Recovering Firecracker

I've Moved!

2008-04-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

I've made the great leap over to Squarespace - come and check it out! (And update your bookmarks!)

~T

Featured Again!

2008-04-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

Woohoo this time one of my pages is (somewhat) featured over at the Weeds & Wildflowers blog. Their products are truly gorgeous, so I suggest you check them out!

In case you don't feel like clicking through, this is the page they featured:
One of my new faves, in fact. :) You can see credits here.

Some other new pages feature my favorite blonde (outside of my family), and oh yeah, my brother:
Yes, I realize I used the same photo twice, but how can you not use that adorable photo for all it's worth?? :) Credits are here and here, respectively.

In other news, had a very enjoyable weekend, although the 90+ degree weather we had here was enough to wipe out anybody, let alone us ladies (me, mom, Roseann and Lisa) who marched around old town Fullerton on Sunday for their annual Garden Tour. Super fun, but ridiculously hot. Photos will be posted later this week!

Oh, and my dad is in China on business for a week, so keep your fingers crossed he doesn't get caught up in some protest march and wind up in jail or something! ;)

~T

Tag I'm It!

2008-04-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

But only because I want to be. Saw this questionnaire on Britgirl's blog, and thought it was time I did another one - plus this could so easily become text for a scrap page. ;-)

Four jobs you've had in your life
Receptionist
Ad writer/copy editor
Bridal abuse-taker
Executive assistant

Four movies you've watched more than once
The whole Indiana Jones series (Woohoo can't wait 'til May!)
Bedazzled
For the Boys (What? Its been on TV a lot lately.)
Sabrina

Four placed you've lived
Norway
San Diego
Westminster, CA
Placentia, CA

Four TV shows you watch
Ghosthunters
Dirt
What Not to Wear
Heroes (when it finally comes back...)

Four places you have been
London
Norway
The Grand Canyon
Boston

Four favorite foods
Churros from Del Taco
Chris' cooking - particularly fish dishes
Mom's spaghetti
Scampi and chips from the Olde Ship

Four places you'd rather be
At home!
Norway
At the beach - today was gorgeous
Monterey

Four things you're looking forward to
Going home
The dogs' training classes
Kissing Chris
Going to Norway in June

For a Friday Funny

2008-04-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

I just have to share this! Overheard in the Office is my savior during Friday afternoons that are just draaaaaaginnnng....

4PM You May Know Them As Blue Man Group

Professor: People never say half the things they are supposed to have said. I mean, just ask Jesus -- 'It wasn't me, it was my flippin' disciples.'

Queens University
Kingston, Ontario
Canadia

via Overheard in the Office, Mar 28, 2008

From My Blog to Theirs...

2008-04-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

Your Thinking is Abstract and Sequential

You like to do research and collect lots of information.

The more facts you have, the easier it is for you to learn.

You need to figure things out for yourself and consider all possibilities.

You tend to become an expert in the subjects that you study.

It's difficult for you to work with people who know less than you do.

You aren't a very patient teacher, and you don't like convincing people that you're right.

What Kind of Thinker Are You?

I did this quiz for an easy Sweet Rewards point over at Sweet Shoppe Designs, but I was super surprised at the answer I got - it's so me! :D It was only 5 questions - I highly recommend taking a minute and answering them here.

My New Favorite Photos

Admittedly, I have a lot, but this series that Chris took of me with the boys last week is just...awesome. (You may have noticed one in the new blog header.) I'm so glad I have someone to hand the camera over to sometimes! Oh, and these totally weren't posed, I swear - I sat down on the ottoman at the end of the couch to chat with Chris when I got home from work, and the pups (of course) had to jump in my lap and compete for attention.To give them a bit of pop, I used a Lightroom preset from Traci Reed's Pop Starrs bundle - I use this set all the time! (Honestly, not getting anything from that promo, I really do love them!) :D

And, of course, I've already used one of them in a scrap page - how could you not??
Credits for "New Life" can be found here.

Weekend Possibilities

Hoping to see Leatherheads tonight with Nikki while Chris is at work - hopefully we both won't pass out early like we did last time! What is it about Friday nights that the older I get the more tired I am by then?? Especially looking forward to seeing George Clooney, considering I had this crazy dream last weekend that I was related to him, like a cousin or something, and was hanging out at his house with him and his fiance. (I know he doesn't have one in real life, but that was the dream! So if he gets engaged anytime soon, I'm psychic. You read it here first, kids!) Yes, I'm weird and can usually remember my dreams, if not all the details. It sucks.

Tomorrow my mom and I (and hopefully Roseann!) are heading out to Palm Desert to ~~heaven~~ ~~the mecca that is~~ the outlet center there for some shopping. The forecast is 85 degrees and sunny. Woo!

Then to do penance for my shopping, Sunday will be filled with vacuuming, washing dishes, and whatever other types of cleaning I can think of. ;)

~T

Quote of the moment: "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." ~Mark Twain

I've been featured!

2008-04-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

So flattering! The Gallery Standouts blog featured my "All About the Eggs" page this past weekend! :) You can check it out here.

Oh, and here's the page they featured:

Details for the page can be found right here.

Some Faves

2008-03-30T11:31:00.001-07:00

Time for some more Flickr enabling! :) Here's a sampling of current photos I'm in love with over there:

1. reflections of a pug, 2. Grandpa Lenin, 3. True Love, 4. My House in Moonlight, 5. Saksun: Winter vs Summer, 6. Built Ford Tough, 7. That "Shrek" moment again, 8. The art of coming and going, 9. Springtime Slumber, 10. Stella Beauty, 11. the ring, 12. Big Hugs from a Kid to Kids..., 13. Grindin', 14. Can ya hear me now?, 15. On the line, 16. fun with Lightroom

Click through and leave these talented photographers some love!

~Trude

Meet Dante.

2008-03-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

The newest addition to our little family. :)
(Photos taken by my dad.)

If you read my previous post about our search for a new brother for Jacopo, you know we've been looking through the IGCA. Well, we found this poor little guy at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center, after hearing from Chris' family (his sister volunteers there) that they had gotten in a male Italian Greyhound. They found him wandering the streets of Seal Beach with no collar, just skin and bones! So on Saturday we went over there in between various errands in preparation for Easter, and just completely fell in love with him. He's extremely relaxed and a total love monkey, and he must have cost someone a pretty penny, because he's even more purebred/breed standard than Jacopo! We weren't planning on bringing him home that day, but the shelter said that they had already had one other application for him, and recommended that we act now before someone else does!

So we did. And he's the best dog ever (excluding Jacopo, of course!). He jumped right in the car with us, and handled being at my parents house with other dogs and a bunch of other people without a problem. I think he and Jacopo have settled their pecking order, and they slept together in our bed last night without a problem. They're a really great match - once Dante fills out, he should be roughly the same weight as Jacopo, although a little shorter. And he was just fine going in and out through the new doggie door we installed last week - hopefully he'll make Jacopo better at using it! ;)

More photos to come, once I "develop" mine tonight (I've started shooting in RAW format, so can't share immediately!). And an Easter post for sure! We had so much fun this weekend!

Did I mention I cut my hair?

2008-03-20T14:00:00.001-07:00

Um, yeah, I suddenly realized I got this life-changing haircut this weekend, and never took a photo! So here you go.
(Yes, that would be me in my car, on my lunch break. I so rock.) (Oh, and the frame is by Katie Pertiet over at Designer Digitals.)

I clearly cannot style it anywhere near as well as my friend Angie did when she cut it, but I'm working on it. :) It was one of those spur-of-the-moment things, and after admiring how well she cuts Chris' hair since the day I met him, I decided it was time to try her skills for myself. And she did not disappoint! I chopped off about 7 inches, and I am soooo happy with it. She totally listened to what I was thinking, made some great suggestions, and even kept me from going too crazy with the chopping, reminding me that we can always cut more later! If you're in the area, she works out of Underground Salon in Long Beach, which a super cute salon that also exhibits/sells original art pieces.

P.S. One of my digital scrapbook pages is featured on the Sweet Shoppe Designs blog today! Take a peek here to find out which one. Go me!

~T

Puppy and Photo Madness, With a Touch of Materalism

2008-03-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

So our puppy guest Fred went home safely on Monday night, although there were a few times he came close to not being able to do so (if you catch my drift). Poor guy is a very smart dog, but his owner hasn't really made the time to train him yet! It must be like when parents watch other people's kids - makes you appreciate how good yours are! ;)

New Puppy?

Well...getting there. Chris and I decided it's time Jacopo had a brother, for a number of reasons.

We love dogs.
Italian Greyhounds typically do much better with at least one other dog around, just because they're such a social/pack breed.
We've been talking to other IG owners at the dog park, who ALL recommend getting another one.
Peace of mind - if he has someone to play with, he'll leave us alone more. :) And I won't worry so much when I have to leave him home alone during the day.
We love dogs.

At first we thought we'd have to wait due to finances, but then we discovered the Italian Greyhound Club of America, which runs an extensive rescue program in pretty much every state. And all they really charge is about $250, to cover expenses while they were fostering the rescued dog! So not only would we be able to afford it, but we'd be giving a much-needed home to a grateful pup. So now we've gone through the application process with our local IGCA rep, and she came and inspected our place on Saturday, so we're now approved! Woo!

Now is the wait-and-see part, because they only have a few IGs right now in the area, and none of them are really what we're looking for. We could adopt from any of the other states, but we'd have to actually drive or fly out there to get him, because they won't ever ship a dog. One of the coolest parts is they'll post all their available IGs on Pet Finder (at least the ones that weren't immediately taken by a waiting approved family, like us), a website devoted to adoptions. That way you can see photos, and read all the details on how they came up for adoption, what their temperament is, how trained they are, etc.

At any rate, we're very excited, and can't wait to find just the right guy to be Jacopo's new brother!

March Photo Madness

Speaking of Jacopo, been taking more photos lately, all of which you can see on my Flickr here, but I wanted to share some highlights:
I just love the light on that last one - he usually doesn't curl up all by himself, but maybe he's finally getting more independent...ha!

Family Sunday

So we (and by "we" I mean my dad, my brothers, Roseann, Jacopo and I - in one car!) headed down to Karl and Donna's house in San Diego on Sunday to hang out with the family, especially because my auntie Elissa was in town for the "Women in Aviation" conference. (Chris stayed at home with Fred.) We had a great time! My cousin Sarah and her boyfriend Jim came over, Donna's mom, brother and sister-in-law came over too, the weather was gorgeous (if a bit cold for our part of the world) and the dogs got to play together. Plus we got BBQ...yum! Here's some highlights from the day:

The gorgeous weather
Roseann and Sarah cracking each other up
Sarah and Jacopo having a moment
And this photo reminds me of the funny of the day that day - Elissa was like "Take my picture kissing the camera, like you did!" And I said "I did that in the mirror!" And she got this surprised look on her face and said "Really?" And mom and I just craaaacked up. Definitely indicative of the pre-Myspace generational divide - the self-portrait-in-mirror has become a mainstay for my generation. ;)Mom and Jacopo cuddling (jeez, who doesn't he cuddle with??) - the wind got really cold! Like below 50! :)All in all a very nice day. :)

Materialism Alert

Just had to share some new things I've added to my hoard lately (have I mentioned I love to shop? Maybe once or twice?), to get in the mood for spring...or whatever excuse works for you.

First, I finally bought a new swimsuit. I don't go swimming that often, but I purposely ruined my old one last season in the mud baths at Glen Ivy because it was already three years old at that point. So with the weather warming up like it has been around here, I figured it was high time I finally got a new one. And being that I'm no longer 18 and would really prefer to cover my slowly-but-surely-expanding backside (no pun intended), I decided to go for a classic retro look. Thanks to Ms. Vintage herself, Katie, I was able to find this awesome one from Esther Williams Swimwear - yes, THE Esther Williams of Hollywood golden age fame. :)
But in red, of course. Super cute, huh? I might actually have to find an excuse to wear it somewhere besides a jacuzzi! :) It's not the cheapest suit out there, but it's also not nearly the most expensive - and it has a tummy shaper built in!

Another product I'm now in love with is Smashbox's O-Glow. It's a new cheek color that comes out clear, but starts adjusting to your skin tone once you put it on, to give you a really natural blush color. I had read about this stuff in In Style and thought it was a load of you-know-what. But then I got a free sample at Sephora last week, and I have to report that it really does what it says! I loved it so much I also got their lip gloss that does the same thing.

Also have to give special mention to Bumble & Bumble's "dry shampoo". Another product out there that's making women's (and men's) lives easier. It's like a hairspray that sprays powder to absorb that day-after excess oil at your roots. Awesomeness - 'nuff said.

We'll, I'm spent. Hope you guys are all doing well!

~T
Quote of the moment: "A picture is the expression of an impression." ~Ernst Haas

2008-03-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

Been "catching up" on scrapping lately, so to speak. More like making sure I properly promote my two designers that I CT for and take advantage of the creative urge I've had! ;)

First up is this one with a super cute photo mom sent me - apparently she's started taking Ted E. in her basket when she rides her bike (since he couldn't keep up if he tried!):
Sooo funny! Credits can be seen here.

Next up is "Crazy Boy". Of course I couldn't resist using this awesome photo of Chris!
I just loved using the new kit Penny released last weekend, which you can find here, in combination with a gorgeous set of templates by Bree, available here! Credits are here.

I was also inspired by the "Cookie Decorating 101" challenge over at the Sweet Shoppe to create this one:
Been meaning to work with that photo since I took it! ;) The journaling and credits can be seen here.

Last but not least is Cherish, which I had to do after playing around with these awesome Lightroom presets by Nick Tsakiris, which I got through the Lightroom Killer Tips blog.
Came out nicely, I thought! Credits are here.

In Other News...

We had Chris' birthday/housewarming party last Friday, and can you believe it? I didn't take ONE photo - not one. Guess I was so relieved to finally have everything in place and the apartment all cleaned that I just relaxed! Plus I kept going around to everybody chatting and catching up, so hardly had a chance. But I think everyone had a great time, and it was definitely our best party yet! So cool to finally get different groups of friends in the same place together, I knew they'd all hit it off. :)

I'm looking forward to seeing my Auntie Elissa this weekend; she's coming into town (well, San Diego to my uncle's house, which is close enough around here) this weekend for a conference! So we're all going to hang out down there on Sunday - should be a good time! I'll definitely have my camera then.

Our Guest for the Weekend

Meet Fred.
He belongs to our friend Chris and his girlfriend Brittney (well, mostly Brittney), and we'll be puppy-sitting him for the weekend while they go up to San Francisco. We already know he's in love with Jacopo (they chased each other around for hours at Christmas), so should be fun. :)

Hope all is well with everyone!

~Trude

Funny of the Week

2008-03-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my main man! He's finally caught up with me at the big 2-4. Can't wait to share what I got him, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. :)

So to celebrate, the funny of the week comes straight from his mouth:

"I'm not turning 42, honey."
-Said when he noticed the "2" and "4" birthday candles I got for his cake sitting on the kitchen counter.

Hardy har har, baby. Hardy har har.

Photos, Parks and Surveys

2008-02-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

So been taking more photos lately, now that things have calmed down a bit at home...

Love how this one turned out of Jacopo sleeping (thanks to my nifty-fifty lens); he never sleeps sitting up! He was just really tired that day and passed out next to Chris. :)
And this one of Puss (my parent's adopted kitten). I was trying to give a sense of scale as to just how huge he really is - that's a normal cable TV remote! And he's not quite a year old yet! But I think I'm just going to have to get a shot of me holding him or something, because it continually baffles me as to how huge he's become, especially when I think back on how small he used to be.
Then Saturday after taking Jacopo for a shot, we took him down to Irvine Park, which was gorgeous and sunny until the clouds started rolling in around 1ish. But we were totally lucky to go there in between rainstorms!
Gasp! A survey!

Because I was tagged by the talented Ms. BritGirl (well, sort of, because I secretly stalk her blog for digiscrap inspiration!). :)

You have to use 3 words to answer each question. No more, no less. It’s harder than you think.

1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse

2. Your girlfriend/boyfriend/hubby? Is at work

3. Your hair? In a pony.

4. Where is your father? At work too.

6. Your favorite thing to do? Too many now

7. Your dream last night? Back in school

8. Your favorite drink? 7up & vodka (ha)

9. Your dream car? Lexus RX hybrid

10. The room you’re in? Lots of light

12. Your fears? Not fulfilling dreams

14. Who did you hang out with last night? Pup, BF, me

15. What aren’t you good at? Math, science, patience

16. Muffins? Make me hungry

17. One of your wish list items? Calvin Klein purse

19. The last thing you did? Use the copier

20. What are you wearing? Cute work clothes

22. Your pet? My curly-tailed shadow

23. Your computer? Mac needing upgrade

24. Your life? Always getting better

25. Your mood? Up on coffeeeeee

26. Missing? Being at home

27. What are you thinking about right now? Eating Honda Ya

28. Your car? Needs a wash

29. Your work? Um...ah...uh...

30. Your summer? Is coming soon!

31. Your relationship status? Almost three years

32. Your favorite color(s)? Black, green, red

33. When is the last time you laughed? Few minutes ago

34. Last time you cried? Last weekend, man

35. School? Going back soon!

This weekend should be nice and quiet, and I can't wait to see some of you next weekend at our house warming/Chris' birthday party! :)

~T

Happiness Bearers

2008-02-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

Lots of things making me happy right now, so it's time for another round!

