Writefully Yours

It's that time of year

2011-12-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Shutterfly, for another amazing Christmas card. I've never been disappointed by this company. Never.

I didn't intend to go with a "Merry and Bright" card for the second year in a row, but this layout worked for the type of card I wanted. We've been to a couple of weddings this year that had photo booths, and wow. Those things are a blast. I really wanted my card to have a photo booth feel to it, and I also wanted to incorporate the BroStache because let's face it: it's awesome. This worked perfectly because it gave us the best of both worlds: classy and goofy. The quality of the actual cards I received in the mail were top notch, also.

Oh, and hi, by the way! I'm still alive and kicking. Just doing the obligatory annual Christmas card post to get my free cards. Yes, I am that cheap.

Regarding this blog, keep an eye out for some changes that are to come in the near future. I feel inspired to write again for the first time in a long time. But first things first, I need to clean up and do a little re-decorating around here. This place is totally outdated and overdue for an extreme makeover! 2012 is going to be a good year.

I want you to love Shutterfly as much as I do (but even if you don't, just look at how cute my Christmas card is this year)

2010-11-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love giving and receiving Christmas cards? I think my favorite part of each day in December is opening my mailbox just to see the new ones that I've received.

And we all know that the best cards are the ones with pictures on them. It's 2010. The only people who are exempt from having to send photo cards are senior citizens.

My Christmas cards from last year on display

That means that you should all know about the great designs and service you can get from Shutterfly. I've been using this company for the past 3 years for all my photo needs. I've had hundreds of pictures printed and mailed to me, 2 albums made, and this will be my third year going through them for my Christmas cards. Also, those 2 albums I got? They were free. They seriously give you free stuff throughout the year for NO REASON. Just another reason I love them.

Here's our card from last year:

I'm a little hesitant to show the card that I chose for this year because I want people to be surprised when they receive it... But what the hell. Here it is:

Okay, so we're a young married couple without children. Obviously we enjoy dressing up in various costumes and drinking copious amounts of booze. But in case you have different interests (or you want your friends and family to believe you do), Shutterfly has tons of other card designs to choose from: classy, elegant, traditional, casual... And they work with almost any budget.

Go here to look at all the options for their Christmas cards, which includes folded cards, flat stationary cards, and flat photo cards. Also, it's currently Cyber Week over there, meaning there's an amazing sale. We're talking 30% off Christmas cards, 50% off calendars and photo books, and free shipping until December 1st. JUMP ON THIS.

Bloggers, to find out how you can receive 50 cards for free, go here.

My love/hate relationship with blogging

2010-11-23T15:14:00.000-08:00

Hi, all. Sorry to have disappeared on you several months back. If you don't follow me on Twitter, you might be wondering why I seemed to have abandoned my blog earlier this year. Rest assured, I didn't get knocked up, nor am I having marital problems (the two main reasons people tend to go MIA from the blog world). Things are blissfully... normal.

So what's the deal, and why did I take such a long vacation? Two things occurred that caused me to grow tired of blogging:

#1. Haters. Yeah, you know those people named "Anonymous", who go around writing hateful comments on people's blogs... They suck. 'Nuff said.

and

#2. Psychos. These guys are slightly less common than Haters, but they're way worse. People say imitation is the highest form of flattery... that is until someone imitates you. Reading my posts, word for word, on a stranger's blog was one of the most disturbing things I've ever experienced.

These things contributed to my overall lukewarm feeling toward blogging. What started out as something I was passionate about, turned into something I didn't trust. If people were stealing my posts, then what could they be doing with my pictures? The whole thing freaked me out a bit.

I also never wanted blogging to feel like a chore, and sometimes that's how it felt. Instead of truly being motivated to write about something, I'd always be on the lookout for what to write next. If I hadn't posted in awhile, I'd start getting anxious. Uh oh, am I losing readers? I need to come up with something! Not to mention, the fact that it's common courtesy to respond to the comments you get. That alone takes up a big chunk of time, especially when your Google Reader has 100 new blog posts a day that need to be read.

So I said, screw it. I won't blog until I miss it. And I didn't. I kept up with most people on Twitter, and once every few weeks I'd scan through my Google Reader to make sure nothing life altering was going on with anyone. But other than that, I've been perfectly content with the way things are.

I'm going to be honest. The reason I'm writing this post is because I want the 50 free Christmas photo cards that Shutterfly is offering exclusively to bloggers. (Find out more info here.) I'm pretty sure coming out of early retirement just to write a post to get free stuff would make me seem like an asshole. The least I could do first is explain why I decided to go into early retirement, right?

I don't really know where I'm going from here with the blog. I never intended to go MIA permanently. I mean, I'm totally going to be a crazy mommy blogger someday, but that's a given. For now, I think I'll continue to wait for the motivation to come back. And hopefully it'll happen sooner rather than later.

Don't rain on my parade

2010-02-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

My husband and I are officially Gleeks. Translation: We love the show "Glee". Billy really put up a fight against this show in the beginning. Apparently the fact that he was a baseball and football player in high school gave him the impression that the glee club was full of dorks... Ridiculous, right? He wasn't interested in watching it, until I forced him to sit through a couple of episodes. Now he's the one who asks me when Glee is coming back, and he's the one who pulls out the soundtrack and skips ahead to his favorite songs while we're in the car. I love it. But I guess the downside of this shared adoration might be the following conversation:

Billy: Hey, did you hear that Glee is doing an open casting call?

Shalay: Yeah, that's pretty cool.

Billy: I think you should audition.

(Here's where I pause to think to myself, awwwww! My husband is just the sweetest.)

Shalay: Aw, babe that's so nice. But I'm pretty sure they're looking for classically trained singers. I mean, I know I'm good and all, but I think the producers might want a performer of a higher caliber. Ya know?

Billy: No. I think you should audition to be, like, the girl in the Glee club who really sucks.

Shalay: I'm sorry. What?

Billy: You could be the new girl that joins Glee, but you can't sing at all. And they have to keep you in the group because Mr. Schuester forces everyone to be nice to you. You'd be really good at being a horrible singer!

Let me clarify this to my readers: HE. WAS. SERIOUS. This was not a joke. My husband seriously thinks I'd be the perfect person to cast as the horrible singer in the Glee club. I honestly don't know whether to be flattered that he thinks I'm that good of an actress, or offended that I'm obviously that horrible a singer....

Yes. I think it's obvious that I would totally fit in here.

Natural beauty? What's that?

2010-01-16T22:45:00.000-08:00

I'm sure anyone who follows celebrities has seen this latest cover of People Magazine:

And I'm sure (assuming you're normal) you had the same reaction as me, which was pretty much pure repulsion. I mean, 10 procedures at once? When she already looked fine to begin with? I think Heidi Montag-Pratt needs to see a psychiatrist ASAP.

Now, I'm not one of those people who is anti-plastic surgery. That would make me a complete hypocrite being that I've actually had plastic surgery. (A breast augmentation, in case anyone was wondering.) I think that as long as a person is choosing a procedure for the right reasons, and they've done their research and thought long and hard about it, they should do what makes them happy. I've known people that have suffered from debilitating self-esteem issues because of their insecurity about a certain body part(s). If there is something that bothers you that much, then by all means, have it altered to your liking. But I think Heidi is sending the wrong message to girls that you can make yourself physically perfect as long as you pay up.

What Mrs. Pratt fails to realize is that there is beauty in imperfections. No one can ever be perfect, and that's okay. In fact, that's wonderful. It makes us human. If Heidi was that unhappy with her previous appearance, I can guarantee you she will find just as many flaws in her new self.

Plastic surgery is definitely not the key to happiness. I was never insecure about my breasts before. They were small, but perky, and they fit my body perfectly. Billy was against it all the way, telling me I was perfect the way I was. After going through with it, I'm definitely happy with my decision, but I do feel like I went a little too big and I have to be very conscious about what I wear and how I look, especially since I work with kids. When I eventually get my breasts re-done (after I'm done having babies and nursing) I plan to get much smaller implants put in, to look similar to the way I did before. Kinda ironic, huh?

None of us are immune to looking in the mirror and being disappointed with what we see. I'd love to have Jennifer Aniston's body. I'd love to have a perfect tiny nose, and nice cheekbones, and green eyes. But if given the choice, would I actually change myself to look like that? I'd have to say no. It just wouldn't be me anymore, and as much as I think I could be improved, I kinda like me.

So yes, I do think plastic surgery is acceptable as long as it's done in the right way. I know many people disagree with that and think that we "shouldn't change what God gave us". To that I say, Do you wear makeup? Do you dye your hair? Do you remove unwanted hair? Isn't that, in a way, changing what God gave you? I know plastic surgery is more extreme, but if it makes someone happier and more confident, then I see no problem in it.

The only thing that is unfortunate is when it makes a person virtually unrecognizable. Or, of course, when it's a botched job. What a nightmare that would be. But there's definitely good plastic surgery.

Take Jennifer Aniston, for example:

She's actually had multiple nose jobs, but each one has been subtle, leaving her looking like her natural self, just a little improved. Oh, but the second nose job was not for cosmetic reasons, it was purely to repair a deviated septum. They always say that. But hey she looks fabulous, so good for her.

Blake Lively

Ashlee Simpson

Now if I was to ever get a nose job (which I'm not, but hypothetically), I'd totally go to Ashlee's surgeon. He gave her a natural looking nose that fits her face perfectly.

Halle Berry

Angelina Jolie

I'd consider all of the above mentioned procedures to have been successful. Then there are those celebrities who make themselves virtually unrecognizable after their procedures.

Megan Fox

I'll be honest, I don't know what she's done to her face. She's definitely gotten lip injections, but besides that I really can't tell. All I know is, she no longer looks naturally beautiful. She looks like a fake doll or something. I definitely think she looked better before she became a Hollywood bombshell.

Nicole Kidman

Here's a woman who I truly believe was naturally gorgeous. So why did she have to go and mess with her face? What's with the lips, Nicole? You look ridiculous now.

Meg Ryan

Here you have another actress who couldn't come to terms with aging. When Harry Met Sally is one of my favorite movies of all time. When I watch it, I am entirely smitten with Meg Ryan and her adorable self. Now her face looks completely frozen. What a shame.

And now we come to the truly horrifying results of bad plastic surgery. Can you believe that these women actually chose to do this to themselves? Just take a look:

Nikki Cox

You may remember her from the television shows "Unhappily Ever After" and "Las Vegas". She was gorgeous before! Now she looks like her face has been steamrolled.

Vivica Fox

BAD boob job.

Madonna

I don't think commentary is needed for this one.

And last but not least, Tara Reid:

Pre-plastic surgery

Post-plastic surgery

Botched boob job

Botched Liposuction

Her efforts to repair the damage obviously didn't help much. I think the girl is a lost cause.

So how do you guys feel about plastic surgery? Have you had any? Would you have any? And how far is too far?

As usual, all opinions are welcome! (But please remain respectful)

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

It only occurred to me yesterday that we are not only embarking upon a new year... This is a whole new decade. Weird. Especially since we can pretty much pinpoint our lives' "big moments" according to decade. And being that I sort of "came of age" these past ten years, I guess when I look back in retrospect, this will probably end up having been one of the most important decades in my life.

I mean, just look at it compared to the other decades...

1980's: I'm born. (Yay!) I live in a nice house in the suburbs, with parents who are married. I know no problems.

1990's: My brother is born. I go through elementary school. My parents divorce. I move. A lot. Titanic is released, and I see it 11 times in the theater. My grandpa dies. I go to a Spice Girls concert. I go through junior high.

2000's: I begin high school. I make the cheer squad. I quit the cheer squad. I go on a cruise to Alaska. I begin sophomore year at a different high school. I last a week and a half before I beg to transfer back to my old school. One Tuesday, while getting ready for school, I watch the television as the second plane hits the World Trade Center. I stay home for two days. I donate money. I get my learner's permit. I begin my junior year in high school. I develop an insane crush on a boy I hardly know. I get rejected. I get a new car a month shy of my 16th birthday. I turn 16 and get my license the following day. I go on a cruise to the Caribbean. I get sick with a horrible virus that causes my eardrum to burst. I end up missing two weeks of school. I go to Hawaii, where I stand on the beach as my mom's maid of honor in her wedding to my step-dad. I begin my senior year. I get a part-time job. I make a new best friend. I go to lots of parties. I kiss lots of boys. I throw a house party when my parents go out of town. I get in a world of trouble for said party. I go to a pre-graduation party at best friend's house. I meet a guy there who make me laugh more than I ever had. He drives me to my graduation. I don't see him again after that. I go to Hawaii for a week with best friend. We meet and kiss lots of boys. I come home and get in a car wreck. I walk away unscathed. I attend a theater arts program at UCLA for the summer. The guy from my graduation day calls me. He asks me out. I accept. We proceed to go on the best first date in the history of the world. Guy becomes boyfriend. I have huge falling out with best friend. Boyfriend starts working for my mom and step-dad. I stand by boyfriend's side as his dad battles cancer. I drop everything when we learn his dad lost the battle. We move into our own apartment together. We adopt two cats. I watch my dad re-marry. We go on a cruise to Hawaii. I work at a restaurant, and then in an office. We go to San Francisco. Boyfriend proposes. I accept. I start a blog. I get laid off from my job. I pretend to be a housewife for 6 months. I plan a wedding, rather half-assedly. Despite that, our wedding turns out fabulous, and Boyfriend officially becomes Husband. I vote for the first time in a historical presidential election. We move out of our apartment and into a townhouse. I start working with children. I feel satisfied with a job for the first time. We watch Husband's mom re-marry a wonderful man. I transfer from a community college to a university. We celebrate one year of marriage, and five years together. I turn 23.

Looking back on all the important events that stand out in my mind this past decade, I can't help but be excited (and a little terrified) for what these next ten years may bring.

I didn't make any New Year's resolutions this year. To be honest, I've never actually kept any of my resolutions in the past. Change is a big deal to me. Even when that change simply applies to one area of my life. I have to want it, to make it happen. And just because January 1st happens to come around, it doesn't necessarily mean I want change, or am ready to make it. Which is kinda ironic considering that I have a LOT of room for improvement.

Instead of making resolutions this year, I decided to make a list of goals - my goals for the next decade. For a procrastinator like myself, this is the perfect way to do something. You know, since I have ten whole years to complete the list. And even if I don't cross everything off the list in ten years, at least I'll still have a clear vision of what I would like to achieve or experience in my lifetime. Besides, the only timeline we live by is our own. And I don't know about you, but I take my life one day at a time.

So here it goes, my goals for the next decade, the 2010's, in no particular order...

Graduate with my Bachelor's degree
Score an awesome internship in movie or television production
Work hard doing something I love
Travel to Europe
Travel to the East Coast
Go to Rockefellar Center at Christmas time
See a live taping of Oprah (I need to hurry on this one)
Eat at The French Laundry in Napa
Pay off our credit cards
Buy a house
Buy my own domain name
Have my blog professionally designed
Read. A lot.
Watch the classics: Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, and the Godfather trilogy.
Buy a new camera and learn photography basics
Scrapbook and make albums for life's big events
Go on a hike
Take a yoga class
Attend a marriage group at church
Volunteer my time to help others
Fix the tooth that drives me nuts
Adopt a dog from a shelter
Have my writing published
Swim with dolphins
See a Broadway show
Decorate and paint my house
Go camping
Visit Billy's family in Oregon
Learn the different line dances they do at country bars
Visit Hearst Castle
Stay at the Madonna Inn
Sing karaoke
Learn to play a whole song on guitar
Treat our parents to dinner someplace nice
Have our photos taken by The Image is Found photographers, Nate & Jaclyn Kaiser
Have some babies
Experience life as a stay at home mom
Learn sign language, along with my kids

I reserve the right to change and add to this list, as I see fit.

Best wishes to everyone in this next year, and all the ones that follow it!

(By the way, what the heck is everyone calling this decade? The teens? The twenty tens? The tens? I feel a little out of the loop.)

All these things and more - that's what Christmas means to me, my love.

2009-12-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

I just love Christmas. I love the sounds, the smells, the bright, sparkly lights... I love the feeling I get in my stomach when I breathe in the smell of the Christmas tree. I love that I have been listening to Christmas music since a week before Thanksgiving, and I'm still not sick of it. I love that I'm still a little girl at heart. I hope to never be one of those cynical people who constantly complains about things they hate about the holiday season, or that it "doesn't feel like Christmas"... Hello, people! Christmas is what you make it! And for me (and I hope for many of you), it's downright magical.

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is decorate the house. I seriously wish I could leave up my decorations all year round because I feel like they make my home so much more warm and inviting. And when you're renting a townhouse with bare white walls, trust me, you can use all the warm, fuzzy, home-y feelings you can get.

Here's a sneak peek of the Clements household during the holidays:

I wish I could say our stockings are hung over the fireplace with care. But as you can see, we don't have a fireplace. Or a mantle. Apparently the builders of this home forgot to put those two things in, or maybe they just have an irrational hatred of fireplaces, I don't know. But we improvised. And now I can say that our stockings are hung over the pasty, white wall with care.

Gifts are wrapped! (These first 2 pictures were taken by my iPhone, by the way. I highly recommend the Best Camera app!)

A view of our decorated dining area/kitchen. I LOVE light up garland.

A close up of our fiber optic Santa Claus. We didn't buy any new indoor decorations this year. These decorations were all purchased from 2005-2008, while we lived in our apartment. And everything you see is from Target!

Our front door. Actually, there is one thing we didn't buy at Target, and that's the doorknob jinglebell decoration, which I got for a buck at the Dollar Tree. Score!

Our Christmas cards on display. I love getting Christmas cards, especially picture ones. And yes, I totally taped up our own Christmas card among the others.

The front door

The porch

And there you have it! Oh, and I almost forgot...

Our 2009 Christmas card!

Conversations from the weekend...

2009-12-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

Saturday, December 12th, 2009.

10am, in bed.

Billy: I had a dream I was sleeping on sandpaper.

Shalay: Really?

Billy: Yeah. Then I woke up and realized it was just your legs.

2:00pm, driving in the car. We pull up to a stoplight next to a bus with an advertisement for the new Alvin & the Chipmunks movie plastered on its side.

Billy: Those chipmunks are really creepy looking. They almost look evil.

Shalay: Hmmm...

Billy: Good thing I've never seen one in real life.

Shalay: I wouldn't even know if I did see a chipmunk. They look just like squirrels. Would you even be able to tell the difference between a chipmunk and a squirrel?

Billy: Of course I would. Chipmunks wear clothes and walk on two legs.

8:00pm. At home, with our new Christmas tree.

Shalay: I love having a Christmas tree! But it always makes me so sad every year when we have to throw it out. I wish we didn't have to.

Billy: Well, we gotta do it if you want to have a real tree every year.

Shalay: You know what I've always wanted to do? And hopefully we can do it someday... When we have a house that we plan on living in for a long time, I want to re-plant our Christmas tree in the backyard after Christmas. Then we could use it again the next year, and the year after that. It could be our family Christmas tree.

Billy: Um, you can't re-plant a Christmas tree. It's already dead.

Shalay: No, I'm pretty sure you can.

Billy: No you can't. The stem is already cut. There are no roots. You can't just put an old Christmas tree into some dirt and expect it to keep living and growing.

Shalay: But I think someone told me, or maybe I read somewhere, that you can re-plant Christmas trees...

Billy: You can not re-plant them! Trust me! I can't believe you have seriously thought this.

Shalay: Oh man. That sucks. I thought we'd be able to pass our family Christmas tree onto our children someday. And then maybe to our grandchildren. Now I guess we can't.

Billy: I guess not.

Our Household on a typical Saturday night

2009-12-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

When we aren't booked with plans, our weekend nights are typically spent on our couch, watching movies or catching up on TV. Being that we have 500 DVDs, it's pretty much impossible to agree on which one to watch.

After much deliberation this past Saturday, we finally had it narrowed down to two Disney movies, of all things. Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.

Billy: So which one do you wanna watch?

Shalay: It doesn't matter. Either one is fine with me.

Billy: Okay, Aladdin it is.

