tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17244717653131078912024-02-18T23:40:20.225-08:00Frumpy FarmRamblings and musings of a frump who is sometimes a grumpVonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-43928490494904168262015-09-13T18:44:00.001-07:002015-09-13T18:46:05.840-07:00Art as Meditation<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">It's been so long since I blogged but I feel compelled to write about my art experience yesterday. I've always wanted to do one of those art and wine classes... a glass of wine, a guided painting class, but never had the opportunity before yesterday.</span></div>
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I found a series of classes through Artbeat San Diego called the "creative sanctuary" series. You paint on a bluff overlooking the ocean to the sound of waves, to use painting as meditation, and to bring more self-awareness to our life through positive affirmations. Sounded right up my alley after spending 10 weeks overseas in my urban-jungle home country!<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"> So I invited my mum friends to join me for a mum's creative day out instead of our usual nights out.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset Cliffs, Point Loma</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I got there early enough to pick our spot, and I immediately felt the calming effects of the ocean breeze. It was a mighty hot day, but we were thankfully shaded. I am by no means an artist, so I was a little apprehensive about the whole process. Kristel, the founder of Artbeat and our guide for the afternoon, made me feel very at ease. Once everyone arrived, we sat in a circle and she talked about the third eye chakra, our focus for the painting we were about to do. Everything she said resonated with me and definitely set the mood for the painting.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">We then found our seats again, and she went around with a deck of affirmation cards, and had us all shuffling the deck and picking out a card while she got our paints set up. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Again, the message on the card resonated with me, and I thought to myself, "I'm meant to be here, I should be doing this". As a stay at home mum, I often feel guilty to take time away from my family, especially with a very active toddler, but as I sat there with my fellow mums enjoying the environment and the afternoon kid-free, I felt my inner cup filling up again. We needed to do this for ourselves!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starter paint... blue was the color of the day/chakra</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Kristel then lead us through the steps of creating our painting, mixing gray for our outlines, drawing our horizon line, and drawing our mountains. </span>Of course, being no artist, it felt really strange picking up a brush and free forming images on canvas, but I had to trust the process.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandy, the resident artist in our group, and her mountain range</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Next came color blocking. First by painting the water, then the mountains. Kristel suggested colors for us to use, but we were free to mix and paint what felt right to us. Some chose the straight blue for the water from the paint provided, others mixed. Same thing for the mountains and sky. I was surprised to find myself using lighter, brighter colors while Mandy was surprised hers took on a darker hue.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Briana and Mandy at work with color blocking, my canvas in the center</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">We learned how to add depth to our painting by dabbing and flicking. I was surprised to see how quickly all our inner artists came out. We were so absorbed in our work that we didn't even notice that the sun was setting on the horizon, but I took a quick break to capture the moment.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over the Pacific</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">With the sun setting and us losing light, I did hurry a bit to try to finish my painting. At the point the sun set, I only had some finishing touches to add to my painting and to finish up my orb. And thus, my interpretation of "Clear View", was complete. I was again surprised by the colors I ended up using, especially the yellows, oranges and reds, which have never been "my" colors. I felt so at peace and content, and excited that I had created something from nothing. It was an amazing feeling.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3.5 hours later, my painting is complete!</td></tr>
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As mums, we often forget to feed our own souls, and I definitely felt like the time I spent creating this piece made me a better, calmer, happier mother because my soul is nourished. We'll be back!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud and happy mamas!</td></tr>
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Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-4165128634679036092013-12-31T23:44:00.000-08:002013-12-31T23:44:05.920-08:00So long, 2013!Wow, what a year. I'm starting this post 53 minutes away from the stroke of midnight, and I'm still up, reflecting on the year. The year has been a blur of events, and I'm trying to recall all that's happened. That's what I get for not keeping a diary or blogging often enough. I'm wary of making resolutions for the next year though, since the one resolution I made for 2013 (to learn to sew) hasn't yet come to fruition.<br />
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The biggest event that happened in 2013 was the arrival of our little girl, and our family of two became three. We settled into our home here in San Diego, and were lucky to find renters pretty quickly for our old house when it became available for rent. We had to upgrade to a mom mobile since my old faithful car's transmission started going south, and having an unreliable vehicle with a newborn was not an option for us. I've been semi-retired for most of the year, but the new job of being a 24-7 mom had a pretty steep learning curve, and definitely took some getting used to. I still don't feel like I'm doing a good enough job of being a mom.<br />
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As 2013 ends, I'm resolving to be a little more organized, to clean out my closet, and to finally unpack all those boxes I have in the garage. When I have some time. I also hope to start cooking again, now that baby is a little bit older, and is a bit more independent. I need to figure out how to squeeze work-work into my day, and figure out how to keep baby busy while stimulating her wonderful growing self. Lots of things to figure out. Hmm. I'll just resolve to enjoy every single day of 2014, and just focus on the positives :)<br />
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It's 17 minutes away from midnight... that's how long it's taken my tired mind to string together some semi-cohesive thoughts. Sleep, here I come. Happy new year, everyone!Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-46695656315071861232013-08-08T08:58:00.002-07:002013-08-08T08:58:40.666-07:00A Hot Mess of EmotionsJust had to say bye to my folks as they leave on their much anticipated vacation, though I think they would have rather stayed here to wait for baby's arrival. I'll admit that I'm really bummed she didn't make her appearance so my folks could meet her before their trip, but that's where today's technology comes in handy. I'll be able to give them a call on their cellphones no matter where they're at, and send them some pictures too.<br />
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Still no baby yet... she must be super happy and snug in her little cave, gaining weight. Her little elbow that we've been able to feel the most has definitely lost it's boneyness, and has rounded up some. I wonder how much she'll weigh at birth.<br />