Our new place. Seriously, its just a gazillion times better. Not perfect, but much better. And I'm of the opinion that for the location, area and quality, you couldn't find a better place to rent (damn, that's my old real estate advertising job kicking in). And one of the biggest differences? The pup is most definitely happier - eating more, jumping over the back of the futon sofa with ears flapping (which he wasn't able to do the way we had it before), hanging out in the sun on the patio (when we're home during the day we just leave the sliding door open so he can go in and out to potty, and now I catch him just sunning himself. Will have to invest in a doggie door) and, as of last night, FINALLY sleeping in his crate...just because. I think going to puppy day care at Petsmart all day had something to do with it, though. And this photo is also good proof of the better lighting we have! :)
I love lamp. I apologize for the murky photo, it's straight-out-of-the-camera. And it's solid red, but because of the reflection looks like it has white on it. Anyways...I got it at Pier 1. Mostly because we clearly needed something to fill the space between bookshelves, and I'm totally in love with it! Also got these awesome storage bins to go in the third bookshelf (not pictured) that are made out of recycled magazines. How cool is that? I would link you to them but Pier 1's website kinda sucks and clearly doesn't have all of their merchandise.
Geeking out because Cathy Zielske mentioned yours truly on her blog! Just go check it out while I try and hold off a panic attack. I love her approach and books so much, I'm thrilled she even responded to my question.
iLife '08. It's about time we upgraded! For those of you I share my photos with, the cool part about this upgrade is I can publish my photos to a web gallery that lets you download them at full resolution. Way easier than clogging up email accounts!
Seeing comedians live. Just went and saw John Pinette, an old favorite, again Sunday night at the Brea Improv along with the entire Glowin gang. So much fun! His opener was really good too, so it was a solid 2 hours of laughing. Our cheeks hurt afterwards. Hurt so good. And I'm also planning on seeing Wanda Sykes when she's there the weekend after next with the family. Woo!
Petsmart's Doggie Day Camp. They make it oh-so-easy! Jacopo was there yesterday and today since Chris is down in San Diego (not on my list of happiness-bearers) most of the week and I'm at work all day. We figure it's only fair that he get to go and play instead of get locked up for 8 hours for at least part of the week (never fear, SPCA, I do go home on my lunch hour to let him run around and eat lunch). Plus today while he was there he got a bath and nail trimming. Oh, the luxury. :) But after our experiences last summer, now any time Chris is away during the week he makes sure the gig pays enough that we can afford to do day camp at least a couple days.
Cool siblings. Five years ago I probably wouldn't have believed it, but my brother (the one that is only two years younger) and I can now say we hang out regularly - as friends. Crazy, I know! Admittedly it has a lot to do with the fact that his awesome girlfriend Roseann and I are total buds now, but they're just fun to hang out with! Last night they came over to just chill with me while Chris out of town, and the good company was mucho apreciado.

What's floating your boat right now? I'd love to hear!

~Trude

Vikings, Readers and Wall Decor Phobia

2008-02-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

Okay so still no photos of the new place, but you can forgive me right? I'm hoping to get some night daylight photos this weekend, even if we still have things all over the floor.

Our first weekend settled in was jam packed: a relaxing night in Friday night and early to bed, since we both had to be up early the next morning. Chris for work, and me to go to the Nordic Symposium up at California Lutheran with my parents. It was really very cool and totally worth the $40 (or whatever it was for the day), but excepting the college students I was the youngest person there! Which was kind of depressing, because it meant people weren't able to get their kids/grandkids interested in their heritage. Being a first-generation I'm much more inclined to be interested, but still it made me wish more people were clued in on their heritage! The speakers were really great, especially this woman who is the director of an archaeological project at Avaldsnes, which was the seat of the Viking kings of Norway for about 500 years. The best part is that it's not far from where my family is from (and where we always stay when we go home), so we're definitely going to spend a day exploring up there during our trip this summer. :)

Sunday was spent hanging out with Nikki and indulging in Chipotle, some scrapbook shopping, manis & pedis, and finally finishing Heavenly Sword. A super awesome day, indeed.

Some other things going on right now:

Crazy-ass weather. It's been pretty chilly, then it started warming up this weekend and was near 80 on Sunday, then yesterday it started getting cloudy and chilly again, and drizzled overnight. And now today it's back up in the 70s. What the blank??
Boo Time Warner Cable. I was *this* close to getting DirectTV. It's been almost 2 weeks (without internet or TV at home!!!), and they're finally getting their act together. Every time we called it was one excuse or another, and then when the guys (subcontractors, no less) finally showed up it turned out that the connection had been cut somewhere in the neighborhood. So then they had to send out their construction guys to run our cable line to the main box or whatever it is, and they finally came today. Thank Thor!! All I have to say is this: Quit acting like the monopoly you are, and behave like a regular business and hire more employees to meet the growing demand. As my old boss would say, "it's that simple!"
Google Reader=making life easier. I've really gotten into reading people's blogs in the last year (it all started with digital scrapbooking ones where they would give away freebies, but you really can learn a lot from what people share these days!), and now I have quite the list going. So rather than go to each one every couple of days, I now use Google Reader, a free program that tells me which ones have been updated since I last checked. Super cool timesaver!
The last week of Jessica Sprague's awesome "Now We're Rockin' With Photoshop" online class. I've seriously learned many cool tips and tricks - not so much how to do a certain thing, but more how to do it quicker and better! Plus I just love seeing her at work. :) I've created some really lovely pages, but more importantly learned how to be faster and better at this craft.
Ali Edwards' super cool idea for a punch collage. Well, when doesn't she have a super cool and gorgeous project idea? But I was really drawn to this one, will have to start collecting the materials for it.
Wall decor phobia. I have all this gorgeous framed stuff that I know I want to hang, and we're at the point to do that in our new space, but now I'm terrified I'm going to start hanging things and hate where I put them/how they look. Or that *gasp* I won't have enough wall space for everything! It's such a bother to get them up on the wall in the first place that I would hate to have to re-hang stuff (especially since that means more holes to fill when we move out). I know we'll get there - thanks in large part to Chris' eternal patience with me - because I hate the sight of bare walls, but am I the only one on the planet that worries about something like this?

That about does it for me...I'll have to share a cute hybrid project I've been working on as soon as it's finished (since I now have internet at home, thankyouverymuch).

~Trude
Quote of the moment: "All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

RIP Hershey

2008-02-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

My family's beloved first dog, Hershey (a chocolate lab), passed away today at the ripe old age of nearly 14. My mom would call her "my fourth child", and she was a wonderful companion and mother hen to us kids.
She was in great pain at the end and could hardly walk, so at least she's at peace now.
She will be greatly missed.

Mission: Completed

2008-02-05T12:46:00.000-08:00

So we FINALLY finished moving Saturday night. My arms and legs and back still hurt, and I know Chris' do too! I think we'll be going for a couples' massage in the near future - we earned it! It took us two full days to do everything, in part because for half of it we were by ourselves, and also because we didn't bother packing everything in boxes because it was "just across the street". Well that meant many many trips carrying handfuls...you get the idea.

Major props go out to my ogre of a brother, Eirik, for helping us with the big heavy stuff on Friday (especially since Chris' friend that was supposed to help got really sick) and also to the rest of my immediate family for helping us out Saturday night with all the little things. We couldn't have done it without you guys, seriously! Well, we could, but that would have entailed calling some movers and paying big bucks.

Our new place still looks like a bomb went off, of course, but I'm loving it already. It's a million times better than the old place! (Which they already started gutting, interestingly enough.) Not only for the better floorplan and new amenities, but the fact that I can do laundry right then and there! :D Can't wait to get everything finalized and have some people over to christen it!

Speaking of which, Chris and I met up at Ikea after work last night for a hot date of furniture shopping. Definitely had to get him this dresser (like the one I already have, except they discontinued my finish, those bastards!):
And because of the serious downgrade in closet space (I can hardly fit all my stuff in the bedroom closet, and that's after pruning it with no mercy for Goodwill!), we also got this little cheapy wardrobe, which I'm planning on sprucing up with some paint:
And I wanted to get this desk chair, but we didn't think we'd have enough room in our respective trunks for everything, although in the end it turned out we did. :( (I'll be back, Ikea!) But we definitely need something smaller-scale; the chair I brought home from work is just too ginormous for the space, and not comfortable for me at all - whereas the Ikea one is surprisingly so (especially when you consider the price!). Plus it doesn't hurt that it's totally cute and not your run-of-the-mill desk/office chair. ;)

And as if we weren't already exhausted from this weekend, the poor puppy was totally traumatized by the whole event. Any time we left him alone in the new place - even just for a few minutes - he would start crying so loudly you could hear him from the bottom of the stairs! He'll settle in eventually (at least he's okay when we're there and isn't cowering by the door or something), but I just feel terrible that I can't explain things to him!

Hoping to finally get some art on the walls tonight! Oh and that reminds me - you guys have to check out this company that does wall decals. They'll even do custom words (like poems or company names)! SO pretty! Been eyeing them for the better part of a year, and I think it's time to finally get some. :)

~T

A Quick One...Sorta

2008-01-31T16:27:00.000-08:00

We've been in the midst of dealing with our property management company, getting everything set to move into a newly upgraded unit in the same community. It's a total pain, of course (even though they're much better than the old company), but I think it'll be worth it. We finally move tomorrow! So exciting, I'll be posting pictures of the new place soon. One of the best things is we get a washer/dryer combo actually in our apartment. You never know how much you'll miss something until it's gone, right? ;) Luckily the one we liked is literally just across the street, so moving should go pretty quickly. Thank Thor for friends with big arms who are willing to help with the heavy pieces!

I just love the chance to start fresh like that, wipe the slate clean. As much as I'm a person of habit, changing my environment every so often is a must. Even if it's just something small, I have to do it otherwise I start feeling...I don't know, antsy. At any rate, I'm also looking forward to having more wall space so that I can hang more of my own work. Yay! And redecorating, always feels good to do that. Speaking of which, have to share a few things I ordered in anticipation of them move from Urban Outfitters. Like this lovely jewelry tree:
And to go with it, a necklace stand too (I have a lot of necklaces just screaming to be let out of the bottom of my jewelry box!):
And to round it out, an earring stand:
All three for about $65! Not too shabby!

A New Way to Indulge

In other news, a much-anticipated new web store has officially opened its doors today, called Prima Hybrid. It's one of the first of it's kind to offer traditional/paper, hybrid and digital products all in one place. In the last year or so the two "worlds" have been coming together more, and even personally I've started branching out into the hybrid world, like making custom composition books (by creating a cover using digital products, printing out, gluing and trimming) and actually buying stamps and ink! *gasp* Crazy for me, I know, but I'm actually getting into it. For a girl who loves her office supplies so much, it's a miracle this didn't happen sooner.

So to celebrate the grand opening they're having a big ol' sale, and I indulged myself since a bunch of my fave designers have been recruited to sell there, and many created brand new products only available there. Such as Weeds and Wildflowers, I'm so in love with this kit:
I also couldn't resist these buttons, they remind me of the jars we inherited from my grandmother!
Also couldn't resist this gorgeous collaboration kit by Gina Marie Huff (aka part of Weeds & Wildflowers) and Vera Lim. Here's Vera's papers for the kit, soooo stunning:
Between the two of them its a huge kit, and totally worth it!

New Pages

Got a few more pages done (luckily the mojo is sticking with me), including the following two page spread - my very first!
Don't know why I never tried a two-pager before, but Penny's templates honestly just made it so much easier. Plus it's a great way to scrap a bunch of photos from the same event without making things seem overcrowded. Anyway, credits for them can be found here.

Here also is one using this awesome photo of Chris' parents that I couldn't pass up using!Credits are here.

I also started Jessica Sprague's "Now We're Rocking with Photoshop" online class last Monday, and it's proving to be one of the best investments I've ever made! Only $50 for a four-week course, where you have a walk-through online "lecture" (video) and assignment each week. Plus she emails you encouragment, tips, coupons, etc every day! So worth it. I've been doing digiscrap for a year and 1/2, but it still pays to see exactly how an expert does it. You never know what you're doing the "long" way!

Thus far I've done three pages - two assignments and an extra challenge. I love how the challenge page turned out, using a free kit that the Sweet Shoppe Designers made special for Jessica's students!
Credits for it can be found here.

And last but not least, I love how this page turned out. I made it as part of the Saturday Scraplift challenge over at Designer Digitals, because I couldn't pass up the chance to blatantly copy such a gorgeous design! ;)Credits are right here.

Well, that just about does it - now off to do more packing!

~Trude
Quote of the moment: "Learning to live in the present moment is part of the path of joy." ~Sarah Ban Breathnach

The Mojo is Back!

2008-01-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays I just wasn't really feeling like scrapping anything, and then all of sudden, last week it came flooding back. I haven't been able to stop! It doesn't hurt that I participated in a few "challenges" to help get me inspired, but still.

First, here's Bittersweet Joy:Had to do something with that photo of Chris in a kilt, even if it was for a somber occasion! Credits can be found here.

Then, I finally found a kit I wanted to use for this photo of my parents that I've been meaning to scrap since I took it!I used Penny Springmann's Be Mine kit. I'm not usually that "girly" when it comes to scrapping, but this time it just seemed appropriate. :) Full credits can be found here.

Then there's this one of Chris and I, which is an "outtake" from our Christmas card photo shoot. Of course, I used Lightroom to edit it, and I really like how it turned out (in just one click! LOL).
Credits can be seen here.

Then yesterday I managed to churn out two in one day. First, I couldn't resist using this great photo of Chris' grandmother, Kae.
Isn't she sweet? Credits can be found here.

And I also couldn't resist using this photo of Ted E. that I took a few weekends ago. (I just love how Kelsey's preset turned out on the photo!)
I used a kit that I've had my eye on for months now, the Letterpress Collection by Keri Schueller. Such gorgeous colors! All the credits for this page are here.

Last but not least, I finally scrapped about Ken's Big Adventure. Finally, a chance to use bright colors! :)Full credits are here.

Ommm...

I also started yoga classes "for real" this week, and it's awesome! So incredibly relaxing, and already its helping me become more aware of how tense I am without even realizing it. Got to learn to chill out! I really loved the class I went to last night, Viniyoga, which is more breathing-focused. I'm sore in places that I haven't been for a long time, but its a good kind of sore! :) This weekend I'm back there for the beginner-specific classes that are much smaller and will make sure I'm doing the poses right. Long-term goals are better strength/limberness (if that's a word) and more control over my breathing - asthma or no asthma!

We Loves A Sale

If any of you ever shop at Ann Taylor Loft, now is the time! They're having a seriously awesome sale! Went in there last night looking for work pants. Didn't find any work pants (of course), but I did get a super cute LBD dress for $30 that was originally $130 (not even on their website anymore!), a cute raw silk cropped jacket for $30 - yes, seriously - and a few tops for $20 each! I guess it was my night for some retail therapy!

This Weekend

Looking forward to hanging out with Roseann tonight, and taking Jacopo to Irvine Regional Park on Sunday morning. Hopefully the winds don't blow out of control again!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

~T
Quote of the moment: "If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it." ~Jonathan Winters

10 Things

2008-01-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

I think it's about time I did anther round of (cue music):

10 Things Making Me Happy (Right Now)

My new zoom lens. Now I know what you're thinking, "A new lens already??" But hear me out - the lens I got initially is a 50mm fixed lens, aka no zoom. For most instances, it works great! But if I'm trying to fit a lot of things in the frame and can't back up any more, I'm stuck. Or if I want to photograph something without it's knowing (i.e. pets), that's tough. So on and so forth. Besides, a standard photographer's kit includes at least 2 lenses, depending on what you photograph the most. Just ask Scott Kelby. ;-) So I finally decided on the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 zoom lens. I hardly had a chance to really test it out Tuesday night, but so far it's handling great!!
Adobe Lightroom. I had heard about this program before, but finally decided to download the free trial after people started raving about how quick and easy it makes photo editing. And I have to say I agree!! Definitely going to invest in this one (using a student discount, of course). It has one-click presets that are either built in or there are tons you can download all over the internet, which can yield stunning results that would have taken me a LOT longer in Photoshop. There are certain things you can't do, such as remove imperfections, whiten teeth, or blur messy backgrounds, but it definitely streamlines the whole process. Plus the presets are totally customizable - they could take just one click, and/or you could modify the effects yourself. Here's a few examples of the same photo with different presets applied (from Kelsey Smith and Traci Reed) that I did the other night (click image for larger version):
A moving possibility. We're in talks with our property managers to move to a fully upgraded apartment instead of renewing the lease on our current place. Very exciting! Those of you who have visited know our place could use some spiffing up. :) The one we're looking at is in the units across the street, has its own washer & dryer (huge improvement!!), everything has been gutted and redone, and just a slightly different floorplan that I actually like better. The increase in rent will be minimal, for what we're getting (plus we were due for an increase anyway with the renewal), and I'd really like to stay in the area as long as it's feasible. Plus, in terms of my current photography cravings, it's on the second floor so we get more/better light, and it has more wall space so I can start hanging my own stuff instead of somebody else's! ;-) Jeez, I've gone off the deep end now.
A charitable contribution. Granted, it was only $8, but I still feel it's a nice way to start the year! It was through this awesome digital scrapbooking shop that started last year called Songbird Avenue. It's run by two super designers, Jan Crowley and Meredith Fenwick, and every month they create a big scrapbooking kit along with a guest designer and all the funds go to a charity of the guest's choosing. I've bought kits from them before, but when I saw this month's I had to get it right then and there! Their guest is Shabby Miss Jenn, another designer I really like, and her charity is the Lupus Foundation of America. Check out how cute it is:
Right? Now go make some donations! :)
"Ghosthunters" is back! Except our cable box and internet have been down since Wednesday, so I don't think it recorded the premiere last night. So that's not making me happy! But I'm sure I'll be able to catch one of the repeats. Such a cool show to watch, if you're into that kind of thing.
Aaron Brothers' 1 Cent Sale. If you love having your photos out and framed, get over there now! Such an awesome sale. Not only do they have the "buy one, get one for one cent" thing going on, but they have many of them on sale to begin with. I stocked up on scrapbook frames, plus some basic black collage-style frames to start hanging more of my own photos. I filled one of them last night with photos of Jacopo (surprise) - between the Lightroom effects and the new Epson photo paper I got, they looked awesome.
One+One. Its a new inspiration blog that some gals in the digiscrap community started up, and so far I've really loved what they posted. It's just one little thing every day, but a really nice blog to check in on every once in a while when you need some eye candy.
Books, books and more books. I'm practically surrounded by new books! They could each be a point on this list, I swear. I was given two gift cards to Barnes & Noble and two to Borders, and I've already used them all. Plus I ordered some (photography and scrapbooking) online through Ideabooks4u that I couldn't find in the store. I won't list them all, but some of the ones you guys might be interested include Cathy Zielske's Clean and Simple Scrapbooking-The Sequel (serious inspiration there!), Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure (a must-have according to many trusted sources, including Scott Kelby himself!), Laurie Notaro's The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club (for when you really just need a laugh, her other stuff makes my sides ache!), and one of my all-time faves, Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife. I read that one last year, and I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. Just amazing prose. I think its already been through several printings - not bad for your first fiction work. I can't wait for her to put out another book! But I had originally borrowed it from a friend, and I just had to finally get it for my own library. :) There were a bunch of others - darn Borders' buy one, get one half off table! They always have good ones! I'm sure I'll share if any are worth reading.
Good deeds. Last night I helped a woman who works in the office next door jump-start her car. Lucky for her I have jumper cables (and know how to use them)! She didn't have cables or AAA - and that's just not right! You gotta have one or the other. :) I'm pretty sure I racked up some karma points, and that always feels good.
Shopping with other people. It sounds silly, I know, but last weekend I did errands with my mom, and the weekend before that went shopping with my best friend at the post-Christmas sales, and I didn't realize until then how much I missed shopping with another woman! Usually I avoid malls and such on the weekends, so my shopping is done after work, alone. It was a truly welcome change to have such good company!

