from the ONE I've done previously. (And I electrocuted myself changing that ONE!) And the outlets blew my mind! Will attempt again once I have some sort of idea what the heck I'm doing!
Once outlets/light switches are changed, put on new plates.
Spackle, sand & paint the laundry closet area. We took off the door Saturday and realized it needed some work.
Paint bathroom and bedroom doors, install new door knobs.
Put in upstairs bathroom vanity.
Change out downstairs toilet.
Install kitchen sink, faucet and possibly new garbage disposal. If new plug works won't need disposal. Unsure if outlet is faulty or disposal. We'll see!
Install 2 bathroom faucets.
Hang (once we find) bathroom mirror...downstairs.
Install new knobs on kitchen cabinetry.
Install 2 bedroom ceiling fans-1 up & 1 downstairs.
Switch out window screen with hole in it.
Check to see if shower is leaking behind...if it is...install new shower. :(
Seal grout.
Pick out a couch.
MOVE!
Once carpet is delivered, have it installed.

Is that it? Not sure if I remembered it all, but I'm thinking after we go broke from all the money we're putting into this place it just might get foreclosed!!!!!

I'll remember my camera next time!!!

Arrowhead...again!

2010-05-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Soni & I went up to Arrowhead with the group from our Church Mid-Singles...again! It was really fun! There weren't too many & it was just the right amount of loud/quiet & weird/crazy! We went up later than we normally do, & we've already decided we will never do that again! Hello-3 hour drive!!! Normally, we are up there in about an hour & 45 at most! The traffic SUCKED! We went to our usual Friday night dinner at the Mexican place across from Lake Gregory. LOVE IT! I'll have to post pics along with this later...as soon as I send them to myself from my phone. Got a good one of Sandy's dinner...it was a whole fish staring at me from her plate! I introduced everyone to "To Go" drinks! Hell-o!? You paid for refills, might as well take one for the road!! Mmmm-mmm!! Then we went home for some hot chocolate & watched The Man Who Knew Too Little with Bill Murray. (It was funny!) Next day we went to the Village and did some shopping...I found some cute shorts for Girl's Camp...and some capri's...Love camp. Hate heat!! :) We had lunch at Woody's Boathouse...and then unfortunately Soni & I had to go early. But, we SAILED home! Loved the Saturday traffic!! Can't wait until we get to go again! October!!

Lowe's

2010-04-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Holy EXPENSIVE, Batman!!

Soni & I made a trip to Lowe's with our cousin, John today. Things are sooooo expensive nowadays! Don't get me started on the economy...why when the economy is down do prices go up?? People can't afford these things!! So anyway...like 5 hours later we came home with the following:
1 kitchen sink
1 kitchen faucet
1 bathroom cabinet
2 bathroom faucets
1 bathroom light fixture
1 garbage disposal-we may return if we can fix our current one
1 washer
1 dryer
1 stove
2 door knobs
2 schlage door sets
1 light pull
1 new base for a pull light
1 combination key holder for spare keys
1 stove wire cord
1 washer wire cord
1 washer stack kit
1 ceiling fan remote...we have vaulted ceilings and don't want to get 5' pulls!
AND...
1 package of reveal light bulbs

And we still need:
1 Roll of screen
1 bathroom mirror
tile
grout
spacers
backer boards
1 couch
AND...
2 toilets

PHEW!! I'm mentally exhausted! We are going to save up for a new shower, a waterless water heater, and recessed lighting in the kitchen!
If you would like to contribute to the Christensen money pit click the link below

JUST KIDDING! But wouldn't that be nice if when you bought a new place you could register? Maybe we should send out invitations b/c in all reality we may not get married (at least in this life). Our new house is our spouse at this point! :)

As Promised...New place pics

2010-04-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

So, I know you won't believe the color extravaganza you are about to see...so prepare yourselves!

WARNING! YOU MAY NOT BELIEVE WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE!!

This is the living room wall when you first walk in. See the red paint? The window alcove is all RED! What was this guy smoking?!

Just in case you couldn't REALLY get a feel for the geographic living room wall!!

Totally normal, right? This is the master bedroom. I guess he needed beige walls at night so he wouldn't have nightmares!

The downstairs bathroom! Totally Aunt Janice green! We were going to leave it, but it'll be hard to do makeup in here. You'll think everything clashes!

Dining Room wall...see the dark orange circles? That is the color on the front of the kitchen cabinets. (Are you sorry you looked yet?)

And yes. We TOTALLY love the wavy mirror. We can check our shoes on our way down the stairs! Everyone should have one!

Upstairs bedroom... I think I'm supposed to feel like I'm underwater? I think the bathroom & closet are the most normal color in this place!

Soni in our new place. Now you can see the ORANGE cupboard faces! I know you are as in love with it as we are!

In answer to the question I know is on your mind...YES! We are painting! I'll be posting the after pics too! :)

UPDATE 11.2.11 I have no idea where all my pics went, but I can't find them, I apologize if you sincerely wanted to burn your retinas in the color circus! The orange wall is the only 1 I could salvage!

