Blogging Because I Never Do and I Feel Guilty

One day I will upload pictures. It's just that my internet is slow and my camera is around here somewhere.

Christmas was good. We went to my parents for the long weekend. It was nice to relax, eat good homemade food (especially the smoked turkey) ,and visit with family. We got to spend time with my parents, sister, brother, sister-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmother. Well, you get the point.

My sister made me the cutest diaper bag/blanket combo for which to carry around little peanut’s stuff. I love it.

My mom and dad gave us a vacuum, which I am super excited about because the dog sheds like a maniac. I am surprised she still even has fur left to shed.

My brother and sister-in-law gave us the cutest doormat with our family name on it. I kind of want to frame it because I don’t want people using it to wipe their feet. It’s true.

The little peanut got some cute gifts too! I am excited to organize it all. Yes, I’m a dork.

But the best part was spending time with family.

I can’t believe this year is almost over. It seems as though it just started. It has been a good year.

I am going to copy other people and do our year in review:

January: My first month of being without school. It was awesome. We went on vacation to Disney and Universal in Florida.

February: It was a quiet month full of work for Kase and I, and school just for Kase. We celebrated valentine’s day with heart-shaped pizza.

March: I turned 27 and we took a weekend trip to Gatlinburg. A hotel room with a fireplace and a jacuzzi with outlet stores next door. What more could you ask for?

April: We got a car so we’d both have a way to drive to work. It was suppose to be Kase’s car, but for some reason I drive it everyday. Hmmmm..... interesting.

May: This month was full of graduations. Two of Kase’s brothers graduated, one from highschool one, with his masters degree. I also went to my cousin’s graduation from the Tennessee School for the Deaf.

June: This month was sort of uneventful. Lots of family birthdays and baby showers to attend. We went to see Back to Future on the big screen. Awesome.

July: I traveled out of town for a week for work training. Kase turned 26 and we celebrated by going to see lots of movies.

August: To celebrate our 3rd anniversary we traveled to Los Angeles and San Diego for vacation. It was so relaxing and a fun adventure. We ate the best burrito I have ever had.

September: Kase’s brother, Scott, got married. It was so special to be there for their wonderful day. I also survived babysitting our two nieces and nephew. All by myself. Overnight. We were expecting a little one of our own, but didn’t know it yet.

October: Kase lost his job. We found out 5 days later that we’re having a baby. Good timing I think. We got to see a picture of the little tiny peanut and hear his/her heartbeat.

November: I threw up a lot this month. On an unrelated note, we saw my sister sing in her highschool’s concert. She is awesome. I questioned if that was really my sister up there. I think maybe one of us might be adopted. She is super talented. We celebrated Thanksgiving with Kase’s parents. I love cheesy potatoes.

December: We heard little peanut’s heartbeat again. Kase grinned so big. We celebrated Christmas with my family and are so grateful for our many blessings.

We had a great year. I have a feeling 2010 will be even better. Happy New Year everyone!

Dear United States Postal Service (may I call you USPS?),

I am writing in regards to the strain that I sense in our relationship. I feel that we have been drifting apart for quite some time now. I am not sure if it’s me or you. (Although I am kind of sure it is you.)

The past few times I have visited you, you have made me wait. Keep in mind this was BEFORE Christmas time. On more than one occasion, as I approached one of your employees in a friendly manner, I was treated very rudely. I’ll have you know that the envelope I was trying to mail was NOT too thick and DID have enough postage. Another time, I did not know the difference between registered mail and return receipt mail. I would’ve simply appreciated a friendly explanation, instead of a grumpy "talking to".

It seems that your employees just don’t like me. On your TV commercials they are always so helpful and friendly, but when I come to visit they almost act as if they wish I weren’t there. Perhaps, you’re thinking it is something that I am doing. Am I being friendly to your employees? Yes. Am I visiting your office at the end the day right before closing time? No. Am I mailing hazardous, restricted, or perishable mail? Never, I usually just need to buy stamps.

No, USPS, I don’t think it’s me. Maybe you are in denial about your own problems. The last time I visited you, I noticed the rope with attached sign that read "form line here" was gone. I asked one of your employees what had happened to it. She said you had taken it away because you felt it was not friendly enough. No, USPS, it is not your rope that I dislike or that makes me feel that you are unfriendly. In fact, I liked that rope. Now I don’t know where to stand exactly and I am not sure your employees realize that I am in line and in need of service since they never make eye contact with me. It’s not your rope, you have other problems that need addressing.