So what's making you happy? If you have to think more than 30 seconds, you need a break from whatever you're doing!!

~Trude

Quote of the moment: "One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats." ~Iris Murdoch

Everyday Resolutions

2008-01-04T23:10:00.000-08:00

Some people are really into making New Year's resolutions, and some never bother. For me, I'm always making mini (or short term) resolutions in my head; maybe it's something I want to read up about, something I've been meaning to get taken care of, etc. Right now there are several large-scale resolutions that at the forefront of my mental list, so I thought I'd share them with the world - maybe then I'll be totally successful at following through. :) [Besides, I'm the kind of person that does much better if I write my thoughts down that minute, otherwise it might not resurface for days/weeks!]

Increase my photography knowledge & skills. I'm already on my way with the still-new digital SLR camera and lens, but got even more so by using gift cards to get more books, including Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson, and re-purchasing Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Book (since my parents lost the copy I lent them!). I also got a small reference book for my camera model in particular, kind of like an extended/easier to read version of the manual. And I just heard about a super inexpensive photography seminar that will be near me in mid-February called "Captivated by the Light" that I'm considering going to. Anybody with me?
Get my butt off the couch! Granted, the pup keeps me fairly active but I can feel my winter lethargy catching up with me (I really hate doing dog walks in the dark!). Due to my allergies and asthma I can't even consider going back to soccer, so I'm going to a free yoga beginner's/intro class at a local studio next weekend, and I'm pretty sure it'll be something that really works for me. Not only do I want to be more active, but I also want to work on getting better control of my breathing.
Get back to school, or at least do more about getting there. I just miss it! Not only is my day job a constant reminder of what I really want to do, but I also miss the intellectual stimulation. Reading can only take you so far - classes push you to think more.
Journaling. I was inspired by the fantabulous Cathy Zielske when she mentioned this on her blog, and it went along with thoughts I'd been having lately anyways. When I was younger (high school and younger) I would write at least every other day, and lately I've been really missing that. Not that I can do that much these days! But once every couple of months isn't great either. The words are only the half of it for me - the physical act of writing is also theraputic for me. So I definitely want to make sure to journal at least once a week, even if it's only a few lines.

In other news, I've finally had some time to sit down and upload my (good) photos from Christmas! Christmas Eve was spent with my family (since we celebrate the Scandinavian way), with all our crazy traditions. Something new my mom started this year was a photo booth of sorts, where she had a point-and-shoot camera set up on a tripod on the patio ("lucky" for us, in SoCal that day it was about 70 degrees) and let people take photos as they pleased. Then Roseann (my brother's girlfriend) had the genius idea of people wearing antler headbands (yes boys, you were conned into wearing headbands!) and doing funny photos. Then Christmas Day was spent with Chris's family, which works out nicely. We do gifts with just his immediate family, then his dad goes to pick up Grandma Kae and we do gifts with her, and then we loll around until it's time for Christmas dinner. Nothing too stressful (except the day before Christmas Eve, when I was trying to do all my wrapping in one shot!), but exhausting all the same! At least it's the good kind of exhausting. All of my photos, plus the "booth" ones, can be found in a set here. And for those of you wish less time on your hands, here are a few of my faves (some not even Christmas-y, go figure):
(We actually baked all the cookies and such on Saturday, but of course I have to include those too!)
That's it for now darlings, I do believe I've gotten enough done on this rainy Friday night! :) Ta!

~Trude
Quote of the moment: "Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave." ~Mary Tyler Moore

2007 Recap

2007-12-27T12:31:00.000-08:00

I don't usually do this, but I thought it'd be a nice closing blog for the year. :) (Christmas photos coming soon!)

As 2007 comes to an end....recall all you did this year.....

1) Where did you begin 2007?
In Tustin at a friend's house. Great party!

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
I don't celebrate it! But Chris and I have been together for 2 years, 7 months now.

3) Were you in school (anytime this year)?
Nope.

4) How did you earn your money?
Was actually unemployed until the end of February. I now work for a commercial real estate developer.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
Knock on wood, I didn't.

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?
Nope!

7) Where did you go on holiday?
A few weekend trips - Vegas, San Diego.

8) What did you purchase that was over $1000?
The new camera and lens kit.

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
Yup, my uncle.

10) Did you know anybody who passed away?
Yes, Chris' grandmother.

12) Did you move anywhere?
No.

14) What concerts/shows did you go to?
Not nearly as many as last year! The highlight was seeing Chris work at the Warped Tour.

15) Are you registered to vote?
Of course.

16) Who did you want to win Big Brother?
What? Is that show still on?

17) Where do you live now?
An apartment in Tustin.

18) Describe your birthday.
It was great! Low-key night out with friends and then dinner with family.

19) What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2007?
Good question! Raise a puppy, I suppose. We thought that would come way later.

20) What has been your favorite moment?
Too many too choose just one!

21) What's something you learned about yourself?
That I'm a great puppy mama.

22) Any new additions to your family?
23.) What was your best month?
Again, hard to choose...

24.) What music will you remember 2007 by?
The Dears, Rufus Wainwright, Feist

26) Made new friends?
Definitely! Roseann stands out. :)

27) New best buddies?
For sure!

28) Favorite night out?
Do I have to just pick one? There are many - standouts include our anniversary, last New Year's, my birthday, Alena's birthday, Josh Groban at the Staples Center, video game nights at my place with the girls, Whooligans nights and Thursday nights at the Schwabels' house.

~Trude
Quote of the moment: "What we anticipate seldom occurs, what we least expected generally happens." -Benjamin Disraeli

Christmas Is Upon Us...

2007-12-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else feel like this week is totally dragging? Well, it goes fast once I get home and work on all the stuff I need to do personally, but at work it's just creeping ever so slowly...

Today's Funny

At any rate, Jessica Sprague, scrapbooker extraordinaire and one of my fave bloggers, posted an especially funny blog yesterday about how her very young son has managed on more than one occasion to make calls using her iPhone - and not just random ones, but to dad and grandpa! :) It just cracked me up; if you have a few minutes its a great read!

It got me thinking too - my generation is one of the first to really grow up with computers (c'mon guys, Oregon Trail?)(not that it makes us any better at using them!), so we consider ourselves pretty savvy. But my brother, who is seven years younger than me, grew up with what are considered "modern" (read: not-DOS) computers and is a true whiz. Granted, he's a total geek and incredibly smart, but still he and his friends all type faster than anyone I know and can figure out any gadget in 2 minutes or less. So maybe Jessica's son represents the next generation - the ones that can easily use an iPhone to make a call (which takes 4 distinct steps, mind you) by the age of 3? It's an interesting thought. Imagine what my kids might grow up with!

Scrappin' Stuff

The reason I haven't posted much lately about scrapbooking is due to me working away at a top-secret Christmas thing which has taken a lot of my mojo and desire to even discuss scrapbooking! However, I was totally inspired this week to use one of Bree Clarkson's new templates to make this page, entitled "Christmas Cookies":

And now, come to think of it, I never "officially" announced the other creative team that I was asked to join! Geez! I'm terrible.

This one is for the awesome (and aforementioned) Bree Clarkson, who, like Penny, also recently joined Sweet Shoppe Designs. She primarily does scrapbook page templates (and other templates, like cards and hybrid projects, etc.), and she's awesome at it! What's really great is that they provide "mojo" when you want to make a page but don't know where to start, and they're totally customizable (you'd be surprised to see how many different variations the CT can turn out using the same template!). At any rate, it's a great CT to be a part of and I'm loving it! If you want to check out her products, you can do so here. And here is where you can see pages done using her stuff.

...And More Photos

More than anything lately I've been playing around with my camera and the awesome photos it's turning out. I'm finally starting to feel like I'm capturing what I was seeing at the time! I'm even thinking of taking a class at the local JC. Next thing on my list I think is Adobe Lightroom, which can do some amazing effects with just a few clicks, such as this. (And don't gasp at the price! If you're a student or a parent of a student you can get it here, for MUCH cheaper.)

So last Saturday my girlfriends and I spent the most of the day in old town Orange, drooling over antiques we couldn't afford (although Nikki and I both bought vintage 50s clutches, for a whopping $15 each) but would totally go into debt for. My only problem is lack of space! Eventually, when I'm grown up, I'd like to have more antique furniture than new in my house, but that's going to take a while!

They dutifully posed for a few photos for me in the Orange Circle, which has this great fountain in the middle (click for larger):
And I love this one - they were waiting for me to take some photos of this awesome building in old town, and right as Mindy turned I snapped. I just love how her face seems to say "Oh for Christ's sake..."On Sunday Chris and I went over to his parent's house for a photo session on the beach with his family, which his mom is having put on canvas for Grandma Kaye (Chris' dad's mom). We froze our asses off, but I'm hoping they turned out well! We were supposed to do it the previous weekend, but the death in the family bumped it. When we got back to the house I decided to do a few photos of my own up on their balcony since it was pretty sunset light:
I know Chris looks kinda evil in this one, but I still love the intensity of his gaze. Plus Jacopo was actually paying attention too! :)Then after that it was up to Whittier to have dinner with Grandma Kaye for the family December birthdays (Chris' dad and brother).

Monday night we finally had a chance (since we just got our Christmas tree on Sunday morning!) to take some photos for our Christmas card. That was a trial! Luckily I also got a remote for the new camera (only $20, I highly recommend it!), otherwise I think I would have been sorely tempted to smash it, or anything within reach, really. Trying to frame it just right (in front of the tree, of course) and get the right aperture and shutter speed settings, and then getting the puppy to stay still long enough on top of that proved to be just a bit too challenging. But we wound up with some pretty darn funny "outtakes"! :)

Such as this one, where the camera seemed to love Jacopo more than us:Or this one, where I was just taking test shots before finalizing the settings. Pretty intense, que no?And then there's this one, where Chris was like "Honey, quit fiddling with your camera and take this damn photo I set up for you!" You're the best, babe. ;-)
I made my traditional Christmas fudge last night - so hard to not get into it right away! But my recipe calls for it to sit for 24 hours, so tonight: watch your back, fudge. I'll be picking at you in between the gift wrapping!

~Trude
Quote of the day: "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy people enough to make it worth the effort." ~Herm Albright

Holy Thor!

2007-12-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

What a whirlwind 10 days it's been...I don't hardly know where to start! I guess it would be Thanksgiving - have to share a few photos from that get-together. It's one of my favorite holidays, because it means hanging out with family and eating. What more could you ask for from a holiday? ;) Unless you're the cook, that is...which mom always handles so beautifully! I did make the chocolate pudding pie, as usual, and this year I had help from my new Auntie Donna. :)

Mmmm turkey... (as always, click for larger)
And I always think our table is so gorgeous I have to take multiple shots of it. I'll spare you the majority of them:
And, of course, the requisite group shot (sans moi, since I was taking it):

Chris, Sarah and her boyfriend Jim joined us later that night, but all in all a great turkey day! Especially with mom & dad's new 54-inch flatscreen HD TV! ;)

Unfortunately I spent the rest of the long weekend dealing with the worst migraine I've had in a long time. Apparently turkey can be a trigger, who knew? Guess we'll have to do fish for Christmas, huh mom?

My New Love

As a holiday present to myself (and after finding out what my bonus is from work), I ordered the camera of my dreams, the Canon Rebel XTi. It arrived just in time for ~~Thanksgiving~~ Christmas! As most of you know, I've been daydreaming about owning a dSLR since I started pursuing photography as a serious hobby over a year ago. So as soon as I found out that I would have the chance to spend that kind of money relatively guilt-free, which I otherwise never would, I jumped at it! And boy oh boy is it ever paying off...I'll spare you all the details, but basically I decided not to order the stock kit lens it usually comes with and got the 50mm f/1.4 lens instead, which is ideal for portraiture (which I do a lot of) and low light (ditto). I've been researching this for a long time, and all the sources I trust recommended this lens. Here's what that killer combo did with my very first round of shots, straight out of the box:I know it's not a perfect shot, but hot damn! Compared to what my old camera did in those same lighting conditions, it's a miracle. I definitely still have my point-and-shoot since it's pocket size is so handy and the Rebel can be a bit too much for taking photos at a restaurant or something, but I am totally in LOVE. Next on the list is a zoom lens (the one I got is a fixed length, meaning if I want to zoom in/out I have to do it the old fashioned way: with my legs), but it'll be a while before that happens!

And of course, had to show my appreciation for the new toy:
R.I.P.

Chris' grandmother Henriette (on his mom's side) passed away last Monday, peacefully in her sleep. She would have been 82 on Saturday, the day of her funeral. Chris' mom, Gisele, has four sisters, and they all have kids (and one grandkid), so it was quite the family gathering. His grandfather was actually the rock of the bunch, making jokes and stuff. The cousins are all pretty close, and I was grateful that even with their grief they made me (and the other girlfriends/boyfriends) feel welcome. In order to try and be of some help, I offered to make a poster of some family photos of grandma to display at the viewing and funeral:
I didn't get to know her as well as I would have liked, but I do know that she was a lovely, caring woman and is sorely missed by her family.

In between being with the family on Monday and the funeral on Saturday, I had an open house for one of our projects at work on Tuesday and then the company holiday party on Thursday, both of which I was responsible for. So it's no wonder that Friday morning I woke up with a horrible head cold! Luckily I was able to get rest after coming home early on Friday so that I could be there for the family on Saturday, and Sunday and Monday were spent under blankets too. I'm mostly over it by now, just a cough and a lovely peeling nose to match. :P

Now I'm looking forward to doing a Secret Santa gift exchange with my girlfriends on Friday and some vintage shopping in old town Orange on Saturday.

But before I go, just wanted to share some photos I took the weekend after Thanksgiving, the full extent of which you can see here.
~T
Quote of the moment: "Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Twain

Photo Madness

2007-11-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

In honor of my new camera and gear that just arrived last night (more on that later once I have photo evidence!), I thought I'd share some of my recent favorites from Flickr. It is incredibly inspiring just browsing through what other people, all over the world, are doing with their photography.

1. Untitled, 2. Regrets, I've Had a Few..., 3. Puppy Mocha Catches Some 'Air', 4. Overture, 5. Gamle Bybro (Trondheim, Norway), 6. baby eyes, 7. Dan and Dilmah, 8. sunset, 9. Autumn in Detroit, 10. hungrynowpleasepasstheturkeynowplease, 11. Below Zero, 12. Headphones 1., 13. THE LOVE SHACK's other side!!!, 14. decay-1, 15. Tá ficando atoladinho, tá ficando atoladinho., 16. Vashist-Himachal Pradesh, 17. The Carnival, 18. Broken Words, 19. Sunny, 20. Vigeland Park, 21. Flatbrehytta 4, 22. aker brygge, oslo, 23. Tiger Mountain, 24. Rooftops of Manchester, 25. Grandma Glass Detail 2

Gorgeous, que no?

And I know I've mentioned it before, but Etsy is seriously saving my ass this Christmas. For those of you who, like me, are trying to shop on a budget, I highly recommend it!! Like this gal that I recently discovered who makes gorgeous (and budget-friendly) jewelry - her earrings are especially lovely. Or this one who does eco-friendly and yummy looking soaps and other skin products. Why not get something unique? Plus, best of all, no crowds, no lines, no annoying drivers, nada! :)

~Trude

Wow.

2007-11-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

It has truly been a whirlwind month! I can't believe we're almost upon Thanksgiving here...where did October go?? I'm exhausted, but also in a great state of mind from all the great things I've been up to since my last post.

Fire-y Experience

The effect of the wildfires here last month was incredible. Red, apocalyptic skies like this:
Gross, huh? We (including the pup) pretty much didn't leave the house unless we absolutely had to all week! Luckily our apartment was never in danger, but we were very close to the Santiago fire (just over the hill, really) and at times we had ash all over everything.

The biggest worry was my uncle's house in Rancho Bernardo, since it was in the thick of the action in San Diego. Luckily his house was okay, although Donna's daughter (now his stepdaughter, yay!) Jen was evacuated in the middle of the night since they were out of town. Poor girl! It was an especially big worry because of the wedding that was coming up, which we just had last weekend. Luckily everyone involved was okay and things are slowly getting back to normal down there.

Pushing My Boundaries

I am happy to report that I have joined my very first creative team, working for digital scrapbooking designer Penny Springmann! (You might have noticed the blinkie to the right, as it's been there for a few weeks now because I couldn't wait to share!) This is really exciting and flattering for me, because it not only means free products (woo!) but also that my hard work at improving my digiscrap skills is paying off. Penny is an awesome designer who recently started selling at Sweet Shoppe Designs, and thus far I'm loving this "job"! I had originally applied for a guest spot for the month of November, but she liked my work so much she asked me to become a permanent member.

For those of you not in the "industry" (haha), a creative team (aka CT) is a common practice among designers as a way of showing off and promoting their products. CTs will create several layouts each month using the designer's newest products and typically post them in several online galleries. Other duties vary, but it's a total win-win situation for everyone. Designers have a team to bounce ideas off of and help expand their business, and CT members get access to great products and also expand their skills and exposure to the process.

Here's a few pages I've done thus far with her products:

"Lil Pumpkin"
"Oak Glen"
"Just How Much"
and "Rock On"For credits and details, click here, here, here and here.

Fun Visit(or)

Our good family friend Cheryl came down again this year to visit us right around her birthday at the end of October. I just love spending time with her! Not only has she known us kids since we were tiny babies, but she's been a counselor for years so you can't put anything past her. ;)

We had so much fun over the weekend just before Halloween! Unfortunately Chris had already booked jobs all weekend so he wasn't able to play with us, but I brought Jacopo along instead. ;) I played hookey on Friday, and she and I met up with my mom to go to lunch and then went to play in Downtown Disney. On Saturday my brother's awesome girlfriend Roseann bravely came along with my mom, Cheryl and me to the Historic Home Tour in old town Orange. I've done the walking tour before and was really looking forward to it, since it's different homes every time. We had so much fun with just us girls! Although after a yummy lunch at Felix's and walking around all day, we were all ready for a nap by 4pm. :)

On Sunday my dad had the great idea of going to the annual apple festival in Oak Glen, and that was a blast! We took a bunch of photos that day, but I think my favorite one has to be this one:
Funny, huh? The best part was I didn't even notice the sign behind us saying "No Dogs" until I was uploading all the photos to my computer! But of course there wasn't anybody saying "get out of here with that dog" or anything. In fact, just the opposite - everybody wanted to say hi to him! I warned Cheryl of how much we might get stopped, but it takes a day of walking with him to fully understand. I must have spoken to 30 different families that day! I suppose I'm used to it by now, seeing as we can't even go to Petsmart without someone wanting to pet him or ask what kind of dog he is. I guess that's the price you pay for having an unusual dog!