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At my appointment on Monday, my midwife talked about induction and antenatal monitoring, especially if she doesn't want to show up on her own. "I will calmly meet whatever turn my birthing my take" is a Hypnobirthing affirmation that comes to mind... I just have to remember that this is her birth too, and she definitely has a lot of say as to when she wants to show up.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-85907953489418980472013-08-05T11:52:00.005-07:002013-08-05T11:52:51.453-07:00And now we wait...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">39 weeks vs. 6 weeks... how I've grown!</td></tr>
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It's been a pretty crazy 37 weeks or so since I've had this not-so-little cupcake baking in my oven now. The cupcake's dad is anxiously awaiting her arrival, and so is my family that's visiting. I really hope she shows up on time, so my dad will get a chance to see her and spend some time with her before my folks have to leave on a trip they've had planned for more than a year. <br />
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Time has taken on a strange quality now that I'm on maternity leave, and just home waiting. It has been awesome spending time with my mum, who's been cooking up a storm, so I've been able to enjoy the yumminess that is home cooked cuisine, which I don't get very often, since the traditional Straitsborn-Chinese style cooking is tedious and takes a while.<br />
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I am definitely enjoying my last few moments of "quiet" on this Friday night before the baby arrives. As I'm partially writing this post, it's just the kitties and me at home, with Breaking Bad playing on tv. The hubs and my mum have gone to LAX to pick up my dad, and my sister arrives tomorrow. This is definitely going to be my last moment of peace, I think. Baby might be agreeing with me too, since she's been really active this evening, more so than she's been in the past few weeks.<br />
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She's definitely taking her own sweet time. Today's attempt at getting her to "come on down" was retail therapy, since a foot massage, walking up these crazy steep stairs, and exercise hasn't really coaxed her out of her shell yet. I must have a pretty comfortable oven for her :)<br />
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I have had a relatively uneventful pregnancy, save for the crazy hormonal days, nausea earlier on, and a below-the-belt episode sometime in my 2nd trimester. I have to think my bi-weekly (now weekly) chiropractic treatments and twice-a-week pilates has helped tremendously. I can still see my ankles and my waistline (yay), and am currently feeling pretty good except for the pressure in my hip joints, thanks to the growing belly. I've gained about 20 lbs as of my last appointment, which I think is pretty darn good too.<br />
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The first trimester was really challenging for me, since I have never ever felt such debilitating fatigue before. I would fall asleep right after meals several times a day, napping all the time, and nausea was making it difficult to eat. Of course, it didn't help that we didn't really have our house to ourselves since it was going through some remodeling, and we were between houses too, so it made for a challenging few months.<br />
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Once the second trimester rolled around, I felt like my old self again. That truly was the most wonderful time... my bump was growing, I felt great and energized, and got a lot done. I was finding a good work/home life balance, plus it helps that I work from home too. I think the best part of the second trimester was finding out that our baby is a girl, and feeling those first few flutters of movement from her (on Easter Sunday night no less!). That was when it started becoming "real".<br />
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When the third trimester rolled around, the tiredness set in again, but nothing like it was in the early weeks. I found myself napping more, and my joints started aching once the bump really started growing. As of this update, I'm currently a day away from my 40 week mark. The hubs thinks that my oven is too comfortable for the not-so-little-anymore cupcake. We'll see what my midwives have to say at my appointment this afternoon.<br />
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Perhaps baby is waiting for my to write my pregnancy story out before making her appearance. My sister helped us decorate the baby room this weekend, so the room is all ready for her. We just need her to show up :) I'm drawing a blank right now as to what else I should say. I guess I'll end it here for now, and will post updates if I think of anything else.</div>
Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-272546809349644052013-06-06T20:26:00.000-07:002013-06-06T20:38:46.387-07:00Ikea furniture hack...On Memorial Day, Anthony woke up with this brilliant idea of hacking some Ikea furniture to make covered litter boxes for the kitties (I guess he got tired of seeing exposed, open litter boxes, its contents, and the litter being tracked all over). Over breakfast armed with our smartphones, we found a site with hacked ikea furniture, and they had brilliant ideas on how we could accomplish this project. After much searching, we decided that the Stuva storage bench found in Children's Ikea worked best for what we had in mind.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8UfCAsS-KoUosc7PnM1ir6EKG5cqh9bUN5OSg-DE0pLg7XNdq9dojClgMd3mBRbfU-aD6YraptPOTpYmaxuHBHYZ2r3y1lzcPUPI9kQM2tBIXKcjoerc5wgdIgXYa7AQDRoTUXFMQIU/s1600/stuva-storage-bench__0112711_PE264606_S4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8UfCAsS-KoUosc7PnM1ir6EKG5cqh9bUN5OSg-DE0pLg7XNdq9dojClgMd3mBRbfU-aD6YraptPOTpYmaxuHBHYZ2r3y1lzcPUPI9kQM2tBIXKcjoerc5wgdIgXYa7AQDRoTUXFMQIU/s200/stuva-storage-bench__0112711_PE264606_S4.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We turned this...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7mURhqjKbeWcFSPYe4TpKQiSPBstdJThee9oQ7DZ-v7XAYVzGtbIh8b6tQ6QNUKubAF0gwxHsGhUwdayH7KC8eTYlwo2T7gxF1P8bAxnvlJNx0SpNF58Oeip8TjEMm1jHaRnalL32tI/s1600/2013-06-04+21.58.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7mURhqjKbeWcFSPYe4TpKQiSPBstdJThee9oQ7DZ-v7XAYVzGtbIh8b6tQ6QNUKubAF0gwxHsGhUwdayH7KC8eTYlwo2T7gxF1P8bAxnvlJNx0SpNF58Oeip8TjEMm1jHaRnalL32tI/s320/2013-06-04+21.58.51.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">into this!</td></tr>
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Tools you will need:<br />
- the usual tools you need to assemble Ikea furniture<br />
- a jigsaw<br />
- flexible rubber coating in a can (optional)<br />
- spray paint (to cover up the whole you cut)<br />
- face mask (if you use the flexible rubber coating)<br />
- caulking (optional)<br />
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We opted to seal the cutout and the inside seams with the rubber sealant and caulk (along the inside seams) so that any accidents that may happen (the drawers are holding litter boxes after all) don't seep into the MDF and end up warping the panels.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPf5D_04qRaPFZ23uCoX-IK5KCQSBV2XqMGq5AM00Il7vFyUzGP90mUuTfDY_4JBg-MRjsmnVm3uIXsTpYI_uOWuNUXYiZwUrqmbpgPrYOCWAPQTEEZcNQeFVqAY9xNsyIa5cAryC7u8/s1600/2013-05-27+15.02.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPf5D_04qRaPFZ23uCoX-IK5KCQSBV2XqMGq5AM00Il7vFyUzGP90mUuTfDY_4JBg-MRjsmnVm3uIXsTpYI_uOWuNUXYiZwUrqmbpgPrYOCWAPQTEEZcNQeFVqAY9xNsyIa5cAryC7u8/s200/2013-05-27+15.02.24.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRQ-9-oNcO3voSVpdOaIUPz7VSkc0Noy2sbdM0kO_1RZzXBM29xspYToofrNAn3hUxodelejNkt_GGhEfzkBhKt67aWy11nBGYMfg6AZqQEGpOqau4vw_LByRAgferfJt8Ir_FYXBvM4/s1600/2013-05-27+14.49.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRQ-9-oNcO3voSVpdOaIUPz7VSkc0Noy2sbdM0kO_1RZzXBM29xspYToofrNAn3hUxodelejNkt_GGhEfzkBhKt67aWy11nBGYMfg6AZqQEGpOqau4vw_LByRAgferfJt8Ir_FYXBvM4/s200/2013-05-27+14.49.11.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDrqE41kFLNdezruOCGyTc253hzWaKMigBYceTAGLrJ3ZucoeT7hv3JkEtO3rrzjqJey5qDNSc6EIn2aYTF8SZy_dm3TFgxfm5X_kzgDw98pkNr7ZXhAf4q2aDjj1fDhJWMml266TJF4/s1600/2013-05-27+14.50.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDrqE41kFLNdezruOCGyTc253hzWaKMigBYceTAGLrJ3ZucoeT7hv3JkEtO3rrzjqJey5qDNSc6EIn2aYTF8SZy_dm3TFgxfm5X_kzgDw98pkNr7ZXhAf4q2aDjj1fDhJWMml266TJF4/s200/2013-05-27+14.50.51.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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We assembled the drawer as instructed, but before installing the final front piece, Anthony cut out the opening with a jigsaw. After the opening was cut and installed, we used the Rust-o-leum Leak Seal to seal the cut out opening, and Anthony liberally sprayed it inside the drawer along the seams and screw holes, to avoid any accidents. We left it for 24 hours to cure. The cutout was then spray painted, as was the not-so-pretty-when-dried rubber coating on the inside of the drawer. After spray painting, the seams along the joints inside the drawer were caulked to prevent any leakage through the seams (leave to cure for a few hours). Assemble the bench portion of the storage bench, and voila, you get this:<br />