USPS, I hope we can fix our relationship. I will continue to try. Maybe one day we can work this out. Otherwise, and I hate to say this, but I will have to see what brown can do for me.

Sincerely,

Your Devoted(ish) Customer

Hello Again

It's been a while, I know.

I have been busy working, sleeping, and trying to not throw-up.

But I am going to try and blog more often. We'll see how that goes.

In pregnancy news (if you don't care then just skip this part) I am now done with the first trimester. Atleast, I think I am. Noone has actually explained that to me. But I am pretty sure that the first trimester is 14 weeks. I am 14 weeks and 3 days.

So for my own memory and anyone who cares to read, here is the run down:

Due Date: June 13th

When did we find out?: October 28th. We had the church Halloween party that night and it was fun to know our secret. The next day we went to the doctor and they did an ultrasound. At first I thought maybe it was all in my head. But sure enough there was a little peanut with a heartbeat. Kase’s grin was from ear to ear. Pretty amazing. The baby was 7 weeks and 4 days along.

When did we tell people?: We told our parents that night. They were all very excited. I wanted to tell my parents in person, but I had to settle for over the phone because I couldn’t wait until our next trip home. We decided to wait until 12 weeks to tell everyone else, which happened to be Thanksgiving. More on that later. It was VERY hard to keep the secret. Especially when people at work eat gross things for lunch and made me want to barf on them.

How does it feel?: Being pregnant is weird and miraculous. I mean, I know people have babies all the time, but when it's you it's different. It's amazing that your body can grow a little person. It’s also not as gross as I though it would be. I am prepared for the grossness that will ensue. But so far so good.

How am I feeling?: Better now. I learned that if I eat every few hours, I don’t feel as sick. I have been sick a few times. Smells use to bother me, but that has faded some. I am tired and tend to fall asleep on the couch even earlier than I use to. Some of my pants are tighter than they use to be.

I have felt very blessed because I know I could feel a lot worse. I always thought I would be really really sick. But thankfully I have been able to work and not feel all too bad. I am very grateful.

How has Kase been?: Awesome. He takes such good care of me. He cleans and fixes dinner because I don’t feel like it. He made rice crispy treats for church because I didn’t feel like it. He takes care of me after I get sick. He rubs my feet and lets me nap on the couch. He brings me snacks from the kitchen because I’m hungry and the kitchen seems really far away. Yesterday, he fixed me a bath complete with candles and music. He pretty much rocks. Also, the stories of him taking care of me will be legen.... wait for it..... dary. (Inside joke you can ignore that last sentence unless you’re Kase or you watch How I Met Your Mother.)

Do we want a boy or a girl?: We don’t care, we just want a baby.

Do we have names?: We have a possible/probable boy name. We are having a harder time with girl names.

Am I scared?: Pretty much have no clue what’s going on. But I know things will work out and we’ll learn as we go. I have been worried that something will go wrong. I am a negative nelly as Kase says. I have faith that whatever happens, we will be OK.

So the 2nd Trimester is suppose to be better. Of course, I started feeling better and then I got a cold that won’t go away. So maybe after I get rid of that I will feel better.

Anyways, I need all the advice I can get so feel free to share. Thanks!

Million Dollar Question

Everybody has that one Question that they get asked.


It’s usually an important Question. One for which they don’t know the answer. You meet a person and get to know them just the right amount and then they ask you the Question. You don’t have the answer but you wish you did.


Your Question changes over time as your life changes. For example, as a college student your Question might be “What are you going to do when you graduate?” Or if you’re someone whose been dating a great person who just seems right your Question might be “When are you two going to get married?” Perhaps you have been employed for 40 years and your Question is “What are you going to do when/if you retire?”


These are important Questions and if your life was planned out you would know the exact answer. But let’s face it. Life can’t really truly be planned can it? It’s not that you haven’t asked yourself your Question. It’s not that you haven’t wanted to know the answer to your Question. It’s just that you know that you can’t possibly know the answer. Not yet.


Things just have their way of working themselves out. Then one day you find the answer to your Question. And you know.