But I digress!

Viva Las Vegas

Then I had 3 short days before I left for Las Vegas for a girls' weekend! Since we left early Thursday morning and Chris was working, I didn't bother going out for Halloween; I just spent the night packing and handing out candy. :)

Then we were off! Nikki, Katie, Mindy and I drove together to meet up with Katie's boyfriend Colby, and Heather joined us Friday night. We just stayed at a cheap place in downtown/Fremont Street, but it didn't matter much since we were out and about most of the time. I think it's the best time I've ever had in Vegas, and this was my 4th trip with friends! We're all pretty easygoing travelers and share similar interests, so I'm always up for traveling and vacationing with my girls. :)

We were pretty low-key this time, no shows planned or anything like that. We went to the Hoover Dam, Mindy and I went and saw the baby dolphin at the Mirage's Secret Garden (highly recommend it!), did some vintage shopping, ate at the Bellagio's buffet, gambled, and generally hung out. It was great!

We took a ton of awesome photos, but I have to share some of the highlights from my photos:

Baby Dolphin!
Katie, politely shielding my redness from drinking that ginormous margarita:On the road to the Hoover Dam, we stopped off at a vista point overlooking Lake Mead, and laughed so hysterically at these signs that were posted everywhere that we took this photo in front of one, and I think it's my fave photo that I've taken in a long time!
Such an awesome trip! Thanks gang, for making it great!

Wedding Bells

Then I had a few days last week to try and recover (ha) before my uncle's wedding to his fiancee Donna, during which I had to put together a slide show of over 100 photos since my mom didn't have time. Fun! But it worked out, and I can proudly say I've increased my skills in iMovie and iDVD. :)

So I took a half day on Friday so that I could get my act together, and Chris and I drove down to the hotel we were staying at around the corner from Karl and Donna's house. We met up with my parents, and then we all trooped over to their house for a pre-wedding get together. Which was great! It was a chance to see everybody from out of town, and meet people from her side that I hadn't met before. We (meaning me, my mom and my dad, the unofficial photography team for the weekend) took a few really bad flash-y photos that I just have to share, because I didn't post them in the official Flickr album. :)

I just love how the boys all made the same eyes at the camera in this one (and I really don't think they pre-planned that!):Alex and I getting into the amazing marzipan cake that mom made:
Elissa enjoying the cake:

And the next morning it was THE DAY. Mom and I got up extra early so we could go over to the venue ahead of time with the wedding party (aka Karl, Donna and their kids) and take some photos. We got incredibly lucky with the weather - it had been cloudy all week, but the sun came out for them, without the temperature getting too hot. Perfecto! Apparently the brewery had previously been a Chinese restaurant, so they had this awesome view out onto a koi pond with beautiful landscaping and a little bridge and waterfalls! It was actually a great choice by them, you'd never know where you were and it made the party feel very private and isolated. Plus the staff was really great and helpful.

Anyways, you can go to my Flickr album to see the whole shebang, but here are a few highlights (as always, click for larger).

The table setting:The wedding party:The location, as described above:
The recessional:
The first dance:
It was such a beautiful event! I'm so happy it turned out well for them, since they are two people who truly deserved it. And now I have a new auntie! How cool is that??

And since it was a daytime wedding, we all went back to the house afterwards and had a great time doing an "afterparty." :) I won't name names, but certain people definitely had a "better" time than others!

And now I'm spending a quiet night at home with Chris and the pup, and looking forward to a very subdued weekend...

~T

Retail Therapy, Deals & Steals, and Lovin' Etsy

2007-10-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you guys, but for me there is something so incredibly rewarding about bargain shopping! Not only is it retail therapy, but you feel awesome just for having gotten such great deals. :) For example, last night my mom and I met up at the Nordstrom Rack by South Coast Plaza, as I had a few things I've been looking for and mom is (still) trying to find something to wear for my uncle's wedding next month. [Just a note for the ladies - could it be any harder to find something appropriate for a plus-size woman? It's a daytime wedding, but super casual because it's both their second time around and it's a fall wedding. Poor mom. We're open for suggestions!] We even went through the designer racks in the hopes of finding something really cool for her that she could wear again, but no luck. And I consider myself a pretty savvy shopper, but jeez! Nothing to be found - and we went over to Talbots and Chico's too!

However, I did manage to snag a few things for myself at the Rack - a cute black dress from Calvin Klein ($35!) that I can even wear to work, a cozy green & black houndstooth-type coat, a bra and some undies. At full price it all would have cost me about $300, but I only paid $120. Woooo! :)

Ahhh, Artistry

I'm pretty sure I've gushed about this website to some of you, but it's about time I linked y'all up! It's called Etsy, and it's basically a place where people can sell their handmade stuff - whether its paintings, jewelry, dog clothes, handbags, etc. So if you love unique pieces like me but get tired of trolling through vintage/thrift stores, I think you'll love this site as much as I do. :) And the best part? Most items are super affordable, because they're by people that only sell their things part time, or are just starting out. And a lot of them offer to make you custom versions of their items! I'm definitely planning on doing a bunch of my Christmas shopping there! And maybe a few things for me... ;)

For example, here's a few things that are on my faves list right now:

"Vanessa Lace Clutch" by Madison Gre:

"Sexy Brown Pleats Bag" by Daphnenen:

"Captured Pearl Earrings" by Precious Meshes:

And, last but not least, this stunning "Tell Your Story" print by the talented Kelly Rae Roberts:
Isn't that stunning?? I'm going to have to exercise serious self-control when I finally go to make my purchases!

I think that's enough about retail therapy (for the time being, anyways!). In other news, a pretty quiet week, just getting ready for a busy next couple of weeks: first our old family friend Cheryl is coming to visit next weekend, then a 4-day trip to Vegas the first weekend in November, then the weekend after that is my uncle's wedding. And then it's all downhill into the holidays from there!

~Trude

Birthday Wrap-Up

2007-10-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I went so long without a single, solitary post! Bad blogger, bad, bad blogger! But I suppose with my birthday last weekend and everything I got a little distracted. :)

I Have the Power of Touch

In deference to a recent post, the first order of business is definitely: I GOT AN IPOD TOUCH FOR MY BIRTHDAY!! Aaaaahhhhhhh!!! :D

Of all people, the guys at work gave it to me! It was such a surprise, I was totally content with nothing at all; a card, maybe. But they took me to lunch and everything. It was so touching. :) (No pun intended!) I guess my boss was actually listening when I wouldn't stop raving about it! And they even had it engraved with my name and number, just in cases. Now I can't stop playing with it! I'm constantly checking for a wi-fi connection everywhere I go...so addicted. It even kept me distracted from the cold last night at the dog park. [I don't know what it is about that place, but with the open area and grass it seems 15 degrees colder than everywhere around it!]

24th Birthday Weekend

Y'know, its funny, I've kinda gotten over birthdays since high school - only one real party since I turned 17. As I see it, the best part about a birthday is that it's a really good excuse to get all my friends and all my family together - doesn't really matter what we do, or if I get gifts or whatever. Although I have to admit I don't mind milking it in order to go eat somewhere we normally wouldn't! (Like the Mission Inn's Sunday brunch last year.) :)

The previous weekend we had gone to dinner with Chris' family in order to celebrate my and Hillary's birthdays, since we were so close together. His grandma made her Texas sheetcake...mmm....and his parents got me a lovely bag and bracelets. :)

So that yummy work lunch last Friday kicked off my birthday weekend (and it didn't hurt my mood that I got off work at 4!). That night "the gang" took me out (meaning Chris, Mindy, Nikki, Katie, Colby, Nancy and Kris) to the Commonwealth Lounge for dinner and drinks. It was all going pretty well (except our terrible waitress), and they had a great 3 piece jazz band that played a set, but after that they changed the music to 70s disco! And beforehand it had been the Rat Pack! Kinda ruined the mood, especially since in downtown Fullerton it's de rigeur to play the music really loud no matter what, so ignoring the background music isn't an option. Thus, we decided to head back to our apartment, and wound up having a really nice time just hanging out with everyone.

Saturday morning we actually got up at a decent hour and Chris and I went to old towne Orange so that I could pick out my gift - a potentially wallet-deadly idea on his part! I'm still kicking myself for not bringing my parents' camera that I was borrowing for the week, as it was gorgeous that day. About 73 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, light breeze...perfect. I dragged Chris through three vintage warehouses (they can't possibly count as stores with that much square footage!) before I finally found just the right thing. Good thing too, because we were starting to go cross-eyed from all the stuff they manage to cram in those stores!

Turns out that a lovely vintage pearl necklace from The Antique Mall was just what I've been looking for! I've been meaning to replace an old fake strand that I wore out, and this one said hello. (See further down for a photo.) The coolest part (I think) is that the pearls have that lovely off-white, aged color to them, and they're natural so they're just slightly misshapen, which I prefer anyways. :) I think they're quite the find, considering what he paid for them. But it was really fun going together - it took out the guesswork for him, let me find exactly what I wanted, and also made us take some alone time away from the apartment and the pup (and we weren't running errands!).

Saturday night we packed ourselves and the pup into the car and headed up to my parents house for dinner. While we were waiting for Eirik to drive over from work (picking up his awesome girlfriend on the way) we had some yummy pink champagne and my aunties called to sing to me, as per usual. Here's me opening their card (click for larger):

Even though I seriously despise the birthday song, I tolerate it from them because it's tradition, especially because Grandma isn't around to sing it anymore. You can see my new necklace in the photo - and this awesome dress from the Gap, of all places, that I couldn't resist getting myself. So cute, and it has pockets! I actually wore it to work today too. :D

Once everyone was present we headed over to the local Mexican place called the Whole Enchilada that I love. Even though they don't take reservations, my mom convinced them to set up a table for us, since we were 7 people and the place isn't all that big. So delicious, and I had a strawberry pina colada too. Yum! Then it was back to the house for my birthday cake that I've been dreaming about for the last two months - mom bakes it for me special. It's a torte with fresh dream mixed with orange liquer in between the layers, with a thick layer of marzipan over the whole thing. SO good!! It's a pretty complicated cake to make, so she usually only does it for my birthday. :)

Then Sunday was a nice lazy day, which I really needed too. All in all a really fantastic weekend!

More Pages

I was incredibly inspired the past couple of weeks, so here's a few of the results (if you want more, check out the gallery links to the right):

"To Me, From Me"
For credits and info, click here.

"Take Along A Friend"
Again, for credits click here.

"Daily Dose of Love"
I know, I know, yet another pup-photo layout, but I can't help myself! The dare was about something you do every day, so don't blame me. ;) Credits can be found here.

"Summer Girls"Aren't my cousin and her friend so cute? Been meaning to work with this photo for long time. Go here for more info.

And last but not least, this one -
Definitely one of my new favorites! Credits are here.

Now we're getting ready for Halloween and the rest of the holidays - just got Jacopo's costume tonight, but I'm not going to tell what it is until I have a photo! :) Hope everyone else is doing well!

~Trude

Quote of the moment (a fun one!): "Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand." ~Kurt Vonnegut

Just Say No

2007-09-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way (Katie the fashion diva for sure agrees with me!), and I just had to randomly vent* - if you have a spare $650 laying around, do NOT, under any circumstances, in the name of all that is holy, spend it on this:
I don't care if it is Mr. Vuitton making it, any and all versions of the fanny pack should not be allowed! Unless you are a street vendor of some kind, then I might be forgiving.

In the event you are tempted and need to be re-directed in your spending, I am available for consultation and advice (at a minimal fee, of course).

~Trude

*I have seen two different individuals wearing one of these eyesores in the past week! So not such a random venting.

Touching iPods & Too Much Scrapbooking

2007-09-14T12:12:00.001-07:00

Yet another Friday post...

My New Obsession

So usually I'm not the biggest techno-hoarder (don't get me wrong, me loves the new toys and developments, but I don't need to be the first person to have them), but the new iPod touch has got me shakin' like a junkie who needs a fix! It is just the coolest gadget ever...or at least since the iPhone. :) Do I even need to go into why it's so cool? Just look at it!! I would never bother with the iPhone, especially since I'm locked into my plan and don't want AT&T, but THIS one I do want!! So pay attention friends and family, since my birthday and Christmas are both coming up! :) Now I just need a new car that I can run my iPod through directly....

More and More Pages

Been on a scrappin' kick lately, and participating in online challenges and stuff to get my creativity going has really helped! Plus the photos I've been taking lately were just screaming to be scrapped. :)

So first we have "Still the One", which I framed for my mom's birthday two weeks ago:
Then this one was just for fun, because the photos my dad took were so amazingly expressive I had to use them!

I made this one for the Hodge Podge challenge, which was to "Get Naked". So fun! :D

I also participated in the last two weeks of challenges over at The Digi Dares, which are always so much fun but sometimes I just don't have time. Here's "Somewhere In Their Smiles":

The title is a play off of a Beatles lyric - big hug if you can guess what it is! :) I also did this one too, which really took me out of my usual box/style:

And then today I was rather productive! For some reason, some days it just flows for you, others it doesn't. And today it did, because I'm seriously in love with this new layout:

Gotta love beach photos! And then I did this, because I finally caved and bought this kit I've had my eye on, specifically to use this photo (although it'll come in handy for other pages, I'm sure!):

Phew!! You can view credits for all of them either here or here.

In Other News

My brother's birthday (Eirik) was Wednesday, and tomorrow night everyone is getting together at my parents house - both to celebrate and just because! :) I can't believe he's 22 already...and that means I'll be 24 in less than a month! Holy sh*tballs! But I'm looking forward to seeing everyone - even my uncle and his girlfriend are coming up from SD, and hopefully my cousin Sarah too. Plus Ross and Lidvor are back from their little jaunt to Thor-knows-where, so it'll really be a big get-together. I'm planning on getting photos of everybody and everything with the D40, as part of a brilliant idea I've had for a ~~gigantic time-consuming project~~ Christmas gift for everyone (thanks in part to Simple Scrapbooks). But I can't say yet what it'll be...

Last weekend we took Jacopo to the dog beach in Huntington for the first time, and it was sooo awesome. We all had a blast (albeit at the expense of exhausting ourselves), and Chris and I were super proud parents because Jacopo behaved so well off-leash and was perfectly obedient. My favorite photo from the day is this one (no editing, I swear!):

Then Sunday we went to a BBQ at our friends Angie and Christian's place, which was a blast, especially since we brought the puppy with us and he got to go in a hot tub for the first time. Oh yeah, and the people were cool too. ;-)

Hope everyone else had a great week!

~T

Quote of the moment: "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit still." ~Will Rogers

He's Baaack...

2007-08-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

...and sporting a hilarious piratey/70s/crazy mustache, no less.

At least he had shaved off the homeless-guy-style beard he had been sporting most of the tour, though! :)

The Lead-Up

As I noted, last week was pretty crazy, but I couldn't resist the Wednesday $2 specials over at My Digital Muse and wound up buying two kits - but they're such a deal!! Haven't had a chance to use them yet, of course, but still sooo cute!

Simplicity by Holly McCaig:

And Tour d' Eiffel by Royanna Fritschmann:I also treated myself to a day off on Friday, so that I could get everything done that I wanted to before Chris got home. It was craziness, I can't believe I managed to squeeze so much in! That night Nikki and I took out our former Team Leader, Nancy, as a belated birthday dinner. Surprise, we wound up at Honda-Ya, the awesome Japanese place near me, and then scooted over to Dave & Buster's in Orange for some chocolate fun-due for dessert. ;-) Big props to Nikki for managing to make me laugh like a lunatic every time I tried to eat a chocolate-dipped marshmallow. But I got her back, so I think we're even...for now...

The Big Day

I don't know how we would have managed on Saturday if the weather hadn't had a sudden downturn in temperature - if it had been the weekend before, they would have had to constantly be carting kids off due to heat exhaustion! But luckily it was nice and cool and cloudy for half the day, and got nice and chilly again once the sun went down.

So the lines were insane to get in, but luckily after waiting in a fairly short line for our VIP wristbands, we (meaning me, our good friend Parris [really Chris, but since there's too many Chriseseses we use last names], his sister Lena, and our friend Derek) were able to just walk on in. But I felt bad for the mile-plus-long line that everyone else had to wait in! It really made me remember why I don't do outdoor festivals like this, ever - that and the fact that there was no seating, and really no shade except in the vendor's tents. It's no wonder it was mostly under-20-somethings in attendance!

Once we made it in, I made a beeline for Chris' stage, which of course was the last one we found (they had about 6 or 7 stages in total so that there's always at least 2 bands playing at any given time during the day). Here's what Chris' looked like (click the photo for larger):
And yes, he really did get that brown. Some places were so hot (can you say the South in July??) he would spend the day shirtless, so he managed to even out the farmer's tan. :) Damn brat never burns. Here's another shot of him hard at "work" (j/k honey, j/k!):
So we basically spent the day either watching Chris work his magic or wandering around the venue catching other bands. The best part had to be Flogging Molly (of course) at the end, but there were several other good up-and-coming bands.

Here's Lena and I being sweet, with the port-a-potties adding a nice touch of sour to balance:
Luckily we had Parris and Derek along with, because for a couple of the bands the crowd was really huge and started really pressing on Chris' tent area. So here they are helping the security guard keep the railing from knocking all the equipment over:All in all a fun day (despite the sunburn) although we were all super exhausted by the time it came down around 8:30 that night or so. It felt like it was midnight or something!! But we managed to drag ourselves to In-N-Out on the way home, since Chris was craving it. :)

Daily Something

Since Chris got home, my Daily Somethings have really been him and I being able to spend some quality time together, and also he and the puppy constantly cuddling. You should have seen how nuts Jacopo went when we picked him up from my parents house on Sunday! I didn't think his tail could move like that! So they've been playing and napping together and being goofballs ever since Sunday. It's almost too much cuteness for me to handle.
I also managed to catch this shot with Jacopo's sleepy face clearly evident (finally!):Cute, que no?

