19

So what was I listening to as I soaked up some rays this morning?? My favorite "new" artist is Adele. She is amazing. Beautiful voice, absolutely adorable girl. I first heard her on Saturday Night Live and was completely mesmerized by her voice, I think my jaw was dragging on the floor the entire time. Her entire album is incredible, but my favorite songs are "Chasing Pavements" and "Cold Shoulder."

If you haven't already, I strongly urge you to go download 19 by Adele. You won't be sorry.

"Chasing Pavements"

I've made up my mind,
Don't need to think it over
If I'm wrong, I am right
Don't need to look no further,
This ain't lust
I know this is love
But, if I tell the world
I'll never say enough
Cause it was not said to you
And that's exactly what I need to do
If I end up with you

[Chorus]
Should I give up,
Or should I just keep chasin' pavements?
Even if it leads nowhere
Or would it be a waste
Even if I knew my place
Should I leave it there
Should I give up,
Or should I just keep chasin' pavements
Even if it leads nowhere

I build myself up
And fly around in circles
Waitin' as my heart drops
And my back begins to tingle
Finally, could this be it

[Chorus]
Or should I give up
Or should I just keep chasin' pavements
Even if it leads nowhere
Or would it be a waste
Even if I knew my place
Should I leave it there
Should I give up

Or should I just keep chasin' pavements
Even if it leads nowhere
Or would it be a waste
Even if I knew my place should I leave it there
Should I give up
Or should I just keep on chasin' pavements
Should I just keep no chasin' pavements
Ohh oh

[Chorus]

Just stopping by...

You would think that being away from blogging for a few months would give me a lot of material. And you would be right, except that it would take me a few months to recount everything that has gone on around here! Suffice it to say, I think blogging for me was something that I used more as a procrastination tool than anything else. Now that school is finished and I actually have a life, I'm out living it and don't have a lot of time to blog about it. Either way, I'm not giving up the blog, but entries will continue to be sporadic, I'm sure.

A quick update on just the last two weeks:

- We spent over $700 at the vet for a biopsy on a gigantic mole that sprouted up on Harley's leg, vaccinations for both dogs, some weird procedure on Harley's eyes that ended up clearing his sinuses so he doesn't snore anymore (Honestly? This alone was worth the money!), and two different kinds of eyedrops for the H Bear. No word yet on the biopsy. Please cross your fingers it's benign.

- Rusty's car had to go into the shop the same day as the vet. We're not even going to discuss how much that cost.

- I taught my very first class at work. I had been freaking out over it for weeks for no reason at all. My course evaluations came back from my "students" and I got nothing but positive feedback. Woot! Go me ;)

- Kimmie came to visit!! I think she took exception to the fact that it snowed at home so early this year. Whatever the reason, I'm so glad she came. We had a ton of fun, without stopping for a second. After a visit to Santana Row for shopping, eating and a mani/pedi for each of us, my kickball championships, two parties, a new drinking game based on Gordon Ramsey and how often he cusses, and meals at the best Mexican and brunch places in San Jose - I sent my oldest friend home a happy girl... if a bit sad to leave us (and vice versa!). Luckily she'll be back in the spring for a trip to Napa!

- Brodie broke a window on Monday. The mailman had the nerve to actually deliver our mail. Sheesh, what was he thinking? Don't worry, Brodie is fine, not a scratch on him. We have a cardboard box in the window now (which is not ghetto at all) and when all is said and done, it will cost us almost $1k. God, grant me the serenity to not kick this dog's ass...*

- I spent most of the morning laying in the sun, listening to my iPod. Did I mention it's over 80 degrees here? It's the middle of November!

I'm spending this weekend relaxing, running some errands and catching up on sleep. It is so nice to have a break! Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

*Please don't worry, no dogs were harmed in the destruction of our house. :)

Happy Halloween!

Hope you all have a fun Halloween weekend!

Welcome Baby A!

Our new nephew was born!! And he is just perfect.

Baby Ashton

Born September 15, 10:34 am

7.8 lbs, 20 in.