What is my Question you ask? That one Question that I get all the time but I never know the answer? Simple. I always get asked the Question: “When are going to have your first baby?”


The thing is, things have their way of working themselves out. And now I know.


My answer is this June.

Giving Thanks

It's almost Thanksgiving.

I am so thankful for my family and friends and the love they give me.

I am thankful for my husband and how sweet he is.

I am excited to sleep in tomorrow, hang out with family, and eat. Especially eating cheesy potatoes. YUM.

One day I will post again. Very soon. Just you wait.

Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Jack and the Beanstalk

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of helping out in the nursery. Kids from 18 months to 3 years. They are so fun and sweet.

So I am reading them a good book: Jack and the Beanstalk. Good story right?

Here I am reading about Jack selling his cow and buying beans. Growing a huge beanstalk, and climbing up it.

That's when it happened. I remember liking this story as a kid, but I guess it looks different when you become an adult. Or maybe it's because I work for the Department of Justice.

Jack climbs up the beanstalk and finds himself in a strange giant person's house. So really, didn't Jack technically break into the Giant's house? Ok, so the Giant is very grumpy and angry, but wouldn't you be if a person broke into your house?

THEN Jack see's the Giant's prized possession: a magic chicken that lays golden eggs. What does Jack do? Why he STEALS it! So what if the Giant is mean and grumpy. Does that give Jack the right to steal the Giant's magic-golden-egg-laying-chicken? NO I don't think so!

What is the moral of this story? That if you become poor because you made a bad business deal selling your cow, you are justified in stealing from your neighbors?

I know that there are probably different versions of this story. Maybe this version made the story simpler for younger kids and happened to leave out all the important parts that teach a good lesson.

I also know that as a kid none of this ever crossed my mind, and it didn't seem to bother the kids on Sunday. But really, I am not sure I will be reading this story ever again. Jack, I think it's over between us. Bad boys never were my type.

What is the name of your favorite historical person?

Passwords. I have a million of them. As I am sure most of you do. Ones for work programs, email accounts, bank accounts, bill paying accounts, blogger accounts. The list goes on and on. And you can't make all your accounts all have the same passwords because they each have a different requirement. No capital letters, no special characters, one number with a special character, blah blah blah.

Well, if that wasn't enough things to remember (or in my case to write down and hide somewhere at your desk), now they are adding "security quesitons". You know, just in case you forget your password or can't remember which one of your passwords you need at them moment. So the solution is to come up with something else that you..... have to remember! Makes sense right?

Today, at work I had to pick TWO security questions for a program that I use maybe once a week. The funny thing was the questions that it makes you choose from. Instead of the normal questions like: What is your favorite color? or What is the name of your favorite pet? The questions I had to choose from were the following:

- What is your favorite line a move? (That's great and all but what if the line is really long, or what if your favorite line changes between now and when you have to answer this question again)

- What is the name of the city where your parents met? (WHAT? I don't know!?)

- What is your first phone number? (I don't remember!!!)

- What was your favorite childhood toy?

- What was the first and last name of your first date?

- What is your favorite quotation? (See problem with favorite movie line)

- What is your favorite cousin's occupation?

AND HERE IS THE BEST ONE:

- What is the last name of your childhood bully?

WHAT???? How random is that? Who wrote these questions and how am I suppose to pick two questions that I will remember/know the answers to and then be able to remember them again the next time I forget my password. I mean really.

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Last weekend I babysat our Nephew, Thomas (5), and Nieces, Sophie (3) and Lotus (10months).

Overnight, mind you. Over. Night. ALL BY MYSELF. (Kase had to work)

But I survived. It was fun. We played and crafted and napped.... well sort of napped. Mostly talked about napping. I dreamed of napping.

Anyways. Here are some funny things the kids said:

On our way to my house the kids were all talk in the back seat:

Thomas: "Did you know if you eat junk food, you will have a heart attack?"

Me: "Oh really? That's interesting. What kind of food is junk food?"

Thomas: "Pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers..."

Me: "What is your favorite food?"

Thomas: "PIZZA!!!!!!!"

