sissywissy

Dar's Chicken Salad

2011-11-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

I was never big on chicken salad until I had it at my friend Dar's house. She didn't give me the recipe at the time- she basically just told me what was in it and I've tried to re-create it multiple ways over the years. I just like to call it "Dar's Chicken Salad" because she was a good friend who is up in heaven now.

My latest spin on this chicken salad is to use a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking it myself. Not only is a rotisserie chicken TOTALLY delicious, but it also saves me some time. :)

You should make this, today. Here's my (current) version with approximate measurements (I usually just eyeball it), but feel free to doctor it in your own special way- that's totally something Dar would have done.

Dar's Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1 Rotisserie chicken
1 red apple
1 green apple
1 c green grapes
1 c red grapes
1/2 c craisins
1/4 c ranch dressing
1/2 c mayonnaise

First you have to skin and de-bone the chicken. Prepare to get greasy! Cut the apples into small pieces (I like to leave the skin on because it makes for a colorful salad!) and cut the grapes in half. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss with a wooden spoon. Add ingredients as needed to your taste- I usually just eyeball all of it so the measurements above are just estimates.

Enjoy with sourdough bread or crackers! It's addicting!

How old are you?

2011-11-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

One of my 5th graders today noticed a zit on my cheek and says:
"What is that, a bug bite on your face?"

To which I replied: "No, it's a zit"

She gets this really confused look on her face and says "Wait, how old are you?" like she can't imagine an adult with a zit.

Oh honey- I hate to break it to you....

Nostalgia

2011-11-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today I was giving a voice lesson and my little student wanted to sing "On My Own' from Les M.iserables. She loves the song (really, who doesn't?) but she's WAY too young for me to assign it to her and I really want her working in her head voice anyway so it's not right for her right now. My response to her was that I wasn't going to assign it for voice lessons but that she should ALWAYS feel free to sing anything that she loves to sing because if you love to sing it, it's good for the soul.

Why is it that I hardly ever take that advice? I remember in high school I'd sing all day and night- all of my favorites that NEVER got assigned in voice lessons- M.iss S.aigon, G.rease, Les Mis.erables etc. etc. I hardly EVER sing like that anymore. (Which my neighbors probably appreciate!)

Teaching private voice lately has made me want to sing that old stuff that I used to sing (my students are way into musical theater). One of them was singing "Till There Was You" from "The M.usic Man" and I was transported back to high school.

It never ceases to amaze me how the older we get, the easier it is to romanticize the past. High school really feels like such a distant and fuzzy memory to me lately and it's like I can barely remember the parts that I didn't like but the parts that I loved are amplified- this crazy nostalgia is so funny! It must be one of the consolations of aging- nostalgia and selective memory!

Nieces and Nephews

2011-08-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

I have six now. Three of each. They are all awesome and I had a really great time seeing all of them when we went home to visit. I have some funny videos too but my computer isn't cooperating at the moment, so I'll just try to upload the pics for now.

Abby and Kyle's oldest, and the oldest of the six, Ryan, turned 3 in July and we got to help him celebrate!
Their youngest, Gracie, celebrated spaghetti night in a BIG way:
My brother Aaron and his wife Megan's oldest, Wyatt, spent some quality time with Aunt Rachael and Uncle Justin:

And Henry, their baby, caught Uncle Justin in a more lively moment :)
We got to meet Neve Noelle, Graham and Marie's newest addition and the youngest of the six- she is an ANGEL baby!

And their oldest, Audrey, in the bouncehouse at Ryan's birthday party:

Three of the six getting in some quality snuggles with their favorite aunt (I'm allowed to say that since I'm the only one who isn't "mom" to any of them) :)

Love them all!

DON'T JUDGE ME HULU!!!

2011-08-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Listen, I know my readers (ahem...mom) want to see pictures from our Iowa trip. I'll get to it, I promise. The pictures are actually uploading as we speak. I just have to vent about Hulu going all judgey on me just now.

So I like to put something on the computer while I'm cooking- I made a delicious turkey meatloaf tonight and so I had a random episode of Grey's anatomy playing while I cooked- I was hardly watching it, but it's sometimes nice to just have the company of one of your favorite shows playing in the background.

Then, once the food is in the oven, I switched to "Bachelor Pad". I know I know- crappy television. But I got sucked into the last season of "The Bachelor" which then lead me to get sucked in to "The Bachelorette" which then lead me to "Bachelor Pad"- because characters carry over and I'm interested in seeing what happens to them.

Listen, if Hulu had in some way judged me for watching "Bachelor Pad" I probably would have chuckled and agreed with it. But that's not what happened.

So the first episode of "Bachelor Pad" was in THREE parts- I actually heard on the radio that when it aired on TV last night, with regular commercial breaks, it actually lasted longer than "Dances With Wolves". I knew what I was getting into, but Justin was out playing basketball and I knew he had a meeting with a friend later tonight, so I had the time to kill.

It was long and ridiculous (and seriously, Vienna is a witch!) and then it comes to a close and the credits are rolling and all of a sudden a message from hulu pops up that says:

"Need a break? You've been watching for more than 3 hours."

Um, seriously? DON'T JUDGE ME HULU!!! First of all, I wasn't watching for more than three hours, I was watching for about 2 hours and 2o minutes. Secondly- WHY ARE YOU JUDGING ME??"

Seriously.

June Gloom!

2011-06-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

Happy First Week of Summer. It's 58 degrees and foggy. Yuck!

I'm not really mad about it, it's just funny. It's this time of year when I really ACHE for the hot midwestern summer. Soon enough I suppose...I haven't started a countdown yet but I think it's a little over a month before we head back to Iowa for a visit. I can't wait to spend some quality time with the family- it's been too long!

In the meantime, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by what's ahead. I have this week off (although plans every night this week- I think it's a sickness) and then next week I head to Forest Home with my youth group girls. My girls are going to be FRESHMEN women next fall so we go to HIGHSCHOOL camp- wow. It seems like just yesterday that they were quiet little 5th graders. I've always thought that it made a lot of sense how our church has leaders track with the kids from 5th-12th grade, but just recently I realized that another benefit to this tracking is that we as leaders get attached to our group of kids! I'm looking forward to having some fun at camp next week- but I'll miss my husband!!!!

I get back from camp on Friday and then Sunday we (Justin and I) are heading up to Yosemite for five days. Justin went up with his dad a couple of years ago but I haven't been. I'm really looking forward to some quality time with Justin, camping and proving that I'm tough! :)

When we come back from Yosemite it will be July- craziness- and only about two weeks before we leave for Iowa. This summer is going to fly by- I guess I'd better hold on tight!

Pictures from Mom's Bday Weekend

2011-05-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of my trip to Cedar Falls. I absolutely loved getting to see everyone especially my DARLING nephews!

Here's Wyatt with Grandma (my mom):

Wyatt in his Easter outfit:

Me and Henry:

Henry in HIS Easter outfit:

And a funny video. Not much happens in the video- before I shot it Wyatt was saying "Oh No!" really dramatically, so you can hear my mom and I saying it- trying to get him to say it- but he's a little punk so he wouldn't do it. :) He's super cute though, so I thought I'd share!

Love those Hawkeye jammies!

I am NOT a Hypochondriac

2011-05-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

I just like to discuss my injuries and ailments. Mainly with my husband. Repeatedly. Until he gives me the amount of sympathy I desire. :)

Two recent cases:

1. A dark bruise on my arm. I like to point it out to him regularly and comment on how I have no idea what I did to inflict it. He humors me by saying something like "Wow, honey, that's really bad" in an EXTREMELY mock-serious tone. I suppose I continue to point it out because I'm not satisfied with this patronizing response.

2. Yesterday on a five mile walk with JoAnn my left eye started to itch really badly and I kept sneezing. When I got home my left eyelid was visibly swollen and puffy. Twice last night I made him look at it- both times insisting it was getting worse despite the Benadryl and both times he was reluctant to agree that it was worse.

This afternoon he came home right before I went for a run and I pointed out that now BOTH of my eyes are swollen and puffy (which they ARE) but he would not agree that the right one was- just that the left one was. I got back from my run and showed him again- I said "Look- you CAN'T deny that they're both puffy".

Here comes the mock-serious tone:

"Oh, wow! They are both SO puffy! And wait- what's this on your ARM? HOW did THIS happen? OH no!"

Hrumph.

My eyes really are swollen and puffy. Really.

I Am a Bad Blogger

2011-05-01T16:43:00.001-07:00

But oh well.

It's funny because I read other people's blogs and get annoyed when they don't update for a week or so. There's one blog that I check regularly that hasn't been updated in almost a year... so when you look at it that way, I guess I'm not SO bad.

Time is flying by- probably largely due to the fact that I've been out of town the past two weekends (doesn't time seem to go by quicker when your usual routine is disrupted? I think so.) Last weekend my generous brother flew me out to Iowa for the weekend to surprise my mom for her birthday. It was pretty cool- she was VERY surprised and happy to have all of us together. It was a whirlwind weekend but I had a great time seeing my nephews Wyatt and Henry and since I'm too lazy right now to get the pictures I took off of the other computer, you can click on that link and see my little nephews on my sister-in-laws blog (she would be an example of a GOOD blogger). :)

After my last post I did get cleared for an HSG which turned out normal (meaning my tubes are not blocked) and we got the all-clear to start trying again. Back to square one- yippee. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful that my tubes are ok, it just seemed anti-climatic. So now we're in month two (obviously month one was not successful) of starting to try again. I'm just trying to chill out and keep busy with school (not hard to do this time of year!) and not obsess. It's waaaayyy too easy to obsess about this stuff, as anyone who has gone through these types of things can tell you.

We (Justin and I) just got back this afternoon from a weekend in Carmel Valley. I had to go up for a music conference so Justin came along and we had a great time. The conference was fun and I got lots of fun ideas that I'm excited to use in the classroom. We stayed in a cute hotel and our room was actually kind of like a cabin complete with a fireplace. The furnishings were a bit out-dated but it had a nice cabin-like feel and was plenty comfortable. I skipped out on the social events of the conference last night after the sessions were over and we went out for dinner at a little Irish pub in Carmel. We met this guy who was putting good music on the juke box and talked to him about music for awhile and just before he left he paid for our dinner! Awesome! We also played darts which was a lot of fun (especially since I won...which Justin was not happy about) Hahahaha! It was a great weekend and I felt blessed to have a husband who is also my best friend. Good times.

6 weeks left until summer vacation and lots to do so hopefully it will fly by. I'm looking forward to coming to Iowa sometime in July- can't wait to see the family.

WAY TOO SHORT....but sweet

2011-03-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

Mom came to visit last Saturday and left Thursday. I was not ready for her to go back to Iowa! I LOVE MY MOM! We had a lovely time- a spa day that included a massage and a facial, wine tasting and even a Segway tour! She also came to school with me Tuesday-Thursday which was really nice. It's lonely sometimes being a music teacher in an elementary school- there are rarely other adults in your classroom so it's nice to have someone (especially another music teacher!) observe and comment. Friday morning, the day after she left, I got up and made my breakfast and accidentally cooked two eggs as I had the previous mornings when I was cooking for mom- it made me sad. I'm really lucky to have a mom that I love being with. During one of our conversations while she was here she asked me if I have any friends that I talk to every day - I was like "um, you!" My mom is my best friend.

And since I'm already on the verge of tears just writing this, I have to bring up the book she gave me which had me in tears just looking at the cover:
She claims that she found it "hopeful" but I told her that it's sad. Mom, I love you, and any book that ends with the main character thinking about her deceased mother is NOT a hopeful book for me! :) But I know what you meant.

Now I'm crying. Over and out.

It's Getting Better All the Time

2011-03-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we are more than halfway through March already. Less than 3 months of school left and only a week left before spring break. Wow.

I've been feeling much closer to normal- physically and emotionally- these last couple of weeks. I'm still prone to fits of sadness and (although I hate to admit this) bitterness. It's hard losing a pregnancy, especially when you're 30-going-on-31 and it seems like EVERYONE around you is pregnant. It's hard. But I'm tough, or at least I try to be. And I don't like feeling sorry for myself, so it's been a rough couple of months but I'm feeling much more normal these days.

****TMI alert- if you are squeamish about girl stuff, don't read this paragraph :) ****
I was talking to my friend Katherine yesterday and said how it was weird but I was actually excited when I got my period this week. I've been a little nervous because I thought it would come about a week earlier and I've read online (bad idea) about people who didn't get a period for two months after their HCG levels normalized. Luckily that wasn't me, but I giggled with her about how it was weird to be "happy" about bleeding from your vagina. :) Crude, I know, but you have to admit it is weird and sort of funny- especially since it was NOT funny two months ago. :(

So now I have an ultrasound with the OB/GYN next week to decide if I am ready for the Hysterosalpingogram (aka HSG, this is the dye test where they check my tubes). I'm surprisingly not that nervous. Maybe it's because I'm feeling physically normal and am hopeful that she'll give me the green light to go ahead with the HSG which would mean "trying" again as soon as next month. We'll see. If I don't get the green light, I know I'll be bummed, but what can you do? Wait, hope, trust.....that's going to have to be my mantra.

In the meantime I'm navigating a social life filled with pregnant people, one of which happens to be one of my best friends here in SB- JoAnn. We actually got pregnant at the same time, about a week apart and were THRILLED to get to do this together.... now it's just weird. Of course I'm still thrilled for her- and I know I'm going to LOVE little Olive/Cosmo (those are their names, so cute) but it is a little tricky in the emotion department. As my sister-in-law so rightly put it: Every milestone she hits will be a milestone you aren't hitting and that will be hard.

