Confessions...

Okay...I might have eaten an ENTIRE See's Bordeaux egg while watching an episode of Biggest Loser. Darn you Easter Bunny!

I'm usually so motivated while watching that I'll do sit-ups at the commercials but the more they sweat, the more I ATE! Talk about your ultimate oxymoron.

I Pledge Allegiance To...

Alright, I've been a loyal Costco fan since the 5th grade...(maybe 4th, elementary school's a bit fuzzy for me) when I read a book about kids spending their days hiding out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and then having exciting adventures there at night when it closed.
I've loved Costco since I can remember and would often beg my mom to take me on the 40 minute journey for the free samples alone! But it wasn't until I was asked to write about a place I would love to spend the nights having adventures that I pledged my true devotion to the mega warehouse.
At the time it was strictly a logical choice. I mean, where else has furniture, food, and toilet paper within 20 yards of each other. And don't get me started on the flat bed carts. THAT'S where the adventure came into play! I thought I was much more clever then the other kids who chose places like Chucky Cheese or Disneyland. (Okay, I do realize Disneyland might have been a more fun choice...and I could definitely live off Churros and the corn dogs from the old fashioned red cart. Wow, I'm shocked that sounds so good in my current puking place.) And yes, I'm corn dog specific to the cart at the end of Main Street. Once my sweet in-laws bought me a corn dog right before they left the park and flew back with it for me. :) They're the best.

...I digress...

ANYWAY

Now, though I would drive a 40 minutes journey to get to a Costco, it's by default my go-to store as it's the closest place to our home. I love it! The fact that I can buy a baby shower gift, tonight's dinner, and a lifetime supply of paper plates in one stop is the greatest thing. Many days, Brian heads to a Costco close to his work for lunch...but not food court lunch...SAMPLE PLATTER LUNCH! Is that abusing the system??
I haven't been to Costco in awhile. Frankly, I haven't been to any grocery store in awhile because the smell of food in general gives me cold sweats that lead to throwing up. Lovely I know. So being Costco's #1 fan is not my biggest priority at the moment, and after looking through my kitchen, buying bulk food is NOT the answer when pregnant.
I've got more rotting food in my fridge and pantry and don't even have the stomach to clean it out! Would you like the run-down? There's half a box of clementines rotting in my fridge along with almost a full bag of snap peas that are getting slimier by the day. Not to mention the drawer full of string cheese I can't bear to even look at with a carton of eggs that have been there at least 3 months. (Hey, I might have baby chicks for Easter!) I would take a picture, but I'm embarrassed I've let so much go to waste. The pantry's got less spoiled food, but there are potatoes with more eyes growing on them than the weirdest looking alien and other similar Costco items that have been nibbled on for the stomach test and ultimately failed after a few meals.
So what's a girl to do? When I figure that out, I'll let you know! But for now, Costco no longer has the hypnotizing effect I've been entranced by since the 5th grade. Don't worry though, when I'm over this hump, I'll be back.

Warm Strawberries

Are one of my favorite things! Weird?...Maybe. I constantly pull them out of the fridge, and Brian always puts them back in...like he's doing me a favor. I'm not sure how the majority of the world enjoys their luscious red berries, but I can explain my infatuation.
I grew up on the Central Coast of California...prime strawberry growing weather and there were fields all over. I can't recall a summer when we didn't go pick strawberries ourselves. It's so satisfying to overfill your own cardboard flat of bright red juicy fruit, knowing there's not a single bruised or unripe one waiting for you on the bottom. BUT, the best part is the all-you-can-eat buffet WHILE PICKING! Hence, the warm berries. We use to roll out of those rows...and thought the farm owners would be smart to weigh us before and after and charge for each pound of fruit we consumed. I don't know if my taste buds really prefer them warm or if it's just nostalgia, but I'm glad the sunshine is out and yummy California berries are back in the stores.



okay...I need to preface this picture by saying I stole if off some blog I found through Google. But I couldn't resist. This is my NIPOMO STRAWBERRY FIELD!! In the back you see the bend in the road lined with Eucalyptus trees and the delicious strawberries in her flat complete with handle....so don't pay attention to the girl...I'll replace this with my own picture the next time I'm down there.

Work with me HANDS!!!

So, this whole making life inside of me has brought about some interesting side effects. Most of them like extreme sleepiness, and the barf bus I somewhat anticipated, but this new development is just plain irritating!!