Keys

2010-04-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

We get our keys to our new place TOMORROW!! I'm going to pick them up after work! Yee-Haw!

Final Walk-Through...

2010-04-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

We did the final walk-through last night...(that means we're getting close!!) We realized though, that we might have to do a bit more painting and fixing up than we originally thought. (There's going to be a lot of patching on the walls, just from nail holes and support holes...not that the family was a bunch of party-ers.) So, that kinda stinks. But, we have a cousin (John) who is GREAT at anything under the sun! Need a plumber? -He used to do that. Need your car fixed? -He knows a guy that will do it for dirt cheap. Get in an accident? -He's there within the hour with a tow-truck, and will take you to get a rental car. He even does my taxes! He's already volunteered his services to help us fix the place up and I'm sure he'll get us exactly what we need for dirt cheap! :) I'm getting excited to get on with the move & get settled already!
PS...Can I just complain for a second? When we were there for the walk-through the neighbour downstairs was blasting his music!! Are we just doomed to live next to America's noisiest people on the planet?! I'm hoping that once we ask him nicely to keep it down that he'll oblige us...(PLEASE!) Otherwise I'm going to have to go all Lehonti on him! (Look it up Book of Mormon...you'll see why.) Muahahaha! :)

Escrow...Ooo, That's fun to say!

2010-04-06T17:54:00.001-07:00

OK people! We have officially signed the Escrow papers! Soni & I went last night to this office building on PCH, sat there for an hour & 45 minutes & signed, dated & dotted every t! The Notary Republic was really nice & thought Soni & I were hilarious!& (of course! We are Christensen's!) The only bad thing was the building was one of those old buildings where you can feel the whole floor shaking when someone walks in the suite. I was SOOOO motion sick by the time our papers were signed! I was still feeling the movement when I went to bed that night...& I swear I thought we were having earthquakes at least 4 times at work today! I hate that dizziness stays with me soo long! But, at least we own a home now! :) YIPPEE!!

Yes...We got it!

2010-03-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

So we got a phone call yesterday saying we have been approved by the second loan company. (The couple who own the condo now took out 2 loans, and we had been OK'd by one and the 2nd one's approval is what has been holding us up).
BUT...don't get all excited for us yet! We still have to close escrow which means getting Home Owner's Insurance and getting the down payment and money parts taken care of. Escrow needs to close by April 6 otherwise we have to re-apply for our home loan that we already got and the whole process will probably start over again.
Soni and I both had to take a deep breath when we got the news. It is kind of a double edged sword. You're excited- (Yay! See you later Mom & Dad!!!) and at the same time you start to worry about all the newfound responsibility. And then all the what-if's run through your brain too! -What if: I lose my job? budget wrong? can't make ends meet? are living in poverty?-but at least I own a home! So, after my stomach hurt for about 3 hours...I started to calm down and am starting to get excited about decorating and having all my OWN stuff out of storage! Oh, stuff! How I've missed you!
We need a couch and maybe some chairs, or couches...so keep eyes out for hand me downs or nice garage sale items for us!

Here is a picture of our place-well, the entrance to our place:

Design change...

2010-03-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

Just a quick thought...Who the heck made it sooooo difficult and sooooo much work to get your Blog looking exactly the way you want it? I was up until 3AM fiddling with the HTML settings, trying to get the fonts just right and the right size, -& making cake, of course!(see Cake Wreck entry from yesterday).
It is still not 100% to my liking, but I need to learn not to be such a perfectionist!
Let's make this whole Blogging thing simpler though, OK, people?!
P.S. Anyone know how to get my Labels and all that stuff back to the bottom of the post instead of at the top? I've been in the layout and put it under in there, but it's still at the top!?

Who knew?!

2010-03-20T23:43:00.001-07:00

Did you know that an entire 3-layer cake will fit down the garbage disposal? and that it only takes hmmm... roughly 3 minutes before it's gone? Well, as I found out tonight...it will! I was doomed from the get-go. One cake broke in half trying to come out of the pan...and as I was frosting it another cake started to completely crack in half!! (Those darn too soft box cake mixes! and the people who do not want to stay up late to let them cool properly!!) I just had to laugh as I was quoting a crazy patient from work..."Oh DEAR! -OH DEAR!" I WASN'T laughing when I had to make a trip to Ralph's to buy more cake mix and Rainbow Chip Frosting at 11:30!! (Jodee's fave!)
It is now midnight and I am waiting patiently (or not) for the new cake to finish baking...and then I'm waiting to frost it until morning!!
Shhh! Don't tell my Mom! She thinks I got ambitious and that I am assembling a 6-layer cake?!!??!?!?!

Randomness...