No two ways about it- that sucks. But you know what? I love babies. I've always loved babies and kids (hello, I'm a teacher) and none of the babies/kids I've loved have ever been "mine". How much more will I love my best friend's baby? So much.

Wait, hope, trust.

God Bless Rachael's Uterus

2011-02-09T15:29:00.001-08:00

My neighbor tells me that this is what her 3-year-old prayed last night. They had tried to explain what an ectopic pregnancy was so he was trying to use the "lingo" in his prayers last night. So sweet.

Today it has been four weeks since I initially started spotting- the first signs that something wasn't right. I spent 10 days thinking it was a miscarriage and that we'd be able to start trying again soon, once it resolved. My HCG levels kept increasing which lead my doctor to do an ultrasound which lead them to discover that it was actually an ectopic pregnancy. Now we have to figure out if my tube is worth keeping at all and will probably need to wait until May before we start trying again...ugh.

It's beyond disappointing at a time when I really don't need more disappointment. However, the Lord continues to bless us and teach us.

We are so blessed by our friends and family. I know it's so hard for our family to be so far away but we know that you're praying for us and I love that you check in on us- being away is hard but it's good to know we're on your minds and in your prayers.

Our friends here in SB are amazing. Marissa has prayed with me, for me, brought me lunch, dinner, Sydney (baby fix!), and amazing friendship. JoAnn has walked with me, cried with me and given me space when I need it, while making sure I know she's there. Donna is at the ready with advice from someone who knows and Katherine has listened to me whine and feel sorry for myself ad nauseam (which can't be fun). Stacy has walked with me, sent me cards, texts and a two-year old at my door (more baby fixes!).

God is good and He provides.

Another Video

2011-01-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

I had to post this one also for two reasons: You can hear Audrey's sweet little voice which I LOVE and because of the funny interaction between the two of them pushing the table back and forth- the beginning of a beautiful friendship. :)

Cuties

2011-01-08T16:45:00.000-08:00

We've been back from Iowa for a week so I guess it's time to post some pictures. :)

Unfortunately the entire Clark clan got the flu, so there weren't a whole lot of Kodak moments. I did capture some good ones of my nieces and nephews that I'll share.

This first one is of Wyatt- my brother's little boy. He loves hats, which I guess includes a shirt tied to his head. :) He's super-cute and had a blast with his new slide! Notice the crackers in his lap- don't leave home without them!

This next one is Wyatt with Daddy on the carousel at Coral Ridge Mall. Wyatt saw the Carousel and was all about the "Neigh's" but when they tried to put him ON one of the horses he FREAKED. Here Aaron is trying to get him to enjoy the ride- clearly it's not going over well.

Now we're in Davenport- here's Justin with the Clark grandkids. From left: Audrey, Gracie and Ryan. Audrey belongs to Graham (Justin's brother) and Marie, Gracie and Ryan are Abby (Justin's sister) and Kyle's kids.Ryan and Audrey had a lot of fun together- here they are at their table- Ryan must have said something hilarious.
And the little dolly- Graciebell. This little cutie wakes up smiling- it will melt your heart!

A little video. I find this hilarious. 2 year olds disagree.

Delicious!

2010-11-21T19:30:00.001-08:00

I tried this new recipe tonight. Justin LOVED it- which is unusual. He usually is pretty indifferent to food and will say it was "good" but tonight he loved it. I had had this butternut squash for almost two weeks and was needing to use it but procrastinating trying the recipe for curry that David gave me (all of those spices overwhelm me!) so I went in search of another idea. While it isn't as adventurous as the pumpkin potato curry that David made (meaning it didn't require ingredients like "asafetida" and "fenugreek seeds") it actually was the first time I cooked with fresh sage leaves and the first time I pan-fried pasta. The result is wonderful. This took me about an hour and a half but the outcome was delicious so I thought I'd share.

Pasta Pan-Fried with Butternut Squash, Fried Sage, and Pine Nuts
feeds 4

1 medium butternut squash
1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
1 pound farfalle pasta
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 ounces high quality Parmesan, shredded or shaved (about a cup total)

Heat the oven to 375°. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the strings and seeds the middle cavity. Flip the squash halves upside down and peel them. (Note: The raw squash rind can irritate your hands. If they start to itch or tingle, wear gloves.) Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. Toss with the onion, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Mince about half of the fresh sage leaves and also toss with the squash.

Spread the squash mixture in a thin layer on a large baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Heat salted pasta water to boiling and cook the farfalle until al dente. Drain and set aside. As the squash finishes roasting, heat about two tablespoons of olive oil in a large high-sided sauté pan. The oil is ready when it pops and sputters. (Don't let it start smoking.) Drop in the rest of the sage leaves and fry for about a minute, or until they begin to just shrivel up.

Remove with a slotted spoon and salt lightly. Crush with the back of a spoon.

Add half the pasta to the pan, along with half the roasted squash mixture. Crumble in half the sage. Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or until the pasta is heated through and getting crispy on some of the edges. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute. Stir in half the cheese and serve.

(Repeat the last step with the rest of the ingredients. We split it into two because none of our pans are big enough to accommodate the entire recipe. It's very important that you not crowd the pan too much - you want the pasta to really pan-fry, not just steam up.)

I even took a picture:

Chilly Willy

2010-11-21T13:51:00.000-08:00

Today's high is 59 degrees which is CHILLY for Santa Barbara. It makes me feel like winter is coming and gets me even more excited for our trip back home. Yesterday I saw a commercial that showed the outside of a house that was covered in Christmas lights and snow and I almost got giddy at the thought that we will be back in Iowa in less than a month!

I think I'm going to start listening to Christmas music this week- Justin protested but I think I'm going to anyway. I am so ready! I see people on facebook reporting that they're hearing Christmas music on the radio already- do any of you Santa Barbarian's know which local stations play Christmas music??

Family- I can't wait to see you and I love you so much!

Touche Marissa.

2010-11-15T21:44:00.001-08:00

I told you I'd been whining- check out Marissa's blog post.

The Sunday Blues

2010-11-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

I can't help it. I know I just had 4 days off, and Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away and Christmas break is exactly 35 days away. But I can't help it- I've got the Sunday Blues. I don't want to go to work tomorrow.

Yes, I like my job.
Yes, I am grateful that I HAVE a job.
Yes, I need money.
Yes, I just had 4 days off.

It's not rational, right? I may be the queen of irrational!

Case in point:
The weather here has been driving me bonkers lately. I literally groan about the fact that the sky is so blue that it hurts my eyes. I have to spend my entire run squinting because it is SO sunny. I'm over it! I want clouds! I want snow! I'm O-V-E-R it! It's November for heaven's sake- this Iowa girl wants WINTER!!!

Told you- irrational. My California friends roll their eyes when I complain about the weather. I don't blame them- it's ridiculous. I can't help it- the feeling that is- but I can try not to complain. :)

So Thanksgiving is coming up and we are planning to spend it with our California family (the Folmars!) down in the OC. Last year we went down with them and had a lot of fun. Marissa was 4 months pregnant then, and now we have the wonderful Sydney Allison (aka Cupcake) to entertain us. Looking forward to getting away- even thought it will likely be sunny and even warmer than Santa Barbara.

35 days until Iowa.

It is a powerful notion

2010-08-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile my husband gets a GEM of an email that I can't resist sharing.

Undergrads. So naive. So clueless.

Here's the email:

********************

I received a non-pass. I feel as if it was because I was unable to properly express my thoughts into words for the essay on God. It's very difficult to do so in such a short period of time (people have been unable to prove Anselm for centuries, let alone a month), and I feel as if I could prove my belief that Anselm's Ontological Argument is, in fact, correct to you... if you would be willing to consider taking time out of your schedule to lend me your ears and eyes, and, if I did convince you, be willing to look into the situation of my grade.

After all, you are a philosophy teacher who is interested in the betterment of the soul by attaining knowledge. Does this not sound like an enticing philosophical offer?

Let me know when and if you're ready to believe in God.

It is a powerful notion.

Thank you for your time,
(Name has been removed to protect the ridiculous)
*****************

Justin's response:

Dear _______,

It's almost September. As a philosopher, I would love to hear your take on Anselm's argument. Having a discussion about the existence of God would surely contribute to the betterment of both of our souls. However, as a professor, it's part of my job to make sure students learn how the real world works. You can't do an assignment three and a half months later and expect your grade to change. So, although it does sound like an enticing philosophical offer, it is not an administrative option. Nice try. (P.S. I've believed in God ever since the day I wrote a paper on Anselm in my first intro class. You're right- It IS a powerful notion.)

Sincerely,

Justin Clark
*****************

Priceless.

Quotes of the week

2010-08-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

I love teaching. As much as this year has been clouded so far by the politics, and feeling invisible, it is an indisputable fact that I love to teach. I'm trying to get back to, get focused on, get entrenched in that love and passion as much as possible, and block out the B.S. that threatens to demoralize me. A couple of gems popped out this week (with only two days of instruction!) that I have to share.

The first one needs a little background- I recently had the opportunity to see a SMART Board-- one of the teachers at my school uses one. It's an interactive whiteboard. I won't bore you with details, but it would be an AMAZING tool to have when teaching music notation. So my colleagues suggested that I ask for one. I asked and the answer was no- they can't justify the expense for a part-time teacher.

I'm not here to rant about that response-- the response it is what it is. Here's the funny part:

I did a lesson on notation this week with a projector (something like an overhead projector, except it projects whatever is on my computer screen). The lesson went really well. But at the end of the lesson a 3rd grade student, who is new to our district, says to me, "You know, you REALLY need a SMART Board."

Ha! Priceless. From the mouths of babes.

The second gem came from a kindergarten student: At the end of class, I was walking them to recess when one of them says to me "Did you know that I'm rich?"

Me: "No! I didn't know!"

Kid: "I'm really rich. I promise."

Me: "Cool!"

I mean, what else do you say??!

I love teaching- kids rock.

Red Rock with the Demmins!

2010-08-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went into the back country to visit Red Rock with the Demmins! Red Rock is this awesome swimming hole that you hike to with huge boulders that you can climb and then jump off of into the water! I didn't take my camera with me but on the way out Jane fell asleep in her backpack as David was carrying her back so I had to snap a picture with my cell phone- it was too cute!

She didn't even wake up when David took the pack off! Soo worn out!

Goofball!

2010-08-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of watching Jane Ella Demmin last Friday while her mom and dad had to attend a funeral. She is getting so big and smart and SO funny! As I was getting ready to leave she slipped on her dad's shoes- always a goofball! I have a feeling she's going to be blessing people with laughter for a long long time!

Maybe Clumsy IS the Word?!

2010-08-19T18:00:00.001-07:00

As you can see by my picture, I'm a big fan of the SUPER Big Gulp. I'm a fan of drinking SUPER Big Gulps filled with Diet Cherry Coke. What I'm not a fan of is sitting in a puddle of enough Diet Cherry Coke to fill a SUPER Big Gulp. That's what happened yesterday when I was trying to get into the car with my oversized beverage. Maybe clumsy IS the word for me?! I literally had to swim out of my car- I had Diet Cherry Coke-soaked undies. Diet Cherry Coke was running down my bare legs (I was wearing shorts). It wasn't pretty. But surprisingly I found it to be pretty funny, especially since it happened in front of two UCSB Housing Maintenance Workers. Hi there fellas! Nothing to see here! Just 79 cents down the drain. Or, down my pants and soaked into my car seat that is.

Speaking of things that make my life better (the Super Big Gulp, not spilling) I've had the pleasure of lovely company the last two days in a row! Yesterday I went for a walk with the Demmin girls out on the bluffs that they call "More Mesa". Lovely view as long as you don't venture onto the beach....apparently that's where the nudists hang out. Yikes. Then got to enjoy some delicious vegetarian lasagna that Stacy had made- yum! Jane is so cute with her baby dolls- she hugs them and rocks back and forth like she's rocking them and makes this cute little cooing noise like- "awww"- it's adorable!

Today I went downtown with the Folmar girls and hung out with Sydney while Marissa cleaned some things out of her classroom (she's taking a leave of absence this year to stay home with Sydney!) Then we went downtown to eat lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe- Yum- where I promptly sat down in a puddle of balsamic dressing (did I mention I'm wearing a white sundress today??) What is WITH me sitting in puddles? Luckily we had a baby with us which naturally meant we had baby wipes- this was a mess that would have had the Tide-to-go pen trembling in fear. It looked like I sat in poo. Lovely. Luckily the wipes worked like magic and I was able to finish the afternoon without further embarrassment! :)

It's great to have friends! I am thankful!

Totes?

2010-08-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

When did the word "totally" become such a burden to utter? Has anyone else noticed this? I'm seeing more and more people (especially on facebook) using "totes" as slang for "totally". This bothers me. I can't explain why. It's not like I never abbreviate, I def do. (Justin doesn't like that one- "def"). But totes? It sounds like something someone from an 80's movie about Valley Girls would say. "Totes" is "def" my new "nails-on-the-chalkboard"....it totes makes me shudder.