I've lost the use of my hands. That's right. I drop things. Things I have a perfect grip on suddenly slip between my fingers and ALL make a big mess! It's like my fingers are revolting against me.

The first...and worst thing I dropped was my most favorite eyeshadow that they don't even make anymore. Now this wouldn't have been such a big deal except that it's a pot of loose powder that exploded ALL OVER THE BATHROOM FLOOR!! Channeling my best Napoleon Dynamite, the only thing I could say was.."IDIOT!" I literally left it there for a few hours before cleaning it up because I was so mad about dropping the darn thing!

Next...and the funniest was none other than a full bowl of corn flakes. Milk included. Securely in both hands one minute and then whoops, GONE! I was just grateful the bowl didn't shatter on me. THAT would have been fun. I laughed a little, then cried a little and then cleaned up the mess.

Lots of other things have slipped through the newly developed cracks in my hands: cell phone, mail, clothes..it's quite frustrating!

The last dramatic drop was a package of graham crackers. Now these have been like gold to me lately as they've been one of the few foods that haven't booked me a trip on the barf bus. So you can understand the upset as I went to set them down on our little entry table and CRASH! Graham cracker crumbs all over the tile! Brian suppressed a laugh and covered it up with a sympathetic sigh...and then heroically pulled out the broom to clean it up. Good cover buddy.

Anyway, I googled this dropsy syndrome and it turns out when you're pregnant all your tendons and ligaments are loosening up to allow for the growth that's coming so you become exceptionally clumsy. I haven't started bumping into things yet, but I'd just like a set of hands that won't fail me!! Anyone want to trade?

On The Menu:

Breakfast: Graham Crackers & Pirate's Booty

Lunch: Orange & Microwave Burrito

Dinner: French Bread...and anything I can find that will not make me vomit.

YEP...it's true...

I'M FINALLY PREGNANT!!!

We couldn't be more excited! I'm 13 weeks and counting down the MINUTES until I no longer have to be within running distance to a bathroom...actually, I keep a plastic bag in my purse just in case...PRAYING I never have to use it. This "morning sickness" garbage is really the pits! I did not anticipate it being quite so miserable. The only thing keeping me going is knowing that it means I've got a healthy little parasite inside.

I literally google "morning sickness cures" every other day hoping I'll find some miracle cure I didn't read about the day before. The best fix I've found...peppermint lifesavers and oranges. Not together of course..eww.

Anyway, my mom's dying for me to share the happy news, so there you have it. I keep telling her my tragic tales and she says, "That's so funny, you have to blog about that!!" Thanks Mom. So remind me to tell you about the 'pregnant dropsies' I've developed. Maybe tomorrow...I need to eat something before I lose it for the 50 billionth time!


OK we both look bad in this picture, but I had to post it for our new posterity. I was super tired and nauseous and Brian was squatting awkwardly around the doctors' instruments.

Our little parasite at 9 weeks. It measured 2.2 cm...crazy! So far everything looks great...except I think I need a new nickname for the thing..."Parasite" might give the baby a complex before the world even gets to it...then I thought about "homie" so every time I toss my cookies I could say, "Homie don't play that!"...any better suggestions?

Blog Blockage

So, my New Year's resolution has again hit the dust but for good reason! I've come down with a horrific case of blog blockage.

I blame the weather.

I decided I love the sunshine...which has currently been hiding except for a day here or there since NOVEMBER! Mother Nature, if you can hear me, I need some warm rays on my face!!

Brian and I even headed down to San Diego mid-January on a hunt for the sun. The weather looked nice so I packed shorts, t-shirts, sandals, and a light sweater..just in case. Well, the just in case became EVERY case as I was FREEZING the whole time! We even had rain on the way back!

We had a good time while we were there. I was still getting over my horrific cough that was just diagnosed as "chronic cough"...gee, did it take an extra decade of college to figure that out doc? I could've told you that!! (Man, the lack of sun also makes me cranky and cynical.) Anyway, Brian's work has been crazy so he took a couple days off and we made a long weekend of it and headed down. We both were in need of a break. We didn't really have any set plans, except for the Zoo. So we went there first.