Shalay: No! I wanna watch Beauty and the Beast! It's one of my favorites. And I love Belle. I mean, if I was going to be any Disney princess, it would definitely be Belle. You know, since I look like her.

Billy looks me up and down. Then he looks at the cartoon character on the cover of the DVD box. Then he looks back at me with his eyebrows raised.

Billy: You look like her? Okaaayyyy...

Shalay: Pffttt! Well duh, of course I don't look like her right now! My hair and makeup isn't even done.

Billy: If you think you look like Belle, then I look like Gaston.

Shalay: That's ridiculous! You do not look like Gaston! Now you're just being silly.

Billy: Yes, I can see that. I'm the one being silly.

We ended up playing rock paper scissors to decide which movie to watch. As it turns out, it ended up being Aladdin, but I was okay with it. Princess Jasmine just so happens to be the princess I second-most resemble.

I fear I might be ostracized from the blog world for saying this, but....

2009-11-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

Who has two thumbs and won't be going to see "New Moon" this weekend?

A: This girl.

Now, let's make things clear. I do not hate the Twilight saga. Actually, I quite enjoyed it when I first read it. It kept my attention and I wanted to know what would happen next. I thought Stephenie Meyer was really creative with her characters and action-packed scenarios. I took it for what it was worth, which was a teen romance with a twist, and not a literary work of art. I even saw the first film in the movies (several weeks after it opened, but I went).

All that being said, I do not like things being shoved down my throat. (I swear, sometimes I'm a walking "that's what she said" punchline.) I automatically start to dislike things whenever they garner way too much attention. With the exception of The Beatles, of course. I've always had this fear of getting sick of something I really, really like. Whenever I have a favorite song, I make sure to limit the number of times I'm allowed to listen to it, out of fear that I'll grow tired of it. I only watch my favorite movies once a year and almost never re-read favorite books.

So when I see the same thing getting WAY TOO MUCH attention constantly, I start to get sick of it. Yes Twilight saga, I'm talking about you.

Most people wouldn't even care if it weren't for so many other fanatics out there. They start to breed and create more fanatics because excitement is contagious. But that's not really what gets me. What I find irritating about the whole thing is people actually thinking that these books and movies are truly masterpieces.

I like to think of Twilight as the junk food of literature. It's gooood. It's addicting. It's kind of bad for you in excess, but you just can't help yourself. But is it high quality? Is it nourishing and filling? Nope. Just pure fun.

So you see, I don't hate Twilight. I just hate all the crazy amounts of undeserved attention it's getting. But just between you and me? Edward and Bella are not my idea of a perfect love. They lack a major component of what I consider to be true love: humor and silliness.

I'll take Marshall and Lily or Jim and Pam any day of the week over mushy, gushy, "you're my life now" Edward and Bella.

PS: Does anybody else smell a publicity stunt?

"Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it. "

2009-11-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

Well, Halloween 2009 was a success. We didn't go to a huge party, nor did we throw one, but we still ended up enjoying a fantastic evening in with good friends and good drinks. Billy dressed up as Popeye, and I was a sailor girl. Now, the obvious question would be, "Why didn't you dress up as Olive Oyl?" To which I will respond with, I tried on the costume and decided I will wear it a few years down the road. When I'm a mom. For now, I think I'll enjoy my youth and be one of "those girls". Those girls Lindsay Lohan's character, Cady, refers to in "Mean Girls". You get my drift?

Our friends, Cory and Katie

Dustin, as an overweight security guard

More friends

Kassi and Ronnie in character as Al & Peg Bundy

Shots all around

And a lovely game of Partini

On Monday our episode of "The Price Is Right" finally aired. You can read all about it here. Our friend, Jenny, won HUGE! We were beyond excited for her. (Even if I was the one who came up with the idea of going on the show in the first place...) Billy and I are only in the last 10 seconds of the show, when we run on stage to hug her and then jump in her new car. But here's a clip of the big winner in action if you're at all interested. Oh, and check out her new blog if you get a chance!

Oh, and speaking of friends, I have a friend that I'd like to tell you all about. Her name is Kayla Aimee (or KA, if you're cool like that), and she needs some votes to snag an awesome blogging gig. This girl has the funniest and most awesome blog I've ever had the pleasure of coming across. She actually inspired me to start this very blog over two years ago. So I owe her a lot! Take 2 seconds and vote for her, since it only lasts a couple more days. It will be your good deed for the day, and you will be rewarded with good karma. Hopefully. Vote here. And check out her awesome blog here.

Sorry this post has been kind of all over the place. For old time's sake, I'm going to leave you with a new Shalay-moment that occurred recently.

Let's start with me telling you that I'm part Mexican. My grandpa was Hispanic although he, and I'm fairly sure both of his parents, were born in southern California. And that's pretty much where my Hispanic heritage ends. I know NOTHING about the culture, except for the fact that Mexican food is damn good. I don't speak Spanish, I'm not a fan of soccer, and I can't stand chihuahuas. Most of my co-workers also happen to be Hispanic. However, they are real Hispanics, not the white wash version that I am. They're able to speak to their students in Spanish and teach them La Bamba, while I stand in the background trying to look like I know what's going on. I don't. Then the kids laugh. I really wish I was joking.

So one day during our lunch break, I ask my co-workers about some Spanish words because I'm fairly sure the kids are calling me names to my face, and I want to know what the heck they could be saying. It's like getting your nails done and feeling like the ladies are talking about you while you sit in the big chair, nervously smiling and trying to make them like you. What is with that? So anyway, my fellow teachers ask me what I know. I proudly say, "Well I can count in Spanish." They ask me how far I can count to, and so I start. "Uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco, cinco, seis." And then I stop because that's all I know, and I start to get the feeling that something didn't sound quite right.

Why didn't it sound right? Because in trying to show that I knew how to count in another language, I sang a part of an Offspring song. (Pretty Fly For a White Guy, in case you were wondering.) My co-workers just about had a heart attack. And just to be clear, I now know that the number 5 does not come twice in the Spanish language. And I'm now considering investing in Rosetta Stone.

Celebrity Freebies?

2009-10-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so who out there has a celebrity "freebie" that they're allowed to... um... snuggle with, if the opportunity should ever arise? You know, like in that episode of "Friends" where Ross and Rachel both make their list of 5 celebrities they can cheat on the other with, and it would be totally okay? (If you don't remember, check out the clip.)

It's kind of silly to do, you know, since chances are that no one will ever come remotely close to the possibility of having a chance with a hot celebrity of his or her choice. Not that I condone cheating. Because I do not. Cheating is very bad, people. But say, if you had a gun to your head, and you HAD to do it with somebody (besides your spouse), these would be the people you'd most like to do it with. Snuggle with, I mean.

So, naturally Billy and I both have our lists of snuggle worthy celebrities. We both agreed that we would each have only one celebrity freebie. The rest are just kind of fun to rank in a top 5 sort of fashion.

And because I have nothing better to do, I present you with

Shalay's Top Snuggle-Worthy Celebrities

#1. Leonardo DiCaprio
The Leading Man Award. He is technically my only celebrity freebie, since I only get one. And I must say, he's a damn good one. I have had a major crush on this man for well over a decade. I don't think it's possible for me to not be attracted to him (which can be really awkward during a movie like "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"). Seriously, I don't care about how much weight he puts on around his midsection, or what ridiculous looking facial hair he has, or the fact that he only dates Brazilian super models. I. Love. Him.

#2. Justin Timberlake

Mr. Soulful Award. JT can sing. He can dance. He can act. He can make a girl laugh. (Have you seen him on SNL?) He dresses impeccably, and he loves his mom. What more can you ask for? Besides, being a good dancer is always a turn on. I mean, if they dance that well, you can only imagine how well they can... snuggle.

#3. Ryan Phillippe
The Hot Blonde Award. Holy hell, this man is hot. I was sad when his seemingly perfect marriage to Reese Witherspoon crumbled, but if she can move on to Jake Gyllenhaal, then Ryan can move on to
me
anyone he likes.

#4. David Beckham
Mr. Sexy Award. This is one fine specimen of a man, if I do say so myself. Um, yeah, I'm not gonna ruin this with any more words. Just. Look. At. Him.

#5. John Krasinski
The Nice Guy Award. If you're a fan of The Office, then enough said. But if you have not yet had the pleasure of watching one of the funniest shows on television, then all I have to say is ARE YOU CRAZY?! I think I may be more enamored with Jim Halpert than with John Krasinski, but hey, beggers can't be choosers. This guy is amazingly attractive for his sense of humor, big heart, and hopeless romanticism. And yes, I'm talking about Jim. In my fantasies, John is Jim.

Honorable Mentions

Jason SegelThe Goofy Guy Award. Sure, he may not ooze snuggle appeal, but I like funny guys. A nice piece of eye candy is just swell, but you gotta make a girl laugh. After seeing Jason in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "I Love You, Man", I knew he was cute and funny. But "How I Met Your Mother" has put it over the edge for me. Maybe it's because his character is almost exactly like my husband, but I think he's adorably sexy.

Brad Pitt

The Greek God Award. How typical, I know. Brad Pitt's name is synonymous with perfection. Look up hottie in the dictionary, and you'll be sure to find his picture. The man is pure beauty. I don't think he's particularly interesting or deep, but hey, sometimes you just want a good snuggle and nothing more, nothing less.

Carey Hart

The Hot Tattooed Guy Award. Cute? Check. Nice body? Check. Tattoos? CHECK. I'm going to be honest with you: I know nothing about motocross, and I wouldn't even know who Carey Hart is if it wasn't for Pink. But hey, the girl's got good taste in men.

Eric Dane

The Handsome and Rugged Award. I'm disappointed in him for that whole nude tape scandal, but hey, I can forgive and forget. This man is gorgeous. I can imagine an all night snuggle fest with him would be McSteamy, indeed.

Vince Vaughn

The Sarcastic Funny Guy Award. This man is simply delightful. I will watch any movie he's in because I love his sarcasm and quick wit. And for some reason, I find men who are freakishly tall to be kind of a turn-on. (No comment on how tall my husband is...)

Noticeably Omitted

Robert Pattinson

Yes, I get it. He's brooding and he kind of has a mysterious James Dean-ish quality. But I cannot get on board with this guy! You can read my reasons here.

Matthew McConaughey

Don't get me wrong. I really like him. I enjoy his movies and he seems like an awesome guy to hang out with at the beach. But he just doesn't do it for me. Simple as that.

Zac Efron

Ok, I can totally see that this guy is attractive. But I've never actually seen anything he's been in. I also feel weird that he's younger than me. So, Zac, I may not be on board yet... But anything can happen.

Jude Law

If it wasn't for his real life scumbag ways, I would be all over him. But serial cheaters and womanizers do not get my vote. No for you, Jude Law.

Ryan Reynolds

Here's a guy who is obviously attractive. I'm just not attracted to him. He comes across as bland to me - not that funny, and not an outstanding actor. Just sort of there. Sorry Ryan, I'm sure you're a great guy inside.

And now, for Billy's Top 5...

#1 Anne Hathaway

#2 Scarlett Johannson

#3 Kate Beckinsale

#4 Carrie Underwood

#5 Keira Knightley

I must say, I totally approve of Billy's list. I'm proud that he never even considered Megan Fox (because she looks fake to me!). The only thing I couldn't get over was the fact that he completely omitted Jennifer Aniston. That kind of upset me. I kept saying, "How could you not have Jennifer Aniston on your list? She's perfect! She has an amazing body and she looks better than ever!" Billy pretty much told me to back off, and accept his list for the way it is. And then he admitted that Jennifer Aniston is gorgeous, which made me feel better... because I just really like her.

So there you go. Our iron-clad celebrity freebie lists. For this year, at least.

And now I just can't help but wonder.... Do you have a list? Spill!

"Only 22"

2009-09-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Not so long ago, I was at an event with many people in the mid to late-20’s age range. I am only 22 (almost 23), but Billy is 27, and so are most of our friends. In the 5+ years that we’ve been together, I have never been made to feel like an outcast for being young, and it’s actually never been an issue. Well, save for the statutory rape jokes that Billy sometimes makes about the fact that I was 17 and he was 22 when we began dating, but I digress. I’ll just say it: I’m mature for my age. I may look 17, but people commonly assume I’m in my mid-twenties because of they way, they say, I carry myself.

Even when I was a kid, I grew bored of children’s books and movies at a very young age. Thinking back on the stuff my parents let me watch and read, my first instinct is to say, “I definitely won’t let my kids be exposed to adult content at such a young age,” but I have to remember the way I personally handled that content. And truth be told, I was a 12-year old who could not only watch, but could understand and even appreciate, movies like “American Beauty” and “Pulp Fiction”. My parents knew this, and it wasn’t uncommon for us to have discussions about the universe, religion, pop culture, and even sex. They in no way forced me to grow up. I guess I was just ready. And whenever people say that they wish they could just be a kid again, I can’t help but think that even though it’s stressful, I enjoy being an adult so much more. Which is why at 22, I’m still younger than I feel. I really can’t believe that I’m barely going to be 23 on my next birthday. Not that I’m in a rush to get old, because trust me, getting wrinkles and age spots scares the living CRAP out of me, but I just don’t feel the age that I am. I don’t know if I ever really have.

And back to the story: We are sitting at a table with mutual friends and acquaintances, all post-college, quarter-life age. One girl is talking about her desire to get married. She is 26. Soon we hear how she’s been with her boyfriend long enough, she’s educated, she has a career, and she’s tired of seeing all of her friends getting married, while her bachelorette status seems to have no end in sight. She is 26. She is getting old! She wants to move with her life! It’s just not fair! She is 26! By the way, she is saying all of this in front of her boyfriend, who kind of chuckles and says he doesn’t think there’s any need to rush. He asks what I think, and I respond by saying that I personally never felt the need to rush into marriage, especially knowing that I would be spending the rest of my life with my love anyway. The girl does not like my response, and she lets me know this by yelling at me in front of everyone at the table and making me feel like I have no idea what I’m talking about because I’m “only 22”.

This got me angry. But once that passed, it also got me thinking. What are with these goals that people are constantly trying to live up to by a certain age? Who says that we all need to be college graduates by our early twenties? Or, that we have to be college graduates period? Who says that once you graduate, you need to find a well-paying, professional job? And that after you do that, you need to be in a serious relationship with your future spouse. And that once you get married, you need to become homeowners of a place in the suburbs. And that once you’re married homeowners, you need to have some babies. WHO SAYS? Why do we all feel so much pressure by society to do things the “right” way? What is the right way, and why is it right?

Well, you know what, maybe there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to life. Maybe there is no right age to get married, or have children or pursue a new career. Maybe what works for some people, doesn’t work for others. Because we are all different. Groundbreaking stuff, I know. I’m personally sick of being judged based on being young, still in college, and already married. I’m tired of people assuming that I’m not getting all those crazy experiences that “everybody needs to have,” out of my system. That I’m naïve for settling down with my first love. And I’m really tired of people with kids telling me I shouldn’t have them. That I’ll be so much happier if I just don’t ever have kids. Yes, I’ve been told this by multiple people WHO HAVE KIDS. It’s like, seriously? Can you not fathom the possibility that just because maybe you needed to wait until later in life to get married, or that because you regret having kids, no one should?

It’s just astoundingly clear to me that there is no recipe for the perfect life. Even people who have been married multiple times, who have children with more than one partner, who’s to say they’re wrong? I know I catch myself casting judgment upon people whom I consider to have a less than ideal history. How do I know that they don’t have just as much love and fulfillment in their lives than those who come from what society deems an acceptable family or past? I really believe that we’re all just doing the best we can. We all make mistakes. We learn. What makes me happy, probably isn’t going to make the next person happy. And that’s the beauty of life, right? That we are all so different. So maybe we should celebrate those differences and stop trying to mold ourselves to be like each other.

Here’s something: I’ve been married over a year. My husband and I both have good jobs. We live a comfortable life, and we can afford a few luxuries like going to fancy dinners and taking weekend getaways once in awhile. We rent a really cute townhouse, in a really cute neighborhood.You’d think the next step in the equation would be to purchase a home. But you know what? I don’t want to. When I say that, people think I’m crazy, or maybe just poor. But it’s the truth. I have no desire to buy a house at this time in my life. I’m perfectly happy renting, and I like knowing that if any kind of opportunity should arise where we could travel or relocate, that we could just take it. I like not knowing where I’m going to be living for the next 30 years. I like not knowing.

Here’s another something: I personally struggle with the whole, “When are you going to have kids?” question. My answer changes daily. Some days, it seems absolute: In three years, when I’m done with school, and when we have some more money saved. It sounds like a good answer, and it usually satisfies people. But how do I know that I’ll be ready in three years; really ready? Sure, I may have some things accomplished by then, but how do I know that I’ll wake up one day, three years from now, and have the urge to be a mommy? What if I don’t? What if I’m never ready? Then there are days when I’m leaving my house for work, and I pass by a mom taking an early morning walk with her baby in the stroller, and I can’t help but envy her. There are days when the thought of having kids fills me with so much excitement, I fantasize about reading my children cherished childhood books, and taking them to museums, and enjoying the simple pleasures of being a family. And then I feel guilty when I think of the fact that when it comes to having children, my apprehension and fears outweigh my excitement. Which is okay, I suppose, because I’m “only 22”. I guess sometimes it’s okay to use that card.

What I've been up to...

2009-08-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

This past summer went by entirely too fast for me. (I'm already back at work. Boo.) But here are a couple of blogworthy events that transpired:

The Price Is Right

Those of you who follow me on Twitter already know that Billy and I went to a "Price Is Right" taping a couple of weeks ago with a group of our friends. It was pretty much the most exhausting, exciting, and fun experience EVER. Unfortunately, Billy and I didn't get called on to be a contestant, but someone in our group did. And that someone ended up winning a new car and the showcase showdown, for a grand total of $37,000 in prizes. I can't really divulge any details, but we all got to rush on stage at the very end and meet Drew Carey. Billy accidentally called him "Bob" when they shook hands.

We are totally going back with a big group again in a few months. I'm planning on going to tapings until one of us gets picked! I could really use a new car and a nice trip someplace. Or a living room full of crap. I'm not picky.

Here we are at CBS studios, before the taping. Yes, that is my husband in his ridiculous wig. He really tried to play the funny guy during his interview with the producer. I guess it didn't work... Note: Next time - no wig.

Waiting to get interviewed. It's such a long process, but when you go with great people, it's totally worth it.

Here's one of the videos I took that morning, as we were waiting in line outside the studio, among the hundreds of people.

Our 1 Year Anniversary

On August 9th, Billy and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. That day also happens to be our actual anniversary as a couple, which is 5 years now. We had an amazing weekend of eating good food and relaxing in Palm Springs.

I had been really nervous about the whole gift giving thing. Since your first anniversary gift is traditionally supposed to be made of paper, I was very limited as to what I could do. By the way, I am in no way a creative person when giving gifts. I actually hate the whole process because I can never think of anything good enough, and then I just feel bad when I get something awesome, and give something totally uninspired like a book of Love Coupons or something. But I digress.

I ended up making a card for Billy, and writing to him inside. It was inexpensive and nothing big, but at least it was from the heart and made of paper. I was pretty proud of myself until Billy gave me his gift. He made me a custom Monopoly game, based on our relationship. I was so impressed and happy with it. Seriously, who thinks of this stuff? My husband, apparently. So now he's one up on me in the gift giving department. Not that it's a competition or anything...

My gift

His gift

It's so cute, every property is a place that we've been to, like vacation spots and fancy restaurants. Instead of "Go To Jail" it's "Go To Therapy". And instead of Boardwalk and Park Place, it's our wedding location and our wedding date. I know this is probably sickeningly cheesy, but I seriously loved it.

Funny thing though. The other day my friend asked us, "So, did you guys eat your wedding cake that night?" Um, no. We totally forgot. It's still sitting in our freezer. To be honest, I really have no intentions of eating that thing. I never actually packaged it the way it's supposed to be stored. It's not in Tupperware or wrapped in Saran wrap or anything. It's just in the cardboard cake box. It probably has nasty ice covering it, but I'm too scared to look to find out. I do not want to eat it, and I'm wondering if my subconscious purposely forgot to remember that we're supposed to do that, out of sheer fear.

