Rockin' and Rollin'

Sooooo....since the earthquake hit last weekend in Southern Cali and Baja Mexico, I just wanted to share with you all my intense fear of earthquakes (Breanna, I know you can appreciate this ;) ).

Back in 1989, when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit, I was about seven years old. My dad picked me up after school and we were at one of his friend's house working on this old boat my dad bought (we couldn't store the boat at our house because we were living in a condo at the time). He's in the garage working on the boat, and I'm at the front of the house playing on some steps in front of a plate-glass window. All the sudden the rumbling starts and I see the streets moving like waves. (No, the plate-glass window didn't break - I just mentioned it for the drama of it LOL!) I scream, try my best to run around the corner to the garage where my dad is. In my dad's words when he tells the story, he says I jumped from probably four feet away into his arms and clung to him for dear life. Meanwhile, he got us to the ground, sat with his legs sprawled out to remain stable, and huddled over me while we waited for the quake to stop. I was TERRIFIED! I would not leave my dad's side after that.

Back then there were no cell phones, and from what I can remember I don't think the regular land lines were working either so we couldn't get a hold of my mom. Luckily, my brother was at day care and safe, and my mom was already on her way to get him when it hit. So both of us were with our parents. We met up at our condo in Los Olivos and my parents went into survival mode. Back then, our family was really big camping gurus. So my parents pulled out all of our camping gear and set up shop in our backyard. My dad had all his BBQ's out (he has a little obsession with BBQ's - he's got like four now) he had his lanterns out, a fire pit, the Coleman stove and a whole bunch of other stuff. Boy were they prepared! Because of this, most of the neighborhood ended up in our backyard for meals and to just be together during that time.

During that time, and for about two weeks afterwards I wouldn't let either of my parents out of my sight. For some reason I thought that if I couldn't see them, or be near them that another earthquake would hit. So, for about two weeks all four of us were required (by me) to sleep in the living room on our mattresses. LOL! I still laugh about that to this day. But back then I was a mess. I think what added to that too was that my dad had stuck a metal pole in the ground in the backyard and it had a ring or pin on it or something. So whenever an aftershock would hit the ring would tap against the pole and we could tell when one was hitting. Talk about torture! Not really, but I still remember that.

Anyways, since this most recent earthquake I've been thinking a lot about when (not if) one is going to hit the Bay Area; because it's bound to happen. If you don't already know, I work in the heart of San Francisco in the Financial District, in a 33-story sky-scraper. So here are some of my fears:

1) The quake is going to hit while I'm at work in this building.
2) The quake is going to hit while I'm outside amongst the other buildings.
3) The quake is going to hit while I'm in one of the tunnels on BART.

Obviously, worrying about this incessantly isn't going to help anything, but they're still going to be worries. During the 1989 earthquake the BART system and tunnels actually had no damage - which is a relief. Since the Bay Bridge had severe damage to it, no one could really get out of the city except by BART, so that's encouraging. But to be prepared I've decided I'm going to pack myself a backpack and include in it the following items:

- A change of clothes (preferably sweats since they're comfy ;))
- Cash
- Some bottled waters
- Some non-perishable food like granola bars and stuff
- Flashlight

Okay, okay! I know this is probably overkill and you think I'm a dork, but I'd rather be safe than sorry! Considering I spend nine ours of my day in this building, it's likely one will hit while I'm sitting her all comfy in front of my computer screen. So I'm going to keep this backpack here at work, just in case. If an earthquake hits, it's likely I won't be able to get out of the city and back home for a day or two, if not more (if I'm even alive - kidding!). With the bridges and BART system, there's no guarantee that there's any way to leave this place during a natural disaster like that.

So that's a great fear of mine. I tend to get very anxious about natural disasters and things I can't control, and if I let myself think about them too much I become a freak. But I just wanted to put this out there so you're all aware of my plan -- because I know you care ;) LOL!

PS: I think I got this advice in an email or something, and it said that when an earthquake hits, it's NOT safe to get under a desk or table or under a doorway. The reason is that if the roof or the floor above you collapses, it collapses on those things, with you underneath! So instead, lie next to a desk, or a bed, or a table in the fetal position. That way if the roof or the floor above you collapses, the debris is likely to lean against the desk, bed or table and you'll have room under that debris and won't be pinned to the ground. Makes sense to me! So when one hits, you'll find me huddled in a little ball next to my desk waiting for my debris to nicely make it's way around me and lean against my desk (wishful thinking! ;))

Wordless Wednesday

Kahlua's Eating Habits from Kaysie Herrera on Vimeo.