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We chose to line the interior with pee pads, to make any mess cleanup easier, and we added a litter mat to trap as much of the litter as possible before the kitties leave the loo. I also added some Arm & Hammer baking soda that was meant for the fridge.<br />
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*knock on wood* So far, we have noticed a lot less litter tracking in the room (which happens to be my office space), and it's definitely a better sight to look at than exposed litter boxes.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-55893682652200905102013-02-27T16:46:00.003-08:002013-02-27T16:46:58.957-08:00Happy New Year, 2 months too late2 months in to the new year, and 8 months (eeps) since my last blog post, and so much has happened since we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary! We have moved, and we're also expecting. That's the best news, I think.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first look at Baby Kenniston</td></tr>
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I find it fascinating that everything is now "what's best for baby", even though our wee one has only been baking in the oven for 17 weeks. We've already completed our childbirth classes, though at the advice of our doula (yes, I've lined one up too), we're putting off breastfeeding and newborn care classes until closer to our guess date since there will be a lot of information, and taking those classes too early will be slightly detrimental. I've also lined up a post-partum doula to help us out after we have the baby too. The only thing on my to-do list to line up next is a pediatrician. I was slightly discouraged when the first practice I called wanted to hang up on me for not having PPO insurance. Ah well. I'm letting it go. Part of my hypnobirthing class was learning to let go of fears and issues, so I should put that to good use now. Hence I'm not going to freak out about not having lined up a pediatrician yet either. I still have loads of time.<br />
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I also started seeing a chiropractor that works on expecting moms to help me with some of my aches and pains. Though pilates has helped deal with a lot of it, I think some fine tuning was in order. Sure enough, upon evaluating me on my first visit, she found that I was misaligned due to a really old ankle injury. So we're slowly working on getting my body back into alignment. It won't be perfect, but it would be a heck of a lot better than it was before.<br />
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I'm partly also wondering if my adjustments of late have been contributing to a different level of hormones in my body. I'm a lot more weepy than usual, but my chiropractor says I'm a lot more "grounded" than when she first met me. I'm also having major issues concentrating on work. All I want to do now is sleep and rest and relax. Is my body trying to tell me something? I am also a bit surprised that I haven't freaked out about work yet, even though I have about 20 hours of work I'm probably a lot behind on. Oops.<br />
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Next week is going to be a busy one with doctors appointments and prepping for this big meeting at work. And then I get to pack for what will be my last trip to the homeland for a while.<br />
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I'm typing this surrounded by a bunch of boxes that I need to unpack. I'm choosing not to stress over it. Some remodeling work isn't complete in our new home yet, which is preventing us (somewhat) from properly unpacking and organizing. Oh well. Maybe I'll get to it this weekend...<br />
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Until next time, which I hope won't be too long from now.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-57579021518912912762012-06-30T22:07:00.000-07:002012-06-30T22:07:48.151-07:0010 years and many more to come :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We celebrated our 10th anniversary yesterday with a trip to one of our favorite places, the San Diego Zoo... we didn't feel a need for a fancy romantic dinner or anything like that, we were happiest walking around the zoo. It's been such an integral part of our lives together, and it's one of the few places we visit frequently over the years. We both agreed that it was a perfect place to celebrate our decade of marriage.<br />
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We even got to see things that we never saw before, in all of our trips... active big cats, up and about, the elusive fishing cat, and the new baby jaguars, who were acting like little kittens! We felt like the animals were celebrating our special day with us too. I was like a kid in a candy store, and couldn't stop smiling!<br />
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The only times I frowned were when a foreign family cut in front of us while we were waiting for the skyfari tram (we ended up leaving the line to walk instead), and when I saw a hawk swoop down to steal a duckling from it's family at the flamingo pond... that made me really sad, but Anthony told me not to dwell on it since there's nothing we could have done, and that's nature.<br />
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We were exhausted, slightly tanned (it was a very sunny day, even with hats, sun screen and my Columbia Omni Shade shirt for sun protection), but blissfully happy by the end of the day, enjoying cheesy 80s music on our drive back from San Diego, and a humble dinner of Chipotle and the very trippy Erik the Viking movie on Netflix to cap off our special day.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-64220265455218079342012-06-22T22:59:00.001-07:002012-06-22T22:59:17.807-07:00... and why isn't blogger posting my returns??ARGH! My previous two posts have had no paragraphs, even though I wrote them with. What am I missing? *sigh* Must brush up on html again...Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-33452905356523480182012-06-22T22:56:00.001-07:002012-06-22T22:56:26.447-07:00Time flies...I can't believe it's already almost the end of June... I've now spent almost 2 months being "semi-retired", and I'm finding myself filling up my days with things to do. How did I manage to do it all before?
We had a wonderful weekend for Father's Day in San Diego. My dad arrived on Friday evening in LAX, and I had to battle rush hour traffic to get down to San Diego... a normally 2.5 hour drive took almost 4. We had a lovely dinner with my in-law's at Roy's, and I had to have a little cocktail to calm my nerves from the drive.
Saturday started bright and early for the hubs, my dad and I... we had houses to look at! We're starting the process of looking at homes in San Diego... it's scary and exciting at the same time.
We then headed to the Oyster Festival, held at the Embarcadero park area by Seaport Village. The early bird really does catch the worm... we're so glad we got there early, snagged a table, and got to taste pretty much all the oyster offerings there. It kept getting more and more crowded. We looked over the park area from our hotel room a couple of hours later, and the crowd was so thick it was standing room only! So glad we got there early. We also took a leisurely touristy ride on the Seal tour... I love being on the water!
