a saturday spent in the laundry room...

i. am. an. hgtv. junkie.

i've never tried my hand at design, nor do i have the creativity to pursue anything as artistic as design, but, i did have a large empty laundry room screaming for a little love and attention. this past weekend, i rallied up two of my (sweet, sweet) girlfriends and we managed to squeeze the three of us into a little 7x7 room, along with rollers, brushes, paint trays, ladders, and a washer and dryer.

after a coat of paint, and mini shopping spree at tjmaxx homegoods, i now have a cozy lil' spot in my house to clean clothes. i had a great time with my laundry room make-over and my husband is stoked because he'll have clean drawers-in-his-drawers more often... ;-)

nicole and kym workin' hard--thanks girls!

before and after: the shelf area

before and after: the bare left wall

the finished product. so cozy!

snappy snappy

it's been a while since we've thrown some photos up on the blog, so here are a few snapshots from the surprise birthday cruise josh planned for me. we had a beautiful night--enjoy the pics!

a lost art

my birthday fell on father's day this year. ahem, correction--father's day fell on my birthday this year, thank you very much! in an effort to celebrate the grand feat of having raised my brother, sister and i for the past 25+ years, i made a concious decision to focus sunday's celebrations on my dad. after all, he IS the most incredible dad in the world, and i love the gosh darn heck out of him...

here's to you, dad...! nmw...

josh, being the ever-so-loving-and-thoughtful-guy-of-a-husband he is, thought it was important we still celebrate my birthday. i didn't push back. shocking--i know. fast forward to the following saturday, a 20-minute westward drive with a quick stop for fancy food-to-go, we pulled into newport harbor where we found a duffy boat waiting for us. yup, for US. josh and me. i didn't know you didn't need a captian on those things! better for us--it was PRIVATE. wink wink.

anywho, josh had planned the boat, the dinner, and obviously the drink selection, because he pulled 2 bottles of my favorite cabernet out of his backpack, along with (plastic) wine glasses and a bottle opener. because that's how we roll :-) i was SO IMPRESSED by his thoughtfulness, and i absolutely adored the surprise factor of it all, but it was what he popped into the cd player on the boat that really stole my heart. leave it up to josh, he made me a MIX TAPE for my birthday boat ride. I LOVE HIM!! :-)

josh is album centric. if you know him at all, or have done a decent job of keeping up with his blog posts, you'll know he is not a "shuffle songs" kind of guy. no way. because that entirely negates any effort put forth by an artist to consciously arrange their music as they wanted it to be heard--as a story, with a beginning, middle, and end. therefore, i can only imagine what a struggle it must have been for him to put multiple songs and artists on one disc, visciously tearing them away from the cozy, assigned spots on thier respective albums. it must have been heart wrenching.

unless.................. unless this was josh's way of creating his own album. and btw, whether it's true or not, this is the story i'm going with. because it's my birthday. and i can.

josh has a library of over 85 days worth of music. 85 DAYS OF MUSIC. we could be stranded on an island together for 2 full months plus a february, eating maggots and drinking salt water, and as long as we had his ipod (and a charger... oh, and speakers, too...) we'd be able to dance to a different song the whole time we were there. it's almost stupid...but it's mostly cute. :-) it also comes in handy when i'm ready for an ipod mix change. i just love that he sat down and intentionally pulled 16 different songs from 16 different albums and 16 different artists and placed them all side by side onto one, single cd. these were 16 carefully chosen songs that made him think of us as a couple, as a family, and as two crazies that love to have a good time. he thought about what songs we'd enjoy on a birthday boat ride at sunset down newport harbor over dinner and drinks, on a night full of cuddling and day dreaming :-) this mix tape was a piece of art--it was wonderful, and it melted my heart. i (un)secretly hope for another one someday (honey...) ;-)


here are a few of my favorite lyrics from the disc, for your artful reading pleasure.

...sailing around the world, please know that i'm yours to keep, my beautiful girl...

...but there ain't nobody that can sing like me, ain't nobody that can sing like me, way over yonder in the minor key....

...that i am, i am, i am the luckiest...

...i wonder everyday as i look upon your face, everything you gave and nothing you would take...

...and then when we get to the ocean, we're gonna take a boat to the end of the world...

...you and me together, we can do anything, baby, you and me together, yes, yes...

...watchin' the fire as we grow...

...ahhhuhh, ahhhuh, ahhhhhuhh...

...happy birthday, beautiful...

look for some of the birthday mix songs on our blog playlist, soon!

a cup o' tea

ugh. i'm thirsty. hungry, too? no, not hungry, just thirsty.

mmmmmm. tea sounds good.

pour water, crack open the micro, slam door, hit 9-0-start. and wait.

i wonder if josh would want tea. eh, he's doing homework. he won't even know i'm having tea. and he can make some when he's done.