On the drive home, we passed a Texas Roadhouse. Thomas told me that that is his favorite place to eat because you get all the peanuts you want. The next day we were having peanut butter and jelly but I had made the rookie mistake of buying CHUNKY peanut butter, not smooth:

Thomas: "What are the lumps in my peanut butter?"
Me: "Well it's peanuts like at your favorite restaurant"
Thomas: "NOOOOO I want them smushed!"
Me: "If you try a bit I think you will like it. You can smush the peanuts with your teeth and wash it down with chocolate milk"
He took a bite. Disgust filled his face and he covered his mouth as if he was about to barf up the most disgusting thing he had ever tasted. He motioned for me to open the trash can.
Me: "Thomas you eat that bite. You can do it, it's good!"
Thomas finally finished the bite and said: "OH that wasn't so bad"

Sophie and Thomas share a room at their house, and so they did at our house too. Thomas slept in the bed and Sophie wanted to sleep on a pallet in the floor. I put a movie on for them to watch. While I was retrieving blankets from down the hall I heard:

Thomas: "Sophie, Why are you going to sleep on the floor?"
Sophie: "Because, Bubba, if I sleep on the floor I can see the TV really good without your head in my way."

They make me laugh.

Happy October

I think October is the most romantic month. Really.

In my opinion, Valentine's Day should be in October. (Minus all the red/pink/white, oh and cupid. I think he is kind of creepy. I mean, is he a little naked fat man with wings or a winged baby with a bow and arrow? Either way= creepy.)

October is full of crispness in the air. Who needs spring flowers when the trees are changing color like magic? It's a fresh start, and a new season.

Time for walks in the afternoon sun, cozying up with blankets on chilly evenings, and apple cider. Date nights to pumpkin pick, plan Halloween costumes, make caramel corn, and wander through corn mazes.

Here's to everyone breaking out the sweaters, and stopping to admire the changing leaves!

Happy October!

I Found It

I've been looking for it.

Do you see it?



Fall....It's (almost) here!!!

Introducing Mr and Mrs.... Scatie!

This weekend was wonderful.


Scott (Kase's brother) married his beautiful bride Katie in the Nashville temple.


Aren't they adorable?










The ceremony was lovely. I think it's wonderful how simple and meaningful temple ceremonies are. I don't want to share too much about their special and sacred day, but I will say that it was very touching and spiritual. It was so sweet to see two wonderful people become a family forever. The love is so innocent and pure. Amazing. Contratulations Scott and Katie!



(Kase and I decided their celebrity couple name will now be........ Scatie! So congratulations Scatie!)

Attention All Drivers

I have learned from experience, that some drivers are not aware of pedestrian crosswalk signals and what they mean. Let me explain.


When you are driving in any area, but specifically an area where there are a lot of pedestrians, you should keep an eye out for crosswalks and the crosswalk signals. There could be people walking to work, or to lunch, and the last thing you want to do is injure someone.


Perhaps you are an angry driver who is downtown for some reason during lunch time driving around. Or perhaps you are a city buss driver who drives around all day and has been through training but are still unsure of the pedestrian cross walk rules.

Please note:

-Pedestrians have the right of way.


- Crosswalks are the big white bars across the road often found at intersections.


- This sign means that pedestrians may walk with only a minimal amount of fear that you will run over them:

- This sign means that pedestrians should not walk and that you should cautiously proceed through said intersection:

- This sign (the red hand should be flashing) means that pedestrians may walk, but only have 6 more seconds to reach the other side:
This sign DOES NOT mean that pedestrians are not suppose to walk. It DOES NOT mean that if you are a city bus driver you can almost run the pedestrian over. It DOES NOT mean that if you are an angry driver downtown during lunch time you can yell at the pedestrians crossing the road telling them that they are not suppose to be walking. It DOES NOT mean that you can then proceed to try to run over the pedestrians and then honk at them.


Thank you and good day.

Am I Getting Old?

When I was in highschool sdfjasjr years ago, I loved to stay up late. I would watch re-runs of old shows and sometimes write or call friends. I could stay up all night if I wanted.

Now most days, I am asleep by ummmm.... 11:00. But only because some person that I live with and who is very handsome likes to stay up late watching tv. I won't name names.

After highschool, asdflakjr years ago, I liked to go see a band called The Features play. The shows were upbeat and fun. No matter how many times I saw them, it was still fun.

They have played several times here in Knoxville. Kase and I went one time, and it was fun. But the past few times they have come to Knoxville something always comes up.