The zoo is like it's own city! It's HUGE!! Lots of animals, some I'd never seen before. But, I found love at the zoo. It was "Koala-Palooza" week I guess so they had a whole exhibit of like 10-15 Koala Bears. Even a little baby. They are the cutest thing I'd EVER seen! They weren't behind glass or a cage so you could see them really close. They just chill out in the trees and curl themselves up and sleep, I wanted to take one home. We walked by their little habitat about 50 times and every time I'd have to stop and sigh at how adorable they were. Definitely the highlight.

Don't you want to steal one of these little guys and SQUEEZE THEM!! Alright, maybe it's just me.

Also, I learned something new about myself. I'm a little afraid of heights. I've only ever frozen from heights once in my life before, at a rock climbing gym when I was a teenager, in a precarious position about to fall. I held onto that fake fiberglass rock so hard I ended up with scrapes all over my hands. Well, the San Diego Zoo will go next on the list. They have a Sky Tram that takes you overhead from one side of the park to the other. Now, this is not a completely enclosed little tram, more like a carnival ride built in 1960 that hits about low back and as you look over to see the animals below, it SWAYS! It's not like a lullaby sway either. It's more like a dangerous, if both people look over at the same time you could fall to your death in gorilla land. So I froze. Then preceded to gingerly scoot my way to the center of the tram until we arrived at safety. Whew. Not my idea of an adventure.

I think this was the spider monkey area and they would chase each other all over the ropes...but I don't see any in this picture. More important is the tram at the very top. DEFINITELY built in the 60's. Scary!


They have a bus there that takes you around the park and tells you a little about the animals. It goes on some back roads that get you pretty close to them also. I've never seen a rhino this close before. Their skin in super cool looking.


Do you see why you wouldn't want to fall in the gorilla pit of death? This guy looks scary! He didn't move much and at first I thought he was a cardboard cutout! But nope, he's real, just supervising I guess.


The elephants were pretty neat. And the cleanest elephants I've seen. Normally they're all crusty with dirt and don't look taken care of, but they have a little part of their grooming area along the path the public walk so we watched one get a bath and squirt water and get their toes clean. VERY brave zoo keepers to clean the hind leg of an elephant!


This little guy was born just 2 weeks ago and already 6 feet tall! OUCH! He wouldn't leave his mom's side and she kinda seemed annoyed by that fact. She'd trot away, and he'd be right on her heels. We had a great time at the zoo!

The next day we headed over to the San Diego temple. It's gorgeous. Since I was little I wanted to be married there. I realize it doesn't really matter, but it would have made for gorgeous pictures. Brian had never been there, so we did a session. The inside is more beautiful than the outside. There's a huge freestanding staircase that took my breathe away. Well, we ended up in a Spanish session, which happened to be my first foreign session. They gave us headphones, and Brian turned his to German...haha...and about halfway through, mine would cut in and out. It was terribly awkward as I fidgeted with my headset and humiliating as I realized the 3 years of High School I spent forming the Spanish wrinkle in my brain had been injected with botox as I couldn't understand a SINGLE WORD!! Good thing we didn't have plans to go to Tijuana. Which, by the way, did you know you have to have a passport to cross the border now? I was unaware and bummed to find that out, because Brian had never been, and it's something everyone needs to experience...once.

Anyway, the temple was the highlight of my visit, even though we didn't snap any pictures. They had weddings back to back all day so there wasn't any time for us married folk to get a shot.

We drove around a lot, and every time we got on the freeway I would tell Brian "Isn't this an ingenious invention?!? A freeway that connects you from one part of town to the other without a stop light every 50 yards?" (yeah, I got that from my pops) But couldn't Sacramento take a clue!?!!? We drove down through the old town and wanted to stop at the Mormon Battalion but they were remodeling the whole thing so it was closed. Bummer. We headed through the "gas lamp" district which was a bunch of restaurants and little boutique shops and I had a flash back of my sister's wedding when no one could find their way down to the Old Spaghetti Factory where we ate. The whole place was under construction and there was no parking anywhere. When I saw the restaurant I just laughed. It's definitely changed and MUCH easier to navigate than it was then.

We watched the sunset on the beach, while I shivered to death, ate on the patio of one of my favorite restaurants. Which, by the way was beautiful. We found it out on Coronado Island which was fun to explore but I have a bone..and tendon to pick with patio dining.

