Welcome to the Nut House

No, it's not my house or where I work, it's where I took my residents today...which I'm guessing doesn't sound much better.  At any rate, it's this old barn in Somis, CA (about 50 minutes away from Santa Barbara off the 126) and they sell tons and tons of different kinds of nuts and candies and snacks!  It's a family owned and operated business so everything is natural and freshly made/packed.  It was heaven.  I had to restrain myself but still got quite a bit of yummy goodies:

Boston Baked beans (for my mom)

Almond Brittle (for my mom's boyfriend)

Orange Marmalade (for my grandparents)

Balsamic vinagrette made with bleu cheese and walnuts

sweet onion BBQ sauce

root beer barrels

cinnamon drops

chocolate covered marshmallows with caramel

dark chocolate snow caps

Peach-a-cot jam (peach and aprioct)

Strawberry preserves 

Ironically, I didn't buy any nuts.  It was a fun trip.  You can order from them online, too: www.somisnuthouse.com.

I think I'm definitely going to order from them for Christmas gifts because you can make gift baskets...yum!  Jason got a good laugh out of me saying this morning as I left the house, "Wish me luck, I'm going to the nut house today."  

For those of you who were interested in my collection of beach treasures (Cathy and Jess) here's a shot of the first trip a few months ago as I laid them out to dry off neatly arranged into shell type and size...can you say OCD??  

For Keri

As my cousin, Keri, pointed out it really has been awhile since I last wrote. So here I am, at 10:45pm. I'm moving into my new office on Friday, as Friday will be my first official day in the new job...even though I'm training my replacement well into next week. I like how the timing of this has all worked out. Since you can't hear my voice, I'll just tell you that I said that last sentence sarcastically. My current soon-to-be-old office was jammed full of stuff, and seemed like the catch-all room for my department and sometimes other parts of the office, because when I took the job I inherited a whole bunch of junk that didn't belong to me and that I didn't have time to sort through. So when our office got new carpet and the reception area was remodeled, I took the time to sort and throw stuff away. So now it's neat and tidy, AND I got cabinets put in, which took me almost a year to convince the maintenance guys to do. So today when I was going through some of my things to get ready to move down to the new office, one of the Directors came in and was asking me what I thought of a paint sample...because apparently now all of the offices are getting painted and outfitted with new blinds. Nice. Have I mentioned that my new office is about half the size of my current one?? Oh well, I shouldn't complain. At least I have an office.

The greatest thing about this new job, other than the monetary increase, is that I don't have to be on the clock anymore which is really fantastic. I'll also be sitting down more, which is definitely a switch from my current situation. I wore a pedometer one day and found out that I walk (on average, I'm sure) about 6 miles a day...at work. So no more of that. Which means I get to wear grown up clothes!! I went out and bought a few new "big girl" blouses to wear to work. I dress down some days because of all the walking, because if I did that in heels I'd be one upset employee. But now I can actually try to look professional which will be fun.

Anyway. I've started collecting sea glass. You know, glass from someones discarded beer bottle or some glass bottle of sorts (when you think about it, sea glass is pretty depressing seeing that it's really just litter) that gets tumbled around in the ocean for God knows how long but it's pretty when you group it all together and I'm putting it in a glass vase to display in the house. It's a little project for me when Jason and I take Kobe to the beach on the weekends. I walk along, head bent, looking for sea glass glinting in the sunshine. It's sometimes really hard to find but I'm a diligent seeker. I even sit down in places where there's a lot of little shells and dig down under the layers to try and find some glass. But it has to be roughed up, it can't be freshly broken glass. Because then it's just broken glass and not "sea glass." I'm a weirdo, it's alright.

Last topic for the evening: Fall, or as I like to call it, Autumn because it's a prettier word. Again, weird, I know. It's coming! I can feel it and when I was driving home from Ross tonight it was almost completely dark at 7:45pm which some people would find sad because that means summer is on it's way out but not for me. I LOVE this time of year. I can't wait to go to the pumpkin patch and pick out 4 (one for me, one for Jason, one for Chloe and one for Kobe) of the most perfect pumpkins I can find and display them proudly on our front porch. Jason even mentioned getting a hay bail this year to add to the ambiance of the season which got me super excited for October. I can't help it, I simply love the holidays! My grandma loved the holidays too and I guess it rubbed off on me. No one else in my family seems to get as hyped over the holidays as I do but that's ok, I have enough spirit for everyone. I've already ordered some holiday stuff from the Current catalog...little bags to hold my cookies I give out as gifts to the family and I bought a new Autumn door hanger for the front door a few weeks ago when the display items were first put out at Michael's. Some people live for the Super Bowl or NBA Finals...the last few months of the year are my Super Bowl.