We had a fantabulous dinner in the downtown area at a restaurant called Salvatore's... wow. Just wow. The place looked like a museum, and they had a harpist playing throughout dinner. The pastas are all hand made, and were simply delicious. We sat for at least 2 hours enjoying our meal. I've never ordered so many desserts either, but they were all so delicious we couldn't pass them up. I need to post photos of them.
We all had breakfast on Sunday and parted ways... my in-laws to get some food shopping done in Little Italy, and more house hunting for us. We looked at 11 homes over the weekend, but haven't found the perfect one yet. More to look at in the morning tomorrow!Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-63902723169363828112012-06-04T18:34:00.001-07:002012-06-04T18:34:46.910-07:00TransitionsI seem to only add a post annually at this point in time, which I should definitely work on.
So much has changed since I last posted on this blog. I've made 2 trips home, travelled to Melbourne, celebrated my dad's 60th, took a trip to Bali, and made some big decisions about my career. 11 weeks ago, I turned in my resignation from the company I've worked for for the last 10 years. 7 weeks ago, I accepted a transfer to part-time status, enabling me to work from home. 5 weeks ago, I started my new "job" from home.
The transition was pretty tough. I think after being stressed out for so many years, I was continuing to find ways to stress myself out, until my friends told me to quit doing that, and to enjoy my newfound freedom. I'm taking a few months off before starting my other part time job, which is affording me some down time, and to also reclaim my home, which had been sorely neglected up till now. I found it interesting that I couldn't get myself motivated enough to get things done, even though I now had the time. Again, my friends stepped in and told me I needed to recover from all that stress. I am likening stress to an illness... recovery time is absolutely necessary, as you would with a cold.
I thank the heavens and all my lucky stars that I can afford to make this change. I am finally feeling like my old self again, and have started the process of summer cleaning. Boy, does it feel good to start tossing out old things! I foresee our garbage cans being filled to capacity in the weeks to come. I feel good. I feel rejuvenated. I am ready for a new and improved me.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-24447000130451539802011-07-04T15:37:00.000-07:002011-07-04T15:37:04.088-07:00Happy 4th of July!Happy Independence Day, USA! It also happens to be the hubs' birthday today. Since we had a lovely weekend in San Diego with way too much good food to celebrate all weekend, we're taking it easy and lounging out at home with the cats. A nap might also be in order for me... I'm beat. <br />
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I left for San Diego after a couple of hours at work, and it was 105 degrees outside in the IE. Nasty. Drove to the hubs' place of employment in SD and left my car there, so we could at least drive together to where we were staying for the weekend. Humphrey's Half Moon Inn and Suites is right on the marina at Shelter Island, and it was a lovely resort. We got a ground floor room that led right out to the swimming pool area and a little walking path that overlooked the marina, and I was immediately regretting not bringing along a bathing suit. Then we waited for my in laws to arrive, and left for dinner at Top of the Market restaurant by the USS Hornet for dinner.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuynZWWlQrywHi3NXf4J2OcqxwJrB0vCILA0DcmDuqfM9Kip_Dc7Npng8riwWSHEmKJ1K9tUiH9en5Xf4yKQWPRxkYDOi4YPSJRaKtJ2RXrIjSN5wnj_5ZGtOhGzoIQddEhN38BwvntEY/s1600/DSC05602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuynZWWlQrywHi3NXf4J2OcqxwJrB0vCILA0DcmDuqfM9Kip_Dc7Npng8riwWSHEmKJ1K9tUiH9en5Xf4yKQWPRxkYDOi4YPSJRaKtJ2RXrIjSN5wnj_5ZGtOhGzoIQddEhN38BwvntEY/s320/DSC05602.JPG" /></a></div><br />
After a lovely dinner, we decided to walk around Seaport Village since we were right there. I tried to locate a store which sold some bathing suits, but sadly, the pool and I were not destined to meet this trip. We headed back to the hotel after walking around for a little bit, and decided to check out the Backstage Lounge at Humphrey's for a nightcap. There was a cover charge for the Dennis Jones, the blues guitarist from LA that was playing that evening, so we were thinking it was going to be good. The lounge wasn't very crowded at all, but service was terrible! We would have stayed much longer and had a few more drinks and even some appetizers had the waitress been a little bit more attentive. We left less than an hour after we got there, only because of the subpar service. We all decided to meet at 8.30 the next morning to start our day.<br />
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Saturday dawns, and it looks to be a cloudless, sunshiny day. It was a lot more humid than us inland folk were used to, being right on the water, but the weather was still so much cooler than what was predicted for our area. Since it was the hubs' birthday weekend, and he wanted to go to the zoo, we headed on over. I was prepared with our caps and sunscreen, and boy did we need it! We took the bus tour around the zoo (I always love the bus tour), and sat on the open air top deck, so it was a good thing we did it early before it got much warmer. We got to see the polar bears while they were awake this time around, and that was a treat. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAuEhLiHUUDcku0wRTr_cYtdFZDfKojkwzAUyM5d8TO2i7g6_NL2uASDdbkxjwWC4x8pN7CaBAFVumdvNbxGhai6jKX3uctJ5b4i_flrjIx14zxYC50z8p5oKQcQFHP_8XSN3MUIj9VI/s1600/DSC05618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAuEhLiHUUDcku0wRTr_cYtdFZDfKojkwzAUyM5d8TO2i7g6_NL2uASDdbkxjwWC4x8pN7CaBAFVumdvNbxGhai6jKX3uctJ5b4i_flrjIx14zxYC50z8p5oKQcQFHP_8XSN3MUIj9VI/s320/DSC05618.JPG" /></a></div><br />
We huffed and puffed our way around the zoo, and saw most of what all of us wanted to see. I think the hubs' and I were spoiled since our last trip to the zoo was on a weekday, with a lot less people. We didn't stick around some of the exhibits for very long because it was crowded with nowhere to sit. We were all exhausted after being at the zoo for 6 hours, compared to our 12 hour trip last August. I even managed to hunt down a souvenir travel mug I wanted that I could not find at the gift store. We headed back to the hotel to freshen up and figure out dinner plans.<br />
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I immediately jumped into bed to grab some shuteye, even though I was feeling rather icky from being out in the sun, pespiring, and all that sunscreen I had slathered on in an effort to keep from burning. Hubs wanted to eat at Bali Hai, but after calling them off and on and trying to make reservations, he was feeling pretty frustrated that he couldn't get through. We all decided to head over anyway, just in the off chance that they had an open table, and Downtown San Diego was plan B for dinner.<br />
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Lo and behold, we heard that there was a power outage that downed all their systems (hence not being able to get through on the phones or online), and that their kitchen was 30 minutes behind. They said we'd have a 30 minute wait if we wanted a table still, so we hung out in their bar/lounge area while we waited. Service was definitely a lot more prompt than at the lounge the previous night, so we all decided we could wait for a good hour if they kept our glasses filled. <br />
