FULL!

I'd just like to say that...


It feels so good...


To have a refrigerator and pantries...


FULL of food again! :)

I did a big grocery shopping last night. An hour and a half and some odd-hundred dollars later, we are stocked with food for at least a good month.

Don't get me wrong, we always have food, but we really needed to get a big shopping done; just to stock up, freeze things and replenish.

On to other more important things...

Thank you for your votes on the Rehearsal Dinner dresses. Most of the ones I found aren't even available to buy anymore, but I'm sure there will be some cute ones coming out in the Spring. I didn't tell you before, but my favorite is #3. It's only $15 so I might just order it for the heck of it to see how it looks on. I love the netting that peaks out under the bottom of the hem.




The first week of February is almost over! Hope you all have a great day! :)

~Randomness at it's finest~

• Well, the first month of 2011 has come and gone. Time really does fly by way too fast.

• As you can see, I've done a little re-decorating of the blog. Valentine's Day is probably one of my least favorite holidays (besides Halloween). I'm not a big fan of hearts - heart-shaped jewelry, hearts on glassware, hearts on anything really - but I thought I'd venture out and put a little V-day flare out there. Kevin and I aren't really a publicly affectionate couple. We're not ones to hold hands a lot while we're out and stuff like that. Don't get me wrong, we're affectionate at home, but when it comes to PDA's, that's just not us. So we're not real big on the Valentine's day celebrations. As a matter of fact, I think last year was the first time we were actually together on Valentine's Day. All the other years before he usually had to work at the bar (in college) and something usually came up the other times. This year is no exception. He has to travel down to LA for work next week, so he's leaving a couple days early to spend some time with his dad and his family over Valentine's weekend. I do want to try and go to The Melting Pot next Friday before he leaves though. I need my Melting Pot fix! Ha! We never eat out on actual Valentine's day; we usually go out to eat a couple days, or the night before. Not a fan of the throngs of couples people. Bee-tee-dub...Kevin just recently (read: last week) discovered what PDA stood for. My word! I wonder about that kid sometimes. ;)

• Whenever I'm on the computer in our office I play Pandora and usually always have it on the Glee Station, and there are a few choice songs that come on that make me turn up the V and sing out loud: The Rocky Horror Picture Show's "Time Warp" and Gwyneth Paltrow's rendition of "Umbrella" ..ella...ella... from the Glee episode she was in. Luurve them! Just thought I'd share.

• Today I'm finally feeling "normal" again. The cold I had was no fun. And it never fails: every single January for the past five years I've gotten a horrible cold/flu. Whether or not I get a flu shot the year prior. At least my body decided to get sick towards the end of last week so I had the weekend to recuperate.

• This coming weekend is going to be a whirlwind. There's a basketball game, a UFC fight, family and the Super Bowl to see. Hopefully I'll remember to take lots of pictures. Since I don't have my iPhone 4 anymore *sad face* I have to revert to taking pictures with an actual digital camera again (I know...life's tough ;)). The ease of using my phone was just so much more convenient.

• I'm someone who is very aware of any changes going on with me: whether it's emotional or physical. I've been experiencing some things the past week that is out of the norm for me. I can't really go into detail about it but I'm hoping it resolves itself - one way or another - soon.

• I need some advice!

1) I'm helping put on a baby shower next month. It's for Michelle who is having twin girls. Do any of you have any cute ideas for decorations or games for baby showers? I've only attended one baby shower before and I've definitely never put one on, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :)

2) Kevin and I are due to take our engagement photos next month. Suggestions on cute outfits and/or good colors to wear for photos? We're taking the photos at a location that is near a creek, so there will be lots of trees, water and rocks.

• Last night I took NyQuil. This morning I overslept by AN HOUR AND A HALF! Apparently my alarm clock only likes to be snoozed so many times. Duly noted.

• Tomorrow I'm supposed to get my tax returns. I already have half of it spent on the following:

-Paying off my EXPRESS credit card.
-Paying a good chunk of my Visa card.
-Doing a BIG grocery shopping. Kevin usually buys the groceries, but I really want to do a huge grocery shopping trip tomorrow and fill our cupboards. They. are. bare!
-Buy my plane ticket to go visit Maygan in April.
-Save the rest.