I hope everyone else out there has a had a great summer so far. I apologize for my deplorable blogging habits, such as not posting or responding to comments (but I truly appreciate all of them). I'm still trying to dig myself out of the blogging funk I've been in. Is it just me, or does the whole blog world just seem to be hitting wall lately? Hopefully it takes a turn for the better soon.

My somewhat never-ending journey through school.

2009-07-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

As I've written before, this road I've been on through college hasn't exactly been traditional. I graduated high school 5 years ago, convinced that I was going to move to L.A. and become an actress. And I actually did move to L.A. that first summer, where I took summer classes at UCLA in theater and film. It was a fabulous experience, and to me it really solidified the difference between being a high school kid and young adult. That was also the summer I began dating Billy.

After I completed the acting program in August of 2004, I moved back home to Corona and decided to take some time "off". I was still only 17, and I figured I had gone to school since I was four, so why not take a little break? I still had my entire life in front of me, and I had plenty of time to go out and conquer the world. Things were good.

Soon I turned 18, got a part-time job at The Cheesecake Factory and my family moved back to Chino, my hometown. Billy and I began to get really serious. We got an apartment together, and I enrolled in community college to take a few classes while still working at the restaurant. Before I knew it, another year passed. And then another. My grand plans of becoming a movie star were slowly fading away. Billy and I were talking about marriage and our future on a regular basis. This was quite a detour from the way I had pictured my life panning out, but somehow, it wasn't bad. It was actually pretty great.

Soon, several years had passed and Billy and I were engaged, and then married. I had lots of community college courses under my belt, but I was still struggling with passing the College Algebra class I needed to transfer to a university. I'm not going to lie, it took me two years to get through that one class. I'm pretty sure my teacher ended up giving me a C because he felt sorry for me.

I decided awhile ago that I wanted to major in Communications, and hopefully get a job in broadcasting someday. I mean, if I can't be an actress, then I may as well pursue another profession in the entertainment world, right? But then something I couldn't have planned for happened. The state of California fell into a ridiculous deficit, and it affected EVERYTHING. All of a sudden when it came time to apply to a university for Fall 2009, every Cal State was closed to new applicants, due to the budget cuts. I went online, seemed to find a loophole for the school I wanted to attend, and applied as an English major (one of the only available majors left) for an off-campus site. I sent in my application and transcripts in February.

Cut to July. I still had heard NOTHING. Fall semester starts in August, and I had absolutely nowhere to go, being that I've completed every undergrad class I need at a community college, and all I have left are my major courses that must be completed at a university. I came to accept that I wouldn't be transferring this year, and I would have to have high hopes of transferring next semester. Another year older, and further behind. Oh well.

Imagine my surprise when I opened my mailbox last Wednesday, to find my acceptance letter for Fall 2009. I was so happy the next day, when I went to the main campus to speak with an advisor, get my student ID card, and switch my major over to Communications. This was a big moment for me. Sure, I technically should have graduated college last year, but at least I finally felt like all my hard work was paying off. Because even though I don't particularly think college has been all that hard, sticking with it has been. Especially when I went the route I did and lived with my boyfriend, worked, paid rent, and got married when other people my age were living in dorms and going home to their parents' houses in the summer.

I couldn't help but recall the letter I wrote to myself over 3 years ago, while I was sitting in a boring class and considering dropping out of college. This letter has kept me going every time I didn't feel like studying or going to class, or continuing with stupid math after failing it 3 times.

I still have the letter. I carry it around with me in my binder. In it, I wrote down everything that I wanted in life. Everything. Things that wouldn't be guaranteed just because I'd have a college degree, but things that might be more attainable because of it. Basically, they were the reasons I wanted to go to college. And underneath that, I wrote the reasons I didn't want to go to college. And here's what it says:

"I want to give back to the world. I want to accomplish something. I want to be proud of myself. I want to make a difference. I want to set a good example. I want to live to my fullest potential. I want to be smart. I want to be happy. I want to feel safe and secure. I want a nice house in a nice neighborhood. I want an expensive car. I want to take vacations. I want my kids to go to college. I want a job that I love. I want to volunteer. I want to write. I want to understand. I want to want to work, not to have to. I want to have a purpose. I want to feel worthy. I want to be educated. I want to have a sense of direction. I don't want to be lazy.

"I don't want to study / do homework / focus / get up early / stress out. I don't know what I'm working toward. I want to relax / watch TV / sleep in / not worry about homework or tests. I don't want to put in the effort."

I'm really glad I wrote that letter.

A bit of a funk

2009-07-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be honest in this post. I'm going to be very un-PC in terms of the blog world, and if I offend any of you, I apologize.

As you may have noticed, I haven't blogged in a long time. I simply haven't felt the urge. I also haven't been reading blogs. I sometimes log in to Blogger and skim through my Google reader, but for the most part, none of it really interests me. I'm not giving up blogging, but I'm kind of at a crossroads as to where I want to go with it.

I'm technically a newlywed (well, for another week, anyway), but I don't classify myself as a "newlywed blogger". I'm not going to document every trip to the farmer's market, or take photos of every nook and cranny of our home. I'm not going to show before and after photos of the guest room I re-decorated, or post pics of the new end table I just bought from Pottery Barn. That's just not me. I also have no interest in sharing every single recipe I try or how much I save by clipping coupons. No offense to any of you who do any of these things. That's great that you do. But I don't particularly find it "blogworthy" in my own life.

I don't have kids, I'm not pregnant, and I'm not trying to conceive. So I'm obviously not writing about those things. I like to shop, but I'm not going to post pictures of myself modeling every new piece of clothing and jewelry I bought on my latest shopping spree. That's boring. I'm not going to go into detail of every single mundane thing my husband and I did over the weekend. Honestly, who gives a crap if we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and then saw the new Harry Potter movie? I like Twitter because if I ever do get the urge to let people know where I'm going or what I'm doing, I can relay the message in 140 characters or less. There's no reason to turn a simple afternoon into a long blog post that no one is really interested in.

See, I told you I was going to be honest. I don't mean to offend anyone. Like I said, if you like to blog about the things I mentioned above, all the more power to you. I'm just in a bit of a funk as to where my blog fits in among all the single lady, newlywed, and mommy blogs out there.

I promise though, I have every intention to back into blogging once I figure out where I'm going with it. And to those of you who have stuck around, thank you.
: )

Is this a subtle way of telling me I have some sort of problem?

2009-06-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

The other day I was with my mom and she told me, "Oh, I have something I want to give you. Remind me later." This isn't unusual at all. My mom is pretty young and we have very similar taste in things, so she often buys me stuff when she goes shopping. I get many purses, tops, and home decorations this way. I'm very lucky.

So when we got back to her house, she excused herself to go upstairs and retrieve the gift she had picked up for me. She came back with an article of clothing and handed it to me, saying (in all seriousness), "I saw this and thought of you."

This top:

"Really?" I asked. "You saw this and thought of me?" "Well, you know," she said. "For when you go to bars and stuff."

Should I be worried that the first thing that comes to my mom's mind when she looks at a shirt promoting 3 different types of alcohol, is me? Her daughter? Oh, and by the way, she would never even fathom of buying my brother a shirt that endorses drinking. But me? Oh, well it just reminds her of me!

Oh well. I can't say I blame her. I think I'm going to wear it to our next family reunion.

Sad day

2009-06-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

As I sit here writing this post, I remain in utter disbelief. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, has passed away at the age of 50.

Billy called me a few hours ago to tell me that he died. This was before the press announced it, before most people even knew he had been hospitalized. A friend of a friend of ours works at the UCLA Medical Center where Michael was brought, and she told our circle of friends what had happened. I refused to believe it until it was confirmed by CNN. Which, it unfortunately was.

I know there are a lot of people who may not think this isn't a huge deal. Someone on Twitter even posted a little bit ago that he "wasn't a god". And I know that, and I know his life held no more value than the lives of anyone else in this world. But I can't help but feel deeply sad about the loss of such a huge figure in our culture, and personally, in my life.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are those of me, my cousin Nick, and my parents watching Michael Jackson music videos and singing along. My favorite one was "Thriller", even though I was too scared to sit through the whole thing. I would always ask to watch it and then, halfway through, I would have to run out of the room while begging my dad to turn it off.

I vividly remember watching the 1993 Superbowl at my grandparents' house with my family. Michael Jackson's halftime performance that day still remains one of the most incredible things I have ever seen.

My parents have always loved him. While on their first date, in 1984, my dad looked at my mom and asked, "Do you wanna go see Michael Jackson in concert? I'm getting tickets!" So while I never met him, he has been a major influence in my life.

I think John Mayer, of all people, might have best articulated what I'm currently feeling. He tweeted: I think we'll mourn his loss as well as the loss of ourselves listening to Thriller on the record player. That is exactly how I feel.

I like to think of Michael as I remember him when I was a child. Not what he turned into later in life. Not the monster the paparazzi tried to make him. But as a man who revolutionized music and impacted several generations.

May his friends, family, and fans have peace during this time. And may we all remember that when we're having a hard time, sometimes the best remedy is putting on a great song and dancing it out. Thanks for the memories, Michael.

My summer dilemma

2009-06-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

Hello awesome blog readers, I need your help!

Well, as I mentioned in a previous post, I need to get a summer job while my current teaching job is on hiatus during the summer. So from now until August 10th, I am out of work. I only need something that can make me about $1200 until then, because that's what we'll need to remain comfortable. I know I have nearly two whole months and that's not a TON of money, but I'm already freaking out because I don't have any job whatsoever at the moment.

Here's the thing: I do not want to work in the restaurant industry again. Long story short, it stresses me out to the point where I have anxiety attacks on the way to work. I know it's the most logical thing to do, as I have serving experience in busy restaurants and it has the most money-making potential, but it's going to have to be a last resort for me. It's just not worth the misery. Not to me, anyway.

But now I just don't know what to do. I've pursued nannying a little bit, by registering as a free member at Care.com and by posting an ad on Craigslist, but nothing is really coming about it yet. I know I could register for sites like Sittercity.com, but I don't want to pay the $100+ fee it costs to do that.

What else is there? I just want a summer job, not a full career, so I don't know what place would hire me. I'm considering applying for a job at a bookstore, I've considered doing "extra" work in movies, and I've even thought about selling some of our stuff off on eBay, but I'm still just not sure and I feel like time is running out. I wish I could make money blogging!

Has anyone out there ever found themselves in a similar predicament? Any advice?

A few things I'd like to get off my chest

2009-06-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

There are a quite a few things in this world that I can't help but laugh at. And I'm talking about things that most people think are cute and sweet. Honestly, I know I'm heartless sometimes (because Billy tells me almost every day), but I just don't care.

Stupid thing #1: Stick family decals on cars

What the hell is the point in this? I don't freaking care what you've named your kids, dogs, and cat. Are you just showing off that you have a family? Well, guess what? So do I! And so do 99% of the other drivers out there. Do you think that if my car is spinning out of control and heading toward pummeling your vehicle, that I'll see your cute little stick family and suddenly say, "Oh, wait. I can't hit that car. Juan, Mary, Junior, and Checkers will be devastated. Let me just turn my steering wheel to avoid them."

I am dead serious when I say that last year, Billy and I drove behind an SUV that had sixteen stick family members on the back window. Sixteen! I counted. I screamed at Billy to speed up so I could document the insanity in a picture, but we lost them. Such a shame. People, lose the decals. They're ridiculous. And they make your otherwise decent car look like crap.

Stupid Thing #2: Sand Ceremony at Weddings

Oh, I'm bracing myself for the backlash I'm probably going to hear for bashing this. I think every wedding I've gone to in the past 5 years has done this. But I don't care. I do not understand the point in this. Period.

So the sand symbolizes two lives joining and blending together. Really? You are getting married. The wedding itself doesn't symbolize that? You need to pour some hideous colored sand in a vase to paint that picture? I've heard the whole, "Oh, well you can put it on your mantle and keep it forever." Call me crazy, but I'd rather have a picture from my wedding day sitting on my mantle.

I also refused to do the unity candle at my wedding, for this exact reason. I don't see the point. Feel free to bash away.

Stupid thing #3: The phrase "110%"

Look, I am no math genius. Far, far from it, actually. But even I know that there can only be 100%. That's the max. It doesn't get any bigger than that. So when you say that you gave something a hundred and ten percent, it totally defeats the point you're trying to prove. The video above is what I'm reminded of whenever I hear someone say it. It's a hilarious scene from the otherwise forgettable movie "Bedazzled".

Stupid thing #4: The phrase "My Bad"

I seriously can't articulate in this one post how much I hate this phrase. Okay, I get that it was popular 14 years ago when the movie "Clueless" came out. Never mind the fact that it really doesn't make any sense, literally or grammatically, it's just so outdated. I figured this out 7 years ago, when I heard my 60-year old chemistry teacher say it. Ever since then, I can't help but wince every time I hear someone say, "Oh, my bad!" *shudder* It's right up there with saying "O-M-G" out loud, as individual letters. It's just not cool.

Stupid thing #5: Crocs

Seriously? Seriously?! I don't care how comfortable people claim they are, their sheer hideousness is harmful to my eyes. I can kind of see how little kids getting away with wearing them*. But adults? You have no excuse. Buy some grown up footwear. Oh, and by the way, does it seem absurd to anyone else that these things are supposedly "comfy"? I'm failing to see how walking in rubber, while my feet sweat, can possibly be so comfy. It doesn't seem very hygienic to me, but whatever. When I'm looking for my feet to be comfortable, I'll stick with my Uggs and Rainbows.

*There is no way in hell my kids will ever wear Crocs.

Kitty Love

2009-06-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

I have two cats. They're great cats. Sure, they're anti-social and the little one seems to think the world is her litter box, but all in all, they're awesome. The big one, Dash, is my favorite.

Dash is a beautiful cat. I love him very much. He's fluffy and clean, and he's so sweet when he's not hiding in our cabinets. He's extremely affectionate with me. Extremely. Like, oddly affectionate. He likes to press his mouth against mine, as if he's kissing me. And he nuzzles his furry face into my neck, and sometimes he wants me to pick him up and hold him like a little baby. I mean, I've had other cats in my life, but none have come anywhere close to being nearly as lovey dovey as Dash. So naturally it led me to believe the obvious... He's in love with me.

I believed this for quite sometime without saying anything. I knew Billy would never understand, so I decided to keep my mouth shut and not mention that our cat had a crush on me. And I kept this little secret for a long time. But then, one day, I let the cat out of the bag (no pun intended).

Dash was being his usual lovey self with me, and Billy remarked at how he never acts that way with him. And without thinking much, I said, "Well, I think he's in love with me." Billy looked at me with wide eyes and a shocked face, and asked, "Whaaat?"

I took a deep breath. I knew that there had to be some way I could explain this logically, without convincing my husband that I was certifiably insane. So I repeated myself. "I think Dash is in love with me. I can't explain it, but the way he acts with me... I just know he has a crush on me. He kisses me on the mouth, and lays on top of me, and when I get dressed in front of him, I swear, he stares..."

You know how sometimes things can make perfect sense to you in your own head, but once you say it aloud to another person, it makes you sound like a crazy person? Yeah, that totally happened.

Billy started laughing uncontrollably. I braced myself for what he was about to say. "You seriously think our cat is in love with you? Because he kisses you and can't take his eyes off of you when you're naked?!" More laughter. "Are you that full of yourself, that you think even our cat is in love with you? Oh, you're just so gorgeous, the cat couldn't help it."

"Shut up!" I yelled. "When you put it like that, okay it sounds a little weird." "A little weird?" Billy kept laughing, which irked me even more. All I could say was, "I knew I shouldn't have told you! I knew you wouldn't understand!" His response: "You're right, babe, you shouldn't have told me this."

In all fairness, I'll admit that the cat's crush on me has toned down considerably since then.

And yes, I think I will be filing this post under: This actually happened.

I feel good. I knew that I would.

2009-06-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

I want to take the time to thank everyone who wrote nice comments to me after my last post. You seriously made me feel much better. It's amazing how complete strangers can sometimes feel like great friends, but many of you do. Thanks so much.

And things are going much better now. I got blood drawn at the doctor on Friday, but I still haven't heard anything about the results. I'm not really worried. I'm pretty sure I probably have some sort of vitamin deficiency or maybe low iron or something. I'm fairly sure I'll live!

As for today... Well, there are many reasons to be happy today.

Reason #1: I passed my math class with a C. This is exquisite news. It's taken me 2 and a half years to take and pass three semesters worth of math classes. This was the last class I needed to get my AA and to transfer. Thank God I'm finally done with it! I may be planning to homeschool my children someday, but I swear I'm just going to pay an outside source to teach them math. I'm done.

Reason #2: Thursday is my last day of work for 2 whole months! Well, my last day as a teacher for 2 whole months. I'm still looking for a summer job, but it will still be a nice break from the regular routine.

Reason #3: I received this today from some of my 5th graders:

Okay, I don't know if you can see, but above is a drawing of me and "Mr. C" and it says "Just Married". I think this is hilarious! I never even speak about my personal life with my kids. They simply saw my wedding ring and asked if I was married, to which I replied, "Yes." So they drew this for me. So cute! (Okay, I think I'm having a "proud parent" moment. Except I'm not a parent. But my students are the closest thing I'll have to kids for awhile, so I kinda get it.)

Reason #4: My little brother is graduating from high school tomorrow. I still remember when my parents brought him home from the hospital. I popped all of his blue balloons with a pen and tried to hide the evidence. Nevertheless, I loved him and treated him like my own little doll. And now he's 18 and about to embark on adult life for the first time. *sigh*

Reason #5: Speaking of high school graduations, today marks 5 years since my own. It also happens to be the 5 year anniversary of the day I met my husband. Read about it here.

Reason #6: Billy is making a delicious dinner tonight and we have nothing planned except sitting on our couch, watching the Lakers vs. Magic game, and drinking beer. Sounds like the perfect night to me.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

On the edge

2009-06-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

How do you deal with stress? I have a habit of cracking under pressure (even just the slightest amount of pressure). I never quite learned how to deal with stressful situations. I simply fall apart and become unable to function, which is not a good thing. At all.

And it's not like I have extremely stressful situations going on right now. I mean, I have a math final on Monday, which I am in no way prepared for, and will probably fail. Also, my last day of work, until August, is next Thursday, and I still haven't found a summer job. But it's not like these are life ending situations. I just don't know how to deal with them.

I should be studying, or at least copying my homework out of the solutions manual, but instead I'm blogging about how I can't handle the pressure. Oh, and did I mention that I just smoked a cigarette? By myself. For the first time in months. I'm so ashamed.

Is there a drug I can take to get me motivated? I know there are drugs out there that make you lazy, so there has to be a counterpart, right? I'm getting desperate here.

And lastly, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. You know, to figure out why I've been so excruciatingly exhausted lately. And riddled with headaches. And why my jaw was locked last week. And why, a couple of days ago, I woke up in the middle of the night, looked at the clock, and suddenly lost my vision, hearing, and the ability to move and speak. Yeah, just those few reasons.

I'm pretty sure I may have a brain tumor. That, or I've been watching way too much Grey's Anatomy. Either way, I'm praying for my health and sanity.

In sickness and in Vegas

2009-06-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

So I know I haven't been blogging lately... and I'm sorry. I just haven't been feeling well at all. And to get this out of the way, I'm 100% positive I'm not pregnant. But I can't stop feeling exhausted. No matter how much sleep I get, I'm constantly tired. And today I was stricken with the one of the worst headaches EVER.

Oh, and to make things even weirder, two nights ago my jaw wouldn't open all the way. That's right. I could only open my jaw halfway because it was stuck. I struggled to open my mouth, and then it snapped totally loud when I finally got it open. And this happened repeatedly. It really freaked Billy and me out. It hasn't happened since, but that can't be normal, right? Yeah, I think a doctor's appointment is in order ASAP.

In better news, we went to Vegas this past weekend for some fun with friends. Oh, and for Billy's bowling tournament. Here are some pics:

In our hotel room, getting ready to go out.