UMMMM. HELLO, GIGI! I KNOW IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY AND ALL, BUT THIS PRINCESS/ME/ME/ME ATTITUDE WILL GET YOU NOWHERE. i cannot believe i rationalized this move in my head. shocked and saddened at the same time, i walked to the office and offered my husband some tea, to which he graciously accepted. "with a tiny bit of sugar, please, honey! oh, and babe? thanks so much!!"

90 seconds later it was HIS tea that was coming out of the microwave, and not mine. i dropped his bag in, added some sugar, popped another water mug in the microwave, hit 9-0-start, and walked his tea over to the office. my hot water came out 90 seconds later. i LOVE mint tea. yummmm :-)

one of the first dates josh took me on was to a favorite pizza joint of his. he ordered for us, and after we each poured our own sodas, he grabbed a straw, unwrapped it, and stuffed it in my soda. WHAT? uhm, okay, i guess i'll unwrap a straw and stick it in YOUR soda....

WOW. this "thinking of the other person first" thing is kind of cool. :-)

when josh and i got married 16 months ago (no i'm not counting, it's simple arithmetic. february plus four equals june, plus two days, and that year thats gone by, and you're at 16 months, or one year and one third. okay, i'm counting...) it was easy and exciting to offer him a cup of tea on a sunday evening. it was a cakewalk to put him first. we were MARRIED, and that's what married people do. i told myself i'd ALWAYS think of josh first.

when i popped MY tea in the microwave, i justified why i didn't need to put josh first.

and that was so not cool.

it's not always easy, and it's not always natural, but as a wife, a lover, a caretaker, i have to continue to think of my husband first. a year after the wedding. ten years after the wedding. 50 years after the wedding. selflessness and consideration--two healthy qualities that help ensure we're not hurting each other. because on a daily basis, the things i do need to HELP my husband, and not HURT or HINDER him. even if it's as simple as making sure he's set with a sunday "prevening" cup of tea. :-)

reaching out.

it's no mystery, but im a fan of the "occassional" (ahem) social media.

some people get it, some people don't. lucky for me, mylack of being passionate for any one thing in particular allows me to not feel the need to constantly explain why facebook, twitter, blogging, google-reading, site surfing, etc. make me feel more connected to this world. there are debates on the pros and cons of social media just about everywhere you look. but can i tell you something? my aunt and i get to keep up on facebook multiple times a day. my cousins and i keep each other updated as to when we'll be in town looking for a visit, and my grandma updates her status with the crazyness of retired life!! not to mention, reunions are planned, big game scores are updated by the minute, and earthquake magnitudes are posted. this stuff is helpful.

obviously this stuff can be distracting, but what about all those people that show up at my office door when i'm trying to develop a budget!?!?!

so i'll leave you with the latest tid bit of helpfulness i've experienced on the wonderful world of facebook. and to the husband--i hope one or all of these helps your head.

I Can't Wait To Get Off Work...

Each day this week, this song has helped get me through the day. It's such a nice feeling to come home to the one I love more than anything.

oh my, layover!

takeaways from my latest attempt to fly...

1) burbank airport, contrary to popular (/my) belief, is NOT the same distance from orange county as long beach airport. idoit points: 3
2) it does not take 3+ hours to get from OC to burbank. it takes 2. idiot points: 1
3) a 7 person flight does not stop the ticketing counter from boarding in zones. idiot points: 0
4) san fransisco in the summer is moody like a teenage girl. one hour, foggy, the next hour, twice as foggy, the next hour, clear. idiot points: 1
5) "redeyes" are not meant to have connections at various airports throughout the night. idiot points: 3
6) in today's economy, not every freezing cold plane has blankets onboard. idiot points: 2
7) 90 minute customer service lines CAN be followed by 60 minute customer service phone calls. idiot points: 1
8) tea does not have as much caffiene as coffee. idiot points: 1
9) there's no one to chat on the phone with at 3:35am. idiot points: 1
10) when a pilot offers to drop you back off at the gate and stay in town, rather than start your trip, there are times when it'd be smarter to take him up on his offer rather than "just see" how things turn out. idiot points: 7 (that's a biggie, i know!)

it was a rough 20 hours, and in the end, i got nowhere. that's right, nowhere. i can't say i didn't learn anything though! in some states, i'd get college credits for the amount of lessons learned in such a short period of time...