In other news, I fell while out running today. Like, to the ground, like, SMACK. This is not the first, or even second time that this has happened. What IS a first is that I was running WITH JoAnn at the time (it usually happens when I'm running alone). Which made me feel slightly less pathetic, mainly because I was distracted and somewhat amused by her scream of surprise when her running partner hit the deck (so to speak). She remarked later that she was surprised at how loud it was- my body smacking into the pavement that is. I can't believe I haven't broken a wrist by now, since I almost always catch myself with my hands. Banged up my knee pretty badly but managed to (not at all gracefully) roll into the wet grass just after the initial impact. I don't know if clumsy even describes it. It's funny because we were just talking the other day about running during pregnancy (no, I am not pregnant at this time) and I was saying I would like to continue running when I get pregnant. Maybe I'll stick to the treadmill.... I haven't fallen off of one of those...yet.

Back to Blogging

2010-08-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

I know. I didn't blog about going home. I just couldn't bring myself to do it! I'm not sure why- I posted pictures of my cutie niece and nephews on facebook. I just felt so sad about leaving Iowa that I didn't feel like re-capping the whole event on my blog- its all just too depressing. The minute I walked into our apartment it hit me like a ton of bricks- I am not going to see my family until Christmas. Ugh.

So I choose to ignore it. Instead I will blog about some very random but funny/interesting (to me) stuff. But, if it isn't clear, I had a wonderful time at home. Too wonderful. I love my family- Brummers, Clarks and Gripps alike. Miss you guys.

So on to the blogging. My birthday and anniversary were awesome. Justin got me a facial and a massage for my birthday- sooo relaxing. Then we had a party at a wine bar in Carpinteria on Saturday with a bunch of friends. Turning 30 was not half-bad!

For our anniversary we went to dinner and a movie. For our anniversary PRESENT we finally broke down and bought ourselves a flatscreen TV! When I told the guy at Best Buy that our current TV was 8 years old his response was "Well then anything would be an upgrade!" True.
Mom requested a picture:

We also got some new shelves- inspired by Aaron and Megan! Justin did the hanging/placing of the shelves. I think they look pretty good! Again, mom requested photos:

On a more random note...I saw this sign at a laundromat today and thought the unneccesary quotation marks were pretty funny:

On a completely un-related note: I want to share something that has made my life dramatically better. I stumbled across this find when I was on a side-trip down the cookie aisle, my temptation about to get the better of me. Luckily, these babies jumped out at me and life hasn't been the same (or any fatter) since:
Seriously. Do not go another day without purchasing these bad boys. You will thank me, I promise.

So, I've got some other randomness to talk about but I'm thinking I'll save it for another day. I'm hoping it won't be quite so long between posts...I'll try and do better. :)

Return Policy

2010-06-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

So I had to go into the Apple store on State Street today to exchange the shuffle charging cable that I bought last week since contrary to what the salesperson told me, it is NOT compatible with my 2 -year-old shuffle. No big deal, right? I got to the store 5 minutes after it opened and already EVERY sales associate (there were probably 20) was working with someone. I waited a few minutes and then parked myself at the counter until someone appeared to help me.

Luckily they have what I need in the back. For $10 more than the one I'm returning. Seriously? Shouldn't newer stuff be MORE expensive? Or is it an antique now, thereby making it more valuable? Oh well.

As I'm waiting for the exchange to happen this 20-something girl comes up to the counter and announces that she needs to exchange her IPhone. The first sentence out of her mouth is: "I knew you guys were coming out with the new one when I bought this one and the lady told me I could exchange this one within 30 days". So the guy says "So you want to exchange this one for the new one?" Turns out no, since the Apple store has a 300 person waiting list, she has one on hold at the AT&T store so she wants to just RETURN this one.

It gets better.

She doesn't have the packaging. She has the receipt, but not the packaging. The associate tells her she needs to have the packaging to make the return. She's all loud and says "Who keeps the packaging???!!" And I'm thinking...didn't you JUST say you KNEW they were coming out with the new one and planned to return this one all along? I would guess that YOU would keep the packaging in that situation.

It gets even better.

She doesn't have the charger. Or the head set. Both of which came with the IPhone when she purchased it. She argues that those things are 3 hours away- can't she just return the phone now so she can get her new one at the AT&T store, and then bring those items in at another time?

Seriously?

The guy goes back in the back to "find out" if that's possible (I'm pretty sure he just went and had a snack) and meanwhile she's swearing under her breathe "Who keeps the bleeping packaging?"

I had a REALLY hard time not answering her as I stood there reading the prominently displayed return policy to myself which states in the 3rd sentence:
"The iPhone must be returned in the original packaging, including any accessories, manuals, and documentation."

Justin Sweats Love

2010-06-28T16:02:00.001-07:00

In case you didn't catch it, the sweat on his chest is in the shape of a heart.

15 Days and Counting!

2010-06-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Can't believe only 15 days until we go back to Iowa! I can't wait to get there!

In the meantime...4th of July this weekend. No major plans, we'll probably hang out with some friends, maybe go to the beach. Then, next Tuesday we're heading down to San Diego with our friends James and Marissa (and their new baby Sidney!). We mentioned to them a couple of weeks ago that we hadn't been and wanted to make a trip down there this summer. Marissa's best friend from college lives down there with her husband and so James and Marissa suggested we all go together and stay for FREE with her friends! Awesome...because we are poor!

Speaking of being poor- I scored an awesome purchase at the thrift store today! A super cute brown corduroy blazer for $2!! What an awesome find!

Anyways, not much else to report. I'm headed to book club tonight to discuss "Son of Hamas" a story of a man whose father was one of the founders of Hamas and who grew up to become a spy for the Israeli government and eventually became a Christian. Thursday I'm going to the Santa Barbara Zoo with my friend Shannon and her 1-year-old son Hank. Should be good times- I'll try to remember to take pictures!

Thanks Megan!

2010-06-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

I forgot to say "thanks" to Megan- she is posting again despite their incredibly hectic life right now- moving up to Cedar Falls and into their new house! Craziness! I told someone yesterday that Aaron and Megan bought a house and they were like- "your OLDER brother?" Um no.

Congrats to Aaron and Megan and Wyatt! Can't wait to see you guys. And Megan- you are an awesome blogger we LOVE seeing Wyatt and hearing about your lives! I'll try to be better too!

Denver!

2010-06-16T10:22:00.001-07:00

We had a great trip to Denver over the weekend! Right around Justin's birthday I had gotten an email alert about cheap airfare Santa Barbara to Denver. We had to travel by 6/15 so we went ahead and went for the weekend- it was totally worth it! As you can see Audrey is getting SO big! She loves to go through my purse, try on my necklace and sunglasses and even pretend to put on makeup with my makeup brush! It's really cute. She also has this new thing where she points to people and says their gender- she sounds especially excited when she sees a boy- "Boy!" and she'll keep saying it until you acknowledge it. It's adorable.

She warmed up pretty quickly- I think it helps that we were on her "turf". Here we are snuggling and watching the Lakers:

Here she is with Daddy and Uncle Justin:
It was funny all weekend Graham and Marie kept saying "Uncle Justin" and "Aunt Rachael" trying to get her to say our names. I think we might have two of the hardest names there are to say- especially "Rachael". Marie and I were sitting at the table while Audrey was eating a snack and we were trying to get her to say Uncle Justin and Aunt Rachael and Marie was saying that she said "Abby" (Justin's sister's name) when they were home for cousin Ren's wedding and all of a sudden Audrey (who is always listening!) says "Abby!" What a punk. :)

It was great to see them- I wish we were all going to be together in July! I actually had a dream last night that I ran the Bix with Marie! :( I know she wishes she could run it, and I do too since I'll probably have to run alone. :( I'm not going to force Justin to run with me this year! He'll run it on his own too. It'll be ok- I'm running a 15K on July 4th weekend with JoAnn so I should be set to go for the Bix.

So now I'm enjoying NOT working over the summer! Although I did teach a couple of private lessons yesterday, but I didn't have to go in until 2:00! I actually got up and ran 5 miles with JoAnn at 7:00 this morning, so I'm not being too lazy but now it is 10:30 and I'm still in my bath robe....I should probably go run some errands and clean up the house a bit! Especially since Justin left for his office (aka Starbucks) at 9:30! This is the life- I love summer!! 27 days until Iowa!!

I'll leave you with a video of Audrey. I started saying "Oooh!" when she put on my sunglasses and she eventually started copying me so I caught it on video- so cute!

Summer Time!

2010-06-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

One more day of school before summer vacay! I had a momentary lapse in judgment and considered working over the summer- I have to say I am a bit relieved that didn't pan out. I would rather pinch pennies than work this summer! I will be teaching privately a bit, so that will be some good extra income, but just one day per week. The rest of the time is for summer fun!

This weekend we are flying out to Denver to see Graham, Marie and Audrey. They won't be back in July when we go home so we decided to take a quick trip to see them rather than going a whole YEAR without! I'm really looking forward to getting out of town and seeing some family- especially Audrey who is going to be 2 in just a few months! Time is FLYING.

So maybe I'll be a better blogger this summer? Who knows. If life gets more blog worthy? I don't know what has ever constituted "blog-worthy" in my haphazard blogging career, but I guess I just know it when I see it. I'm not feeling it today really, but a certain sister-in-law of mine who is AWESOME at updating her blog has NOT updated in almost two weeks. I find myself grumbling about the lack of updates while simultaneously aware of the ironic nature of my grumbles. So I am forced to update my blog. Nice work, Megan. Seriously, did my mom put you up to this? :)

Speaking of my mom, I miss her! I am so lucky to have such an awesome mom. I miss my whole family- Brummers AND Clarks. I have a niece I haven't even met yet! Gracie! I'm tired of California and I can't wait to visit Iowa in July! One of the most annoying things about California lately is "June Gloom". It's been 60's and overcast until 3:00 in the afternoon every day this week. I'm over it. Nothing makes me grouchier than knowing that it's hotter in Iowa than it is in California. If its not at least going to get hot here, then what good is it???!! California Shmalifornia. Overrated.

Some of the things I'm looking forward to during our Iowa visit:
1. Family (obviously) I can't wait to seem my niece and nephews especially!
2. Summer weather- hot hot hot!
3. Thunderstorms!
4. Brueggers!
5. Bix! I am 95% certain I'm going to run it. I'm planning on running a 15K with JoAnnJuly 4th weekend, so I should be more than ready for the Bix.
6. Grilling out at my parents house- get ready to feed me dad!
7. Air conditioning!
8. Miniature golf with the Clarks!
9. Downtown Iowa City!
10. Family Family Family!

Alright, that's all I've got for now. I'm super tired so this post is kind of fragmented but hey, something is better than nothing. (Right mom?)

Cello + Saxophone = Frienemies

2010-04-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Recently I was asked by colleagues to play my cello at a work function. My initial gut reaction is no WAY! I haven't played cello in public since I was a freshman in college! Recently my repertoire includes such fan favorites as "Hot Cross Buns" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"! As I stood there, desperately searching my brain for a possible excuse the band teacher walked by. Before I know it, the colleague doing the asking stops the band teacher and asks him what his main instrument is. Unaware of the conversation taking place, the band teacher informs her that he plays the saxophone, and she in turn suggests that we play a duet....

I'm sorry...I think I just had a stroke. Did you just suggest that I play a duet- nay, an hours worth of duets- with a saxophonist? A cello/saxophone duet?

I managed to hide the incredulity (you should be impressed!) and commented (nicely) that there isn't a lot of literature written for saxophone and cello duets. Lord......have........ mercy.

I know- I sound like a snob. Anyone reading this that didn't grow up with me or raise me is probably thinking- what's the big deal? But you have to understand- I was RAISED to be this way! I played for Candace Wiebener- she said the word "band" like she was saying "dirty toilet". And the suggestion of a cello/saxophone duet? In the words of Tony Soprano- fughetaboutit. I have respect for woodwinds/brass/percussion, but come ON! The cello and the saxophone are NOT friends. No way, no how. I briefly dated a saxophone player when I was a sophomore in highschool, so I should know.

When I told my mom this story she said- "That's what happens when a state doesn't have music education in schools!" Ohhhh SNAP!

How do you REALLY feel about California mom? :)

**Before some know-it-all starts commenting on this post about how cello and saxophone duets DO exist, I have to admit that after I published this post I tried googling "cello saxophone duets" and found that there are a couple of reputable ones out there- but still, probably not enough to fill an hours worth of background music. And it's worth noting that this blog entry shows up fifth on that google search. So there.

Justin's Nicknames

2010-03-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

Justin told me tonight that the following are the nicknames that he has aquired at the gym thus far here in Santa Barbara:

First was "Old Man River"...I'm pretty sure I explained this one in a previous post, but in a nutshell, it refers to the other players thinking he is "old" because he is a grad student, married and...(gasp!) doesn't have a cell phone! Old Man RIVER!

Then several people started calling him "The Assassin" in reference to his long-range shooting skills. Needless to say, this is Justin's favorite title, because it makes him feel dangerous.

Sometime later he acquired the nickname "Jimmy" in reference to the movie "Hoosiers" because people in California don't know the difference between Indiana and Iowa. You know what I think of that.

Finally, and most recently, fellow ball players are arguing over who is going to guard "The Professor".

I, for one, can't wait to hear what's next. :)

Pre-Spring Break

2010-03-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

So, pre-spring break I have all these kids telling me about their spring break plans going to St. Barth's, South Padre, Hawaii etc. etc. So a kindergartener says to me last week:

"Mrs. Clark, where are you going for Spring Break?"