This is our little dog, Kahlua. I wanted to post a video of her eating because she has such odd eating habits (and because my friend Rachel just posted the cutest video of her baby girl eating, and since I don’t have a child yet, the next best thing you’re going to get is a video of my dog chowing down  - real exciting stuff ;) ). LOL!

For some reason Chihuahua’s generally have long tongues, and they don’t always fit into their mouths. Often times we’ll catch Kahlua chilling with her tongue sticking out. Since her tongue is too big for her, she eats quite funny, as you can see. Since the dog food pieces are too big for her she has to roll them around in her mouth, get a good crunch out of them, drop them on the floor, then proceed to pick up the pieces. Strange! Normally, we feed her dog food that has small pieces for small dogs, but her tummy has had some issues with her regular food, so I’ve started her on this other dog food that is supposed to be for sensitive stomachs and they don’t sell it in small pieces.

A little side-story…the first week I had Kahlua, she was eating her food (regular-sized pieces) and she started choking on a piece of dog food! I FA-REAKED out, and was hitting her back and massaging her neck trying to get it down, and she was just choking and choking and not breathing. I was so scared she was just going to die right there. She was barely a pound, and I had just spent a fortune on her, and I wasn’t about to lose her after only having her for less than a week! So I dropped everything, got in my car and rushed her to the pet emergency that was a 25 minute highway drive away. Of course on our way, the food went down and I paid $75 once I got there for them to tell me how cute and tiny she was and that everything was fine. Moral of the story is, I’d rather have her with these strange eating habits that she has now than her choking all the time and scaring me half to death ;)

So, this really wasn’t much of a “Wordless” Wednesday, was it? And by the time most of you read this it’ll probably be Thursday, so I guess I defeated the whole point. Oh well. It’s still enjoyable (to me at least) :)

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to make a quick post and wish everyone a blessed Easter! Today is my Grandma Ruth's 77th birthday! So my brother, mom, dad and I are all celebrating with her today at my parent's house. I'm excited to see if she likes the gift I made her (I'm sure she will).

HAPPY EASTER!

Thrifty Finds!

My mom visited me last weekend while Kevin was away in Mammoth on a boys trip. While she was in town, we went thrift shopping! I hadn’t been to any of the thrift stores around here, so I’m glad she was willing to go with me to check some out.

We only ended up going to two, but we were in the first one for quite a while, and we hit up TJ Maxx in between the first and second store, and we literally spent an hour browsing around TJ. I had never been in a TJ Maxx before, and that is now my new favorite place! I got some pretty neat stuff, all on clearance! Score!

Anyways, the purpose of thrift shopping was because I’ve been wanting to do this project that I saw on Shannon’s blog, Bless Our Nest. Basically, you can get any old platter (or plate for that matter), paint the inside with chalkboard paint, hot glue a ribbon on the back, and there you have it! This is my first attempt. I got this platter at a thrift store in Truckee back in February.

As you can see, the middle is pretty beat up. So I used one of those sponge brushes, painted the inside of the platter with my chalkboard paint and here you have the finished product! I’m usually a super perfectionist, but I didn’t tape off the edges. The sponge brush is pretty easy to paint with, and if you mess up it’s super easy to scrape off whatever doesn’t look good around the edges.

 

I loved doing this project so much, that I went back to the the thrift store the next day after my mom left, to get a platter that I saw there but didn’t get at the time. I ended up getting the platter the next day because I wanted to make one for my Grandma Ruth. Her birthday is this coming Saturday. Here is her platter before

Her favorite colors are blue and white, so I thought this ribbon was cute for her. Here’s the platter after!

While I was at the thrift store for the second time,  I came across this platter and thought it was so cute because it was a little different looking than ones I’ve seen. I wasn’t quite sure where I would put it, but I found the perfect place! Here’s the little platter before.

And after. I ended up putting it in our front bathroom and I think it looks like it was meant to be there!

You’re probably wondering why nothing is written on these platters. Well, I haven’t for the life of me been able to fine just plain, white chalk anywhere! All I can find is the fat, colorful sidewalk chalk, and that’s not what I want. It’s become very frustrating. Ideally I can pretty much write anything on the kitchen tray; a bible verse, the menu for dinner, a happy holiday, etc. On my Grandma’s tray I’m going to write “God Bless,” and on the bathroom tray I’m going to write “Wash Room.” Since I enjoyed making these so much, I’m going to continue to hunt for trays throughout the year and I will be making them for Christmas as gifts. It’s super cheap, easy and thoughtful all in one!