Of course, we can't forget the super-amazing, Kylah!! Monday night after work, we called the hospital and had a special chat with the new big sister. She was so excited to tell me that she got to hold her new baby brother, it was adorable! I can't wait to see the two of them together in action, but for now I just have this picture. It is so sweet, I think I just got a cavity.

Talk about a cure-all for any kind of sour mood. Every time I look at this picture, I smile. Which is great since it is currently the background on my laptop at work. How lucky am I to get to be their Aunt?? :) :)

Freefalling

Friday morning when my boss asked me if I had any big plans for this weekend, my answer was a sad little "no." That is, unless you consider running errands and cleaning the house "big" plans. Which I don't. So when a coworker (P) came up to me right before lunch and said he had two questions for me, I thought nothing of it and figured it would be about benefits or some other HR thing. Instead, this is what he asked me:

Question #1: How much do you weigh?
Um.....

Question #2: Do you want to go skydiving tomorrow?
Um.....

I sent a text to Rusty to ask him if he thought I should do it. Something about potentially jumping to your death seems to me like a topic that should be discussed with your spouse first. His response? "Hell yeah!" And who am I to disagree with my husband? I told P I would go because I've been itching to skydive again, particularly in better weather than my first jump.

But that still didn't explain the need for my coworker to know how much I weighed. Not that I'm embarrassed about it, it was just a weird question. The diving place needs to know so they use the right equipment and pair you up with the proper tandem instructor. So unless P was a secret pro-skydiver and the plan was to jump tandem with him, I wasn't seeing the connection.

Apparently, he's a pilot! He offered to fly me, and two other guys I work with up to Lodi so that he could do his first jump. P had gotten his hands on a small, 4-passenger Cessna 172 for our trip and weight is a major factor in whether or not the plane will leave the ground and stay in the sky for the duration. Kind of a critical detail. Luckily, I was well below what they needed my weight to be, so I was in!

So bright and early yesterday morning, I met up with the guys at the Reid Hill Airport in San Jose and we took off for Lodi. Can I just say, flying in such a little plane was something I was a little nervous about, but all my fears were laid to rest. This was the smoothest flight I have ever taken in my life. And having a 360° view of the mountains and valley from about 5500 ft was INCREDIBLE!

About 35-40 minutes later we made it to the airport where skydiving takes place. Within a half hour of us landing, we were meeting our tandem instructors and getting strapped in to our gear to take off, yet again. I elected to jump with a photographer again so that I could get some better pictures than I did from my first jump when the weather was crappy. Here are a few highlights from my 60 second freefall:

Coming out of the plane we did a backflip into a nosedive.


The photographer reached out and grabbed my hand and we spun around a couple times. (sexy goggles, huh?)

I'm flying!!!!!!!


And just like that, it's over and we're back to solid ground.
And for the third time in as many hours, we were back to our plane, taking off to come home. I was exhausted and ended up with a vicious head cold, which happened last time, too. Something about the air shooting up my nose messes with my sinuses and I sneeze alllll day long. So I spent the rest of the day sleeping and I feel great today. Who knows? Maybe I will go again!

Oh! And to top off an already great weekend with something even better? Rusty comes home tonight after being gone for 11 days! Yippeeeee!!

Introducing...

Genevieve America Arzabal! Born August 27, 2008. 6lbs, 3 oz.

She's beautiful! So cute, peaceful and perfect. :) Congrats to Rebecca and Mike, the incredibly happy parents! We are so happy for you and can't wait to meet her!

I am the smartest man alive!!!*

Well... make that "woman."

I did it!!!!! I just checked my grades and I finished my last class with a 97.5%! Which means that I have officially graduated and earned my Masters degree with a 4.0 GPA and the highest honors!

I have never done this before. I've come so close to getting straight A's or a 4.0 GPA in the past, but never quite got there. I don't think I can accurately express just how excited and relieved I am right now. And dare I say it? I am fucking proud of myself. :)

This. Is. Awesome.

*Props to anyone who can tell me what movie that quote is from. Hint: Which timeless classic addressed the age-old question of whether it was shampoo or conditioner that was indeed better?

Someone pinch me.

Because this has got to be a dream. And by "this" I mean "being finished with my masters degree."