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Dinner was a fantastic experience. We sat outdoors and got to enjoy the beautiful evening, the food was fantastic, and dessert was divine. We wanted to go to the Backstage Lounge again for a nightcap, but it was standing room only, and no one bothered to come up to us when we were waiting at the bar, so we ended up just leaving.<br />
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The hubs' parents made reservations at Humphrey's restaurant for their Sunday Brunch, something that both his folks remembered from way back when. The dining room was beautiful, and overlooked the marina. Champagne or mimosas were offered when we first sat down, and then we proceeded to check out the buffet. There was a really large selection of breakfast and lunch foods, and manned omelette, carving, sushi, and dessert stations. There were a lot of seafood offerings, but breakfast foods and dessert were my favorites. They had fresh-made waffle cones! Yum. I had to waddle back to the room.<br />
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We went over to the Museum of Natural History next, and walked around for a few hours, before deciding to head home. Our last stop was at a local 99 Ranch asian market, where I stocked up on things near and dear to my stomach that I have a difficult time finding closer to home. I was a happy girl :)<br />
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All in all, a very fun weekend with lots of walking and sightseeing, good food and company.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-84554214520512890832011-06-29T12:51:00.000-07:002011-06-29T12:56:26.508-07:00So long, and thanks for all the fish...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQY-VqDtTWaQdXgJ7jETOkuXuSgb5_us8wxp9tinTW-WozJoQWY08BHC0RfR2VH9zv3qIOdr-pWMOF8cD31BsysUri0mZ9Ddn-dYWEgyytbB5GuQV_Z0LomXJ2SUhpYYZ0mlX-e-a81gU/s1600/263399_10150692731260085_652070084_19838896_1413425_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQY-VqDtTWaQdXgJ7jETOkuXuSgb5_us8wxp9tinTW-WozJoQWY08BHC0RfR2VH9zv3qIOdr-pWMOF8cD31BsysUri0mZ9Ddn-dYWEgyytbB5GuQV_Z0LomXJ2SUhpYYZ0mlX-e-a81gU/s320/263399_10150692731260085_652070084_19838896_1413425_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623732505022730514" /></a><br />It's the hubby's and my 9th wedding anniversary... 9 years. Wow. I hope we'll at least get to go out for dinner tonight. It was a bittersweet morning. Our very first car was picked up for donation to the Woody James Warren Foundation, via Cars4Causes. I feel sad and good at the same time. I still remember sitting with the hubs at a Jack-in-a-Box in Goleta after we got our tax refund in 2003 trying to figure out if we could afford a down payment and a monthly car payment, then taking the bus down to the dealership to look at cars. We've come a long way since the start of our marriage, and we'll continue trucking along the road of life.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-79475261608864094312011-06-17T17:06:00.000-07:002011-06-17T17:11:10.464-07:00Packing is considered excersise, no?Wednesday and Thursday were a wash for attempting any sort of physical activity, with the exception of a short walk ion Thursday to grab some lunch with a coworker.<br /><br />Today, however, I have been climbing up and down step ladders, bending over, lifting things... I suppose that counts for some excersise. What am i doing, you ask? I'm helping my sister pack up her apartment in preparation for her move to her new home tomorrow :) <br /><br />On another note, the weather here in Mountain View is fantastic!Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-75333580441068366352011-06-14T20:03:00.001-07:002011-06-14T20:34:27.507-07:00TreadmillsSince I didn't get any exercise yesterday, other than scrubbing a portion of my home floors, I decided to take advantage of the hotel's gym today while on travel for the day. After jabbing some buttons for a few minutes, I finally figured out how to get the treadmill started... the darn thing had more buttons than my iPod!<br /><br />Once I got going, I turned on my kindle and started reading while I walked. I upped the intensity every once in a while and increased the incline level too. I was surprised at how quickly 30 minutes went by! I felt really good after my brisk walk, and decided to reward myself with a nice long soak in the super deep tub the hotel afforded. Did I mention the rainfall shower too? :) <br /><br />I'm sure my legs will feel sore tomorrow (my bum is already starting to feel it a bit), but it felt oh so rewarding too. I seriousy need to think about getting one for the house.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-21907454466816880452011-06-12T16:35:00.000-07:002011-06-12T17:16:28.106-07:00Ouch...Wow, I didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted in my blog... 1.5 years? Wow. Hi. Hope you're doing well :)<br /><br />Nothing much has happened except I've gotten a lot more sedentary, my eating habits have gotten worse, and I think I'm at my heaviest weight yet. I've decided to revive my blog in an attempt to motivate myself to get some sort of something going. I'm also inspired by my friend FM's memoirs about her own journey down to a size 2/4.<br /><br />Ironically, I'm typing this as I'm eating palmfuls of dry roasted peanuts in an attempt to drive away the light headed feeling from attempting the insanity workout's fit test. Yes, that's right, Mr. V and I, two completely unfit people, attempting insanity. We both thought we'd give it a shot after seeing a late night infomercial.<br /><br />The package arrived sometime during the week. Mr. V decided we should give it a try today. We opened up the package, and immediately felt daunted by the figures in the fit test score card. We put in the fit test DVD, and halfway through, I was completely breathless and had to sit down. Mr. V and I dcided that we might need to get fit before we even try the whole shebang. This is what I get for believing in infomercials :) Maybe the wii fit stuff will be much more to our pace.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-5988284805681732622009-12-31T09:41:00.000-08:002009-12-31T09:48:02.071-08:00I suck, goodbye 2009, hello 2010!I majorly suck for not updating my blog in over a year *hides face in shame* Maybe that will be my resolution for 2010... blog more? I really do need to start writing more... and be a little bit more creative.<br /><br />2009 has been a good year, with plenty of ups, and some downs, but without the bad, I don't think you can ever savor the good. Plenty of new friends were made, and kept up with old. I got to experience the madness that was ComicCon for a full 4 days, went for a work trip to DC which included boating on the Potomac, camped out like a bum on the streets of LA to be a crazy screaming fan, and rang in my big 3-0 with tears. And all that happened in the second half of '09!<br /><br />I am so grateful for all of the wonderful people I have met this year and done all the things I've got to do. Cheers to all of you... may 2010 be even bigger and better!Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-48687463709692609902008-10-29T22:38:00.000-07:002008-10-29T22:41:12.565-07:00My cats snoreSo now I know two of my cats snore... Cinnamon and Onyx. I've always known that Cinnamon snores, but I thought that was because of her... err... fluffier figure, but to hear Onyx snoring so soundly on the bed next to me as I type this... very cute. At least it's not an obnoxious snore... it's more like a wheezy snore.