PXX2AMFCSJYY

Step Right Up

I have a rather vast and diverse music collection. But there is one particular artist that has more tracks in the collection than any other. I have practically everything he has ever recorded and I can honestly say there isn’t anything I don’t like.

Ever since I purchased my first album by this artist I have been a huge fan of his music. He is probably the only artist I have ever said I HAVE to see in concert one day. I have told Gigi that if he ever comes even somewhat close to where we are, we will do whatever we need to to attend the show. It has become a life goal.

For those who don't already know who I am talking about, allow me to introduce you to Tom Waits. The video below is what sealed my desire to see him in concert.

Recently, one of the Tom Waits fan blogs I follow (I know, I'm awesome a huge nerd), posted a concert he performed in France back in 1980 and I just had to share. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A Couple That Sweats Together, Stays Together

Those that know Gigi and I know that we like to stay active, maintain a practically full calendar at all times, and do what we can to stay in shape. Whether it's climbing, running or walking with June, hiking (on occasion) or just doing something outside, we do what we can to enjoy the outdoors and maintain an active lifestyle.

About 55 days ago I told Gigi that I was thinking of doing P90X (those of you who don't know what that is can go here to see for yourself). Her first reaction was, "I'll do it with you!" That quickly turned into, "Six days a week for 90 days!... and a diet program too! Heck no way!" slowly evolving into, "Okay. I'll do it with you, but only if you do all the research and just tell me what to do."

I quickly took that deal.

I looked through all the material and started talking to Gigi to get her prepped for what we were about to do. The more I read about the program, the more intimidated I became. Six days a week was a huge commitment for two people who love to max our schedules out. But if we wanted to actually get into the shape we had been wanting to it was going to take something a bit more drastic than walking the dog a long distance and going to Bishop every six weeks. So I shoved my intimidation aside, put on my brave face and we jumped in with both feet.

First step, fit test. Boy was that an eye opener. I couldn't reach my toes, could barely do a wall squat for a minute, and was up around 30% body fat!!! What the hell?!? I used to be athletic!!

Next step, Day 1... and a severe ass-kicking from a damned DVD! The first workout I thought I was gonna cry like a little girl and then pass out dead. I knew someone would find Gigi standing over my body laughing and she would go to jail and June would be an orphan. Okay, that maybe a little bit of an exaggeration, but I did think I was gonna pass out. Luckily I was able to take a break and watch Gigi handle things like a champ. I eventually jumped back in just in time to get my ass kicked again by "340 core slash ab exercises" known as Ab Ripper X. By the end of the whole thing I was flipping off the computer and cursing the trainer's name. But I was still committed to it and determined to see the results the program is designed to give.

After a week I was exhausted. God I hope this is working!

After two weeks I was so sore I wasn't sure I could feel anything else but pain. Seriously, all I feel is sore. This had better be working.

After three weeks my body wanted to give up. It is so much easier to be fat and lazy. I think I lost 2 pounds. Seriously?!? I can barely move any more and I've only lost 2 pounds!!!

Week four was a rest week and we sure did need it. We were exhausted and in desperate need of rest. We did our workouts (even while on vacation!) and began to feel a bit better and ready for phase 2. But something happened. We started to look and feel better. Not just a little better, but a lot better. We noticed we were both able to go for a 2 mile run and talk the whole way. That was new. We noticed that even though we were tired, we still had more energy than we did a few weeks prior. Okay sign us up for phase 2.

After the first week we were tired again. Psh... bring it on!

After the second week our bodies were sore. A minor set back. I can't wait for week 3!

Now, here we are ending the third week of phase 2 and we are constantly saying to each other, "Holy crap you look great!!" We can see big results in each other and now we still have enough energy after our workouts to go on a mile or two walk with June each night! Last night we both, for the first time in the workout, were able to keep up with the trainer and do every move of the Ab Ripper X workout!

We are right at halfway through the 90 days we set out to complete seven weeks ago. It's had it's up's and down's but we are having a blast every day. I know that I have totally enjoyed getting into shape, working my ass off and having my wife doing the same thing right by my side. It has been so exciting to watch her push her limits, and be there to motivate her while she is right there doing the same for me.