I just got home from my very last final exam. Ever. No, seriously. Think about it: You graduate from high school, but then there's college. You graduate from college, but there is still the option of a graduate degree hanging over your head. Do you do it? Do you not? Is it worth it? If you don't do it, will you regret not trying? For me, it was worth it, so I busted my butt for almost 3 years to finally be at a point in my education where I can actually say that I have done everything I can to prepare me for my career. This means no more homework. No more case studies to read, papers to write, exams to study for. Nothing. Nada. I'M DONE.

So you would think I'd feel all light and freeeeee as a bird, right? Well, I don't. That test was complete BS and I still have that guilty feeling like I should be doing something productive instead of sitting on my arse on the couch.

I think I might still be in shock - I'm sure I'll get over it. In the meantime, I'm going to go do a little happy dance. :)

August

Exciting things are all around this month...

1) I am exactly 20 days away from the last official day of the Summer 2008 semester. In other words, 20 days from now I will officially have my Masters degree!!!!!!

2) Today is my five year (full-time) anniversary with the company I work for. Can't wait to see what the next 5 are like!

3) I'm joining a kickball team. More specifically, the reigning Silicon Valley champs: The Booze Pirates.

4) Our friends are expecting their first child (a girl!) to arrive later this month.

5) We only have ONE wedding left to attend! Wooohooo!

6) I get to see Jess and Chris this weekend! And the dogs get to have a sleepover with their cousin, Indy.

7) Soccer camp is almost over for the summer, which means I might actually see Rusty for more than 30 minutes. Score!

Life is good.... :o)

Holla!

Nothing makes me happier than hearing Tim Gunn say, "Holla at ya boy!"

Awesome. Simply awesome.

Tim? Timmy? Can I call you Timmy? I think I love you.

Pet Peeve Du Jour

It drives me absolutely insane when I am trying to drive through the parking lot at work to get to my office only to have to crawl at -10 mph because people decide they are going to walk 5 across at a snail's pace, in the middle of the road and not get out of the way. Um... do you not hear the car right behind you? Do you not care? Do you have a death wish and want me to run you over?? WHAT?!

Now, the funny thing is, this doesn't bother me as much if I'm at the mall or something. But the fact that I work in an office complex makes it no secret that I actually HAVE to be somewhere like, oh, I don't know - my JOB? You taking your sweet ass time strolling through the parking lot is not only preventing me from getting there, but you're also pissing me off and making me want to find out what it would be like to run over your foot.

I now pronounce you...

Husband and Wife!!

A huge congrats to a couple of our best friends, Derek and Michele! They tied the knot this past weekend in a beautiful wedding in Cincinnati, Ohio. The ceremony was held at Holy Cross Immaculata Church and the reception was at the Hyde Park Country Club. Michele totally outdid herself and impressed us all with her cross-country planning. Everything went off without a hitch and she looked absolutely stunning. Seriously. Like a Barbie doll. :) The best moment was at the end of the night when Michele looked at me with a look of quasi-terror on her face and said, "We're going to be an old married couple now!" Don't worry, Michele, it's really not that bad. ;)

Another plus from the weekend was meeting more of their family and friends. Everyone couldn't have been nicer, more welcoming and more fun. I can honestly say I think we made some connections this weekend that will last longer than just the few days we were there.

Not only were we thrilled to be there as guests, but we felt honored to be a part of the wedding. Rusty stood up with Derek as a groomsman and I helped out in my official role as Program Distributor. It's a skill, people. I'm amazing. Really.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend...

Rehearsal dinner...

The ceremony... (didn't take many pictures. I was too busy being a sap and crying!)

Rusty escorting our new friend, Karen :)

Time to party!

Rusty and the best man, Jason

He cleans up pretty good, eh?

I love the look on Michele's face in this picture. Too cute!

Thanks for everything guys, we had a blast! Best wishes to you both and welcome to the club!! :)

Odds & Ends

It's the little things that make me happy...

- Since I won't be going to get my eyebrows waxed anytime soon, I thought it was a good time to invest in a really good pair of tweezers and upgrade from my dull Revlon ones. Off to Sephora I went where I found a cute (and sharp) pair that were right up my alley. I hate plucking my eyebrows, so I might as well do it with something a little more fun and functional.