My husband in his Vegas costume. Yes, this is totally normal.

Our friends (from right to left: Joey S., Dustin, Brandon, Billy, and Joey A.)

Don't worry, this pic isn't nearly as inappropriate as it looks. He was my husband for one night.
Long story.

Yeah, I'm not too crazy about this pic, but here we are at the Monte Carlo pool.

So it was a great trip. And if you don't mind, I'm going to end this post prematurely, out of fear that my headache might return if I continue staring at my computer screen.

xoxo

Just maybe the best invention ever

2009-05-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Like almost all sane people, I hate to work out. However, with summer quickly approaching, I've began to brainstorm what I can do to get the best results, while putting in the least amount of effort. I considered buying Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred" DVD, since I've been reading nothing but rave reviews on other blogs. But yeah. It sounds like a lot of effort. I kept looking.

I was beginning to think that maybe there was no way I could cheat the system. Maybe I really do have to put in the effort to get the results. And that totally goes against everything I am because, say what you want... hard work sucks, and if there's a way to get around it, I will find it.

So you can imagine how pleased I was to stumble upon these:

(click image to enlarge)

Fitflops. The tagline? "The flip flop with the gym built in." I'm in.

My husband thinks they're ridiculous, and that there's no way they'll work. But after reading lots of reviews, I think they just might be for me. All I want to do is get toned, anyway.

Another product review just might be in my future...

Why I love my husband

2009-05-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

I just walked in the door, after a stressful night. I sat for an hour and a half in my math class, understanding absolutely nothing (as usual). I tried to come to terms with the fact that I will most likely be repeating the class next semester.

I have been starving and weak and shaking for the past 2 hours. Low blood sugar + not eating = bad times.

After class, I sat at the gas station waiting for a spot to open up for 20 minutes. I sat behind one car, waiting impatiently, for 8 of those minutes. When I saw another spot open up, I backed up and tried to snag it, but lost out to another, more skilled driver. By the time I got back to the spot I had originally been waiting for, it had already been taken, and there was now another car waiting for it. So I parked and waited and waited. Bigger lines grew. I finally drove off in frustration.

By the time I walked in the house tonight, I was ready to burst into tears. But then I saw this:

All in all... Not a bad day.

Our Colorado Trip

2009-05-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

On the plane, excited for our trip...

1st stop: Colorado Rockies game!

Representing our Angels... I know I look tired, I had been up since 5am!
1st night: Rehearsal dinner at Breckinridge Brewery in Denver
Lots of shots were taken...
Day 2: Tour of the Coors Brewery
Cheers to free beer!
Red Rocks
How badass would it be to see a concert here?

Day 3: Breakfast at Cracker Barrel(Okay, so it was our first time at a Cracker Barrel. I'd never heard of the place before I started reading people's blogs from around the country. When we drove past it on the first day, I made a huge deal of us having to eat there before we left. I had to see what all the fuss was about. Final verdict? Adorable, quaint, and comforting. Oh, and Billy was pretty excited that he had a game to play while waiting for our food to come out.)

Adam & Sara's wedding at Lyons Manor

Posing on the balcony

Okay, so I totally wore this dress last weekend to another wedding. I think it may be going into hibernation for the next year or so.

Look at the mountains! I felt so in touch with nature.
Day 4: Downtown Pearl Street in Boulder

(We ate at Centro, a Latin restaurant, because one of the chefs from last season's Top Chef used to work there. Apparently Hosea, the winner of last season, was sitting at the bar shown behind Billy. I can't confirm that, though.)

We look kind of awkward and stiff in this picture, but my dress is freaking cute, so I don't really care.

As you can see, we were there for a wedding. Billy's cousin, Adam, was getting married, so much of his family was there. This was really great because all of Billy's extended family lives up in Oregon, and we never get to see them any other time.

We did spend a lot of time with Billy's mom. A lot.

At one point we were in the car, and I was asking her questions about her family, since I don't know a lot about their history. I asked about her sister, M, who wasn't at the wedding. Liz (Billy's mom), started talking about how M is just different. I asked how many children she has, and Liz replied, "They only have their daughter. It's very strange. You know, she was really into this 'natural birth control' where she took her temperature every morning and stuff. And I just don't agree with that. Actually, I think that's how she ended up pregnant with her daughter."

I immediately turned to Billy, who was driving and trying his best not to laugh, and gave him my best, wide-eyed, You better not say anything look. Because, um, Liz was referring to the Fertility Awareness Method, which is my current choice of birth control.

Then she said, "And you know, when she gave birth she chose to use a midwife and do it at home. And her daughter ended up with Cerebral Palsy, which is common after a traumatic birth. So, again, just not very smart."

At this point, I am sitting there silently praying that she stops talking and that Billy won't say anything, since, you know, I've recently decided that when I give birth, I would like to do it at home. With a midwife.

And because this was all just too good to be true, the next sentence out of Liz's mouth was, "And they chose to homeschool their daughter, which was really just weird, and I think negatively affected her."

Now Billy was laughing, and so was I. Because, well... I want to homeschool my kids, too.

"What's so funny?" Liz asked. And Billy said, "Well, Mom... You know that form of birth control that involves taking your temperature? Well, Shalay does that. And she wants to have a home birth with a midwife. And she wants to homeschool our kids."

"Oh, well, okay..." my mother-in-law stammered.

And all I could reply with, through my laughter, was, "Um, I guess your sister, M, and I will get along pretty well. We seem to have a lot in common."

I'll be back.

2009-05-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like my blogging hiatus is going to go on a little longer than expected. Tomorrow morning I leave for Denver, Colorado for the next 4 days. I've never been there, and I'm more than a little excited to go to a Rockies game and do a little sightseeing. I'm just praying it won't be too cold. We Californians don't handle the cold too well. I'm already thinking warm thoughts.

Pics and (hopefully) interesting stories to come. Have a great rest of the week, everyone!

What's more important?

2009-05-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Reality TV these days is being shoved down everyone's throats. I'm not gonna lie... I can be a bit of a reality television junkie. I even watch "The Hills"... I know, shameful. I do draw the line when it comes to "Rock of Love", however. I just can't get into watching people I actually feel sorry for. Moving on...

Unless you've been living under a rock, you are more than familiar with a little show called "Jon & Kate Plus 8". I can't recall the first time I saw this show, but my viewing of it has greatly increased over the past few months. TLC seems to always have a "Jon & Kate" marathon on, and interestingly, I always tune in to watch episodes that I haven't seen before. There's like a never ending supply of episodes.

And while the concept is great (husband and wife only intend to have 3 kids... they end up with 8 in a 3 year span.), I've found that it's not the kids that keep me tuned into this show. It's Jon and Kate themselves. Kate is the demanding, domineering, organized, Type A wife. Jon is mellow, sporty, and constantly defending himself and his choices to his wife. It's addicting. During every episode I can't help but wonder how the heck they do it. And no, not raise 8 kids. Wondering how they do that is a given. But I wonder how they can put up with each other.

There have been many, many times that I've felt sorry for Jon. Kate just comes across as overly critical and harsh at times. I understand that when you have 8 kids, you need to be organized and have systems in place in order to function in every day life. But when you're constantly berating your husband for putting the wrong shoes on the kids and yelling at him in public places like he's a child, there's a problem there. If anyone disagrees with me, that's totally fine. But I think since they have chosen to live their lives in front of cameras, they have also chosen to be subject to people's opinions of them, however true or false those opinions may be.

And just to clarify, I really, really like this show. I do not hate Kate, nor do I think Jon's a victim. I like watching their family dynamic and seeing their real life problems. I just think there's a huge difference between the type of person he is, and the type of person she is.

Which is why it makes no sense at all why this headline surprised me so much:

Jon Gosselin: "I did not cheat on Kate"

Really? I sincerely hope not. Go here to read the story on People.com.

I hope for the sake of his family that this whole thing is a complete fabrication, like he and his "lady friend" are claiming. Obviously, he and his wife are going through a tumultuous time in their marriage right now after this allegation, and I can only imagine the stress it's putting on their entire family. But here's what really got me when reading this article:

"When asked by Entertainment Weekly whether they will address this on air, Kate Gosselin says, 'I think we will address the bigger picture, regarding the very public focus on our family and the stress it's caused in our relationship.' She adds: 'Our main focus is on our family and working through this.'"

Call me crazy, but if was going through something like this, continuing with my TV show would be the last thing I would want to do. Clearly they've already experienced fame, and have gotten what they can out of this whole experience. She herself admits that living in the public eye is causing stress in their relationship. So why are they signing up for more?

Reality shows and families do not mix. Look at Nick and Jessica. At Carmen and Dave. At Travis and Shanna. Geez, just look at the entire Hogan family. Now, these people were all celebrities to begin with, and we all know how psychotic they can be. But did they really think that living their lives in front of the public 24/7 would be beneficial to their relationships? Shouldn't this just be common sense by now? Or is it really all about the money?

Why don't they have a non-Mother's Day? Everyone who doesn't have kids gets a gift!

2009-05-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday afternoon. I have a ginormous math test tomorrow, that I must pass in order to pass the class. As of this moment, I know absolutely nothing about the 3 chapters in the test. And what am I currently doing with my time? Why, blogging of course!

Mother's Day is one week away and I'm stumped about what to do for my mom. You see, I'm really bad at planning out gifts. It just doesn't come naturally to me. I didn't even get Billy a birthday present because I couldn't figure out what the heck he'd like. Let me rephrase that: I couldn't figure out what the heck he'd like that would cost less than $100. My husband has more expensive taste than I do - and that's saying something.

Holidays are really difficult sometimes. Not only do I have to buy gifts, but Billy and I have to divide the time evenly between his family and my family. And then it always seems like once the holiday has passed, I think of a brilliant idea for a present that I should have given, but it's simply too late.

But despite my frustrations, I am looking forward to Mother's Day. I love my mom. Really, she's one of my best friends. I honestly want to have a daughter someday, but the thought of it scares me. Not because I've had a difficult relationship with my mother, but the opposite, actually. I'm scared that I'll never be able to build a relationship with my own daughter that compares to the one I have with my mom. It's a weird feeling.

And speaking of moms, anyone seen Taylor Swift's new music video? It's a tear jerker, but oh so sweet. Take a looksy.

The Best Day from Big Machine Records on Vimeo.

Do you guys already know what you're doing for Mother's Day?

Tattoos

2009-04-27T20:47:00.001-07:00

I love tattoos. Seriously love them. Do I have any? Nope. Nada. Does my husband have any? Not a one. Oh, and funny thing: He loves tattoos more than I do. He thinks girls with tattoos are HOT. And that's exactly how I feel about guys with them. As long as the person wearing them can pull them off, of course. It's a wonder how we ended up together.

I understand that I have a lot of conservative readers and that tattoos are something that you either like or hate. Obviously, they're a HUGE deal, being that they're permanent, which is why I didn't get one the second I turned 18. I'm 22 now, and I still haven't decided on whether or not to get one. I have no fear of the pain; what I have a fear of is how permanent it is. I would need to get something I would have absolutely no regrets about for the rest of my life. And coming from someone who's as fickle as they come, that isn't an easy thing to do.

One thing I hear from people is, how is that going to look when you're 50 years old? What are your grandchildren going to think? And honestly... If my grandma had a cool tattoo, and told me the story behind it, I would think it was pretty badass. But that's just me. And if you think about it, our grandparents most likely don't have any tattoos. But think of how many grandparents will have tattoos in 20-30 years. Tons. It won't have the shock factor that it does today. Times are a changing.

I came to the conclusion awhile ago that if I got a tattoo, it would absolutely have to have a lot of meaning behind it. Sorry, but I'm not one of those girls who's going to get a shooting star on my hip. No offense to anyone that does have one, but what could that possibly mean besides the fact that stars were trendy back in 2007? No, mine would definitely have to mean something.

And that is how I decided that it would be a Beatles lyric. You see, I'm a big, big Beatles fan. My dad introduced me to their music when I was a baby, and ever since, it's sparked an incredible bond between us. He started teaching me guitar when I was a teenager, and to this day, he still comes over to my house occasionally to teach me a little more. My dad is an amazing guitarist. I owe my love of music (especially my love of classic rock) to him. Last year he came over every Monday for months to watch his DVD set of The Beatles Anthology with me. We went to see 2 Beatles tribute bands last year as well. It's not something we take lightly. So the decision for me is an obvious one. I'd get a line from one of my favorite songs. It's something that I know I wouldn't regret, because this particular thing would never lose its meaning to me. It's bigger than me. And also, it's a sure way not to get any lip from my dad. I'm fairly sure he'd be proud of me! (And by the way, neither of my parents has any tattoos either.)

I thought of getting it on my foot. But I decided against that, being that I wear sandals a LOT, and I would like the option of covering it up if need be. I considered getting it on my hip, but something about that just didn't feel right to me. So now I'm thinking about my rib cage. Yes, that probably sounds weird, but I really like the thought of it. And plus, these pictures of Shenae Grimes and Megan Fox are pretty damn hot.

Ok, I would make sure it was less "chola" than Shenae's, and it would definitely be smaller than Megan's. Ah, decisions, decisions. And don't worry, this is NOT a decision I'm rushing into! Just something that's floating around in my mind.

What do you guys think of tattoos in general? Love them? Hate them? Do you have any? All opinions are welcome!

Just call me a hippie in the making

2009-04-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

In the past few months I've announced the following things to my husband:

1. I want to eat more fresh and organic foods.
2. Starting when I get pregnant, I want to eat entirely organic or fresh, locally grown foods.
3. I want to grow my own vegetables.
4. I want to have a home birth, preferably in a tub, with the assistance of a midwife.
5. I would like to homeschool our kids. (Yes, I'm being serious. Please take this time to pick your jaws up off the floor. Grab my husband's while you're at it.)

Oh, and just for the record, kids are still a few years away for us. I just like to plan ahead!

Ok, so I have big goals that I'd like to achieve regarding our health and staying as natural as possible. Have I started toward this yet? Um, no. I ate Kraft blue box Mac & Cheese for dinner last night and had a Cup of Noodles for lunch today. Not exactly the healthiest or most eco-friendly choices. Here's my question: where do I start?

With yesterday being Earth Day and all, I watched Oprah's Earth Day special about how much waste we produce and exactly where it goes. And then I watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 Go Green! and it came as no shock to Billy that my immediate announcement to him was, "I wanna go green!" (As you can tell, I'm not at all easily influenced by what I see or read... Nope, not me.)

Though again, where do I start? We already have those energy efficient light bulbs, cloth grocery bags, and we recycle our cans and bottles. But I know there is so much more that we could and should be doing. I honestly don't know how I feel about going with all natural cleaning supplies, as horrible as that may sound. I just like the smell of "clean" when I use Clorox and Ajax to clean my bathrooms and kitchen. Does vinegar, water, and lemon really get surfaces as clean as bleach does? And also, I just can't part with drinking Dasani water. I have this issue where I can't drink things out of glasses because they always smell really funny to me. I like drinking out of new water bottles.

See, I'm already terrible at this.

Have any of you gone green or changed your eating habits to help yourselves and the Earth? If so, please share your experience so far!

KA, you aren't the only one who finds your husband's water drinking habits blogworthy.

2009-04-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

When Billy and I first started dating, I was astonished to learn that he didn't drink water. Seriously. I never knew there were people out there who didn't drink water, but he proved to be one of them. He drank soda, juice, milk, Gatorade, and alcohol, but no water. He said that his family never drank water, so it wasn't something he was used to. In fact, he said he hated water.

WTF?

I remember trying to force it on him, telling him that he would surely die if he didn't get enough H2O. His response? "The main ingredient in soda is water!" I chased him around the house once, trying to shove a bottle of water in his face, and that actually started a fight between us. I remember him saying, "What are you, my mom?" And I responded with, "Obviously not! She never made you drink water!" (Looking back at this, I could have probably added it to our list of stupid fights.)

I just couldn't believe that he hated water. How could anyone hate water? It's essential to life! Most of the time it's all I drink. I knew I had to convert him into a water drinker.

And guess what? I did. By a year into our relationship, he was officially a water drinker. No, scratch that. A water lover.

You would think I'd be satisfied now that my husband drinks water, right? Well, that's what I thought... until I recently stumbled upon evidence of his water consumption habits. And honestly? I don't think anyone on this earth drinks more water than he does. I don't even know if it's healthy.

I vacuum our bedroom once a week and, during that time, I pick up his empty water bottles that have collected on his side of the bed. It never really occurred to me how bizarre this was, until last night. I just vacuumed on Friday. And this is what I found last night - Tuesday night.

Go ahead and count them for yourself. There are 16 water bottles there. All empty, except for that one standing up. In 4 days, he's collected 16 bottles of water. And those are just the ones he drinks in the middle of the night!

Is this normal? Do I need to put him in some sort of a 12-step program or something?

You all better thank God we recycle. I can't imagine what damage my husband alone would do to this Earth otherwise.

Bump it, bump it, bump it up

2009-04-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for not blogging for a week. I have no excuse, except the fact that I just don't feel the need to blog every day. When I have something to say, I will. If not, then I take a little break.

But today I definitely have something to say. My Bump-It came in the mail on Friday after 3 long weeks! I was so excited, I nearly screamed. I ran in the house and ripped it out of its little pink package and found... That it was a little smaller than I expected. I immediately regretted not ordering the "Hollywood" BumpIt for an additional charge of $6.95 for shipping and handling. But the instant I set it on my head, I saw that it was just the right size. The set included 2 regular size BumpIts, and 2 mini BumpIts. The total cost, including shipping, was about $29.

Being the impatient person that I am, I shoved the plastic piece in my hair and started shoving it around to get the perfect "bump". I came to find out that it's not quite that easy. It's a little bit of a process.

First you have to make a part across the top of your heard, just behind your ears. Then you place the BumpIt in place, and then you flip your hair from the front of your head over it. Ugh. It takes awhile to get it just right. And even then, your hair is going to move, so you have to use a crapload of hairspray to keep it in place. The BumpIt just sits on your head, it's not clipped in or anything. It has little prong things that stick out, to grip into your hair.

I'm not gonna lie, I had to have my husband help me the first time I put it in my hair. It's hard when you can't see the back of your head, so it was his job to place my hair over the BumpIt to conceal it. We went out Saturday night for his birthday, and his job for the night was to make sure it wasn't showing. Which, thankfully, it didn't. But you do need to use a LOT of hairspray to make sure your hair doesn't move. I've never really been a fan of using lots of hairspray. I like my hair to be soft, not hard, so that was kind of annoying, but not too big a deal.

I think it's probably easier to use this when you haven't washed your hair for at least a day. Your hair will probably stay in place better, instead of falling all over the place like mine was at first. And it's a lot easier for those people with thick hair. I, unfortunately, was not blessed with the thickest mane. When Billy was placing my hair over the BumpIt, he actually asked, "Is this all the hair you have?" This would probably be a huge challenge for people with baby fine hair.

The total time it takes for me to put it in and get my hair just right is around 10 minutes.

Before

After

Putting it in my hair....

The final result:

Half up half down

Here, I'm wearing the mini BumpIt at the front of my head, and the regular sized one in the back.

Final verdict: All in all, I'm definitely glad I bought the product, but it's not exactly life-changing like I thought it would be. It will come in handy when I have lots of time to get ready, but I don't think I'm going to be wearing it to work or school.

Oh, and fun fact: I spoke with someone who works at Walgreens, and she informed me that they would be getting them in sometime in May. So be on the lookout!

I hate flies.

2009-04-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

I am afraid of many, many things in life. Some are logical things, like losing people I love or dying in some horrible way. Others are less logical, but still totally common things like roller coasters, bugs, and being alone in the dark. And then there are those totally illogical things. Like having ugly babies. Or going into Costco. Or flies.

Now, you might think that I already covered flies in the "being scared of bugs" category, but I barely scratched the surface. My entire life I've had a huge phobia of flies. I've actually come a long, long way since my childhood. I used to have to take a shower if a fly landed on me, or wash whatever article of clothing the fly touched. Oh and, by the way, I come from a city here in southern California known to locals as Cow Town. There are dairies everywhere. And where there are cows, there are flies. Just my luck.