OH one more thing: for those of you who cook, you'll appreciate this. We have a little store where I work that sells items that others have given away (like a small thrift store) and I found a blue Le Creuset cooking pot and they charged me...$5!!! To give you some perspective, these are top quality cooking pots. They usually cost about $250 - $300 each. So, you could say I got a major deal. Made my day!

Don't lick my pants!

Ok so if you're thinking that just might be one of the stranger titles you've ever read, well, you're probably right but I have a good reason for writing it.  Our dog, Kobe, loves and I mean LOVES to smell and subsequently lick, my pants.  He'll follow me around the house, nose glued to my pant leg.  So I'll tell him to stop it (or normally yell it because it irritates me so...our neighbors probably think I'm nuts) and he does for all of 2 minutes.  Then he'll casually walk by me, no big deal, see, I've forgotten about your delicious tasting pants, and then WHAM, he's back licking my pant leg again.  It happens when we're eating dinner, when I come home from work, come in from outside, the list could go on and on.  It seriously is near the top of my list of pet peeves...and it's really a PET peeve. I just hate how it sounds when he's licking my pants (a little like sandpaper), and how it leaves a wet little area on the fabric, I just hate the whole thing.  I mean, the dog is cute, he's a sweet boy, but my God it's annoying.  He doesn't do it to Jason's pants and if he does, it doesn't bother Jason nearly as much as it bothers me.  I don't know what it is about it that irritates me so much.  Yes I do, that's a lie. It's gross and weird and it drives me crazy. 

I feel better now.

Phelps Fan

We've all heard about Michael Phelps.  More so now than ever before.  And yes, the man can swim and yes, he's fast and full of determination and drive.  But does anyone else think it's unfair that he's won every race he's entered?  I know, it's the Olympics and he's the better swimmer so he wins the Gold, and if he's the better swimmer he deserves his medal but seriously.  He's going for 8 Golds tonight, the most anyone has ever won in the history of the modern Olympic games. He tied that Spitz guy for 7 and is tied for 2nd place for the most medals won in an Olympic career (the most is 18 and he's currently at 15) but I think what bothers me most, is how focused the commentators are on him and him alone.  It's Phelps this and Phelps that.  They even refer to the USA swim team as Phelps and Company!  When he won the 7th medal, one of the commentators was interviewing his teammate and the guy asked his teammate how it felt to help Phelps make history...like that's why he tried his hardest.  The swimmers on his team and other teams have worked long and hard to be there, too, and many of them have been swimming professionally longer than Phelps has.  Don't they deserve to stand alone and be given their time in the spotlight when it's due?  If Michael Phelps wins his 8th Gold medal tonight (which is actually a 4 x 100 relay so he'll share the gold with 3 other guys) I will be awed and amazed by his talent, speed and athleticism.  And I'll be happy to have seen history being made during my lifetime, but I just feel badly for the other swimmers who have lived (or rather swum) in his shadow.  Good luck Phelps, but let's remember that you're not the only talent in the pool.

Fat Cat

So our cat is a tad bit...hefty.  She's precious and I like her better chubby but Jason took her to the vet today to get updated on shots and she weighs...12.1 lbs!!  Here's the thing.  She's really not a big cat.  She has a lot of skin so when she straddles the arm on the couch (cutest thing ever, and it makes me love her even more) she looks kind of huge but she's really not.  She's just spread out and when she tries to lounge in her donut she kind of overflows.  But again, she's precious.  I have a fat animal addiction.  I LOVE when animals are fat.  Not unhealthy fat (ok, well that's a lie because I thought that 44 lb cat in New Jersey was adorable and had to fight the urge to submit an adoption application) but I do like them on the thick side.  Animals that you can feel their ribs or back bone when you pick them up creep me out a little bit.  I like when you can't feel any discernible organ or bone...just a mass of fur and chub.  Is that weird? Probably.  Eh, could be worse.