Here are some other thrift store finds…

I found this little picture at the thrift store in Truckee. I ended up hanging it next to our coffee maker because it has that, sort of, cafe feel to it. I took some light sand paper to it to give the edges a little older look. You can’t really tell in this picture though.

Here it is from far away.

I found this old-fashioned candle holder last weekend. I absolutely LOVE it! It’s in the guest bedroom.

I think I’m going to start collecting these glass containers. I got the tall one on the left from Kevin’s mom’s garage! :)~ She’s getting ready for a big garage sell and let me go through her stuff first. Then I found the smaller container last weekend. I think I’m going to put some colored pasta in the large one, and maybe some rice in the smaller one. Still deciding.

So that’s pretty much it for now. While being crafty this weekend, I was also able to find my brother and mom their birthday gifts. The reason this is noteworthy is because their birthdays aren’t until May 8th (yes, my brother was born on my mom’s birthday, as well as Mother’s Day at the time)! I usually wait until the very last minute to buy gifts, but I found the perfect gifts for each of them and I can’t wait for them to open their gifts next month!

Three's of Me!

Three names I go by:
1. Kaysie
2. Kays
3. Kaysers

Three Jobs I have had in my life:
1. Dance Instructor
2. Admin. Assistant
3. Trust Asset Associate

Three Places I have lived:
1. Merced
2. Salinas
3. San Luis Obispo

Three Favorite Drinks:
1. Sake
2. Jack and Coke
3. Margaritas -- oh wait...was this supposed to be non-alcoholic drinks? oops! haha! ;)

Three TV Shows I Watch:
1. Big Love
2. The Office
3. Kendra

Three Places I have Been:
1. St. Thomas
2. Texas
3. St. Louis

Three of my Favorite Foods:
1. Tacos
2. Potatoes
3. Ranch (real healthy right? ;))

Three Cars I have owned:
1. VW Jetta
2. VW Passat
3. Nissan Xterra

Three things I hate doing:
1. Grocery shopping
2. Laundry
3. Waking up for work :)~

Three places to find me on the weekend:
1. My house
2. With my family in Salinas
3. With Kevin's family in Shingle Springs

Three Movies I have seen in the theaters recently:
1. Avatar (loved it!)
2. The Book of Eli (pretty good)
3. The Wolfman (AWFUL!)

Three Places I would like to visit:
1. Greece
2. Australia
3. Jamaica

Three people I tag to complete the 3's of me:
1. You
2. You, and
3. You!

:)

Hello there!

I'm being such a bloggie slacker lately! I had a great time in L.A. last weekend by the way, but I'm waiting for Maygan to email the video she took while we were on the teacups, and I don't want to post that blog until I have it. Yes, I'm anal.

So anyways, nothing too terribly exciting has happened lately. These last two weeks of work have been really busy, which is GREAT! It makes my days go by so much faster and I love having stuff to do.

A new little occurrence has popped up within the last couple days. As you know, about 6+ months ago I was on the job hunt. Well, on Tuesday I got a response from a company that I applied for and apparently they want me to move forward in the application process. It kind of surprised me because after my great review and raise I got a couple weeks ago, I told myself that I'll just stick with this job for a while and see where it leads me within the company. So now I get this email and my mind starts into the job-hunt mode again. Ahhh! I vaguely remembered getting some correspondence from this same company a couple months ago, so I logged into their site and sure enough I did; on February 1st. That correspondence was to inform me that I passed their examination process. I don't quite remember taking that examination, but what I do remember was that it was hardly an exam; basically just more questions about my experience. At any rate, I scored 700/700 and was ranked 3rd. I'm not sure if I'm ranked 3rd among 'x' number of applicants, or if I'm within a 3rd ranking group? So I'm not too sure about that. But that was surprising because I don't think I paid much attention to that at the time. Anyways, I decided to move forward with the application process and FedEx'd the company what they requested, so they should get it today. I'm really excited to see what happens because this is a management position with San Francisco County and I'd be making THREE TIMES what I'm making now! Crazy!!! Of course money would be good, but I'm really looking more for holding a management position. For some reason I feel like if I held a management position (and made good money) that that would make all the time, money and effort I put into my MBA worth it. So we'll see what happens, and I'll let you know (of course). It just kind of came out of left field, so I think I'm still processing it.