2010-03-19T17:55:00.001-07:00

Still nothing...on the condo, because I knew you were going to ask! My parents are gone right now and the house is unbelievably quiet...it's amazing what you can hear when a deaf guy isn't watching TV in the front room and a nagger girl is yakking in your ear! :)
I'm SO glad I didn't have to work today even though I didn't get to sleep in...slept pretty bad all night, but that's how it goes sometimes! It's nice to just get up and do whatever you feel like doing even if that is NOTHING!
I'm getting ready for Girl's Camp...I pretty much am ready even though there are still months to go! I decided I wanted to make hard candy sucker for my girls and happened upon a sucker mold on e-bay that just happened to have a dragonfly, ladybug, butterfly, and bee on it. How's that for meant to be?! Our Levels this year are 1-Bees 2-Dragonflies 3-Ladybugs & 4-Butterflies. So you see- I HAD to get it! I'm going to make my girls bug bouquets (luckily I only have 6-8 girls this year, unlike last year when I had like 20!)...they will get 1 of each. I already have the sticks, wrappers, candy thermometer, and flavorings....I'm just waiting for the molds...and I should probably wait until GC is closer as it's in July and I don't really want 40 suckers laying around until then! I'm excited though!
Sunday we are having Jodee's Birthday Party here and I'm excited for that too! I ordered her something really CUTE from ETSY.com and just in case she is reading this I am not going to say what it is! But, since I ordered it today, um...you won't be getting it tomorrow, but I think it will totally be worth the wait!!
I just found out my friends are moving with their cute twins too! Why does everyone move? Let's just move into a compound and then we can all see each other whenever we want...K? Think about it, Biehn's! :) Love you guys!
I think that is all for now!

Um...?

2010-03-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

OK. OK. I know I said that my sis & I would know by today whether we were getting the place in Stanton or not, but guess what? Yeah. I have NO idea. I'm getting cold feet to tell the truth...everything seems to be moving really quickly at this point b/c we were trying to beat the short sale turning into a foreclosure. I have NEVER done SO much paperwork! Seriously? I feel like giving my firstborn to Rumpelstiltskin would be easier/faster/less work than initialing/signing/drafting all the paperwork that I've come across in the last 2 weeks! VERY OVERWHELMING. And is it just me or do sleepless nights, stomachaches & headaches come with the territory? Is it too late to just go back to being a happy renter? Someone else has to hassle with leaky faucets/toilets, bad electricity, broken stoves and all that other hassle! Soni & I were GREAT renters! Never a problem for the management co. & after reading some of the posts on the Apartment Managers blog I'm starting to think that's a rarity! Keep an eye out for cute, roomy 2 bed rentals for us just in case, K? Thanks!

March 17

2010-02-26T19:18:00.001-08:00

Ok...so we will definitely know by March 17 if we have the place in Stanton. We are going to do the inspection tomorrow morning at 9:45...I hate getting up early on Saturday! But I guess it'll be worth it if we get the place, right?
So, everyone, keep your fingers crossed for us and your prayers nice and long that it will go according to the Lord's will! (I'm thinking since he probably doesn't want two murders on His hands (eh-hem...me killing my parents) we will find something soon even if the condo doesn't work out.)) I'll keep you posted!

The short sale condo is moving!

2010-01-29T17:12:00.001-08:00

Don't really know what this means but got an e-mail from the Realtor saying things with the Short sale condo are moving and we'll have a BPO in 2-3 weeks. Can anyone translate that for me?
I'm thinking it means that we're going to hear something soon one way or the other. So...pray EXTRA hard for us these next 2-3 weeks!!

And the 2nd condo is a no-go! :(

2010-01-26T17:44:00.000-08:00

We heard back a couple weeks ago, but I forgot to post. It all comes down to money and how much you have!! The price went up 15,000 more than we wanted to pay...and again, since we don't want to live like Sister missionaries waiting for our parents to send us money so we can eat something besides PB&J sandwiches, we had to pass it up. :( (Le sigh)
WE do still have the offer in on the short sale condo in the same complex, but who knows what will happen with that one?! I wish buying a house was a lot easier! And more inexpensive! Is that too much to ask?!

Another day...another condo!

2010-01-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

Well, Soni & I still aren't sure about the short sale condo in Stanton...it's basically a crapshoot since it's up to the bank...and we still don't know if it's going to go up in price. ?

Anyway, I went with our realtor and saw another condo...same complex in Stanton...it's actually a corner unit with no one above, no one below & only 1 common wall. (YAY!) The cute Filipino lady that lived there gave it a ringing endorsement about how quiet & nice the neighbours are...what a difference that will be!

I talked with Soni & the Realtor, we are going to put in an offer on this one...it's not a short sale, just a regular old sale... so REALLY pray for us that we DEFINITELY get this one!!! Thanks! (in advance!)

GRRRR! We didn't get it!

2010-01-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

So....the house in Stanton is probably going to go up in price b/c one just like it sold for like 100 more than what ours is priced at...which means whoever is in charge of setting the prices for places will most likely raise the price of ours. We really don't want to be living like 2 sister missionaries! (been there done that and I don't think I could stand to live off mac & cheese, or PB & J again!)
Soooo, it's back to the hunt again! (SAVE ME!!) Pray that we find something... somehow...somewhere...someday! We'll find a new way of living...HAHAHA!