I reply:

"I'm going to stay in Santa Barbara and relax"

He looks at me, like I'm confused and says:

"No, for SPRING BREAK. Where are you going?"

Only in Montecito.

More "Questions"

2009-11-14T12:15:00.000-08:00

I love this little guy:

"I have two questions:

I like music and

I lost two teeth!"

One of these days I'll fill him in on the fact that those aren't questions, but as long as it keeps being cute....hey, I'm the music teacher, not the grammar teacher!

You're Really Lucky

2009-11-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

One of my second graders walked by my desk on Friday and saw a picture of Justin and I:

Jonah: Who is that? A friend?

Me: That's my husband

Jonah: Oh. He's handsome.

Me: (chuckling) I think so too!

Jonah: You're really lucky.

Me: You're right, I AM really lucky.

How sweet is that? I tell you what, kids are pretty cool.

More Kindergarten Gems

2009-10-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

"Mrs. Clark I have 3 questions:

I like your shoes,

I like your shirt,

My eye hurts."

I didn't hear any questions but the compliments are appreciated!

Kindergarten Quotes

2009-10-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

On his way in from recess one of my kindergarteners saw me and said:

"Mrs. Clark, do mime's wear hats?"

On his way out the door from music class one little boy was looking at me like he wanted to say something and then finally as he was passing through the door he whispered:

"I like you!"

So cute.

Quotes of the Day:

2009-10-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

The first one needs some explanation. Three of my kindergarten girls came in asking if they could perform a song for the class.

Me: "Is it appropriate?"

Girls: (with serious looks on their faces) No!

Me: Not INappropriate. Is it APPropriate?

Girls: (still looking serious) NO!

They obviously thought I meant INappropriate. It ended up being a song about peanut butter...

Another kindergarten class:

Kindergarten Girl: Mrs Clark, guess what?

Me: What?

Kindergarten Girl: Michael Jackson held me when I was a baby!

Okaaaayyy.......

Jose Hydrant and the Smoke Detector

2009-10-14T23:01:00.001-07:00

Ok so it didn't take much work to find the video!
Fast forward to the two minute mark to see Jose Hydrant. Shortly after his appearance is the creepy smoke detector- voice-over by none other than Gilbert Gottfried.

Overheard in the teacher's lounge...

2009-10-14T22:50:00.001-07:00

This was just too funny- I couldn't believe I was hearing it. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Barbara: How was the fire safety presentation assembly?

Susan: Did anyone else notice that the firefighters weren't very cute this year?

Andrea: Usually they're such foxes!

Erica: I thought the video was a little scary- if my smoke detector had a face like that and started talking I would punch it!

Susan: And racist! Seriously! A fire hydrant named Jose?! That video was obviously racist!

Erica: Oh yeah! When that fire hydrant opened his mouth I was like, that's offensive to the hispanic race!

.....All I know is, I NEED to see this video.

BUNCO!

2009-10-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

So last night was the first night of Bunco. I got this idea from my friend Marissa who invited me to a bunco game about 6 months ago when her group needed a sub. Basically it's a group of 12 people playing a dice-rolling game. There's a buy-in so you have the chance to win $$. There's no strategy or skill involved but you split into three groups and after each round you rotate- so it's a great way to get a bunch of people together and force them to mingle and not create sub-groups! :)

About a month ago I decided to start a group and despite a few people bailing on us at the last minute, we pulled it together and had all twelve players here at my house last night. It was a riot! The plan is to do it every month- first Tuesday of the month. After last night's success, it think it's going to continue!

In other news...this week has been REALLY busy so far- it's hard to believe it's only Wednesday because I am TIRED! We have homegroup tonight and then my friend Kim hosts "Cougar Town" on Thursday nights (it's just a bunch of philosophy wives watching the show "Cougar Town" at her house). I'll be READY for the weekend- that's for sure!

2009-10-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

Another Facebook survey...haven't done one in awhile so I figured I'd go for it.

1.What was the last thing you put in your mouth? A cookie!

2.Where was your profile picture taken? At Justin's cousin Noah's wedding reception this summer in Chicago.

3.Can you play Guitar Hero? Yes, I rock.

4.Name someone who made you laugh today? Julia and Paris- two of my small group girls. One of the girls asked "Do you think the world is going to end in 2012?" and I said "I don't think we can know when the world is going to end" and Paris says "That would be sad!" I said: "But then we'd all be in heaven, and that would be awesome." To which Julia replied: "Yeah, for you- you've already gotten to live your full life!" to which Paris added "Yeah, you got to go to prom!"....oh goodness.

5.How late did you stay up last night and why? I was up until 10:30- pretty typically when I personally feel that it is socially acceptable to go to bed. Some nights I could go much earlier but I feel like a loser so I don't.

9. Do you believe ex's can be friends? Not really.

10. How do you feel about Dr Pepper? Well, I drink DIET Dr. Pepper with my breakfast every morning, so I'd say I feel pretty co-dependent about it.

11. When was the last time you cried really hard? Oh brother...I don't know but I'm pretty sure it was hormone-related.

12. Who took your profile picture? Not sure- one of the Clark's I think!

13. Who was the last person you took a picture with? Small group girls

14. Was yesterday better than today? Not really better- just different.

15. Can you live a day without TV? Oh sure.

16. Are you upset about anything? No.

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? Of course!

18. Are you a bad influence? I don't think so! Depends on what we're talking about....

19. Night out or night in? I've definitely become more of a homebody in the last few years but there are definitely nights where I want to be out.

20. What items could you not go without during the day? Chap stick, water, email, cell phone!

21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? I have no idea... I don't think I've visited anyone in the hospital in a long time.

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say? It's long- but basically it's a text from Tracey replying to my text from Saturday night about whether her brother-in-law is still managing Hollister Brew Co.

23. How do you feel about your life right now? Great! Love my new job and love working part-time!

24. Do you hate anyone? No!

25. If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find? Lots of randomness.

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass? Of course!

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before? I don't think so...

28. What song is stuck in your head? Well, my husband is playing guitar and singing right now so I'm really at his mercy. Right now it's "Working Class Hero"- John Lennon

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who do you want it to be? No one- that would be scary seeing as my bedroom window is on the second story. I would literally freak. It reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie, not the tv show)

30.Wanna have grandkids before you’re 50? Probably not- even if I have kids in the next year they'd barely be 20 by the time I'm 50 and that's a bit young.

31. Name something you have to do tomorrow? BUNCO!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday!

2009-10-05T21:33:00.001-07:00

Today I was invited to a kindergartener's birthday. The conversation went something like this:

Jack: Mrs. Clark, you're invited to my birthday.

Me: Thank you Jack, that's very nice of you!

Jack: It's at Sea World. And you're invited.

Too cute. Of course it also set off a chorus of "You're invited to MY birthday too" from all the other little ones in the class. Can you imagine?

Home Alone!

2009-10-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

It's only until tomorrow but it feels kind of strange! Justin went on a "Philosovacation" with a couple of other guys from the department. One of them has a family cabin up in the mountains about 3 hours south of Santa Barbara and they're all going there to get some quiet, focused study time in....I know what you're thinking- yeah right, study time! Actually, with this group, it's unlikely that it will get much more exciting than a lively debate over dualism (don't ask, I just know they've been debating it). Justin did crack me up the other day though when I asked if he needed cash for his trip and he said "Yeah- can you make sure and get me a lot of 1's?" (If you don't get it, I'm not explaining it, but coming from Justin it was hilarious being that it's so far outside the realm of possibilty.)

Favorite quote of the day from yesterday: I had my advanced ensemble go around the room and introduce themselves at the first rehearsal and tell the group something they like to do besides play the violin/viola/cello. One little girl says "I like eating ice cream on sunny days". Cute.

October? Seriously?

2009-09-28T22:16:00.001-07:00

It can't be. I can't believe it's been almost three months since I've blogged. I'm really really boring. Sorry.

In the off chance that someone reads this that doesn't know me, I guess the big news of late is that I am no longer working at Softshare.... my software days appear to be behind me (my choice, not theirs) and I am back to teaching music. It was really an amazing series of events that spanned about three weeks wherein I found out that a good friend of mine was pregnant, which made me think about how I wanted to be pregnant, which in turn reminded me that when we DO eventually have kids (not soon folks, don't expect any blog declarations here!) that I want to most certainly be back in education so that Justin and I will have similar schedules and because, lets face it, it's where I belong. This train of thought led Justin and I to pray about our future- in the midst of all MY planning, where is God's plan in all of this? Two days later, my friend Christy unknowingly sent me a posting for a part-time music job at Montecito Union Elementary School. Two weeks later I was offered the job. Prayer is powerful!! Thanks so much to everyone who was praying for me during the application and interview process.

So far it's been a whirlwind to say the least. I am teaching kindergarten general music, 2nd and 3rd grade violin and after-school strings (basically sectionals 3 days a week and orchestra 2 days a week).

So, in the interest of not losing your attention before this post ends, I leave you with some of my favorite kid quotes from the first three weeks of teaching:

First day of music for Kindergarten:

Kindergarten boy: Do you have any tubas?

Me: That's a great question! We're going to talk about that in just a minute!

Kindergarten boy: I've wanted to play the tuba my WHOLE LIFE!

Kindergarten discussion about presidents- this one started because we are looking at a book about "America the Beautiful" and there's a picture of Mount Rushmore.

Kindergartener #1: I know who the first president is- George Washington!

Kindergartener #2: I know who the LAST president is- Barack Obama!

Kindergartener #3: One time I saw a dummy in Old Town Goleta!

2nd grade class receives their violins for the first time, and upon opening their cases:

2nd grade girl: WOW!

2nd grade boy #1: This is the best day of my whole life!

2nd grade boy #2: The best day of my life was the first time I had root beer.

How can I compete with root beer? :)

Audrey Ellen!

2009-07-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

We barely got to see Graham and Marie on this trip- bummer- but the time we did have was super! (As Steve would say)! Marie took her swimming at the hotel and she is quite a fish- she seemed very comfortable in the water- actually, I got to swim with Ryan the day before, but alas, no good pics. Both my niece and nephew seem to be very comfortable in the water.

We got Audrey a little Hawkeye bear while we were in Iowa City:

Audrey and Marie at the wedding- such a good picture!

We miss you guys!

Vacation Part 4

2009-07-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

WEDDING!

We had 2 big reasons for going home when we did this summer-
1: The birth of our new nephew- we knew Wyatt was due at the end of June so we wanted to come in early July to make sure we were there to meet him.

2: Justin's cousin Noah was getting married on July 11th in Chicago and Justin and his brother Graham were asked to be ushers.

Soooo, Vacation Part 4 was WEDDING WEDDING WEDDING!

Graham, Marie and Audrey met up with us in Chicago and it was great to have all the Clark family together- especially seeing our niece (9months) and nephew (1 year) together! They hadn't seen each other since Christmas so they had changed a LOT.

Friday night we went to the rehearsal dinner at Philly G's and it was lovely- such a nice rehearsal dinner! Justin and his dad and Uncle Randy played guitar and sang and Justin and I sang a couple of songs together as well.

This picture is particularly funny to me b/c there were about 8 adults surrounding this table trying to get both kids to look at the camera at the same time. We drew a crowd that was wanting to see what all the flashing camera's were about! Oh, you know, just our darling niece and nephew!

Justin and I at the rehearsal

Me and two of my favorite punks

Audrey and Uncle Justin- isn't she beautiful??

Me, Ryan and Justin at the wedding reception

Justin and I at the reception (a rare good photo of the two of us!)

The fam

Vacation Part 3

2009-07-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

After Iowa City we went to Davenport for 2 days and got to spend some quality time with Steve and Anita and Abby(Justin's sister), Kyle (her husband) and Ryan (our nephew). We celebrated Ryan's birthday early (since we won't be in town for his big shindig) at Happy Joe's, went and watched Kyle's baseball team play and basically hung out and relaxed with the fam. Here are some pics from our time in Davenport:

Ryan with Uncle Justin at the baseball game:

Ryan talking to his dad/the coach...put him in coach!!

Me, Ryan, Abby and Anita watching the game:

Ryan in his new car!

Sliding down the slide with Uncle Justin!

Playing at the Jungle Bungle at Happy Joe's!

Listening to Uncle Justin practice for the Wedding Rehearsal- Ryan LOVES it when Justin plays guitar!

I think he likes it...

2009-07-13T21:41:00.001-07:00

We bought Ryan a car for his 1st birthday- see for yourself. I think he likes it...

Vacation Part 2- Iowa City and WYATT!

2009-07-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

Pretty much the main event of the Iowa City trip was meeting my nephew- Aaron and Megan's new baby boy Wyatt! He is AWESOME. He is such a cute and sweet baby. Aaron and Megan were all out and about (he was only 3 days old when we arrived!) and doing an awesome job being new parents. It was so great to be in Iowa City- love a good midwest summer! But mostly, I love my family and I MISS them when we aren't together!

Here are some pictures of Iowa City- mostly my perfect baby nephew!

VACATION Part 1

2009-07-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Landed in Chicago on July 3rd, only to discover that my luggage did not make it on the flight from Houston to Midway (although strangely enough, Justin's luggage DID...) I channeled my friend Megan (who this happened to when she flew out to LA for a visit) and had a very good attitude about the whole thing....for the first 6 hours at least. Then Continental informed me that my luggage had been given to a private delivery service and would arrive at the hotel in the next hour... 2 hours later, still no luggage. ARGH. It ended up being delivered to our hotel at about 2 in the morning though, so it all ended well.