I've told Billy for years that flies hate me. I've known it for a very long time. They are completely aware that I'm petrified of them, and they love to terrorize me. I told him about how when I was a teenager, the door to my bedroom didn't completely touch the carpet. There was a very minuscule gap that you could maybe slip your hand under. Well, whenever there was a fly anywhere in the house, it would purposely slip through that gap and come inside my room to send me into hysterics. I started stuffing a towel at the bottom of my door to fill the space. To this day, I really don't know what my mom thought of me when I responded with, "To keep the flies out!" as she asked why I was shoving a towel into the half inch of space under my door.

Billy told me I'm crazy, that there's no way a dumb little fly would squeeze into some small place to enter a room simply to bother me. But I swear, I've seen it with my own eyes!

Well, last week as I was driving to school, the unthinkable happened: A fly got into my car and attacked me. Every time I jerked my head to dodge the fly, my car would swerve to one end of the road. Now not only are they bothering me, they're actually putting my life in danger. This is a very serious issue. But apparently my husband cares very little about my life, because he didn't seem too concerned with this. I texted him as soon as I was able to get the fly out the window and compose myself, letting him know that my life was just compromised by a fly, and all he could respond with was, "You're a mess."

What is that supposed to mean?

What's the point in knowing this stuff when there's always gonna be a guy to do it for you anyway?

2009-04-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

I want a new car. I've been driving my 2002 Honda Civic since, well... 2002. This is what I really want right now:

A Honda Element. I like Hondas, okay?

But I'm not exactly close to getting a new vehicle yet. And I'm really nowhere near going to buy a vehicle by myself yet. Thank God I have my husband to help me. Cars freak me out. I know nothing about them. I am not exaggerating here; I literally know nothing.

Take, for example, the incident that occurred 4 months ago.

I was getting ready to leave my apartment (when I still lived in an apartment) one evening. Billy was bowling that night, and I had been home all day from work. I walked over to my parking spot and unlocked my car. The lights didn't turn on, though. Weird. I put my key in the ignition, turned it, and... Nothing. I repeated this several times and nothing happened. My lights wouldn't turn on, my radio wouldn't start... My car was dead!

I ran into the apartment and called Billy immediately.

Billy: Hello?
Shalay: Babe! My car isn't starting! I think someone stole my engine!
Billy: Wait. What?
Shalay: (speaking slowly) My car won't start. I think my engine has been stolen.
Billy: Why do you think that? Did you look under the hood?
Shalay: No, I'm too scared to look!
Billy: What is your car doing?
Shalay: Nothing! I put the key in the ignition and it won't start AT ALL.
Billy: Ok, are you sure it's not just the battery that died?
Shalay: Hold on a sec... Are you telling me cars run on batteries?

And yes, apparently they do. You learn something new every day.

People need first and last names. Period.

2009-04-06T20:32:00.001-07:00

So I just got my new iPhone... Praise the Lord. It came in on Friday, but due to the inept people at AT&T, wasn't activated until today. It's beautiful and new, and I'm determined not to let anything happen to it. When it came in, I may have stroked it gently while saying, "My precious." But moving on. Being the idiot that I am, I never backed up my old one, and I have zero phone numbers. I went onto my MySpace and Facebook accounts and posted updates requesting that people send me their numbers. So they started coming in and I was happy to be able to partially fill my phone book.

But then I received one phone number from a person on MySpace. I used to work with this person about 3 years ago. He's nice and friendly, but not someone I'm likely to call in the next 10 years. Nevertheless, I go to store his number, and I'm met with the dilemma that I don't know his last name. And yes, this is a dilemma. I am strangely neurotic when it comes to things like my contact list in my phone. I NEED to have people's first and last names listed. It looks odd if it's just one name.

So I did what made the most sense... I made up a last name for him.

This isn't psychotic, right?

I'm no fool

2009-04-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

So it's April 1st, and you all know what that means... Watch your back.

I've played some pretty nasty tricks on my husband over the past few years. I honestly can't even go into details, because I've done some WRONG stuff. One time he almost hung up the phone on me in fury, and I had to beg him to listen so I could get the words, "April Fools!" out in time.

I've decided not to do anything this year. Is it because I've suddenly grown a heart and conscience? Nope. I just can't really think of anything good. I thought about stealing his phone long enough to download a Clay Aiken ring tone, assigning it to myself, and then waiting until he was out with his friends to call him repeatedly. But I suck, and I didn't do it. I'll keep it in mind for another day. Maybe Thursday, who knows?

What's the best April Fool's prank you've ever pulled or heard of? I need to stock up on ideas for next year.

ETA: Now I have an ad on my blog for "trannie gear". That's right. Apparently, Google thinks the only people who read my blog are women with severe hygiene problems and transvestites. I have yet to understand what I've done to piss Google off.

This should probably be two separate posts.

2009-03-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

Billy has made fun of me more times than I can count for my internet addiction. It started with MySpace, moved on to a blog, and has now manifested itself in Facebook and Twitter. I've told him countless times, "You just don't understand." But now, I can officially say, he does.

I got my husband to join Facebook last night.

This is huge. I never in a million years thought he would be part of an online social networking site. He has never had one good thing to say about them. So you can imagine what great pleasure it brought to me to see him finally join, and on top of that, become totally addicted. Here's what I actually heard last night:

Shalay: Um, babe? Can I use the laptop now?
Billy: Hold on a sec. I'm passing out drinks to friends.

What?! Earlier I logged on to see that he invited me to join Mafia Wars (which I politely ignored), and that he's now a fan of Pizookie. And I'm now wondering if this was such a good idea after all. I think I may have created a monster.

In other news, I'm currently having a dilemma. I'm switching birth control. TMI? Get over it or stop reading now. I seriously cannot stand taking pills anymore. I forget constantly, and then have to double up the next day, and then spend the day after that feeling nauseated. It never ends. I've been on the pill for the past 6 years and I am officially OVER IT. So now I'm doing some research online on different forms of birth control, but all the different options kind of freak me out. I'm at a loss for what to do next. I've considered using FAM (fertility awareness method). I even have the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility, which has gotten rave reviews. But that also freaks me out, considering the fact that my husband has a severe case of Baby Fever. And I do not. And I'm pretty sure both partners need to be on the same page when using that method. Words of advice would be much appreciated. :)

I have a bone to pick with Google Ads...

2009-03-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

The ad currently displayed on my precious blog:

Vaginosis Test & Treat

Exam, Test-Result & Treat Today
BV, Trich, Gon / Chlamydia, Fungal

CaliforniaSTD.com

Why does Google hate me?

In my free time I ponder the mysteries of the universe.

2009-03-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

I just don't know what to think of this guy. I can't quite determine whether he's slightly dreamy, or a total douche. Is it possible to be both?

He just oozes cockiness. I can't stand cocky guys. It's a total turn-off. But then again, he does have that whole mysterious, sexy vibe.

It took me a long time to get used to the idea that this guy was playing Edward Cullen. I read Twilight before the movie was released, and this just wasn't what I imagined Edward looking like. Now it's been so long, it's hard to imagine Edward looking like anything other than Robert Pattinson.

I know teenage girls are peeing their pants at the mere thought of this guy, and I'm not exactly sure why. Back in the day, I had a MAJOR thing for Leonardo DiCaprio. I saw Titanic 11 times in the theater and I had pictures of him posted all over my room. I may or may not have named my hamster after him. But I'm sorry, this guy is no Leonardo DiCaprio. I don't care what anyone says!

And on People.com, I just read this:

You'd think that Robert Pattinson might be embarrassed by reports that his alleged lack of hygiene has his costars gagging, but the actor, who once admitted to Jay Leno that he rarely washes his hair, could also see it as a stinky badge of honor.

"I don't have much of a sense of personal hygiene or styling or anything," said Pattinson, 22.

In a recent GQ story, Pattinson was described as wearing clothes that "smell like he has recently purchased them off the back of someone less fortunate than he."

Um... What? He doesn't have a sense of personal hygiene? He smells? I don't care how dreamy you are, stinking is a freaking turn-off. Sure, I wouldn't mind
making
hanging out with David Beckham if he was simply glistening in sweat, but there's a difference between a little manly sweat and a little manly stench. I've been known to make my husband take a shower before getting into bed. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to bed with someone who has any sort of odor. Robert Pattinson included.

And I think I've made up my mind about him. What do you guys think?

Every time you say goodbye I die a little. Well, not really, but it still sucks.

2009-03-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Billy is leaving in a little bit to take a trip to Vegas until Sunday. It's his cousin's bachelor party, so he's meeting up with his uncle and cousins for a guy's trip. Whatever.

I am very, very spoiled when it comes to spending time with my husband. I understand that I'm lucky enough that he doesn't have to take tons of business trips throughout the year. And I never forget the fact that there are millions (millions? correct me if I'm wrong) of couples out there who are separated for months, and sometimes years. I can't imagine how it must feel to be a "military wife". To be separated for the majority of our relationship, and to not be able to just pick up the phone whenever I want to say, "I love you and miss you." To not know when will be the next time I'll hear his voice or see his face. That is something so heartwrenching, I can't even think about it. People in those positions have my utmost respect and admiration.

The acknowledgment of all that still doesn't make it easier when Billy has to leave for a few days. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some dependent person who doesn't know how to handle certain tasks or get by without a man. That's not me. And I'm not even scared to be home or sleep alone. I have my cats, it's all good. It's something more than that. It just sucks to not be able to see him at all for the whole day and night. And in this case, it will be three days and nights.

Seriously, in a whole year, we maybe spend 7 days apart. For the past 4 and a half years. That's not a lot of time apart, so obviously it's kind of weird for me. Now that doesn't mean that we don't do stuff without each other. We have very active social lives. He goes out with his friends, I go out with my friends, and it totally keeps us from not killing each other. But right now I don't even have my friends to distract me. As I previously mentioned, I ruined my phone, which had every person's number stored. So I can't call anyone. On top of that, I'm on spring break from work right now, so I have the rest of today and tomorrow off with NOTHING to do. Who lives in Chino? Wanna hang out? I'm bored!

Sorry to invite y'all to the pity party I've got going on over here. Any suggestions for how I should occupy my time these next few days? How do you guys deal with your husbands being gone?

Oh, and on a side note, I started Twittering after taking more than a year off. If you're on Twitter, look me up! I'm Shalay. Duh.

This is the last one, I promise.

2009-03-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Polka Dotted Owl.

So here it is how it goes: You must list 5 sexy things about yourself, and then pass it on.

I am not afraid to disagree with people or speak my mind. That's sexy.
I don't dress to impress guys. That also applies to my husband. You have no idea how many times I've put on an outfit and he's cringed (leggings are his worst nightmare). And all I can say is, "Aren't you glad I'm not dressing to impress you? I don't care what you think." Confidence is sexy.
I am finally getting the hang of this "housewife" stuff. I keep our house clean, I am able to whip up dinner, and I try (keyword: try) to stay on top of laundry. Putting in effort is sexy.
I have BIG hopes and dreams. Dreaming big is sexy.
I have nice boobs. Nuff said.

And if you believe you are a sexy blogger, please take this award. You all deserve it.

Kreativ Blogger Award!

2009-03-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

I just love receiving awards. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So I have to thank the Polka Dotted Owl for bestowing me this latest one, The Kreativ Blogger Award. By the way, I highly recommend heading over to her blog, this chick is fabulous.

Here are the award rules:

List 7 things that you love, and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love!
Be sure to tag them and let them know that they have won.
You can copy the picture of the award and paste it on your sideboard letting the whole world know...you are Kreativ!

Okay, so 7 things I love (by the way, I am leaving out obvious stuff like my husband and family - those are a given):

Cheese. Especially the smelly kind, like Bleu Cheese or Brie.
Tattoos. I find them extremely attractive, yet neither my husband nor myself have a single one. Weird.
Disneyland
Fancy French restaurants
The ocean
Christmas
My feet. They're totally cute. Don't hate.

I'm very excited that I'm gaining new readers. Just to show my appreciation, I am giving this award to 7 new people that have started visiting and commenting on this blog. The Kreativ Blogger Award goes to:

Jennifer at This Girl Loves Pink
Impulsive Addict at Confessions of an Impulsive Addict
Lil' Woman at Little Woman, Little Home
Taryn at The Colorado Desert
a H.I.T. at A NYC Housewife-In-Training
Mel at The Bubble
The George Family at Life with the George's

Be sure to check out their blogs if you have a chance!

And on a totally random note, I just checked my Google Analytics and I'm a little concerned about what I found. Apparently someone found my blog by Googling: housewife whore. Hmm. I'm pretty sure that's not a good thing.

Where do I go from here?

2009-03-22T22:22:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I'm ordering the BumpIt tomorrow. Hopefully it comes in sometime next week so I can tell you guys if it's worth it. And don't worry, I'll be sure to provide plenty of pics.

This weekend has been a little expensive for us. On Friday, while on the way to my 18 year-old brother's high school pageant (say it with me: WTF?), we got pulled over and were issued a $150 speeding ticket. Apparently it's not okay to go 57 in a 40mph zone. Billy even tried to pull the whole, "My dad was a cop. He was with the LAPD for 34 years. He passed away on the job." -Which is kind of true, except that he didn't exactly die in the line of duty. His cancer was caused by work related stress, but I digress. The cop wasn't having any of it.

Then yesterday, I went with my mom to get a pedicure. I wasn't expecting to get a pedicure and I hadn't shaved my legs for about a week. Let's just say, I was apologizing profusely to the sweet little Asian lady the whole time. I kept saying, "I swear, I usually have smooth legs! I'm not one of those women who don't shave!" She just smiled politely at me, while most likely thinking to herself, Ewwwww.

And then the worst thing ever happened. I dropped my iPhone in the water when I stood up to leave. Who does that?! I grabbed it out immediately, but it's pretty much done for. Billy has spent hours today trying to restore it, but it keeps coming up with some sort of error. And we took it to the Apple store earlier, but were treated like CRAP when the guy noticed it had water damage. Seriously, I didn't purposely murder my phone. It was an accidental death. Meanwhile, I feel like a chunk of my soul has been ripped out. I don't exactly know how to go on without my precious iPhone, and I'm honestly scared to get in my car and drive anywhere without it. What happens if I break down? Or if I suddenly need to check my Facebook? It's really a dilemma. I never realized how dependent I was on this little piece of technology.

I'm eventually gonna have to shell out $200 for a new one, but until then I guess I will be phone-less. I would rather have no phone at all than a regular one. Yes, I am an iPhone snob.

Other than all that, I had a nice weekend. We did a cancer walk on Saturday morning, I did a wine-tasting with my mom that afternoon, and that night I had a girls dinner at a yummy Teppan grill while Billy played in a poker tournament. I hope you all had a fabulous (and much cheaper) weekend!

As Seen On TV

2009-03-18T16:46:00.001-07:00

I love infomercials, but not for the reason most people would think. Billy and I love to watch cheesy infomercials and make fun of everything about them. Seriously, some of them are SO ridiculous. My current favorite is the Snuggie, which has somehow managed to take the nation by storm because people are actually buying it. I may offend certain readers who think this a fantastic product, but I don't care. Apparently it's better than a blanket because it doesn't "restrict your arms". Yeah, because so often the phone rings while I'm wrapped in a blanket, and I think to myself, "I'd really like to answer that phone. But alas, I cannot, for I am held captive by this restricting blanket. If only there was some way to have this blanket around me, and yet still have full mobility of my limbs."

And you know, it's really attractive.

Call me crazy, but I'd rather wear an actual robe. But that's just me.

The ShamWow thing looks kinda interesting. But I seriously wonder if the guy in those commercials is capable of speaking in a regular voice. I have yet to every hear him use a speaking voice, and I'm developing a theory that he doesn't have one. He probably shouts everything he says, all the time. So really, he has the perfect job for his interesting predicament. Don't even get me started on the PedEgg. You can read what I think of that product right here.

So it came as quite a surprise to Billy the other day, when I sat up while watching an infomercial and said, "I want that." He thought I was joking at first, but I was completely serious. It's the BumpIt. Have you heard of it? It's a clip you put under your hair to give you more volume. I freaking love big hair, but I hate the horrible process of teasing and hairspraying, only to have it come out looking right a fraction of the time.

This invention is absolute genius! Have any of you actually used it? I think I'm going to buy it and write my first product review in the very near future. Also, because then I'll have a valid reason to explain to my husband of why I really, really need this.

Green beer, here we come

2009-03-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

My husband just walked in the door from his long, hard day at work. And here's what I got to lay my eyes on:

Please don't ask me how I got lucky enough to marry this piece of sexiness. Some things are just meant to be, I guess.

We'll be heading out in a little bit to get some dinner and drink some green beer. This should be fun...

Stupid Fights

2009-03-16T14:30:00.001-07:00

Do you ever have stupid fights with your significant other? I mean, really stupid fights. Not fights over bills, or running late to go somewhere, or who's going to clean the cat litter. I'm talking about really, really stupid fights. Fights over stuff that is absolutely ridiculous and almost comical, but still somehow makes you completely livid. Those fights.

I'm embarrassed to admit that my husband and I are guilty of this. Once or twice.

One night last week I got up from the couch and told Billy that I was going to take a shower and then go to bed. I usually take my showers in the morning, but my routine had gotten thrown off earlier in the week. I woke up tired one day, and decided to sleep an extra 15 minutes and just not wash my hair. So that night I took another shower and washed my hair. So now I was in a night-time shower routine. I have a point.

So, when I told him I was going to take a shower, he responded with, "Are you going to wash your hair?" Which was a stupid question because, except for the previous morning, I almost always wash my hair. Which is exactly what I told him. And he said, "No, you took a shower last night and didn't." "Um, yes I did." "No, you didn't." He said. We went back and forth like this for awhile.

Seriously? Is he seriously telling me that I didn't wash my hair when I know for a freaking fact that I did? "I did wash my hair!" I yelled. "That was the whole point of my shower last night! Because I woke up yesterday morning and didn't wash my hair, so I took a shower last night so I could wash my hair." And all he could respond with was, "Whatever. Whatever you say." Ughhh! How annoying is that? I hate when people do the whole, "Okay, whatever you say" bit, because it's like they know they're right and you're wrong, but they're just going to agree to shut you up. I was right! I know if I washed my own hair or not!

See, I told you this was a stupid fight.

We once had another ridiculously stupid fight. It was over a quesadilla. I was hungry, so we were in the car going to get me something to eat. I do not like fast food. I usually try to avoid it if I can. So I told Billy I wanted a quesadilla from Baja Fresh. He rolled his eyes and we drove all the way there. Well, when we got there it had just turned 9:00 and they closed. Then he made the remark, "I don't know why you had to have Baja Fresh anyway. Taco Bell is the exact same." To which I replied, "Um, no. It is completely different." Because it is.

This whole thing ended up escalating way too far. I remember going off on a rant at him, yelling, "Baja Fresh's quesadillas are completely different than Taco Bell's! Taco Bell does not have fresh pico de gallo or real shredded cheese or the option of shrimp for their quesadillas! Baja Fresh is way better and I don't know how you can even claim otherwise!" In fact, this fight went so far, I actually reached over while in the car and punched him in the arm. Not my proudest moment. Obviously I could never hurt him, being that I'm barely 100 lbs and he's... Well, let's just say he's much more than 100 lbs. And I've never touched him before or since while in an argument, but for some reason, I was just boiling mad. Over a freaking quesadilla.

And now I'm wondering... What's the dumbest fight you've ever had with someone?

Sorry, geography isn't my thing

2009-03-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

I almost made it through the week without having a Shalay moment. Last week I almost made it, until Friday night, when I put a pot on the stove and turned on the burner. I walked away and my husband looked at me and asked, "Did you put anything in there?" Oops. I forgot the water. Again.

I had high hopes for this week. I made it all the way until the end of the work day. A group of my co-workers were all talking to each other when I walked up. I heard things like, "Oh yeah, I went to high school with a few of them. They're really athletic." and "Don't mess with them. They have, like, thousands of cousins." and "They have pretty bad tempers."