Home

2009-12-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

So we put in an offer on a condo in Stanton...it's a really cute 2 bedroom 2 bath....one of the bedrooms is an upstairs loft...we'll be doing rock-paper-scissors to see who gets that one.
The condo is a short sale so it may take awhile before we hear something...keep your fingers crossed for us!

We qualified for our home loan

2009-09-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

So, Soni tells me that we qualified for our home loan! Whoo-Hoo! It's a nice amount that we qualify for so now it's on to looking at what we can get into. We'd like to get into something before the tax credit for 1st time buyers is gone (Nov. 29). I guess we better get on the ball! I'll still keep you posted! Wish us luck!

Buy or take a vacation??

2009-08-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Soni found a trip to Ireland that someone sent to her...and it's airfare, rental car, and hotel for 599.99....Such a cheap, great deal! Who cares what the hotel looks like, right?! But, we are also supposed to be saving our money for our house!!! What to do? What to do? We can always buy a house, right? But, how long will the 599.99 price be in effect? Any opinions would be fantastic! I've always wanted to go to Ireland, Scotland, England and Denmark...Ireland would be crossed off the list, right?! Hmmmm...

Moving home

2009-08-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

SOoooooo, Soni & I were looking for a place to live that was quieter than our old place, but were unable to find something suitable before we were supposed to be out! Believe me, we were going to go to Target and steal a couple of carts to live in as opposed to moving home. But, Soni talked with my Mom & Dad & now we are back in our old rooms from 5 years ago. It actually hasn't been so bad so far and we are enjoying the central air during this hot summer time! Soni & I met with a realtor and a (whatever the person who tells you if you can afford to buy a house is called), & are in the process of seeing if we are able to purchase a house. Cross your fingers for me!!! For us!!! I'll keep you posted about what is going on. I'll try to be better about posting but August is a busy month at work!

The Office - KGB knock knock joke! So FUNNY!

2009-07-20T12:25:00.001-07:00

The Office - KGB knock knock joke

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Jim slaps Dwight

2009-07-20T12:10:00.001-07:00

Girl's Camp '09!

2009-07-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

So, I know...I've neglected this here Blog o' mine. Work has me seriously stressing! That can be a Blog for a different day though if you don't already know the story!

On to Girl's Camp! Our theme this year was S.T.A.R.S.-Standing Together As Righteous Sisters...you know I love stars, so I was AOK with this...way better than last year's Small World theme... :/ Anyhow...Day 1: Monday was OK...it wasn't too hot, the girl's were all excited...it's the first day of camp. What's not to love?! We had a pretty cool nighttime activity of stargazing that night...and the girls saw 3 shooting stars! With their reaction you would have thought they were actually getting shot at, but they enjoyed it! Day 2: I'm pretty sure that we had more girls injured this year than any 5 years combined! Bee Stings, bloody noses, injured knees, rolled/sprained ankles...poor Dave (our nurse) was on the road between our camp & the boy's camp more often than not. Since it was the second day I was getting to know my Level 2 girls better...I had 3 or 4 that I'd never seen during the pre-camp activities. My group was also the biggest with 18 girls!! I think the next biggest group had 8...so I was totally outnumbered! The girl's split into groups and did fun outdoor activities to build team spirit...they played water balloon volleyball, had a water balloon toss, some crazy sheet game, a hula-hoop relay, and a "blow a ping-pong ball across the finish line with a straw" relay. They had a really good time...especially afterwards when they went crazy with the leftover water balloons! The Snipe hunt was tonight for the Level 1 girls...I heard lots of screaming, and Bishop Parry hid and growled at the girls...1 girl cried she was so scared! He went to apologize and make sure they were all OK...I probably would have done the same thing, so no worries Bishop! Day 3: Ward Wednesday-Scavenger Hunt!-which Atherton Ward won! Of Course! We RULE!! :) We had a Talent Night tonight also...the girls made me go up there to teach them some "everyday dance moves"...(lawn mower, shopping...I have some good ones for next year already planned!) I did a rap for them too...(good thing they are all SUPER young and have never heard of RUN DMC!!)They loved "You Be Illin'!" The Bishops were here on this night too which made it more special for the girls to show off their talents. Day 4: Started out pretty hot...my girls learned about the different types of clouds on day 1 and we all spotted some Cumulonimbus clouds overhead...sure enough while we were outside tye-dyeing shirts it started to pour! You know teens...the girls were out dancing around in it! They later went on a hike to the lake also...I opted not to go...I love rain, but only when I'm indoors and snuggled up and can watch it! The sun came out while they were hiking so the girls did get to go canoeing and kayaking. They had a blast and gave me a hard time for being a "wimp" (Kiley Thompson called me!) Testimony meeting tonight...the girls all have a great spirit, and I was glad listening to their testimonies that STARS was the theme! PS...The lodge got TP'd tonight...Hmmm...I wonder what level girls were responsible for that?!! Hallelujah! Day 5: Awards to the girls who passed off their Camp Certification, Secret Sister reveal, and pack up!!! Home again! Home again! Yee-Haw! It was a really great week all in all! Can't wait to see my girls again next year!!