While we were in Chicago we met up with Amy and Charlie (good friends from our Michigan days) and went down to the Taste of Chicago. Super crazy, super fun. Then came back to the hotel for a swim (well, not me being that I didn't have my luggage) and some good quality hang-out time. Got up the next morning and had awesome breakfast at the Corner Bakery (soo good!) and then Justin and I drove our rental car to Moline where we met my folks.

Here are some pictures of our time with Amy and Charlie- the "Bean" was right down by the Taste so we went for a look- surprisingly I had never seen it before- it's pretty cool as you can see but I'm not sure about it's purpose...add it to Governor Blagojevich's list of mishaps I guess! Taxpayer money well spent?

I'm an aunt again!

2009-06-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

Wyatt Francis Manuel Barnes Brummer- Born 6/30/09 1:40am- 7lbs 2.3oz. 20.25 in. Congrats Aaron and Megan! More pictures to come once I get there- 4 more days!!!

A Letter to My Unborn Nephew (who is due in 2 days)

2009-06-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Nephew,

I love you!

You have been in your mommy's tummy now for quite some time. I know it feels warm and safe in there, but trust me- it's safe out here too! Your mommy and daddy are going to take REALLY good care of you and you don't know it yet but you are one of the luckiest little boys in the whole world- your mommy and daddy are AWESOME people and you have a whole big extended family that is going to love you like CRAZY!

Your mommy has been working very very hard to get her work done so that she can spend lots of time getting to know you. She is one of the nicest ladies EVER and she's also very smart and pretty. She will no doubt take you camping, bake you delicious treats and teach you how to be a wonderful boy. She is really excited about meeting you and she is making you a nice room and even put in new carpet in your house! You are getting the star treatment- really, you should get out here and see for yourself!

Your daddy is the coolest. He will protect you, he will make you laugh, he'll cook you delicious food and he'll take you on adventures. He will also teach you lots of useful things like how to swim, how to fix things, how to build things and how to pick up chicks. Your daddy is really excited to meet you and trust me- you should be really excited to meet him too!

I'm your Aunt Rachael and unfortunately, I live far far away. The good news is that I am coming to visit in just 8 short days. I really want to meet you while I am in town.. You should want to meet me too because I am a very fun aunt and I am very serious about spoiling you rotten. Someday when you are bigger you can come and visit me in California and maybe we can go to Disneyland - where Mickey Mouse lives. You can eat cotton candy and churros and meet princesses and ride all the rides with me. It might not sound good right now but trust me, it will. Unfortunately, you can't do any of these things unless you come out of your mommy's tummy and start to grow big and strong.

My darling nephew, I know you're going to come when your ready. I just thought you should have all the facts so that you can make an informed decision about when you want to make your grand entrance. We love you so much and you are going to be so happy when you decide to show up.

Please come soon!

Love,
Aunt Rachael

The Anticipation is KILLING Me!!!!

2009-06-24T10:27:00.001-07:00

Ten days from now I will be in Iowa City. Eight days from now we start our journey- we leave Santa Barbara Thursday night 7/2 and head down to Orange County where we will spend the night at the Marriott and then fly out of SNA bright and early on 7/3. We fly into Chicago where we're renting a car meeting up with our friends from Michigan- Amy and Charlie- and going to see the fireworks at the Taste of Chicago and then spending the night in another Marriott that night (thanks to my AWESOME bro for the "friends and family" discount!!). Then Saturday (the Fourth of July!) we're driving our rental car to Iowa where we will return it and be picked up by my family- at which point I will personally be feeling a mixture of elation and relief!

To top it all off we're going to be pulling into IC just in time for Jazz Fest! SO awesome.

My mind is REELING with all the things I miss from home....and all the things I plan to do when I'm there! I can't wait to see our families and enjoy the REAL summer weather. And of course, eat all the yummy food from all the places I miss that we don't have out here.

CAN'T

WAIT!!!!

More Softball

2009-06-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

Lost another game last night. The team is 1-2 but we weren't there for the second game. Last night Justin had two great hits way out into left field. I hit one right to the pitcher for an out and then I got on base with my second hit, just past the shortstop. Justin also caught two fly balls in the outfield. Here are some pics from the game- just in case you're wondering why I'm reaching for my hit- I already had two strikes against me so I was swinging no matter what- even though it looks like it may have been a bit of a reach. :)

Audrey!

2009-06-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

I realized that I was on blogging hiatus when Graham and Marie and Audrey visited and although I did post my Audrey pics on Facebook, they did not make it to my blog- BAD AUNT! :) Last night at bible study I got to hold sweet baby Jane (Stacy and David's little one) and it made me think of my sweet niece who is nearly 8 months old and who I will be seeing in a little over a month!

This first picture is one that her mom sent- I love her little curious face!
The next one is of she and I when they were here in March- look at those gorgeous blue eyes!

And one of my favorites- one of the days they were here we went to Borders and were looking at books for Audrey and it was SO cute- every book we showed her she would get so excited- she'd gasp and her little hands would tremble with excitement! We probably showed her every childrens book on the shelf! I ended up getting her one of my favorites- My Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton. We had a lot of fun reading to her and she did some studying with Uncle Justin too!

We love our niece and nephew- can you tell? And I can't wait to meet my new nephew VERY soon!

Gospel, SLEEP and BABIES!!!

2009-06-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

That's pretty much my weekend in three words.

Friday night Justin and I had a date night and went to hear the UCSB gospel choir. It was fun- a little unusual, but fun. The unusual parts: it started 25 minutes late, hot dogs were sold at intermission (even though it was an actual concert, at night, in a recital hall), and the director took about 20 minutes of the concert to introduce all of his family and friends who were sitting in the audience...even bringing his wife onstage to give her flowers and to tell her: "Baby, flowers die, but my love for you never will".....hmmm, interesting! Not exactly what I expected but it was fun to see the students totally singing their hearts out and we decided it was still cool that we did something other than go out for dinner like usual.

I put SLEEP in the title because last week I slept like garbage-which is really unusual for me and I'm not really sure what caused it- but I was in dire need of some catchup sleep this weekend and ended up sleeping about 23 hours combined between Friday and Saturday nights. I am feeling very rested. :)

And of course BABIES: Got to do some baby shopping yesterday for a baby shower that I went to today for a friend of ours in the Philosophy department and of course I couldn't resist picking up some more items for my soon-to-be-here nephew (who, incidentally also had a baby shower tonight back in Iowa). I can't wait to spoil him but I need to remember that anything I buy will have to fit in my suitcase! Thanks to Stacy D. for the ideas- I emailed her this week to find out what she's gotten since her little girl was born (less than 2 months ago) and feels she couldn't live without. On her recommendation I got Baby-boy Brummer a four-pack of these awesome swaddling blankets that are really nice- she says they are the best ones that they have used and the best part is that they are really breathable and lightweight which will be good for a summer baby! Also they are supposed to reduce the risk of SIDS, colic and fussiness (not sure what kind of study proves that but I definitely will take the recommendation of new mommies!) Hopefully Baby-boy Brummer will like his fancy California swaddling blankets :)

Softshare Bat Pack

2009-06-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

We had our first Softshare softball game last night. Unfortunately we lost 10-13 but the good news is that I didn't do anything embarrassing :) The bummer is that we actually only got to play 3 1/2 innings before time ran out- I really think if we had been able to play a full game we might have won.

I played out in right center and Justin played left center and third base. I was supposed to get to play 1st base later in the game but we ran out of time. I got on base twice (hit once, walked once) and Justin did too- even though he hadn't batted even for practice since we played in a church league in Michigan!

Here are some pictures that my co-worker Adam took:

Here we are pre-game (notice that my uniform is basically a mumu):

Trying to convince my nervous co-workers that we're just here to have fun:

Justin getting ready to bat:

My batting stance looks lame here, I think it's actually between pitches, so I'm not really "ready", just waiting for the pitcher to get ready:

I think it's going to be a pretty fun season!

Pictures from San Francisco

2009-05-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

Steve and Anita (Justin's parents) came up for a visit Memorial Day weekend so we decided to take a trip up to San Francisco. We drove up the Pacific Coast Highway which was beautiful and we mainly did the touristy San Francisco stuff. San Francisco was really cool- I can't wait to get up there again!

Here is a view from the cable car:
We took a boat tour around Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge- some pictures from the boat:

Golden Gate Bridge (it was pretty foggy/rainy/COLD!)Alcatraz!

On Monday we went to Golden Gate Park and saw the Japanese Tea Garden:

After the trip to San Francisco they spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Santa Barbara- here's a picture of us on the beach the last night they were here:It was awesome having them here! We went to farmer's market on Tuesday downtown in SB and Anita liked the farmer's market so much she said- and I quote: "I wish I lived here!"...hmm, we wish that too! :)

Top 3 Favorite New Ryan Pictures

2009-05-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture. I love the puffed out cheeks and the food all over his face. I think this is priceless!

This second he was apparently mimicking the look on Steve's (his grandpa- Justin's dad) face. Love it!

The last one is so freaking cute I can hardly stand it. He was getting his first haircut and they put him in this little car and he was doing great- there are tons of pictures of him smiling and being good- and then the stylist accidentally nicked his ear and he started crying- hence this photo. It just makes me go "awww!" :)

Thanks to Anita for bringing the pics out when they came to visit! More blogging will be forthcoming about their visit and our trip to San Francisco (or "Frisco" as Steve now calls it) soon!

Santa Barbara vs. Iowa City

2009-05-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

I had fun thinking of this list. The good, the bad, the neutral- differences between Santa Barbara (my current home) and Iowa City (my home):

1. In Santa Barbara they drink soda. In Iowa City we drink pop.

2. In Santa Barbara they have "fire days". In Iowa we have snow days.

3. In Santa Barbara it is apparently unimportant to be on time- one Californian explained to me that in California they are just "less uptight"....well, I guess that's one way to put it.

4. Santa Barbara children eat lollipops- Iowa kids eat suckers.

5. "Gnarly" is like California's aloha- except where "aloha" means good-bye or hello, "gnarly" can mean good or bad. Iowan's stopped saying "gnarly" about a month after Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure came out on video.

6. College students in Santa Barbara don't go to class when it rains. College students in Iowa still go to class during blizzards.

7. It's always sunny in Santa Barbara...seriously...always. It's a bit much.

8. Gay couples can get married in Iowa but not in California.

9. Santa Barbara= ocean and mountains. Iowa City= river and corn.

10. I like Santa Barbara. I LOVE Iowa City.

No offense Santa Barbara, but you're no Iowa City.

Batter Up!

2009-05-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

Abby sent us some pictures of our adorable nephew Ryan today. He is 10 months old and already clearly understands some of the basic concepts of baseball. I just love this picture as he appears ready to throw a pitch- see how he keeps his eye on the batter? He's going to be a star!! :)

Trickin' and Killin'

2009-05-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

Sunday we went on a five hour deep sea fishing excursion with Softshare. FIVE hours! I was so tired when we got home I fell asleep on the couch (and I am NOT a napper!) I didn't catch any fish worth keeping- actually, not many people did. Apparently the fish were not so hungry yesterday. Since Justin is a vegetarian and I haven't cooked many fish ANYWAY I wasn't too heartbroken. We had a good time and it was nice being out on the water! Here are a couple of pics:

Scary

2009-05-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

I find this scary:

Justin's comment "I would not mess with that kid man."

Kittens: Inspired by Kittens

2009-05-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

I think this is hilarious:

I'm back.

2009-05-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

Ok ok, I'm back on the wagon...for now. My mom has been harassing me to get back to blogging (well not so much harassing as asking very nicely...it might be the guilt that makes it feel like harassment!) So what were my excuses? Well, I just haven't felt like I have much to say lately! As Justin put it- we've kind of been on auto-pilot lately- extremely entrenched in our routines. This isn't all bad since our routines include good things like working, exercising and spending time with friends. But, enough excuses. If I'm going to expect other people to blog and post pictures of my niece and nephews (and I DO!!!) then I had better be walking the walk...even though I don't have any cute kids to write about or take pictures of...boo hoo. BUT my mommy insists that she wants me to blog anyway and since I love my mom SOOOOO much, I will oblige. (And since you're probably the only one reading it, right mom?)

Recent happenings:

1. FIRE in Santa Barbara- this was a scary one! It didn't get close to where we live (in fact, you can usually assume that it won't- we're in a good position fire-wise) if it gets to our place, then Santa Barbara is toast. It WAS however, close to my work- work was in the "Evacuation Warning Zone" which means you are supposed to be ready to evacuate at "a moment's notice". Did I get time off? Sadly, no (I really could have used it!). It burned over 8500 acres and ~80 homes were lost. 30,000 people were evacuated- it was pretty crazy. I've said it before and I'll say it again- I'll take floods and tornadoes any day over fire. Here's a picture from outside my office:

2. Mothers Day came and went with the realization that I am the only non-mother in my entire family (besides the men, obviously). Oh, and Audrey.. but she's 9 months old, so that doesn't count.