Yes, the setting was romantic, we were on the water's edge, looking back to San Diego and the tall buildings all lit up, reflecting back into the water and FINALLY I was warm enough with the heat lamps. BUT, and this is a big BUT, it's a problem when you can't see the food you're eating. Brian ordered a to DIE for lamb shank and I got a half roast chicken with the yummiest mashed potatoes. Yes, their chicken is very good, but it's hard when you pick it off the bone and you end up with interesting textures of tendons and other parts of the chicken I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to eat, though I can't be certain because I COULDN'T SEE IT!! I took the candles on our table and surrounded my plate, but it became a little unappetizing for me and a game of truth or dare with each bite. Lesson learned. Always order the lamb.

Well, it came time to head back home and I was kinda ready to have my slippers and a sweatshirt to warm up. But we had to brave the RAIN!!! It was psycho. I've never had a panic attack or hyperventilated, but I'm telling you, a paper bag would've helped me. We were okay till we got near LA, and if you know that part of town, I don't think rain existed when they built all those roads, cause the water just sits there, it doesn't go ANYWHERE! So, when you see on the news LA county is flooded, it's just a normal rain storm that comes...not a torrential downpour.

It got really scary, the worst were the underpasses, which are usually my favorite thing in the rain. The split second when there's silence on the road makes me smile...and I don't really know why. Well, every underpass we went through I feared for my LIFE. NO SMILES! The water would pool there and if you had a car next to you on the road, you would end up with the splash from their car water-falling onto your windshield that no wiper could remove causing a 5 second loss of vision of the road. Brian kinda held his breath and kept the steering wheel straight. We finally got out of the city just to head up the grapevine. ugh. Luckily it was REALLY raining then so people were driving really slow and we made it through! HALLELUJAH!

It was kinda funny because EVERYONE stopped at the gas station with the big convenience store. You know, the one at the bottom of the hill where you can buy army camo pants or a hairdryer. You could see how shaken everyone was from the white knuckle drive and we all needed to just walk it off and regroup. Brian heard some guys talking in the store about different accidents they had seen and I felt very grateful we made it...not without our fair share of close calls...but injury free.

I've never been happier to be home!

Wow...I think my blog blockage is gone! This ended up way longer than I intended, so enjoy till the sun comes out and I can be creative again.


I forgot about this! Sunday they do organ concerts on this fancy organ in Balboa Park which is a fun little place. It's apparently one of the largest outdoor organs in the world! And the lady was pretty impressive.

Confessions.

I cheated on my sister.

I know, I'm giving out all sorts of secrets, but it's a sad day when you double back on family. And, all in the name of yogurt.

My mom and I were at our new fancy mall, okay, so it's been fancy for awhile, we just hadn't been out there since they added Tiffany, Burberry, and other stores I'm too poor and un-stylish to even merit a second glance from the sales associate. Well, anyway, part of the addition was an awesome, practically gourmet food court. Alright, so there's a Subway....why does that dumb sandwich shop always ruin everything??

Walking past, we found a little self-serve yogurt bar. My sister recently opened a shop of her own so we decided we would do a little investigating. We looked at the toppings. Nothing to worry about...small selection, sad variety. Then as we were tallying the number of machines and checking out flavors the guy came around and asked if we wanted a sample. Now really, am I ever going to pass up a freebie??

I noticed they had a couple of what are called 'tart' flavors which are my sister's favorite of all the hundreds she'd tried so I wanted to sample that of course. It was DIVINE! Sweet, refreshing, with a little tart and tangy on the back end. DELISH! Even better than the plain was the BLUEBERRY TART!

Well, we went on our merry way around the mall and couldn't stop thinking about the tiny morsel of heaven we'd had earlier. So, we ended up back at the yogurt bar for a treat on our way out. The next day we were back at the mall for a "master class" I'll tell you about later, and would you know it, we weren't even hungry and stopped by for a yogurt!

So, sorry sista, I cheated. TWICE! Next time I have the craving for yogurt...which has been every day since I had it...I'll know it's worth every mile of the drive for some SCREAMIN' good YOGURT!

But Wait, There's MORE!

There's a running gag in my family about my dad buying stuff off of infomercials. Actually, I guess not a gag as much as a fact: My dad buys stuff off of infomercials. (I hope I'm not exposing a dirty little secret. Sorry Pops.)

It started probably before I can remember, but my first introduction to these products was "Quick-n-Bright." Ahhh, that pink paste was my nemesis as the infomercial so proudly demonstrated it would take oil off of driveways. Even as an eight-year-old I realized it wasn't the magical product removing the oil but the fact that after a couple hours, I'd scrubbed the concrete completely away with the metal wire brush I'd been instructed to use.