In Other News

The house hunt is still on, I'm just getting sick and tired of spam postings and people not returning my calls. If the place is already taken, just let me know so I can cross it off!! Geez.

Our old friends from Norway, Ross and Lidvor, just got into town yesterday, and I can't wait to see them! She's my godmother, and they're the most awesome people. He's Scottish, she's Norwegian, and they both have the most awesome, witty, dirty sense of humor. They're a blast to hang out with. :) I'm sure I'll have photos to post soon!

I think that's officially the longest blog on here, so I'll leave it at that. :)

~T

Quote of the moment: "If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to." ~Dorothy Parker

Scary Motorcycliststststs

2007-08-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

I had a scary flashback from my childhood the day before yesterday that totally took me by surprise!

For backstory: I can still remember clearly going to the door in our old house in Norway and being scared witless by my dad's friend standing there, still wearing his full motorcycle regalia (helmet, black leather jacket and pants, boots) and being scared shitless. I must've been about 3 years old, but it's one of the few clear memories I have of living there.

Fast forward to 23 years old: So yesterday I was walking towards the printer at work, when I glanced out the window/wall (it's pretty much a wall made of windows) to see in the next parking lot over a helmeted, black-leather-clad guy (and before you catch me on sexism, I could tell by the walk!!) walking towards me. My heart honestly skipped a beat before I could even think twice, until I realized that it wasn't me he was walking towards, it was his bike.

Yeah, funny how things we experience at such a young age can be so ingrained in our memories as to affect us without us even thinking about it.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Keeping busy this week, although I'm still tired from actually going out late both nights this past weekend. But it was totally worth having some real me-fun-time before the boy gets back (only 3 more days!!). :D

Nikki came over Monday night, because we were missing each other and hadn't gotten a chance to hang out over the weekend. So we splurged on Chipotle (YUM) and rented "The Queen", which was a pretty decent movie. I suppose the only reason we didn't like it more is because Helen Mirren's character is so hard to like. And we both thought Michael Sheen, who played Tony Blair, deserved more credit than he got. On the whole very interesting storytelling, but I think I probably would have liked Pan's Labyrinth more, which we almost rented too.

Jacopo graduated from obedience class on Tuesday night, which made me such a proud mama!! Even though he had been nutty when we first got there (early, so we could have a bit of a walk to burn off steam that he had been gathering at home alone all day), he was a prince for the "testing" and made me so proud. :D Even though you pass the class no matter what, I was still happy, and I'm hoping if we keep on practicing we'll be able to make it through the other classes that are required for him to become a therapy dog.

For some photo coolness, I finally got my parents to sign up for their own Flickr account, seeing as they took some super gorgeous photos on their trip to New England a few weeks ago. If you like looking at random cool photos, you can check them out here. And for a teaser:

And That's It...

Chris gets back on Saturday, so don't expect to hear from me for a while!! ;-)

~Trude

Quote of the moment: "It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this." ~Bertrand Russell

Just A Note

2007-08-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

I've had to put on some security if you go to post a comment, as I've started getting crap spammy posts. Can you believe that people think they can get you to buy something by posting on your blog??

Anyhoo, it's just one of those encrypted things where you type whatever letters show up. I'm pretty confident you guys can handle that. :)

~Trude

PS Chris countdown: 4.5 days!!!

Need Nice Tenants?

2007-08-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been hectic. The big thing that's been taking up a lot of my time and energy has been The Great Search to Find a New Place to Live. We're hoping to be done with apartment communities and find a nice duplex or guest house with some yard, but it's been difficult thus far. I don't know if it's our budget or the market or having a dog or what, but I've only found a few decent leads. But I'm keeping positive! And if anybody knows someone who has a rental in the OC, get in touch!!

New Pages

Man, I thought I did a lot of scrapping last week, but jeez! I've done four layouts since Saturday! I must have too much time on my hands...yeah right.

After hanging out with the girls the Friday before last and watching "300" at my place, I was pretty tired, but still managed to drag my butt out of bed the next morning (admittedly, Jacopo helped get me up, as he apparently really wanted to play). Saturday I spent almost all day cleaning like a psycho to get ready for Nikki to come and stay with me last week. There's no better motivator than company! :) It was good to check things off my list, though. Cleaning can be theraputic if you let it! Thus, by Saturday night I was too tired to go anywhere or do anything, so the puppy and I just hung out and I was suddenly inspired and stayed up late doing two layouts in a row.

First, there's "Tough Guy:
You can view credits and details by going here.

I also finally did a layout with my new all-time fave photo of Jacopo, and I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. I know it's kind of girly, but I'm always doing boyish pages, so too bad!

"So This Is Love":

As always, credits and details are available here.

Good times! Guess I was in a brown mood. :)

New (Temporary) Roomie

So Nikki and I finally got to play at being roomies, and it's was so awesome! She's such a trooper, parting from the fam to come and keep me company (only 11 more days until Chris gets home!). Sunday night we actually went out and had dinner at Red Robin (mmm Whiskey River chicken burger...), and Monday I made us chicken salad melts and Nikki chopped up a salad. Then we stayed up nice and late watching The Devil Wears Prada (can you believe I actually hadn't seen it yet?) and gabbing before bed.

I think the highlight of the week had to be going to dinner at Honda Ya (see previous entries for details on the awesomeness) Thursday night with Katie along too! After stuffing ourselves to the brim, Nikki had the brilliant idea of going for some Thrifty's ice cream. Rather than get a cone, I got a pint of their Rainbow Sherbert to take home and I made us Sherbert Coolers - takes me right back to my childhood! (Except we didn't used to put vodka in along with the ice, sherbert and 7-Up!) :D

And More Scrap Pages...

In her absence I was seriously inspired again (and there was nothing on TV), so I did two more scrap pages! They're some seriously cute photos I've been dying to do something with.

Here's "So Sleepy", which was inspired by a layout by Lynn Singers/Grieveson, who is a designer too (with seriously cute products). You can view her awesome gallery of work by clicking here.

Isn't Ted E. Bear so cute?!? I absolutely love this photo of him - totally classic Teddy. He's lying in Keiko's lap, by the way, who was visiting just two weeks ago and always showers him with love when she and Roger visit. :) As usual, credits and details can be found here.

I also churned out this page, with one of my favorite photos of the kitten and Jacopo. They really are turning into partners in crime, and I had to document it!

Credits and info for "Double Trouble" can be found here.

"Daily Something"

So I initially read about this idea of doing a "Daily Something" over at Cathy Zielske's blog today, and it really struck a chord with me. It was started by Ali Edwards, (whose blog is super inspiring, definitely one to check out!) and basically it's trying to daily record some kind of everyday story. It's about doing something quick and easy, rather than trying to churn out a scrapbook page a day (exhausting, much?). So here's mine for today (and I'm going to probably use the blog to tell the story, rather than her cute little notes that she does):

Basically, my highlight today was Jacopo doing "down" on command without a training collar/leash on (clearly not this photo, but you get the idea!). I was just so excited! It's the one command he's really resisted and been troublesome about...why, I couldn't tell you, since he loves to do it on his own. I can get him to do it easily enough now with a leash, but I still have to pull his legs out half the time. But today he just obeyed! Woohoo! (Now, granted, I had a treat in hand, but that's besides the point!) :)

The "daily something" brush is by Ali and you can download it for free from her blog, and the heart is from the Highlight Brushes set by Jackie Eckles. (Wish I had a link for it, but it's from when she used to sell her stuff at Designer Digitals, and I don't see anything like it at her new store. Poo!)

So I'm sure I won't do this daily, knowing me, but I'll definitely be going with the idea of finding the funny/interesting/inspiring in the everyday. It's something I've always admired when others do scrap pages about it, but I'm always so focused on using my time for family stories and photos that I never get to that kind of scrapping. So I think this will work better for me. :)

100 In 10

Speaking of cool inspiration, definitely check out the "100 in 10" list that Jessica Sprague has compiled over at her blog. Basically, she posted 100 ideas/techniques/prompts for scrapping in (nearly) 10 days, and also asked for readers to post their ideas along the way. And now she has compiled both her ideas and her readers' ideas all together in one document that you can save and keep when you're in a slump! The final total came out to almost 300! SO cool!

I think that about does it for me...more to talk about, but my eyes are burning and it's time to try and get some sleep, despite the heat!

~Trude

Quote of the moment: "Force without wisdom falls of it's own weight." ~ Horace (65 BCE - 8 BCE)

More Art , Photos and Family Moments

2007-07-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

I guess I was kind of prolific with my scrapping last week, or at least I was feeling really inspired, but I cranked out two pages that actually have really bright colors. :) I'm really pleased with how they turned out this time, although I still haven't heard any comment from Elissa about the page I did of her photos! Brat!

So here they are...

"Attack Kitty"
and "A Day's Work"
For details and credits on the former click here and the latter click here.

More Guests at the Hotel Ellingsen

My parents had ever more guests over to their house this past weekend, as our friends Terje and Liv left last week and freed up the guest room. Just kidding! Actually, it was the annual gathering at their house after everyone got together to see the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna. They'll usually go to see the show on a Thursday night, and come back to the house Friday night, if not for the weekend. Although I didn't go on Thursday, I met up with everyone after work on Friday. We had a really great time - our old friends Roger and Keiko were in town from Phoenix, and my uncle and his ~~girlfriend~~ fiancee Donna came over, plus my cousin Alex (Karl's son) and it's almost always a good time when we mix those people together! :) Eirik and his awesome girlfriend Roseann even stopped by for a while and brought her best friend too. They're so sweet!

So we all managed to cram in the house for the night, pets included. ;-) I didn't mind sleeping on my parent's floor...too much. At least I had a mattress!

Here's some photo highlights - of course we took tons of the pets! I'll get my hands on the ones we took of people soon.

Alex looking charming:

The kitten, in what is fast becoming one of his favorite retreats (and yes, he really is only just over 4 months old...he's going to be a monster!):

Ted E. getting some love from Keiko while we were watching a movie:
The poor pup was feeling so left out, since much of the attention was on these two wrestlers going at it half the time:
I don't know about you guys, but they both look pretty guilty to me! :)

On Saturday we took Roger and Keiko wine tasting at the Joseph Filippi winery out in Rancho Cucamonga, which was so fun. Their wine is delicious, and their champagne is my absolute favorite, so I was excited to actually get to see the winery. Then once we got back to the OC we went for some delicious sushi, taking Alex with us. What is it about sushi that makes you stuff yourself til you want to die, but leaves you hungry just a few hours later?? Whatever the cause is, it doesn't really matter because the food was sooo good.

As for Chris, he finally had a day off yesterday after doing 12 shows in 12 days, so we actually had a chance to really talk. That was nice. :) Today he's in Milwaukee, and tomorrow they'll be in Cincinatti, and it's another 5 days until he gets to rest again. The poor guy is going to need at least 6 months before he does another tour of any kind!!

That about does it for me here, off to get some real work done...

~Trude

Quote of the moment: "Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer." ~ Twain

Good Reads, Top 10, and More

2007-07-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

The summer is just flying by - I can't believe it's almost August already! But that's good, because I'm much more of a spring and fall girl, anyways. Although I did finally buy a pair of shorts from Old Navy, Nancy would be proud of me. :)

10 Things

So Jessica Sprague did this on her blog again, and I think it's time that I did another list of 10 things that are good/amusing/happening in my life right now!

1. GoodReads.com ~ Actually found out about this site through Jessica too, and since I am such a bookworm I just had to join! There are several of you that I know read at least as much as me (:cough:NikkiMindyMomNancy:cough:), so join up and add me as a friend! I always like to hear reviews from "real" people. Here's the link to my profile: click here.

2. (Nearly) 4 weeks down, 5 more to go ~ Chris has been gone for just under four weeks now, and it's really starting to get old - for both of us! I wish he was back already. Right now he's in the middle of a 12-shows-in-12-days stretch, and exhausted already. If it's even possible, I think he's going to come back skinnier. For those of you that know him, that would mean a walking skeleton. ;-)

3. My new Back to Basics conditioner ~ I got the Vanilla Plum Fortifying type (at Costco, of all places, meaning I nearly break my toe every morning because half the time the ginormous Costco-sized bottle slips out of my hand) and it makes my hair sooo nice and smooth and smells like cotton candy - muy delicioso!! And I've actually noticed that fewer hairs get pulled out when I comb through after showering. :)

4. My parents ~ Because they're just freaking awesome, period. And I'm feeling extra grateful that I live so close because they can puppysit for me, like they did last Thursday night to Friday night, since I had my work's "Day at the Races" event on Friday and wouldn't be getting home until late. Plus, they still let me do laundry whenever (like the loser and cheap bastard that I am), and have been putting up with me and the puppy quite often since Chris has been gone, as it's a comfy place I can hang out where they feed me for free and Jacopo can run around 'til he can't stand up anymore. :D So cheers to them!

5. My new cordless keyboard and mouse that are currently in transit to me ~ Hurry up, goshdarnit! Don't get me wrong, I'm seriously in love with my Mac, but even the Mighty Mouse can be found to be seriously lacking. It's one of the few areas that PCs have way more options and choices than Macs do, and I miss having a mouse that forms well to my hand and has easy forward and back buttons right where the thumb rests (and they're not just for web browsing either! Those buttons help when you're trying to find where you saved a file). The difference is especially drastic when I use a nice set all day at work and then come home to do scrapbooking or something. With all the time that I spend on my home computer, the mouse and keyboard had better work well and against the encroaching carpal tunnel I feel!
**Update: I got the set today, and I LOVE it!! I don't know why I bothered with anything else. Especially since when I was a PC girl I always changed to some kind of Logitech product from the stock keyboard & mouse, so why not with a Mac? Anyhoo, they're all installed and working perfectly, and I especially like having a "cleaner" desk with fewer cords running around. :)

6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ~ I'm not even going to bother linking to it, because you shouldd already have a copy. And if you don't, run to Barnes & Noble now. Don't walk. I pretty much got nothing done this weekend (besides hang out with the girls Saturday night) because I had to finish it.

7. This new photo of me and Jacopo~I love it so much, I'm almost hesitant to try and scrap it, because I want the page to be perfect! I'm sure inspiration will come to me soon...I hope!

8. Jacopo finally healing ~ We've been dealing with skin issues he has pretty much since we got him, and I finally got fed up with the vet that we were going to originally (not seeing the same person twice, not really addressing our concerns, overcharging, etc.) that two weeks ago I decided to start taking him to the vet my family has gone for many years in Placentia. They had always treated my parents' menagerie well, and they were nice and small, and I felt I would get a fair deal there. I couldn't have made a better choice! Not only did she (yup, the vet is this woman that probably should have been a model) truly address my concerns about various skin problems he was having, but they charged me just over half of what the same thing cost at the other place and the new pill and ointment she prescribed actually worked. And right away too! Its so amazing, I had been using this other ointment from the old place for weeks and didn't see anywhere near that kind of result. So, long story short, that weight is off my mind and I'm sooo happy. And you can tell he's happy too! :)

9. My best friend Nikki ~ We hung out last Wednesday (like we've been doing pretty much every week since Chris left, and now I don't think I can make it through the week without at least one night of hanging with her!) after work, and I just have to give her huge props for being willing to go with me to the pet store to get more of Jacopo's food, and then suggesting we go to the Lazy Dog cafe (small local chain of restaurants that welcome dogs - on their patios, of course) instead of our fave sushi place, which really worked out since we already had Jacopo in the car with us. It just made my day that she totally understood how much guilt I felt leaving him alone even more than he had already had been that day, even though I was perfectly willing to leave him for an hour or so for dinner. And the restaurant turned out to be pretty good, and the service was great, although they didn't have any signs up as to how you were supposed to get seated if you had a dog and couldn't go inside. Might be helpful in the future. ;-)

10. Dreyer's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream Bars ~ Need I say more? And they were on special at Albertson's....it was fate! :)

Randomness

Other than that, just hanging out and getting through the week. Nancy came over the Friday before last to catch up and have her first official lesson in digital scrapbooking - another convert! Hopefully I helped her some...I can get so indecisive (which is really not like me) when I'm putting together a layout, mostly because I have so many options! Between all the different layouts I've seen, and tricks I've learned, and products I have, if I don't know exactly what I want to do it can be a tedious process sometimes. But we persevered, and together made this page:Cute, huh? I really liked how it turned out. For credits and more info you can go here.

Friday I'll be hanging out at my family's house, hopefully my uncle and his girlfriend will come over as well as our old family friends, the Brinkmans, since they're all going to the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna the night before. They're all so much fun! :)

~Trude

Quote of the moment: "If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal." ~ John Lennon

Foreigners, Books, Obedience and More

2007-07-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go?? Even though my life has felt a bit quieter than usual lately, I still never have enough time in the day to do everything that I want to. Maybe it's because I always want to get a million things done, but that's besides the point (Chris). :) At any rate, lots of stuff going on, I think it's just because when I get home it's only me and the puppy that it feels quiet.

Photo Favorites

Some of my current favorites from Flickr:
Credits:
1. Heart of Satan - What it looks like when fireworks explode inside of a storm cloud over a river, 2. Girly staff, 3. Sleepy afternoon....., 4. Little Island, 5. more scenery, 6. 20070704_Norway_Day2_2209_Bergen, 7. 20070704_Norway_Day2_2027_NorwayinaNutshell, 8. no parking, 9. Day 180, 10. Anyone got any chips, 11. Happiness, 12. IMG_7338, 13. Hus på Gjendebu, 14. Dan as Art, 15. Pool Pals, 16. Nice Tongues, 17. 00099, 18. night at the Gent's channels/ Noche enlos canales de Gante, 19. Untitled, 20. Quick call the bambulance I'm havin a cute attack, 21. Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770 - 1844), 22. dunstanburgh castle, 23. Fira, 24. Separation Anxiety, 25. storm today

I love seeing what other people are doing, and being inspired by it. And sometimes it's just good for a laugh or a smile - like when I saw the one of the puppy biting the hand that holds him. :)

Visitors From A Foreign Land

Last Saturday my parent's old friends Terje (pronounced Terry) and Liv (pronounced Leev) flew in from Norway. My dad met Terje way back when he was working for Mobil in Norway, and they've kept in touch ever since. Here's a photo of them (on the right side of the table) with us when we were in Norway last summer. They came down from outside Bergen to hang out with us in Stavanger. :)(I just love that you can see the fjord in the background of that photo!) They're such a cool couple, we always love seeing them. And I love milking them for information, since they travel all over constantly and are multi-lingual. :) Plus, it doesn't hurt that they always come fully stocked with all the Norwegian goodies that they know we love and miss. Liv also brought me some super-cute leather bracelets from Spain that are hand painted, so pretty! And yes, Nikki, they brought more Stratos. Saturday night we just had a casual dinner and let them go to bed early to try and beat the jet lag, and Sunday we took them down to Huntington Beach's Main Street to get some California sun, and then back home for a really yummy BBQ. Monday night I met up with them after work to watch Lars' summer league soccer game (since he finally had a night game that I could make it to!), and then we headed to the Whole Enchilada for dinner. Mmm...so I'm pretty sure I gained about 5 pounds this past weekend. :)

New Scrap Pages

I did this one mainly for my mom, as she wanted a cute page to share with everyone at the family reunion that she's (along with my dad and youngest brother) going to next month. Luckily between her camera and my camera we had taken a crapload of photos the last time we went! You can see credits for the layout here.