3. Justin celebrated his 29th birthday Tuesday! I am so thankful for another year of Justin!!!! He started off the day right with two chocolate/coconut donuts (courtesy of me!) and ended it with...drumroll...dinner at Chili's (Woo hoo! We know how to party!) He got to choose and that is what he wanted. Cool for me- I do like the Chicken Caeser Pita! He received lots of presents but seemed most enthralled with his book arriving in the mail (he ordered it weeks ago) and subsequently spent several minutes thumbing through "Plato and the Socratic Dialogue: The Philosophical Use of a Literary Form". Yep. We know how to party. :)

4. We're going to play softball for the Softshare Softball team. I didn't really want to (I'm not that good, and you know how I feel about doing things I'm not good at) but Justin really wants to so I'm going to soldier up and do it. Had our first practice today- went pretty well, but we didn't do any batting practice (that's where I really stink!). I'm sure plenty of good stories will surface as a result of my participation on this team.

Other than that, not a lot to report. This weekend we're going on a Fishing Excursion with Softshare. Five hours of fishing complete with cheeseburgers and drinks served on the boat...not exactly a vegetarian-friendly event, as Justin pointed out, (What's that honey? Killing fish and eating cows doesn't sound like fun??) but I'm sure we'll have fun just the same. I'll try and take some pictures and write about it next week.

Till next time...

Surprise!

2008-12-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

My friend Emily surprised her mom and flew back from Texas to Iowa for Thanksgiving. Here is a link to the post she wrote about it on her blog- I literally cried when I watched it. I want to see MY mom! Emily is awesome and her family rocks! Watch and try not to cry! Anybody who misses their family will appreciate this one.

http://francygirl.blogspot.com/2008/12/noise-of-year.html

More Iowa Comments

2008-12-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

Today in the office we were talking about state capitals. One of my coworkers asked the other how he was with his state capitals and he said "proficient". I asked the state capital of Iowa (naturally) His response:

Cedar Falls.

WRONG.

My other co-worker guessed Iowa City. Well, if you lived in the 1800's, then yes- Iowa City would be the right answer.

They were stumped and one of them goes "We've named the two cities in Iowa- that's all there is, right?"

Granted, they said this jokingly but still- yikes!

Funny stuff.

A Very Happy Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T21:35:00.001-08:00

So we went to Boulder for Thanksgiving break and got to spend 4 days with the Clark's. It was so awesome seeing our family and amazing spending time with our niece and nephew. They are such awesome babies and we LOVE them! Here are a few pictures that I managed to forward to myself from Graham and Marie's camera (since I forgot my camera- argh!)

They are both wonderful and very different. Ryan is constantly in motion- a little bundle of smiling and adorable energy, whereas Audrey is this sweet, calm, thoughtful looking little girl. It's so much fun being an aunt! I love them and their awesome parents who are really amazing to me- they are awesome mom's and dad's! I can't wait now for my third niece/nephew coming in July!! This time it will be a Brummer- hooray!

4 Days!!

2008-11-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

Yay! I can't wait until Thursday! Actually, I can't wait until Wednesday night! Justin and I are driving down to Irvine on Wednesday night to stay at the Marriott near the Orange County Airport (thanks to my brother for the hookup!). Then, Thursday morning we are flying to Denver, CO to spend Thanksgiving with the Clark's! I can't wait to see everyone and to meet our niece for the first time!

We also booked our plane tickets this weekend for our Christmas trip- we are going to be in Iowa for 10 full days! Yippee! I can't believe it is only one month until we go home- time is flying by right now!

In completely unrelated news- I am a new fan of the show Alias. My friend Marissa loaned the first season to me when I was recovering from surgery and I am almost done with it. I'm going to be sad when it is over! It is REALLY good! Justin laughs at me because everytime the theme song plays I do a dance and make my "dance face" which he's not fond of (he can be heard saying "don't make the face!") apparently it's not flattering. What can I say- that's my face when I'm being moved by the music. :)

Survey Says:

2008-11-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

1. Any nickname ? My parents and brother call me "Sis" or "Sissy" or "Sissywissy" (as in sister, b/c my brother used to call me that when he was little). Some of my friends from college call me "B" as in Brummer- my maiden name.

2. Mother's name? Cheri- pronounced "Sherry"

3. Favorite drink? Diet Dr. Pepper

4. Body Piercing? Just the ears- my dad pierced them for me!

5. How much do you love your job? I don't love it but I'm learning to like it! :)

6. Birthplace? Iowa City, IA

7. Favorite vacation spot? Hmmm- well anytime I have "vacation" I go back to Iowa City- my favorite place! But as far as a real vacation I would have to go with a cabin on a lake- maybe northern Wisconsin, Minnesota or Michigan in the summer?

8. Ever been to Africa? Nope

9. Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? Yes. And breakfast. More times for breakfast than dinner- because cookies are quick!

10. Ever been on TV? I don't think so...

11. Ever steal any traffic signs?? No

12. Ever been in a car accident? Yes, but nothing serious and nothing since I was 16. My husband on the other hand...

13. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? Always 4 door.

14. Favorite pie? Not a huge pie-lover. I mean, I'll EAT pie, I just don't really have a favorite. I really like Key Lime and French Silk though.

15. Favorite number? 5

16. Favorite movie? Hard to choose but the first one that comes to mind is The Fugitive. Oh, and A Chorus Line...and The Sound of Music..

17. Favorite holiday? Probably Halloween? I sometimes get depressed around Christmas (I think the songs sound sad and decorations make me depressed when I'm not home with my family) and I eat too much on Thanksgiving. And Valentine's day is totally commercial.

18. Favorite dessert? Well, I'm not at ALL picky- I do like Ben and Jerry's "Chubby Hubby"

19. Favorite food? Baked macaroni and cheese with Frank's Red Hot Sauce....or maybe brie and crackers w/ a glass of wine...or chicken caeser pitas from Chili's.. or breakfast burritos! Man, I like food. A combination of exercise and my husband is all that is keeping me from weighing 400 pounds!

20. Favorite day of the week? Friday for sure. Fitness Friday at work- two hour lunch to play sports- and then Friday night!

21. Favorite brand of body wash? Seriously?

22. Favorite toothpaste? Crest all the way. Justin likes Colgate- too bad for him.

23. Favorite smell? Fresh laundry (between the washer and the dryer)

24. How do you relax? A glass of wine works well!

25. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Hopefully raising kids somewhere in the midwest with my professor husband- Dr. Clark! :) **But hopefully sooner than 10 years**

26. Furthest place you will send this message? I'm not going to send it- I'm going to blog it!

27. Who will respond to this the fastest? Well I'm guessing Megan will be the first to comment... or maybe my mom?

28. Favorite time of day? Depends on the day, but whenever I'm finally able to stop and relax!

Weekend

2008-11-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

Friday night we went and heard a reunion show of a band that some friend's of ours used to play in. The band is a Christian rock band called "She Said No" and they played at a club downtown called "Velvet Jones". Here are some pictures:

Here's Kim- rocking out:

Justin and I:

JoAnn, myself and Katherine:

Then on Saturday night we went to a party for Kim's 40th birthday. It was an 80's theme and I'm not ashamed to say that I won a prize for the best 80's costume!

Sweet scrunci, right? The funny thing is that I looked like an 80's pre-teen. But I think it's fitting since I was just born in 1980 after all!

You KNOW You're Getting Older When....

2008-11-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

So if you know Justin at all you know he is a basketball player. He's been playing basketball forever- starting out against his older brother in the backyard games, through highschool, and then as a favorite pass-time in college. He hasn't slowed down a BIT in this area. When we lived in Michigan he played in tournaments with an AWESOME team of guys that he met there, but it's funny how each time we move he has to get the lay of the land and figure out where the good games are and sort of "prove" himself on the circuit.

So this year he's starting to get the pattern down- when people are playing, where the good games are etc. There are a few undergraduate kids that he's been playing with who didn't realize that he was a grad student and 28 years old. They were fairly shocked by the fact that he is 28, married, and....

wait for it....

...DOESN'T HAVE A CELL PHONE.

I think the cell phone thing is what makes them think of him as "older". Incidentally, this week when they were playing he was knocking down three-pointers and after he hit a 3rd one in a row one of them shouts "Old Man River does it again!" Nice.

SLOOOOWWWW DOWN

2008-11-16T11:47:00.001-08:00

It's funny that my last post - 12 days ago- was about being so busy. That night I woke up in pain at 11:00 and was sick all through the night. When I still couldn't keep any food down or relax at ALL because of the pain the next morning, I decided to head to urgent care to get some advice. Their advice was to go to the emergency room! I ended up having surgery that evening (an appendectomy) and staying the night in the hospital! Nothing slows you down like having surgery!

I am so thankful for my wonderful family and friends! Justin was awesome- he was with me the whole time and missed a lot of school and work time (between Thursday and Friday) but he did a great job of taking care of me. Then my mom flew out on Saturday to help out- mainly to keep me company while I was resting and recovering. It was amazing to see her- I feel so blessed to have such an awesome mom that would fly across the country to be with her daughter after having her appendix out! Trust me- I know I'm BLESSED beyond my wildest dreams!

I also had amazing friends here in Santa Barbara that came and visited me in the hospital, brought us dinner, sent us flowers, books, and movies and blessed us with their prayers. Justin and I are so thankful that we have that kind of support so far from home.

Anyways, I finally got to go back to work on Thursday and I would say I am 85% at this point- still sore and I have to take it a bit slower than usual but I can tell that every day is better. I'm just thankful that they figured out what is was and took it out before it became more serious.

So, that's why I haven't blogged much lately- I've sort of been out of commission and then trying to catch back up with life- which incidentally does NOT stop just because you have surgery. We had a crazy busy weekend that I'll blog about soon...

2008-11-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

Phew! Busy week! I have to say I was VERY glad to gain that extra hour on Sunday- it enabled me to grocery shop, do laundry, go to volleyball practice AND Sunday school and Church! The downside is that it's nearly dark at the end of my work day which makes me very sleepy!

It's been a bit of a whirlwind week so far- volleyball Monday and elections yesterday (we went to an election party to watch election coverage) and then we have homegroup tonight, a Young Life dinner tomorrow and a 5th/6th youth event at church on Friday (wow, I just realized that we have something EVERY night this week- yikes.) I like being busy to a point but this is crazy hectic! Looking forward to some downtime this weekend!

Lately I've been missing our time in Michigan more- oddly enough (sorry Michiganders!). I mean, before I was missing the people that we knew there, but now I'm sort of longing for the Michigan days when I was teaching and when we weren't so busy and got more time together (Justin and I that is). Don't get me wrong, I love all of the activities that we're involved with here, it just gets a little nutty sometimes!

Dorothy's!

2008-11-02T00:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the pictures, Double! The first one is of Hannah and I- both Dorothy's. The second is of Rebecca and I. Rebecca was much more interested in having her picture taken that evening for some reason- she kept suggesting it to me which I found to be very cute! It's all about the Dorothy costume....

Pumpkin Mania

2008-11-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, so anyone who has read my blog for over a year now might remember the elaborate pumpkin contest that takes place at my work. This year was NO exception. I present for you the winners of "Best Use of Pumpkin", "Scariest/Most Humorous", "Best Overall" and "Honorable Mention" (because it got the most total votes but they were spread out in each category).

First we have Diane's pumpkin-gumball machine. I think the coolest thing about this is that when you put in a penny and turned the crank it dispened pumpkin seeds! So cute!

This next one was Christine's. I'm not sure what was scary/humorous about it- I think there was just a consensus that it deserved a prize. This picture is really good considering this whole scene took place inside a big cardboard box- you had to look through a hole in the box to see the scene. Very cool.Next we have Ray's. Never one to disappoint Ray did another movie theme (if you remember, last year his pumpkin was the boulder in a scene from Indiana Jones- it had a MOTOR for pete's sake!) but this year was Jaws. Again, complete with soundtrack. Do you wonder why I didn't make an entry? Intimidating!

This next one was Melanie's. A very cool dragon- the pumpkin is the head. What you can't tell from the picture is that it was hooked up to a smoke machine and so smoke was coming out of the dragon's mouth! The funny part is that Melanie dropped the smoke machine on her way in and it wasn't working- so Troy (IT pro) was in the process of fixing it (seriously, they can fix ANYTHING!) and accidentally set off the smoke alarms! Good times. The good news is that he got it working and saved the day for Mel who had put so much work into it.

I think it's worth showing Nathan's as well- he didn't win any awards but his was interactive and I was hearing cheers from his office all day as people played his "pumpkin bowling" entry. Very impressive:

Like I said, I didn't submit an entry (I couldn't think of anything creative- I mean, these people are SERIOUS!) but I DID dress up in a costume all day, so that should count for something, right? And yes, Megan, I DID have ruby slippers. I'll post pics of the costume when I get them!

Flashback Friday

2008-10-31T23:32:00.000-07:00

Flashback to Halloween 2005- my first Halloween as a Dorothy when I was teaching in Union City. You can see in the background a witch and a tinman!

This Halloween I went as Dorothy again (different costume since the first time I borrowed from my roommate at the time.) We went to the Sugano's (homegroup leaders) for dinner and their daughter Hannah was Dorothy too! I'll post pics of that later (I didn't have my camera so either David or Donna is going to email me the pics). I have to say I thoroughly enjoy being Dorothy every time- today I was Dorothy all day and there's just something about it! More Halloween pics from today to come as soon as I get them from friends....(hint hint!)

2008-10-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this email exchange between one of Justin's students (in his Phil I class) and Justin:

Hello,
I was sick earlier this week with the unidentified virus from the DLG and as such I missed the discussion. I was wondering if we found out what we got on our midterms, what we went over, and if we did anything that I would possibly need to do outside of class.