Hmm. I had no idea what they were talking about, but it sounded juicy. "Who are these people?" I asked. "The Tongans." They replied. I immediately assumed that this must be a family of people. "Oh, I don't know them." I said. "I grew up in Chino." You see, I work in Ontario, and the people I work with are from that area, so obviously I wouldn't know a popular Ontario family, since I didn't grow up there. Duh.

My co-workers just gave me a strange look and kept talking. Someone said, "A lot of them hate each other! I heard one of them shot another one last week." Finally I interrupted with, "Oh my god! And they're related?!" Again, another strange look. "Well, some of them are." I was told. "Only some of them?" I asked. "I thought they were all Tongans?" "They are." She said. "Wait, isn't Tongan their last name?" This statement was met with laughter. Lots of it. "What?" I asked. "No! They're not a family!" They said. "They're Tongans! That's what they are!"

I paused for a moment and thought about this. And then I felt pretty stupid. "Oh." I said. "I get it. They're a gang. Sorry guys, I'm not too familiar with that kind of stuff." Again, everyone started laughing. Geez, now what?

As it turns out, Tonga happens to be a country and I guess the people from there are called Tongans. I had no idea.

I immediately called Billy when I got off work.
Shalay: Um, have you ever heard of Tongans?
Billy: Yeah.
Shalay: You do know that's a nationality, right?
Billy: Yes. Tonga is an island somewhere near New Zealand.
Shalay: Oh. (long pause) Do you think this is something that a lot of other people know about, too?
Billy: Um, yeah.
Shalay: Damn.

Oh, the things I see...

2009-03-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

I teach PE to 1st-6th graders. Generally, my kids are pretty good and manage not to give me a headache. That is, with the exception of Thursdays, when I have yet to walk out of school without the intense desire to smoke a cigarette. But Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays usually go off without a hitch.

Funny stuff happens all the time. Today during recess, two other teachers and myself were playing jump rope with the kids. We were doing Double-Dutch, and to my surprise, no one was able to jump in and successfully jump, except for one girl. We had a huge crowd of kids around us, and they all kept trying to jump in, only to get hit in the head with the rope. I couldn't believe that no one could do it. I remember in elementary school, it seemed like the majority of girls in my class were awesome at Double-Dutch, myself included. I stood there trying to explain to the kids that you have to wait for one rope to be up high, and the other rope to be on the floor, before you jump in. And I should have known what was coming... "Why don't you do it, Mrs. C?" "Yeah! You show us!" "Let's see you do it!"

I took a deep breath and took off my sunglasses, and prayed to God that I would not humiliate myself in front of a bunch of 8 year-olds. I hadn't done this in well over a decade. And you know what? I've still got it.

I'm not going to go into details, but I won't deny that there was a little gloating on my end after I showed them what's up. I'm pretty sure the words, "You like that?!" and "Now who has something to say?!" may have escaped my mouth.

Sometimes I get notes from "parents", excusing their kids from PE. Here was today's:

Hey, you gotta give it to the girl. She really tried.

Our Story

2009-03-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

My blog friend, Nicki, just posted this survey on her blog, and I'm jumping at the chance to do the same thing!

The Married Survey

The Story of William Ellis C.
& Shalay Marie C.

1. Did you have a traditional proposal?
Yes. We both love baseball and we had decided that during our lifetime, we would like to visit every baseball park in the country. Actually, I think I decided that, but Billy went right along with my idea. It was our 3 year anniversary, so we planned a weekend trip to San Francisco to see a Giants game and go to wine country. Billy is completely Type A when it comes to planning trips. He had every moment planned out, with exactly where we were eating every meal and seeing every sight. I am very laid back when it comes to that sorta stuff, so I went along with whatever he wanted. He kept telling me about some great lookout point that he read about online, that apparently only locals know about it. Sounded good to me.

We had just gotten back to our hotel from an afternoon of wine tasting in Sonoma, and we still had dinner reservations at Gary Danko that night. I was exhausted, but Billy really wanted to go to the lookout point, so we got a cab attempted to find. It was really hidden away, but we eventually got to it and walked up what seemed like thousands of steps to a balcony overlooking the bay. Honestly, I was so tired from the steps, I just remember saying over and over again, "I'm really thirsty." I didn't feel good. I was on the verge of saying, "Let's go," When Billy took me by the shoulders and started saying, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you." And being me, I said, "Yeah babe. I know. Me too." Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I responded with, "Are you f*cking kidding me?!" I was floored. It never even crossed my mind that we would be getting engaged for another few years. When I saw the ring, I said, "There's a ring and everything?!" Of course, I said yes. It was beyond surreal. It wasn't as romantic as I'd always envisioned my engagement moment to be (thanks to my big mouth), but I wouldn't change a thing. And when Billy told me that he had asked my mom, stepdad, and dad for permission, I pretty much lost it.

Right after he proposed.

At dinner, the night of our engagement

2. What was your wedding day?
August 9, 2008

3. What day of the week was it?
Saturday

4. Church/court/other?
We got married at South Coast Winery in Temecula, California. It was all outdoors, just like I wanted. To say I'm not very traditional when it comes to wedding stuff would be a major understatement.

5. What song was played when the bride walked down the aisle?
"Heavenly Day" by Patty Griffin

6. How many in your wedding party?
I had a Maid of Honor and six bridesmaids, and Billy had a Best Man and six groomsmen. And those guys were a handful. Our wedding coordinator said she had never seen such an out of control wedding party. Most brides would probably be pissed, but I thought it was pretty funny. There were no kids in the wedding.

7. How many guests were invited to your wedding?
I think we sent out 125 invitations. I'm not really sure, though. The final head count of guests that showed up was 162, I believe.

8. How long were you engaged?
363 days. We got engaged on August 11, 2007, and we were married on August 9, 2008. It was the perfect amount of time for us.

9. Who did you hire as your wedding photographer/videographer?
Our photography was done by Gary at ImageWorks Photography. I love all of our pictures, but they cost a fortune. I would recommend this photographer as long as you have a large budget. Also, my friend Sarah's boyfriend, Orlando, took it upon himself to take some photos at the wedding. He's an amateur photographer, but some of the photos he took are my absolute favorites of the day. I'm very lucky he was there to capture some amazing moments.

Oddly enough, we almost didn't have a videographer. I never set aside part of our budget to go toward video, and it was almost an afterthought. But my uncle knew a videographer who he just raved about. As it turns out, this has turned out to be one of my most cherished things from the wedding. We went with Russell from Gemstone Productions, and he did absolutely amazing work (go to the site and click on Samples to watch a two minute music video of our wedding). I couldn't be happier.

10. Did you have a DJ or a band?
Have you seen how expensive it is to book a band these days? We went with a DJ! And we loved him. It was Shawn from Hullabaloo Entertainment, and he did an awesome job. He even had the great idea of individually announcing each member of our wedding party as they entered the reception. Each person got to pick out their own song they wanted played during their entrance, and Billy and I wrote a funny bio for everyone.

Billy and I entered to Social Distortion's cover of "Ring of Fire".

Our first dance was to "Falling Slowly" from the movie, Once.

The father-daughter dance was to "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.

The mother-son dance was to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamikawiwo'ole. It was a very emotional song for Billy and his family, as it was also used in the slideshow of his dad's life and played at his funeral.

And the song played during the cake cutting was "I Want to Grow Old With You" by Adam Sandler, ala "The Wedding Singer".

11. Did your father walk you down the aisle?
Yes. And he was more nervous than me.

12. What color were the bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen vests?
A satiny chocolate brown. Gorgeous.

13. Who was your Maid of Honor/Best Man?
My Maid of Honor was my step-sister, Bree.

Billy's Best Man was his lifelong friend, Joey.
14. Did you have a bridal shower?
Yes! I had a Tiffany themed bridal shower, because my colors were chocolate brown and Tiffany blue. I loved it.

My Tiffany box cake

We played pin the bow-tie on Billy

Opening my presents

15. What type of limo did you get?
We didn't! We had a honemoon suite at our wedding location, since it was a resort and all! So no driving anywhere for us.

16. Where did you go for your Bachelorette/Bachelor party?
I had two bachelorette parties! My first one was with my friends and bridesmaids, who took me to downtown Fullerton. We went to Rockin' Taco, a piano bar, and the Slide Bar. They wrote down a bunch of dares on napkins that I had to do all night. It was a ton of fun!

All the girls

They gave me lingerie before we went out

I got a little "striptease" at the piano bar we went to!

My second one was a weekend trip in Vegas, right before the wedding. It was more of a girl's weekend, and I went with my mom, Bree, and my friend, Christina. We laid out by the pool during the day, went to great restaurants, and danced all night. It was perfect!

Billy and his buddies went on a weekend cruise to Mexico for his "Trip before the wedding" party. Bachelor parties were banned. Haha.

17. The night before your wedding, did you sleep?
Yes, but not until 2am. I was up late in my hotel suite with my bridesmaids, finishing up my centerpieces and writing my vows. Yes, I am that much of a procrastinator! I ended up going to sleep in a big, fluffy king sized bed, right next to my best friends.

18. What type of wedding gown/tux did you two wear?
Is it bad that I don't know the brand of my dress? Wedding dress shopping was SO not my thing. I finally found one that was simple, yet beautiful enough for me to feel like myself in. That was a major thing for me. I didn't want to look like a princess on my wedding day, because I'm not a princess. Sorry, but tiaras and huge trains were not for me. I wound up feeling just like I wanted: Like myself, only a really, really good looking version of myself.

Billy rented his tux. What else is there to say about that?

19. Did you have a veil?
Yes, I caved and got a veil after my mom cried when seeing me in one. I originally didn't want one, but I'm glad I wore it after all.

20. What was the funniest moment of your wedding?
Oh my god, where do I start? Although I didn't see it until I got the pictures back, all of the groomsmen did chest bumps and gave each other high fives when they reached the altar.

I got carded at my reception. The server almost didn't give me a glass of champagne because, you know, I couldn't just reach into my back pocket and whip out my ID. I was actually really pissed, and got bitchy with her. She wound up apologizing profusely after I said, "We just spent $30,000 here! Go look at my contract and look at my age!" Geesh. At least I can laugh about it now.

The best man's speech was also great. He said something like, "Billy, I helped you shave your head for the first time. I'm sorry, Shalay, if I had known it wasn't gonna grow back, I wouldn't have done it."

21. How was the weather?
HOT. But once the ceremony was over, and the sun went down, the night was just perfectly warm. We got really lucky.

22. I'm changing this question because the original one had to do with the "getaway car" (see question 15). So I'm changing it to: What was your cake like?
Awesome, thanks for asking! It was a "Mad Hatter" style cake, because like I originally said, I don't really like traditional wedding-type things. It was a chocolate and vanilla marble cake with raspberry and cream cheese filling. And our topper was bobble heads of ourselves, of course.

23. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We took a week off after the wedding and went to San Diego for three days, and Palm Springs for three days. Then we came back home and went to Disneyland. It wasn't an extravagant honeymoon, since our wedding kinda sucked us dry, but we had a fabulous time. We ate at amazing restaurants, went to Sea World, a Padres game, and stayed at some great hotels. All in all, a wonderful honeymoon.

24. What was your favorite part of your wedding day?
The ceremony. Hands down. Ironically, it had been the part of the day I was most nervous about, since I knew all eyes would be on me, and we were both reading our handwritten vows to each other. I was scared I would cry, and I was also scared I wouldn't cry. I kept thinking that as long as I got through the ceremony, it would be downhill from there. But as it turns out, the moment I started my walk down the aisle, I had the hugest feeling of peace with me. I wasn't nervous or scared anymore. In fact, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

I loved what our pastor, Eric, said and I loved reading my vows and hearing Billy's. It was the most magical feeling. And when they announced us husband and wife, the song "You're My Best Friend" by Queen started to play. It was perfect.

25. How long have you been married?
6 months and 25 days

26. Rings?
Billy designed mine with a jeweler in Newport Beach. It's platinum, three stones. The center stone is round, and the side stones are triangle. I love it. My wedding band was specially made to form around it.

Billy bought his tungsten band on overstock.com for $92. Without asking me first. He never got the memo that I should have helped him pick it out. Oh well, we both love it.

27. Did the bride change her name?
Yes, even though I was a little reluctant to do so at first. I'm an independent woman! I seriously considered making my maiden name my middle name. But when I told this to my parents, they thought it was ridiculous. My mom even said that they named me knowing that someday I would take on my husband's last name. She said it was important that I do that. Alrighty! I officially changed my name in September. And now whenever I look at my driver license and see C. as my last name, I get kinda giddy.

28. Any anniversary traditions?
I'll let you know as soon as we celebrate our first anniversary!

29. Anything special about the day/time of year you were married?
Very. Our wedding day was the 4 year anniversary of when Billy and I became an "official" couple. It was also the 3 year anniversary of his dad's death. We decided to take what had become a sad day, and turn it into a happy one.

30. Words of wisdom?
It doesn't matter how big or small your wedding is. Keep in mind that you're creating a marriage, which is a million times more important than any wedding will ever be. Stay focused on the big picture, and don't get too caught up with little details. In the end, all that's important is that you have a happy, healthy relationship.

Wedding photos courtesy of ImageWorks Photography and Orlando Carratini.

At least he doesn't have a low self-esteem

2009-03-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

My husband is seriously delusional when it comes to women. He always thinks they're hitting on him. We could walk by another woman who just happens to glance and smile in our direction and his immediate response is, "She wants me."

I don't know how he's gotten it in his head that he's just so irresistible, that every girl whose path he crosses turns into a cat in heat, but he truly believes it.

The other day he came home and said, "Right now at the supermarket, I just got hit on by two different women." He was so proud. My response? "Oh, let me guess: Someone smiled at you? Or maybe she said, 'Excuse me' as she walked by you?" "That's it!" He yelled. "You've lost the privilege of hearing about whenever I get hit on! I won't even tell you anymore!"

Thank you. Now I don't have to hear about how the lady across the street totally "wants him", since she said hi as she was getting out of her car. Or about how the girl in the Jack In the Box drive-thru thinks he's hot because she gave him extra hot sauce.

Guys are ridiculous. I sometimes wish we could just switch places for one day. Then he would understand what it really feels like to be hit on. Not that I'm full of myself or anything. No siree...

Wow. Just wow.

2009-03-02T22:29:00.000-08:00

Current thoughts:

Jason is a douche bag.
Melissa can do WAY better.

Hell, even Molly can do better.
I take that back. They deserve each other.
What a joke.

I am considering boycotting future seasons of The Bachelor. That is, unless they pick Melissa to be the next Bachelorette. She is a doll and I feel terrible for her! Why do I invest so much in these stupid reality shows? Ugh.

No, I don't have a baby, but I do have a husband, and I hear they're not that different.

2009-02-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

I've come to learn that many couples have different "going to bed" routines. Some couples go to bed at the same time, and some go to bed at different times. Different things work for different people. Billy and I almost always go to bed at the same time. Not because we're both tired at the same time, but because I'm tired and I make him come to bed because I can't get really get comfortable and fall asleep if he's still awake downstairs. Call me dependent or whatever you want. It's the truth.

This works for us because Billy can fall asleep faster than anyone I know, even if he claimed to be wide awake just 5 minutes prior. He usually has no problem going to bed when I tell him, until he meets another guy *cough* Ethan *cough*cough* who nonchalantly mentions that he and his wife go to bed at different times because she gets tired early and he likes to stay up late. And then I have to hear from my husband how I'm always "forcing" him to go to bed when he's not tired, and how I then complain when he tries to watch TV in the bedroom because it's "too loud and too bright". Well, it is. But continuing on...

Last night I came to the realization why my husband can not and should not ever be left to go to bed on his own. At around 11pm, I told him that I was tired and was going upstairs to bed. And I left it at that. Usually I'd say, "Ok, I'm tired. Let's go to bed." But I decided to be nice and let him continue playing his stupid Tiger Woods golf game on PlayStation 3. He responded with, "Okay. I'll be right up." Sounded good.

Cut to 2am, when I wake up in bed, by myself. I walk out of my bedroom and stand at the top of the stairs, and what do you think I hear? That damn video game. And then the exchange of, "Come to bed!" And, "I'll be right up!" All over again.

Seriously? This is a guy who has to be up at 7am and who works 9 hours a day. Why he would even want to stay up that late is beyond me. Just more proof that he wouldn't be able to function without me in his life. I seriously have to
wake him up
shake him and loudly tell him to get up 15 times every morning. And then I have to tell him to go to bed every night. Without me, the guy would seriously stay up till 5am playing video games every night, and he'd have been fired for never showing up to work before noon.

And don't even get me started on him eating. He is like a goldfish and will continue to eat whatever is in front of him, all the while saying, "I'm so full... I really don't feel good... I think I'm gonna throw up." So it's up to me to take his food away. He usually looks at me with gratitude and says, "Thank you."

Come to think of it, I don't think I'll be half-bad at parenting someday. I'm getting lots of practice in now!

Because this deserves it's own post...

2009-02-25T21:10:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to take the time to thank all of my bloggy friends out there for reading my blog! I can't believe I have 44 followers now! I feel kinda popular. (As you can tell, I was never popular in real life. I have to make up for it in cyberspace.)

But in all seriousness, I love receiving comments. I read and laugh at them all. I'm sorry if I'm not always diligent with commenting back, but I promise, I'll try to get around to everyone's blogs in due time. And if you're a reader who has yet to introduce yourself, please take the time to do so. Whether you've stumbled across this blog through another one, or you know who I am in real life, I'd love to hear from you!

I hope you're all having a wonderful week!

Our snowy trip

2009-02-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know I promised to blog yesterday, but I'm currently recovering from what must have been the 24-hour flu. On Monday night my poor husband was up all night long, in and out of the bathroom. I felt really bad for him, but at the same time, I was relieved it wasn't me. Cut to Tuesday morning, when I'm getting ready for work and feeling a little nauseated. I brushed it off, but by 9am I felt like absolute hell. I got home at around 2:30 and went to bed. I had a full on fever, chills, nausea, body aches, and headache. I wanted to die. I didn't get out of bed from 2:30pm until 6:30 this morning. Who does that? I feel much better today, luckily, but my stomach is still bothering me. Ugh.

On to a better subject, our trip to Shaver Lake was amazing! We went with my cousin, Fawn, and her husband, Eric, along with two other of our couple-friends. It was a fun-filled weekend of games, good food, snowboarding, playing in the snow, and relaxing.

Our cabin! We obviously couldn't even get in through the front door.

We found a good use for the snow.
At the breakfast table.Me and Jenny on the huge mound of snowOur group before snowboardingMe and the girls just about to get on the liftHere I am, posing on a sled. Looks are deceiving. With Fawn, Jen, and our snowman.

Snowboarding was, um, an experience, to say the least. First of all, Billy had the brilliant idea of letting me borrow his friend's snowboard before going up there. His friend who is 6'2. I am 5'2. Bad things were bound to happen. It started with
getting off
tumbling off the ski lift. I seriously did not understand it. I felt like my ankle was going to snap in half when I stood up and attempted to maneuver the damn thing. Getting about 30 feet down the first hill took about 15 minutes, no joke. And I still had a long way to go. I wanted to kill myself.

Thank God, our friends, Jenny and Ethan, who are excellent snowboarders, were there to help me. They soon realized that my boots didn't even fit inside my bindings, which obviously would hinder my snowboarding abilities. Fawn had to come back up the mountain and give me her snowboard so I could get down. And what a difference. If I had started out with a board that fit my boots from the get-go, I truly believe I would have had an awesome experience. But by the time I had the good board, I was already completely exhausted from having to pull myself up off my ass 500 times. I had a few good rides, but all in all, I just wanted off the mountain. I couldn't believe I actually paid $50 bucks for those 2 hours of hell. And you know what? I wanna go again!

I. Am. Crazy.

I'm Back

2009-02-23T18:55:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts over the past few days. I just got back home from a 4-day trip to beautiful Shaver Lake. I have lots of pics to post, and a story about how I came to the realization that I suck at snowboarding. But for now, I'm going to relax and unpack. I hope everyone is having an awesome start to the week!