Kiley & Me

Leilani, Lala, the backpack Lala made me...& Me

Disneyland in May!!

2009-05-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Soni & I went to Disneyland May 6...and had a BLAST! -Well, once we got over being sick after Space Mountain...we had a blast! :) For some reason the ride got to both of us that day & it was the 1st ride we went on! Uh-Oh! We were both hot & nauseous for a little while, but we made it the rest of the day! Whoo-Hoo! We'll be back on the 27th! See you then!

7 Brides for 7 Brothers...aka my FAVORITE musical EVER!!

2009-04-10T18:10:00.001-07:00

Okay, months ago my brother, Aaron told me that a theater in Anaheim (Anaheim Garden Walk) was going to be playing Seven Brides for Seven brothers! YAY! Wednesday night it was FINALLY here! Can I just say it was AWESOME seeing it on the BIG screen! Better than ever! I almost wished it was a sing-a-long...I wanted to get up and sing right along with the movie! There was a lady in the audience there that had a funny "behind the scenes" story about the movie. You know the part where Adam & Milly are going back to his place, they stop to water the horses, he tries to tell her about his 6 brothers but she starts singing? If you are a Christensen then of course you do! Well, the director wanted to make the scene more real (since the scenery was mostly painted backdrops) so he released some birds for effect. Well, we all watched those birds fly off, change direction toward the backdrop and BAM! they totally hit the backdrop and PLOP! fell to the ground! Everyone in the audience was waiting to see this after the lady told us and it didn't disappoint! If you missed the movie, you missed out BIG TIME! LOVE LOVE LOVE those sobbin' women and those scroungy backwoodsmen! If you missed out this time, don't worry, we are planning another trip on 9 Dec to see another Christensen Classic...wait for it...White Christmas! Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow!!

Birthday for Jodee!

2009-03-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hey all! It was Braden's wife-Jodee's birthday this past week, so as is the usual for the Christensen Clan we all congregated at Mom & Dad's place. It's always so chaotic & so NOISY! But, I got some very cute pics of Brighton, and some of Katie, Dylan & Jake (We all went for a walk w/ Sarah to get the wiggles out of the 3 & 5 yr old!)

Bras

2009-03-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

OK LADIES...

Listen up. I know we all hate bra shopping...the trying on, the adjusting, the taking off and putting on, trying to get them nicely back on the hangers...it's frustrating!

I have found a bra that I "absolutely adore" & am willing to share with all of you! It's called the Barely There Comfortable Curves...in either satin hidden underwire (style 4636) or the heather hidden underwire (style 4364). They are unbelievably comfortable! They are "seamless, soft, lightweight, & provide incredibly smooth support." They offer a line-free look, flexible foam cups, and they are tag free! And the straps stay up for those of you who have problems with that! Seriously, I got one of these like 5 years ago and have worn nothing else since! I was using just the heather ones...which are more of a cottony fabric, but recently I tried the satin...and I LOVE IT!! Probably a little better than the heather! I forget I have them on! They are slightly padded in the cups so no "nippage" when you get cold...if you know what I mean Try one today! I love love love them!

PS They are pretty cheap on Amazon.com by the Rockinsox co. (Free shipping!) Let me know if you find them cheaper somewhere else!

New Year's/Mexican Train '09

2009-03-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

I got out my camera today and found all these pics that I forgot I had on there...so,

New Year's Eve, Soni, Michele, Lani W, and myself met at our friend Carol's for a Mexican Train/New Year's Eve Celebration! Braden & Jodee got me a double 18 domino set that we decided to break in. Usually you play from the double 18 down to double blank, we decided we were going to play down and then back up! Let the FUN BEGIN! We were making progress until we had to take a break while Soni went to chaperone the youth dance. I can't even tell you what went on while we were waiting...a movie, some munchies, and then everyone got the giggles SO BAD...I can't even tell you what we were laughing about. Laughing fits describes them perfectly!!

Anyway, about 7 AM we had just gotten to the double blank Soni & Carol were dead in their chairs & Lani was mostly out of it...like always (HA! HA!). Michele & I were the only ones wide awake & thirsty for more! We were out voted. :( We called it a night...I don't even remember who won! But it was a good time! I love our Mexican Train Parties!

Won't you marry me, Bill?

2009-03-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Can I just tell you all how much I LOVE my hairdresser?! He is SUPER nice! Calls you beautiful, is super complimentary and laid back. I have been seeing him since before my mission. ( I admit I have strayed & tried others, but I'm back to him now.) He always does a fantastic job and has given me hair tips and new styles when I ask his advice. He SERIOUSLY gives the BEST massage when he's washing your hair...I think I would pay just for that massage some days!...it's soooo relaxing! He's washing and massaging and just when you start to think "this is nice, but laying here so long is making my neck hurt" BAM! He lifts your head and starts in on a neck massage! MMmmm!! So FABULOUS! You know you are jealous right now!