Sincerely,
(Removed name to protect the innocent)

**Ok, first of all- unidentified virus? What on earth is the DLG?? That can't be good!**

Here's Justin's Reply:

(Student's Name),

Hope you're feeling better. I won't return the midterms until next week, I'm in the process of finishing them as I write. In discussion on Tuesday we discussed the Cosmological Argument, and some objections to the argument, etc.
Next week we will discuss the problem of evil, so make sure you've done the reading.

Other than that, the only homework I've assigned was for everyone to prove once and for all whether or not God exists. Have that ready by Tuesday. Good luck!

justin

I read that and thought- wow, I'm glad I'M not in that class! What an assignment!

So, I get home and we're eating dinner tonight and I brought up the email to joke about this "unidentified virus" and Justin's all "Yeah, did you see what I told him his assignment was?" HE WAS JOKING!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Just when you think that Philosopher's don't have a sense of humor. This poor kid is going to be spending his Halloween weekend trying to prove- "once and for all"- the existence of God.

I love it.

Monday's Fabulous Moment of the Day

2008-10-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

Volleyball! Well, we lost but we played MUCH better this week than last week so it was a lot of fun comparitively. Major props to Marissa who got blasted in the face and didn't shed a tear- seriously hard core. I mean, it hit so hard that NO ONE was even laughing- everyone looked shocked- that's how hard it hit. The guy who served it felt SO bad! Good thing she's tough! I think just the shock of it would have made me cry!

Work was good too- all in all a good day. I went to a cardio-kickboxing class after work and I am going to be SORE tomorrow! I realized that I have zero abdominal strength which is probably why my back hurts all the time, so maybe kickboxing and pilates would be good for me. So much to do, so little time!

Halloween coming up this weekend- can't wait to be Dorothy! There's NO place like home!!

Another New Favorite

2008-10-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

This is Glen Hansard singing "Say It to Me Now". We originally heard this song on the movie Once which he stars in- if you haven't seen it it's a really good music movie- I bought the soundtrack on ITunes as soon as it was over! I love this clip of him playing it live- he plays the socks off of that guitar!

Yay! I figured it out!

2008-10-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

So I finally figured out how to post video on my blog. I figured being that I work at a software company and do tech support all day long, I should be able to figure this out! Here's a live performance that I actually referenced in a previous post of Jaymay- my favorite performer from the Hotel Cafe Tour that we saw at Soho a couple of weeks ago:

Flashback Friday

2008-10-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Shout out to my bro- I can't believe I'm posting this b/c it's totally un-flattering. But it's a fun picture of us back in our show-choir days. This would be my junior year in high school (age 17 for me) and Aaron's 7th grade year in Junior High (age 13 for him).
Yikes. I'm not sure this is what was intended by Flashback Fridays but I think it's character building so I'll go with it. =)

You know better alright...

2008-10-23T22:21:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Justin and I went to a live show at Soho downtown with David and JoAnn. It was the Hotel Cafe tour- a tour of all female artists- some played acoustic, some electric, some piano, some with a house band. It was a really good show- I especially enjoyed the songs by Jaymay- you can check her out here singing "Blue or Gray" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx89Eng7rRo.

Then there was Meiko. David and JoAnn really liked Meiko but I wasn't a huge fan- she has this sort of strange way of contorting her voice to get a certain sound. BUT I was warming up to her during her second set. Then she shared this story with the audience about how she was BEST friends with this guy and then she met his girlfriend and his girlfriend was all jealous of her and she had NO IDEA why because they were JUST FRIENDS and she was all sad because it ruined her friendship with this guy.

Boo hoo Meiko. You're shady.

But that's not even the half of it. She then proceeds to sing the song that she wrote about the situation. Here are the lyrics:

When I first met you I knew you were the one

till you took me home and met her

she had your boxers on

she was listening to your song

and i thought right then that you had everything

But i knews he was jealous from the start

yeah i knew she was jealous from the start

Cos i know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends

oh i know better than that i know better

you play the victim and i'll be the bad guy

i know better than that, i know better(oh oh oh oh oh oh X2)

We started hanging around after 9

i couldve sworn you i was yours

you looked at me and said

its a little too late for bed

we went to hopesal and talked about everything

But i knewshe was jealous from the start

yeah i knewshe was jealous from the start

Cos i know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends

oh i know better than that i know better

you play the victim and i'll be the bad guy

i know better than that, i know better(oh)

What she did to us was tragic

oh oh ohand i have to do what's right

oh oh oh what we had was really magic oh oh oh

but i have to get what's mine oh

i don't get what's mine and you get yours

Cos i know better not to be friends with boys with girlfriends

oh i know better than that i know better

you play the victim and i'll be the bad guy

i know better than that, i know better(oh)

You should have seen JoAnn and I- jaws on the floor. Women all over the room pulled their boyfriends closer to them.

Yeah. You know better alright.

Oh yeah... the Blackhawks.

2008-10-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

Conversation between Justin and one of his students:

Student: So, you probably just want to be a Philosophy professor, right?
Justin: Yeah, that's the plan. I have a few years left before I get my PhD and then I want to teach at a University.
Student: Oh, so where did you do your undergraduate?
Justin: I'm from Iowa- I did my undergraduate at the University of Iowa.
Student: Ah, yeah. The Blackhawks.

Riiiiiight.

Monday's Fabulous Moment of the Day.. or not

2008-10-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

So, I was going to copy Emily again and do a "Monday's Fabulous Moment of the Day" post- the idea is to fnd something- anything- remotely resembling fabulous and post it for the sake of the Monday. But...I had a perfectly mundane Monday at work and then Monday night I was a big fat crabby brat (sorry to my volleyball team for that!) so there were no fabulous moments to blog about.

I guess I wasn't feeling like myself- does anyone else ever experience that? Times where they just don't feel like themselves? It's weird. It's like, you KNOW you're acting unlike yourself, it's almost like you're watching it happen, but you lack the energy or even the desire to stop. FYI to anyone who is feeling that way- prayer helps!

So, today I am feeling much more like myself. Instead of a "Monday's Fabulous Moment of the Day" post I will do a "Totally Terrific Tuesday" post.

So, a little over a month ago I got an email from the Performing Arts director at one of the Santa Barbara schools. The email said that she had obtained my resume (seriously, my resume is apparently making the rounds around this town!) and was looking for a vocal coach for her show choir. Being that I have a full time job, I replied saying that it sounded like a lot of fun to a midwest girl who grew up in show choir, but that I would have to decline. Her response was that she was very disappointed as she too, is a midwest girl (from Iowa City) and thinks we could have worked well together.

That's right, she's from Iowa City. Exactly 5 years ahead of me in school- she was in the exact same choirs that I was in in high school (4th Ave!!). Long story short, I took the position and I've worked it into my lunch break 2-3 times/week. It has totally proven rewarding- it's a choir of Junior High girls and it's great. It's funny- after a few months of not teaching how invigorating it is to get up in front of a choir and sing with them. I always thought I would hate teaching Jr. High but it's actually really cool- they're at that age where they're just starting to consider the possibility of being really talented singers and I get to be the one to build them up and show them how- so fun.

It's also an enormous ego boost- I won't lie. I won them over the first time I sang for them and it felt awesome. It's not exactly bragging- I have a degree in vocal performance, it would be embarassing if they weren't impressed.

So, my "Totally Terrific Tuesday" moment was during warm-ups today. I was talking to the girls about posture and and how important it is because of the fact that our instruments are in our bodies and we need energy to use them. I was demonstrating how when we shift our weight to one leg or another it requires more energy to stand, and therefore you have less energy to sing, which is why we need to be balanced. They asked all sorts of great questions ie. Why can't you sit? Why can't you hold your hands behind your back? etc. We tried out all of those positions and they came to the conclusion that the neutral posture that I was advocating really did take the least amount of energy- which left the rest of their energy to focus on singing. Yay! Teachable students!

So, one of the girls has her hands raised and says:
"Two things- first, I love those shoes. Second, why can't you have your hands on your hips?"

Seriously. These girls are awesome. Flattery will get you everywhere.

The Best Kept Secret

2008-10-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

I am reminded on a fairly regular basis that people outside of Iowa frequently don't know much about it. Now, I can't get mad or upset about this because of course there are places in this country that I don't know much about. What is funny is how many comments I hear about Iowa or even the midwest in general from Californians especally. In Michigan, people had misconceptions, but in California it's like people think Iowa is on a different continent. I guess to them, it might as well be. What drives me bonkers is the superiority complex. I know everyone reading this is thinking- well, duh! It's CALIFORNIA. But that's what is so annoying!! Get over yourself California!! :)

So I thought I would start recording some of the funny and even the not-so-funny things people have said pertaining to Iowa and/or the midwest since I moved out here.

1. Pretty much any time farming or any other rural experience comes up people say "well, you're from Iowa" as if that makes me an authority on farming and rural life. OH! That's right! I forgot that being from Iowa means I must have grown up on a farm! In actuality, I've never milked a cow, I've never detassled corn, I can't even keep a house plant alive! City girl here!!

2. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE Iowa City. We were at the beach here in Santa Barbara one day and I chased down a couple who were wearing Hawkeye shirts just so we could chat about Iowa City. The friends we were with thought I was a LUNATIC but anyone from Iowa knows that the couple I chased down were MORE than excited to talk Iowa City with a fellow Hawkeye. My friend Marissa said "If I moved to a different state and I saw someone with a UCSB shirt on, I don't think I would go up and start talking to them." The more I think about that comment the more I realize that most people would think it was weird thing to do. The beauty is that anyone from Iowa City or anyone who calls themself a Hawkeye knows that it was the furthest thing from weird- it's like a family, and we LOVE a good reunion.

3. One of my favorite comments is from a co-worker- "I don't think I could live in Iowa because I wouldn't want to have to wear a cowboy hat all the time."

4. Another one from a co-worker was when someone was talking about Ohio and mentioned something about their trip being boring. A co-worker of mine commented "Yeah, but that's pretty much the midwest". Oh BROTHER.

5. Of course there are the requisit responses from people out here when you say you're from Iowa-

"Oh! Potatoes!".... nope, that's Idaho

"Oh- the Buckeyes"... nope that's Ohio

C'mon people. Iowa. The University of Iowa. Big 10? No? Wow.

My parents had me convinced when I was looking at colleges that a Big Ten school would carry some weight wherever I went- at least with name recognition- over a small private school in the midwest. And for the most part, that's been true- except in California.

6. Perhaps the funniest one was at a barbeque I went to this weekend. To protect the innocent I will leave names out of it:

Friend A: Do you want kids?

Me: Yeah I want kids.

Friend A: Are you trying?

Me: No, we're not trying.

Friend A: If you want kids, why aren't you trying?

Friend B: They want to wait until they can be closer to family.

Friend A: Where's family?

Me: Iowa

Friend A: Well what are you waiting for? Get yourselves back to polygamy town and start having babies!

Really? Polygamy town? Are you sure you aren't mixing Iowa up with another state that you consider inferior? Say, Utah? That was a first for me. And, incidentally I'd just like to point out that that comment came from a California NATIVE. It's stateism.

BUT I guess I have to consider myself a statist if I'm going to call these people out because really, Iowa is the best. And as my mom says-"That's just fine- they can go on thinking that because we don't need them. Iowa City is the best kept secret in the midwest." I agree mom!

Audrey!

2008-10-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Yay! Time for some Audrey pictures! Graham and Marie came through and took some great pictures of their new little bundle:

Notice in this next one the dog, Maya, looking at the camera like "You used to take pictures of me!" It cracks me up because the look on her face is so pathetic!! I just imagine her little dog mind thinking "Boo-hoo, poor me!" I am sure that Maya is VERY well cared for, I just think the look on her face is like that of an older sibling- like, who is THIS and when is she leaving??

Now this next one is my absolute FAVORITE. In fact, I am planning to get it printed and have it framed to hang in my home- that's how much I love it. The looks on Ryan and Audrey's faces are so priceless- they look like a crabby old married couple! This picture is on the background of my home and work computers and everytime I see it it makes me giggle.

I love being an aunt!

Flashback Friday!

2008-10-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily started doing this and I thought it sounded like a good idea....so I'm a big fat copycat and have no original thought. But it will still be fun!

In honor of Emily, this flashback Friday takes us back 10 years!! 1998 City High School Concert Choir trip to Washington DC! In this first picture you'll see that my fashion choices (especially the sun glasses- seriously, Lennon much?) haven't always been so...ahem, inspired. ;)

Next we have Emily and I eavesdropping through the wall in our hotel room. I have no clue what we were listening to but I will tell you that this habit has not gone away for me...just ask my husband!

Next takes a little explaining. While in Washington D.C. someone decided to buy a Star Wars Storm Trooper mask/helmet. Below you will see Jesse wearing said helmet. But below that is what made me laugh out loud as I went through these pictures and was reminded of this- Our friend Chris, wearing the mask, and totally seriously looking over some random ladies shoulder as she looked at a map of the museum we were in. It's too funny and so Chris!

Thanks for the idea Em! We are praying for you daily- thanks for the inspiration you are, even through your blog!! Happy Friday!!

Time Flies!

2008-10-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, over a month since I have last blogged. Seriously. I'm obviously not taking it very..well, seriously. What's funny is that I finally decided to blog again b/c there is this one blog that I stalk and this blogger has not posted for 10 days and I'm sitting there criticizing this person in my head, like "Come ON, are you serious? Still nothing new to post? Some of us are WAITING to be entertained by your blog here!"