I also did this one last week, and I based it off of a layout that Jessica Sprague did for one of her Photoshop Friday tutorials (which I read religiously). You can view the original here.

This damn kitten is just so photogenic...too bad he and Jacopo can't help but play rough with each other whenever we go to my parents' house! As always, you can click the image to view larger, and go here for credits.

Obedience, Please!

Last night Jacopo and I went to our first obedience training class together, and he did so well! He's not the A+ student yet, but he's definitely not the delinquent of the group either. We'll definitely be practicing this week, even if the first class was just about training them to walk at heel, sit on command, and generally obey. :) He's a pretty obedient dog to begin with, but sometimes only when I have a treat in hand. And definitely not when there's distractions, so we'll be working on that too. I totally had a "proud mama" episode when class was over. And he was so tuckered out by the time we got home, he was ready for bed even if I wasn't! Too cute. :)

Feeding the Addiction

Last night Nikki and I headed out to see the new Harry Potter movie. Wooo! Just have to say don't believe the stupid critics, it's most definitely the best film version by far! I think they did a much better job of pacing this time, and fitting in as much as they could of an 800-page novel. Plus the filming is just gorgeous. But I'll leave it at that and try not to give too much away! Now my book #7 needs to hurry up and get here! :)

There's A (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble

That would be the title of the most recent book I finished, by Laurie Notaro. Such a great read! I'm definitely going to have to start collecting her other novels. It was a bit over-saturated with metaphors, but I was constantly laughing out loud. The woman has mastered the hysterically funny metaphor, I have to admit. Take this paragraph, for example:

A couple of decades later, Maye sat in Cynthia's living room calling up her "Mikado" memories as three of her neighbors - who were too old to be simply grandmothers without a multitude of "great"s being placed before that title, let alone schoolgirls - pranced and flounced with what marginal dexterity their Edwardian period limbs could permit without simply snapping off like dead twigs and fluttering to the ground.

Hysterical, que no? I really had a good belly-laugh the first time I read that! Next book that I've already gotten about 100 pages into is The Electric Michelangelo, by Sarah Hall. It's turning out to be a good choice, too, and I can see why it was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize! And the author hasn't even hit 30 years old yet! And for those of you that I know like reading historical fiction too, this one is extremely well researched. It's not about historical events, but she does a great job of accurately crafting the world around the main character.

Anyhoo, that should about do it! Time to finally go sit and relax.

~T

Quote of the moment: "The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own." ~Benjamin Disraeli

Did You Notice the New Banner Yet?

2007-06-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

Hope y'all like the new banner! :) Gotta love Jacopo and Puss when they "play" together. Lots of things going on right now, and things that I'm finally getting to sharing...I've decided to mimic Jessica Sprague's ususal blog format of using topic headers, since I've been ignoring that basic design principle for long enough. So that way it's easy for you guys to skip to what interests you, if anything. ;-)

Reunion T-Shirts

One wee project I've been working on, and which is now finally finalized, is a t-shirt design for my mom's family reunion this summer. Luckily they just wanted something simple and that would translate easily to a t-shirt, so it wasn't a huge project. But I think it came out particularly cute so I had to share! (As you can probably tell, they're very proud of their Scandinavian heritage...even though I can't resist reminding the uneducated that the Vikings never actually had horns on their helmets. But we go along with the joke. And someone always brings the silly plastic helmets for everyone to wear. Witness exhibit #2.)

They always have it at her cousin's farm, which is in Union, Maine. One of the most beautiful parts of the US that I've ever been to!

Exhibit #2: photo of me at the reunion the summer before last, courtesy of my auntie.

So that was a fun break from the usual photo editing and scrapbook-page-creating.

Jessica & Me

Also have to share a photo from 2 weeks ago now (already?!?!) of me with one of the coolest scrapbook ladies out there, Jessica Sprague, that I mentioned I was helping assist in her classes at the Creating Keepsakes University event. Well that event turned out to be really amazing, and I had a ton of fun helping all these women understand the gloriousness that is Photoshop! :) And I have to give Jessica some major props - you can't even tell in the photo that she was terribly sick that day with a stomach flu, but still managed to push right through those classes and impress everyone (and I duly apologize to her for not being able to get the glare off her glasses without her looking crazy-eyed!). One of the other volunteers, Nami, told me that she regularly taught seniors how to use PSE. How awesome is that?? Definitely something I wouldn't mind getting into. Jessica also gave us volunteers a little gift set from Bath & Body Works (yummm) - so sweet! I came away from the event feeling all creative-y.

Dog Obedience

Speaking of classes, Jacopo's obedience class officially started this week, although the first class is dog-free so the instructor can give basic information. I'm SO glad I signed up through the city rather than anywhere else! The park is literally 5 minutes from our place, the cost was half of what it is for the same amount of time at Petsmart, and the instructor has been doing dog obedience training for 30+ years. I can't wait to see the results of this! Especially after the demonstration the instructor and a few others gave at the end of class.

It's not that the pup is that ill-behaved, but I'd like to get him to stop jumping (cuz he's like a jumping bean and will use your chest as a springboard!) and to walk on the leash better. And just to be more calm and obedient in general. The cool part is, once you've taken the class you're able to come back for a refresher class anytime for free! If he does really well in this class, I'd like to sign him up for more advanced classes with the goal of him eventually becoming a therapy dog. He's such a people-lover, and after seeing what they can do for seniors and people in hospitals I would love to be able to give back in that way. Plus he fits easily into laps. :)

Departure Time

So it is officially Day 1 of the Warped Tour for Chris, although he's not actually leaving me until tonight. The first show is in Pomona, which is pretty close to us, so he drove himself up for the day, and late tonight I'll drive him back up and drop him off since the bus leaves for the next show at some ungodly hour tomorrow morning. Of course we'll be missing each other like crazy, but this is a great step in his career and (fingers crossed) will lead to even bigger things. So, for those of you living near me, please feel free to stop by anytime!

Seriously, anytime. Pretty please? Entertain me? Anybody??

But in preparation we got a fancy new video camera that he could take with him, because I can't bear to be without a camera. And because we've been wanting to get one for a while...and he can write it off as work-related.
How cute is that!?!? And tiny. Seriously. Chris can palm it. It made me giggle when I thought about my dad's old trusty video camera from when I was a kid. Seems like Chris made a good choice with this model, though, seeing as I figured out how to use it and review video in like 2 seconds. Plus you really can't go wrong with a Canon.

So what did we videotape first? What else but Jacopo at the dog park? LOL I was really surprised at how great the sound was - no wind blowing super loud into the mike or anything, despite the good breeze that was going. So hopefully when Chris gets back I'll have some cool video to link to - hopefully contraband performance vids. :)

Speaking of Shopping

Speaking of which, there have been a few recent purchases. We went out on a shopping expedition Monday night in preparation for his departure, and managed to squeeze in Target, Circuit City, Off Broadway Shoes (his old Converse finally died, so sad), Barnes & Noble, Beth Bath & Beyond and Chick-Fil-A for dinner. All in under 3 hours! Yes, I'm very proud.

Most of the shopping was for him, but I finally got a really nice fan for our bedroom, since between him and the puppy and our lack of a central a/c makes for very hot nights in the summer. We got away with not having one up until now since we didn't move in until mid-August last year, but even then it was pretty damn hot. The best part is that it has a remote, so when you wake up frigid in the middle of the night because your body has finally cooled down, you don't have to get up. :D And its extremely quiet, not that I have any trouble getting to sleep these days.

I also couldn't resist the sale racks at Barnes & Noble, and picked up some new reads since I'm almost done with my latest book. We also signed up, finally, for the membership club through B&N, which meant I wound up saving $25 this time, and the damn thing only cost that much in the first place for a 1-year membership! Gotta love a good deal. It's totally worth it too, considering how much we read (and yes, Nikki, you can use it when we go book shopping next time, it'll do you some good!). Out of 5 new books, the funniest title award has to go to There's A (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell. How can you resist a title like that? Anyhoo, I'll let you know how they turn out.

The Weekend

So, since Chris won't be around to amuse me, and Nikki's parents happen to be going out of town, I'll be heading over there Saturday to have some good ol' fun with the girlies. I can't wait! I'll be bringing Jacopo with me, of course, and that means he gets to play with Spikeus Maximus (aka Spike) - aka their American bulldog, who looked like this
once upon a time. Now he's just a weeee bit bigger. :) But still so cute! I think they'll have a grand ol' time together, barrnig any accidental squishing or something. But we'll keep an eye on them for sure.

And tomorrow night the consensus seems to be to see a movie, but we'll see how that turns out. I might wind up just sleeping in, at this rate! Haven't been sleeping all that well (surprise) the last two weeks.
But I do want to see Evan Almighty! It'd be nice to get out and about.

Next Week
Now all I have to do is figure out what I'm doing for the 4th! If a friend of ours is throwing a BBQ, I'm definitely there, cuz he's a great cook, but if not I might just have some people here. I'm so used to being out of town/the country for the holiday that I can't even remember the last time I had to make plans! And how much does it suck that it falls on a Wednesday? Oh well, at least it's one day off...

What are you doing for the holiday? Hmmm?

~Trude

Quote of the moment: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." ~ Groucho Marx

Its About Time For An Update...

2007-06-21T10:39:00.001-07:00

So in keeping with my June goals, I am proud to report that I have definitely been scrapping at least 1 page per week. In fact, I was so inspired last week as I was looking forward to volunteering at CKU on Friday that I did two pages - and one of them is the featured layout for this week over at Jen Wilson Designs!! EEEEEK!!!! I've never had anything featured in any way before, so I'm feeling very accompished right now. :D

Here's the page that is currently "Layout of the Week":

You can view credits and details about it here (and, as always, you can click on the photo for a larger view).

I'm actually very pleased with how this one turned out. Doubly so cuz I got to take the photo using my dad's Nikon D40 - such an awesome camera!

Speaking of photos, I finally uploaded the ones from the Castle Green open house/tour that my mom and I went to a few weekends ago (that's where I took her photo, in fact), now that I had some time to play with them and fix them up. Several just needed some brightening, since I was trying not to be too "flashy". Although this one I took thinking I would do something fun with it, and then when I sat down at my computer it was just screaming for a cool action:

I've also uploaded a bunch I took of Jacopo and the kitten (mainly) while I was at my parents' this past Sunday....again using my dad's camera. I can't help myself - its just so damn awesome! I can't wait until I can afford a digital SLR for myself... *sigh*. Poor deprived child that I am.
;-) (That was for you, mom, since I can read your mind!)

You can go straight to admiring the wondrousness that is a digitalSLRcamera-photo by clicking here (if you haven't already bookmarked my Flickr page!).

But back to scrapping - the other LO that I did last week makes me laugh every time I look at it, because its so completely true.
Damn puppy is such a cuddlebutt. Even this morning while I was getting ready, he wound up curling up at my feet, just barely touching my foot, after he realized that it wasn't playtime. Poor thing is the biggest mama's boy (and daddy's!), and spoiled to boot. But at least he doesn't bark or pee on people, right?

Plus I also love seeing how my photos convert so beautifully to black and white now that I invested in the Pro Black and White action from Photoblast a few months back (as well as some others - I highly recommend them!!). Nothing I did before by myself looked half as good, and its a million times better than the basic "Remove Color" function in Photoshop Elements. Yeah...I sound like a commercial, I know, but I'm being honest!

You can view credits for this LO here.

And as for my June goals, I also checked off signing the puppy up for training class, although it means doing it without Chris. But we don't want to wait any longer to do it, because as with humans the earlier you start the better your chances are of success! :) So I still have a few more goals to work on...including updating my damn blog header, which I've been meaning to do for weeks now. Maybe this weekend.

This week has been pretty insane until last night, since I was getting ready for a big event at work. Although I had help, it was basically all on me if anything went wrong, and thank Thor nothing did! I think it might have had something to do with the fact that we fed everybody In-N-Out so they couldn't think negative thoughts, but one never knows. :) So now I'm just trying to rest my poor feet and walk as little as possible at work today.

Other than that, Chris and I are just trying to plan for his departure on the Warped Tour next week, and Nikki and I are scheming for at least one escape from the OC within those 2 months that he's gone. Woot! :) And tomorrow night my mom is coming down my way so we can shop til we drop, and then have a girly night together. Good times!

~T

Quote of the moment: "If man does find the solution for world peace it will be the most revolutionary reversal of his record we have ever known." ~George C. Marshall (1880-1959)

Best Boys, OCD and Being a T.A.

2007-06-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

I have the best boyfriend. When I got home from work Monday night, all exhausted from the weekend, and just wanted to take a nap, he took Jacopo to the dog park so I could sleep peacefully. And then after seeing what I wanted for dinner, he went out and got yummy sushi and had it all ready for us (including drinks) when he woke me up. Soooo awesome to be taken care of like that!

I noticed yet another OCD-type behavior when I was making a snack Monday night. I was making saltines with peanut butter, and I realized as I was "buttering" that I couldn't butter the saltine unless it was right-side up...you know, the one side where you can tell they did the graph-like impression. I found myself doing all these weird wrist-twists just to get the saltine right-side up. I had to laugh at myself!

So now I wonder, what obsessive behaviors do other 'normal' people like me have? Little things that don't control your life, but that you can't stop yourself from doing? Or am I the only one and now you're all just quietly backing away? ;-)

Cool news for the week is that last Friday night I answered Jessica Sprague's call for volunteers to help her out in her Photoshop classes at CKU this weekend in Anaheim, and so I totally get to go hang out and help her on Friday! Definitely a cause worth taking a vacation day for. :) She is, like, the coolest. I've been reading her blog since January, and I've learned so much and been so inspired by her "Photoshop Friday" lessons that I can't even begin to thank her! Plus I'm totally looking forward to hanging with other digi-scrapping geeks like me, since most of my friends just look at me with confusion when I start talking in more detail than "I made a new page today." Nikki and my mom usually understand, but they would probably never squeal over something like Anna Aspnes' new Doggie brushes like I did when I saw them! :) And then there's the teaching aspect of it, because I just love to help people get to that "Ahaaaaa!" moment.

And if you're wondering: yes, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm just a little obsessed by digital scrapbooking. But what else can a girl do when she stumbles upon something that finally gives her a creative outlet, pushes her artistic boundaries, gives her another way to use the journaling bug she's always had, and helps to improve her photography skills hand over fist? Exactly. And usually having some spare time at work to keep up with tutorials and blogs and such definitely helps!

Hmm...three blog entries in four days...I must not have enough to do. ;-)

~Trude

Quote of the moment (for all you fellow historians out there): "The past is a source of knowledge, and the future is a source of hope. Love of the past implies faith in the future." ~ Stephen Ambrose (1936-2002)

Your Eyes Do Not Deceive You

2007-06-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you:

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, that is indeed JOHN MAYER. (Feel free to click on the photo and view a larger version of the hotness.)

In case you missed it, I said John-frickin-Mayer!!!

And why didn't I mention that I was going to the concert? Well...that would be because we didn't know we were going until Saturday. Funny story, actually...

So, I'm heading back from an event I went to with my family early Saturday afternoon (more on that further down), when I get a call from Nikki. At first, I was too tired to answer and explain what I had been up to, so I decided to call her back later. But she called me back right after leaving a message, so I thought I had better answer in case it was an emergency. Thank Thor it wasn't - it was something so much better than that!! :) You know you're getting good news when someone starts off with "Well, I was browsing Ticketmaster, just to see, and..." Turns out they released a few tickets at the last minute to John's Sunday night show at the Hollywood Bowl, and Nikki just happened to be checking at just the right moment! We had originally tried to get tickets when they first went on sale, but couldn't get anything decent and since the Bowl is a seriously crap venue to get to, it would have been terrible with seats where you can hardly see. So Nikki got three tickets in the "garden section" (basically their equivalent of box seats, since its an open-air venue), and one for our friend Erin too.

At any rate, of course we both screamed - much to my family's chagrin - and then made plans for Sunday. We decided to go up early and do some retail therapy at the Citadel outlet center, which was super fun (woohoo Banana Republic and Max Studio outlets!), and then got all gussied up in their surprisingly beautiful restrooms. Gotta love a giant room with a bunch of sofas to rest your weary feet!

Here we are at the show (photo courtesy of the people behind us, so nice!). I have to say where we sat at the Bowl was seriously awesome, considering how far away we could have been. And the one thing I did like about that venue as compared to, say, Josh Groban at the Staples Center, was that out little box seats meant we actually had room where we were sitting. It was nice not being crammed arm-to-arm in tiny seats, or shoulder-to-shoulder in a standing-room-only venue!

But that's really the only plus to the Bowl - otherwise, it's horrendous parking and getting there, horrendous trying to figure out where you need to go, and horrendous getting out. Luckily Nikki took note from the last time she was there and we did the Park-and-Ride option, where you park several miles away and they bus you over. Soooo much less stress, considering the freeway gets backed up from so many people trying to get there! Except that our driver clearly didn't know how to use a clutch, and we totally stalled and had to restart the engine going up a hill on the way there. All I could think was "Dear lord, let these LA drivers behind us pleeeeze be paying attention just this once...."

So we finally got in and were seated to have this kind of view:

The photo is of Ben Folds, one of the openers (who was really entertaining once they got going), but you get the idea. And I don't think I quite appreciated it as much until I turned around and saw the sheer enormity of the number of people sitting behind us. I should have taken a photo...it was insanity!