• I've been trying to find a cute dress to wear for our rehearsal dinner. I know it's not for another six months, but I just like to browse. Since our theme is black and white damask, I want to find a dress that's black and white. Here's what I've come up with so far:

(click to enlarge)

Which one do you like???

• Oh! And here's the Flower Girl dress...

Is it not the cutest!? I'm pretty much in love with it. I'm having it made. I found this Etsy site (Fattie Pie) and Tiffany has been such a pleasure to work with. It should be done in a few months, and I can't wait. Salma (our Flower Girl) is going to look adorable in it. :)

• Let's see...I think that's all I've got for now. Not much has been going on in these parts. Kevin's traveling for work this week so I've been spending time catching up on some shows on the DVR, and apparently sleeping in on work days.

Lover of lists that include bullet points,

I'm Selling Stuff!

It's time to get rid of many purses I've had laying around and a couple dresses I've never worn. I'm hoping that the stuff I sell can go towards our wedding fund. :)

Take a peek at the items and click on the link(s) if you're interested, and bid away!

Dooney & Bourke 1975 - Black Suede Handbag

{This purse is really gorgeous in person!}

Dooney & Bourke - Brown Tassel Tote

Dooney & Bourke - Small black purse

Coach Wristlet - Black and gray

Coach Small Hobo Buckle Purse - Black

Coach Medium Hobo Purse - Black

Forever21 Burgundy Dress

EXPRESS Animal Print Business Dress

She's Gone.

My phone, that is.

Let me break down this story for you.

Yesterday I stayed home sick from work (and I also stayed home sick today, as well). I get a little edgy when I'm home all day though, so I decided that since I had to deposit a check anyways, I'd just stop by Borders and pick out a new read. Well, Michael's Craft Store is right next to the bookstore, so I stopped in at Michael's to just browse.

I saw something that Maygan had told me about for her wedding and I texted her, and instead of putting my phone back in my purse after said text, I held onto it so it would be easier to just read her response right away, instead of trying to dig around in my purse for my phone. So I continue to walk around Michael's, with phone in hand. I stop in the calligraphy aisle, then I make my way to the bridal section. I go to buy a small calligraphy set, then make my way to Borders.

While at Borders I peruse all the reading material and think to myself "Self, you should post on Twitter how you could spend hours on end at the bookstore." So I reach for my phone in my purse to post said Tweet, and she's not there. No biggy. Sometimes I leave her in the cup holder of my car. So I proceed to purchase my book, and I also get some tea at the Seattle's Best coffee shop in Borders since I'm sick and I feel like it'd make me feel a little better. I get to my car and...

My phone is not there.

Panic sets in.

I search my entire car, and she's not there. So I calm myself and say that I must've laid her down in Michael's when I looked at calligraphy and wedding stuff. So I drive back to Michael's, all the while praying "God, please, please, please let my phone be there." I go running through Michael's like a mad woman, retracing all my steps that I can think of. And nothing. I ask the cashier and she radioed all the other workers and no one has turned in a phone with a purple case.

Crushed.

So I head back to Borders in case just by chance it fell out of my purse or something there. Nothing.

Now I cry (in my car, not in Borders). I have to go drive to Kevin's office and ask him to use his phone so I can go back to Michael's and Borders and call my phone and text it. Mind you, I'm sick, crying, snotty, no makeup and my hair is a full-on mess. Luckily, when I showed up at Kevin's office he was right at the front door so I didn't have to face all his co-workers as my messy and crying beautiful self. He was surprised and as supportive as he could be in that moment.

So I went back to both stores, and couldn't find her. Went back home and stopped service on my phone. Once Kevin got home from work he went back with me to Michael's so I could have a second pair of eyes. Nothing. And I never got a call from either store that my phone had been turned in.

I'm heartbroken.