I knew he was always your favorite!

2009-02-18T20:54:00.001-08:00

My mom came over on Monday night to watch "The Bachelor" with me because, let's face it, we're both totally girly and suckers for reality shows.

While she was over, she was telling me about how worried she was about my little brother the other night, when he didn't come home until 3am. My little brother who is 18. But this is very normal for her. He is her baby, and she always worries about him much more than me or my 19 year old step-sister. I'm totally serious. Bree and I could pretty much do anything at all and my mom wouldn't bat an eyelash, but when it comes to my brother, she flips out. Which is fine with me, because I hate the thought of anyone worrying about me. I can take care of myself. And I never liked to be babied, even when I was a baby. My brother is much more affectionate than I've ever been. So it works out.

Well, she was telling me how deathly afraid she was getting when he wasn't coming home. She didn't want to seem like a nagging mom, so she tried not to call him, but she just couldn't help but pray. She said, "I was just praying to God, asking him to let your brother be okay. And I said, 'God, all I want in life is for my son, my dog, and my mom to be okay. Please just let them be okay."

Um, come again? I said, "You left me out!"

She laughed and said, "Well, I thought about it for a second and realized it! So I had to rephrase it to, 'Just let my children, my mom, and my dog be okay. I mean, is that the order I value things? I put my dog before my own mom?"

"Well at least Nana made the list!" I said. "I didn't even rank! You put the dog before me!" And sadly, all she could do was laugh and say, "I know."

Moms. Gotta love 'em. Even if they do love your sibling, grandma, and dog more than you.

Funniest video I've seen in a long time

2009-02-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is seriously hilarious. This poor kid is coming home from a visit with the dentist, and he's all drugged up. Thanks Dad, for catching it on camera!

Doesn't it kinda make you wanna get your hands on whatever he's on? No? Ok, maybe just me.

Love is in the air

2009-02-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day yesterday! Billy and I have actually been celebrating all weekend, starting with Friday. He came home from work with a dozen beautiful red roses and chocolate covered strawberries (my fave). That night he surprised me by taking me out to Newport Beach for a wonderful dinner. He actually drove around in circles pretending to be lost for about 15 minutes, before actually pulling into the restaurant parking lot. I love surprises, but the suspense was killing me!

The restaurant we ate at was called Tradition by Pascal. It was French food, our favorite, and we loved every minute we were there. Pascal himself even stopped by our table to make sure we were having a superb experience.

Yesterday we decided to stay home and relax since Billy's mom was getting married that night. We made a grocery run and loaded up on cheese, fruit, and wine.

Billy's mom got married last night at The Mission Inn in Riverside, and everything was spectacular. She married a great guy who's a widower, and I'm so happy that they've found each other at this stage in their lives. The food and dancing at the reception was awesome, and this morning we got up early to go back to the Mission Inn, where we met up with everyone for the champagne brunch. Needless to say, I've eaten a LOT this weekend!

Now we're just lounging in bed, catching up on some TV shows we've recorded, while I do loads of laundry for the upcoming week. I hope everyone else is having a great weekend!

Why I used to love the Olsen twins, but am now freaked out by them.

2009-02-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

Can somebody please explain to me what is wrong with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? No seriously, I really want to know. Drugs? Eating disorders? What the heck is it?! There is no way these two are as healthy as they were five years ago. Every time I see a photo of them, I can't help but get a little sad.

We're the same age. So I've grown up watching them on Full House, their straight to video movies, and their two other TV series'. I used to envy them so much. They seemed so perfect and flawless. Now, well... not so much.

Let's take a look at the O twins over the years, shall we?

Sorry, but heroin chic is so 90's.

Even their personalities seem so blah now. Awhile back I watched them promote their book on Oprah, and they were just holding back so much. They barely cracked smiles and seemed to be trying really hard to look so much older and more sophisticated. What happened to the fun-loving girls they used to be?

Sorry to get all Perez Hilton with this celebrity post, but this just really bothers me. I wish I could do an intervention for them or something. Yes. That is exactly it. I need to find other fans like myself,
kidnap them,
and intervene. And then when they get help for their drug addictions or whatever is plaguing them, they could get all cleaned up and go back to being normal human beings. And then they'll befriend me. And I could be all, "Oh, I'm just going to hang out with Ashley and MK. Yeah, that stands for Mary-Kate. I'm her friend, I'd know."

Ok. Maybe they're not the only ones who need help.

Bringing Facebook to Blogger

2009-02-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

Those of you who have a Facebook account are probably familiar with the "25 Things About Me" notes in circulation. I recently got tagged and posted one. And because I have nothing really to post about today, here it is:

25 Random Things About Me

1. I dislike having an unusual name, but I can't imagine going by anything else.

2. I love Christmas. No seriously, I listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, I watch Christmas movies every night in December, and I wake up at dawn on Christmas morning. And yes, my younger siblings make fun of me for this.

3. I don't mind needles or getting shots, but I absolutely HATE having blood drawn. The nurses have to hold my hand and remind me to breathe.

4. I have more empathy for animals than I do for humans. If I watch a news story about people dying tragically, I'll think, "Oh, that's too bad." But if I hear about anything sad happening to an animal, I'll cry my eyes out.

5. I hate going into Costco or a Super Wal-Mart because it makes me claustrophobic if I can't see where the building ends.

6. It really aggravates me when people say they hate a food that they've never even tried.

7. Working with young kids has made me realize how much I truly cherish my memories of elementary school. I had the absolute best experiences from kindergarten through 6th grade.

8. I hate crossing streets. I have to run every single time because I think I'm going to get hit by a car.

9. I never wanted a big wedding, and I absolutely hated shopping for my dress. I never imagined that I'd be wearing anything other than a bathing suit because I always thought I'd elope on a beach or something.

10. Even though I never wanted a big wedding, I think the big one I had was FABULOUS. I can't help but compare every wedding I've gone to since then to my own.

11. I'm allergic to avocado, raw carrots, some nuts, melon, and other various fruit. I won't die, but my mouth and tongue will get really, really itchy.

12. I wish I was a better dancer, and deep down inside, I wish I was a Laker girl.

13. I love to sleep in, but I hate feeling like I've wasted half the day. Sleeping always wins out, though.

14. I HATE hearing that I look so much younger than what I am. It's not actually a compliment until I'm at least 40.

15. I love to get together with my girlfriends and talk about sex. I may have a dirtier mouth than Samantha from Sex and the City.

16. My biggest pet peeve EVER is when people smoke around kids. I think it's a form of child abuse.

17. I sometimes wish I had a deviated septum so I could have an excuse to get a nose job. And yes, I'm aware that there's nothing wrong with my nose now. I just have an unhealthy fascination with plastic surgery.

18. I really like being alone at times. I like to watch whatever I want on tv, spend however long on the internet, and write in my journal. I somewhat dread becoming a mother because I don't want to sacrifice this time.

19. I'm not a member of any organized religion. I believe in God, pray, and sometimes go to church, but I'm more comfortable following what I know in my heart, rather than what people tell me. For now.

20. My husband and I quote our favorite TV shows on a daily basis, and no one ever knows what the heck we're talking about.

21. I am not athletic or strong. If I ever got in a fight, I'd go down in an instant.

22. Billy and I spend at least $200 each time we go to fancy restaurants, which happens many times throughout the year. We both love good food. We're also both horrible at saving money.

23. I am fascinated by pregnancy, and I can't help but stare at pregnant women because I think they're beautiful.

24. I struggle with the fact that I have to name my first born son William Thomas, after Billy's dad. I just never had that on my "list" of names that I'd use, and it's hard for me to accept.

25. When I was in 1st grade, a story I wrote in class was performed for the entire school. When I was in 4th grade, my teacher gave my mom a folder of stories I had written and told her to look into getting them published. I've still never been published, but it WILL happen someday.

And he shall never question me again.

2009-02-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning when we were leaving church, it was pouring cats and dogs outside. I don't do rain. Let me clarify this: I don't do rain when I have to go outside for any reason at all. If I'm spending the day at home with blankets and movies and hot chocolate, bring it on. But I'd really rather not drive or walk in the rain.

So Billy and I are forced to run through the huge parking lot to get to our truck. All the while I'm saying, "My hair. My hair. My hair!" Billy says, "You're funny. What's the big deal?" Well, when we get in the truck, he looks over at me and laughs. "You're hair is a mess!" "Yeah, I know." I say. "It gets frizzy in the rain." To which he replies, "That really happens? That's not just something girls make up?"

Something girls just make up? Are you kidding me? Um, no! I swear, if he ever accuses me of "making up" cramps or any other female problem, he's spending the night outside.

The Bag Tag!

2009-02-07T18:12:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am ridiculously excited that I've been tagged by More Wine Please to participate in The Bag Tag. By the way, check out her blog, she's awesome!

So here are the rules:

1) Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house. No cheating!

2) I want to know how much it cost:) And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I’d love to hear it.

3) Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you’re showing everyone your bag.

So, this is the bag I've been using the last week and a half:

Yes, I am self-proclaimed purse whore. I salivate at the sight of a new handbag. I think I have to be the easiest person to shop for (and maybe most expensive) because I'd be happy to receive handbags for every birthday and Christmas for the rest of my life. But I also happen to like name brands, so there's the glitch in the system. Some women have a thing for shoes or clothes or makeup... Bags is my thing.

Believe it or not, I got this purse for Christmas from my amazing husband, and just barely took it out of its box less than 2 weeks ago. He was getting worried that I didn't like it. But you see, my purse preferences vary by season and mood. I can get a purse that I absolutely love, but not even cut the tags off for 7 months. But Billy can rest assured: I love this purse.

And no, I don't know how much it cost, nor do I care. I don't ever shop for purses for myself due to the whole "being a responsible, bill paying adult" thing. Stupid limitations. So if I receive a purse for a special occasion, I don't worry about the cost because I MORE than deserve it! And ladies, so do you!

There's apparently no limits, so I'm going tag-happy on this one:

Kim at The Newly Woodwards
The Polka Dotted Owl
Gretchen at The Future France Family
Nicki at The Kenningtons
Lindsey at Learning to be a Wife
Stephany at Season of Singleness
Aimee at Scrap In My Head
Jen at The McCradys
Michelle at The Roberts Family
Tiffany at My Life, My Love, My Reality
Brianna at The Adams Family
Tiff from The Music of Our Lives
Cinnibonbon
Kristen

Have fun!

Just get into it.

2009-02-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

I am so stressed about school right now. Apparently I'm on the 7 year plan, because it's been nearly 5 years since I graduated high school, and I'm just now applying to universities. I've been at community colleges FOREVER. The school I had my heart set on is no longer accepting applications for fall because of all the budget cuts this year. It turns out that the only other California State University that is nearby that's still accepting applications is one that I REALLY don't want to go to.

So now I'm applying to a private university, and I'm freaked out. I'm scared that I won't get in, and I think I may even be more scared that I will get in. Those private schools tend to be really expensive. And I just read that I'll have to attend some sort of church service three times a week. How is that even possible for people who work full-time and are married?! So yeah, I'm stressed.

I think the only thing keeping me sane, is knowing that I'll be seeing this movie this weekend:

Seriously, could this movie look any better? As much as a movie snob that I am, with having recently watched Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler, The Changeling, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, sometimes all I want is a good old-fashioned chick flick. And with this movie's all-star cast, it better not disappoint! How can you go wrong with Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barrymore?

Enjoy the trailer.

And can you believe I've never gotten a ticket?

2009-02-02T22:23:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'd like to start off by saying that having a new phone number SUCKS. We get calls every 15 minutes from telemarketers and recordings telling us to look into something regarding our mortgage. Dude. We're renting and don't even have a mortgage. Leave us the eff alone.

So I don't know what came over me earlier when I saw that a 1-800 number was calling, and I still decided to answer it. And furthermore, I don't know what came over me when the lady on the other end said, "We're conducting a five minute survey about road rage. Would you like to participate?" And I replied, "Sure. Why not?" I was pretty distracted by the TV and wasn't quite sure what I was hearing or saying.

The lady asks a bunch of questions about what I consider road rage to be (Um, a person who's raging while on the road. Duh.) And then she makes me answer how often I see certain behaviors in other drivers by saying: Every day; once a week; once in awhile; or never.

The convo goes a little something like:
Lady: How often do you see someone slam on their brakes?
Me: Um, about once a week.
Lady: How often do you slam on your brakes?
Me: Every day.
Lady: How often do you see someone talking on their cell phone while driving?
Me: Once a week.
Lady: How often do you talk on your cell phone while driving?
Me: Um, every single time I drive.
Lady: How often do you see someone texting or browsing the internet on their cell phone while driving?
Me: I dunno. Maybe once every few days.
Lady: How often do you text or browse the internet on your cell phone while driving?
Me: Every single time I drive.
Lady: How often do you see other drivers eating, drinking, applying makeup, or reading while driving?
Me: I'd say once in a while.
Lady: How often do you eat, drink, apply-"
Me: You can just stop there. Please just assume I'm the worst driver on the road, who regularly talks on her cell phone, texts, surfs the net, puts on makeup, eats, and slams on my brakes every time I'm behind the wheel.
Lady: *laughs* Thanks for your time, Ma'am.

Oh happy day?

2009-02-01T21:36:00.000-08:00

So today was the big, Superbowl Sunday. Was it a happy day for you? Did the team you were rooting for actually win? Since the only two teams I like weren't in the Superbowl (the Colts and the Dolphins, in case you were wondering), I didn't care too much about who won today. I was rooting for the Cardinals because they were kind of an underdog, and I'm a total girl, so I always root for the underdog. But I didn't care much that they lost, and the Steelers took the title. It's more about the "Superbowl" experience for me. As long as I'm around good people, with a lot of good food and drinks, I'm a happy girl.

We spent half the day at Billy's old neighbor's house, in his garage. I drank a whole bottle of champagne and half a bottle of Boonesfarm by myself. Then we went over to my uncle's house, where we had about 5 shots of Tequila each. I'm still not drunk, and I'm kind of curious as to why, but that doesn't really matter. It's been a good weekend. My husband is in the kitchen, as I type, cooking seared scallops and filet mignon. Can I just say how much I love having a husband that loves to cook?

Yesterday we went to downtown Riverside to taste cake. Yeah, last week Billy's mom called us up and asked us if we could do her a HUGE favor by taste testing wedding cakes for her, since she didn't have time. She's getting married on Valentine's Day at the Mission Inn in Riverside, and she just couldn't make time to go out and pick a cake. You'd better believe that we were able to clear out our "busy" schedules to sit down for an hour and taste every combination of cake, frosting, and filling that the baker had. We've since decided that we should definitely be professional "cake testers". So if you don't have time to taste wedding cakes, we'd be happy to do it for you. It would be our pleasure.

And while we were in Riverside, we reminisced a bit about that time, 6 months ago, when we drove out there to apply for our marriage license. We were going to the hall of records, and we MapQuested it and everything. We followed the directions exactly as they said and we were a bit surprised that we seemed to be going in a really weird direction. Wouldn't you know it? We wound up in a cemetery. Yes. I couldn't make this up even if I wanted to. MapQuest led us to a cemetery instead of the place to get our marriage license. The actual hall of records was on the other side of town, and not even in the same vicinity of the cemetery we ended up at. We still laugh about it, but it's kind of haunting in a freaky way. A cemetery? Are you kidding me? If that's not a bad sign, I don't know what is.

New rule: No electronics in the bathroom

2009-01-29T16:17:00.000-08:00

Last night my husband was glued to his laptop, searching for gourmet recipes to use for when we stay at a cabin with two other couples next month. At one point, he stood up with his computer in hand and announced, "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Um, what are you doing?" I asked. "You can't take the laptop in there with you." "Why not?" He asked. "Because that's gross!" I yelled. "There are like, particles in there! I don't want them getting on the computer!" "You're crazy." he said. "There are no particles in there." "Well there's germs! Remember the episode of Seinfeld where George had to buy the book after he took it into the bathroom with him? It's because you can't take stuff in the bathroom with you! Because it's gross!" (Is it sad that my husband and I constantly compare situations in Seinfeld to real life?)

"Fine." Billy said, exasperated. "Can I use your iPhone?" "Yeah, sure. Here ya go." I replied. "What? You're gonna let me take your iPhone in there?" He was kinda perplexed by this. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I? I do it all the time." "You won't let me take the laptop in the bathroom, but you'll let me take you're phone? Your phone that you put up to your face?!"

Oh.

"I guess I never thought about it that way." I said, defeated. Needless to say, my phone was thoroughly disinfected this morning.

Weekend re-cap

2009-01-25T22:54:00.000-08:00

Billy and I were invited to our friend's 30th surprise birthday party on Saturday night. A 70's themed party. So we spent most of Saturday afternoon perusing local thrift stores in search of something to wear. Believe it or not, I had never been to a thrift store. I'm not really into wearing used clothes. Sadly, it looks like I'll never be fashionably vintage. And leave it to me to buy the most expensive article of clothing in a thrift store. The only thing I found that I wanted was a silver sequined dress that was $18. Billy's whole ensemble of a royal blue blazer, collared shirt, plaid pants, wig, and white loafers didn't even cost that much. I'm such a failure at thrift store shopping.

And being that it was a surprise party, we didn't have the luxury of being able to arrive a little late. Nope, we had to be there on time so they didn't waste the good surprise on us. (Can you guess what movie that's from? Anyone? Anyone?) Getting someplace on time isn't an easy thing for me, especially when I have to get ready beforehand. When we were on our way home from shopping, Billy was driving like a mad man. He was weaving in and out of traffic and screaming at the other drivers, "Don't you people know that my wife needs more than an hour to get ready?!" But alas, we made it on time and a fun time was had by all.

Ah, my husband in all his glory.

We also saw "Slumdog Millionaire" this weekend. What a fantastic movie. We're going to see all of the Academy Award nominated movies before Oscar night. In the comfort of our own home, I might add. I can't get into any details because I don't wanna get arrested, but it's pretty nice to not have to pay $20 every time we wanna see a movie that's in the theater.
That's all I have in me right now. Today was spent drinking lots of wine and eating a big steak dinner, so I'm pretty useless and not up to par, blog-wise. I hope you all had a great weekend!

On second thought, maybe we'll adopt.

2009-01-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

I often find myself saying aloud to my husband, "I hope we have cute kids." Honestly, it's something that I worry about quite frequently. I know it's a little irrational, but I can't help it. I want cute kids, dammit. You know how you sometimes see those couples who look alike? The ones that have really similar coloring and features, who could actually pass as brother and sister? Well, I kinda envy those couples because it's pretty freaking obvious what their kids are gonna look like. That is not the case with Billy and me. We look really different. So there's no knowing what the hell our kids will come out looking like. With our luck, they'll have his hair (or lack thereof), my oily skin, his lovehandles, and my skinny chicken legs. And they'll be really short, of course.

I know there are definitely more important things than looks when it comes to kids. Of course I just want healthy, vibrant children. But is it too much to ask to throw in a cuteness factor?

Oh no. What's worse than having ugly children? Having ugly children but thinking they're actually cute. I see people suffering from this all the time. Like that episode of Seinfeld where their friend has a baby that's so hideous, everyone actually gags while looking at it, but she's convinced he's just gawgeous! I guess when you're a parent your blind to stuff like that. Here's the thing: I don't think I'll be like that. I am not the type of person that finds all babies to be cute. In fact, most of the time I don't see what all the fuss is about, and I still have yet to see an attractive newborn. That's what I really don't understand. Newborns are not cute. It should be universally understood that babies don't start getting cute until about 4 months, but you still have those people gushing over their 2 week old baby and how much he looks like his father. Um, seriously? He looks like a shriveled up old man. Give it a few months. Maybe he'll get cute. And if he doesn't, I'll lie to you anyway.

I completely understand if you all hate me after this post. My husband has told me that I'm heartless, but I prefer to think of it as "brutally honest". And if you're reading this and you're worried what I think about your kid, don't stress. I probably think he or she is a doll. Unless they're less than 4 months old.