- While we were making dinner Friday night, my phone drowned on the counter where a bag of ice had been sitting. (Yes, I charge my phone on the kitchen counter. I kind of asked for it.) Lucky for me, I was getting close to having to renew my 2-year contract with Sprint anyway so it was perfect timing. Not only did I upgrade my old flip phone to the new Samsung Instinct, I also signed up for a more comprehensive, cheaper service plan, AND worked out a special deal where I got a $70 credit to my account! Hurray!

- We saw The Dark Night today. Wow. I loved it. I'm not sure if any of you braved the crowds for its opening weekend, but I'll ya. Totally. Worth it. It was a little weird seeing Heath Ledger in that role, especially in the beginning. But he does such a great job as the Joker and you're so focused on the character that you completely forget about the actor. Definitely a must-see movie.

- Feeling an unfamiliar urge to be domestic. I know... weird. In response, I decided to try a new recipe and bake "Blueberry Breakfast Cornbread" while I was still half asleep this morning. Surprisingly enough, it was really good! :)

- I got a new phone. Oh. I guess I said that already... But all I've been doing since yesterday afternoon is play with it. It is so cool! So shiny and fancy. And I can check my email or go to the navigation feature by tapping one button. That's it! Very similar to the iPhone, but for a whole lot less. Who doesn't love that? One more thing and then I'll stop with the phone stuff, I promise. If I haven't already asked you, please email or text me your phone numbers! The damage was too severe to transfer my phone book. Thanks!

- And probably the finest moment of the weekend... some peace!

Bloody hell

What better way to end a really stressful, yet productive day at work than to drive into a stationary object?

I worked late in order to (successfully) work out a deal for tickets to an event we want to take a potential client to. Working late meant that I kept Rusty waiting when he had to get back to work. So when I finally walked to my car, I get a call from the Hubster and he tells me that I need to boogie and get home to the dogs so he can leave. The combination of being pumped up after I did something awesome at work and being in a rush to get home, I didn't pay attention to how my steering wheel was turned or the fact that I was parked right next to a giant post. I started to pull out of my spot and BOOM! Right into the post. Followed by some colorful language that I'll leave out since this blog should be at least semi-family friendly. I quickly look out my window to see if anyone saw or heard me and there were two guys about 7 cars away staring at me. Sweeeet. Embarrassing? Sure. But whatever, they don't know me. And then I saw my boss pulling out about four cars down. Double sweeeet.

Oh, and I almost did it a second time because I was so flustered.

Luckily, damage was barely noticeable and my car is totally driveable. Thank god. Because while a ding here and there doesn't really bother me, the last thing I wanted was to pay a $500 deductible to get it fixed.

Seriously... I hate when stuff like this happens. I am such a moron.

Mandy & Nathan

Sometimes I get really sad that I'm so far away from home - that is, the home where I spent the majority of my "growing up" years. It means I have lost touch with some good friends I made back in Jersey and I usually miss big events because I'm on the other side of the country. So when my one of my oldest and dearest friends, Mandy, told me she was getting married, I was thrilled! But so sad at the same time because I wasn't sure if I would be able to travel to North Carolina for her wedding.

Lucky for me, as a result of a variety of reasons, Mandy and her new husband, Nathan, decided the best locale for their wedding would be Saratoga! Woo! This meant that I didn't have to travel AND I got to stand up with her as a bridesmaid. Their wedding was at the picturesque Hakone Gardens and despite the 100+ degree heat, it was a beautiful ceremony. The scenery was outshone only by the love Mandy and Nathan clearly have for one another. Thankfully, after we got through taking pictures, we were able to escape the dreadful heat to go to the reception at Trevese in Los Gatos. This place was incredible. The food, the wine, the decor... just awesome. I can't wait to go back.

Since I was in the wedding, I wasn't able to take many pictures. Hopefully I'll be able to come back with more pictures later, but for now here are a couple pictures to document the past 2 days.

Mandy and I at the Cielo Terrace - the top of the Hotel Valencia. This is the first time in about seven years we've seen each other in person!