NOW, I KNOW SHE'S JUST A PHONE! And I could really care less about the phone, herself. What really breaks my heart and makes me sick is that Kevin got that for me for my birthday no less than 29 days ago. I hadn't even had it for an entire month! And I'm always overly so careful with my belongings. I double, and triple, check things all the time. But this one time I let my mind slip and I lost a really nice gift. And that's what bothers me the most. And you know what else bothers me?? That someone would actually snag it! If I found a phone in a store I'd return it.

So now Kevin will order a new phone through work (he's due for an upgrade through work anyways) and I'll get his iPhone 3GS. I'm grateful that I'll still get to use a good phone, but I'm still sick, and so mad at myself for doing that. I take my personal belongings very seriously, especially ones that are gifts, and when something happens to them, it really bothers me.

But, they are items. They're not real people. You can never replace a real person or someone special in your life. So I have to remind myself that she was just a phone, and eventually she can be replaced.

And as Kevin said, it could have been worse. I could have lost my ring! Lord, I hope that will never happen!!!

So my lessons learned from yesterday: 1) I should not leave the house when I'm sick; and 2) It's now apparent that I need to quadruple check things.

Crushed and phone-less,

Things I'm Loving

1. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Products
Love this stuff. Mom told me about it and when I used the hand soap she bought, I fell in love. I believe there are a few different scents: lemon, lavender, basil and geranium. I prefer the lavender. What makes these products special is that there aren't any harsh chemicals used - great for those of you who have kiddos around and are concerned about that. They're earth friendly, cruelty-free and not tested on animals. I currently use the hand soap and the all purpose cleaner. The cleaner works wonders on our granite counter tops. :) They have a ton of other products like laundry detergent, dish soap, surface scrubs, surface wipes, window cleaner and a whole bunch of other goodies. I'm sure they're available at a lot more places now (I got my products when they first started coming out). I know for sure they're at Bed, Bath and Beyond, but it's pricey there (in my opinion). TJ Maxx carries these products for a much cheaper price. Check out the Mrs. Meyer's website if you want to find out more about it.

{via}

2. LISTERINE Total Care Plus Whitening mouthwash
I know there are a lot of people who loathe LISTERINE, but I like it. Kevin brought this one home from the store a while ago and I love it! It doesn't have the nasty taste that the original one does. It pretty much doesn't have a taste at all. But it stings like a mother! But I like that - makes me feel like my mouth is getting clean and I'm getting rid of all those germies in there. It also really does help get - and keep - your teeth white. I *heart* white teeth.

{via}

3. TaxACT
Okay...I know there are about a bagillion different tax companies and programs out there that can do your taxes for you. Usually, we use TurboTax but it costs an arm-and-a-leg to buy the program each year. So because I didn't feel like spending that kind of money, and because I wanted to submit my taxes early so I could see if I was getting any type of refund (which I'm getting a big one, thank you Jesus!), I did a little searching and came across TaxACT. It's free to file federal and $14.95 to file your state. It was so easy to use and super quick; I did the whole thing online. Now, I'm no tax expert or accountant, but if you have just a W-2 to enter, then this service is great. If you have a whole bunch of other stuff to enter (like for school loans, mortgage, stocks, etc.) you might want to use a professional or TurboTax. But for something quick, this works great!

{via}

4. LIPTON Pyramid Tea
I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I love me some tea. I usually drink a cup of tea each morning when I get into work. My favorite right now is the LIPTON Pyramid Tea. The tea bags are shaped like a pyramid and made out of some sort of clear mesh material. The tea seems to steep a lot faster than a regular tea bag, and since I'm such an impatient person this is perfect for me. ;) They're available in a BUNCH of different flavors and Safeway usually has them on sale.

{via}

{via}

5. Freeze It hairspray
I am really liking this hairspray. With the way my hair is cut and the bangs I have I pretty much use a lot little hairspray every day; and a ton lot more when I curl my hair. Before, I was using John Frieda's Frizz-Ease but it started to dry my hair out and it would leave kind of a light, white film on my hair (not good for us brunettes). So I thought I'd give Freeze It a try and I like it so much better. It's also cheaper than John Frieda's. Ha!