And because karma is a bitch, I'll probably be punished for writing this. And this is what my daughter will turn out looking like:

I'd just like to take this time to thank my husband for sending me this picture in an e-mail. He morphed our faces together to give us a picture of what our offspring will look like. Notice the patch of hair under her bottom lip? Poor girl. I guess that's where the saying "A face only a mother can love" comes in.

I'm a blonde at heart and you're about to see why.

2009-01-21T16:46:00.001-08:00

Since we moved, I've had to adjust to a lot of changes. Good changes, but changes nonetheless. I do not do well with change. I'm a creature of habit and whenever anything is different, I tend to get really, really confused.

The other day I plopped on the couch next to my husband and said, "I put everything away in the kitchen. But the aluminum foil and Glad wrap had to go in the pantry." "Why?" Billy asked. "Because it wouldn't fit in any of our drawers." I said. "I tried every drawer in the kitchen, and for some reason, they just didn't make any of the drawers big enough to fit them. The builders of this place were so stupid." "Ok." He said. And we went about our day.

A couple of days later, Billy said, "Oh by the way, I moved the foil, Ziploc bags, and Glad wrap to a drawer in the kitchen." I thought about this for a moment, but was utterly stumped. "How?" I asked. "I tried every single drawer in our kitchen and they didn't fit in any of them. How is that even possible?" "Um, Babe?" He said. "Did it ever cross your mind to try turning them sideways?"

Just for the record:
This = BAD
This = GOOD

What a great day to be alive

2009-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know about y'all, but I feel privileged to be an American, especially right now. I witnessed history this morning while watching Barack Obama's inauguration, and I just felt so honored to be able to see that amazing moment. No matter what your political beliefs, or who you voted for, it was a very special sight to see, and I'm sure it's something I'll talk about with my kids someday.

Just look at this crowd.The news just said the estimated number was 1.9 million people. Wow.

And because this is just as important as the presidential inauguration, I am going to switch gears and talk about blogging, which just got a lot more exciting. I am now the recipient of not one, but two blog awards. My first ever! Thank you.

The first award is the Honest Scrap Award from the Polka Dotted Owl at The Magic Risotto Diaries.

The rules of the award:
1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.
3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

So here it goes, 10 honest things about me:

1.) I will not drink out of a water bottle that I was drinking out of while eating. I will get a new water first, and waste the first bottle because I have a fear that it will smell like my food. I waste a lot of good Dasani water this way, and yes, it is a shame.
2.) My name doesn't mean anything, it's just something my dad made up. He once told me he almost named me Michelle, and ever since then, I've wondered what life would have been like if my name was Michelle.
3.) I hate peanut butter, but I don't mind it on celery sticks. I hate bananas, but I don't mind them in fruit smoothies.
4.) My first phone number was 590-1344.
5.) My favorite sport is baseball and my husband and I want to eventually go to every baseball park in the country. So far, I've only been to the ones in California.
6.) I have scoliosis and my hips are not symmetrical, which my husband swears only I can see.
7.) My favorite albums of all time are The Beatles' Abbey Road and Green Day's American Idiot.
8.) The idea of having kids freaks me out most of the time, but for some reason I really want twins someday.
9.) My first pet was a cat named Chilly Willy.
10.) I love being near water, preferably the ocean. I would swim in it every day if I could.

The seven people I'm tagging as recipients for the Honest Scrap Award are:
1. Brittany at The Life Of a Steel Magnolia
2. Brianna at Adams Family
3. Tiffany at My life, my love, my reality...

4. Aimee at Scrap in My Head

5. Michelle at RandomRamblings

6. EJ and Roo Said I Do

7. Nicki at The Kenningtons

The second award I received was from Brianna. It's called the This Blog Measures Up Award. Here are the steps:

1. Say one nice thing to the man in your life: Thank you for bringing home the bacon, frying it up in a pan, and serving it to me with eggs and toast. You really do it all, and I couldn't imagine life without you.

2. List at least 6 ways you measure success in your life:
Hmm, this is a hard question for me because I don't really know how to measure my life's success. I think the most important things are that I feel happy within my soul, that I know my husband is happy, that I'm spending quality time with my friends and family, that I'm involved in some sort of creative outlet, that I'm doing something to work toward the future, and that I feel like I'm contributing toward making the world a better place.

3. Assign 5 other blogs this award:

Ok, I pass this award on to:
1. Jen at The McCrady's

2. Lindsay at Meet Miss Priss

3. Cinnibonbon at She Flies With Her Own Wings

4. Newlywed Next Door

5. More Wine Please

Geez, that was more work than I thought it would be. Nobody ever said being a winner was easy.

I'm officially back!

2009-01-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

Well, after 11 long days, I finally have an Internet connection at home. And it feels so good!

I now hate Verizon, though. Seriously, my husband made an appointment with them to come on our move-in day (January 9th) to install our Wi-Fi. They came, and everything was fine, until we learned that we wouldn't be able to get Direct TV. So we decided to just get Verizon's package of digital cable and Internet together. That's when it all went to hell. Once they activated our Fios cable, they accidentally de-activated our Internet. And it took them 10 days to turn it back on.

My husband called them all week. On Friday he finally spoke with one of their customer service representatives, and the conversation went something like this:

Billy: We need to have Internet service. Now.

Dumbass at Verizon: Ok, Sir. It looks like we'll have someone able to fix this tomorrow.

Billy: That's what you told me Monday. It's now Friday.

Dumbass: Hmm, let me look at your account.... Yup, it shows here that we spoke to you Monday and scheduled this to be fixed on Tuesday. It also shows that we updated your account status from URGENT to CRITICAL.

Billy: You updated our status to CRITICAL on Monday?

Dumbass: That is correct, Sir.

Billy: It's Friday.

Dumbass: Yes, it is.

Billy: Ok, let me put it this way: What if I was a patient in the hospital? And on Monday I was deemed in critical condition, but no one ever came to check on me until Friday. Don't you think I'd be dead by now?

Dumbass: Well Sir, you wouldn't be in good shape.

No sh*t!

So yeah, that's the idiocy that we had to deal with.

But on a brighter note, we finally got all settled into our new place, and it is coming together quite well. Well, at least the downstairs is. The second and third floors are another story. Here's some pics of our first floor, which is pretty much all done:

Our kitchen. I love that we now have so much cabinet and counter space. We were finally able to open all of our wedding gifts, since we now have a place to store it all.

The living room. I know, we have way too many DVD's. Our little dining area. Our next big purchase is going to be a new, wooden dining room table and new chairs. Then this little setup will move outside to our porch. Our wine rack, near our front door. And yup, those are our wedding bobbleheads hanging out. A closer look at our DVD's, which you can't really identify in this photo, but I spent an hour and a half alphabetizing them the other night. Yay me?

All in all, we love our new place. It's not huge, but it's ours. Well, technically it's not ours, since we're just renting, but you get the idea. It's perfect for us right now, as newlyweds. The master bedroom and laundry room are on the second floor, and there's a guest bedroom and bathroom on the third floor. So yeah, lots of stairs.

How is everybody else out there in Blogland? I've been gone for so long, I have a ton to catch up on. Good thing I have the day off (thank you, Dr. Martin Luther King!), so I'll have time to do some blog surfing. Oh, and is anyone else as excited as I am to see the presidential inauguration? We're going to see history being made, and I'm absolutely thrilled about this very special time. Even Billy, who has completely different political views than me, is excited to see it. What an amazing time for our country right now.

Oh blogging, how I've missed you

2009-01-12T15:59:00.000-08:00

Forgive me for not blogging for 5 days, but I have been in internet-less hell. Actually, we just moved. So due to Verizon being completely mentally retarded, and taking 4+ days now to hook up our wireless internet, I have resorted coming to my husband's office to take care of crucial business: checking my Facebook and blog.

I had no idea what a pain in the ass this move would be. Who would have thought two newlyweds coming out of a two bedroom, 1200 square foot apartment could have so much crap? All of a sudden, our S'More Maker and VCR held much less value than they previously did.

Another thing that sucks about moving, is you tend to unpack all of the meaningless, unimportant stuff first, only to freak out about the most important things that are missing in a mountain of boxes. Like your toothbrush. It was 1:00 am, I had just unpacked our toiletries, and I found myself toothbrushless. Billy's toothbrush was there, but mine was nowhere to be found. I had just eaten 4 slices of pizza, and the thought of not brushing my teeth was almost as bad as the thought of having to use my husband's toothbrush.

Oh, in case you didn't know this about me, I am a freak about sharing things. I will not drink out of the same cup as someone else, use the same fork, or take a bite of food where they took a bite. And this goes for all people, including my husband, whom I happily kiss on a daily business. The fact that this makes absolutely no sense is beside the point. I do not share things. You can blame my Uncle Richard, who traumatized me as a kid by pretending to take bites of my food or sips of my drink while I wasn't looking. I would scream bloody murder at the mere thought, and I've never recovered. Also, just because I'm on the subject, you know what really frustrates me? When people say, "Oh, you two can share, you guys are related. You have the same germs." WTF?! How does that make any sense at all? Two people cannot have the same freaking germs, it is physically impossible. A germ that is on you cannot be on me at the same time. I don't care if you're my mom or my brother. It's like the law of physics or something.

So anyway, as big of a sharing freak that I am, I am also a clean freak. But my cleanliness obsession is restricted to only myself, and not the world around me. I can live in a messy house for weeks, but as long as I am clean, I feel okay. The thought of not brushing my teeth for a night was too much for me to handle. I sucked it up and used my husband's toothbrush. And I now think I've taken a major step forward in the journey toward my recovery. But yes, I went out and bought a new toothbrush immediately the next day, and spent extra time brushing my teeth.

And to my bloggy friends: I have a lot of blog reading to catch up on in the next few days! I should be getting full internet by tomorrow evening, so I will be making the rounds to all of your fabulous blogs.

Have a great night everyone!

You haven't really lived until you've seen a watermelon get crushed by giant boobs.

2009-01-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

You read that title correctly. Yesterday my mom told me that she was watching "TMZ" and they showed a clip of some Mexican variety show that had a woman pound on watermelons with her giant breasts until they cracked open.

Hmm. That was definitely something I needed to see to believe. So I looked it up. And sure enough... I came across "Melons Crushing Melons" on YouTube.

It's actually kind of sad. How can that not hurt? And are those real boobs or fake boobs? Because I'm fairly sure implants can't sustain that type of beating for very long. What do her parents think of the fact that their daughter is famous for crushing fruit with her breasts? I can't really wrap my head around it. It's so bizarre.

With that said, I suggest you all watch this minute long video with your husbands, and be grateful for your normal sized breasts and day jobs!

Edited at 4:45pm: I don't know why the comments link won't show up... stupid Blogger. If you'd like to leave a comment, just click on the post title and scroll down!

White flag. In the air. I surrender.

2009-01-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

I can't take it anymore. A few days ago I posted that I was considering not cleaning my toilets ever again since we're moving this week. I have 4 days left. And I cannot take it anymore. I'm heading in there with my Clorox and scrubber in hand. Maybe it's because I'm such a clean freak.

Oh, who am I kidding? It's totally because my husband got drunk off two bottles of wine last night and spewed it back out all over our toilet.

Moments like this make me wish I had added into our vows: "I will love, honor, and cherish you. Except when you puke. Then you're on your own. And you're cleaning it up."

Plans, hopes, and goals.

2009-01-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

If you're a member of the scrapbooking world, you're probably familiar with Ali Edwards and her challenge for everyone to have a "word" to describe what they hope to achieve in the new year. Scrapbooking is something I truly enjoy, but it's also something I only do sporadically. Honestly, I just find enjoyment out of looking at other people's layouts and perusing their blogs, and that's enough sometimes. Those women are so freaking talented.

I have a point, and I am getting to it.

So I've decided to take on Ali Edwards' challenge and come up with a word to describe what I want from myself in 2009. After not much thought at all, I've decided that my word this year will be: STRIVE.

As in, strive for more in different areas in my life. I like this word because it doesn't have to be associated with words like achieve or succeed. It's not about what what the ending result is; it's about the journey. And I know I have it in my heart to strive for so many things in my life.

This year I will:

Strive to be a better wife by: Communicating with my husband as much as possible. Making an effort to not fall into a routine of coming home from work and becoming zombies in front of the TV and laptop. To take time out of our day to talk about what we went through and what's on our minds. Oh, and I'll do more laundry, since he's always bitching about it.

Strive to be a better friend by: Going out with my friends more often when they text me spur of the moment. I'm really bad at doing this. Also, I need to start calling them and setting up girls' nights more often. We're all adults now with jobs and relationships, and it actually takes effort from both sides to keep a friendship going strong.

Strive to complete my education by: Passing my next math class in one semester! Sounds much easier than it actually is. I will spend more time on homework and get help from a tutor. And then I will transfer to a university in the fall. Baby steps, people.

Strive to get more out of my career by: Achieving a permanent position with the school district I currently work for, instead of just being a substitute. I'm turning in an application tomorrow, so wish me luck!

Strive to be more organized by: Keeping my car clean. Keeping my home clean. Staying on top of chores like laundry, dishes, and such. Needless to say, this is my least favorite goal.

Strive to be healthier by: Taking advantage of the fully equipped gym that we now have access to in our new community. Eating better and no longer skipping meals.

Strive to be a better writer by: Actually writing the novel that I have floating around in my head. Blogging more frequently. Journaling more.

Strive for our future by: Paying off our debt. Budgeting our money better. Not spending so frivolously on stupid things. Hmm, this is my second least favorite goal.

I encourage any of you who like this idea to do the same thing. And if you come up with your word for 2009, I'd love to hear it!

Yearly wrap up... The Best of 2008

2009-01-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

I am totally stealing this idea from another blog I just started reading, EJ and Roo said I Do. They did a wrap up of the Best of 2008 from his and her opinions, and I am doing the same with my hubby! Here we go...

Movie of the Year
Her: Well, since we just saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and I absolutely loved it, I think I will go with that one.
Him: Dark Knight, not as good as Batman Begins, but pretty good.

TV Show of the Year
Her: The Office and Top Chef
Him: The Office and Seinfeld re-runs.

Best Meal of 2008
Her: This is a close one because we splurged pretty often on fancy meals, especially during our honeymoon. But I'm going with Valentine's Day at Hatfield's in Beverly Hills. It was a 7-course taster menu, and I thought I was in Heaven.
Him: My 8 course dinner that I made for my mom's birthday.

Song of the Year
Her: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. I fell in love with it the first time I heard it, at the beginning of the summer. I used it in the slideshow during our wedding reception. It's getting a little played out now, but I still maintain that I liked it before it got popular.
Him: If by song of the year you really mean sports moment of the year, then I will go with when USC lost to Oregon State. That was maybe one of my top 5 days of the year.

Trip of the Year:
Her: San Diego
Him: Cruise to Mexico.

Most Hilarious Moment of the Year:
Her: Doing the dares my friends gave me during my bachelorette party in Fullerton. Let's just say, we all had a lot of fun.
Him: Every moment on my cruise to Mexico.

Funnest Moment of the Year:
Her: Going to downtown San Diego. We found a random pub, went to a ball game, and ate great food. Just tons of fun.
Him: Sea World with Shalay. The whole day was awesome.

Best Moment of the Year:
Her: Our wedding ceremony. I don't care if it sounds cliche, it was more than I ever could have imagined. Once we locked eyes as I was walking down the aisle, I felt the world around us melt away, and it was like we were the only two people on Earth. I know that moment so well, I can take it out of my mind and replay it for myself.
Him: Seeing Shalay while I was standing at the alter. Looking in her eyes put me at ease.

All in all, 2008 was an amazing year that will always hold a special place in our hearts, since it was the year we got married. We can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for us. Bring it on!

You were great, 2008. But I think 2009 is gonna be fiiiine.

2009-01-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

What better way to start off the new year than with my 100th post? Way to go, me.

The hubs and I ended up going out to celebrate New Years Eve last night. We met up with 5 of our friends in Huntington Beach and went to Fred's, our usual bar of choice on Main Street. I volunteered to be designated driver, since I much preferred driving home to sleep in my own bed than staying in the skeezy motel room that our friends got. Seriously, that place made the Bates Motel look like the Embassy Suites. And I have serious issues about where I sleep.

Anyway, I didn't have one sip of booze and let me tell you, at a bar on New Year's Eve, not drinking is a lot harder than it sounds. Shots of Jaigermeister never smelled so good. But alas, I stayed strong and 100% sober and got us home safely. Woo hoo?

Cheers to 2009!
And because I'm such a slacker and still haven't posted much on Christmas, I will do that now, too.

For Billy's company's Christmas dinner, we went to an upscale steak restaurant, Flemings. So what does my husband decide to wear? Why a silly Christmas sweater, of course! And not just any silly sweater... He wore the outfit that Cousin Eddie wears in "Christmas Vacation" - a white v-neck sweater with a black dickie showing through underneath. And yes, everyone else was dressed appropriately for a fancy restaurant. My husband just likes to stand out.

The original Cousin Eddie:

My husband's version: Billy and my step-dad.Oh, did I mention that my husband works with my mom and my step-dad? They own the company, and Billy is the general manager. We're a very close family!

And unfortunately, I didn't really take many pictures of us with friends and family on Christmas Eve and Christmas because we were just SO busy going from place to place and trying to take it all in. But I did get this picture:

Billy's mom actually got him a Teddy Ruxpin. Remember those things? I think all of us who grew up in the 80's either had one, or wanted one. Well, I guess it was his favorite thing in the world when he was a kid, so my mother-in-law went out and got him a new version. He was as excited as a five year old would have been. Oookaaay...

I hope everyone had a happy and safe New Years! Here's to 2009!

Confessions of a housewife in training... Is it wrong?

2008-12-30T12:11:00.000-08:00

Is it wrong that I'm seriously considering not cleaning my already dirty toilets because we're moving in less than 10 days?

Is it wrong that even though we're moving in less than 10 days, I still haven't even begun to pack?

Is it wrong that I'm finally venturing out to the DMV today to pay for my registration, which expired back in October?

Is it wrong that yesterday I sat in my mom's car outside of the mall, with my nose gushing blood, and repeatedly said, "It's cool. It's gonna stop bleeding in just a sec. We can still shop!" (My nose doesn't normally bleed, I've just been really sick lately. Which kinda makes this situation look worse.)

Is it wrong that even though I'm technically employed as a server at BJ's, I only work an average of 1 day every 2 weeks (and it wouldn't come as a surprise if they fired me)?

Is it wrong that even though I'm 22 and married, I still get slightly depressed when Christmas is all over?

Is it wrong that New Year's Eve is tomorrow night and we still have NO plans?

Happy birthday, Mom!

2008-12-29T21:46:00.000-08:00

I couldn't go to bed tonight without wishing my mom a happy
43rd
29th birthday.

She's seriously my best friend in the world and I couldn't imagine going through life without her by my side. Plus, I hope I look half as good as her when I'm her age. Haha. I love you, Mom!

(Photos by ImageWorks Photography)

I always wondered how a song about Santa being a playa, and Mommy being a floozy, could be so popular...

2008-12-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

If you had been a fly on the wall in the Clements household last week, you would have heard the following conversation:

Shalay: You know that song, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus?"
Billy: Yeah.
S: Okay, well the other day I was thinking about it, and I have this theory. Now, try to stay with me. What if the "Santa" that the kid sees isn't really Santa. What if maybe, just maybe, it's actually the dad dressed up as Santa Claus?!
B: Yeah, that's what the song is about. Everyone knows that.
S: Oh good, I'm glad you think my theory makes sense.
B: It's NOT a theory. It's a fact. Everyone already knows that it's the dad who's dressed up as Santa.
S: Hmm, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure no one else thinks that.
B: Are we seriously having this conversation? All this time you really thought it was the actual Santa Claus that "mommy" is seen making out with?
S: Yeah, it never really made much sense how it could be a "family" song. It sounded pretty messed up to me. The poor kid wakes up in the middle of the night and stumbles in on his adulterous mother and sleazy old Santa Claus making out in his house... What kind of a song is that?!

Face unafraid, the plans that we've made

2008-12-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

I am loving Jason Mraz's badass rendition of "Winter Wonderland" right now.

Enjoy.