Just to let you know what I'd do with all that money...pay off my car in a couple months, then each month after that pay each one of my credit cards off. Then really start throwing down the payments to go towards my $50,000.00+ school loans, and sack the rest of the money away in savings for a down payment on a house. Oh, and of course buy a new work wardrobe from Ann Taylor ;) *sigh* Only dreaming... (for now)

Kevin left for Mammoth today to stay with his friend Brian for the weekend. Brian is one crazy dude. I often worry about Kevin when he hangs out with Brian. All the guys will be snowboarding this weekend, so Kevin has been looking forward to his little min-vaca. In the meantime, my mom will be making a visit this weekend so we can have a girls weekend. I'm excited! Mostly because she'll make dinner for me, and since I'm not the greatest of cooks, this makes me happy :)

I meant to post a Wordless Wednesday blog yesterday, but didn't get around to it, so I'll post the pictures I meant to post, today. We've had a set of male and female ducks in our neighborhood this week. I walked out of the house Monday morning on my way to work, and I saw the female just chilling in our front yard. She even quacked at me!





Then on Tuesday I saw the male in our neighbor's yard. It might be hard to see, but he's in the middle of the yard. I think if you click on the pictures, it'll make them bigger.



He flew away, and I haven't seen the female since, so I know they're able to fly to their destination. We have a pond down the road, so I just think they're making a pit-stop.

Oh, an update on the prayers I requested a couple weeks ago. My friend with Diabetes is slowly doing better. She's had to have her medications and doses changed recently so she has to re-adjust to everything again and they make her sick. So hopefully her body will slowly make the change and she can get on track with her health again. My other friend with the boyfriend who has lost his job, is hanging in there. He's a teacher so he has until August until he is out of a job. In the meantime he's still figuring out what to do. Kevin's aunt has intestinal cancer and is already in the process of her treatments (I don't know if it's radiation and/or chemo) so I've been praying for her health as well.

I've also been praying for a big blow to my family recently. I found out this week that one of my aunts (by marriage) has been having an affair! I am so angry with her! Her and my uncle have two kids, and my cousin is already having a really difficult time with her life (she's 15) and I know this will just be even harder on her. The lady (I don't really feel like calling her an "aunt" anymore) is making it VERY difficult on my uncle and really causing a lot of pain to him and the family and it makes me so mad that she could be so selfish and inconsiderate of everyone but herself. Yes, I understand that when someone is in an unhappy marriage that there's nothing left to do but leave, but she didn't even give them the chance to go through counseling or meet with their Pastor, or anything like that. She always came off as this very sweet, wonderful, Godly woman, and she's gone and done this and it's completely blown everyone out of the water. Even her own parents are upset with her and aren't talking to her. I just feel bad for my uncle and cousins. Obviously, they'll be getting a divorce. So I've definitely had them in my prayers, and I've also had the lady in my prayers as well, that she'll turn away from the devil and back to God, and do the right thing. So pretty much at this point, my parents are the only ones on both sides of my family that have remained married. My dad had four brothers (currently two) and the two living brothers (and one deceased brother) have all been divorced. My mom had five brothers (currently four) and all of them have been divorced. It's just sad to me. I know things happen in peoples' lives that make being married to their partner impossible sometimes, but I'm still a HUGE, firm believer in the sanctity of marriage.

Anyways, I didn't mean to end this post on a depressing note, but that's just what's been going on around these parts lately. Hopefully I'll get a post up of my weekend in L.A., soon. Blessings to you all and have a great weekend!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

I hope you all are having a good one. My oh my, I haven't posted in a while! Therefore, this post may be all over the place.

It's been a busy week this week as I've been preparing to leave tomorrow night for LA to visit my girlfriends Maygan and Alana. If you know me well, you know I'm obsessed with cleaning and having a clean house. So all this week I've been trying to clean the house like crazy so I don't have to worry about it when I get back on Sunday. In all honesty I don't think I've cleaned it in over a month. I mean dust, sweep, mop, vacuum, etc. The get-down-and-dirty type of cleaning. I pick up every night, but I haven't cleaned. Plus, with the time change and it staying lighter, longer it feels like I can see all the dirt so much more clearly now! Ahh!