California Drivers

2009-03-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

Has anyone gotten frustrated with the drivers out there? I swear, either I'm getting more & more like my Dad, or people in general just suck at driving now-a-days! Her are my major beefs:
1. No BLINKERS! Almost nobody uses their indicators anymore, they just swerve across 10 lanes willy-nilly, like Carmen Diaz in My Best Friends Wedding..."Oh! MY exit!"
2. People totally cut you off and change lanes in an INTERSECTION...which is against the LAW!(while not using their blinkers)...Someone totally started speeding up next to me & I knew they were going to try to cut in front of me, unfortunately we were right at a light...so they just swerved over in the middle of the intersection...why can't people wait anymore and get in behind you?
3. Does any one REALLY know how to drive the roundabout AKA Traffic Circle? This has happened to me twice now...I'm driving around like normal and some idiot to my left wants to get off and goes right in front of me!...I end up getting off where they're getting off just so I don't slam into their car!! WTH?!! And there's never any cops around!!
4. I absolutely HATE when people stare at me while I'm sitting in my car! I will purposefully turn and stare back at them while picking my nose, scratching my boob, etc! They fully make it obvious that they're totally staring you down too! Annoying!
That's all I can think of right now. I'm serioulsy so on edge when I drive now though...I'm almost immediately in a bad mood when I get behind the wheel because I'm expecting the worst!
What's your driver pet peeves?!

Other noise around the E 14th Block!

2009-03-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, seriously. for those of you who think I was exaggerating with how noisy the neighbourhood is around here....I drove up to my apartment to see some guy (I thought he was some homeless crazy and almost didn't get out of my car) dancing in the street like he was The King of Pop, Michael Jackson himself. I ran upstairs to my window so I could get this:

Sorry it's fuzzy and sideways!!!, I shot this through the screen. But, you know his music had to be loud if my phone could pick it up that well!

Volkswagen Commercial-"Cornering"

2009-03-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

MY ABSOLUTE MOST FAVORITE COMMERCIAL EVER!!
(I had to re-post, because I messed it up! DUH! I'm still trying to figure out this whole blogger thingy...it's very FRUSTRATING sometimes!)

Noisy Neighbours!! The BIG OAF!

2009-03-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

I'm eventually going to get a picture of this guy so you can have the JOY of seeing the perp...but for now, you'll have to take my word for it!

Soni and I have lived together in an apartment complex with some of our other siblings for going on 5 years...I think? Anywho, we have been through 2 tenants to our left, and 3 tenants beneath us...and I have 1 question...DOES NOBODY KNOW HOW TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOUR ANYMORE?! A new tenant moved in beneath us... and can I say "Praise Allah" that his roommate moved out, she was worse than him...slamming cupboards, screaming baby that wasn't hers in her room from 12-2AM,. ETC! But, onto the other guy. Seriously, this guy, well he's more of a TOTAL OAF, works odd hours, which means he leaves while we are at work, and comes home very close to midnight. If you or I got home at midnight, I'm sure we would be closing doors very quietly, walking quietly, etc...right? Not this guy! We think he's deaf in one ear which explains a lot, but he lets his screen door slam in addition to slamming his front door and then proceeds to watch TV at deaf old man volume and...and this is the good part...he thinks he's being CONSCIOUS of his noise level!! Seriously? Seriously??! He said those exact words when my sister went down and politely (which is why I had her do it) asked him to turn his TV down! Here's another awesome thing...he moved his tv to right by his window...so now in addition to bugging us, he bugs the whole neighbourhood. The neighbours in the duplex next to us try to drown out his tv with theirs! SWEET! Now, I think he is starting to hate us. We came home Sunday night from dinner at the Andrews (YUM) to find him watching TV SUPER LOUD, door open, window open, and volume all the way up...Soni knocked and asked him to turn it down, and told me he couldn't quite mask his face all the way before she read the annoyance there! Good! I hope he realizes that we aren't interested in watching TV with him! I really can't wait to move to another house/apartment/ANYWHERE...as long as it's quiet, with no BIG, NOISY, OAFS! And don't even get me started on the people that live below Braden and Jodee (my bro & his wife)! Let's just say three things: 1. He has a band 2. He totally sings off key & 3. He has a lot of friends over all the time. Ok, 1 more... 4. He likes to drink and smoke pot! GOOD TIMES!! Someone please help us!
Oh...PS! I forgot to tell you that this OAF of a neighbour also has the deepest voice/laugh...when he laughs at his shows you can feel the rumble!- and loudest sneeze ever! He sneezed one time and a neighbour yelled, BLESS YOU! Heaven help us all over here on 14th St!!

I DID IT!!

2009-03-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, I posted all my old stuff on here hours ago!!!!- I've been fiddling with this website for the hours since trying to figure out how to get the stupid music player to show up on my blog!!! It only took me 2 hours, 3 help websites...that obviously weren't that helpful, and a LOT of patience!!! Usually if I can't figure something out I get frustrated and just quit, but I stuck with it, and it payed off! Enjoy the music!

DAD's 18th Birthday!!