Here are two pictures of Chloe being adorable.  It's hard, but someone has to do it.

 

Stolen from Cathy

Some things you didn't know about me...and probably don't care to, but you're going to know anyway. :)

-If I could live on a farm somewhere and have tons of dogs and cats, I would.

-Repetitive sounds drive me crazy, especially bass...like when you hear it coming from far away and the car passes but then you hear it going in the distance.  That's just not ok.

-Mayo makes me gag.

-Mustard makes me gag more.

-Drinking caffeinated coffee will leave me in the fetal position for hours.

-I'm married to a Korean and can't use chopsticks.

-I sometimes talk to myself.

-I still have my blanket from the day I was born...and I still sleep with it.

-I will wait until I have absolutely nothing else to wear to work before doing laundry...and then complain about having to do 6 loads of wash.

-I'm kind of crazy good at baking.

-I'm one of those people who will follow a recipe and it will come out perfectly the first time I try it.  Some people hate me.

-I check every window and door in my house before going to bed at night.  More than once.

-I have to know for SURE that something is turned off, like the curling iron.  If there's even a glimmer of doubt that I turned it off, we have to turn around and check, no matter how far into the trip we are.  I just won't enjoy myself fully until I know.

-A favorite childhood stuffed animal is proudly displayed on our mantel in the bedroom.  And it will stay there because if you've ever seen Toy Story 2 and heard the song "When She Loved Me" you will never feel the same about forgotten toys again.

-I treat our cat, Chloe, like she's a person.  And I sometimes forget she isn't.  And often wish she was.

-I like to dance around our house when I'm home alone.  And when I'm not, too.

-I sing in the shower.

-If I'm driving, I have to have music on that I can sing to.  No classical, no instrumental jazz, songs with words that I know so I can belt out lyrics as I drive.

-Some commercials make me cry.

-I'm afraid of deep water.  

-I don't really have a favorite color.

-I, too, think that Brad and Angelina are selfish.

-Tuna melts dipped in ranch dressing are the best.

-Pizza dipped in ranch dressing is a close second.

-Ranch dressing is awesome.

-I don't particularly like pancakes.

-I don't like cake.

-I wish we could have had a tier of mini pies at our wedding instead of a wedding cake.  But alas, we went traditional.

-I miss wedding planning.

-I don't use my degree I graduated with and that makes me sad.

-I can read a 400+ page book in a day.

-I have a large memory for song lyrics.  It's kind of ridiculous.

-I have somewhat of a photographic memory.  It got me through many a math test.

-I've seen a ghost and felt spirits.

-I don't like partying.  I think it's overrated.

-I've never smoked a cigarette.  Honestly.

-I didn't drink until I was 21.  Honestly.  Even though I was in a sorority.

-Turtles remind me of my grandmother.

-I miss being a kid.

-I've been married for 2 years but with my husband for 9.

-I actually enjoyed writing papers in school.

-I'm obsessed with the holidays and start looking forward to them as soon as they're over. 

-I won't use a porta potty.

-I have to use hair products or I'm unrecognizable.

-I don't have any cavities.

-I have an eye phobia.  Which is why I don't wear contacts.  Don't ever EVER flip your eyelids inside out when you're around me.  Seriously.

-Extremely large breasts make me uncomfortable.

-I was "supposed to be" 5 ft. 8 inches...the Dr. was just a tad off.

-I had straight hair until I was 12.  Ask my parents.

Two Years of Marriage

Today is Jason and my 2nd wedding anniversary!  It's funny how in some ways, it doesn't seem like it's been 2 years already but in other ways, it seems longer.  I mean, we've been together 9 years in September so it's actually kind of strange to think that we've only been married 2 years. But like my residents at work remind me, since they've all been married 45+ years (there's a couple there that's been married 71 years!) "You've got to start somewhere!"  So true. Below, I've posted some of my favorite shots from the big day just two short years ago.