{via}

6. I'm also loving this little squirt! But you can't have her, because she's all mine. ;)

Kahlua at 10 weeks old, weighing a little over 1 pound and about the size of your hand *awwww*

What are you loving on this fine Wednesday?

Currently, I'm...

"Borrowing" this post topic from K at Two Adults, One Brown Baby. :)

Reading: The book that you see to the right. Good so far. Quick read.

Looking forward to: Getting to meet my (soon to be) baby second cousin in-law next weekend. Make sense? It's Kevin's second cousin, and he's about five months old. Love me some babies!

Stressing about: Money. Ugh!

Craving: McDonald's French Fries

Proud of myself for: Continuing to stay in touch with friends

Wearing: All black

Avoiding: Exercise

Sick of: Waiting on people

Learning: How to be patient

Suffering from: Wanting to bite my nails so bad

Struggling with: The fact that my black top isn't the same color black as my black pants

Overcoming: The tendency to worry about if we'll be able to move to where we want to

Hoping to: Be a mommy next year

Excited for: My baccalaureate party in July!!!

Relieved by: A hopefully good, tax return

Splurging on: Sleep, and it bothers Kevin. He thinks there's something wrong with me because I want to sleep in until 10 or 11 on the weekends, and take naps as well. I just have to kindly remind him that I'm trying to get as much sleep as I can before we ever have kids. Ha!



Happy Tuesday!

A FulFILLING Weekend

I was having some issues last week. I was. stressed. out! So when Friday came along I felt like I had weights in my shoes and was moving pretty slow that day. I was able to get off early since I had to meet a contractor at a property, and I was home by 3 and took a two hour nap. PTL! I felt like a new woman when I woke up. :)

Friday night Kev and I went to the Warriors/Kings basketball game. He found some pretty decent tickets on Craigslist the day before that we got for a great price.

The game went into one overtime, and it was pretty close, but the Kings lost as usual. Fiancé wasn't in the best of moods on our way back home that night.

I know this is such a "girl thing" to say, but my favorite part of a basketball game are the cheerleaders/dancers. I used to be a cheerleader and a dancer and I love seeing their routines. And the hair! They all seem to have fabulous hair! I took a video of one of their routines (which is probably a little bit illegal to have done, but whatevs.)

[For best viewing, open up to full screen since the video is cut off by my blog template.]

Oh! And there was the cutest little boy sitting in front of us that was a Kings fan. I just love kids. He had his Kings jersey on and was so into the game. He must've been seven or eight years old. I promise I don't go around taking pictures of random children. Ha!

Saturday morning I got a text from Maygan asking if I'd like to join her and her girlfriends from high school for dinner at The Melting Pot. Umm....YES PLEASE! So that night I drove out to meet them and probably had the best. dinner. ev-er! I've never been to The Melting Pot so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Can I just say, that it was divine!?!?! And the company was splendid too! :)

This was some amazing cheese fondue. It involved Parmesan, garlic, herbs and deliciousness all melted into one!

Maygan and these great girls all went to high school together and have remained good friends after all these years. Each year they make it a point to get together for a weekend. Isn't that great!? So this year they headed to San Francisco; near my neck of the woods.

For some reason when I take a picture with my iPhone using the flash, it makes the photos blue-ish. Sorry.

Nicole, Randi and Jenny

Amy, Maygan and Me

DESSERT

And then there was dessert. Oh my heart be still! This stuff was slap your mama, good! We had chocolate and peanut butter in one pot, and S'mores in the other and all sorts of goodness to dip in them (i.e. brownies, rice krispies, marshmallows, cheesecake, bananas, strawberries and pound cake). I'm still drooling thinking about this dessert today.

I loved this place so much that I'm going to tell Kevin every single day how good it is until he takes me there. Ha!

Sunday consisted of a lot of football watching and eating. We had chicken wings, fries, seven layer dip and I made peanut butter brownies (I was trying to channel the chocolate fondue amazingness that I had the night before, but it just was not the same). We ended the night watching The Prestige. What a great movie! It ended up being a little disturbing in the end, but it was still good.

As you can see, the weekend was a FULL one and I was so FULL by the end of it!