And then I got kinda starstruck when I noticed Greg Grunberg sitting just a few feet away, because I'm so in love with the show he's on (Heroes). I didn't take a photo, because I'm one of those people that hates to bother celebrities, especially when they're obviously just trying to have a fun night out. But I watched him be very gracious and awesome to the handful of people who did approach him. And then I watched him shake it to John later on...awesome. :)

We were all even more starstruck when we noticed that none other than William Shatner had sat down in the box just behind my left shoulder! After a little bit we decided to be all incognito and take this photo as evidence:
I know, seriously crap photo, but we were trying to get him more than us, and when we used a flash you couldn't see him! :) (B&W "Flex Frame" by Angela Barton over at the Sweet Shoppe.) The best part was I could occasionally hear him talking during the show...ahhhh. Like silk on my eardrums. ;-) We couldn't help but laugh because he was trying to be all low-key and wear a hat and sunglasses, and a hoodie over that, and it wound up being even more conspicuous! Hello? And everyone was being really respectful anyways...come on, LA people get pretty jaded after a while.

So I have some terrible blurry photos of John on stage, but suffice it to say that it was ear candy the entire time. Nikki and I had seen him once before, but it was a brief performance as part of a collab show for Star 98.7, so not nearly as cool as his own tour. When you counted it up, it was only about 10 songs, but each was at least 10 minutes due to improv and stuff, so a nice long ride. Lots of seat dancing was done by all. :) And of course we stood for the last couple songs, especially since he closed the encore with "Waiting on the World to Change". Seriously people, the man is a huge dork but when push comes to shove, he just turns it on (goofy expressions and all). I heard someone in the crowd on the way in saying B.B. King was better (a lot of fans compare the two, since John incorporates a lot of bluesy approaches in his guitar playing) because John was classically trained, and totally had to disagree! Having had some experience in the music world and known a lot of musicians, I have to say that no matter how much training you receive, there ain't no way you can teach someone how to translate their emotions into music like that. I think John and B.B. are simply in the same playing field. And it doesn't hurt that he has a freaking sexy voice.

I think we done there around 11, and then it was a sloooow and totally chaotic process to get back to the car, but we made it eventually! After a Del Taco run on the way home (we had a seriously light and early dinner at like 4:30, so it was starvin-time at that point), I think I eventually got home around 1am after dropping the girls off, and to bed at 2. So exhausting, but worth every lost minute of sleep! Luckily today at work was really quiet and slow, so you couldn't tell too much that I was seriously lacking in sleep. Then I came home, had a snack, and went right to bed for a nap! I'll catch up tomorrow, I swear...

~Trude

Quote of the moment: "The most important work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of our own homes." ~ Harold B. Lee (1899-1973)

Friends, Dinner and Scrapping

2007-06-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

The big good news of the week is that my surregate sisters Nikki and Katie finally came home from their 10-day trip with the fam. The brats got to go to NYC, Boston, Rockport, Mass. and Chicago. But I'm not jealous! :) At least they brought me back a fab-u-lous Coach bag from Canal Street (thank you, slightly-damaged-but-perfectly-good-for-us-normal-people retailers!). Can't wait for Nik to hurry up and graduate law school so we can go to NYC for a girls' trip!

So Wednesday night we all got together for a delicious dinner at one of our fave places, Felix's. Its kind of a local legend around here - fantastic Cuban and Spanish food for about $10 for dinner (and that includes dessert during the week!). I can't count how many times we've eaten there since we discovered it in college. And Nikki and Heather also came over to my place last night just to generally hang out, which was great. Whenever we all watch TV together (which is really rare these days), its always hilarious because we spend more time gossiping about what we're seeing than actually paying attention. And since we watched the new piratey Survivor show, "The Starter Wife" and "Girls Next Door", there was plenty to chat about. ;-)

In keeping with my goals for the month, I finished a scrap page this week, as inspired by the Jumpstart challenge over at Designer Digitals. (Just click the image to view larger.) I don't always have time to participate in the challenge in the week time frame, but this week's was a good one! And I've been really wanting to scrap this photo from when Chris and I took Jacopo to Heritage Park here in Tustin a few weekends ago. You can view credits for the page here.

Lots going on this weekend, more about that tomorrow! But it will be a good story, I guar-an-tee! :)

~Trude

June Goals

2007-06-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I got to thinking, making yet another mental list about what I need to do, and I realized that it would be good to blog about my current goals, because maybe then I'll hold myself more accountable. :)

Sign up at a yoga studio and start going! My asthma has been especially bad the past week for some reason, and I really think the yoga will help. Besides the whole "healthy body" thing. I found a local studio that does a free beginner's workshop once a month, so I'll be doing that on Saturday. So, pending whether or not I like the place, I'll be checking this goal off the list very soon.
Study for, and set a date for, the GRE exam. Need to get my butt in gear, since they start accepting applications for spring semester in August!
Scrapbook at least once a week. I've been very un-creative lately and very tired, and while I get all inspired browsing galleries in my spare time at work, once I get home and get settled in front of the computer (if I ever make it there) I can't seem to get the juices flowing. Maybe I need to rearrange my desk area a bit or something...a new desk chair might be in order.
Find a new bathing suits that really fits. (What? This isn't frivolos; I think any woman would agree that this a gender-common goal, and deserves to be on this list!) I've finally retired the one that I've had for the past 3 years, and I'm determined to find a decent one for a decent price that flatters as well as it can, all things considered. ;-)
Sign the puppy up for training class. Ok, so this is more of a shared goal for Chris and I, but we need to get going on the rest of his training! We managed to teach come, sit, and how to walk at heel by ourselves (for the most part, anyway, he's still working a bit), but now its time for a real trainer and class so he learned the other important things, like stay. We're probably going to go through Petsmart, since they're reasonably priced and a new one just opened up right down the street from us.

What are your goals right now? Any suggestions for mine? :)

In other news, Chris received confirmation yesterday that he has been chosen to go on the Warped Tour with Rat Sound, doing the sound for one of the stages!! I'm so proud of him - this is almost exactly what he's been working toward all this time, and now he'll finally have a tour under his belt. Not only will it mean more money, but it's the next step towards touring with one band exclusively. It's quite the tour, too - they start in LA and then up to Canada, then all across the country. I just feel bad that he has to be in the south in the heat of summer. ;-) I'll probably fly out and meet him in one of the cities, so I don't have to go 2 months straight without seeing my baby. I'm thinking Portland or Denver, since they're nice short hops too.

Also, have to say a big CONGRATS to my cousin Elisabeth, who got married the weekend before last! Not only is she newly married and settling into a new home, they've just found out she's pregnant, expecting in January. So cool! This will be our grandparent's (she's my dad's brother's daughter) 7th great-grandchild. I'm especially excited since my dad is already thinking about going to visit home again next summer (we all went last summer), so we'd be able to see the baby then. She sent me some photos from the wedding:

My uncle cleans up nice! I can't remember if I've ever seen him in a suit! :)

Doesn't she just look stunning?? The dress is beautifully detailed (click on the photo to see it full size). But, gee, do you think the baby will be blonde? :D And of course they got married in a beautiful old Norwegian church. ::sigh:: I wish they'd paint the churches here like that!

Plus my other Norwegian cousin, Anita, went into labor a month and a half early last weekend. Waiting to hear how that all turned out! Last we heard she was doing okay. Lots of family news and excitment from back home! But when your dad comes from a family of 6 where all the siblings had kids of their own (and who are now having kids), there's usually something going on. :)

In scrapbooking news, some of my favorite designers started up a new digiscrap website called Little Dreamer Designs that is just too cute. Even their banner is pretty! They had a big grand opening sale this past weekend, and I couldn't help but snap up a few things. Especially since one of the designers also sells through Designer Digitals, and that way I got something I've had my eye on there for 35% off! :) Check them out - they have some really beautiful stuff. Plus you get a free kit just for signing up for the email!

I think that about does it for me here...

~T

Food for thought: "Strong feelings do not necessarily make a strong character. The strength of a man is to be measured by the power of the feelings he subdues, not by the power of those which subdue him." ~ William Carleton

**Edit: I also remembered while double-checking my post that another goal is to
revamp my blog's banner, since I've changed the layout and now it's entirely too
small! :)

Anniversaries & Memorial days...

2007-05-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that I had a pleasant holiday weekend, although I am still very tired from it all. And this week at work has just been totally insane, so I'm really ready for the weekend already, even though it's a short week! :)

Yesterday was our 2-year anniversary. Can't believe it hasn't been more than that! Honestly, we both feel like we've been together for much longer. Maybe because at this point we act like an old married couple (just substitute the dog for the child!). But I gotta love a man who knows how to deal with my every mood. Plus, he cooks like a pro - have to keep that around! :)

So I put this together to celebrate, somewhat (just click to see the full-sized version):

Have to give props to my girl Anna Aspnes, since I used her awesome gradient brushes to make that! I'm so addicted to them now - they make it so easy to use multiple photos in a layout without making it feel overcrowded! And thought I'd show this scrap page off too, even though I did it back in January:

You can view credits for it here.

We went to the always amazing Five Crowns last night for dinner, and yet again it did not disappoint. Seriously, if you live in Orange County and have not been there yet, GO! It's worth every penny. Chris and I splurged and ordered a full three course meal, plus martinis, and pretty much had to hobble out there, we were so full. I got the lobster tails, and he got the surf 'n turf. Soooo good. And it was perfect service, as per usual, and not too loud. Plus we didn't have to wait at all for our table - which I'm even more thankful for, since it seems that fewer and fewer restaurants understand the concept of "reservation". But anyways, two hours later we finally headed home to top off the night with some champagne and cuddle time (with the puppy included, of course).

And as for the long weekend, it was great. I think I pretty much squeezed the most out of it that I could! Saturday went and got a haircut, and after some errands came home to clean for a small dinner party we had planned. I think Chris outdid himself this time - he made steaks with his yummy cream and red wine sauce, golden carrot coins (SO yummy - gotta love Alton Brown's recipes!), roasted red potatoes and asparagus. Mmmmm!!! Plus we threw in salad and bread rolls. We just had a few people over, but they hadn't met each other before so it made for some great conversation. Chris and I had also bought a long fold-up table with just such an event in mind, so we could eat out on the patio and also fit everybody at one table, since our vintage dinette doesn't exactly provide for large groups. :) It was a great night though, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

On Sunday I had to drag my butt out of bed and get ready to go down to my uncle's house in San Diego. My parents and I had made plans to go down for the night and hang out with everyone - my uncle had his girlfriend and some friends over, and my cousin Sarah came over as well. His girlfriend's daughter also wound up coming by later that night with her boyfriend. I wound up taking a ton of photos, since my dad brought his new toy - a Nikon D40. Gotta love digital SLRs! I so want one...maybe if I get a raise. Someday.

But it turned out to be a really fun two days! I brought the puppy with me, in the hopes that he would make friends with Sarah's dog, Taj.
Isn't he a cutie? He's mostly Doberman, mixed with something that I can't remember at the moment. Turns out my guess that they would get along famously was right! They're both scaredy-cats (crazy for a Doberman, I know, but he is) and mama's boys, and built for running. A perfect match. :)

Here's a shot of the requisite sniffing:
They wound up providing loads of entertainment and laughs for us! I think it was Karl that likened Jacopo to a little kid following around Taj, who was like the cool high schooler, and having to do everything that Taj did. The best part was Jacopo got a great workout and slept like a rock once he finally settled down that night and Monday night too. :)

We had a perfect summer barbeque in the backyard with big hamburgers and stuff for dinner, and enjoyed the view:

That's my uncle and his girlfriend, Donna, along with Mike and Leslie, who were joking about how they could see their house from there (with a little help from the binoculars).

While we were there, Jacopo discovered that he loved stairs (we don't have any at home), and you could hear him enjoying them many times over in the 2 days we were there!

I don't know how that little pup manages to sound like an elephant when he runs, but he does. And then when he and Taj played on them together....you could hear it from all over the house. At least we could keep tabs on them! :) I think he was also a big fan of the landing because he could see all that was going on.

That night we pretty much just hung out, ate, drank and talked. I have to share this photo of Sarah, 'cuz she's perty and her hair is sooo long right now!

I'm pretty sure she was telling a wicked story when this was taken. ;-)

So I wound up sleeping on the couch instead of in one of the guestrooms with Sarah, since Jacopo continued to try and bait Taj into playing with him even after we turned out the lights and had settled down. I guess he's just not used to having a playmate around for that long! But I couldn't believe that he still had the energy. Although he did settle down as soon as we curled up on the couch together.

Monday was another casual hangout day, and we all decided to go on a walk with the puppies. Especially since it was such gorgeous weather you really just had to be outside. Thank Thor for national holidays! :) So dad took some great photos along the way...

Then when we got back Karl and Donna raced back and put up this sign on the door before we got there:
What a punk! While Karl and Donna went to work barbequing dinner, the rest of us mainly hung out. I'll spare you the gratuitous puppy photos, but I can't help but share this one:

Yup, that's Jacopo sleeping with his nose tucked in between Sarah's feet. What a goofball! It's like a security blanket for him, he loves to have his nose tucked away when he sleeps.

As one last photospam, there's this one:

Gotta love the way Sarah hugs Taj! I imagine with such a huge dog there can only be a few ways! :)

That's all for now - this weekend I'm heading up to Pasadena to tour Castle Green, which I'm sure I'll have a ton of photos from! Hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday weekend!

~T

Quote of the moment: "Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." ~Robert Frost

Gotta Love

2007-05-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

Overheard in the Office. At my old job, I relied on it on a near-daily basis to help keep me laughing. And I also had a few submissions published, thanks to my lovely coworkers. I decided to check in this morning since it's been pretty quiet compared to the rest of this week, and found this gem:

5PM At Least I Can Stop Eating
Salesman: I'm just trying to help you! Every time I see you you're eating.
Purchasing manager, mouth full of cookies: Every time I see you you're ugly.

8900 Kelso Drive
Baltimore, Maryland

Overheard by: Anonymous Temp

via Overheard in the Office, May 18, 2007

As well as this one, which is just a perfect example of the lack of geography classes in American schools:

11AM Right Near Where They Have the Running of the Frogs?
New art director: This product line is called Madrid, right?
Creative director: Yes.
New art director: So why do you want me to look for images of the south of France?
Creative director: Isn't Madrid on the coast of France?

325 Model Farm Road
High Point, North Carolina

Overheard by: I could find that on a map

via Overheard in the Office, May 18, 2007

Pure genius. And now they have two new sites - Overheard Everywhere, and Celebrity Wit. More funnies for your everyday lunacy! :)

~T

Quote of the Moment: "If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you're old." ~Edgar Watson Howe

Phew.

2007-05-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! And that counts Monday, too! Lets see...last Friday was actually a fairly busy day at work, and I was supposed to go and see Shrek 3 with the girls, but when they were finally going to the movie around 10:30 I was just too sleepy! But its cool, Chris and I got a chance to hang out and relax without worrying about having to get up in the morning.

Next morning we took Jacopo to the Irvine dog park (appropriately named "Central Bark") for the first time, and once he finally relaxed a bit I think he had a great time! He kept playing chase with a couple of the Boston terriers that were there. And since it can be rather boring there for the owners - it's basically a big, fenced flat area - we took him to a local park in Tustin so Chris and I could get some exercise too. It was such a gorgeous day, of course I couldn't help but take some photos:

After that it was home to really clean the apartment, and use my parents' steam cleaner that I borrowed. That thing is a miracle worker! The carpet looks sooo much better...makes me happy. :) Then Chris whipped up some tacos, and after dinner we finally went to go see Hot Fuzz. Freaking hysterical. Unlike other movies I've seen, they really did satire perfectly - as in, in all seriousness, except that its so obviously satire you can't help but laugh. And some great action scenes as well!

Then Sunday I went with my parents to the Planes of Fame air show in Chino, which was absolutely amazing. We didn't get there first thing like we wanted to, but we saw plenty of amazing demonstrations. If you didn't already know, I come from a family of flight enthusiasts on my mom's side - my grandfather worked on planes for the Navy in WWII and then went on to work for Pratt & Whitney (famous jet engine company, you've most likely had their engines or some part in your plane the last time you flew) his entire career. Then both my aunt and uncle became engineers for Pratt, my uncle bought a plane several years ago and flies it regularly, my mom has always loved planes and now my cousin has had his pilot's license since before he had his driver's license. So yeah, been around aviation just a bit. :) Anyhoo, if you like aviation as well, check out the air show's website, they did a fab job on it! And if you can, I highly recommend going next year. It's totally worth it. My dad took some great photos:

(I have no idea why some of those are showing up so much smaller!) So yeah, the air show was totally worth going, despite the heat and sunburns and roughly 50 people stopping me to talk about Jacopo. I'm pretty patient about it, since it seems to be a trend no matter where we go, but after a point all you want to do is get the food you were going for in the first place! Poor puppy was so tired that by the time we left he couldn't hardly make the walk out to the car. Luckily he's only 12 pounds, or I might have had to drag him! Needless to say he slept hard that night.

Yesterday work was insane, but at least tonight Nikki is coming over so we can continue the trend and beat the Shrek the Third game that I bought (for PS2). Woot!

~T

PS Check out my Flickr (you can get there from the slideshow on the right) - posted several more new photos besides the ones I included here!

Happy Syttende Mai!

2007-05-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

Or, for all you non-Norwegians out there, Happy Constitution Day! Syttende mai translates to simply

"seventeenth of May", which is the day in 1814 when Norway's constitution was signed into law. Its basically our equivalent of the 4th of July. :) Literally everybody gets out (and for many, dressed up in the national costume) and attends the local parade and/or events to celebrate. I don't think there's a kid alive that grew up in Norway and didn't have to hold a kid-sized flag every syttende mai! Unlike in the States, however, its not simply a day to shoot off fireworks and drink. ;-) Norwegians tend to be pretty damn proud of our independence - we changed hands many times over the millenia, whether it was Sweden or Denmark or whoever that had control, we didn't really have true independence until after the damn Americans did!

Anyway, if you're interested in a bit of history, Wikipedia has a pretty good article about it here. Or, even cooler, the newspaper in my family's hometown of Stavanger has a gorgeous photo reel of today's events here, where you can bear witness to the fact that not all Norwegians are white! :) But the day really does hold some fond memories for me - when we were much younger our parents would take us to the local celebration where there'd be all kinds of games and stuff for us to do, and people my dad could speak Norwegian with. :) You'd be surprised how many there are in the area! We tend to gravitate towards each other...I'll have to look through my parents' albums and see if I can find the old photos of us dressed up for that.

Funny of the week for me has to be a tie between my boss and Jacopo:

My boss, for making every conceivable joke he could today about a business contact who goes by his initials, which happen to be "K.Y." I won't cite every one, but I think my favorite had to be "Watch out, he's a slippery fellow." We were rolling. I know, high school humor, but still freaking funny.