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-12296185287886251642008-10-25T02:29:00.000-07:002008-10-25T02:30:46.113-07:00CtCtNW - Picture MovieI tried this for the very first time tonight... I hope it turns out ok! I thought this might be a better way to share the pics rather than just putting it online in a static album.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aEB28pnHtzw"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aEB28pnHtzw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-59459780048203764852008-10-25T01:57:00.000-07:002008-10-25T02:00:06.814-07:00CtCtNW - outtakesEvery single night, our waiters performed for us (which I thought was odd but what the hey). On the third night, we were speculating what the entertainment would be, when they dimmed the lights and played this music. Albert decided to hop up and start dancing...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bhn7aiR2twU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bhn7aiR2twU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div>Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-69367729567664863392008-10-24T23:44:00.001-07:002008-10-24T23:54:06.928-07:00The Cruise to Cabo that Never Was... FinMonday morning dawns. My alarm wakes me up at 5.30 in the morning because I have to report to one of the lounges for the immigration check. I got there at 6.30 and there were already a bunch of people there. We had to wait until about 7 before the immigration officers arrived, and they didn't start the checks until about 7.15 (they had to have their coffee first). I think I was done at about 7.45. It didn't take too long, thankfully. I just had a bit of packing left to do, and we went up to the dining room to have our final meal on the boat.<br /><br />We weren't sure how quickly they were calling the debarkation numbers (we were assigned groupings to get off the boat). By the time we were done with breakfast, they already called the number before ours. We made our way back to our room, made last minute checks in the drawers and bathroom, to make sure we didn't leave anything behind. Our number was called, so we made our way out to the elvators. There was such a long line! I can't believe how much luggage some people brought. Thankfully, Cristina and I had one bag each with our carry-ons, so we decided to take the stairs to get off. We got back on land at about 8.45 and I waited for Anthony to pick me up "from the docks" as he liked to say. I people watched as I waited. I was exhausted, but happy to be back. I definitely wasn't ready for reality just yet.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-28690656477653701032008-10-21T22:48:00.000-07:002008-10-24T23:40:46.547-07:00The Cruise to Cabo that Never Was... Day 4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7C0WbdB70ogmu3namkBrcMTx0XQ0wORt1MvPbih0gLpVz0sVwc2qFP7JxBnpH55U3j01eNQEhZev96U2B-o-0vUj_haG9iKDTUlYeKdn2FQmV4wLUJ4bQbuHtSUlHz4W2YNXI3p_gvE/s1600-h/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+153.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7C0WbdB70ogmu3namkBrcMTx0XQ0wORt1MvPbih0gLpVz0sVwc2qFP7JxBnpH55U3j01eNQEhZev96U2B-o-0vUj_haG9iKDTUlYeKdn2FQmV4wLUJ4bQbuHtSUlHz4W2YNXI3p_gvE/s320/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+153.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260976792048985634" border="0" /></a>The morning started with our room phone ringing... I checked the time and I was surprised that it was 9 already! I expected Cristina to be up earlier than that, but she slept in too! I was nursing a combination hangover and aching muscles from my massage, so I was a little grumpy this morning. We got up to the deck to have some breakfast, and we were docked in Ensenada, much to my surprise. I had almost given up hope of ever getting off the boat, but this was our one day to do so. We jumped at the opportunity.<br /><br />We took a local tour to La Busadora, the blowhole. It was crowded and the tide was low, so we didn't get to see much of anything blowing. The scenery was beautiful. It was kinda crazy how many stores there were on the way down to the blow hole. We kept having to politely say no, thank you, but at least we got to check out the wares so we would know where to browse on the way back up.<br /><br />Cristina was looking for some pottery, trying to find her family patterns, and she found something for her sister-in-law. It was amazing to hear her barter in Spanish. There were a lot of neat things, but I ran out of cash so I didn't buy anything for me, though I did see this really cool star mirror with blown glass that I was keen on. Oh well. Maybe on another trip... :)<br /><br />We ate at this little taco hut, recommended by our tour guide. He was not kidding. It was THE BEST fish tacos I have ever had! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihflKkXJWpoOoKjZtCzocFfpAJtvTkyyndcpQh0oFaNABp3Xu9X2j_GV3xMhU9aOy6KTU3X59VKqz2Jf_2PW7U1aL742JK0Kyv73My_D_IZqflyVbHrewwATJeOn_PLHuem8ydyhz01uw/s1600-h/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+176.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihflKkXJWpoOoKjZtCzocFfpAJtvTkyyndcpQh0oFaNABp3Xu9X2j_GV3xMhU9aOy6KTU3X59VKqz2Jf_2PW7U1aL742JK0Kyv73My_D_IZqflyVbHrewwATJeOn_PLHuem8ydyhz01uw/s320/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+176.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260977338321054274" border="0" /></a>The fish was so fresh, and the tortillas looked hand made. Mmmm... it was spectacular. I should have gotten more for the road, but alas, I only had two, enough for lunch.<br /><br />We were running late, so our bus dropped us right back at port, so we didn't have any time to explore the downtown area. But, what I saw at the cruise ship terminal will forever be in my mind. These gals (who looked like they were on a bachelorette trip), went to Papas & Beer, lost their tops, and came back with just a Papas & Beer bumper sticker covering their bits. I wish I had had more courage to go up to them to ask to take a picture! I was trying to take it from afar but people kept getting in my way, so I don't have any pics... darn it! It was... err... a sight, to say the least.<br /><br />After dropping off our purchases, we headed up to the Lido deck because we were craving french fries and onion rings. Mmmm... Cristina had a hot dog and she said it was really good, and was trying to give me half of hers. I wouldn't take it, but she proceeded to put it on my plate and even cut it up for me! She's such a mom :) It really was a good hot dog... mmm. After we had our second lunch, we decided to check out the sushi bar on the deck below. We each got their sampler sushi plate. Why they put cream cheese in their california rolls, I still don't get. Other than that, it was pretty good :)<br /><br />I got a coke and a glass of ice to bring down to the room, but we ran into Jimmy, Phil and David, who waved us into their room. David proceeds to pour some tequila into my glass of ice, and silly me, I sucked it up through a straw. Cristina told me that was a big no-no... that's how I got buzzed so quickly. Though, I firmly believe that tequila was 100 proof. It was strong, but very smooth too. I tried to tone it down by adding coke, but it was just strong. Period. So I had a little bit more and was loopy for about an hour or two before dinner. I provided Cristina with a lot of entertainment that evening. So much so, she was laughing so hard she had to go to the bathroom to relief herself. Hehe. I am funny.