Hi, my name is "Pot". My hobbies include: calling the kettle "black".

So fine. I'll blog. Not like anyone is holding a gun to my head or anything, but I'm tired of being a hypocrite, so here I go.

First of all - hugely exciting news: I am an aunt TWICE OVER now! Graham and Marie had their little lovely daughter, Audrey Ellen Clark. I have only seen one picture which Marie posted as her profile pic on facebook. So, don't think I am favoring Ryan or anything, because since I have NOT met my sweet baby niece yet, I have not had a chance to take pictures of her in person and therefore I am at the mercy of her parents when it comes to pictures! But, one is better than none, and I know the new mommy and daddy are very busy with their new little one and company in their new house so I don't hold it against them!

Presenting, my very first niece, Audrey Ellen Clark:

Isn't she beautiful? I think she looks like her mom! I can tell we're going to get along. She likes sleep- I like sleep. She likes hoodies- I like hoodies. We're practically two peas in a pod.

In other baby news- Abby, Kyle and Ryan came out for a visit last month! We had a VERY good time- I can't believe how much he grew in two months! It was so much fun having them visit. They are very easy and fun visitors. Unfortunately I couldn't take any time off of work. But, here are some photo highlights from the trip:

Ryan in the Clark Jacuzzi (aka our kitchen sink)

Hangin' on the beach:

Testing the waters with his pops- apparently he really liked the sand on his barefeet!

In the parking lot of Dodger's Stadium:

I'm not going to lie- I loved every second that I got to hold that sweet little boy and I loved carrying him in the baby-carrier- I can't wait to be a mommy someday! Abby and Kyle are amazing parents- so laid back and yet totally competent and in control. I'm glad I get to see my two lovely sister-in-laws be mom's first because I am sure I am going to learn a lot from them!

Need a good laugh?

2008-09-03T21:56:00.001-07:00

My blog probably hasn't given you many these days, but this one certainly will. It's hysterical!
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

WE LOVE IT HERE!!

2008-09-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

Well we're into Family Housing at UCSB and we LOVE it! It's so big and open inside. It's by FAR the best apartment we've ever lived in. The best part is that it's going to be GREAT for all of the visitors that we are expecting.

Speaking of visitors, I haven't blogged yet about Aaron and Megan coming to visit. We had a really great time with them- they are TOTALLY easy and fun guests. We introduced them to our friends David and JoAnn and I'm pretty sure David and JoAnn like them better than us now! We took them all around Santa Barbara- East Beach Grill for breakfast, State Street, Farmer's Market, Stearn's Wharf, wine country (actually the did that on their own one day when I was at work!). Actually when they were in wine country they bought us a bottle of Pinot Noir and told us to save it for a special occasion, and to share it with David and JoAnn! So, Aaron and Megan, FYI we opened the Pinot Noir this weekend to celebrate our new place, and David and JoAnn both helped us drink it!

All in all I think they had a pretty good time and we were glad to see them. I hope they come again... especially now that we have a bigger place and can accomodate their visit better!

Next up: Abby, Kyle and baby Ryan coming in 3 weeks!

You Don't Live Here!!

2008-09-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

Funny story- we were still at our old place until this past Saturday. So, Friday night we were in bed and all of the sudden we hear something smack into the screen in our bedroom window (about 2 feet from where I was laying in bed). Justin looks up and sees a cat clinging to the screen staring down at us! Let's just say it's a good thing that I am blind as a bat and couldn't see it because I probably would have screamed. Justin said later "I have to admit, his little cat face scared the heck out of me!"

So Justin gets out of bed and shoo's the cat off of the screen. It jumps to the ground and meow's at him and as Justin stares through the screen, the following conversation ensues:

Justin: You don't live here, punk.

Cat: Meow

Justin: You don't LIVE here, punk.

Cat: Meow

Me: (giggling in bed)

Justin: Yeah, you don't LIVE here, punk.

Cat: Meow

Justin: Yeah, I better stop talking to you... punk.

Cat: Meow

Me: (hysterically laughing now)....and again, even as I write this, hysterically laughing...

We Had a Break-In!!

2008-08-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

We arrived home from Iowa (it was hard to leave) to discover our apartment had been broken into. The burglers left a note... well more like a banner... welcoming us home... ok, these weren't ordinary burglers, they were actually our friend's Stacey and Marissa and they made us feel VERY loved by creating and then hanging this awesome banner:

I had to include this close-up because they referenced my blogging habits! :)

This big banner reminded us what we were coming home to. I had been a little depressed about coming back from Iowa and this banner totally cheered me up and made me feel VERY loved. It's so awesome how God provides family for you, even when you are so far away from your "technical" family. But that's not even the funniest part. So I was thinking- "Oh, they probably got the spare key from our neighbors, and that's how they got in to our apartment" I went on thinking this for two days and then I found out that no, they didn't actually get the spare key, they BROKE IN BY REMOVING THE SCREEN AND CLIMBING THROUGH THE PARTIALLY OPEN WINDOW!! Seriously, burgler style. Wow, do I feel safe! :) I probably wouldn't include these details except that I know that we're moving this weekend to a second story apartment.... Stacey and Marissa better invest in a ladder for next time! :)

DAVENPORT

2008-08-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a trip. My inlaws were in their beautiful new home- it was our first time seeing it and we were impressed! It's nice and big so it can accommodate all of the extended family and it has a big yard for lots of croquet action! There was even room for us to set up a frisbee-golf-esque game that I was TERRIBLE at! But of course the main event in Davenport was meeting our very first and brand new nephew, Ryan! Abby and Kyle's new baby is amazing and Justin and I are completely smitten. After a rough couple of first days in the world (he had a bad case of jaundice and had to go back into the hospital for a couple of days) he is the coolest, cutest, awesomest baby in the world (of course until Audrey is born, and then there will be two coolest cutest awesomest babies!)! We loved being a new aunt and uncle and seeing Abby and Kyle in their new roles as parents. They are awesome (just as we knew they would be!) Here are a few pictures of our beautiful nephew:

We got to go down to Bix-fest and we ran the Bix and we spent tons of quality time with the family. I also got to go to my sister-in-law Marie's baby shower- so much fun seeing all of the cute stuff she got for baby Audrey! I can't wait to be an aunt two times over!

All in all we had an awesome trip home and can't wait to go again! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family to go home and visit!

Back to IC

2008-08-26T21:05:00.001-07:00

I know I'm not going to do my trip justice here on my blog. Our trip back to IC was awesome- exactly what the doctor ordered!! I am so blessed to have such amazing parents that at the age of 28 I can suffer from SEVERE homesickness. It was so awesome to see my family and spend quality time together. Eating, talking, playing games, going for walks- we made every minute count! We hit Brueggers 4 times!! Yay for bagels! Here's a little picture to give those of you who have never been to Brueggers a visual:

We did a little touring of the flooding damage which was CRAZY sad- the arts campus was completely destroyed. The music and art buildings aren't even going to open this fall-they're holding all of the art classes in the old Menards building- weird.

I also ate delicious Mexican food at Carlos- here are some pictures of our dinner at Carlos' with my fam:

We basically spent a lot of quality time with the family. My mom, Megan and I went for pedicures- they were quite a bit less eventfull than the pedicure in Santa Barbara the week before (thank goodness) but always good fun. I greatly enjoyed sleeping in an air conditioned house (thanks for that Mom and Dad!) We celebrated my birthday early with delicious homemade pizza (compliments of my Dad and brother) and red-velvet cake (compliments of my sister-in-law Megan) Being the food lover I am, I actually took pictures of this delicious birthday food:

The trip was everything I hoped it would be. I miss my family like crazy but I feel like we're in the place we should be- we just shouldn't wait so long in between visits next time!!

Let's go back...

2008-08-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

It's sort of sad when you're the kind of person who blogs and you find yourself with pictures on your camera from over a MONTH ago and you think... where do I even begin? I think I've actually been putting off blogging, in part, because I am overwhelmed by the amount of pictures and stories that have been building for the past month. I don't consider myself a procrastinator, and I think that it's only fair to point out that I have been LIVING these stories and photos and therefore have been too busy to get them on my blog....but that wouldn't be entirely true. I think the volume has been daunting and so, even though I could have found moments here and there to post, I have been putting it off. No longer. Here we go...

Starting with my dear friend Katherine's bachelorette party. Sad fact of the matter is that now that I'm getting to blogging about it, she is already married!! I think that it's still blog-worthy though, especially since we took pictures! :)

We (Katherine, JoAnn and I) started it off right by going for pedicures at this cute nail salon called Aquabar. The salon is super cute and they have themed pedi's like "Peachy Pedi" and "Choco Pedi". Super cute. So we go in for our Peachy Pedi's and everything is going well when this lady sitting near the window decides that she can't stand to watch this dog outside who has gotten himself all tangled around the picnic tables outside Panda Express, and she heads out to let his owners know about their distressed dog (the owners are inside Panda Express, apparently ordering). You would think this would illicit a "thank you" or maybe an "Oh no!" but instead it illicited screaming and extremely inappropriate name calling. This lead to an all out girl-fight between the salon receptionist (who was sticking up for the lady who stuck her nose in, albeit not in a harmful way) and the 17ish dog owner girl. You can probably picture Katherine, JoAnn and myself, feet in tubs, eyes wide and jaws on the floor...not your typical pedicure setting, but not entirely without entertainment value....

After pedicures we went to JoAnn's to get ready (this is half the fun, especially when you are friends with JoAnn and Katherine b/c JoAnn is a hairdresser (and an amazing one!) and Katherine is an artist with the makeup.) Lots of girly fun ensued (even though Katherine will not like me referring to our fun as "girly").

Once we were ready we headed downtown to Pascucci for a delicious Italian meal. Here are some pictures of us at Pascucci:

After Pascucci we went over to Dargan's for a bit and then back to JoAnn's to watch wedding-themed movies! All in all it was a great bachelorette party!

Cousin Noah!

2008-07-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Justin's cousin Noah was in town camping with his girlfriend and her family and friends. We met up with them at the campground about 10 minutes north of Santa Barbara. Noah was an usher in our wedding but we haven't seen him since we got married! It was good to see him and fun hanging at the campground. Here's a pic of the three of us:

Aunt Rachael

2008-07-15T14:37:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Abby and Kyle on their new bundle of joy! Ryan Steven Gripp was born yesterday evening around 8:00 PM. Sounds like the new mom was a trooper and the new baby is happy and healthy! We can't wait to meet the new addition to the Gripp family!!

Speaking of which... TWO DAYS!!!!

Here are some things that I am looking forward to in IC/Davenport: (these are NOT in any particular order, BUT number 1 does happen to be the best part!)
1. My awesome family (Both Brummers AND Clarks)
2. Meeting my new nephew
3. Sleeping in an airconditioned house
4. Thunderstorms
5. Green grass
6. Brueggers
7. Mani/pedi with my mom and Megs
8. BIX!!
9. Playing games with the fam
10. Downtown IC
11. The Vine
12. Harris Pizza.... or maybe Happy Joe's Taco Pizza?
13. Burgers on the grill (I'm talking to my dad here!!)
14. Margaritas and Sea Food Vera Cruz at Carlos'

I think I just gained a couple of pounds just THINKING about all the food I'm looking forward to eating! If you're in Iowa and you're reading this- get ready for some good times!!!

sissywissy

Dar's Chicken Salad

How old are you?

Nostalgia

Nieces and Nephews

DON'T JUDGE ME HULU!!!

June Gloom!

Pictures from Mom's Bday Weekend

I am NOT a Hypochondriac

I Am a Bad Blogger

WAY TOO SHORT....but sweet

It's Getting Better All the Time

God Bless Rachael's Uterus

Another Video

Cuties

Delicious!

Chilly Willy

Touche Marissa.

The Sunday Blues

It is a powerful notion

Quotes of the week

Red Rock with the Demmins!

Goofball!

Maybe Clumsy IS the Word?!

Totes?

Back to Blogging

Return Policy

Justin Sweats Love

15 Days and Counting!

Thanks Megan!

Denver!

Summer Time!

Cello + Saxophone = Frienemies

Justin's Nicknames

Pre-Spring Break

More "Questions"

You're Really Lucky

More Kindergarten Gems

Kindergarten Quotes

Quotes of the Day:

Jose Hydrant and the Smoke Detector

Overheard in the teacher's lounge...

BUNCO!

Happy Birthday!

Home Alone!

October? Seriously?

Audrey Ellen!

Vacation Part 4

Vacation Part 3

I *think* he likes it...

Vacation Part 2- Iowa City and WYATT!

VACATION Part 1

I'm an aunt again!

A Letter to My Unborn Nephew (who is due in 2 days)

The Anticipation is KILLING Me!!!!

More Softball

Audrey!

Gospel, SLEEP and BABIES!!!

Softshare Bat Pack

Pictures from San Francisco

Top 3 Favorite New Ryan Pictures

Santa Barbara vs. Iowa City

Batter Up!

Trickin' and Killin'

Scary

Kittens: Inspired by Kittens

I'm back.

Surprise!

More Iowa Comments

A Very Happy Thanksgiving

4 Days!!

Survey Says:

Weekend

You KNOW You're Getting Older When....

SLOOOOWWWW DOWN

Dorothy's!

Pumpkin Mania

Flashback Friday

Monday's Fabulous Moment of the Day

Another New Favorite

I think he likes it...