2009-03-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

The 29th of this month was Dad's Birthday! (His 18th!!) Mr. Leap Year Baby was treated to a family party on sunday the 24 along with the other February birthday's in the family. (Bonnie, Debi, and Janice). It was a noisy but fun time!

On Dad's actual birthday, Mom, Marly & Aaron took Dad out to The Fish Co. where the rest of us were waiting to surprise him! He was very surprised! He received gag gifts that normally a TRUE 18 yr. old. would receive. College apps, mission papers, cigarettes, "tatoos", Bonnie even got him some BLING...with the "BLING-BLING" necklace! It was really a lot of fun! I think the people who were seated around us didn't think so, with all 22 of us making soooo much noise, but after waiting 2 1/2 hours to be seated...that place was ours!! (See Album...Dad's 18th birthday)

Disneyland Trips!

2009-03-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

Disneyland Pickles! YUM!

March 08

Soni & I try to head to Disneyland at least once a month. (We've become quite spoiled since we bought our passes last October!) For the first time ever we got stuck on a ride last time we were there (Jan 23). We were on Indiana Jones when it totally stopped...Sallah's recorded voice kept telling us there was something wrong with our car...DUH! We were in the dark for a little while (literally) until they turned the lights on. Then we just sat there waiting...& waiting. When we saw a worker Soni yelled, "Indy, we're over here!" But, to no avail! Finally, like 30 minutes later they came around with a ladder to help us all out of the car and we all walked to the exit! It was kinda fun...unless, like the people next to us, it's your first time, and you live in PA.! They'll have to wait another 20 years to see how the ride ends! (See Disneyland album) PS...I'll try to post our other D-land photos in that album...we have some cool Christmas pics!

El Dorado Nature Center

2009-03-06T16:56:00.000-08:00

April 12

Hey all...
Sorry it took me so long to get another entry in here! Soni, Darrel & I have been heading to the Nature Center Sunday's after church to enjoy some leisure walking & enjoy God's creations. I'm amazed at how friendly some of the squirrels are! A couple times I've been afraid they would climb up a pant leg, or go crazy because we don't have any food to give them! (One got really close to Soni and me a couple times!) We usually start out on the 2 mile trail and then do the 1 mile trail and then head out. It takes us awhile because I keep taking so many pictures!! I can't resist. Everytime you go you see something new! Right now it's mating time for the turtles...they have some interesting rituals to attract their mates! Last time I saw a Rabbit which I've never seen! Usually just turtles, ducks, birds, and squirrels. Last time 4-6-08...Darrel and I were looking at this lone flower in a clearing...Darrel walked away and I was still standing there...out of a hole in the ground popped this little face! I almost screamed! (Ok I did a little and asked "What the heck was that???!!" Darrel came back and I pointed it out...It was a gopher! I've never seen that either! I hope one of these days to get them to the Japanese Gardens at CSULB...we'll see. That can be next time!

April 08 Birthdays (4-20)

2009-03-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

Katie doing "fishy face"

May 23

OK...A friend (Jocelyn) told me I need to update...and I agree. Between work, my girl's camp calling, and more work the time just keeps slipping by. The family did have a Mother's Day celebration/Birthday party for Darrel in May but I neglected to bring my camera to that event. It's ok...I took enough pics at the April Birthday parties to last you until Father's Day or whatever... I should tell you, Soni & I went to Disneyland yesterday, but I forgot the camera for that trip too. We decided to be crazy & went on a couple rides we haven't ridden in a long time ie Jungle Cruise...& yes. The jokes are still the same and stale as always! We both went on California Screamin' for the 1st time and I'm proud to say that although I did get a little dizzy...( I always do) Soni was sick after the first drop..."ok" she said, "maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all!" We both looked constipated and sick for the picture, so we passed on making that a permanent memory for either of us! They were also filming a movie while we were there. (We think) Goofy was running down Main Street with a bunch of little boys in Baseball uniforms while someone filmed them. I guess we'll see if we ended up in the shot. We were the ones stuffing our faces with ice-cream sitting on the curb. It was a fun & tiring day.

One of our "silly shots" Sarah looks stoned! Dylan looks scary & emaciated!

Anyway, onto the April Birthdays. There's really not much to say about the day. I just got a lot of goofy pics with Dylan and Sarah. And Katie was acting silly for some camera shots. The boys were also pushing the kids around inside an ottoman. It was cute. They loved it!! (Sorry! I couldn't figure out how to get the videos in here!! They were cute though!) ..on email blogger I got it! :)

Michael Buble!!!