It's been a wonderful 2 years, the busiest I can remember but wonderful all the same.  Some sad times, but a lot of good times, too.  And the most exciting part is how much there is ahead of us. It is so exciting to think that some day, Jason and I will start our own family and that our two family lines will meld into one to create a life.  Incredible!  I have so many friends who are either moms already or going to be in a few months, weeks or days and it's sometimes so surreal to think that I'm at the age where I, too, could be a mom.  I can't wait for that day, and I know some grandparents-to-be who are most likely chomping at the bit for little ones to spoil. But for now, they'll have to settle for our furry kids instead. haha

Which reminds me: what's up with all of these celebrities having twins??  Don't even get me started on how many celebs are pregnant, there are a TON but let's see how many couples with twins I can think of: Marcia Cross from Desperate Housewives, Patrick Dempsey and his wife, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and now they've just announced on People.com that Lisa Marie Presley will be having twins, too!  Does anyone else think this is strange?  Are celebrities walking into fertility clinics, slapping down a wad of cash and asking to be impregnated with twins?  Are multiples the new "fad"?  I certainly hope not.  Great, next thing you know, people will be saying, "What, didn't you know?  It's so 2008 to have twins."  

Jason and I are going to watch our wedding video tonight.  We haven't watched it since we've been married since neither one of us are really comfortable watching ourselves on video...you always sound different than you think you do and it's just awkward watching yourself interact and "live" outside of what you see yourself doing from your own two eyes.  I don't know how movie and TV stars do it.  I guess all that money kind of makes up for it.

Monday, Monday

The weekend has come to an end, all too quickly as usual.  We had a busy Saturday, though.  We saw Wicked at the Pantages and it was AWESOME!  I knew it would be good but I was thoroughly impressed and really loved the show.  Way different from the book and pretty condensed but the story they spun for the theater was very entertaining and well written.  Then we headed over to the Westin Bonaventure.  Our room was on the 19th floor and the Tower suite we got was really nice: quiet, pretty big and had a great view.  There were tons of shops and restaurants so we just hung out until our dinner reservation at LA Prime, which was on the 35th floor.  We got a free drink at the rotating Bonavista Lounge before our reservation.  For dinner, we got a nice bottle of wine, and then Jason got a 16 oz steak with bleu cheese and onion sauce and I got Alaskan King crab legs.  Delicious!  My grandparents gave us some money for our anniversary so we were able to splurge a bit on dinner, which was really special.  The restaurant gave us a free dessert in honor of the occasion, coffee Tiramisu.  Tasty!  It was nice to celebrate our anniversary at such a nice place and we really enjoyed just taking the day and spending time with each other.  Our real anniversary is on Tuesday, the 5th but we don't have time during the busy work week to celebrate so we did it this weekend instead.  I felt kind of bad about spending money on our anniversary (staying at a nice place, having a nice dinner) because Jason isn't working full time during the summer and the summer months are tighter for us than the rest of the year, but Jason reminded me that it's important to celebrate us and our marriage.  Plus, we don't have any kids so right now, it's just us.  One day, we won't have time or money to spend on just us, so it's important to do that while we can. 

We were supposed to have lunch with Callie today at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles but it didn't work out, so I'll have to let you know what I think of the combination another time.  We were really bummed but we only live an hour and a half away from LA so we can go another weekend.

Jason saw The Dark Knight on Friday.  I wasn't able to go because I had work but he said it was really really good.  Up there to compete with a spot amongst his favorite movies.  I've heard that Heath Ledger is amazing in the Joker role, and Jason said he was definitely impressed with the way the character was portrayed.  Deeply disturbing.  He wants to buy it so I'll probably see it once it comes out on DVD.  Rumors are swirling that Heath Ledger will most likely be nominated for an Oscar for this role...it really is too bad that he isn't alive to see how this movie role is being revered.  Critics and movie-goers alike can't say enough good things about it.

I think Jason and I are going to try and make it up to Sycamore Springs Spa in San Luis Obispo this coming Saturday.  His band parents at La Colina gave him a really nice group gift at the end of the school year: a gift certificate worth $320 at Sycamore Springs.  We're going to get a couple's massage and I'm going to also get a body scrub, and I think he's going to get a "man facial" that's supposed to exfoliate and make shaving easier on his skin.  We're really excited about it.  Jason's never gotten anything like this done before and he really deserves it.  We have to do it before the next school year starts up at the end of this month because we'll NEVER get a weekend free again until who knows when.  His school schedule is so nuts and since I'll be doing different things in my new job, we have to take the free time when we get it!