Monday I didn't get home from work until about 7, then I had to go grocery shopping (which, if you've read a previous post of mine, I dread grocery shopping) got home after 8, had dinner, then scoured the kitchen and mopped the floor. Kevin was nice enough to give Kahlua a bath because she was a stinky little thing. Tuesday I decided to go into work early so I could get off early and get a bunch of stuff done. Of course, every single time I attempt to get to work early, the train system decides to have mass delays. Grrrr! Anyways, I still managed to get off work early and once I got home I got right to being the domestic goddess that I am ;) (okay, not really, but it's my blog and I'm sticking to it!). I made dinner, did laundry, dusted the living room, office and our room, vacuumed all the rooms, and swept and mopped the floors (we have hardwood throughout the entire house except the bedrooms, so this is quite a task, ugh!). Luckily I managed to get to bed at a decent hour and I got up early again today as well, so I was early to work. The train system decided to behave this morning, so I was early. Tonight I have to clean our bathroom (it's so disgusting right now, it makes me gag when I brush my teeth), give myself a pedicure and then pack, pack, pack.

Kevin texted me today saying he would be in the city later this afternoon to celebrate St. Pat's, but I don't think I will be joining him. I have too much to do, and after the other weekend in Sacramento, I made a little vow to myself that I will not go out drinking with him again for quite some time.

Okay, I got a little ahead of myself. Last weekend we went up to visit Kevin's family. Saturday night his mom made corned beef and cabbage. That was the first time I've had that, and boy was it good! His mom, aunt, uncle, two of his cousins, his other aunt, and his grandparents were all there. I always have to remind Kevin of how blessed he is to have such a big family that still lives near each other. They always get together and it's so much fun. I have a big, extended family, but none of us are really that close and we're all over the U.S., so that's something I miss. Sunday we headed to Sierra at Tahoe and I attempted to snowboard again. This time I took a lesson and had the chance to ride the bunny hill quite a few times, and I will admit that I'm getting much better (if I do say so myself! remember - it's my blog ;))! I feel a lot more confident with it now. We're going to try and go one last time before the season is over. I keep feeling like I'll forget how to do it, but apparently it's like riding a bike - you never forget. Let me throw in here that I don't like riding bikes and I have this great fear that I'll seriously injure myself on one. Haha!

So fast forward to this weekend, and I can't wait! I'll be flying out to LA tomorrow night after work. Luckily the BART runs right to SFO, and the flight is only 45 minutes. Love it! Friday Maygan and I are going to just hang out, get our tan on, meet up with her sister for lunch, then wait for Alana to get off work. From there Alana, Maygan and myself are going to head over to Anaheim. We're staying at the Sheraton (I think) Friday and Saturday. I probably shouldn't throw that information out there so nonchalantly in case I have a stalker, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case. ;) Our plan is to get dressed up and go to Downtown Disney on Friday night and enjoy ourselves. Saturday we're going to Disneyland for the day, and I think we'll be going out again that night. The Sheraton has a shuttle service to and from the park so luckily we won't have to be doing any driving and it will be so much more convenient to be close by to everything. So there will be lots of eating, some drinking, and major girl talk going on this weekend! I don't really have any close girlfriends here where I live, so I really, really miss having my girl time.

And now lets switch gears to work (I told you this post would be random). So I told you that I had a great review and I also was blessed with a raise. Just this week our group found out that one of the guys we work with is taking a new position within the bank, so he'll be leaving in a couple weeks. I was just telling Kevin a couple days before this announcement that if this guy ever left his position, that I'd apply for it in a second! So when I found out that this guy would be leaving, right away it was like a sign! My boss said that we'll all be discussing how to deal with this person's portfolio in the next couple weeks, so I'm not sure what that means. But my boss and manager both know that I am eager to take on more tasks, so hopefully this will be a new opportunity for me. I don't know if I'm able to apply for this job, or if my boss is already looking for someone to fill the position, but I guess I'll wait and see what happens.

For the past eight months I have been on the lookout for a new job. I must have submitted over 100 applications to many different companies. In those eight months I only had two phone interviews that didn't go anywhere. Granted, the job market is insanely overwhelmed with all those who don't have a job and are desperately in the need of one. So I understand that, and I'm grateful for what I have. But after this announcement was made this week I kind of realized that God has had this planned out for me all along. Regardless of how frustrated I was getting in the past with the lack of response from potential employers I was getting, the lack of work I had to do here, and the struggle I was having with the pay I was making, the Lord knew that things would work out eventually, and I just needed to be patient. I'm finally realizing that He's setting me on a path here at my job and I just need to give Him the reigns. I guiltily wish I would have trusted Him a little more in the past when my frustrations were getting the best of me, but I live and learn!

Anyhoo! I think I'll wrap this up. Hopefully I'll remember to take lots of pictures this weekend and I can fill you all in on my fun. Have a great green day!