2009-03-06T15:43:00.000-08:00

May 24, '08
On May 10th Soni & I went to a Michael Buble concert! Of course I forgot to take my camera-again!! It was a pretty awesome concert though. For those of you unfamiliar with Michael...HE is AWESOME! He's kind of a jazzy, modern Frank Sinatra type with a voice bordering on Frank and Mel Torme...for those of you who know who that is! He has some awesome albums out there! He's a throw back to the big band era also. He sings on stage with a band sitting behind him. The concert was really good! I was disappointed when he went down and took a picture with a 12 yr old named Desiree...I wanted it to be ME!!! MY biggest fantasy was that I would be called up on stage to sing a song with him...which would then lead him to be impressed with my voice and lead to recording a song or two with him on his next album! (Like I said...BIGGEST FANTASY!) Anyway...if you want to check him out here are some of my favorite Buble tunes & their albums:
1.Sway...Michael Buble
2. Kissing a Fool...Michael Buble*
3. How can you mend a broken heart...Michael Buble*
4. Cuando Cuando Cuando...It's Time-duet w/ Nelly Furtado**
5. Save the last dance for me...It's Time
6. You & I...It's Time
7. It Had Better Be Tonight...Call Me Irresponsible**
8. Lost...Call Me Irresponsible**
9. Wonderful Tonight...Call Me Irresponsible**
10. Everything...Call Me Irresponsible**
11. Always On My Mind...Call Me Irresponsible
* Biggest Favorites
**Could not live without this song!

**INTRODUCTION TO MICHAEL BUBLE**

Michael Bublé's introduction to the music of the swing era came to him through his grandfather, who filled his grandson's ears with the sounds of the Mills Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and others. As Bublé eagerly absorbed the recordings, he began to realize that he wanted to be a singer and that this style of music, virtually foreign to his own generation, was what he wanted to perform. With his grandfather's assistance, Bublé soon learned a whole catalog of tunes and gained experience and exposure by singing as a guest with several local bands. While still in his teen years, he won the Canadian Youth Talent Search, released several independent albums, and performed in a musical review titled Swing that traveled across the U.S. It wasn't long before Bublé was introduced to Grammy-winning producer David Foster and signed his first major recording contract with Reprise Records.
The two Canadians began work on a debut album that would incorporate Bublé's aptitude for pop standards into songs that spanned several decades. His self-titled debut disc was released in early 2003 and featured jazzy takes on old standards like "Fever" and "The Way You Look Tonight" as well as newer classics like Van Morrison's "Moondance" and the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart." Further exposure ensued with a world tour and appearances on several television programs like NBC's Today Show, in which he sang a duet with host Katie Couric. He finished off 2003 with an EP of holiday material, Let It Snow, and began 2004 with the live CD/DVD set Come Fly with Me. In 2005, It's Time was a number one hit in Canada, Japan, Italy, and Australia and made the top ten of both the U.K. and U.S. Later that year he released the live album Caught in the Act. The holiday-themed album Christmas followed in 2006 with the studio effort Call Me Irresponsible dropping in 2007.

I know some think he's not much to look at, but if this man was singing to you...you would NOT kick him out of bed...That voice is SEXY...and that is his APPEAL!! YOWZA!!

Blogger explanation!

2009-03-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, I mainly opened a Blogger account so I could follow family and friends that have Blogs, but I don't want people opening up to an empty page, so I'll paste my old Blog here and then TRY (I stress TRY) to keep it updated with cool stuff that happens...since that happens so infrequently, don't get your hopes up!!

*C-Squared*

VACATION!! Day 3

Slacker! Resolutions update...

Tagged!!!!

VACATION!! Day 2

Resolutions Week 1

VACATION!!

100 Book Challenge

New Year Resolutions!!!!

Baking update...

YAY! NOVEMBER!!!

The Lovely Little Girl & the Bathroom...

Oh October...

Nutshelling August... *sheepish grin*

July in a nutshell too!!

June in a nutshell!

Weekend getaway!

YAY... Ooops!

6 DAYS!

WOW!! Look what I did!!

Lent update 2...

Lent update & Honesty

Oh.... Dear!

40 days & 40 nights

Aunt Bonnie's 70th!

I've been 1 sick puppy!

Christmas Eve Pictures

Disney w/ Danley's II

Spider alert!

Irrational Fears... tales of Condo spiders Part II

Book Challenge!

Irrational Fears... Tales of Condo spiders Part I

Merry Christmas..

I'm thinking about getting...

Have I mentioned...?

Is it sad...

Disneyland surprise

Mid-Singles Activity+Coach Outlet= Arrowhead!!

Fun Fact Friday a la Sarah!

Ah Kids!

Fun-Filled Saturday!!

YAY for Curtains!

Some new 'Before & Afters'

They came today!

Dear Lowe's

More condo pics!!

The After pics!

Collections...?

Just for fun...2- "It's the Singles Life"

Just for fun...

I officially have...

Almost there!

Girl's Camp... Take 3!

Just an update:

Movin' on up!

Plumbing, Painting & Doorknobs!

Clown car?

Another Saturday...gone.

Update on all things condo

Arrowhead...again!

Lowe's

As Promised...New place pics

Keys

Final Walk-Through...

Escrow...Ooo, That's fun to say!

Yes...We got it!

Design change...

Who knew?!

Randomness...

Um...?

March 17

The short sale condo is moving!

And the 2nd condo is a no-go! :(

Another day...another condo!

GRRRR! We didn't get it!

Home

We qualified for our home loan

Buy or take a vacation??

Moving home

The Office - KGB knock knock joke! So FUNNY!

C-Squared

Nutshelling August... sheepish grin