I love you babe! I'll be home soon to do yoga with you!

ahhh....

with summer right around the corner, you'll find me doing a lot of this:

although, unlike june, i'll probably take my collar and leash off. i'm not a fan of neck tans.

tuesday afternoon chit chat

a: i think i'm gonna bring my computer home tonight and do some work. do you have homework to work on?

j: i do. i have some work i can do too :)

a: well, between workout, dinner, dry cleaning, walks with june, and grocery shopping, i'm kind of changing my mind.

j: i thought you might.

a: what?! how did you know?

j: i knew you'd start to think about all that we need to do tonight and give up on the work part. ;) i know you.

a: aaaarrrrrrrgggg. you stink. but i love you. lots.

j: you have to. i have the paper that says so.

a: i know. damn paperwork.

j: i know.

a fresh papercut :-/

i have a friend--correction: HAD a friend--who at one point was VERY close. we shared our hearts, our dreams, our similarities, and our differences, heck, we even shared our wedding days with each other...

then something happened. and my reaction to that something wasn't--well, it wasn't "right" according to her. and looking back, i admit, it probably didn't qualify as the world's best reaction a friend could have. but in her mind, i'd wronged her--BIG TIME. and now? well, now, we're no longer friends.

after a truly heartfelt apology , based on what i realized she perceived as wrong on my part, we have yet to rebuild our relationship. it breaks my heart over and over.

this was a while ago. you'd think i'd be "over it" by now. but i'm not. not even close :-( and honestly, i won't be surprised if this one hangs around with me for a lifetime.

the loss of a freindship is one of the hardest, most impactful losses one can face, in my opinion. it's almost like a break-up, where you just hit rewind in your memory bank over and over, trying to figure out what went wrong; trying to figure out what you could have done differently. and everytime the memory bank's rerun comes to an end, it stings like a fresh papercut all over again.

i don't wish to be a lousy friend--not to anyone. i've specifically asked close friends of mine to tell me what i can do to be a better friend to them. and i'll continue to ask... because friends don't just come knocking on your door--they take work, and they're not worth losing over a misunderstanding. and losing a good friend can leave an everlasting hole in your hearth. not fun. not fun at all.

just sayin...

it's thursday...

i know i should be working, but i've got june on my mind, instead!

i'm mostly thinking about how badly she needs a bath...

every 6 weeks

this past weekend, josh, june, and i met our friends craig and zsa up in bishop, ca for some classic bouldering. it was nice to see bishop only 6 weeks after the last time we saw it! if we had a bishop trip every 6 weeks, i may be okay with that!! as a matter of fact, i think we're headed up there again on memorial day weekend. how about that's 6 weeks from now!!

check out that landscape!

josh is stoked to be outside climbing again! and if you sneak a peek behind him, a little set of lovebirds are cuddling............ ;-)

craig and zsa hanging out :-)

june was so excited to be outside. she'd go explore by herself for 10 minutes or so, then check back in like a good little puppy. we thought we lost her at one point--that was scary. but nope, she was right around the corner! phew!

uhm, hello, cows. i wanted to touch one, but thought i might die.

craig working on mandala (i think that's what this was called)... this sucker's "heinous" (a word i've noticed climbers use ALL THE TIME...!)

josh on a traverse on the headbanger boulder. this boulder was SHARP.

josh working on soulslinger at the buttermilks. this is also the boulder where june got bit by a red ant. i wanted to cry watching her in so much pain, but i sucked it up. barely.

zsa working on soulslinger. this chick is a kickass climber, btw. and she's fun :-)

don't know what this route was called. i just know i worked on it for a while...

...and it finally went!!

sushi bro.

rolly's 32nd birthday found its way into 2010 last week :-) happy birthday bro!!!!

to celebrate, mom and dad thought rolly's favorite food would work to satisfy his birthday cravings. SUSHI!! however, in an effort to be creative and fun (good job, guys) we didn't GO to sushi, instead sushi came to us. the parentals worked and worked to prep all the fixins needed for a make-your-own-sushi party. (can i really get away calling them "fixins" when it is the farthest thing possible from hick food?? how about "supplies"? or "suprise!" my seuc cousins may get that reference... anywho...)

with seaweed, rice, halibut, tuna, tuna tar-tare, crab, salmon, eel, avocado, cream cheese, cucumber, mushrooms, and those little orange eggs on the menu, we went to town mashing, rolling, stomping, cutting, and eating our freshly made hand rolls. no, it wasn't the most classy effort i've ever seen, it was more... functional. how do i get all this stuff in my mouth at once? (...that's a great segway to a "that's what she said" joke, btw. ya know, just in case you needed some help catching that one...) some rolls were small, some rolls were large. some looked like burritos (dad...) and some looked like small baseballs... in any case, they all tasted DELICIOUS!! and, to ensure authenticity, a few sake swigs and sapporro gulps were fully welcomed...!

rolly's ready...

so is dad...

they're tired from eating...

yummmmmmmy!

i love those orange eggy things...

josh ate potstickers... "i don't like the texture of sushi..."

cheers, kat and rolly!

happy birthday to my rolly poly! i hope you had fun celebrating all weekend long! and thanks to mom and dad for all your hard work!