<br /><br />Needless to say, I was a grump yet again right before dinner. *sigh* I need to quit being grumpy and just be a super nice person. I started feeling better as I always do after I had some appetizerts and food, and especially after I had my espresso. We decided to call it an early night to finish packing and what not since I had to get up at the crack of dawn for the immigration check before debarkation.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-27648302204255688042008-10-21T21:19:00.000-07:002008-10-21T22:26:24.443-07:00The Cruise to Cabo that Never Was... Day 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLyO1jjQzhsliC9DgZQuDNhC180pUNn28yMf5wxU0acqbkXTg3S0q4UKD80l1gonY8JBQ2Mj4C8FQ-5-lLw4LP3gvlrfMUgMhnsoE6xDuGb-wDQ22C5jKJEigobGlOGKvYzaiHwRVvmU/s1600-h/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+096.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLyO1jjQzhsliC9DgZQuDNhC180pUNn28yMf5wxU0acqbkXTg3S0q4UKD80l1gonY8JBQ2Mj4C8FQ-5-lLw4LP3gvlrfMUgMhnsoE6xDuGb-wDQ22C5jKJEigobGlOGKvYzaiHwRVvmU/s320/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+096.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259845248394276018" border="0" /></a><br />Saturday dawns bright and early (I assume, since we were in an interior room without any windows), and even though I didn't get to bed until about 2 a.m., I was very excited about the day in Catalina. Cristina woke up at about 7.30 so I slowly woke myself up. At about 8, our cruise director comes on the PA system and informs everyone that we won't be able to dock because of the high winds, so the tender boats to take us to shore didn't get clearance from the port authorities to operate. BAH! I was disappointed to say the least. First we didn't get to go to Cabo, and now, no Catalina either.<br /><br />So after some cursing (even though it wasn't the cruise line's fault... they don't control the weather, after all), we went for breakfast in the main dining room. I think I preferred the fare they served up on the Lido deck, but what they DID have were the yummiest hash browns (mmmmmmm, I even got a second plate of just hash browns... they were THAT good) and ESPRESSO! So much better than regular coffee :)<br /><br />After breakfast, we walked around for a bit, perusing the picture gallery for the "official" pictures the photographers took from our formal night. We found our group picture, which turned out really nice, but because we're a cheap bunch, only one person bought the pic so it could be scanned and distributed... hehe.<br /><br />We then decided to just get some sunshine since we've been stuck on the boat for the past day and a half, and Cristina snags us some lounge chairs. We sat up on deck and fell asleep for a few hours. We woke up in time for lunch, and proceeded back to the room to take another nap.<br /><br />We made appointments for the spa that afternoon, so I headed off for my appointment. I had never had a hot stone massage before, so I was quite looking forward to it. The stones were hot... haha... but it really did help loosen up my muscles. Though, I felt like I had been hit by a truck after the massage, because I had my last massage 3 years ago. I pretty much felt horrible and climbed back into bed after the massage.<br /><br />I don't think I was good company at the start of dinner, because I was still recovering from the massage. Though, I started feeling better as dinner progressed, and I was most definitely feeling better after I had my espresso for dessert.<br /><br />We decided to head to the karaoke bar after dinner. Some people should just not sing. Some people were good, but some were just horrendous! I think our eardrums could only take about a half hour of it :) We found a few coworkers playing cards in the lounge right outside the karaoke bar, so we sat with them. At about midnight, everyone was heading in different directions, most of us headed for the dance club again. It was another night of fun and I think I definitely had one too many drinks that night.Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-71958555820283137012008-10-18T20:26:00.000-07:002008-10-18T21:00:55.586-07:00The Cruise to Cabo that Never Was... Day 2It was a day at sea today. The weather was a tad chilly, but beautiful nonetheless. My roomie and I woke up relatively early, since we turned in around 11 the night before. We took our time getting ready in the morning, and headed up to the restaurant on the Lido deck (where the teeny tiny swimming pool is located) to have breakfast. It was still pretty rocky, but after breakfast, some coffee and more ginger pills, we were good to go. We explored the ship a little bit, went down one deck to look at the photos that we were forced to take the day before. I liked a picture that they took of my group, so I made my first purchase. We walked a little bit more, and then headed back to our room for a nap.<br /><br />We woke up a short time later and decided to head to the library to try to get some work done before lunch. The one thing I noticed on the ship was a lack of plug points. There was only ONE in our room, and apparently, just one in the library. Since my laptop battery doesn't hold a very long charge, I didn't get to work for very long. It was time for lunch by then anyway. We ran into our group prez and his wife, and had lunch with them in the formal dining room. Cristina and I figured that we would get to sample all the meals in all of the different locations this way. I remember having a fish dish of some sort but I can't quite place what it is.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyb8VpOZBgQuhpovIGu-WUq0w1SKaCO0KgSYXM5QtKTK3Mw5fKcjXdSi_UgRNGQxN3nLMK4ZgNoY3AMmgFHXDNFZubBwjEn9u_ie6j0sB_zqXAG9TwxkqkbsX833QyxQJUaqJFZl7dR0/s1600-h/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+049.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyb8VpOZBgQuhpovIGu-WUq0w1SKaCO0KgSYXM5QtKTK3Mw5fKcjXdSi_UgRNGQxN3nLMK4ZgNoY3AMmgFHXDNFZubBwjEn9u_ie6j0sB_zqXAG9TwxkqkbsX833QyxQJUaqJFZl7dR0/s320/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+049.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258707284567309666" border="0" /></a>Checking our itinerary, we discovered that they had a chocolate buffet at Tiffany's (the restaurant on the Lido deck) at 2.30 pm. We hightailed it to the buffet, even though we just had lunch... yummm :) We sat on a table at the back of the boat, enjoying the cool ocean breeze while enjoying our dessert.<br /><br />Our beds were made for a second time that day when we headed back for a quick lie-down after our lunch and dessert. Cristina said it was normal, but I was still amazed. We took a quick nap, and set our alarm so that we were up in time to experience high tea on the high seas (ok, I came up with that cheesy line) in the piano bar. It wasn't bad... I had some good tea and some light snacks. We then headed for the Romeo and Juliet room for our group activity slated for the early evening. One of the activities was to build a bridge out of spaghetti and marshmallows... very very sticky.<br /><br />All I have to say is: wow, we are a rowdy bunch. We had some fun team-building, get-to-know-you activities. I got a couple of cool Tt items out of it, so I was pretty happy :) A few of us decided to have a few drinks and just chill before we headed back to our rooms to get ready for the formal dinner (and wash off all the marshmallows!).