The gorgeous bride! Can you believe she altered the top of her dress from a weird halter to this amazing sweetheart neckline? By herself? Yea. I'm impressed!

Finally! Air conditioning! Us after the ceremony.

The newlyweds cut the cake... and then smash it in each other's faces. :)

Mandy made the programs, seating cards and everything (except the Sensu fan) by hand. This girl is awesome. She kept with the Japanese theme very well and even gave all the girls a card explaining the significance of the Sensu fans in Japanese culture and weddings. Our seating cards all had a different movie quote about love that she picked especially for each of us. Mine was a quote from Moulin Rouge, "Love is a many splendid thing. Love fills us up where we belong. All you need is love!" I love it! :)

Congratulations, Mandy and Nathan!!! I know you've waited a long time for this and I'm so happy you are finally husband and wife! I love you both and wish you all the best. We can't wait to come visit you in Charlotte!

If it wasn't so funny, I'd cry.

For those who get their eyebrows waxed: Have you ever laid there with your eyes closed while the aesthetician goes to town, worrying about what you're going to look like when she's done? I have. Most of the time it's completely unnecessary because I come out looking normal, like myself - just with pretty eyebrows.

Today? Not so much.

I went into my trusty neighborhood salon to get my unruly brows tamed, but my regular lady wasn't there. I stupidly let someone else work on me for what seemed like a half hour. The entire time I'm lying there thinking "this is taking way too long..." But being someone who hates confrontation, I didn't say anything. I then convinced myself that it was taking so long because she's "just that good!" Oh, how wrong I was.

I now have a tan line where most of my eyebrows used to be. A TAN LINE, people!!! What the hell was this woman thinking?? And to top it all off, do you want to know what she said to me right before I closed my eyes and she got to work?

"Not too thin, right?"

Riiiiiight. Did I mention that I'm in a wedding on Thursday? Good times...

Just because

There is one thing that sets Brodie and Harley apart (aside from their vast difference in size) and that is their affection, or lack thereof, for the sun. Brodie will find the smallest sliver of sunlight to bask under, whereas Harley will do anything to stay in the shade. So it came as no surprise when we noticed that Harley chose to lay in the dirt with the flowers on Friday to stay cool.


A Place in the Shade from meghan johnson on Vimeo.

Happy 4th of July!

Dan & Sandi

I can't believe I've let it go for so long before putting up a post to congratulate our friends, Dan and Sandi, on their nuptials! They got married at Bass Lake near Yosemite almost a month ago and it was beautiful. Everything from the weather to the scenery to the gorgeous bride. It was a great day and night!

Here are some of the girls hitching a ride to the ceremony from our cabins.

The view of the lake from where Rusty and I sat.
Beautiful bride...Smooch!

Centerpieces

Yummy cake

Us in front of the lake

Congrats and Best Wishes to the happy couple!

Mas, por favor!

What's that? You want more? Okay, okay. Twist my arm... ;)

We've been to Epcot and the Magic Kingdom so far. We went to both parks a second time later in the week because we didn't get to see and do everything on our list the first time around. However, there is way too much to document here, so I'm going to try and only hit the highlights. Alright! Next stop? Animal Kingdom where, among other things, we went on a jungle cruise, a safari ride to see some beautiful, exotic animals and a petting zoo for your run-of-the-mill sheep and goats.

Kylah wanted to brush every single one of them. She was so sweet and gentle with them.

Brothers!

The family in front of the Tree of Life. It's hard to see in this picture, but there are different wild animals carved out and sort of blend together. It is pretty amazing.

Next it was back to Epcot! This time, we focused on wandering through the countries and I tried to get some good pictures.

This is my favorite from the whole trip... I love the reflection of the clouds in the glass.

Me and my love in..."France." Can I just take a moment to comment on the fact that I HATE humidity. Every day I had to wear my hair back. Its making for some boring pictures...

We ended the night by staying at the park to watch the Epcot fireworks. We had great seats, right on the lake. Very cool.... particularly because they came with an ice cold margarita. :)

Lets just round this out with some of my favorite pictures to sum up the rest of the week...

Kylah loved her Crush doll we gave her.

::Sigh::

That was fun... So uh, when are we getting together again??! :)