And Jacopo, because as Chris and I were trying to get to sleep last night I kinda shoved the puppy over with my butt (as he was against my back) and made a crack about him being so kind as to share the bed, to which he promptly responded with a huge puppy sigh and quickly repositioning so that his head was now draped over the back of my neck, and his little heater of a body was even closer to me. I swear, dogs really do speak human! Chris and I laughed until we cried, it was so ridiculously apropo.

Tonight I'm attending a fashion show/fundraiser with my mom for IIDA (International Interior Design Association), which should be fun. The fashion show is actually part of a fundraising challenge to design firm teams to make clothes out of whatever traditional interior design products they're given. Plus they do a mixer and silent auction and that kind of thing. I went with her before, either last year or the year before, and had a ball - especially so since we sat just in front of these fabulous gay men who were full of wickedly funny comments. Keep your fingers crossed that happens again this year! :)

Other than that, a fairly quiet week. Spent the weekend and Monday fighting a wicked cold. Unfortunately I had to return to work Tuesday, and I'm much better but still have congestion and a slight cough. But I've been loading up on the vitamins, so hopefully I won't have to deal with this much longer. And at least I didn't completely lose my voice like I did last December! That would have put a severe damper on my value at work.

Hope everyone else is having a good week!

~Trude

New Page

2007-05-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

Finally had a chance to do a new scrap page now that Chris is back and I'm not contantly distracted by the pup. And I actually went outside my "safety zone" this time and chose some really bright bright colors.

You can view credits and details here.

In other news, I took Jacopo to work with me again today since the guys are all gone most of the day and Chris is at work anyways. He's been very happy running up and down the length of the office. :) Thank Thor its Friday. Hopefully Chris and I will actually go out and see a movie tonight!

~T

Ding, dong...

2007-05-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

...the Chris is back. Which old Chris? The wicked Chris! Ding, dong, the wicked Chris is baaaaaack!

Finally. Chris got back Tuesday night from the devil's oven, aka Indio. It was so hot out there, a stack of pallets of water lit themselves on fire. Seriously! They were even in the shade, but somehow the heat of the sun was magnified through the water and the packaging caught on fire. And when they went to go put that out (luckily somebody noticed), another one would start. Only out in the desert would you ever see people running around yelling "Save the water! Save the water!" Cracks me up just thinking about it.

Unfortunately no cool backstage pictures, although I do have a great story about a confrontation with Lindsay Lohan and her bodyguard that Chris had during Coachella. Apparently, she doesn't understand that no means no. And I'm so proud of my boy for standing up to a spoiled Hollywood brat like that. :) Its just sad that security was cowed enough that Chris had to step in and do their job for them.

But in other news, Jacopo is overjoyed at having his daddy back - and someone to play with while I'm at work. I was so jealous when I left them sleeping together this morning!

I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but my parents have decided to keep the kitten, and it has officially been given the name "Puss". I wish you could hear me say it, as its the Norwegian word for cat and has an accent to it. But oh well. I think you get the idea...and yes, that was my dad's decision. Thus far, still no word on the actual gender of the thing. But I'll leave you with these hysterical pictures my mom sent me this week:

Apparently, Ella is finally getting used to the kitten and not trying to kill it at every turn. And the kitten is actually taking after her, because he/she attacks feet too. :)

Its almost Friday!!

~T

Dreaming

2007-05-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

The night before last I dreamt that I was in the middle of a war (again), except this time it was clearly WWII and all the soldiers were all the classmates and friends I've ever had. How terrible is THAT? I'm still thinking about it...

Peace

2007-05-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...the sounds of silence...all is quiet at work right now, and I'm in a very good mood today thanks to the kindness of my boss letting me bring Jacopo into the office for the day! It was actually his suggestion. It all started with the pup finally showing signs of anger and depression at being home alone during the day for over a week (even though I've been going home for lunch every day), and I was telling my boss about my woes of cleaning up after him, and he suggested I just bring him in. Apparently he's a huge dog lover, which he definitely demonstrated today. :) Too cute! So that relief, added to the fact that I finally got time to really clean the apartment last night (I find it theraputic), and its Friday, AND tomorrow is National Scrapbooking Day so everyone is having huge sales....I'm feeling pretty good right now.

This is what has goten me through the week to today. Everyone loves a Tootsie Roll! Lucky for me I'm the one that buys all the office supplies and I make sure we've always got some kind of sweet thing around - usually the big 5 pound mixed bag of Tootsie Roll products since they're fat free and won't melt. And I'm not the only one who eats them either! The two mice in the back help me go through a bag pretty quick-like. ;)

Just had to share these photos I just took of the pup chillin on our couch here at work. Its right by my desk in the entry, so I can keep an eye on him:

He's such a goof...I love how he's practically rolling his eyes like "Geez, mama, not another photo??"

Well that'll do it, just a quick post to share. Can't wait for the weekend...just a few more days until Chris finally comes home!!

~T

Things I've Learned Lately

2007-04-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

1) That "the patch" version of birth control has been shown to lead to an increase in blood clotting, among other serious side effects. (Source: my awesome doctor)

2) That my favorite alcohol, vodka, can be used for more than just imbibing. Apparently it can be used to get out that stale smell from new clothes (or that smell when they come from the vintage store) if you spritz on a bit and then let the clothes hang out in a well-ventilated area. Who knew? (Source: RealSimple.com) And for someone like me who bargain shops quite a bit, its a super helpful tip.

3) That it's okay, really okay, to donate/throw out the jeans that just don't fit right anymore (or perhaps never did). I think I've finally come to grips with this, especially now that that particular drawer in my dresser is beginning to be quite stuffed! Its not like I spend a fortune on them in the first place, anyways. To self: breathe, Trude, in and out...

4) My local Planet Beauty kicks ass. I found all kinds of cool stuff when I went in there for some nail polish. Plus, their employees are actually helpful and friendly. Amazing!

5) I. Hate. Comb. Binding. For anyone who's ever had to copy and bind a 200+ page report and didn't want to tear their hair out, huge props to you.

On Thursday night, I got to go shopping at H&M - finally, FINALLY the good lord above answered my prayers and brought a location to southern California. I've been shopping there for years, but only got to when I was either on the east coast or in Europe. Got a cute casual top, plus a cute silk dress.

I had a pretty fab weekend, especially since I got to spend Friday with two of my favorite people, Nikki and Nancy, at one of my favorite places - Glen Ivy spa! We had really warm, beautiful weather, and spent the whole day lounging in the various pools. They also got to witness what I would look like if I ever got a tan, thanks to the amazing mud treatment they have there. :) After we got all glowing and pretty we headed back to the OC for dinner (yet again) at Honda Ya. Yup, the perfect cap to a fabulous day!

The excitement at my parent's house this weekend was the latest addition to their menagerie (I've declared that's now the official name for it). Already they have 2 dogs (Hershey and Ted E. Bear), a cat (Elvira, or Ella) and a turtle (Victoria). And as of Friday morning, they've added a kitten. My mom was out walking Ted E. when she heard mewing coming from the bushes, and upon investigation discovered this little guy/gal (its really hard to determine the sex on a kitten so little!!):
Seriously, look at that face! How can you say no? Granted, my mom put up flyers and everything around the neighborhood to try and find any original owners, but nobody had called by Sunday night. But Nikki and I had already made a bet that they would keep it - my dad loves cats, plus Ted E. kept following it around like his life had no other purpose. But that's probably because he was raised with barn cats (he was originally my grandmother's dog out on her farm in Kansas), and Ella won't give him the time of day.

Please feel free to suggest names for the kitten! I still like Henley, but since they overruled me the last time I don't think it'll fly this time either. Now, beware the cuteness invasion:

Way too much cuteness. Even though the kitten makes me sneeze every time I pick it up (even though I've never had pet allergies before...I think its the long hair, or maybe kitten dander?), I can't help myself!!

Saturday morning found me up far too early for a weekend to take a test for my notary license, and then I headed over to my parent's house. From there I left Jacopo in dad's capable hands, and mom and I headed down to Del Mar for the dressage weekend (dressage = something like horse ballet, where the horses are trained to do special kinds of walks and runs) of their annual horse show. My mom used to ride competitively with Arabian horses and won a jillion awards, but pretty much quit once she got married and my parents lived in Norway. So this was way cool for us to go do, even if we froze our bejangles off. You'd think it would be warm there, since it was April and at the beach, but oh no. So we both wound up with commemorative sweatshirts. Oh well.

I think the coolest part of the day was seeing this rider, Hilda Gurney, who's something like a living legend in the dressage world. Even to a know-nothing like me, it was obvious compared to the other riders that she was in complete control, that she was working with the horse rather than at the horse. Here she is receiving her award:

Beautiful stuff to watch - really! Very cool to go and do, but mom and I were so tired on the way home late that night that we sang at the top of our lungs for half the drive. :) Good times.

Sunday was a day to play catch-up. Caught up on time with the puppy, laundry, time with the family, sleep, etc...

Hope everyone had a good weekend too!

Quote of the day: "Be not the slave of your own past. Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

~Trude

Weekend Update

2007-04-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that I wound up having a very satisfactory weekend. :) Hope everyone else can say the same (or better)! Friday night Chris wound up getting off of work earlier than I had thought he would, so we met up at home and, after feeding the pup, went out to rent a movie and pick up some takeout. Gotta love our local Hollywood Video - the kids that work there are barely able to vote, if that, so nobody says anything when we walk in carrying our dog. ;) Except to say "Oh, what kind of dog is that?" or "Can I pet him?" Its a funny thing about American culture that having a dog automatically makes someone more approachable, or acts as a conversation catalyst.

So we rented Children of Men, which I have been eagerly waiting to see, and I was not disappointed. I highly reccommend it. Gorgeously filmed, stayed true to the book (which I also reccommend, PD James is awesome) and of course Clive Owen was great. Brilliant, in sum. And we ate delicious Indian takeout along with it...double mmmm.

Saturday I accomplished at least one of my goals for the weekend, which was to introduce my mom to the Wide World of Digital Scrapbooking. Needless to say, it was overwhelming. I feel her on that one - even now, 9 months after my first foray into it, I still get overwhelmed by all the options I have and making choices for a layout can be tough! I'd like to do everything at once, please. I brought Jacopo along since Chris was at work, and to get him out of the apartment for more than an hour. He wore himself out. He slept so hard when we got home! But he made me very proud, he was so well behaved. I just wish the natural lighting in the kitchen was better so that I could have captured the glares of pure hatred that the cat was giving him the entire time, from her perch on the tallest part of the counter. Soooo funny! You can just see her thought process of "Two freaking dogs was enough. This young idiot is the last straw!"

That night Chris and I were both so wiped out from the week that by the time we got home we didn't feel like doing much, just hung out and went to bed at a decent hour. Sunday morning we got up and headed over to Chris' parent's house, where he proceeded to do about 3 weeks worth of laundry. The best part of the day was taking Jacopo and walking down to Nick's Deli on Main Street in Seal Beach (only about 5 mins walk from his parents house) to get some of Nick's famous breakfast burritos. Its this great hole-in-the-wall just up from the beach that we used to eat at a lot more before we moved in together. From there I drove Chris to where he had to meet everyone for the vanpool out to Coachella, and Jacopo and I said goodbye to him for the next two weeks! Just thinking about it makes how much I depend on him all the more poignant. We'll be okay, but it will sure be interesting!!

So the pup and I drove home in the driving rain (it was a Gloomy Sunday, how ironical), and soon after Nikki and Heather came over so we could all go to Honda Ya, the bestest Japanese restaurant around. Literally. Just try Google-ing it! Further proof: ran into people I know there, which can be very rare in Orange County! Plus it's in adorable old town Tustin, and it rarely costs more than $15 per person. I always wind up eating my weight in sushi. Nikki and I were both seriously craving it, so we used my excuse of the boyfriend leaving town to go. :) Whatever works, right? Its also one of the few restaurants in the area open past 10.

The nice cap for the weekend actually arrived today, when this came for me:
Aren't they gorgeous?? Wednesday is Administrative Professional's Day, apparently. I feel so appreciated! :)

Ok, after proofreading I see just how much takeout I ate this weekend. I guess I was making up for eating every meal at home last week - even lunch!

Quote of the moment: "I think it would be a good idea." ~Mahatma Ghandi, when asked what he thought of Western civilization

~T

Good Day

2007-04-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

Today has been a good day. Although I am tired as all get-out and currently resisting the urge to go to Starbucks (yet again this week), this gorgeous rainy weather we've had today has been awesome! At the moment the parking lot looks like a bad 80s hairband video because it was raining up until a few minutes ago when the sun came out, causing great amounts of mist and steam. Too cool. [See, non-Californians, we here in SoCal have to appreciate it when we get actual variations in our weather. It happens so rarely. Especially this year, I think our current rain level is negative or something.] Plus, I got to wear my kickass pirate-y birthday boots.

Goals for this weekend include introducing my mom to the wonderful world of digital scrapbooking, fleshing out my Flickr account that I started this week, taking Jacopo to the dog park (keeping my fingers crossed that it will be nice and I can get photos) and spending time with Chris before he leaves Sunday evening. We'll see how I do.

In world news, I read this article in the Guardian today. Is it just me, or does that sound like the dumbest thing you've ever heard? It reminds me all too much of other such walls in the past...and we know how great those all worked out. And of course I haven't heard anything about it in the American press.

But I digress. To end on a happy note: Its FRIDAY! Hope everybody has a wonderful weekend!

Quote of the day: "I do not want the peace which passeth understanding, I want the understanding which bringeth peace." ~Helen Keller

~T

Today's Funny

2007-04-19T12:05:00.001-07:00

After Miles and Joanna couldn't stop laughing about this video last night, I had to go see it for myself - gotta love randomness!

Musings

2007-04-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

The only thing I can say about Virginia Tech is this: being a college grad and in the process of pursing my masters, I can't even imagine what it would be like to have a maniac burst into my lecture and open fire. I simply cannot imagine. Can any of you? It would be totally surreal. The whole incident is insanity - especially trying to blame the school for not locking down campus or something after the first shooting. Who would possibly guess in their wildest mind that it wasn't just an isolated incident? The real problem was that there were all kinds of people warning the administration that this student had "potential threat" written all over him, and yet there was nothing they could really do. That might be the real policy they need to review, rather than emergency procedures. (Ok, so maybe I had more than one thing to say. Surprise.)

*steps off soap box* In other news, it was rather amusing listening to Alberto Gonzalez being verbally pummeled by the Senate on NPR this morning. If he's not a liar, I'll eat my shoe. Seriously, it reminds me of a kid about 5 years old that has newly discovered lying and thinks that their parents will believe whatever they say.

I love this comic strip. I get their daily email, and it cracks me up. Such random Brit humor, gotta love it! With all the internet browsing and editing I've been doing lately, yesterday's comic in particular made me laugh:

Last night we had a bunch of people over that Chris used to work with at Disneyland back in the day. They were so much fun! Although it was 10 before anyone showed up, which we were expecting, but Chris and I are on such a mundane schedule this week that we were totally ready to crash by then! :) Especially since we had been cleaning and straightening since we got home at 6. Nothing like company to make you clean like you've been meaning to! But it felt good to get everything nice and clean like I like to have it. I wish I had more energy to always keep it that way!

So anyways, we had a great time. I learned a new card game called Phase 10, which is totally complicated but fun because of it - I didn't get bored like I usually do with cards. Once we got to be a big crowd, though, we gave up the cards and just generally hung out and (sort of) watched "Grandma's Boy". I think Jacopo was the real hit of the party - but who can resist his charm, really? No one has thus far!

Next Friday I'm taking the day off work and heading out to Glen Ivy with Nancy and Nikki for Nikki's birthday present. I'm so looking forward to that - will definitely follow up with photos!

First Post!

2007-04-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Who knew it would be so difficult to write the first post on my blog, after finally deciding to put one together?? Turns out it is. Maybe it has something to do with the grey and dreary weather we've been having...or my own hangups. Either way, its been interesting thus far. I have to give Peter Chen huge props for his awesome blog, Blogger Tips and Tricks, and his personal help which were critical reference points for me in getting this blog to look the way I first envisioned it! At least I can say I've definitely learned a lot about editing HTML code in just a short time. :)

As for the Deckner-Ellingsen household, Chris is working all this week on setup for an ancient Japanese fire ceremony that's going on up in Yorba Linda this weekend. It actually looks pretty cool, I even heard a blurb about it on NPR - apparently its never been done outside of Japan. Who ever thought Yorba Linda would be the location of choice for that?? After that he heads out to the IE to work both the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals. He'll be gone for two weeks...anybody feel like coming over to ~~keep me from insanity~~ entertain me? :) I'll definitely do a follow-up post if he gets more awesome backstage and up-close photos like he did last year.

Jacopo, our endless source of entertainment, is still working on potty training. But we're getting there, accident by accident. Poor thing, you can always tell when he feels sorry. And we're slowly working back up to long walks to the park, as its now been more than a week since he lost his manhood. He's also finally started that classic dog behavior in that he gets all excited whenever I so much as touch the bin where we keep his leash and collar and everything. He's just too cute!! Need evidence? Either click on the Flickr slideshow on the right, or go here.

Sunday night a bunch of us went out to celebrate Mindy and Nikki's birthdays (they're a year and a day apart). I love these people - I always know that I'll have a good time when I'm out with them. Thanks to Buss's boisterous behavior and hysterical sense of humor, we managed to laugh until we turned red and offend half of the surrounding tables, all at once! But it's cool, because the place we went to is this awesome Italian restaurant in Ontario called Vince's. It's deliciously chock full of garlic, inexpensive, and the decor makes you think you're back in Little Italy. I fully expected to see the stereotypical mafioso guy sitting in the darkest corner being fed by two beautiful women.

Here's Nikki with Sergio and Bussman:

Katie and Colby, with their everyday faces on:

Mindy and Whitney, gorgeous as always:

So that was fantastic. We finally managed to roll ourselves out of there and Nikki, Heather and I continued on to go see Disturbia. Now I love Shia LaBeouf as much as the next girl (and boy has he grown up!), but this movie had some seriously creepy moments. Not to mention the killer suspense (no pun intended). At least Nikki and I were able to squeeze the hell out of each other's hands in fear. But it was still a good movie! David Morse did a great job at scaring us to death.

So I think that should cover it for now - will definitely be adding more to this blog, and now that I've started a Flickr account (why oh why did I put up with Photobucket for so long?) I'll be adding to that as well!

~T