The Features are playing in town tonight, and I want to go. I planned on going. I wrote it on my calendar a month ago. But.....

Now that it's closer, I keep thinking about how we'll have to find parking downtown. How we'll have to go really late because I hate waiting for bands to set up. How I'll probably have to stand a lot and it'll make my feet and knees hurt. How it'll be really late by the time they are done playing. How instead of going to that we could see a movie and be home by 11:00. How our dog will miss us while we are gone. How the yard really needs mowing instead. How a nice quiet evening at home sounds lovely.

So the chances of us going to see The Features play are growing dim. We'll see what happens I guess. Maybe I'm just getting old? I think I kindof like it.

What's for Dinner (or lunch)?

Since we've been back from vacation, we have been trying a new experiment. We are not eating out for a month (except for an occasional date night). Our goals are to lose a little weight, eat healthier, and save money.

It's not that we ate out a LOT before. I would eat out maybe 1 or 2 times a week for lunch. My work is stocked with a fridge, freezer, microwave, and even a toaster oven so bringing lunch is easy. But when EVERYONE else has delicious hot lunches from a nearby location, well, temptation is hard to overcome when your stomach is growling. Kase, on the other hand, has it rough. His work doesn't always have a fridge or microwave (depending on which location he is scheduled at). So he would eat out for lunch most days, or not eat any lunch at all.

Then there was the temptation of eating out for dinner. I would be driving home late and pass by taco bell, a favorite at our house, and think "well, it's really late and I don't think we have any good food at home. Taco bell is cheap." Or friends would invite us out to dinner and we wouldn't want to say no. It was just easy. Not that we ate out every night, but it was easy to lose track.

So it's been 2.5 weeks since our not eating out and it's been great! I feel better and have been cooking more which is a goal I had set for myself. Kase has started back to school so he packs his lunch and eats between classes or when he gets to work.

As far as our goals, I know we've been eating healthier. We've even noticed we've lost a few pounds. And we are saving money. Groceries are still very expensive, but we have leftovers that go farther. So it works out better.

Plus when we have went out for date night, I realize the food doesn't even taste all that good.

This post is kind of boring, but I just wanted to remind myself that I have enjoyed our experiment and I plan on continuing it.

Also, I need good (EASY) recipes so if anyone has any PLEASE send them my way!!!! :)

Califor-ni-a Part III & Conclusion

Day 5: Cabrillo National Monument, Point Loma Lighthouse, San Diego. AND the beach.

Stats: This is a national park area with a light house and a monument to the first Spanish explorer to land in California. Beautiful.




Favorites: We spent the first part of the day touring around the lighthouse and the monument. The weather was cool and the views were beautiful. We also went to see the tide pools in the park.

Then we headed to the beach. The water was soooo cold! But fun!

Day 6: Back to Los Angeles

Favorites: We drove back up to Los Angeles in preparation for leaving to go home. On our last day, Kase had some delicious Chili-Cheese fries at Tam's, a place he remembered from his mission time.

Then we went over to Hollywood Boulevard to catch a movie at Grauman's and people watch.
We had a great time together vacationing. It was fun to just spend time with Kase and go on adventures together.

THE END!

We Now Interupt This Regularly Scheduled Vacation Update

with an important announcement......

MY OVEN HAS PASSED AWAY.

My oven, sometimes known as "Stove" or "the loud rattling thing in the kitchen," passed away in a series of unfortunate events.

Yesterday evening Kase was helping our new neighbors down the street move. I decided I would go over and say hello while dinner was cooking. After my little visit, I came home and checked on the casserole. I realized something was not right. A part of the element in the oven was burning hot orange, with sparks flying out and catching crumbs on fire.

I raced across the street to tell Kase that I had broken our oven. When I got back the burning orange dot had slowly progressed a little farther a long, melting the element along its way. Kase came home to see what had happened. Sure enough. Oven was on his last legs.

We tried to let it cool off. But eventually Kase had to pull the plug.

I heard rumors that it may be possible to keep Oven alive a little longer with buying a new element. But honestly, between you and me, this was not Oven's only health problem. I think it's only right to cut the cord now.

Oven also caused Kase to twist his ankle on his way home to see if the house was on fire, which caused swelling and a bad night of sleep.