Next, the Heath-Rider. Now found at every local Goodwill and D.I. around. Don't get me wrong, this piece was used pretty well, not in anyway it was designed to be though, before we donated ours to the local thrift store. Mostly it was an eyesore of a contraption in the corner of our living room for multiple years.

After that I remember Oxi-Clean...BEFORE it was reputable and came to Costco. The only product I really remember performing as it was advertised to do. (P.S. I do love this stuff, and only recently discovered it's wonderful stain-fighting genius....bought from the store, not the television.)

Countless others followed, each added a little more to the joke than the last. At least one new thing a year. My personal favorite of the last year is the Malibu Pilates. Now, this thing is not for the faint of heart. It means business. I tried just the introduction to the machine one evening and there are some pretty tough moves. Kinda fun to pump the pedals, more fun to watch others doing it.

Even Christmas is not safe as my mother was given yet another infomercial-purchased gift.



Well, I've found myself on the couch awake MANY more night than I've wanted in the past month trying to get over this cough. I've tried to be a good wife and let Brian sleep through the nights without being disturbed, but truthfully, it's a little aggravating to hear someone next to you breathing deeply, dreaming sweetly while you can't even lay down! So it's out of frustration I pull out the sheets and drape them over the couch for a night of cat naps interspersed with honey and lemon tea. I usually turn the T.V. on at about 3am when my eyes are too tired to play games on my iPOD or read a magazine and let me tell you, that it PRIME infomercial time! Nothing else is on...and I mean NOTHING!! The whole menu all the way down reads something like this:

Paid Programming
Paid Programming
Paid Programming

I usually just scan the channels to be entertained until my medicine kicks back in, but I have to tell you, at that magical hour when no human brain can think clearly and the delirium sets in, the products seem viable!! I'm not kidding! In the last 3 weeks, there have been not one, but TWO things I literally almost bought!

First this fancy knife almost as good as the "Ginsu" that cuts through shoes. I know...it seems crazy, but it had a weighted handle and everything. They were slicing and dicing with no effort at all. PLUS, it was clearance priced! I can't ever pass up a good deal but told myself I would NEVER buy something from the television. The next morning, I was still thinking about it and decided I could find it on the website. But, SOLD OUT! (Secretly I'm happy it's gone so I wouldn't have to live with the shame of hypocrisy.)

Next, in true infomercial fashion this cool workout thing called "The Wave." It just looked fun. It could turn into a step and all these other positions to target different areas. It guaranteed results too good to be true and I believed them! Yikes. Anyway, I was too tired to get up and glad about that because by the morning I came back to my senses. That's how you can tell you would have been ripped off. When your brain cells come back to life, you can see the holes in their marketing strategy.

So, there you have it. Last night I skipped the TV all together as I've had little sleep in the last few days, my will power and brain power is at an all-time low. I realized it would have been my night to be had by the infomercial empire.

Confessions

So, after church today, I might have hit the garage door opener 85 times before, (no not parking my car and going in the front door like a normal person), BACKING UP A LITTLE and trying another 85 times. That seemed to do the trick.

Yeah, I'm not proud of that, but I refuse to get a new battery for the darn thing. I can always open it around the block if I remember in time, and I usually find the sweet spot after 5 or 6 clicks. My neighbors must think I'm the hugest Mrs. Lazypants as I do cheer leading moves with my arms, clicker in hand, to find the magic connection.

Tomorrow I vow to fix the thing so I don't have to be embarrassed or ashamed anymore.

My excuse flies at 300 Miles an hour

That's the speed at which I cough...at least that's what the doctor said. But I believe it! In fact, I took a bath to soothe my cold and I actually coughed bubbles right out of the tub! Better yet, one night I was coughing so much that the dogs down the street started barking with me! It's a little funny now when I think about it, but so embarrassingly pathetic at the time it made me cry. It might have been the delirium of no sleep for a week that brought on the tears also, I'm not too sure.
Anyway, this cold I've had about 6 weeks is the best excuse i've got for my blog-update delay. But it's here now...and I vow to be better in 2010!

(and yes I ALWAYS say I'm going to be better about more frequently blogging, but I've truly been inspired by a friend's blog that this year it will happen!)