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MgMtRjUSwvL3E-wEwfB7ScE8uzjgY0Cnq-NqSHIgwnru4UoJ7vkE3GlO-8EeWXoPn7ytUgaywddPL8xSrNg1KOeHwYJCAYKYwyqTt0sWRkjJONbBPpm3w6z92wpVHtPinZS3OYrTglE/s1600-h/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+062.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MgMtRjUSwvL3E-wEwfB7ScE8uzjgY0Cnq-NqSHIgwnru4UoJ7vkE3GlO-8EeWXoPn7ytUgaywddPL8xSrNg1KOeHwYJCAYKYwyqTt0sWRkjJONbBPpm3w6z92wpVHtPinZS3OYrTglE/s320/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+062.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258709414862814674" border="0" /></a><br />We got dressed, went down to our boss's room to pick her up, and I took a picture of this cute little towel animal they made for her. It was adorable! It was a very nice dinner, and everyone asking us where we were the night before since we skipped out on dinner. After dinner, we headed for this revue-ish show they had. Cheesy, but rather entertaining. Though, hats off to the dancers, cause it's amazing they don't trip and fall while performing on a rocking ship! I got dragged onstage (how embarassing)... thankfully, Cristina couldn't work my camera so there is no evidence! *cue evil laughter*.<br /><br />After the show, we were going to try to catch a comedy performance, but we got sidetracked and ended up in the dance club where we found a bunch of our coworkers hanging out. I joined the group, while Cristina bowed out and headed back. It was so much fun! I stayed till about 1.30 before calling it an evening. I didn't want to stay out too long since we were supposed to be in Catalina the next morning, and I wanted to be up bright and early for it.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHkJ2xXZBXJh9BaID0TxRjvsEWMEl6I5Sr9tqvRnVoG5E328MxjHtnEbvhZ_uASHHrIhewhdiaSbEYio6EX7eaPa6uRB90jpBpzE4z7AzkMsQzOSEaRv8TQ8IHwqYwZjkXXths_x6FeM/s1600-h/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+064.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHkJ2xXZBXJh9BaID0TxRjvsEWMEl6I5Sr9tqvRnVoG5E328MxjHtnEbvhZ_uASHHrIhewhdiaSbEYio6EX7eaPa6uRB90jpBpzE4z7AzkMsQzOSEaRv8TQ8IHwqYwZjkXXths_x6FeM/s320/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258708293803570434" border="0" /></a>Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-84619069970325676892008-10-13T14:54:00.001-07:002008-10-13T15:15:11.919-07:00The cruise to Cabo that never was... Day 1<div>The Pasadena engineering group for the company I work for organizes a cruise for the employees every year. This year the Contracts group (which I am a part of) got to participate too, which was really nice! The destination: Cabo San Lucas.<br /><br />I have been to Mexico only once, and that was to Tijuana 14 years ago when I was 15 on my first trip to the U.S. with my family. So I was very excited about this trip. About a week before the trip, we started looking at weather reports for Cabo, and it was supposed to be very overcast and rainy on the day that we were supposed to be there. The day before we left, we got reports that Hurricane Norbert was supposed to go through Cabo a day or two before our port day on Saturday, but we were told not to worry.<br /><br />Thursday dawns bright and early. I was up late the night before packing and trying to finish work up, and I woke up early to get my last minute packing done, and to follow Anthony in to work so he could drop me off at the pier. The first thing I get from Carnival is a little flyer saying they are cancelling our port of call to Cabo thanks to the hurricane, and instead, we would be cruising to Catalina and Ensenada. I was disappointed, but not overly upset. After all, it had been at least 16 years or so since I had been on my last cruise.<br /><br />We check in, I get written up as an "alien" and the check-in lady had to fill out extra paperwork, and so begins the picture taking. They won't let you pass unless you pose for a picture. So we did, as a group (I met my boss and co-worker at the terminal). We get to our rooms, checking out the ameneties provided. We had to bring our own hairdryer because they didn't provide one. But one thing that struck us as funny was that they provided chewable Citrucel in our ameneties bowl... which made us start to wonder what they were going to feed us throughout the trip.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLSN7kbqyAbdeDtURWftk5boa6VvwtfHEeAy_lL3SPrgfW_B-J-OZjgcmjreRE53mitUYcpW7oUcnNcW0S3_Lc7OePGDMCWS32-jl4rg4-wEPlYYRWYWQ6GC98hu9El2POUP85SH1M8M/s1600-h/Not-Cabo+Cruise+"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256764767526462850" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLSN7kbqyAbdeDtURWftk5boa6VvwtfHEeAy_lL3SPrgfW_B-J-OZjgcmjreRE53mitUYcpW7oUcnNcW0S3_Lc7OePGDMCWS32-jl4rg4-wEPlYYRWYWQ6GC98hu9El2POUP85SH1M8M/s320/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+005.jpg" border="0" /></a>We make our way upstairs to the Lido deck where they are serving lunch. Sat around, people watched, and looked out for our fellow co-workers. That was fun. They had some calypso music playing (if I remember correctly), but it was pretty loud and it was hard to talk, so after lunch, we made our way back to our rooms to unpack and settle in. We found out we had a mandatory safety drill, so we had to scramble to get our life jackets and make our way to the muster stations and listen to the instructions... thank goodness we didn't need the jackets :) </div><div> </div><div>By the time the drill was over, we were all up on deck by the lifeboats, and were ready to sail away. I stayed out on deck for a while... I love the feel of the wind whipping my face, and it was such a lovely cool day in San Diego. We walked all over the outer decks and explored the ship a little bit. By the time that was done, I was hungry again, so we made our way to the 24-hour pizzeria on the ship. They had pretty good pepperoni pizza! We went back down to our rooms for a short nap, and I was starting to feel the effects of being on the water. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Svt-oZElGjELc97tSW9Vgjf2Hptf5EXLRux_4WkE0IT41vHh4SIQbe58FKyWL07rwP7iZY7MBygy8AZdhC_21m_-pE5pc7Hru-ZtBEVx0HUHeGsgywOGCWaFHMy-NngPGE9gheIZzw0/s1600-h/Not-Cabo+Cruise+"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256765344796290018" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Svt-oZElGjELc97tSW9Vgjf2Hptf5EXLRux_4WkE0IT41vHh4SIQbe58FKyWL07rwP7iZY7MBygy8AZdhC_21m_-pE5pc7Hru-ZtBEVx0HUHeGsgywOGCWaFHMy-NngPGE9gheIZzw0/s320/Not-Cabo+Cruise+%2708+036.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I swear by ginger pills... which are just ground up ginger roots in capsules. I managed on those and these wristbands called Sea Bands, which works on your accupressure point on your wrists to alleviate sea-sickness. Between those two things, I did not need to take any Dramamine!<br /><br />Because we weren't feeling 100%, my roomie and I decided not to go down to the dining room for the sit-down dinner, and instead opting to eat at the cafeteria-style buffet instead. We made our way back to the room and just chatted for a little while before falling asleep.</div>Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724471765313107891.post-42378682448793381402008-09-23T23:46:00.000-07:002008-09-23T23:48:38.653-07:00TwitterA friend of mine got me to sign up with "Twitter" today, and it's a pretty neat tool to keep up with your friends. Just like on MySpace and Facebook, where you have status updates, you can "Twitter" your status now. I think it's pretty neat! Twitter me! :)Vonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17873892773813727903noreply@blogger.com0