Oven also caused me to wake up late, hurry to my car, and find ANOTHER flat tire. Third one in 3 months!!!!!! After changing the tire and putting on the donut, we found out that the donut was flat as well. sighhhhhh.... I am not sure how Oven managed to do this, but I am sure I can find a connection.

So it is time for a new oven. Farewell my warm friend. Farewell.

Now back to your regularly scheduled updates......

Califor-ni-a Part II Plus Our 3rd Anniversary

Day 3: Los Angeles.

Stats: Big city. Still nice weather. Not as nice as I thought it would be. Lots of traffic.

Interests: Hollywood Boulevard (of course) and the LA Temple.

Favorites: Hollywood Boulevard was kindof dumpy. We got up super early and beat the crouds there so we could walk around Grauman's Chinese Theatre.






(Inside of Theatre)

This where they have movie premieres plus where the stars write their names in the concrete with their handprints. We toured the theatre, which was beautiful.




(me with Jimmy Stewart's handprints)

Donald Duck

Someone who works at the Theatre told us that a certain actor (I don't wanna name names) whose name rhymes with "Bad Spit" is NOT a very nice person. Most other actors wrote their names out on the concret blocks, but not Mr. Spit. He scribbled his initials and was done. Noone knew who "BP" was:

Click to see!

Kindof sad to learn he isn't nice, but don't worry. George Clooney and Will Smith are super nice according to my source.



Then we headed to the LA temple. I new it would be pretty, but I was shocked at how big it was. The grounds are very large with beautiful roses. We had a wonderful time together at the temple and I really loved it.


Day 4: San Diego AND Our Anniversary

Stats: Way prettier than LA, even better weather.

Interests: San Diego temple, our hotel, and downtown.

Favorites: We drove down about 2 hours to the San Diego temple. It was beautiful, but a lot smaller than I expected. People there were so nice and we enjoyed spending time there. It was nice to spend our anniversary at the temple.


Then we headed to our hotel in Downtown San Diego. It used to be an old bank but now is a Marriot Courtyard.

(Our Hotel)

We explored the hotel and found the old bank vaults which are now conference rooms. Way cool.

We also walked around downtown and looked at all the shops and restaurants. AND who could resist icecream for dinner? YUM!

Kase, I had a wonderful time celebrating with you. You are an amazing husband. I love you sooo very much. I am so glad I get to spend forever with you.

TO BE CONTINUED....

Cali-forn-i-a Part I

When we arrived in California, I was excited. I had never been to southern California before. Kase served his 2 year mission there, so it would be a return visit for him.

I was shocked by the weather. No humidity and nice! Warm, but you didn't need the AC in the car. So nice. We spent some time in Huntington Beach, Long Beach, LA, and San Diego.

Driving in LA wasn't so bad. They honk a lot there. I am a honker myself, but not to this extent. There was honking if you were too slow to go at the green light (I mean you had better step on the gas ASAP), there was honking if you just felt like honking. I think I fit in pretty well though.

The time difference was also beneficial. It's 3 hours earlier in CA, so we woke up really early there but were still able to sleep in on our time. This way, we beat crowds and traffic. Although finding lunch during breakfast time didn't work so well. I was in bed by 9 California time. Ha ha.

Here's highlights of the trip: (Click on the pictures if you want them bigger. I had issues uploading. )

Day 1: Huntington Beach.

Stats: Nice Weather. Beautiful beaches and fancy homes.





Interests: Kase served part of his mission here so we toured some of his area. We went to church there. We also walked down the pier and watched the surfers.





Favorites: We ate at 2 great places here. I had THE best mexican burrito with guacamole. We also ate at a delicious burger place on the beach. The played loud music there and beach go-ers walked up to eat. A man had his dog, a black lab, tied up to our table while he ordered some food. The dog had just came out of the ocean and was wet and salty. He may have received a few of my yummy fries.

(Burrito)

(Good Burger)

We headed back up to LA and stopped at Signal Hill which had a beautiful view.

Day 2: Burbank, Ca.

Stats: Cute smaller town close to LA.

Interests: We went on a 5 hour tour of the Warner Brothers Studio.



Activities: The tour was fun! We saw buildings they use in sets, props, post-production studios, the studio museum, and movie cars (like the batmobile).

Old Batmobile



New Batmobile (click to enlarge!)





(Mom, this is the church or school house I can't remember used in the Walton's where JohnBoy has his first kiss.)

We were able to see the set of the Ellen show, the Mentalist, and the New adventures of Old Christine. (No Picture taking allowed) We also saw the town of Eastwick, which is a new show coming out soon. We had a delicious fancy lunch right next to the president of the Warner Brothers television division while he discussed a new character they are developing (we may have eavesdropped).

Favorites: Ladies and Gentlemen, Please meet Chuck, we did (sort of):



He is a character on one of our favorite shows called... well, Chuck. Kase and I told our tour guide about our love for Chuck. While we were walking into one of the sound stages, our tour guide whispered to us that the actor who plays Chuck was standing across the street. He had been filming the upcoming season, and was taking a break. Now get this: HE WAVED AT US! (specifically me of course) AND YELLED "HAVE A GOOD TOUR"!!!! Then get this: Kase yelled back "HAVE A GOOD SHOW"! So really KASE TALKED TO CHUCK. That rocked. haha.

Other favorite part: we saw the set of the Central Perk coffee shop from FRIENDS. We got to sit on the orange couch! that rocked too.



TO BE CONTINUED......

Back From Vacation

We're back. In case you didn't notice that we had left, we were on vacation in California. A great vacation. A vacation that wasn't long enough.

But alas... back to the real world.

I will post vacation pictures and stories later. Once I get somewhat caught up on work and such.

Until then here is what I don't like about being back:

1. Having to wake up early and go to work, instead of sleeping in and spending all day with Kase doing whatever we feel like doing.
2. Having to pretend like I am not awake yet so I don't have to get up and let the dog out.
3. Walking outside into the ridiculous humidity and heat.
4. Needing to know what day it is because I have responsibilities again.
5. Laundry galore.
6. Not being able to spend all day laughing with my husband.
7. Did I already mention going to work?

Here's what I do like about being back:
1. Seeing family and friends.
2. Seeing the dog.
3. Sleeping in my comfy bed.
4. Showering in my non-questionable shower.
5. Saving money because we don't have to eat out all the time.
6. Finding on my desk the cookbook my thoughtful co-worker bought me while I was gone.
7. Reading everyone's blogs that I missed for a week.
8. And still laughing with Kase.

I guess being back isn't so bad. :)

Cooking is not my Talent

But I do enjoy baking. Last week, the day before my husband's birthday, I decided I would bake his birthday cake. It would be great. I would bake it and it could cool so the next day I could frost it and create my master piece. (The ultimate goal being a cake that looks like a movie film reel.)



So I mixed and stirred and measured. The bright red velvet mixture was poured into two round pans and ready for baking. Kase (said husband) was upstairs working on a project with his uncle Randy. This was going to be the best cake ever! In only 30 minutes the cake would be done.



So what to do in the meantime? Well, how about a re-run episode of Friends. That's right, yes, that's a great idea. It's one of my favorite shows. Perfect. I sat down on the couch to enjoy some laughter.



And then it happened....


I woke up. I had fallen asleep. It was about 9:30.... "What is that smell?" I thought, trying to remember what I had been doing. OHH NO!


I am not sure how long the cake baked, probably around an hour. I am sure that it was burnt.

I had managed to turn the pretty red velvet into a black crispy kind.


Oops.


After I cried,


I considered changing the film reel themed cake to a hockey puck themed cake.



Kase was kind and sweet. He even ate some of the non burned spots. YUM.

The next day, I managed to bake a non blackened version. It turned out pretty good. Whew. Crisis averted.

(Film Reel Cake. The fruit by the foot coming out of the cake is suppose to be the film.)

Maybe next year, we'll go for a cookie cake.

Happy Birthday Kase

Dear K-Dawg aka the love of my life,

I hope you have a happy birthday.... because you deserve it.

You are sweet and amazing and you look hot in suits. You are patient with me. You teach me and you make me laugh.

You love your family and you are an amazing person.

But most of all you love me and I love you. And we both love the cubs. (ok I love them because you love them, but who could resist them?)

HAVE A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Love Forever,

Laura

P.S. I know your birthday is really tomorrow, but who has time to post a blog when there are presents to be wrapped and a cake to be baked? I mean really. ;)